It Takes A Church...

CT Article: Atheism is waning because it can't form community

In recent article at the CT web site, Alistair McGrath examines the waning influence of atheism.  Once considered the philosophical tsunami that would inevitably overtake the western world (at the very least), it is now a non-factor in public and political life, relegated to fewer people who largely keep their lack of religious belief to themselves.

McGrath offers a thoroughgoing critique but quite interesting (and relevant to our recent church musings) is this section:

With the breakdown of social cohesion in recent decades, creating a sense of community has become an increasingly important political issue in many Western cultures. The question of how community can be recovered invites a comparison of religious and atheistic approaches...Christian churches have long been the centers of community life in the West. People want to belong, not just believe.

The growth of community churches has helped meet this need. There is a sense of belonging to a common group, of shared common values, and of knowing each other. People don't just go to community churches; they see themselves as belonging there. At a time when American society appears to be fragmenting, the community churches offer cohesion.

It is important to make this connection with the changing face of America. In his much-cited article "The Age of Social Transformation," published in the November 1994 Atlantic Monthly, management guru Peter Drucker pointed out that traditional communities of family, village, and parish have practically disappeared.

"Their place has largely been taken by the new unit of social integration, the organization," Drucker wrote. "Where community was fate, organization is voluntary membership." In the old days, community was defined by where you lived. It was part of the inherited order of things, something that you were born into. Now, it has to be created—and the agency that creates this community is increasingly the voluntary organization. Christian churches are strategically placed to create and foster community. The community churches have proved especially effective in this role, and have grown immensely in consequence.

But what of atheism? The former Soviet Union realized the importance of creating a sense of community. Having eliminated religion from the public life of the nation, Soviet planners recognized the importance of creating rituals and events, which fostered social cohesion and a sense of identity....The Soviets devised additional rituals as counterparts to the Christian rites of baptism and confirmation—for example, the "family event" to mark the birth of a new child, or the ceremony to mark admission to the Communist Party.

The nearest thing in the West to this Soviet model is found in Canada, which seems to think that a sense of community identity can only be created by eliminating any religious presence in the public arena. In the United States, atheism spawns organizations; it does not create community... (emphasis mine.)

Tomorrow I'll offer  some reflections on the "ideal church" and will also return to the ongoing lenten series of "Communal Spiritual Disciplines" with an excerpt from my sermon on "The Spiritual Discipline of Sitting Under."

Church Musings: A few Idle "Ideal" thoughts

Thanks to all of you who chimed in on my question of what would make up the "ideal church."  I want to let this conversation go on another day, so I will try not to squelch the comments with some of my own.

Mark Daniels and Bill Bean both graciously pointed out the problem with using terms like "ideal".  They also graciously gave me the benefit of the doubt and chimed in anyway.  As I have quoted Eugene Peterson before, the church is all mystery and mess--and never ideal.  (I also love that Mark mentioned Bonhoeffer's famous caution that our dreams of community can actually destroy community. Something I posted on here. It's one of my favorite quotes.) 

But, a careful reading of the comments show that none of us look at the church with "idealistic" eyes.  Just great hopes and a sober sense that it can and should be more than it is.  I want to look at some tentative conclusions we can draw from our conversation tomorrow, but let me ask you to do the same by reading the comments and asking these questions:

1. What common threads or themes do you see in most all the posts?  What does it seem that most of us really want in a church?
2. What is conspicuously absent in these comments?  What is NOT in the comments that we might assume would be?

Of course, if you haven't yet posted a comment please go to the original post and chime in.  (special note to SCPC folk: I am ESPECIALLY interested in what your ideal church would look like!)

One last thing.  Becky's comment here is in my opinion the single greatest thing to happen as a result of this blog and for me, makes all the posts worth writing. Praise be to God and thanks to all of you who make this church conversation so much better than if it was just in my own head.

Church Musings: Ideal Church

This past week I asked some people that I have never met to tell me what would be their ideal church.  Their answers were very interesting to me as a pastor and "practical theologian". 

Christine Daltillo wrote:

The church would have sound Biblical reformed teaching. Each Sunday I would walk out and know that the Gospel was preached. This is the foundation! From there I would look for a maturing congregation. Evidence of discipleship. I want to be part of a "growing in the knowledge and love of the Lord" congregation. Active church discipline and discipleship are hallmarks. People that pray and care for each other. I could go on and on... but let me also say - I'm looking for community.

Bowden McElroy wrote:

Three words: missions, discipleship, and community. I guess it's the Southern Baptist in me, but I can't imagine being part of a church that isn't strongly focused on missions and evangelism...The other side of the coin is discipleship: I want a church that's equally committed to strenthening and maturing believers...I think what I miss most is a sense of community. A friend of mine suggests that we Baptists should stop complaining about church splits and just admit that it's our preferred method of church planting. I'm not quite ready to embrace that philosophy...

Mike Russell wrote:

...the people are grounded in sound doctrine, evangelistic, and seek to make a social difference in their community. The fellowship is genuine and the people seem to enjoy one another. (Plus, they have an annual dance that is just for fun!) The preaching is excellent, a blend of the cerebral and the visceral...

Pete from Canada wrote:

That church I wish to be a part of should have a strong sense of mission or calling. It needs to see that's its primary task as a community is to help bring the Kingdom of God into this world. This must inform the worship, which should be liturgical, structured to reveal its purpose (intentional), and meaning-full. The worship should also be confessional, reflecting the talents of the congregation (Lord’s Day 21, Q&A55), and the nature of Christ's church-gathering work, from all times and all places...This sense of calling should also inform the preaching, which should be scriptural, relational, and cultural.

So let me ask you, what is your ideal church like? 

I'll leave this up through the weekend and then see if we can find some common themes together.  I hope many of you will comment.

Religious Jokes

This is not a post about televangelists with big hair... I mean real jokes.  The Holy Observer posted a survey of favorite religious jokes.  A potentially more edifying way to spend some company time on a Friday than making xerox copies of your squished face.  (My kid's personal favorite if our office manager is around to lead the fun.  Spoil sport Dad won't let them.)

Enjoy.  My favorite is the one about the Zen Buddhist and the hot dog vendor. 

Church Musings: Cool dreams, lonely people

Church planter Steve Wright asks: "Should church be cool?"  and cites Donald Miller:

If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool Web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is just another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing." (Blue Like Jazz, 111)

In her "interview", Christine Daltillo asks

"I dream (and my closest friends dream) of starting a Christian commune. Yes, we are joking. But, we desire a place of safety, love, companionship, shared vision, worship and accountability that is a retreat, but still in our community. A place where we could gain strength and encouragement, but still engage the world. You get the idea.
I'll close with a question... why does it seem that to gain community you have to accept theological looseness?"

Steve Norris continues his discussion of being church "homeless" with a probing look at loneliness even when in Christian fellowship.

We have, so far, been to two different churches in the past eight months or so, and have visited a third church together as well. As I look back, the common thread is one of a haunting sense of loneliness associated with our church visits. The worship is fine, the sermons are good, even great on some occasions. But the interaction, the "fellowship" if you will, is sadly lacking. If I never showed up again, no one would know, or care."

Anybody want to share a thought, a similar struggle or possible solutions?  Or is there something in all of these posts that longs for a type of church anchored in far more than what we humans can do in our own strength.  What would it look like if our Christian communities were really an expression of "Divine Communion"?

(Yes, that's the topic of my first book, but it would be good to hear some other perspectives.)

Showtime Review

A thoughtful review of Showtime here.  For those who thought that It Takes a Church was a bit on the theologically dense side, this reviewer finds Showtime somewhat "breezy and basic."  (Since that's what I was going for, I am pleased.) I am also grateful for any reviews and all feedback.  Thanks Richard.

Live Like a River

“Rivers know that there is no hurry.  We shall all get there one day.”

--Winnie the Pooh

It’s probably not a coincidence that my recreational yin and yang are snow skiing and fly fishing.  And while I try to spend as much time as I can on ski slopes in the winter, I try to spend as much time as I can wading trout streams in the summer.  I need to balance my need for speed with the contemplation of wetting a line, watching a fly and trying to fool fish while standing in a river.

There is a lot you can learn from a river and mostly that it just flows.  Rivers don’t slow down or speed up, they simply do what the terrain demands.  The greater the snow melt, the more rocks in the river bed, the narrower the banks, the faster it flows.  But when the terrain mellows, the rocks disappear and the banks flatten, the river simply slows down. 

In many ways, I think we’ll better learn this spiritual discipline of hastening slowly if we’ll let ourselves live like a river. 

Recognize that there are going to be stretches of rapids, (even long stretches) but look for the wide spots to level out and run slowly.  Linger in those spots. Resist the temptation to add hurry to your life. Learn to "go with the flow."  There are different seasons where life will go faster, so we don’t need to add to that by making life even more hectic to fulfill our own unconscious needs.

In Mark 6:30-34, Jesus' disciples had so much ministry going on that they couldn’t even find time to eat.  But for them this was not some badge of honor, some affirmation of their importance, it was a simply a reality to face. 

The ministry was picking up speed, the flow was beginning to race down hill, the needs were like boulders that they had to roll over, their lives were like crashing rapids, bouncing back and forth.

So Jesus tells them to come away and rest.  They cross the sea on a boat to get some time alone, to slow the flow.  But the crowd and all of their needs followed.  So much for their time to bask.  So much for their sabbatical, their time for rest. 

The crowd was like sheep without a shepherd, and he has compassion on them.  Jesus interrupts their retreat and cares for them.  It was not a moment where the pace would slow. 

But! Twelve verses later, after one more act of ministry, Jesus himself pulls away to rest and pray. 

You know what?  This is Jesus’ usual pattern.  Five times in three different ministry events in a brief period of time he slows down.  What we learn from this passage is that life, even as Jesus lives it, is a rhythm of both rest and racing. 

How is that rhythm in your life?  Are you busy or are you hurried?  Is there a rhythm of both rest and racing, or it is just all just rushing from one thing to the next.

Usually when we are hurrying, we are trying to do one too many things that are more inspired by our anxiety, fears or competition than anything else. 

Hasten slowly.  Let the banks determine the pace, but be the same in the middle.  Let the terrain speed up the flow of life, not anxiety.

Be a river that stays with the banks, not a flood or swamp that insists on overrunning the boundaries, doing too much, going too far.  Know your limits and live within them.  That will be fast enough.

In my book, Show Time, I used the metaphors of rivers and snow skiing to talk about the benefits of developing the virtue of self-control.  In many ways, we who struggle with slowing down, also need to consider how much we need to develop genuine, freeing self-control in other areas of our lives.

Interviews: Check them Out

The next installment of the Interview Game.

For Christine :

1. What's your favorite Shakespeare writing, or, what inspired the quote for the name of your blog?
2. What's the short story of how you came to be a Calvinist?
3. Why did you start a blog?
4. What's the best part about parenting a teenager?

5. Describe the church you've always wanted to belong to?

For Bowden:

1. What is the role of psychology in the life of a Christian?
2. Who is your role model as a Christian therapist?
3. So, why beagles?  (I have a St. Bernard named "Huge")
4. What is your favorite book?

5. Describe the church you've always wanted to belong to?

For Mike:

1. What's the best thing you learned in seminary?
2. Respond to this quote from Mark Twain: "I never let schooling get in the way of my education."
3. What does a "consultant" really do?
4. If you weren't in Christian work what would you being doing?

5. Describe the church you've always wanted to belong to?

For Pete:

1. What's do most Americans misunderstand about Canadians?
2. How do you feel about the NHL Hockey strike?  (Does this reveal something about question #1?)
3. Why do you have two separate blogs, one political and one Christian?
4. What's the best comedy film you've ever seen?
5. Describe the church you've always wanted to belong to?

For Dennis:

1. Does that cartoon picture really look like you?
2. What's the best metaphor for understanding a Christian worldview?
3. What's the best part of raising twins?
4. What was the first Henri Nouwen book you read?
5. Describe the church you've always wanted to belong to?

Have at it, friends.  We'll all enjoy getting to know you better.

Church Musings

Two more musings to note: One about theological hair splitting from a former muslim turned Christian becoming--eek--PRESBYTERIAN elder.   The other a new blog from a 23 yr old pastor (23 and a pastor?  I am getting old) called "Becoming Community".  He hasn't written much yet, but I've got to cheer on any one of any generation who wants to contribute to "community" (becoming or otherwise).

Add Basking to your Busyness

Continuing our exploration of the "spiritual discipline of slowing down," we move from a slow beginning to each day to the warp and woof, the demands and details of the day itself.

I understand that during certain seasons of life, the pace quickens.  It’s hard not to feel as if you are always on the move when you are chasing down toddlers or teenagers.  I am not trying to make you feel guilty for being busy.  I really do understand.  Instead I simply want to encourage you to not be ONLY busy.  To add basking to your busyness.

To add basking to our busyness means to look for moments in the middle of each day, when we can just stop and take in the universe, tune into the Creator, to pray without moving.  In his, Abandonment to Divine Providence, Jean Pierre de Cassaud called this celebrating “The sacrament of the present moment.” 

When we bask, we adore.  Taking in the taste and smells, feeling the wind and the sunlight, noticing the smiling faces and sad eyes of others.  Taking the time for a lingering hug of a loved one, to hear a good joke, to look at the sunset.  We sit and be.

If you are ever down at the San Clemente pier at sunset, you can see people who have come just to bask in the moment.  It’s quite amazing to watch how just as the sun touches the horizon, a number of people just fall silent and take it in.  Then when the sun is out of site, they resuming walking, talking and getting on with life.  But those who bask for just a moment, go back to life a bit more gingerly, a little more tenderly than those who were too distracted to notice the sunset.

Very often we need each other to practice these things.  (This is the "communal" part of the disciplines.) We need others to point out the sunset, to invite us to have a cup of coffee in the middle of the day, to pause to sit and pray.  At least I do.

In December, I ran my first marathon with two friends.  Fortunately for me, one of the guys had run seven of them before so it was like having a personal coach the whole way.  His strategy was that we would walk for one minute each mile.  Basically every mile there is a water station, and we’d simply slow down, grab some water, walk for one minute and get going again. 

I have to tell you that for me that whole walking part was excruciatingly difficult.  I had time goals I wanted to accomplish.  Runners that I had just passed in the last mile were now racing by me while I walked a minute and frankly, it felt like I was losing time and wimping out. 

But when we hit the 20 mile mark, the wisdom of his walk-a-minute-per-mile strategy was so evident.  The 20 mile mark is considered by most marathoners as “the wall.”  It’s where the body runs out of fuel and has to struggle the last 6 miles on fumes. 

But not me, not this time.  I sailed right through the so-called wall.  (Well as much as a guy my size ever “sails.”) By simply walking one minute a mile all the way through the race, we had so much more left in the tank that I actually ran a way faster time and a way more comfortable race than I imagined possible. 

Adding basking to our busyness is learning to walk a minute each mile on a marathon.  In the end you go faster without hurrying, by hastening slowly.

If you'd like to read one more post I wrote on "busyness" click here .

Tommorrow, one more suggestion for "slowing down."