Instutions Can do Kingdom Work Too

For those of us who tend to be skeptical of institutions - especially church institutions - I think it's a good practice to acknowledge when they actually do serve the Kingdom of God and call people to radical discipleship. Below is a letter from the Mennonite Church USA calling congregations to re-think how they will use the upcoming tax rebates. Will we simply consume more luxury goods or will we put the money toward kingdom purposes? MCUSA isn't the first or the only voice to call for this type of action, but as far as I'm aware they are the only denomination officially encouraging its membership to take counter-cultural actions. Are there other denominations doing that as well?

Tax rebates offer witness opportunity

This spring, many Mennonite Church USA households will receive a tax rebate as part of the U.S. government’s economic stimulus package. The goal of the rebate is to encourage spending in an effort to boost the national economy.

Mennonite Church USA invites members to view this rebate as an opportunity to do kingdom work, rather than making consumer purchases. If we redirect all or part of our tax rebate to meet any of the needs listed below, we could demonstrate to the world an alternative vision of how to use unexpected financial resources.

The rebate is an opportunity to put our money to work for the kingdom, like the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus with her expensive perfume, rather than keeping it for herself or the young boy who put his lunch in Jesus’ hands and fed the five thousand.

Congregations may want to work together and pool their rebates. A congregation of 30 households could receive as much as $25,000.

Projects for redirection of tax rebates:

· Motorbikes for Mennonite pastors in Congo. There are as many Mennonites living in Congo as in the United States. Because of poor roads, transportation is often difficult. Their pastors have indicated that motorbikes are their greatest need. With $2,000 one pastor can receive a motorbike.

· Young people who attend a Mennonite college or university are more likely to stay in the church. Many congregations have student aid or scholarship funds that assist students attending a Mennonite college or university. The schools match some of these funds. $500 is the typical scholarship/aid per student. Check with your congregation for details.

· Instituto Bíbilico Anabautista (IBA) offers leadership courses for Spanish-speaking Mennonite leaders. $250 covers the cost of one course.

· Mennonite Voluntary Service is the longest running voluntary service program in the Mennonite church. MVS is a life-changing experience for many participants. A $200 gift helps keep this program active for participants of all ages.

· Anti-racism is one of the four denominational priorities for Mennonite Church USA. $300 helps provide resources, training and coaching as we work to become an antiracist church.

· Check with your congregation regarding urgent needs within the congregation or your local community.

All tax rebate gifts can be made and sent to Mennonite Church USA, P.O. Box 347, Newton, KS 67114, with the project clearly designated. Or you can give online with a debit/credit card at giving.MennoniteUSA.org. Gifts to your congregation or area conference should be sent directly to them.

Tertullian and Non-Conformity

I recently sat in on a presentation about the N. African Patristic Theologian Tertullian by a friend named Tom Longenecker. Perhaps like me you are a bit unfamiliar with Tertullian. Well, his bio includes such distinctions as 1) being one of the first theologians to develop the concept of Trinity, 2) being deem by some to be a heretic because of his connection with the Donatists, and 3) is often cited as a church father who advocated pacifism and non-participation in the military in the early church (which is somewhat debatable).

Tom's presentation focused on #3. I don't have the time, energy, or ability to unpack Tom's research on Tertullian, but here's the jist of what he said - Tertullian is not necessarily pacifist as we would understand it today, and it's not even clear if Tertullian believed participation in war was immoral for a Christian. What is clear is that he was very concerned with the notion that Christians cannot serve two masters. In his context of Pax Romana, Tertullian saw how the Roman Empire was in competition with God because it demanded allegiance, devotion and subservience. Christians, he asserted, cannot serve two masters and the empire was (is) in competition with God. Thus, to support and participate in the empire is to commit idolatry.

So while it's hard to say if Tertullian was a "pacifist," it is safe to say that he is anti-empire. Christianity, for Tertullian, is a counter-cultural movement and it is our loyalty to Christ as Lord that determines if/how we participate with the nation-state.

I like this concept. It recognizes pacifism as an ideology like any other that can be co-opted, manipulated, and elevated as a false god just like militarism, socialism, the free market, etc. Being anti-empire is less of an ideology and more of a posture. It is broader than pacifism which is primarily concerned with the immorality of war. Being anti-empire involves all the ways in which the nation-state demands our loyalty and worship over-against god. It has implications for economics, class, race relations, gender, and more.

Essentially, violence and war is the way the empire protects and maintains the political, social, and religious status-quo. Tertullian is calling us to go deeper than just rejecting the protection of empire (all the while perhaps enjoying the benefits of being citizens of the empire). He's calling us to reject the very foundations and expectations of empire. He's calling us to be non-conformed. Why? Because we worship the living God, creator of the universe, prince of peace, the everlasting father. And he calls as to another way of living and another way of perceiving reality.

Death of a Broadcaster

It's a sad day in Steeler Nation. Myron Cope, a beloved Pittsburgh Sports Broadcaster has died. More than any other person, Myron embodied the heart, soul, and ethos of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He invented the Terrible Towel, was a trend setter, a composer, and received many honors for his skills as a sports writer and broadcaster. Go here to read his full obituary.

Myron was definitely unique and eccentric. The outsider may call him a bumbling fool, but to Steeler Nation he is a poet. Others may find him unorthodox, but in Pittsburgh he was our Pope. To get a little better idea of what I'm talking about, visit my favorite page of Myron Cope sound bites and then visit pittsburgese.com if you need any help with translation.

Bearing with the Weak: A Virtual Metaphor

It's almost been a month since my last posting. This does not come as a surprise to me (see my very first post on this blog). Yet again it seems as if I've created and am now neglecting another blog. I hadn't even thought about this, but then I got a gmail chat from friend Ben. It went something like this....

11:30 AM Ben: you need some new blog material

don't let this one die!

11:33 AM me: haha - yeah, my bad

I've been busy

this is what always happens

As a result, blogging is on my mind again, and I'm aware that I need to write something, anything, just to keep this blog going. Not because it's a profound blog, but because it's not a good practice to leave things unfinished and abandoned.

It was a simple gesture by Ben, but it got me thinking of how bloging delinquency can serve as a metaphor for our faith journeys. It's easy to grow lax and complicit - It's easy to get distracted and lose sight of what we set out to do. Sometimes we need our brother or sister to give us a gentle nudge or a swift kick in the pants. And sometimes we need the strong (i.e. Ben and his bloging briliance) to bear with the weak (we all know who that is).

Double Feature

Over the past several months my morning routine of ESPN and Daily Show has been cut in half due to the writers strike. But by accident I clicked on my Daily Show link only to see that there was new, current material up on the web. I was estatic. What made me even happier was that the latest clips included an interview of Jim Wallis of Sojourners. Double Bonuses abound! John Stewart and Jim Wallis; New Daily Show Clips and a New Book Release; Comedy Central and Sojourners; Social Justice and Spirituality; I need to stop myself before I get too excited.

Anyway... heres the clip with some good food for thought by two men who have profoundly shaped my world view.

A Culture of Remembering

I'm back from Christmas and New Years break. Emiley and I had the opportunity to be with her family in Southern Indiana over Christmas. It was a good time to reconnect, share laughs, good food, and memories (hence the topic of this post).

I've been attending Christmas with Emiley's family for 6 years now, and every year there is the same ritual. Christmas eve is held at her Grandparents, and before gifts are opened, the Christmas story is read and every one goes around to share thanksgiving, a significant event from the last year, or whatever comes to mind. On Christmas morning with just Emiley's immediate family, we essentially do the same thing.

In years past I always felt awkward during this; like I was in a discussion that I really should not be a part of. The family would share such deep stories of meaningful memories and gratitude for their life together with such intimacy that I felt like a voyager. In the past, when it was my turn, I said some general mumblings just to more on to the next person.

But this year I didn't. This year I offered the family reflections on how I've come to appreciate their tradition. I said that they are a family that remembers well - not just during Christmas, but in fact all the time in almost every conversation someone will launch off on an epic story which makes the ordinary moments of life seem spectacular. I shared how one of the main mandates of the Old Testament is to remember to Lord your God who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. This call echoes throughout Moses' teachings in the Pentateuch. Later, the prophets challenge the people to remember when they turn their backs on God and neighbor. And in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, initiated during the Passover, we are called to remember the many ways God has reached out to reconcile the people of God - ultimately expressed in the incarnation or God made Flesh.

There are a lot of books these days written about how the church in a post-modern, post-Christendom context needs to embrace the practice of sharing stories in how we do mission because people today relate more to personal story (testimony?) than they do grand meta-narratives about how the world works or who God is. It's a good concept and a vital practice for the church to embrace. But sometimes I have to sit back and laugh about how story is all the rage these days and is supposedly cutting edge in how we create and sustain communities. I laugh because here's a traditional family in rural Indiana, farmers, people of the land, not highly educated, and suspicious of change who doesn't need the next new pastor/rock star, book, conference, or seminary education to tell them that sharing our stories is integral part of our faith. They don't even do it (consciously) because of the biblical mandate. They do it because they understand family and community to be a vital part of one's formation.

To busy, fast-paced, technology-embracing urbanites like myself we may look at them as out of touch, resistant to change and creativity, and stuck in their ways. And to be sure their big family in a small town needs to be challenged by mission so that they do not become insular and their stories not exclusive. But it's also a family that by its non-conformity to the world around them never lost or forgot the simple truth that stories mean something, and remembering one's story of faith, family, and context is a precious pearl which is too often lost in our transient, globalized world.

By remembering so well in such a natural way, they remind me to not just talk about stories, but live into them, embrace them, share them, and never forget them.

Was Wesley an Anabaptist?

In a recent news letter from the UK Anabaptist Network, they included the following quote from John Wesley:

‘Persecution never did, never could give any
lasting wound to genuine Christianity. But the
greatest it ever received, the grand blow which
was struck at the very root of that humble,
gentle, patient love which is the fulfilling of the
Christian law, the whole essence of true
religion, was struck in the fourth century by
Constantine the Great, when he called himself a
Christian, and poured in a flood of riches,
honours and powers upon the Christians, more
especially upon the clergy.’

I've read a bit, though not much, of Wesley in the past in one of my Church history classes. But in what I did read I did found some affinity between Wesley's holiness movement and the Anabaptist movement. From what I understand, Wesley's concept of Christian Perfection was that once a person is saved through faith, works of piety and devotion help a Christian overcome the sin and temptation that still remain within the flesh. Thus, Christians can in this lifetime give themselves completely over to God and attain 'perfection.' It is important to note however, that Wesley talked about this perfection as a goal, and not necessarily a plateau. His point being, a Christian must constantly guard against backsliding.

Similarly, Anabaptists talk about living in light of the reign of God and God's kingdom as something that is attainable in this life as well. Hence the emphasis on the beatitudes, peacemaking, justice, and Christian community. The Kingdom is not a far off, future reality or ideal. It is real and present and dictates how Christian disciples are to live and behave in this lifetime - the implications of asserting that Jesus is Lord.

So while Wesley and Anabaptist were perhaps dealing with different subjects, they were in many ways saying the same things with respect to Holiness/Christian Perfection and the Kingdom of God. The traditional dichotomy that I had always assumed was that Wesley was talking about personal piety whereas Anabaptist brought in the political/social/ethical dimension.

As with any dichotomy, I tried to hold both together in my faith journey. And being much more versed in Anabaptist theology, I understood the personal beliefs, faith, and devotion behind all the social implications of Kingdom of God. However, never before had I seen the social and cultural implications of Wesley's emphasis on holiness. The quote above helps me see that Wesley thought very much about the social/political/cultural, and had similar critiques of Christendom as Anabaptists do. As we move into (and are already in) a post-Christendom era in the West, many appreciate the teachings of the Anabaptist tradition. However, let's not neglect the voices of Wesley and others (I would add early Pentecostalism) who also challenged Christendom in their own ways.