emerging mosaic

The cover story of this week’s edition of Newsweek is the Decline and fall of Christian America. The author John Meachem, a self described flawed Christian (from the Episcopalian tribe) discusses the shift in the American religious landscape.  On MSNBC this morning Meachem and Tim Keller from Redeemer Church in NYC discussed the story, here are a couple of their observations.

Tim Keller:

• There is a shift in the evangelical population that used to be more blue collar. More are going to college and  have dveloped a different take on the Christian faith.
• Many people of faith want to take their faith beyond just two issues into the public sphere of the academy, Hollywood, and even wall street.
• Some peopleof faith see all of life as being a part of faith

Meachem:

•  The political recent experiment of Christian America in the political sphere has failed.
• There is a difference between Christianity and Christianized America
• More people of faith have less allegiance and trust in religious institutions, so the church has to figure out what to with that.
• Many people of faith have become more seeks that religious adherents

So American is becoming less religious but not necessarily less Christian?  Last September at the religious news writers association I shared during a panel discussion that I thought American culture was decidedly less religious but still very open to the Christian faith.  More prominent authors like Greg Boyd Myth of a Christian Nation has written about this. Julia Duin in her book Quitting Church also speaks to the shifting tide that Meachem addresses.

Other people of faith are convinced this shift means the end of Christianity as we know it in America.They may be right. It may be the end of the practice of the Christian faith as we have known it.  But it does not mean the end of  the Christians faith. We can no longer do business as usual. But changing our approach to practicing the Christian faith does not mean the death of the christian message.

So are we in a post-christian era or a post religious era?

Popularity: 16% [?]

Technorati Tags: Christian America, christian faith, faith, Greb Boyd, John Meachem, Julia Duin, Newseek, post Chrisitan, post-religious, tim keller

The cover story of this week’s edition of Newsweek is the Decline and fall of Christian America. The author John Meachem, a self described flawed Christian (from the Episcopalian tribe) discusses the shift in the American religious landscape.  On MSNBC this morning Meachem and Tim Keller from Redeemer Church in NYC discussed the story, here are a couple of their observations.

Tim Keller:

• There is a shift in the evangelical population that used to be more blue collar. More are going to college and  have dveloped a different take on the Christian faith.
• Many people of faith want to take their faith beyond just two issues into the public sphere of the academy, Hollywood, and even wall street.
• Some peopleof faith see all of life as being a part of faith

Meachem:

•  The political recent experiment of Christian America in the political sphere has failed.
• There is a difference between Christianity and Christianized America
• More people of faith have less allegiance and trust in religious institutions, so the church has to figure out what to with that.
• Many people of faith have become more seeks that religious adherents

So American is becoming less religious but not necessarily less Christian?  Last September at the religious news writers association I shared during a panel discussion that I thought American culture was decidedly less religious but still very open to the Christian faith.  More prominent authors like Greg Boyd Myth of a Christian Nation has written about this. Julia Duin in her book Quitting Church also speaks to the shifting tide that Meachem addresses.

Other people of faith are convinced this shift means the end of Christianity as we know it in America.They may be right. It may be the end of the practice of the Christian faith as we have known it.  But it does not mean the end of  the Christians faith. We can no longer do business as usual. But changing our approach to practicing the Christian faith does not mean the death of the christian message.

So are we in a post-christian era or a post religious era?

Popularity: 16% [?]

Technorati Tags: Christian America, christian faith, faith, Greb Boyd, John Meachem, Julia Duin, Newseek, post Chrisitan, post-religious, tim keller

If you have not seen it, here are the clips from Jon Stewart’s total debunking of the Mad Money guy Jim Cramer. There is some strong language so viewer discretion is advised.

Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Daily Show Interview | Indecision Forever | Comedy Central.

Ironic that a so called “fake” news shows was the one that did all the journalistic research to prove the duplicitous nature of the financial news shows.

Who might get called out next? Us in the church?

Popularity: 18% [?]

Technorati Tags: daily show, jim cramer, jon stewart, mad money

Our faith community is going to be having an online discussion group of the novel The Shack. As I was doing a search for some video on it I came across this rant (sermon) on YouTube.

Mark Driscoll on the Shack

I think he misses the point of metaphor. The characters in the Shack related to the Trinity are metaphors. They are not meant to actually suggest that  God the creator is a  black woman, Jesus the redeemer is an Palestinian (though he probably was) and the Spirit the sustainer (is an Asian).

The definition of metaphor from dictionary.com

a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.

Metaphors help us to wrap our brains around deep concepts by connecting them to symbols or icons that are more readily accessible. It is why use image metaphors in our worship each week.

Jesus used metaphors. Listen to Jesus as we weeps over the people of Jerusalem

³⁴ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Luke 13:34Luke 13:34
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Jesus Loves Jerusalem ³⁴ Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me.

Jesus isn’t saying he is a hen. he isn’t making a graven image of God he is using a metaphor that is accessible to those listening. People whose farming background would have made the idea of a hen caring for her chicks quite familiar. Jesus used  metaphors by speaking in parables, a common rabbinic way of teaching. They didn’t just tell adn give answers they told stories that raised questions. The parables generated questions and conversations with the genuinely spiritually curious instead of just telling people what to think. Mark 4:34Mark 4:34
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
34 He did not tell them anything without using stories. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

The book is a novel, a story, not a doctrinal statement or dogmatic text. He is using metaphors iconic imagery that is familiar that is accessible to his reader.  If nothing else this gets people (Jesus followers and those who aren’t) in this post-religious world talking about the Trinity one of the most challenging parts of Christian teaching. It is a subject that many avoid and some in recent years have tried to dismiss altogether.

Part of learning to practice faith in the post-religious world is learning to entertain the ideas of other without having to agree with them. Metaphors are a part the language of the post-religious. I think learning to use metaphors as a means to engage in conversation rather than just dismissing them when they arise in culture, is important to living faithfully in a post-religious world .  Ironically isn’t that what Paul did at Mars Hill. Acts 17:22,23Acts 17:22,23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. ²³ Ws . As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words,

So is it possible to have a conversation about this stuff without all the hyperbole?

Popularity: 9% [?]

Technorati Tags: Jesus, mark_driscoll, mars_hill, metaphor, parables, Paul, post-religious, the shack, trinity

Our faith community is going to be having an online discussion group of the novel The Shack. As I was doing a search for some video on it I came across this rant (sermon) on YouTube.

Mark Driscoll on the Shack

I think he misses the point of metaphor. The characters in the Shack related to the Trinity are metaphors. They are not meant to actually suggest that  God the creator is a  black woman, Jesus the redeemer is an Palestinian (though he probably was) and the Spirit the sustainer (is an Asian).

The definition of metaphor from dictionary.com

a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.

Metaphors help us to wrap our brains around deep concepts by connecting them to symbols or icons that are more readily accessible. It is why use image metaphors in our worship each week.

Jesus used metaphors. Listen to Jesus as we weeps over the people of Jerusalem

³⁴ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Luke 13:34Luke 13:34
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Jesus Loves Jerusalem ³⁴ Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me.

Jesus isn’t saying he is a hen. he isn’t making a graven image of God he is using a metaphor that is accessible to those listening. People whose farming background would have made the idea of a hen caring for her chicks quite familiar. Jesus used  metaphors by speaking in parables, a common rabbinic way of teaching. They didn’t just tell adn give answers they told stories that raised questions. The parables generated questions and conversations with the genuinely spiritually curious instead of just telling people what to think. Mark 4:34Mark 4:34
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
34 He did not tell them anything without using stories. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

The book is a novel, a story, not a doctrinal statement or dogmatic text. He is using metaphors iconic imagery that is familiar that is accessible to his reader.  If nothing else this gets people (Jesus followers and those who aren’t) in this post-religious world talking about the Trinity one of the most challenging parts of Christian teaching. It is a subject that many avoid and some in recent years have tried to dismiss altogether.

Part of learning to practice faith in the post-religious world is learning to entertain the ideas of other without having to agree with them. Metaphors are a part the language of the post-religious. I think learning to use metaphors as a means to engage in conversation rather than just dismissing them when they arise in culture, is important to living faithfully in a post-religious world .  Ironically isn’t that what Paul did at Mars Hill. Acts 17:22,23Acts 17:22,23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. ²³ Ws . As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words,

So is it possible to have a conversation about this stuff without all the hyperbole?

Popularity: 9% [?]

Technorati Tags: Jesus, mark_driscoll, mars_hill, metaphor, parables, Paul, post-religious, the shack, trinity

If the thoughts  in this post from CS monitor (in light of the recent article and study reported in USA Today) are true then I sadly don’t think the church in the US is ready.

The coming evangelical collapse | csmonitor.com

Check out  http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-aris-study-christianity-on-the-decline-in-america for more thoughts on this from the original source for the CS monitor post.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Technorati Tags: christianity, collapse, evangelicalism, evangelicals, post-religious, religion

If the thoughts  in this post from CS monitor (in light of the recent article and study reported in USA Today) are true then I sadly don’t think the church in the US is ready.

The coming evangelical collapse | csmonitor.com

Check out  http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-aris-study-christianity-on-the-decline-in-america for more thoughts on this from the original source for the CS monitor post.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Technorati Tags: christianity, collapse, evangelicalism, evangelicals, post-religious, religion

Here is a link to Alan Roxburgh founder of Allelon vlogging on Rodney Starks book What Americans Really Believe.

The insights Roxburgh shares from the book reinforces the though I have ad for some time that we don’t need to go do 2.0 churches right now in America. Churches that bear not resemblance to the historic church. What we need are 1.5 church churches that link back to the future. An ancient future church (that Webber wrote about) that  that re-imagines the church of today based on the church of yesterday including but not limited to the new testament church.

I am intrigued by Roxburgh’s comment about all the new Church gurus. I think these are the people who want to draw a line in the sand and do a new church that has no connection with what has come before.  I think he is right is saying that these folks look at the world only through their (all too often elite) lens,  usually white male academic. They ignore all the contributions of people outside they world view and experience have made to the church. They propose this new church based on their own cultural biases to the exclusion of all else. This is why I am post emergent. Stark research seems to bear this out.

Roxburgh ends by saying if we want to have a missional transformational church we will need to go to the center of where the culture is. I think we need to take a preliminary stil. Across the board we the church need to stop acting as if we are at the center of our culture and the universe. We are not. God is, it is God’s mission not ours. So as Roxburgh suggests we need to where God is and that is where the work of the Church is to be found.

Alan Roxburgh - Vlog #2 : The Missional Journey.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Technorati Tags: Alan Roxburgh, books, denominations, missional, Rodney Stark

is God-red or blue

In the recent history on the north American church there has been s significant and different foray in to the political arena. Churches and pastors of churches have begun to not only to openly share their views about political candidates but to endorse those candidates from the pulpit and tell the members of the church who they should vote for. Today I got a call about the latest step in this trend a group called the  Alliance Defense Fund - Defending Our First Liberty. Is hankering for a fight over the IRS rule that church cannot actively endorse any candidate or engage in politicking if they want to keep tax exempt status. The rule they say violates their first amendment right to freedom of speech.

I think this is a dangerous path that these folks are walking. While I believe that Christians should be involved in the public and political sphere,  I also believe Jesus teaches in the scriptures that God does not work through politically system the way they are proposing. God purposes and kingdom are not equivalent to a political agenda. It is bigger than any political agenda or ideology.

This summer preached a series of message looking at some of the hot button issues of the day through the metaphor of colors. One message asked the question Is God red or blue? Maybe you have seen the bumper stickers that read God is a republican or Jesus is a democrat. There are Christians that sincerely believe that God can be labeled in this way. As I shared with the faith community I serve, I think God is neither red or blue, God is purple. The combination of both colors. 

When God is attached to a particular political affiliation or agenda, we trivialize and limit God’s purposes to that which is appealing to, and in agreement with our political sensibilities. Furthermore we miss the truth that God’s mission, God’s purpose and God’s kingdom is bigger than any single political point of view. God is seeking a greater good than any political agenda can ever achieve.

This view or endorsing candidates from the pulpit leads to the kind of inappropriate linkage of candidate with God that allow the current president to be referred to by one of his former department staff as the pastor in chief. I am amazed that those who want to inject God into the small minded nature of American politics forget or ignore the scripture that give us clear cautionary warning about doing just that. ³

 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Psalm 146:3Psalm 146:3
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
3 You can't depend on anyone, not even a great leader.

Jesus teaches his first followers that his focus in not on our human agenda but something bigger and grander and greater that includes all kinds of people regardless of their politics

³⁶ “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”
John 18:36John 18:36
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
36 Jesus answered,

Now don’t get wrong we followers of Jesus should absolutely have a voice in the political sphere. It is essential that we are a part of the conversation. But our participation should be to seek the promotion kingdom regardless of party affiliation. it should not be to attribute party values to God. We don’t get to cherry pick the values we want to promote in the name of God and God’s reign.  It we promote some we must promote all.  In Myth of a Christian Nation, Greg Boyd pointed to the danger to the church if we don’t adopt a more holistic biblical understanding of Christian values and their place in the public square. I believe  Jim Wallis is right. When it comes to God’s politics the right gets it wrong and the left doesn’t get it.

what say you?

Popularity: 25% [?]

Technorati Tags: Alliance Defense Fund, blue, God''s politics, Greg Boyd, jim-wallis, kingdom of God, kingdom values, kingdom_of_god, myth of a christian nation, politics, red

I recently became acquainted with Kim Winston who has a book and web site on the use of prayer beads. Kim writes that through the use prayer beads she is making her way back to God. I think this is a great example of how reclaiming ancient spiritual practices can make tried and ways of being connected to God fresh and accessible to all kinds of people. Check out her web site at Bead One, Pray Too

Popularity: 19% [?]

Technorati Tags: prayer, prayer beads