The last few years have been full of controversy among churches. There seems to be no end to the controversial subjects churches are being forced to address. Some come from within when our brothers and sisters challenge our traditional views and practices. Others are coming from the larger culture but spill over into the church. Regardless of their origin, the number of issues being reconsidered is huge. They include leadership models of church, worship practices, what is or is not part of “the gospel,” the mission of the church, how to interpret the Bible, the relationship between church and state, racial history and justice, gender roles in the church and family, LGBTQ matters, plus many others.
In my previous blog post I talked about how we cut ourselves off from much blessing when we cannot embrace wisdom both old and new because “we” trap ourselves in anxious echo chambers reacting to “them.” I believe we can and should create more non-anxious spaces for productive dialogue. By non-anxious spaces, I mean conversations among Christians where diverse points of view can be expressed without defensiveness, reactivity, labelling and dismissing each other. In order to accomplish this, we will need a clearer understanding of the gospel so that we can better differentiate the message of scripture from the cultural captivity in which we typically trap it.
By this point, it is cliché to say that the global church and the American church are in times of transition. That was true before COVID-19. The pandemic only accelerated the pace of change.
On both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the church is asking hard questions and sorting through the implications of the shift in the center of gravity of the Christian faith.
“So exactly what does a gift to MRN produce? What is the cost in dollars per soul?” asked the potential donor. I was stumped and wanted to check my ears. How would we calculate this?I wondered what he would consider an acceptable ratio. In his defense, he is a good man who was just trying to be a good steward, but the way he framed the question was stunning to me. It made us wonder, what is the value of a soul? How do you calculate the ROI (return on investment) for missions? We are fooling ourselves if we think people don’t ask such questions.
There is something alluring about “going back,” “starting over,” “returning to fundamentals,” “getting back to basics,” “re-rigging the wells,” “recovering what we lost,” “restoring past glory,” or any number of other figures of speech that call on us to look backward. People lose focus. Vision leaks. Corruption sets in. We drift off course. We can’t remember how we got here or why we started on this journey. Things rust, calcify, and oxidize. It’s all part of living in a broken world as fallible creatures with a predisposition to sin and folly. There is a force of gravity which not only pulls down on matter, but also on ideas, dreams, visions, and endeavors of all types. God’s people are not only attacked from the outside, we constantly struggle with controversy and corruption from the inside.
One of the more impactful books I’ve ever read was Tony Campolo’s Partly Right: Learning from the Critics of Christianity. It came out in 1987 to a big thud. I’ve never heard anyone else reference it. I doubt it sold well, but it sure impacted me. I loaned my copy to an old college buddy after I read it and never saw it again. But I still remember Compolo’s admonition to learn from people we view as enemies. It is a truth we need to hear in church, mission, culture, and politics. This is particularly important in a culture where we sequester ourselves in online identity ghettos with algorithm-tailored newsfeeds to reinforce our fear-driven biases. It is an essential element for any civil dialogue.
Prayer is mysterious. No way around it. No matter how much we read about it in scripture, read books or hear presentations about it, or practice the various forms developed through the ages by prayer sages, none of us really understands it. Not really. It doesn’t work like a Coke machine. Sometimes if feels like a slot machine, but we know that is not right either. It is a personal interaction with the Creator of the universe who is constantly monitoring over 7 billion humans on just this one planet, and who knows how many spiritual beings or other creatures on other planets in this vast universe flung over countless light years. We cannot understand it or master it.
I feel compelled to speak about racism, but I am hesitant to do so. I’m reticent not only because race is deeply controversial, but because tensions are high, and the issues are complex. More importantly, I’m still trying to understand the dynamics. However, I’ve been reading widely about racial history in the U.S. and the global context for years. I’ve been pursuing a multi-cultural vision for over 20 years and have learned much by making mistakes. I have had many conversations with church leaders of various races in the U.S. and around the world about these matters. Still, I feel in over my head all the time. Yet, at some point, it is time to move beyond learning and begin to say something. I need to do more than send out an occasional Tweet or Facebook post.
For over 30 years, I’ve been hearing that Churches of Christ have an identity crisis. I’ve heard endless self-critiques. I’ve added to them myself. We’ve explored our weaknesses and their origins obsessively. It is not hard to find defenders or critics of our heritage. But wise self-awareness - that is more elusive.
Defensive denial is childish. Self-loathing is adolescent. Both are harmful. Having a healthy sense of both your strengths and weaknesses is mature and helpful.
For several years I've been watching American church people slide into increasing fear and polarization. This has been developing for some time, but 2020 has pushed us over the edge. The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have rocked us to the core. The racial unrest and demonstrations in the midst of all the disruption elevated an already overwhelming time.
We’ve had a near war with Iran, constant unrest in the middle east, and a divisive political climate in an election year. All of this dominates our minds so much that we’ve all but forgotten stories like Australia burning or murder hornets. It seems like the world is experiencing the bowls of God’s wrath from Revelation. We are all beginning to ask, “God, what in the world are you doing?”
