Relationship-based Christianity

My poor, poor readers. I always wonder if one of the reasons why my blog will never go viral is because of how often I give them a case of mental whiplash. From my ode to the sexually willing Cosmo Girl, to plumbing deeper into the nature of Christian faith.

 

Do try to keep up, won’t you?

 

Arwyn has officially thrown in the towel. She’s tired of it. She’s had it. She’s going to give up and move on as this relationship just isn’t working out. No, not with me (although that’s not far off, I believe) but her attempt at starting a small group.

 

The Church Growth Movement (CGM) involves several set plans and models. One is “running the bases” which is a series of 4 classes that train and equip leaders in the church. Arwyn has been faithful in running the bases, at least to this point. Here are a few examples of other churches using this model:

A Baptist Church (And you’ll see they have 5 classes, the 5th being sort of a bonus course)

One of the basic classes that you can buy for $100

A Presbyterian church using the formula

And I knew if I looked hard enough, I would find a Catholic church using this.

 

 

 

Too bad she won’t go past 1st base with ME! Hahahaha!

 

Her and another guy went through the class and set out to start a small group for parents of children with disabilities. The small or cell group is a core feature of the CGM church as they recognize that a community can not thrive without close, intimate relationships. The problem is that you simply can not force a real relationship like that. Sometimes it might work, but it did not in this case. One reason is that a group of parents of kids with special needs are inherently needy themselves. You basically have a bottomless pit of neediness, and most have such similar needs, there’s no one who would join the group who would or could meet everyone’s needs. There’s so much need for support amongst everyone, there’s not a lot to go around. And everyone is rather tired from the struggle!

 

Also, this thing was thrown together without really consulting God at all. No one consulted God about this group beforehand, but just went ahead with it and then later asked Him to bless what was already done. This is a weakness inherent in the whole institutional and organizational system. Programs, policies and plans dictate what people ought to do, not the Holy Spirit. And then they wonder why they are forever having to engage in spiritual warfare. They think they have to fight for something God never really endorsed in the first place.

 

But the main and truly real reason this enterprise was doomed for failure is because no one in this group had any idea how to have a really true intimate relationship. Period. That includes me, definitely. The first place we learn to have genuine relationship is within our families.

 

Anyone NOT from a dysfunctional family, raise your hands. Okay, you people with your hands up just get the hell out of here because you’re all a bunch of liars! Your parents probably taught you that, too!

 

No amount of therapy is going to cure ones own dysfunction or that of another person or the dysfunction between two dysfunctional people. Adjustment, social and emotional, is sort of a relative thing. I’ve met people who seemed well put together. But once that facade falls, they are really screwed up. Arwyn was one of those folks. Therapy and recovery aren’t bad places to be. My father-in-law met both his ex-wife and his new girlfriend while in an AA group! I’ve been through both and learned from them.

 

Until Arwyn decides to show up to this marriage, she’s going to have a rough time of making this or any of her relationships really work. And the same goes for me. I think one prime difference between her and I, is that I’ve picked up many more tools to make relationships work if I want to use them.

 

The institutional church is a very poor place to learn about truly functional relationships. You can learn about relationships driven by guilt, driven by peer pressure, driven by obligation, by legalism, duty, greed, competition and habit. Compassion, friendship and loyalty occasionally make and appearance but love ends up on the bottom of the list. It just doesn’t happen too often in the modern institutional religious church. We are admonished all the time to do things out of love, but that only goes to highlight the dysfunction. How do you enforce a rule that say you MUST love your neighbor…or else?

 

Again, it is attempting to force relationship through rules, obligation and regulation. Even in a dysfunctional state, I can see that this is no way to run a community.

 

Relationship and faith walk hand-in-hand with each other, which is something Jesus understood and kept trying to teach over and over. Genuine relationship can not exist apart from faith and trust. Without some measure of faith and trust that the person is presenting themselves honestly, there can be no intimacy. Only a dysfunctional fool would entrust their heart to someone who was untrustworthy. But it happens all the time, doesn’t it? All of us have done it and gotten burned. We’ve also burned others if we’re honest about it.

 

I started this post a week ago and am not sure why I didn’t post it other than it seemed unfinished. But there was one interesting development worth mentioning. I ordered a DVD and book from Family Room Media. You can download the video for free, but I was thinking I would use it for my next Sunday school lesson. You can also read a good section of David Fredrickson’s book online, too. I may do a review of it later.

 

When it came in the mail, I was working out at the time. So I let Arwyn look at it. She proceeded to open it up and read it. And read it some more. And read some more until she had read half way through. She devoured the thing. When I eventually got to it a few days later, I managed to read it in one extended sitting staying up until 2:30 a.m.. It really is that good of a story. But she’s in a searching mode, herself. She’s also in a bit of a denial mode, too, but we all are to some degree.

 

The author of the book does express a thought that profoundly applies here. Mainly, that until we get a decent relationship with God, we’re pretty much doomed to not being able to get other relationships right. The institutional church tries, and I believe the people in the system are sincere in their desire to know Father better. However the system itself keeps people back and keeps them in a works-based and legalistic mindset. Coming into a more relationship-based mindset means cleaning out some of the stuff that’s been getting in the way. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way.

 

D.

 

 

 

Religion and Sex

 

Time to get back on topic.  I’m doing better, thank you all for asking!

I’m listening to Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings on a podcast about sexuality or as they title it, sexual brokenness.  They did this podcast almost a year ago, but of course I didn’t know about them then.  Not that much of what I’ll talk about will be from their conversation.  Like most religious broadcasts on the subject of sexuality, they spend a lot more time talking about pornography and the sexualizing of our society, than about the issues I grapple with here.

 

But they do get off to a promising start in talking about how religion most often appeals to shame when it comes to sexuality and sexual sin.  “Sex is shameful.”  “Masturbation is dirty.”  “Lust is sinful.”    But by the end of the podcast, I do sort of get the impression that these guys do end up buying into masturbation = sexual brokenness. 

 

Anyone who has read me for any length of time will understand if I see “sexual brokenness” a bit differently.  To be sure, sexual brokenness is all about some sort of sexual dysfunction but the over riding theme here is all about a lack of sexual wholeness between two people.  I would dearly love to be able to offer myself up completely to my wife in a sexual way, except she doesn’t want it.  Her menu of things she wants from me include my time, money, some help around the house, help with the kids, going out to places together, doing family things together and possibly eating out together just the two of us.  But sex together?  It does not even make the list.

 

There are a smattering of Christian authors who sort of deal with the issue; Dillow & Pintus, the Lahayes,  the Wheats and a few others.  But these are not the sort of books that end up in the front section of the Christian bookstore, or the reception area of your pastor’s office or even your own coffee table when your cell group is getting together.  Those of us who are blogging candidly about the subject do so very anonymously with some who are more than a bit squeamish about making certain comments for fear they someone might Google us up and then out us in front of everyone, surely bringing shame to us and our families and especially spouses. 

 

For the most part, religion has NOT served us who are in sexual starvation very well at all.  We were told when we were single that we should wait until we were married.  I was one who waited until I was 26, which is longer than most but  I still wasn’t married.  I felt some amount of guilt about that, and looked forward to the day when I could finally be married and then it would be all legal and I could have as much sex as I wanted without the guilt.  Whoohoo!

 

Right?

 

RIGHT?

 

WRONG.

For as sure as I’m sitting here at my keyboard, I’m here to tell you that the reality is that guilt-free sex seems to be equal to sex-free sex. 

 

In an amazingly candid display of openness, Arwyn actually expressed some of her guilt to the pastor who did our premarital counseling about our premarital sex.  He said not to worry about it.  But I know she did and she said she looked forward to being married and being free of the guilt.  But of course, I don’t think she has ever been free of it.  She certainly has never been free of hang ups.  After being free of the guilt of being immoral, at various times there was the fear of pregnancy.  And then a few years ago, the fear of pregnancy was eliminated and so was our sex life.  It did pick up for a couple of months but then plummeted and continued to get worse and worse and worse.

 

The religious answer to all of this is to pray, to be faithful and to go to counseling.  Perhaps go to a clergy member for some guidance.  One problem noted by Brad and Wayne in the above podcast is that the pornography consumption of a given hotel is directly proportional to the number of clergy staying there.  But Wayne and Brad do not discuss what to do when your partner ditches you, sexually speaking, in favor of kids, career, chores, television or whatever else.  We hear all sorts of admonishments against adultery but there’s nothing said about what to do about one partner forcing another partner into a state of involuntary celibacy.  Some may say it is a wrong and selfish thing to do, but it is not a teaching that appears in any Sunday sermon.  It is not something that is discussed openly in the religious community at all, at least where I’ve been able to find it.    Try Googling it up (christian involuntary celibacy), and the first hit is a guy on my blogroll who hasn’t blogged in months!

 

I know all about 1^st Corinthians 7.  Been there and done that to death.  We know it’s in the Bible but it isn’t taught in the institutional church.  Ever.  It’s rarely discussed even informally outside the walls. 

 

The problem is that religion is so terribly bound up in keeping people from engaging in sexual activities and sexual behavior that when a couple finally do marry and can do it legally, it seems counter-productive to counter all those years of “Thou Shalt Nots.”  The fact is that if one has really and truly bought into the religious prohibitions, some degree of deprogramming must take place in order to fully enjoy that gift that God is supposedly the author of.  Thus, God is now cast in the role of the Great Frustrator.  There are all sorts of temptations all around and we are created with these hormones and desires and there is nothing whatsoever to do with them and still remain within God’s grace and mercy while we’re single.  So we finally meet a person with whom we can freely allow our sexual expression to have free reign and…what happened?

 

Paul said it was better to marry than to burn, but I’m wondering if he was not terribly misguided on this.  I’m married and still burning.  I still have all the same hormones and temptations and desires and perhaps even moreso now that I have some focus to them in the person of Arwyn.  But there is no expression allowed here.  When she exercises her free will, it is her will that we not engage in sex.

 

If I force her, it becomes rape.  If I try to appease her, it is manipulation.  If I try to guilt her, I might get a mercy fuck.  If I try to work out some sort of quid pro quo exchange, it’s prostitution.  If I find another willing partner, it is adultery.  If I masturbate, it is shameful and selfish.  If I castrate myself, I’m attacking the temple of the Holy Spirit.  If I channel my desires into something else, I’m repressing or I’m kinking.  No matter how you add this up, I am sinful and depraved for wanting to have sex with my wife when she does not want to have sex with me.  On a deeper level, I want to be wanted and desired.  When it comes to being personal and intimate, you can’t get more personal and intimate than sexually.  It can’t be done.  I can reject you on many levels but if I reject you sexually, that’s the deepest of cuts for any man especially when it comes from someone he loves.  And I imagine it is just as hurtful to any woman who gets rejected, postponed and put off by a man she loves.  In all the ways that a person can be rejected, sexual rejection has to be the most hurtful and personal of all.

 

The Church is not talking about sexual rejection and I think that’s because as a body it rejects sexuality as a legitimate expression of communion between two people.  I think a lot of lip service is offered, but it is not something that is going to be discussed openly with any sort of consistency or clarity.  It will be secretive and veiled.  Something to be laughed at, joked about perhaps.  But it is not seen as a problem because NOT having sex is seen as too much of a virtue in Christianity.  The Catholics have taken celibacy and elevated to sacramental proportions where it is a defining and core characteristic of their priests!  Having sex is seen as a weakness, and Paul certainly treats it in such a condescending manner when he does discuss it.  It is seen as a virtue for the sake of procreating other little converts, but not as a fundamental bonding experience between a man and a woman. 

 

Sexual abstinence is the steady drum beat that is drilled into the heads of little girls and boys from the time they begin asking about sex.  They are told that they must wait until they are married.  The problem is this: what if Mom and Dad aren’t having sex?  What sort of message is that?  Why the hell should I wait and look forward to that?

 

It’s getting to be about time be a bit more candid about this conversation we’re having.

 

Somewhere along the line, the Church needs to unfuck itself and start getting on message: celibacy and abstinence within marriage is NOT a virtue!  It is not spiritual!  It is an abomination!  Because if one part of your body is causing you to sin, better to pluck it out, right?  And guess what?  My spouse is the one who seems to be the cause of me burning.  At the very least, she doesn’t seem to be terribly concerned with my unhappy state while being fairly content to exist on the other things that I offer while rejecting those things I most want to offer.

 

D.

 

 

 

 

Why Men Hate Going to Church

 

I’ve been loosely following Therese’s discussion of emasculation and I thought the discussion might come ’round to where I’m at here today.  But it hasn’t.  Yet.  The title of this post matches a title of a book that is currently gathering no small amount of buzz around the Christian community.  We were actually thinking of giving it a read for the Methodist Men’s group, but someone said the book was more for women!

 

I’ve looked around the Church for Men website, and it’s an interesting read with some rather startling statistics.  Such as 25% of married women attend church without their husbands.  Or that while 90% of men in the U.S. say they believe in God and 4 in 5 identify themselves as Christian, less than 2 in 6 are in church on a given Sunday.  Or that by the age of 20, 90% of young men have dropped out of church, and many will not ever return.

 

The latest article there points out that men flock to the religion of Islam while they tend to avoid Christianity.  Instead, church is identified as for “women and little old ladies of both sexes.”  Indeed, we don’t have to look too far to see this phenomenon in action. 

 

Square1 used to identify very strongly with the Christian faith, even having a blog dedicated to Christian discipleship.  However, her husband had a blog dedicated to….um….civil unrest?  He shared some very deep dissatisfaction with the way this country is going and how it is led.  And he was definitely NOT interested in any wimpy, namby pamby religion for women and old ladies.  So he joined the ranks of the fastest growing religion in the world; Islam.  and today his blog is about his new journey.

 

Jesus started His ministry with 12 other guys and dealt primarily with men.  He seemed to have little problem getting men to identify with Him.  So what happened?  Somewhere along the line, Christianity became a religion that appealed more to women and totally NOT to men.  The author of the book/blog has some interesting ideas of what the problem is, and what to do about it.  But I’m going go my own way for a bit.

 

First off, the institution of the church has very little to offer men of today.  Last Sunday, most services extolled on the values of motherhood and how wonderful mothers are.  Interestingly enough, Mother’s Day is one service that has more men in it than any other as the guys do it to make their wives/mothers happy.  But what about Father’s Day?  First off, the guys will take the day off…from church.  While the women get roses and flowers on their day, men will get books or reminders of how they need to be more accountable and how they need to devote more time for family.  For women, it’s about honor.  For men, it’s about obligation.  While the preacher exhorts men to seek first the kingdom on their day, women are held up as the pillars of the family and faith that they are on Mother’s day.  No minister ever enjoins women to be better mothers on Mother’s Day and yet this happens all the time to men!  A bit of a double standard, don’t you think?

 

Every so often, in a blue moon, in exceedingly rare occasions, you might hear a sermon about sex.  You might hear all about the harm of pornography, and consorting with prostitutes and the sin of adultery.  You might hear about how sex is God’s gift to us, and of course is reserved for those that are married.  Men are exhorted to love their wives, and wives should respect their husbands. 

 

But 1 Corinthians 7 is never taught.  Ever.  Probably because the preacher’s wife will never have sex with him again if he does.  And yet look around.  This is a HUGE problem!  Thanks to the institutional religious programming, women think sex is dirty, disgusting and certainly unholy and impure.   And men are made to feel guilty for being men who might actually enjoy getting busy once in a while.

 

Meanwhile, the Muslims are promising 70 virgins for their self-sacrifice!  Muslim women literally wear their submission wherever they go, which seems to inspire their men to greater faithfulness and devotion.  Although the 70 virgin promise doesn’t hurt, I’m sure.

 

Now that I think about it, I remember a time in my fundie days when we had prayer meetings.  The women there did cover their heads with bandana head scarves as a sign of submission to God and it was inspiring to see that sort of devotion. 

 

Am I the only one who felt like Huck Finn having to attend the widow’s church?  Obviously not, since most guys dump church as soon as they leave home and get out on their own.  This makes church a good place to pick up chicks, except you’ll be expected to continue that behavior indefinitely.

 

Men like more participation than a typical worship service allows.  Most congregations don’t take kindly to a guy in the stands second guessing the preacher’s choice of scripture.  Or bringing hot dogs and peanuts to a mass.  Or making any changes that rock the boat.

 

Jesus and His posse were ways on the move and they were definitely rocking the boat.  Their fellowship was dynamic and organic and always they had no idea what would happen next.  This was an adventure of a lifetime involving danger and risk which required real strength and fortitude.  Tell me what in a modern church service requires real strength and fortitude?  Compliance, docility, passivity, submissiveness, being quiet, being safe, keeping busy; these are all things the modern church values.  They are also the values of women and old ladies of both sexes. 

 

Men need space to argue, debate, challenge, compete, strive, and basically sharpen each other to a keener edge.  Instead, modern church services tend to dull and lull men until they literally can not keep their eyes open.

 

So to address the question Therese posed, a good way to emasculate a man is by wearing down his edge and turning him into a compliant dullard.  Nagging tends to have a wearing effect.  An institutional sermon sometimes has a tendency to sound like just another nag session.

 

I’m all about relationships, but it has to be real.  I need to be able to sharpen another person by calling them on mistakes, and they should do the same for me without worrying about whether it’ll jeopardize the relationship.  Men can do this while women seem to struggle that way, often taking criticisms more personally and getting all hurt and wounded.  Men can struggle, disagree, compete, debate and fight and still have a beer together at the end of the day.  Not that any of those things are encouraged or even allowed in church.

 

The modern institutional church has as much to do with the emasculation of men as any of the other forces that were brought up in Therese’s discussion such as the feminization of the larger culture (which has taken over the church as an institution), the absence of male role models in society and culture, the increase in single mother-led households and the urbanization of our society.  Men are not attracted to institutional church because they find it instinctively in opposition to the way God created them.  We’re designed to have a very active, engaged and dynamic relationship with our Creator, and yet the modern institution fosters and cultivates passivity paired with institutional busy-ness.  This may be why some men have gotten attached to the CGM congregations because the goal-centered, mission-oriented, market and purpose driven paradigm is something with which they can somehow identify. It has little to do with relationship to their Creator, however, and more to do with being part of something that has worldy significance.

So basically, when looking at masculinity and spirituality, men have 3 choices:

- Modern institutional churchinity in the liberal, feminized flavor

- Modern churchianity in the CGM flavor

- A more fundamental form of religion, such as Islam

Which is why the relational flavor has more appeal to me.  There is room for guys to get together and relate as guys. There is room for being part of something significant but one does not have to digress 800 years into the past to do it, or chop off people’s heads.

For a good podcast discussion, click here and listen to these guys discuss the disconnest between men and organized Christianity.

 

D.

Duty to the Institution

I have returned to the Methodist Sunday school with new eyes.  Now it is so obvious to me what the institution wreaks up its members that it’s more sad than funny.

 

This month is our classes turn to usher as well as be greeters for the worship services.  Let’s talk about just those two things for a moment.

 

Ushering is mostly done by the guys who come and wear suits and ties, although it’s not a strictly enforced dress code.  The captain of the usher guard comes to our class bearing two magnetic tags with the word “usher” on them, and we pass it around until each one is claimed.  They Usher captain might as well be the angel of death as everyone hates it when he shows up at our door.  But everyone must do their bit, right? 

 

Ushers basically hand out bulletins, shake hands, take a count and collect money.  They also pass out the newcomer cards to anyone who is visiting for the first time.  During communion, they help usher people to the front pew-by-pew.  If someone needs special assistance such as someone in a wheelchair or with crutches, they’ll assist and if someone needs a hearing device,ushers hand them out.  Basically, ushers are a part of the production process of the morning service.  My point here is that they serve pretty much the same purpose as ushers in a movie or Broadway theater thus making Sunday morning worship more of an entertainment venue than God’s house.  How many of your houses require an usher?  When most of you have a party, when someone knocks at the door, you say, “C’mon in!  It’s open!”  And what is worship, except a party where God is the Guest of honor?  When you have a party at your house, do have guys with suits who count heads and collect money from all the guest?  Do you have the suited gentlemen escort guests to the kitchen for a bite of bread or a rice wafer and a thimble full of grape juice?

 

There is nothing intimate about having ushers at a party.  For a big formal feast, you might have caterers who serve the meal and serve the function somewhat.  But again, this type of state dinner party would hardly be described as intimate or involving relationships.

 

If ushers are akin to temple guards, what exactly are greeters?  Talk about the Wal-Mart-ization of the church!  And yet, you will be hard pressed to find a church of any size that does not have them.  Nowadays, they also wear shiny tags identifying their role.  They often stand next to the ushers, and will be around every door, so no one enters without being greeted warmly.  At Saddleback East, it is a virtual greeter gauntlet, with almost a dozen of these folks milling around the main entrance.  And you want to know something?

 

I’ve managed to walk in the building without any of them saying a word to me on more than one occasion.  Granted, I take it as a bit of a personal challenge to see if I can do it, but it isn’t all that difficult.  They are all talking to each other or people they already know…their friends with whom they already have a relationship!   That’s the stupid thing about having greeters; it tries to institutionalize and foist something on people that is unnatural and artificial and probably causes cancer.

 

At the Methodist church, we didn’t have greeters for the longest time.  Then someone heard a complaint from someone else about how the church didn’t seem very friendly.  All the sudden, the greeter program was hatched to meet the need to make our church seem friendly.  Sunday school classes were assigned to provide 10 or so greeter for 10 minutes before and after each of the two services.  Which means they got to Sunday school late and had to leave early.  It was and is a royal pain.  I did it one time, and chose the least-used entrance and still felt dumb.  “Hi, welcome to church mart!  Would you like a buggy?”

 

Some people are naturally gifted with warm, inviting personalities.  Others of us have personalities that take some warming up to get used to.  Those gifted folks should be out there if they want.  But the answer is not to create some program that artificially simulates relationships where none truly exist.  That is simply perpetuating a lie.

 

If people seem unfriendly, perhaps looking into that is called for.  Could it be that folks are overburdened with programs?  Or perhaps they are stuck trying to keep their mask on straight so no one can really know who they are?  Or perhaps, the institutionalized church has gotten so busy trying to put butts in pews/chairs and making the budget that the plight of actual, real people has been lost.  The hustle and bustle of putting on a perfect program/service every week is no small thing.  Everyone has to do their part, right?

 

Since coming out, and taking a hard look at the institution, I find I’m a lot more interested in the people I’m with.  I’m more interested in why they are there and what they’ve brought with them.

 

During Sunday school, the topic was Mother’s Day and we all shared memories and thoughts of what we learned about from our mothers.  Once the discussion gets going it often gets real good and real interesting.  And then, as often happens, one of the women brought up an issue she had with a relationship where honesty caused the relationship to fail.  The woman felt so bad that she resented her own honesty that seemed to caused the loss of this close relationship.  But she couldn’t NOT be honest.  And then we started working through this issue that was obviously important to this woman and….

 

Oops!  Time to go to worship!  Our time is over!

 

This has happened SO many times.  Someone brings an issue and obviously needs some prayer, support, hugs, input or just to be listened to, but that bloody service calls and puts an end to it.  And that is SO wrong!  This is just one way the institutional church puts obstacles in the way of real relationships.  I’m sure Jesus would rather the lost or broken sheep was tended to, rather than join the bleating mass of the flock.  But there is this perpetual obligation that is placed on the people who belong into a service for the sake of the institution rather than to the real people who make up the real and true Church. 

 

On the way out, I spoke to a woman who had to leave Sunday school early in order to change the candles the acolytes light as well as stand by a table with some commemorative plate that some had ordered to make sure they were distributed.   I like this young woman because she has a real heart for God.  But she has such a good heart she’s now all stressed about candles and plates and other assorted crap responsibilities that have been unloaded upon her.

 

There’s no shortage of absurdities that one can find in any large institution, and churches are especially rich.  They are so busy carrying on their own things that they lose sight of the Church, which is all believers regardless of color or affiliation.  Until we have deeper and more authentic relationships with each other, there can be no unity and no authenticity to the worship and fellowship experience.

 

D.

 

Hell

 

 

I’d like to talk about the sex.  Really I would.  Perhaps I will, but first I have another precious insight or two to share.

 

Actually, I think I’ll let these guys from Family Room Media do it.  I’m such a fan of these guys, I may even end up buying something from them.  But the videos here are short, free and hilarious.  I think it’s their sense of humor that I enjoy most.  They seem to really enjoy each other as well as what they’re doing. 

 

And I think many of us will identify with some of these situations.

 

I’d like to talk about Hell, because there are times when I wonder if that’s where I really am.  I think God is gracious enough to give us small glimpses of Heaven and Hell while we’re still walking around on earth.  I richly enjoy the Heavenly parts, but the Hellish parts?  Eh…not so much.

 

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, (Luke 16:19-31) the rich man can actually see Lazarus across the great gulf.  I think this probably added to the misery and torment that much more, knowing that there was a place free of torment that was so close yet so far.

 

So close.  And yet so far.

 

I determined to test the waters and see if there was some intimacy to be had in my house, mostly because my blog is in sad need of some movement.  Plus I thought it might be kind of nice to live in a house where some intimacy might exist somewhere, some time.  Perhaps my wife is a bit like Tajalude, and wants me to initiate more.  Maybe I don’t get so much physical attention because I need to initiate more.  Could she be feeling undesirable because I’m not trying to start things more often?  Afterall, I’ve been staying up late on the computer, and that isn’t conducive to getting together in a husband-and-wifely manner.

 

Things started off promisingly enough.  When we awoke, I reached out and Arwyn responded and we did hug and cuddle for a few minutes before starting off our day.  After work, her and the boys were heading off to church for their Thursday night thing and I went to the store to buy groceries from the list she had already made.  We all got back late and while she put the boys to bed, I made some muffins. 

 

She then went to bed and it became the moment of decision.  Do I check my email or go to bed and spend time with Arwyn?  For once, I chose the latter over the former.

 

She was just finishing the preparations for going to bed and I brushed my teeth to get ready.  She had various instructions for me: turn off the TV, turn on the fan, make sure the door is locked, check the other door.  She was laying in her inverted position with her rug-blanket but was sort of laying on her back, splayed sort of invitingly.  Or at least it looked inviting in my addled mind.  After finishing all of my chores, duties and obligations, I laid down oriented in her direction and snuggled a bit.  She kissed me and rolled over, away from me.  And the ensued the fight for position.

 

“OW!  Your arm is too heavy!  OW, it hurts my back!   OW, your leg is on my leg! OW, you’re laying on top of me!”

 

I was trying to sort of spoon her.  But when it was all said and done there was absolutely no skin-to-skin contact, and very little contact at all.  I’d had enough and re-oriented myself to the normal sleeping position under my own sheets.  I really was tired and dropped off to sleep fairly easily despite my frustration.

 

I do love my wife.  I like touching her and being close to her.  But she keeps moving across that gulf, and my unquenched desire to be close to her torments me.  It’s easier to turn away and not try to cross the divide.  Don’t even look at it.  If I don’t approach her, she doesn’t retreat.  If I don’t look over to the other side, I am not tormented so much.  

 

This is my concept of Hell.  I can see and almost touch and taste.  But I remain in anguish in the flame.  I try to find relief but the gulf simply widens in response to my efforts.  For whatever purpose, God’s hedge remains in place.  I have more lessons to learn in this place, to whatever end.

 D.

Antichrist

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us —eternal life.

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. - 1 John 2:18-27

 

 

13:1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,  that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.  And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

10 If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. - Revelation 13:1-10

9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” - Revelation 14:9-14

 

It is thus that I put to rest the case for blindly obeying any person (or beast) put in authority.  It is true that all authority is given by God, and even the beast in Revelation is given authority by God which God will eventually take away in the final battle to end all battles.  In John’s letter above, we see in verse 20 and again in verse 27 that through the Holy Spirit a believer has sufficient knowledge in order to exercise their gifts, their discernment and ministry which is always done in love.  Love was the central focus of this letter of John’s and so it should be in whatever we do.

 

In Revelation we see a far different picture of what happens when love is not present.  The day will come when the beast of Revelation will make war upon the saints.  What will you do?  I suspect that Romans 13 will be the passage of choice for enforcing the will of the beast and allow him to soundly defeat and deceive so many who will bear his mark. 

 

The antichrist is basically a counterfeit or a substitute.  Promising health, wealth and happiness but delivering bondage, misery and pain.  It is easy to see how the institutional church could become a pawn of the beast, if not take on many of the characteristics.  I’ve certainly heard enough questionable things from serious institutions which call into question the resurrection of Jesus or His fleshly existence.  I’m sure there are false prophets within the structure, the system and the walls of the institution.  While I’m sure there are those walking around spreading heresies outside of the system, it’s the ones on the inside who would institutionalize any false teachings or beliefs who are the most dangerous. 

Any system which stands in the way of having a relationship with Jesus or becoming more Christ-like would have some of that anti-Christ-like nature, basically getting in the way of love and loving one another.  I have heard of and known some various teachings that would like to strap the “whore of Babylon” baggage solely on the Catholic Church, but from where I am now, any religious institution where there is a separate clergy-laity would be fair game for such an accusation.

Just to make sure that I’m not putting too fine a point on it, any believer should be able to baptize other believers, should be able to administer and officiate a communion meal and at any time.  In fact, according to Acts, this was taking place all the time and everywhere the church spread.  The church expanded and spread to thousands and thousands, not by building bigger and more expansive buildings and ordaining more pastors, but house-to-house and neighborhood by neighborhood.  And this is the same way the church is expanding in areas of the world that do not have the opulent wealth that most of my readers enjoy.  And one could argue that many who live in atheist or Muslim countries are already in the teeth of the beast for not adhering to the official state religion or the official state regulations. 

Many of you have gifts that exceed those who might be leading you and exercising religious authority over you.  It’s time you be released and loosed in order to exercise those gifts and talents.  God did a wondrous thing in the first century through the movement of the Holy Spirit.  I see something similar happening, again.  There’s a part of me that wonders if this is a sort of pre-rapture, where people begin to come out of the institutions in search of a closer relationship with other people and with God.  I know I’m not the only one who senses this quickening.  World events continue to happen, but God is working locally in the hearts and minds of your neighbors, your friends, your family and each of you.  Just like the Pharisees in the first century, so too the religious establishment will miss out on this movement of God and will work to condemn it.  Afterall, what will happen to these lavish cathedrals and huge worship centers if there is no one who attends who wants to pay the bill?  Who will support the clergy?  Who will the clergy have authority over if the flock goes running off?

 

Here’s a lovely comic to brighten your day and give you a chuckle, not to mention something to think about.

D.

 

 

 

Relationship

I’m going to put the whole authority/leadership bit to rest in another post that should grab some interest.  In the meantime, I think a bit of an update is necessary.  It is in fact very much linked to my spiritual travelings.

 

I’ve started going back to the Methodist church in part, or at least just the Sunday school.  I don’t see myself going to a regular church service gladly.  I do see myself teaching again, but my techniques will be different and so will the content.  I have a better picture of where God is headed and I’m just opening up the possibility for other people. I’m going to try to be a bit less agenda-driven.  Or less purpose driven.  Only God really and truly knows what the outcome and purpose a person has in his/her life and our job is to be open to that leading and to equip ourselves and others wherever that takes us.

 

Arwyn and the boys still go to Saddleback East and I’m okay with it.  I actually better understand now why she had to make a move.  She was withering on the vine without any real relationships at the Methodist church.  And the Saddleback East Church has some programs that support the forming of deeper relationships.

 

Read that again: the part about it having programs that attempt to promote relationships.  Am I the only one that finds this odd?  That forming relationships has to be part of a church’s programming?  When did relationships become a line on the budget?  Did the early Christians have to have small group outreaches and programming to promote relationships?

 

Arwyn and I have talked about this fairly extensively. 

 

Yes, shocking isn’t it?  And she really does like talking about these things and has a bit of a heart for such conversations like we’ve sort of had around here.  She’s not terribly interested in the whole theology of a relational ministry, but just likes the idea of what could be described as a “real” Christian relationship.  And yet she’s not too keen to really get out from under the institution. 

 

We had another small group thing yesterday, and our small group is smaller.  It’s us and then another couple who have a boat load of kids.  Like 8 or so with 3 of them under the age of 10.  They are supposedly typical (Two teenagers have mild/moderate disabilities) but they are a lot more clingy/needy than my two boys.  We were at a large park with stuff to do for the kids, but they always wanted attention.  I’ve seen this from a lot of kids and I’m going to be observing to answer the question: how do you teach young kids to play independently?  Our boys can do it, except for the occasional argument where adult intervention is needed.  We watch them closely, but we’re not hovering. 

 

Anyway, that made adult interaction more complicated although we did manage to have a pretty decent time.  I think the kids all had fun.  This other couple is open to a lot of the things I’ve mentioned here, and have their own interesting background which includes a history of pain and rejection from church people.  I’m not sure these are people we would socialize with without the church program and without the whole disability label, but I’m willing to see where it goes.  Heaven knows I have much to learn.

 

It just sort of hit me that I’m not terribly skilled when it comes to relating on any level deeper than the surface.  I can talk and engage, but there’s always a part that never fully commits.  That has been true in my marriage more than anywhere else.  I think God is taking the long and scenic route into some newer place where I might actually learn about real relationship and truly being invested in other people.  The institutional church has been an exceedingly poor teacher of how to have meaningful and genuine relationships.  It seems to embrace hypocrisy as some sort of birthright!  Yes, yes, I know it is made up of flawed people etc.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.   But the problem is everyone shows up in their Sunday best and rarely allows their real Monday-Saturday selves or brings the M-S problems with them.  Especially the pastors.  They never seem to bring their burdens to the altar publicly.

 

Hebrews 10:25 talks about meeting together to encourage and lift one another up,  but that stimulation we are enjoined to participate in rarely comes out.  Sometimes it does happen accidentally.

 

Jesus did not come to start a new religion.  He came so that we could have a relationship with God through His atoning sacrifice.  And that’s just something that can not be “programmed” in to a service in a typical worship center. 

 

To be honest, I have been more than a little deficient in the relationship arena on many levels.  While sex is very important to me, it can’t be just the sole focus of everything I think of as relationship.  It is the manifestation of several dysfunctions, including a major one that has roots in the spiritual realm.  Actually they all do, if I think about it. So basically I’m sort of starting over and working from scratch in all my relationships.  Since Arwyn and I have recognized and talked about where we are, spiritually speaking, it is a much less contentious thing for both of us.  She doesn’t resent me for not going to her church, and I don’t resent her for leaving our old one.  The fact that her and I have had some deeper conversations about these things has made us not being together for 90 or so minutes on a Sunday morning less of an issue.  God basically used Arwyn’s actions as a catalyst to open my eyes as to where I really was.

 

God is not so much calling us out of institutional churches as much as calling us into a relationship with Him.  The fact is, the institutional church happens to put up obstacles and road blocks to that relationship.  The clergy-laity divisions, the controlling nature of the organization, the lack of equipping, and the burden of financially nursing along an administrative and professional staff while supplying all the needs that maintaining a large physical plant entail all get in the way of a relationship with God.

 

I remember Christian Husband writing about Christian unity.  He basically said he had a hard-on for Christian unity and then went on to outline what it might take to get something resembling unity amongst the family of Jesus Christ.   And now I know that unity will never come as long as each institution insists on defending its own turf.  It’s like calling for unity amongst fast food chains.  The Catholics are like McDonald’s where you get almost the same thing no matter where you go.  Then you have some Burger King-like congregations where you can customize your order.  Or Wendy’s or Arby’s, each with it’s own brand and innovations.  Each has an interest in stealing the clients of the other.  Universally, they can all agree that more people should eat fast food.  They may all join forces to oppose negative advertising and legislation concerning the health of their foods even while devising ways to fool consumers into thinking that fast food can be part of a healthy diet.  But they will not agree on what should be on the menu or how it should be prepared or served except in the most generic sense when they adopt one another’s most successful hooks.  Look how many places now offer a kid’s meal with a toy!  Or how many have a drive through window!  This is not an angle towards unity, this is pure competition!

 

And so it is within a community where there are several church groups fighting over the same consumers.  The CGM churches employed superior research and marketing and are now getting more people than the older franchises. 

 

As long as each of you wears your franchise’s colors to the gathering, it isn’t unity and it never will be.  I’m telling you to quit the fast food altogether and join with others and share the food you have!  You will be eating healthier and you will leave the table more satisfied.  I don’t know of too many people who have forged many meaningful relationships at the drive through window.  But when 2 or 3 sit around the family table you actually have all you need there and more.  You serve each other instead of relying on paid staff to cook your fries and burgers.  It may take a bit longer, but the experience helps forge real and more functional relationships and somehow you might not mind as much if you can’t leave at a certain time.  You won’t need ushers, an organist, and people to direct traffic in the parking lot, nursery workers, custodians, landscapers, exterminators, sound system people and lighting people.

 

Church does not have to be what about half of you who are believers have already dropped out of.  There’s another way that is truer to scripture and much less burdensome and threatening.

 

D.

 

     

 

 

Authority

Oh my.  That whole Sheep discussion has sort of gone off and taken on a life of its own!  But the main issues are the same: Christian Husband, asserting Romans 13:

 

13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

 

Which, if you are a Catholic and a Republican, you should be pretty happy about this scripture.  Much discussion has ensued between XH and Therese about the idea of the authority of the pope and apostolic succession in light of the above.  But perhaps we should look at some smaller examples in order to get more guidance on this.  The main one being Paul, himself.

 

Paul was not among the original 12 disciples.  In fact, his first encounter was him being (known as Saul) a Pharisee and witnessing and approving the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7 and his persecution in acts 8.  It wasn’t until he had a personal revelation in Acts 9 that he became a disciple.  Up until that time, he was under the authority of the high priest.  But what about after his revelation?  He was no longer under that authority but under the authority of God.  Therefore, despite what Paul says in Romans, he himself is an example of one whose authority and mandate changed based on the working of the Holy Spirit.  God is well able to trump whatever authority He establishes in earth.  For if Paul was still living his own assertion, he would have submitted himself to the high priest in order to be tried and executed right there in Damascus.  But he didn’t.  He escaped. 

 

According to Romans 13, the governing authorities govern at God’s pleasure.  In this way, I get XH’s assertion about God setting up and removing earthly authorities as He sees fit.  Much of the Old Testament consists of God using various kingdoms and rulers in order to discipline and test His people.  However, the revelation of the Holy spirit seems to grant some sort of exclusion to earthly authorities and this is how new movements, reformations and revivals get started.  No earthly authority trumps God’s authority.  God sets up leaders according to His purposes, but brings them down according to those same purposes.  Leaders and people alike are like grass who grow, whither, die and get blown away.  But God’s Spirit remains.

 

In Romans 13, Paul is clearly talking about the relationship believers should have to the civilian authorities.  In Romans 14, he is more focused on how we are to deal with each other, with love being the over riding factor.  If someone’s authority becomes a stumbling block to someone else, is it truly established by God?

 

I believe the Holy Spirit is on the move in His church, and not just churches as you all understand them.  We have the luxury of wealth and security in order to afford the big, opulent buildings and a well-paid professional clergy who have very good standards of living.   We can afford to go to large gatherings and play loud music without fear of someone coming to arrest us and kill us.

 

But this is not true in many other places in the world.  China, Sudan, Indonesia, India and Pakistan are just a few places where the church is being persecuted.  And yet more and more people are being taught, equipped and baptized each and everyday without all of the things so many of you see as an essential part of your regular church experience, including large buildings and crowds.  I would argue that these church families are healthier and more productive because of their hardships.  They are functioning well without ordination, seminaries, apostolic succession, large ornate cathedrals, big organs or big praise bands, lots of parking, pledge cards or stewardship drives. 

 

And they are, by meeting and becoming Christians and encouraging others to do so, breaking the laws of the places in which they live.  They are often imprisoned just like Paul was.  Are these people sinning?  If the Bible enjoins them to preach the word and the law of their country says it is unlawful, how then could they then NOT sin under Romans 13?  Would you be willing to smuggle a Bible into one of these countries?  Would doing so be a sin?  When Brother Andrew was smuggling Bibles across the iron curtain, was he engaged in sin?  How and why did God bless his work, then?  Does God bless sin?  Did God establish the godless Soviet empire? 

 

There is no end to this. 

 

There are clearly those who occupy positions of authority who do NOT have God’s stamp of approval.  Those people occupy positional authority by virtue of having a bigger army, police force or whatever.  But that is not true and authentic authority.  And truly, only the Holy Spirit can help us divine the truth of it.  When Ehud killed Eglon (Judges 3) instead of just paying tribute, he had a revelation from God that it was time to put an end to Moabite rule.  Eglon served his purpose and God put an end to his life.  This sounds pretty cruel, but it is true of us all.  We can be swept away as easily as dried grass.  Again there is this bind with Ehud: he obeys God and kills this earthly ruler (thus sinning) or he disobeys God and still sins. 

 

So in this way, we do have a paradox that we need to figure out how to reconcile.  Jesus was pretty explicit that in His kingdom the greatest would be the least and the servant would be the master.  Our concept of authority is not the same as God’s, and in every case, God’s will is clearly sovereign.  God can make a silk’s purse out of the sow’s ear every time.  Is that the way He wants it?  I think God would like it if we would simply do what He tells us, but He recognizes that  we are going to do certain things based on our own free will and sets things up accordingly.

 

We only know in part right now and one day we will know the fullness of the plan, whatever it is.  That’s sort of what faith is all about.

 

D.

 

Right Now

Thank you all for reading and commenting and generally joining me on this little spiritual journey.  As I endeavor to seek and get to know Truth, each of you have made very real contributions whether I particularly like it or agree or not.  Christian Husband’s contributions have been extensive, not just in comments here, but writings on his own blog that he posted back in January before I knew I was going to end up in this position.

 

And what exactly is my position?

 

A year ago I was grousing about the state of my marriage but was otherwise lulled into a state of spiritual complacency.  I was teaching Sunday School and even though I knew the Methodists were forever veering away from scriptural truth, I figured I was making some difference.  I could have been mistaken.

 

Arwyn’s rebellion has lead me into a spiritual wilderness.  I went back to my old Sunday school this morning and was greeted warmly.  But it felt very odd to me.  I felt a bit like a visitor, which is still how I feel at Saddleback East.  As I told one of my friends, I’m going to feel like that almost everywhere I go.  At least at the Methodist church we are all known quantities with some relationship history.

 

Arwyn and I have had some discussions about this.  Funnily enough we are both looking for something similar.

 

Her and I met while we were involved in the church singles group.  I was holding the office of president (again) of our little group of 20 or so singles and we were a close knit group.  It was also very transient and mobile.  People would come once or twice and we’d never see them again.  But those of us who stuck around grew very close.  And really Arwyn and I both admitted that this type of closeness was what we really and truly wanted.  We wanted some degree of intimacy with other people and with Christ.

 

Of course there was this giant elephant in the room that was obscuring our vision.  Basically the fact that she exhibits a desire for deep intimacy but only of a most superficial sort.  She wants things to be real but not too real.   She wants guidance but only in the direction that she is comfortable traveling, and only according to her own pace and comfort level.

 

But I find myself swung and slung in a direction I never would have anticipated.   My personal theology is being challenged.  I am having to look at things from outside the established box.  And now things look different.

 

The church, as an institution, is corrupt.  It always has been and it always will be.  Jesus did not come to establish another institution.  He recognized the problems with the old institutions and pointed them out much to the chagrin of the establishment of His day.  However, while Christ spoke out against those leaders and their corrupt institutions, He did not come to abolish them.  He did foretell the demise of the temple, which would be destroyed within the next generation, but allowed it and even participated in it.  But he continually said, “Don’t be like those guys.  Don’t do what they do.”

 

It was while researching the Church Growth Movement (CGM) that I stumbled on to a movement that is exactly the opposite of CGM.  I would not say it is a reaction to CGM as much as a reaction against the whole over-bloated institutional approach to doing all things church related.  All churches say it’s not about the buildings, money and numbers but once you get to a certain point, it most certainly does seem to be about those things!  Suddenly ministering to such a large group becomes an exercise in crunching numbers and marketing.

 

Christian Husband pointed this out once and came up with a ratio of one pastor for every 25 members in order to effectively shepherd the flock.  Or was it every 25 families?  The problem is in financing the minister and the increasing demands of an ever-growing physical plant.  Most churches are lucky if 10% of their budget goes towards missions.  Looking at this through the eyes of the corporate business model, more efficiency can be achieved by increasing the scale of operations and increasing the number of specializations.  The problem is that it becomes easier and easier for people to just sit back and do nothing and this is just what happens.

 

The model for church growth and evangelism has been oriented toward the “bigger is better” mentality.  I hear people who want Christian unity, but it will never happen as long as huge, giant institutions are squared off against each other.

 

I’m rambling a bit and throwing off some steam.  But this is where I am at.  I am sick and tired of the institutional system that strains out a gnat while swallowing a camel! 

 

I’m going to address leadership and authority in a separate post at some point, I promise.  But today Arwyn told me about the celebration Sunday they had today as a culmination of their building campaign.  They have pledges of about $2.4 million.  Not bad, except their building is going to cost $8 million.  But it’s worse than I thought.  They still have $7 million in unpaid debt from the last building campaign! 

 

This is the vision given to these pastors and elders by God, according to Rick Junior.  The flock is dutifully falling in line and are engaging in sacrificial giving.  They are being obedient and submissive to authority, right?

 

They are being loons.

 

The debtor is a slave to the creditor!  I think they are being totally irresponsible!  Where does the Bible say that His people are to keep going deeper and deeper into debt in order to finance bigger and bigger worship centers? 

 

But Rick junior says that he is unwilling to stop the growth, to shut the doors, to say “enough is enough” and therefore damn thousands of people to Hell.  He says he is committed to doing God’s will and that means building the City on a Hill.  He wants to have room for everyone.

 

So where is the Truth?

 

There is no voting, here.  The leaders decide and everyone else either follows along or stays out of the way, which would be exactly be in line with XH’s model of doing business.  At least they’ll have a bigger food court, so that’s something.

 

The Methodists have their own money problems.  They had a 2 year renovation project of the building that was once used as a hospital during Sherman’s march to the sea.  The cost was $800,000, and they had about $300,000 on hand.  They financed the other $500,000 and have managed to pay almost half of it off.  But they are still struggling to make ends meet and their budgetary shortfall can be traced directly to the interest payment of $2,000/month.   There was some voting on this project, which may have prevented overzealous leaders from having some “vision” and further committing the people to pay for paving over more green space for more parking and creating a new worship center.   At least the building looks nice and white on the outside, now.

 

  

D.

Sheep

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to lie
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we’ll make the bugger’s eyes water.

 

From the song “Sheep”

From Pink Floyd’s Animals Album 1977

 

 

Jesus often referred to Himself as the good shepherd and his followers as the flock.  At the end of the Gospel of John, Peter is reinstated by Jesus telling him to “Feed my sheep.”

 

In a comment below by Christian Husband he makes reference to the importance of having a pastor to act as a shepherd for the flock, thus fulfilling the commission Jesus gave to Peter.  This got me to thinking; what’s the difference between the sheep and the shepherd?  How does one get to be a shepherd?  If a person is a sheep, are they sheep forever?

 

Let’s talk a bit about sheep.  From my animal science 114 class, I learned that sheep are similar to cattle that have a stomach with multiple compartments.  Rumen, abomasum, omasum and reticulum, if you’re curious.  The rumen is the powerhouse enabling the cattle and sheep to break down cellulose into digestible components through bacterial action.  These creatures produce tons of methane gas, and there you have the basis for XH’s stinky reference.  Lot’s of greenhouse gas emissions are made by these animals.  So your burgers are as responsible for global warming as your car if you follow that line of thinking.

 

As XH said, sheep are amazingly stupid.  My neighbor raises sheep, and he describes them as “animals just looking for an excuse to die.”  They are vulnerable to bad weather, bad terrain, bad feed, bad dogs, coyotes, lions and wolves.  When threatened or excited, they bunch up and bleat and just look dumb.  They are extremely gregarious.  In fact this is what makes them relatively easy to herd as opposed to cattle or chickens of cats.  They like to stick together and if you want to get sheep to go somewhere you get a couple of them and take them where you want the others to go, and the flock usually follows.  The male sheep (rams) can be a bit aggressive sometimes, but they don’t compare to their goat cousins. 

 

When it comes to protecting sheep, shepherds and farmers have used a variety of strategies over the years.  Normally, it’s not rocket science.  Even a young boy can take care of a decent sized flock which is what David was doing while his brothers were doing more important things like fighting for the king.    However there were times when it was difficult as in cold weather, storms or in David’s case having to fight off a lion.  As long as animals or rustlers weren’t threatening, it was a very boring and lonely job.

 

Today, farmers and ranchers in the eastern part of the country raise sheep in smaller spaces so protection is easier.  But there are still threats from wild dogs and coyotes around these parts.  But my neighbor discovered the perfect protector for his sheep.  It’s not a shepherd.  It’s not a dog.  It’s not a duck.

 

It’s a donkey.

 

That’s right.  The donkey is the best protector for his flock because a donkey will fearlessly, stubbornly and ferociously attack any dogs or coyotes foolish enough to enter the sheep pen.  And that might say something about modern day pastors.  You too can protect the flock if you’re a big enough ass!

 

XH also mused about how such stupid animals could have ever survived in the wild.  The answer is that they would not have.  The reason why these animals are so stupid and helpless is because humans made them that way!  The way you create a stupid animal that can’t survive in the wild is to domesticate them to the point where they are totally helpless without constant human intervention protection and support.  We do that because we don’t want them running off.  We want them to stay with us and to rely on us.  In the process we create dependent animals.  Most dogs have been domesticated into perpetual adolescence and stupidity the same way and for the same reason.  Through selective breeding we have been able to de-evolve these animals to make them less intelligent and we’ve purposefully designed them to serve our needs.   As farmers and ranchers we’ve been pretty much playing god and have become the ones who decide almost every significant aspect of a sheep’s life.  The sheep are the way they are because that’s the way we want it.  How easy do you think it would be to shear a sheep if it wasn’t docile, passive and stupid?  In return for that, we provide all the food and protection for them.

 

Is this the sort of dependent relationship that Jesus was referring to?   And did He expect the sheep to remain sheep perpetually?

 

I think there will always be people who will prefer the role of sheep.  After all, the shepherd assumes all of the responsibility.  All the sheep really have to do is provide for themselves and the shepherd and in many churches this is the way it is.  The people pay their money and expect the clergy to do the rest.  As sheep, there aren’t all that many expectations fit to be put on them.

 

In churches today, people are kept in a state of perpetual domestication because it suits the shepherd.  What choice does he have?  If he lets the flock run wild, he will not be able to control them.  And the more sheep a shepherd has in his flock, the better off he is materially as well as in reputation.  If he divides the flock with another shepherd, that’s so much less money and prestige for himself.  So it’s in his best interest to keep the sheep relatively domesticated.  But is this all we are to aspire to?

 

I keep thinking of this scene in that old movie Porky’s II where the minister and his congregation are in the school office: 

 

Reverend Flavel: Blaspehmy! Shakespeare must go! So sayeth the Shepherd!
The Flock Members: SO SAYETH THE FLOCK!
Reverend Flavel: And what sayeth you, Mr. Carter?
Carter: [very angry at this point] Get the Flock out of here!
[the students all start cheering]
Reverend Flavel: This means war! HOLY WAR! Flock! FOLLOW!

 

I’ll never understand why that movie didn’t get an academy award nomination.

 

I want you to think about a couple of things.  First, Jesus really only recognized one church office in Matthew 23, and it was that of the Pharisee.  (The scribes and Pharisees are almost always linked together, and Paul in his former life was linked to both.  This is in effect a single office)  Read the entire chapter to see the views of Jesus on Pharisees.   And this is really how the modern day clergy function today in the authoritarian Christian sects that Christian Husband speaks of.  The Pharisees came into being in order to protect the Jewish people from heresy during and after their exile.  They were ministers, leaders of worship and evangelists.  They were the professional clergy, the shepherds and the authorities in the prevailing religious culture.  Not many pastors would embrace the title of Pharisee nowadays, but that is, in fact, how many (most) function.

 

The last thing is this: what about the Holy Spirit?  In the Old Testament, God’s spirit rested on select members of the people.  But with Pentecost there was an outpouring of the spirit and this was presumed to be available to all believers.  And yet today we see a very few who are actually exercising their gifts.  Could the professional clergy as it exists today be squelching the Holy Spirit by accident or design?

 

I’m not singling out the Church Growth Churches, here.  Too see that, you’ll have to visit my other blog.

 

D.