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POV part one - oral culture/liturgical church

“The development of the printing press signaled the world’s first step into mass communication, arguably the most profound cultural dividing point in history.”¹ - Rex Miller, The Millennium Matrix

The Gutenberg press set the Bible in movable type around 1454, giving the (illiterate) masses the chance to read the sacred text that only the social elite had access to. Thereby elevating the peasants potential knowledge base to that of popes and kings. Some have said that the invention of the printing press was the start of the downfall of the Church, as now the uneducated would begin to read and decipher this ancient and complicated texts… And while I am grateful to have a Bible of my own, I see the point, as this invention produced a torrent of activity within the Church for the next 500 years (and beyond). Because everyone has access to the Bible, we have become a nation of armchair theologians, Now, any 35 year-old with any sort of personality, can start a church (in a school cafeteria), and base his opinions on his own doctrine… picking and choosing what to glean from his denominational audits throughout his youth.

I’m not saying that mass-printing of the Bible was bad(ie; there was a ton of good), it just has had some long-lasting effects that weren’t foreseen. But back to the topic at hand… Mass-printing and the Reformation.

From Messenger to the Message: The basis of understanding moved from person to person, master to apprentice, to books, lines of type, to print. The world became linear rather than a relational. Wisdom was found in knowledge of the message rather than first hand experience.

From Context to Content: A shift from receiving with the eye instead of the ear, created a vast change in perspective, no longer caring about the context of the messenger, rather the content of the message. The Modern Man. A rational, autonomous, self-made being.

• Understanding through analysis replaces understanding through dialogue
• Individual autonomy replaces community allegiance
• Conceptual understanding of God replaces a relational orientation toward God.
• Reading about the gospel in a book replaces experiencing the gospel through ceremony and ritual
• Ethical principles replace moral choices
• Pedagogy replaces mentoring
• Logical reasoning replaces dialectic exploration

Cultural Impact: Perspective.  Through this shift in communication came with it a shift in artistic interpretation, from the flat, round faces in earlier paintings to the depth and realism of the Renaissance.

Spiritual Impact: The Centerpiece for Reformation Theology was that the written word became the ultimate standard of authority.  Luther may have said it best in the Diet of the Worms in 1521, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason–I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other–my conscience is captive to the Word of God.”² Hence the proliferation of denominations which is ongoing still today.

Educational Impact: Before print - master taught apprentice, apprentice became master, and so on… With printed books came the educational system we know of today, the teacher disseminates information to multiple pupils, guiding them to books that contain more information for their use. One-to-Many teaching replaced One-to-One teaching.

Roots of the Church: From Intimate connection to a place of rational detachment (beginnings of the Reformation). Print makes the message more important than the messanger. Truth, in print cultures, shifts from its relational foundation to principle or propositional truth. The Bible replaces the Church as the source of authority and truth. Sola Scriptura - The Bible usurps the oral message (the good news) of God and Jesus the Christ.

Faith is Belief: Faith shifts from trust in the Word of God (Jesus) to belief in the printed word of God (the Bible).  This approach bred systematic theology, reason, analysis, and rational explanation of doctrine. The print revolution also brought with it a linear progression to Faith (think the Romans Road approach to evangelism):

• We are sinners, and sin is apart of our nature
• We can’t overcome sin on our own to reach God
• God came to earth in the form of a man, born to a virgin
• Jesus lived a sinless life and is able to make a bridge for us to God
• Jesus offered his life as an act of obedience and sacrificial payment for our sin
• He rose as Christ, validating his sinless life and his power over death
• We can experience rebirth and resurrection life by accepting our condition and Christ’s payment.

The Reformed (or Protestant mind) favors an individualistic, analytical, linear approach to relationship with God, which relies strictly on the Biblical text (Bibliology - a certain form of idolatry which is puts the Bible above Jesus and the message of the Gospel).

Worship Service: Orderly, the service is in a consistent and logical order building up into the preaching of the word.  Church service are to inform and reinforce God’s truth.

Worship Style: Hymns

Church Architecture: Functional:  outside and inside.

Next, we will look at how broadcast communication changed culture even further.

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1. Miller, Rex; “The Millennium Matrix“  (2004) Josey-Bass,  San Fransisco; p. 35

2. Ibid, p. 44

Question 1 - What makes church healthy?

Question 2 - Describe any experiences you’ve had at a healthy church?

Question 3 - Is Western Christianity doing its job? If yes, why? If no, what could be done?



I don’t think Western Christianity is doing its job…. I could cite book after book, survey after survey of why the Church is failing. Even in the failure, God continues to use a flawed system to do miraculous things for His Kingdom, but we mustn’t use this excuse to ignore the problem.



Right now we have 3 different era’s alive and contributing to society, the Boomers, Busters and Mosaics… In the next twenty years we are going to see a big drop in Church tithing, as the Boomer are the biggest givers (who have financed most Church growth in the last 50 years). The Buster’s and the Mosaics choose to give their tithes to other sources, namely social and environmental causes. If nothing changes, the Church will lose its funding and therefore lose its ability to present the programs it has built into the “Church Experience” we are witnessing today. Sorry, there is no citations here… but most of this is readily available in George Barna’s book “Revolution;” “The Millennium Matrix” by Rex Miller; “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne; and “Everything Must Change” by Brian McLaren; just to name a few of the authors talking this lingo…

So, what can be done?! It seems that the biggest obstacle of the Church is to transition from program based Church to missional based church. A big challenge when faced with the gap in communication styles between the Boomers and the Mosaics. Only a few pastors I have talked to are in tune with this cultural transition, and there is major dissonance in their opinions on how Church should respond. Some chose to ditch the boomers entirely and focus on missional style church, while others can’t quit the money stream and remain focused on maintaining the status quo, even as the status quo dies off. It is a fascinating time to be in vocational ministry, that is for sure!



My prayer is that the church, in whatever form, chooses to be committed to community and finds a mission to take part in (not only to give money to, but to also get their hands dirty in). The Kingdom of God is here and now and I want to be apart of refocusing minds not on a building of stone and clay, but on proclaiming the foundation of Christ.

Just like community, the church is best when there is a missional focus. This missional attitude is the sticky part of community, it is the glue that holds relationships in place. Everyone needs two things in life to be fulfilled: Affirmation (love) and a sense that they are contributing to something meaningful (being an integral part of the whole). Therefore, it would make sense that a community of believers who have decided to join the work of God in this world, would choose to attach themselves to a mission of sorts whether it is the poor, the homeless, the addicted, or international students, Africa, orphans, special needs, wells for africa, the mocha club, et cetera… The healthiest, churches are ones in which their lives are centered not around themselves but around a greater need.

That is what Jesus has called us to be: Missionaries to the world, no matter where we live, sleep and eat.

Our first culture was oral, based in the spoken word. The air was filled not by radio waves or the instant connections of cyberspace but by human voices: person to person. Oral communication is not only about speaking but also about hearing: not reading the printed word, watching television or movies, or visiting a Web site. In fact, the ancient Hebrews considered understanding to be a type of hearing. - Rex Miller, “The Millenium Matrix” pg 19.

Imagine a world without the constant buzz of airplanes above; without the sputtering of automobiles across the highways; without books and newspapers to read; without the Internet to surf. This is the world in which Jesus of Nazareth lived, a world that birthed Christianity, a world that is hard for many of us to imagine.

This world was fundamentally different than the one in which we live today, where spoken word was the main form of communication. Yes, yes… there were alphabets, written language and scrolls documenting things, but these luxury’s could only be afforded to the wealthy and educated, a unique minority. Reading and writing was not for the common people, the poor and the ignorant. In this era news was communicated through proclamations in the town square, history was told by chief storytellers using symbolic images, metaphors and allegories, and entertainment was given through plays and theatrical performances.

Knowing this, we must re-frame our perspective of church, faith, and truth, because our T.R.E.E. of understanding is much different then that of our religious patriarchs. In his book, “The Millennium Matrix,” Rex Miller has put together a timeline of communication evolution, offering the differences in each era and how these differences direct how we define our immediate reality. The following is my regurgitation of his thoughts on the characteristics of Oral Culture/Liturgical Church:

Truth is Relational: The truth and the truth giver are intimately connected, the credibility of the message was based entirely on the credibility of the messenger. Hence why killing the bearer of bad news was not abnormal.

Faith is Trust: Faith is not based on conscience or an “internal voice or compass” but rather on the voice of God or one of his prophets. The New Testament buffets this claim, see Romans 10:17, “faith comes through hearing… hearing through word of Christ.”

The Community of Faith: In community, right belief (orthodoxy) is secondary to the action of loyalty and faithfulness.

Worship Service: Liturgy, a ceremony centered on ritual and using symbols, sacraments and signs to create a mystical event. Escatological reference - this is the foundation for the Pharisee’s belief (as well as some Christians today) that right living will usher in end times… or put another way - they are always looking for “end” cause and effect signs. (in my opinion, this option leaves us looking at the stars and waiting on God to move, rather than living our lives in response to God’s movements).

Worship Styles: Chant and Psalm.

Church Architecture: Sacred places are physical expressions of heavenly reality. Examples include Gothic architecture, where cathedrals were intricate constructs designed to bring heaven’s story, order, awe, and mystery to earth. As a illiterate peasent, you could see how these massive and beautiful creations would bring about an emotional response, the stained glass windows, the sculptures, the mosaics, the cross in the layout all told a story, proclaimed a narrative, and led many to the saving grace found in Jesus.

Shifts in Morality: Teachings were rooted in wisdom, knowledge found in experience and history. Wisdom is rooted in relationship, thereby, circumventing the logical process found in A+B=C… (wisdom gets to the solution rather than being bogged down in the process).

There is much more to digest in this re-framing, but the preceding characteristics are a great beginning place to re-think our perspective on truth, faith, church and community. Next, I will be looking at the print revolution, which started around 1500 A.D. with the invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press. Cool.

If I am asked, as a purely intellectual question, why I believe in Christianity, I can ony answer, “For the same reason that an intelligent agnostic disbelieves in Christianity.”  I believe in it quite rationally upon the evidence.  But the evidence in my case, as in that of the intelligent agnostic, is not realy in this or that alleged demonstration; it is in a enormous accumulation of small but unanimous facts.

pg. 216, Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

G.K. then goes on for around about 10 pages… giving examples of and arguments against that which an intelligent agnostic would use to disprove God, or in the least to give reasons one could not believe in God.  Which in G.K.’s mind is a decision based on un-true demonstrations or as he puts it chance rationalist arguments.  To begin to follow his line is a exercise of the mind, though it is very logical, it is also very philosophical (meaning: big words and complex sentences).   I encourage anyone to pick up this book and ponder its words… I often recommend Orthodoxy to people with intelligent determination and ambitious doubts as it took me 2 years and many a G2 to sift through the language, thoughts and arguments.

I’m sitting at Coffee Slingers, a new coffee shop just north of Downtown OKC… it is right next door to Bicycle Alley, so with one stop I can knock out both of my vices: spandex and latte’s.

In other news:

Life is busy and I am finding it harder and harder to sit and write. It is like stealing away is getting to be impossible, because when I finally get away, I just want to vege out and relax. But that is not what I want. So hopefully this trip to Indo will clear my head and give me some downtime to think and reflect over the past 9 months. OKC is great and I am becoming more comfortable calling it home, though it is really hard to say that with confidence. If work continues to go well (and I foresee it to do just that) than I will be here indefinitely and hopefully in our growth be able to bring on some more employees. I have a secret short list of who I would want to hire [I couldn't tell you... because then it would not be a secret short list], and just thinking about this possibility makes me excited to be apart of this company. The project I most want to be working on right now is a “book” form of our workbook. Complete with cover art, funny anecdotes, and a completed Intentional Leadership process, that requires little or no personal touches. It is a big challenge, and is making us all think outside our normal parameters to come up with ideas on how to write a book that is about relationships without actually having a relationship with those who read it. A connundrum.

Here are the books I am taking down to Indonesia with me, along with a journal, a waterproof camera, a pair of manpri’s, a pair of shorts, a couple t’s, a pair of lightweight pants and some grundy undies… cool.

The Writing on The Wall by Will Hutton - read half of this in Tobago and just got it off of half.com to finish

A Community Called Atonement by Scot McKnight - halfway finished, may finish before I leave

The Mind Changers by Em Griffin [out of print] - this would be my second reading

Jesus For President by Shane Claiborne - can’t wait to delve into this one

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs - supposed to be hilarious

Chapter 4(a) - The Theology, Stupid

This chapter is thick… so I will be reviewing the first portion, in which Tony discusses his emergence into emergent thinking, and how for Emergents (contrary to popular belief) it is all about the theology, stupid!

So to begin with, Tony outlines his Dartmouth Days, where he was involved in Campus Crusade and their doctrine of salvation. He equates their eschatology as the major influence in their type of “efficiency evangelism.”¹ Their eschatology being that they believe that once the whole world has “heard” the gospel, Christ will come. Taken mainly from Matthew 24, where Jesus talks of the end of the age (24:1-34):

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come… Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place…”

These are just excerpts from Matthew 24… you can read them in context here.

Tony uses many logical, translational and theological arguments to show why this, eschatological inference, is taken out of context. And why this bad theology, led many ministries (not just Campus Crusade) to embark on efficient, multi-response, visual presentations of the gospel (Jesus Video, tracks, Bait-and-switch techniques). Some of the headliners in this movement include: Billy Graham, Joe White, FCA, International Missions Board and many other leaders and organizations.

It is not my contention, nor I think it is Tony’s to say these organizations, people, and the underlying theology is inherently evil or wrong… just broken… lacking the substance of the true Gospel message, mainly that repentance is not a one time act but rather a way of life, an continuous action.

Good theology begets beautiful Christianity.
and so follows that
Bad theology begets ugly Christianity.²

It is to say, that this theology makes God contingent on human behavior, which seems contrary to the Biblical narrative in which God acts rather independently, an action that makes him… well, makes him God. God’s independence is backed up by the next few verses in Matthew where Jesus says (24:35-42):

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. - Albert Einstein

This line of questioning, brings many to accuse Tony of being divisive and arrogant, especially in the way he talks of the some of the actions by some patriarchs of the faith, namely Billy Graham. But in his defense it is not a personal attack, but a questioning of the methods of our faith and the foundations behind them.

Which leads to the next discussion of What, Exactly, is Theology? A subject I will broach later… you have enough to chew on here…. Bringing up Matthew 24, without going in-depth, is rather hard to do… so I will leave it to you to discover some of the differing opinions on this chapter, have fun…

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1. Efficiency Evangelism - style of proselytizing/evangelizing that leads a person to convey the salvation message, to as many people as they can without any regard to life change.  In this theology, God doesn’t say “all have to accept salvation”, rather all people groups just have to hear it be proclaimed or be given the opportunity to say a prayer.
2. The New Christians by Tony Jones, p. 103.

Chapter 3(b) - Call to Community

Dispatch 8 - Emergents find the biblical call to community more compelling than the democratic call to individual rights. The challenge lies in begin faithful to both ideals.¹

In this final segment of Chapter 3, Tony goes into some dialogue about emergent’s relationship to politics of the day. He begins with an introduction to the two-party system and its deficits, especially to emergent’s who seems to be unplottable along the two-party line, neither appearing predominantly left or right (or anywhere in-between).

He then brings up the notion of unalienable individual human rights, the foundation for liberal democracy, and the good that has come of this equitable system of government. He then addresses where this political/governmental view has influenced modern thought and driven many to include this type of thinking to consumerism and religion, specifically the reading of the Bible. The problem lies not in the concept of individual rights but in the misinterpretation that drives rampant consumerism (I have the right to own an iPod!) and misguided theological dogma.

The Bible does not exhort us to protect self, but instead to sacrifice the self.² And bring in the reality that both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Letters to the churches, were not written to the individual but to a community. I would challenge you to read the book of Ephesians in the context of a community rather than from the perspective of “me.”

Tony then introduces us to Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian whose work on pacifism has coined the term - a Hauerwasian position. Many Emergents seem stuck in a no-man’s land: on the one hand, they’re committed to a deep, political engagement in American society, but on the other hand, they vow not to be co-opted by a political party.³
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1. The New Christians by Tony Jones; p. 81
2. Ibid, p. 81
3. Ibid, p. 83

My thoughts:

Individualism, specifically in the reading of the Bible - ”This individualistic interpretation maybe the cornerstone for Christian apathy, anger and loneliness, when pushed to a self-serve Gospel, many become frustrated to the fact that they have no one to share it with.”

Political Action - “This is where Tony seems to come up short. I wish he would have delved into the social action side of the emergent movement (though he may do this later). But he takes an acedemic stance and just describes the overarching tendencies of thought, rather than specific examples… and he does not talk much more about the Hauerwasian position, leaving it up to the reader to research, for more info on Stanley Hauerwas click here and on others thoughts on him click here.

Community - “Again, Tony introduces the topic of community but does not go into a lot of detail on the implications of emergents in community (I think this is on purpose, in later chapters he introduces us to a few different emergent communities in case study form. It is important that emergents are classified as a community rather than a individually driven organization, as in discussion - one perspective is not discussion, it is lecture.”

I am enjoying this book, and am a few chapters ahead (in reading), so expect some more reviews forthcoming… enjoy the day!

The following contains thoughts and observations from this spicy bowl of life.

Books you need to read:
The Shack by William P. Young, toted as a Pilgrim’s Progress for this generation… explores the relationship between the triune God and us, his creation. It is a magnificent allegory and gives a very beautiful picture of God’s interactions with Herself. Go to Amazon, buy it, read it, and ponder it; you won’t be disappointed.
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely; now I just began reading this book and it is fascinating… I equate it to Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner economics from the behavioral science side, rather than the sociological side. It has been getting some rave reviews and pub, here and here.

Obama actually won Texas:

Obama: 61 delegates from the popular vote + 38 delegates from caucuses = 99 delegates.

Clinton: 65 delegates from the popular vote + 29 delegates from Caucuses = 94 delegates.

NYC is a fun place… to visit:

There was a lot to see and do, and I felt like my head was on a swivel the entire time. The MoMA was really cool, though it was “Free Friday Night” and because it was rainy, I’m afraid everyone came into the museum to seek shelter rather than look around, so it was crowded and noisy, but fun nonetheless. Saturday, we went to Spring Awakening, and much is to be said about that… but I’m saving it for a later post. Sunday took us to Greenwich, CT, and I got to walk on the beach and see the ocean. All in all a fun time and a place I would like to visit again, though probably not a place I would want to live.

NY firsts:

1st subway ride.
1st Broadway show.
1st Farmer’s Market at Union Square.

I just received, The New Christians, Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier a new book by Tony Jones. I am anxious to see where Tony takes us in his new book. I am sure of two things:

1. He will use a lot of big words, which means I will have to have my dashboard dictionary widget up and running.

2. He will be provocative (and probably heretical… but remember heresy is just contrary thinking to Orthodox belief… Galileo was a heretic until Orthodox belief changed it’s stance).

As many of you may know, this subject is of special interest to me because of my stance on the normal Sunday church experience, of which I usually skip out on and instead opt for a long bike ride, a camping trip, a fly-fishing trip, or just a relaxing (lazy) Sunday morning.

Adam Martin (a great friend of mine, who was not the originator of this quote) says that, “He would rather be fishing and thinking about God than sitting in a pew, thinking about fishing.” This from a Wrangler wearing Catholic who loves Jesus.

So in my anticipation, I have a few thoughts.

1. Yes, God works in all sorts of ways, using all sorts of people, circumstances, and things… but did he really intend for us to wake up on Sunday mornings, drive to a building, sing songs, greet one another, sit, listen, pray, and leave? I am not trying to be divisive, but kind of… Have we mistaken an emotional response to a church program as a “movement of God” in our lives?

2. If it is a movement of God, why the dissonance in attitudes and the apathy in response? As soon as the car exits the parking lot, the good feeling begins to wane and we are left with something much like an addicts response… when can I get that feeling again?

3. Why isn’t emotionally driven religion fulfilling? Why do I have to keep going back to church to bask in the presence of God? Why can’t God be with me all day, refilling my cup, guiding my steps and driving me to joy?

4. Re-reading the above is a bit depressing, as I don’t want to sound like Debby Downer… who constantly chides the church for being something it isn’t. Namely God. But I say all this because I have been part of a community that is the church, without the label of church. I’ve seen a body of believers rally around a cause, love people and affect change. I’ve witnessed the balance of the body of Christ, where one is weak another is strong. And the reason I get so damned incensed is because I know what many are missing out on… True fellowship is not potluck Sunday, but rather River Clean-up Saturday… that true fellowship happens around an action of love.

Ok, enough. Tony may not even delve into any of the topics I just ranted on… but the thoughts still ping-pong through my mind… I do not think I am bitter at the Church, though some have accused me of such. I am more frustrated than bitter… And I long for a change from the self-serving program to the self-sacrificing service.

Here is a cool thing… this company is adding members and when the membership gets big enough [20,000] they will begin production and become a bonafide sustainable clothing company… check it out here:

[WARNING: Too many uses of the root word "blog" in the following]

Over the next few months I will be blogging on a few blogs, one of which is blogging through “Everything Must Change” a book by Brian McLaren. It can be found here:

I am working on a follow-up article to “What is Truth?” on:

I think I will also be adding in on submergent.org but it will be a link from blogs already posted on my site, you can find those and other articles here:

In other news I am reading, “A Letter to America” by current University of Oklahoma President David Boren, he tackles issues relating to the upcoming Presidential election, as well as the political apathy found in a majority of young Americans. It was a quick read and he had a lot of good things to say on Campaign Finance Reform, Education, and the War. He was not only critical but offered suggestions and solutions to the problems of today. I am probably going to go to his book signing and discussion at Full Circle Book Store on February 29th and see if I can pick his brain on a couple of issues.Also, I’m going to NYC this weekend. Should be fun, as it will be my first time in the Big Apple, I’m mos def gonna wear my cowboy boots. Cool.