commentary on church, pt 1 of 3

Just a little preface. The following is mostly my opinion, (answers to a friend questions about the health of church) though it is based in scriptures, theological/social/biblical) commentary and experience; it is not absolute. God is moving in many different forms of Church and we can not say that there is one form of church that is perfect, (even though I may say one is better than the rest… it is far from perfection). Also, it depends on who we are ministering to, boomers (1940-1965) and early buster’s (1965-1975) prefer presentation (program based church), while late busters (1975-1985) and mosaics (1985+), prefer more of a convergent, missional church.

Also, many people are fearful of confronting the institution of Church, because they fear being called a heretic for their questioning… but as many wise people have said, it is in questioning and seeking that we find truth! Besides a heretic is only someone who questions Orthodox belief… there was a time when Galileo was a heretic for believing the earth was round (sidenote: flat-earthers still exist)

So with that preface I’ll begin answering a few questions on church health.

What makes church healthy?

A couple of definitions:

Church (capital C) - the institution of religious practice; the local congregation; the denominations; the buildings; mainline and evangelical; basically Western Churchdom.

church (small c) - the bride of Christ; the body of Christ; a community of believers; not relating to a building, sect, or denomination.

I suppose you are asking what makes the Church healthy, being the local congregation or the institution of religion we call Church. If we are looking at the Church in this way, we must first identify the hierarchy of the current system of Church, mainline or evangelical (it is mostly the same). They are formed in the likeness of a corporation, with a CEO (pastor), Board of Directors (staff, deacons and elders) and shareholders (the congregation). This hierarchical system can be a expansive and powerful machine, or a small-time, mom and pop shop. Either way the goal is the same to preach a message that is related to truth, but not too truthful as to upset the shareholders (which provide the operating budget).

This is a tricky proposition, as the CEO has two masters to appease, one of preaching Christ Crucified and the other of paying off the note on the new million dollar sanctuary.

Now I am being a little facetious… as many churches across this great nation are doing great things in the name of the Lord, with flat screen TV’s in the sanctuary, multi-million dollar facilities and smoke machines for the praise band.

It is not necessarily the form of church I prefer, but again God is using it in a mighty way.

Now, the health of these organizations is reflective of the leadership’s capacity. The leader is the lid - and no organization/ministry can grow past the capacities of it’s leader. If a leader empowers his/her people, as a true servant-leader, much can be done in the name of the Lord. But if the leader is unwilling to give up control and leads as a tyrant (yes, even some pastors lead in this way), the church can not do much good.

Now it is true that God used an Ass, but that doesn’t mean we have to be Asses.

So health of a Church is a direct reflection of the leadership. Healthy-humble leadership = healthy-usable Church.

POV - oral culture/liturgical church

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.

G.K. in the morning…

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.

speak….

Last week I pulled the pin and dropped a grenade into my comfortable life… In the aftermath many are confused and I am staggering about… not in a daze, but in apprehension. It seems I have a limited time to decide what is next, and in this angst, I am constantly seeking out God’s word for my life.

This morning I found myself reading and meditating on 1 Samuel 3. Samuel’s initial response to God’s voice was to think that Eli was calling him, not realizing it was God who was speaking, Samuel went in and woke Eli up 3 times… before he finally was advised by Eli to say to the Lord, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

I have always had a deep affinity with Samuel, who plays a pivotal role in the transition from Israel being ruled by prophetic Judges to the appointment of a King, and the beginning of the end of the Kingdom of Israel. In such a time of upheaval, the people of Israel show brash arrogance and envy. Wanting to be like the kingdoms that surround them, they give up their submission to a loving and protective God to put their trust in a man, a king. And throughout this turbulent time, Samuel stays his course as a messenger of God… speaking truth while the Israelite’s turn their backs on God best!

And as I sit amid this great upheaval in America, I say the same thing to God, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

a question posed…

Just wanted to know your thoughts on this statement.

Agree or disagree???

The greatest adventure in life is not an exotic safari, a booming business success or a love relationship with that perfect someone.  Rather, it’s discovering the purpose for our lives.