RE:think

Jesus of Suburbia Part 2

Lets tackle the next statement I culled from around the web concerning the suburbs and Christianity. (part 1)

The suburbs are tainted by individualism and consumerism.

This one I wholeheartedly agree with. There are pockets here and there where it isn't true, as with any statement, but this is the norm. And I am sorry to say, I am as guilty as anyone.

Does the Jesus of Suburbia tell us to share our lives and give or put up fences and wait for what we think we deserve?

Sadly, I think this version of Jesus endorses the latter.

Let me tell you a very recent story...

About eight months ago or so my wife returned to work after being home with the kids for the past six years. It wasn't what we really wanted to do, but needed to for survival.  The hours were sometimes long for her and the frustration level was through the roof. But she pressed on.

About a month ago I found out I was getting a promotion at work. The money would be better and we'd be fairly "well to do" with Evette working. We talked about all the things we'd be able to do. We'd get a brand new car. We'd do lots of big ticket item work to the house. With our incomes combined, we'd have plenty of money now.

There was a fleeting thought that she could go ahead and quit now and get back home with the kids. But the lure of the money and all that came with it was strong. We'd be better off than we ever had been.

As it turned out, she ended up quitting last Friday. God kind of forced our hand I think. I'm quite sure this was the right decision, but sadly, we waited to make it because of all the stuff we could do with the extra money.

And folks all throughout the suburbs go through these same things. Mostly it's to keep up and to have all the things that we are suppose to have. Many of them are good Christian people. The world tells us what cars we should be buying and what sorts of houses we should live. And we, being the weaklings that we are, fall for it. It's not sinful to have plenty of money. But it is when that money takes control and sets off our appetite to consume.

And not only do we do it in our personal and family lives, but we bring it church too. At home we make lists that have things like cars, houses, and entertainment items on them. At church it has things like programs, trips, music, facilities and feel good sermons. These are things we place on our checklist of what will make our church experience a good one. If these things aren't in place, the we go down the road. Just like we do when we shop.

We need to go into our churches and our communities looking to see what we can do and what we can give. We need to have eyes to see needs whether they be physical, emotional, or spiritual. And when we see the need we have to be ready to do something to help meet them. We can't sit and wait for everyone to meet our own and then take off when they don't.

So that covers consumerism. How about individualism?

I don't know about anyone else, but most of my life I have been bombarded by ideas like: Be your own man. Take care of your business. Don't trust anyone, they're out for what they can get. Your career path is your own responsibility.

Very few times did I hear things like: Surround yourself with people to love and who love you. And they don't and shouldn't just be family. Find people trust and trust them. Help others and let other's help you.

Again, this carries over to our church lives. It's just too darn messy to make relationships. People are apt to let us down and they might even hurt us. So what do we do? We come in to church, sit in our same spot every Sunday, and leave as quickly as possible. Then we go through the week and don't spend time with any of the people we worship with. Many times we don't even think about them.

But how do you know that Rich? Cause I've done it. I still do it sometimes. Shame on me.

We can't be a bunch of islands anymore. We need to share ours live with one another. We need to laugh and cry together. We should be sharing our tables with one another. We should be reaching out and lose our alligator arms. Like Jack said on one of my favorite episodes of Lost, "...and if we can't live together, we're gonna die alone."

So, share and give anyone?

Jesus of Suburbia Part 1

I promised a series and I will start with my first question...

Why build the church starting with the affluent so that we can go and minister to the "least of these"? Why not go with the least of these to begin with?

Oh but this one is loaded. And I know that I am about make some folks close to me get a little irritated. But here is what I think. And I apologize if it's all over the place. Remember, I'm a simple guy who will talk from a very base level. :) Oh, and this isn't a theological post. Let me see, anymore qualifiers.... hmmm... Nope, that's good for now. (man it's tough living in the south and being a Christian sometimes)

Does the Jesus of Suburbia tend to build or partner?

Most of the churches in the suburbs of the city I live in do in fact have the mindset of gathering successful, affluent people so that they can then minister to the community at large and meet with "the least of these". They build nice, state of the art buildings. They offer big events for the teens. They basically have it goin' on in all the ways that will draw folks IN.

The irony of all this is that many, not all, end up needing to feed the beast so much and so often, they never get a real chance to go out to "the least of these". In the business world they say you have to spend money to make money. With too many of these churches, they need money to spend money, so they can reach the world for Jesus. Do you see where that starts? But too many times it turns into: need more stuff to get more people to get more stuff to get more people to get more...

That's why I believe in a simpler approach. Don't try to be a church that needs to attract the affluent. We should stop spending the largest part of our resources on things like buildings, programs and fun stuff. We can be attractive without being attractional. And we can do this without targeting the folks with most money. We can do this by pulling in people from all walks and stations of life.

Isn't that what the Kingdom is all about? Look at the guys Jesus chose as his disciples. Were they all a bunch of well to do affluent types? Were they all dirt poor? No and no.

Think about where you live. Think about the "Top Ten Churches" in your area. They will be top ten in things like attendance, reputation, and facilities. Now, picture the typical congregant.

Now, imagine that this church community, with it's resource, partnered with "the least of these" instead of burning so much time and capital on building the "tools" to minister to them.

I can think of 5 top ten type churches here in my area that could make a real difference across the board and really haven't. And it's mostly because they are in "building" mode and not "partner" mode.

More in the next day or so...

Lots of Suburbia and Christianity

I am seeing lots of posts in my subscribed feeds concerning suburbia and the church. More specifically, the talk is about the suburbs and being missional. My interest is piqued and I want to add my thoughts and voice to that conversation. I could list post after post pointing you to what has been said, but here are the things I am seeing...

- Why build the church starting with the affluent so that we can go and minister to the "least of these"? Why not go with the least of these to begin with?

- The suburbs are tainted by individualism and consumerism.

- We are too comfortable in the suburbs.

- Suburbanites do not generally engage issues like poverty and justice.

I am paraphraing from memory, but these are pretty close. And these are only a few of the ideas I have read. But these are the ones I would like to tackle as a person who lives in a sub-urban context. I will do that with my next four posts. Please watch for them and INTERACT!!!

Loving Your Hometown

One way that it is easy for me to be missional is by loving my hometown. I live in the same place where I was born and raised. Most kids here go to college and never come back. And that is ok. But I chose to return.

My city, like every other, has it's flaws, but I love it just the same. Having spent most of my life here, it's easy to see it's needs.

And I don't think you have to have lived in a place your whole life to either love it or see need.

So this is what I encourage you all to do, whether you live in Dallas, Rock Hill, Northern California, or Sydney, Australia. Look around as you live and move through your city. See it's people, it's buildings, and it's meeting spots. By having our eyes and ears open, we'll see opportunities to be salt and light daily.

When you see the need and are able to meet it, then do it! If it isn't something you can help with, connect others that can. That is the beauty of being missional in our cities, the connections that can be made and the building up of "community" in the community.

Love your city, and be a part of it.

(all the pictures here are of my hometown, Kingsport, Tennessee)

Death to the Death Penalty?

I've gone on record saying that I oppose the death penalty. Many Christians do not and use the support of the OT in defending their position. Those same Christians skip a few things in the texts, like say, adultery. To me this blows their use of the OT out of the water.

Anyway. John Smulo has two, fairly short yet good posts about why it needs to be done away with. You can check those out here and here. Here are his bullet points. Go to the second article to see him flesh them out...

1. Capital punishment convictions don’t require the same burden of proof that they did in the Old Testament.

2. Capital punishment is sometimes used for political gain.

3. Capital punishment is more likely for defendants lacking capital.

4. Capital punishment is more likely for minorities than majorities.

5. Capital punishment is more likely for defendants who are black than white.

A great point he makes is that in the OT it was a party of the theocracy and was done after consulting God. Folks, that ain't how it happens here in the good ole US of A. Here it is many more times about vengeance than it is justice.

So whether you agree with me or not, read John's posts and at least think about it.

Bros...

My little doods fell asleep in my recliner earlier this evening. We a long day of lots of playing...

We Christians Love a Good Fight...

I snapped this photo about 2 miles from my house the other day. It's a local church that always has a sign out front that bugs. They are usually very silly and theologically weak. But this one, this really gets me...

War. Battle. Fight. Soldiers. Christians love these words and images. We are always ready to get all Old Testament on someone. Knowing this church, it wasn't just about spiritual battles and war with the enemy. No, they are ready to go out and fight some people in the culture war. It's like a religious "fight club" for these folks. They love to beat on people and get beaten back.

It's so sad.

I've had enough of it. I really have.

 

Technorati tags: culture war, christian war metaphors

My New Axe...

That's right. I'll be rockin' the Flying V...

The Killings In Haditha

I just watched this story on 60 minutes. How very sad. Men, women, and children as young as 2 years old were killed. Innocent men, women and children. They were all unarmed and lived near where an IED cut down an American soldier. Even if it wasn't murder, which the marines involved have been charged with, it was surely unnecessary.

The defense is what bothers me most. Basically it goes like this. They say that they followed there training from start to finish and therefor should not be charged. The training says that in an insurgent situation, this is how they clear a house. They kill everyone inside. If they don't, they might die.

So I ask... Is their life any more important and worth saving than that 2 year old's and her family? And why are we putting our young men and women in positions like this anyway? And won't the Iraqis begin to think we are no better than the previous evil regime when this kind of thing happens?

What would I say to Sgt. Wuterich, who is sorry but says he made the right decision? I would say, "No sir, you did not make the right decision. When innocent people die in this manner, one of which was just a baby, there is no way it could have been the right decision. I am very sorry for you that this happened and I hate think about what you have to live with for the rest of your life now. May God be merciful and gracious to you."

What would you say?

Link: The Killings In Haditha, Charged Marine Tells 60 Minutes He's Sorry Iraqi Civilians Were Killed, But Insists He Made Right Decision - CBS News.

Lessons from the Trailer Park

I spent a good bit of my growing up years living in trailer parks. And I look back on those times with lots of good memories. And  I learned a few things there. My kids are fortunate enough to live in a house, however humble it may be, that their parents own. So I started thinking I should gather my trailer lessons and pass them on. Here's what I have so far.

 

1. Sometimes you'll work very hard and make very little money.

2. Little girls get bigger rooms than little boys.

3. You can have fun and not spend a dime.

4. Sometimes it's near impossible to avoid a fight.

5. Storms can be scary.

6.  It is possible to make it through a hot summer without AC.

7. The floor boards in the backseat of Volkswagen Bugs like to rot through.

8. Mac 'n' Cheese with Tuna is not quite Tuna Helper, but is still not terrible.

9. Soup Beans are full of protein and really good for you, but easy to get tired off.

10. You can grow up w/o name brand clothes and shoes and not be messed up later in life.

11. And speaking of those clothes, you really do get what you pay for.

12. Family is family whether you have money or don't.

13. Once you are a parent, you are always a parent.

14. Trailer park friends are some of the truest you'll ever have.

15. God really does love the poor.