tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83110902024-03-08T10:01:03.785-05:00Hints, Allegations, Things Left Unsaid...These are my memoirs...published just a little early. Not as personal as my diary, but less functional than an e-mail.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-12004439205401439692007-02-05T12:15:00.000-05:002007-02-05T12:17:18.700-05:00Ahh...Insight<span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"</span>H</span>e is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative."<br />--<a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/GK_Chesterton">GK Chesterton</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-25054555125576207592007-01-31T15:03:00.000-05:002007-01-31T15:06:53.686-05:00Marking Time..."<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span>t was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."<br /><br />--Charles Dickens, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Cities-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141439602/sr=8-3/qid=1170273960/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-2781474-5019651?ie=UTF8&s=books">A Tale of Two Cities </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-60214759030719515922006-11-08T10:46:00.000-05:002006-11-08T12:23:29.126-05:00Now For Something Completely Different<span style="font-size:180%;">O</span>kay, so not to change the subject, but it looks like <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061108/ap_en_mu/spears_divorce">Britney Spears </a>is back on the market after filing for divorce from husband Kevin Federline. Oh sure, we all knew it was going to happen, but a newly-single Spears is an interesting development in the world of entertainment news. One news source apparently listed it higher on their "ticker" than midterm election results.<br /><br />On a similar note, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe are also formally <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061030/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentusfilm_061030221740">separating</a>. I'll admit that I hold Ms. Witherspoon in higher regard than Ms. Spears, but this bevy of blondes currently on the market provokes some interesting thoughts: how many across America are suddenly going to think of these women as "available," even though both are recently split-up, and neither are yet formally divorced?<br /><br />It is strange the way how we think of celebrities as "common property," cultural icons that belong in some way to us all. The way celebrities capture our imaginations in film or music causes us to project ourselves onto the picture of their lives. We begin to consider their life events as somehow our life events too. And in the fast-and-furious world of Hollywood marriages, these women are now "available."<br /><br />I admit that I do this as well, and while I never held out much hope for Spears and Federline (come on, who did really?), I'll admit that I'm saddened by the separation of Witherspoon and Philippe. They seemed to me like a classy couple, intent on staying out of the spotlight and putting their family (two children) first. In a week with <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061105/us_nm/religion_evangelist_scandal_dc">sad news</a> coming from all across the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/us/politics/08cnd-elect.html?ei=5094&en=b21ffb8f60963a3e&hp=&ex=1163048400&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1163005182-9HVMgelbwiaxf6MnypQRxg">country</a>, it's hard not to feel a little melancholy about life. Even the weather is grey and rainy. <br /><br />So, whatever happened to role models? What happened to people we could look up to and try to emulate? It's very hard to find them in the religious arena (as Ted Haggard recently proved), and perhaps even harder in the marital world. Okay, so I suppose I'm just asking for trouble if I look for marital examples in Hollywood, but sometimes I just want someone famous to "stay the course," so that I can have a little faith that it is possible to succeed. It's nice to point to someone that everyone else knows and say, "See? it can be done!" Ah well, I guess I'll hold out hope for tomorrow...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-34117739418640640062006-11-03T14:43:00.000-05:002006-11-03T14:46:42.771-05:00Life Is Hard<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span> feel very sad. Somewhat overwhelmed. There's a sense of betrayal, mixed with frustration and anxiety. And I just feel sick when I think of the fallout over the next few weeks and months. I need to pray.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061103/ap_on_re_us/haggard_sex_allegations">Evangelist admits meth, massage</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1162516121512845962006-11-02T19:00:00.000-05:002006-11-02T20:35:06.687-05:00What Would YOU Do?<span style="font-size:78%;">From Marshall Sahlins <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Historical-Metaphors-Mythical-Realities-Publications/dp/0472027212/sr=8-7/qid=1162514593/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books">here</a>:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">"T</span>here is a story often repeated in European annals of the strenuous efforts made...to convince the Hawaiin King Kamehameha of the comparative merits of Christianity." In 1798, the American trader Townsend heard that:<br><br /><blockquote>Capt. Vancouver was very anxious to Christianitze these people, but that can never be done until they are more civilized. The King Amma-amma-hah told Capt. Vancouver that he would go with him to the high mountain Mona Roah and they would both jump off together, each calling on their separate gods for protection, and if Capt. Vancouver's god saved him, but himself was not saved by his god, then his people should believe as Capt Vancouver did. (Townsend 1888:74)<br /><br />This expirement did not appeal to Vancouver, and he not only declined to perform it, he did not even mention it in his "Voyage." Thus ended the discussion on religion. (Golovnin 1979:207)</blockquote><br />This makes me wonder: what would I do in this situation? Part of me thinks that this is exactly the kind of challenge that God relishes. I think of Elijah at Mt. Carmal, mocking the prophets of Ba'al, and calling on God to vindicate his role as a prophet and to bring Israel back to God (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2018;&version=31;">I Kings 18:16-46</a>). But then I think of the temptation of Jesus - how he refused to jump off the temple even though he would be saved (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204;&version=31;">Matthew 4:1-11</a>). Perhaps we are not to put God to the test that way.<br /><br />Of course, it's not a clearcut answer. The Hawaiian case was for the cause of the evangelism of an entire people (like Elijah), and not for the selfish motivation suggested by Satan in the temptation of Jesus. But the temptation story is much closer by comparison to the story described above. I just don't know what I would do. What would YOU do??<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1161977067123372922006-10-27T15:18:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.627-05:00Ahhh...The Subtle References<span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >L</span><span style="font-style: italic;">a plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I </span>love this quote. I finally came across the original author. Does anyone want to harbor a guess? (Hint: It was written in 1862).<br /><br />And, for bonus points: what is the well-known contemporary film that references the English translation?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1161617604460532082006-10-23T11:17:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.567-05:00In Praise of "the Dash"<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span> love "the dash." I first picked it up reading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac">Kerouac</a>. Later in life, a friend was fond of writing long letters in the style of Kerouac and Ginsburg. I think I find the dash vaguely romantic and, when used correctly, a marvelous way to convey emotion.<br /><br />Undoubtedly, the best definition of "the dash" that I have seen is as follows:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#007700;">A <b>dash</b> is a mark of separation <u><b>stronger than a comma</b></u>, <b><u>less formal than a colon</u></b>, and <u><b>more relaxed than a parentheses</b></u>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Bold and underlining added)<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier;font-size:85%;">*from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/020530902X/myenglishteacher" target="_blank">The Elements of Style</a></i>, fourth edition, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, page 9. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1161117672794290282006-10-17T13:58:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.503-05:00"Hats Off" for the Clergy!<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span>n <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Potters-Pastoral-Leadership-Congregations/dp/0802863205">God's Potters</a>, Jackson Carroll puts forward the results of several years of survey and research on the nature and role of pastors in American churches. I was fascinatedby the number of hours that clergy report working in the survey conducted for this book. Carroll notes that mainline Protestant clergy report working 50.8 hours per week, higher than any other manager and professional group (averaging between 42-49 hours). This leads me to speculate on the nature of professional occupations in general, and specifically on the role of clergy: <span style="font-style: italic;">when is it okay to “take off the clergy hat” in the life of a minister in order to simply be a regular person?</span><br /><br />In my experience, it is difficult for a professional in a recognized profession to ever take off that hat once it is established. For my friends who are doctors, even before they are licensed they become a source of free medical advice to their friends and family. My friends who are lawyers are always asked to give out free legal advice. Even professions like accountants and veterinarians are constantly asked minute questions about tax law or taking care of a beloved pet.<br /><br />As it is for other professions, so it is for clergy. Once ordained (and often even in seminary), we are asked for “free religious advice” from friends, family, and even the occasional stranger. In the novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gilead-Marilynne-Robinson/dp/031242440X/sr=1-1/qid=1161117141/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books">Gilead</a>, the main character notes that, even while on a trip to another state, people recognize him as a pastor and ask him to “open up a little scripture,” or simply say a prayer. From the stories of more experienced clergy, it is not uncommon to encounter a stranger who, in learning of the profession of the clergyman, will ask him theological questions or will begin opening up about extremely personal issues in a “confessional” setting without ever “making an appointment” or even visiting the pastor’s church!<br /><br />It is likely that this kind of interaction is quite simply “part of the job.” As clergy, this is the mantle we take on when we accept the responsibility of God’s call on our life. But even if that is the reality, how do we begin to practice the necessary “self-care,” especially as it relates to sabbaticals and downtime away from the profession, that is necessary to prevent burnout? How do we recognize, and work out, that “being a pastor is not the sum total of one’s life” (pg. 103)?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span><br /><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="1%"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Potters-Pastoral-Leadership-Congregations/dp/0802863205" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0802863205.01._SCTHUMBZZZ_V60820438_.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td valign="top" width="99%">Currently Reading<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Potters-Pastoral-Leadership-Congregations/dp/0802863205" target="_blank">"God's Potters"</a><br />By: Jackson Carroll<!--TrackBegin--><!--TrackEnd--></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1160677945968972412006-10-12T13:47:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.439-05:00"Hang on God, I'm Waiting for my Calling"“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-Integrity-Professionalism-JB-Carnegie-Adavancement/dp/0787974587/sr=1-1/qid=1160677107/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books"><span style="font-size:180%;">W</span>ork and Integrity</a>” got me thinking about seminary, and religious education in general. As a society, we <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">need</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>properly trained engineers, doctors and lawyers. But I wonder why we are so committed to graduate-level education for pastors? What is this instinct that pastors need to have a Master’s degree in order to be properly “prepared” for ministry?<br /><br />Until very recently, this level of education was not required for ministers.<span style=""> </span>Even colonial preachers, who were required to have formal ministerial training, would enter college between the ages of 14-16, spend a few years studying (mostly liberal arts), and then move on to a church. During the Second Great Awakening, Methodist and Baptist pastors were often little more than itinerant prophets who experienced a profound encounter with God and felt called to share His love with others.<br /><br />It seems that the “elite,” educated clergy model rests on a notion of “pastor-as-civic-leader” that no longer exists. There was a time, especially in the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> Centuries, when the pastor served as a focal point for civic organization and cohesion – like the doctor or judge. The pastor needed to be highly educated – not primarily for his religious duties – but so that he (and it was mostly “he”) could adequately lead the secular civic society. The current equivalent might be something like a city councilman. But is that what pastors are really for? Can you imagine a biblical story of God calling someone, only to have him or her say, "Well, that sounds good God. Now, if you'll just wait three years for me to get the necessary education, I'll be happy to serve." Yeah, right.<br /><br /><i>Nothing seems more foreign to me than sending a ministry candidate far away from his or her church in order to be “trained for ministry."<br /></i><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span><br /><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="1%"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-Integrity-Professionalism-JB-Carnegie-Adavancement/dp/0787974587/sr=1-1/qid=1160677107/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0787974587.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td valign="top" width="99%">Currently Reading<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-Integrity-Professionalism-JB-Carnegie-Adavancement/dp/0787974587/sr=1-1/qid=1160677107/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books" target="_blank">"Work & Integrity"</a><br />By: William Sullivan<!--TrackBegin--><!--TrackEnd--></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1159337382190147622006-09-27T01:59:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.312-05:00Honor the Sabbatical and Keep it Holy<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span> think the relationship between full-time ministry and necessary “sabbaticals” is really important - and really complicated. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ministry-High-Calling-Aim-Low/dp/0664501494/sr=8-1/qid=1159336497/ref=sr_1_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books">Kurt Schuermann</a> says (pg. 114), “The landscape of ministry is littered with the wrecked careers and shattered lives of people who believed that they could function without giving into the need to escape reality.” It was really fascinating to learn that it takes ten years for experts to consider us “accomplished” at any give task – while at the same time acknowledging that after ten years of full-time ministry, many pastors are exhausted and ready to quit. Just when sociological and cognitive-science research says that they should be at the “top of their game,” these pastors have nothing left to give. I know that <a href="http://www.vineyardnewhaven.org/aboutus/pastor.html">PB</a> usually takes the entire month of August off from church: no cell phone, or even checking e-mail for a month! Elbo's parents are full-time missionaries; they take really regular sabbaticals/furloughs, paid and financed by their supporters at home and by their missionary organization. They once took eight full months off! <p></p> But all this emphasis on sabbatical is an interesting thing: my father works at his desk job fifty weeks a year. He has done so for as long as I’ve been alive! Excluding federal holidays, he works consistently with only two weeks vacation - year-in and year-out. How is it that he is able to function with only two weeks vacation, when Elbo’s parents once needed eight months? I can imagine a difference in stress loads, and I’m sure that the mission field requires a greater degree of flexibility, and more working with people. Is that commensurate with the degree difference of vacation time needed? It seems that 21<sup>st</sup> Century, America has both a perverse fascination with, and a phobia of, relaxation and leisure. We point to European societies with long vacations admirably, and then turn around and highlight African societies that have almost none.<br /><br />When it comes to Sabbaticals, what is the balance? How can we find it?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1159336673681656422006-09-27T01:54:00.001-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.248-05:00A Man Who Never Ceases to Surprise<span style="font-size:180%;">T</span>he war on terror will not be won "until we shake ourselves free of the wretched capitulation to the propaganda of the enemy, that somehow we are the ones responsible".<br />-Tony Blair<br /><br />I have to admit that when New Labour first won the Prime Minister's Office in England, I never thought that a man like Tony Blair would have the courage to say and do the things he has done. He will be missed.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1158955858980219802006-09-22T16:07:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.132-05:00When Accusations of Violence are Violently Protested<span style="font-size:85%;">From David Brooks <a href="http://select.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/opinion/21brooks.html?_r=1&n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fDavid%20Brooks&oref=login">here</a>:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"</span>A</span>s anybody who has traveled around the country or listened to talk radio of left, right and center knows, these genteel manners [or America's political elite] do not inhibit the masses. Millions of Americans think the pope asked exactly the right questions: Does the Muslim God accord with the categories of reason? Are Muslims trying to spread their religion with the sword? <br><br> These millions of Americans believe the pope has nothing to apologize for. They regard the vicious overreaction to his speech, like the vicious overreaction to the Danish cartoons, as another sign that some sort of intellectual disease is sweeping through the Arab world.<br><br> What these Americans see is fanatical violence, a rampant culture of victimology and grievance, a tendency by many Arabs to blame anyone other than themselves for the problems they create. These Americans don’t believe they should lower their standards of tolerable behavior merely for the sake of multicultural politeness, and they are growing ever more disgusted with commentators and leaders who are totally divorced from the reality they see on TV every night."<br><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Word.</span></p><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="1%"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marx-Engels-Reader-Karl-Marx/dp/039309040X/sr=8-1/qid=1158955759/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/039309040X.01._SCTHUMBZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td valign="top" width="99%">Currently Reading<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marx-Engels-Reader-Karl-Marx/dp/039309040X/sr=8-1/qid=1158955759/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4730359-1437665?ie=UTF8&s=books" target="_blank">"The Communist Manifesto"</a><br />By: Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels<!--TrackBegin--><!--TrackEnd--></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1158439907964583572006-09-16T16:00:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.073-05:00so brilliant"<span style="font-size:180%;">T</span>he Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools." - <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thucydides">Thucydides</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1157940907014166562006-09-10T22:07:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:06.012-05:00Blame it on The Feds<span style="font-size:180%;">A</span>ccording to Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service, in each $3 gallon of gasoline, between 10-25% of the total cost (.30 -> .70) is comprised solely of federal, state and local <span style="font-style: italic;">taxes</span>. While the percentage varies by state, it is ridiculous to me that hard-working people might not be able to afford important things because they have to pay an extra $.50/gallon just to drive to work. <br /><br />This kind of squeeze is felt hardest by middle and lower income people, who barely can afford to drive to work already. The federal government needs to stop spending billions of dollars on programs that don't work, and start letting people use their money to get to work or daycare, and not to feed Uncle Sam's bloated appetite.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1155067740592709902006-08-08T16:07:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.951-05:00Recovering<span style="font-size:180%;">J</span>ust arrived back home. It's been a long eleven days, but all is going to be okay...by the grace of God.<br /><br />Hallelujah.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1154116886797462172006-07-28T15:57:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.893-05:00A Necessary Recension<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span> stand corrected. I appears that Anti-Blog and HG37 have started a <a href="http://hmadventures.blogspot.com/">NEW BLOG </a>(I don't know what was wrong with the old ones!) to chronicle their adventures in the aforementioned far-away land. While this might be a principally chronological storytelling forum (as opposed to theological reflection), any news is good news.<br /><br />I anticipate with joy following their many adventures in the coming weeks.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1154010381424484032006-07-27T10:26:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.835-05:00Anti-Blog and Another Stall<span style="font-size:180%;">A</span>fter numerous promises of insightful and scathing thoughts on the Christian life, I realize that <a href="http://mcroasmun.blogspot.com">Anti-Blog </a>has reached a juncture where it will be difficult for him to post anything like that in the near future. Namely, he has taken himself and HG37 to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana">far distant land </a>without the continual internet access provided at home.<br /><br />This is unfortunate, because I realize just today that Anti-Blog has gone longer in his posting lapse that at <strong><em>any other time</em></strong> in his posting career. It is a shame for him because he eschews the forum to coalesce and articulate his excellent ideas. It is a shame for us, because we lack his insight.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1153939401941990502006-07-26T14:33:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.716-05:00Why Vineyard?<span style="font-size:180%;">S</span>o, I found the following an interesting and concise historical explanation for the "sources" of Vineyard theology. It's taken from a short article entitled "<em><a href="http://www.vineyardboise.org/publications/bulletin.htm">Why Vineyard</a></em>?", written by Don Williams, PTS grad and Ph.D from Columbia, as well as founding pastor of <a href="http://www.coastvineyard.org/">Coast Vineyard</a> in San Diego. You may find it enlightening...<br /><br /><strong>The Theological Structure of the Vineyard </strong><br />The Vineyard’s “Statement of Faith”...is fed by a number of sources. First, the creeds of the Church Fathers. We confess the Trinity, one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the two natures of Christ incarnate, both fully divine and fully human at the same time (God and Man).<br /><br />Second, as heirs of the Reformation, we agree with Luther, “He only is a theologian who can distinguish between law and gospel.” Abandoning salvation by works or salvation mediated by the church, we hold to Pauline “Justification by Faith” alone. Like the Reformers, we concur that “Popes and councils can err.” Thus we accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God written, as the only absolute authority for the church. This (sola Sciptura) is the final rule for faith and practice. And like the Reformers, we know that “still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe” (Luther). Spiritual warfare is our lot in this world. While we live in Christ’s kingdom, we do battle with Satan’s kingdom, knowing that the victory has already been won. As Luther sings, “Let goods and kindred go. This mortal life also. The body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”<br /><br />Third, we embrace the themes of the Evangelical Awakening of the 18th century, led by John and Charles Wesley. We believe in the necessity of personal conversion to Christ through the “new birth,” authored by His Spirit, and personal holiness as its necessary fruit. The character of Christ and the works of the kingdom: reaching the lost, healing the sick, serving the poor, and seeking justice for the oppressed, come through this transforming work. As Detrich Bonhoeffer writes (in proper sequence), “Only he who believes can obey and only he who obeys can believe.”<br /><br />Fourth, we are heirs of the “Great Century of World Missions” (the 19th Century), and believe that the “Great Commission” stands, making us intentional “missional communities.” Calls for conversion and church planting are not optional. As a movement, we exist to bring the nations to Christ.<br /><br />Fifth, we are also heirs of the 20th Century Pentecostal/Charismatic renewals. We welcome this stream of the Spirit into the church, while remaining solidly evangelical in our theology. As our “Statement of Faith” confesses: “We believe in the filling or the empowering of the Holy Spirit, often a conscious experience, for ministry today. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit and…exercise…all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit.” This leads to action: “We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit, for healing, and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church.”<br /><br />Sixth, the “Biblical Theology Movement” instructs us. We see New Testament faith as fully “eschatological.” This means that we are not simply waiting for the End, we are living in it. The consummation of all things has already begun in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the outpouring of his Spirit at Pentecost. We live in the tension of the kingdom come and coming, “the already and the not yet.” We grow in sanctification and build churches knowing that the kingdom is here, but not fully here.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1153757332531309872006-07-24T12:07:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.657-05:00Ye Olde Preaching Rotation<span style="font-size:180%;">S</span>ometimes, it is just how you feel.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2820/557/1600/cartoon3a.gif"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2820/557/400/cartoon3a.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />By the grace of God, <a href="http://www.vineyardnewhaven.org">VCFNH</a> has a number of very gifted speakers. On any given Sunday, no fewer than ten people could deliver God's Word to on relatively short notice. Several of us really enjoy preaching, and the Great PB has graciously allowed 4-5 of us to preach sermons throughout the summer. It's a "guest preacher series" from <em>within</em> the congregation.<br /><br />This Sunday will be the first of two consecutive Sundays for me. I have never preached two weeks in a row (at least, not adult sermons), so I am looking forward to the opportunity. I considered (gasp!) a <em>series</em>, but decided that weas too bold even for me! Ultimately, that isn't God's leading anyway.<br /><br />Keep your eyes peeled for my "shameless plug" - an audio recording of the sermon. In case you're terribly bored and have nothing else to do. Yeah, right...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1152222224664832522006-07-06T17:37:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.535-05:00hablas ingles?<span style="font-size:180%;">H</span>ave you ever wanted to know <a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/">What Kind of American English You Speak?</a> I think this is pretty fun, and reveals a lot of the idiosyncrasies that I noted when I first moved from California to Yale, with roommates from all over the country (Cleveland, DC, the Bronx). Let me know what you think!<br /><br /><table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="color:black;"><tbody><tr><td bg="" style="color: rgb(168, 255, 179);" align="left"><span style=";font-size:14;color:black;" ><strong>Jason's Linguistic Profile:</strong></span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#d9ffd8">50% General American English</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#a8ffb3">15% Upper Midwestern</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#d9ffd8">15% Yankee</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#a8ffb3">10% Dixie</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#d9ffd8">5% Midwestern</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1150311733558688972006-06-14T14:51:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.475-05:00burned out...<span style="font-size:180%;">W</span>ow, after a month of not posting (for no particular reason), I have concluded that I am simply a little "burned out." My recent finals season was the most intense of my academic career, both in terms of volume and content, and I simply pushed myself beyond a limit, such that it is difficult to motivate myself to sit down and write anything coherent. But rest assured, strange in incoherent thoughts still percolate in my brain, and I have faith that they will cohere sometime soon and the madness will again ensue. <br /><br />But for the moment, how old do you feel? Attached <a href="http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/audio/nyregion/20060610_RINGTONE.mp3">here</a> is a sound file; if you can hear the noise, you have the ears of someone less than 24 years old. The tone is a new cellphone ringtone used by students in the UK and the US. Since most adults over the age of 24 cannot hear the tone, students are able to keep their cellphones on in class without their teachers knowing. For more information, the entire article is available <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/technology/12ring.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1147320479751673712006-05-11T00:06:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.412-05:00Paper Writing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2820/557/1600/head.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2820/557/400/head.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1147283628691273502006-05-10T13:49:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.351-05:00A Lesson in Hermeneutics"In Kenya, vervet monkeys take the ground<br />Until a sentry gives a chattering bark,<br />Which in the simple vervet lexicon<br />Means <span style="font-style: italic;">snake</span>, and connotes <span style="font-style: italic;">evil</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">death</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">dark</span>.<br />Or else the sentry makes a gutteral sound<br />That translates in our own more complex tongue<br />To hawk or eagle circling for prey,<br />And sends the mokeys scampering. Either way,<br />The monkeys must take action - jump or flee<br />Across the ground or to a sheltering tree.<br />Should one, instead, hearing a sentry speak,<br />Decide to deconstruct the fellow's meaning<br />And prove all urgent chattering oblique,<br />A python's fang or hawk's cruel curving beak<br />Will punctuate the monkey's idle preening,<br />Ending his dissertation in mid-squeak." --<span style="font-weight: bold;">Paul Lake<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1147098905471350382006-05-08T10:31:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.290-05:00we know that suffering produces perseverance“<span style="font-size:180%;">I</span> have no sympathy with the idleness that would contrast this fighting with the teachings of the pulpit; for, perchance, more virtue is being practiced at Sevastopol than in many years of peace. It is a pity that we seem to require a war, from time to time, to assure us that there is any manhood still left in man.”<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">-Henry David Thoreau</span>. Letter, February 7, 1855, to Thomas Cholmondeley, in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Writings of Henry David Thoreau</span>, vol. 6, pp. 249-250, Houghton Mifflin (1906).</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311090.post-1146349452710858582006-04-29T18:19:00.000-04:002006-11-02T20:35:05.155-05:00'To be' is to be called...<span style="font-size:180%;">T</span>here is a contradiction between the theology and practice of ordained ministry in the <a href="http://www.vineyardusa.org">Vineyard</a> Church that I have had trouble identifying...until now. In my discussions with close friends (<a href="http://mcroasmun.blogspot.com">Anti-Blog</a> and <a href="http://www.vineyardnewhaven.org/aboutus/pastor.html">The Great PB</a> among them), I have been made aware of this tension, but I have had trouble articulating exactly what it is. According to various statements (official and otherwise), "to be" an ordained minister in the Vineyard is "to do" the stuff that an ordained minister needs to do. Of, course, it's not <span style="font-style: italic;">exactly </span>that simple. To be ordained might better be stated (from this perspective) as "the recognition and affirmation of a person doing the things of ordained ministry."<br /><br />This "to be is to do" model is argued most forcefully by Anti-Blog in our various conversations, and has many theological and practical advantages. One of the interesting characteristics of this model is that "ordination" only applies to people who are currently serving in a pastoral capacity; that is, you don't remain ordained once you retire from the ministry, or move on to another job. Another interesting element is that your ordination is tied to the local Vineyard Church that ordained you, and not to a larger directory of (or authority over) Vineyard pastors. Much of this perspective undoubtedly comes from the Vineyard self-understanding as a "church planting movement." Because the Vineyard is relatively young (around 30-years-old), most of its pastors have been church planters. These individuals (or couples, mostly couples), have been sent by local congregations, venturing into territory with no other Vineyard Churches and established these churches themselves. In this way, the church planters served in a missionary capacity at the behest of their former local congregation, evangelizing the unchurched in primarily urban/suburban settings and establishing a Vineyard presence in those areas.<br /><br />If Vineyard pastors are essentially missional church planters, then several practical and theological implications ensue. First, whatever is not required of a missionary should not be required of a pastor. This means that advanced seminary degrees are not required for ministry, nor are lifelong commitments to "vocational ministry." Just as missionaries may not be seminary trained, and may feel called to serve for a period of a few years, so pastors (church planters) may only be involved for a period of time. Second, it means that pastors can be affirmed as a married couple, and not merely as an individual (male or female). Both the man and the woman are serving in a pastoral capacity. Just as you cannot drag your husband or wife to Borneo (for example) and pretend that only one of you is a missionary, the same is true for the church planting couple. Finally, it emphasizes the Protestant notion of the "priesthood of all believers" and affirms it in such a way as to recognize the practial importance of an administrator, while at the same time freeing others in the congregation to perform important elements of traditional pastoral ministry (preaching, administering sacraments, counseling, etc.).<br /><br />Interestingly enough, this explicit and implied theological position tends to run into problems not in theory, but "in practice," because in practice, most Vineyards are not set up this way. In fact, it can look like Vineyards are hypocritical when it comes to the "working-out" of this theological position in the real world. As articulated, this model seems to point toward a strong belief in "team leadership," based on the notion of the priesthood of all believers, whereby one person (or a married couple) assumes a sort-of "leadership by default" - by virtue of their recognition of the practical needs of the church and their desire to meet them. In this context, however, most of the real leadership takes place among a group of leaders, identified by their desire to engage with the mission of the church and their love and compassion for its local members. This vision is not the reality in many Vineyard Churches. At my current <a href="http://www.vineyardnewhaven.org">church home</a>, there is one clear leader. Despite strong personal relationships and the value placed on discipling people in leadership, everyone else stands in a reduced position of authority to the pastor, no matter what their leadership capacity. For The Great PB, "the buck stops here." Whether or not this is a remnant of the more authoritative pastoral model of <a href="http://www.calvarychapel.com">Calvary Chapel</a> (the movement from which many Vineyard pastors came) seems irrelevant. At the <a href="http://www.cincyvineyard.com">Cincinnati Vineyard</a> Christian Fellowship, I never <span style="font-style: italic;">met </span>the wife of the senior pastor, despite the fact that I spoke with him on many occasions and worshipped with him for almost two years. It was a large church with multiple services, and meeting everyone (and establishing a strong relationship with them) was simply impossible. It was clear in this context that <span style="font-style: italic;">he </span>was the one serving in the leadership position, and not his wife. Of course, this worked out fine in a place like Cincinnati, with an established church in a situation where the spouse had no desire to be a "pastor," or even less perhaps a traditional "pastor's wife."<br /><br />The appearance of hypocrisy in the "to be is to do" model slides all the way back to John Wimber himself. Although Wimber was very open to God doing just about anything in the context of the Church, he only allowed men to serve as senior pastors, out of respect for what he saw as a clear mandate in the Biblical tradition. Yet in a missional, "to be is to do" model, this makes no sense! Not only are women occasionally "doing" the work of ordained ministry, but they are often serving right alongside their husbands and missionary church-planters, and deserve the recognition as such. If "to be is to do," women who "do" pastoral things ARE pastors, and should be accorded the same recognition.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I believe that "to be is to do" is an insufficient model for understanding pastoral ministry, and rests on foundations that do not take into account the full thrust of the Biblical and historical tradition. We need to look for a different model that takes these various elements into account. I believe that a better foundation for a Vineyard theology of ordination is an understanding that "to be" is not "to do." Instead, "<span style="font-style: italic;">to be is to be called by God,</span>" and to answer that call appropriately. Think about it: the role of pastor, of shepherding the people of God and leading a Church that is "for the world" is not something you <span style="font-style: italic;">do </span>now and then, because no one else is doing it, like being a little league coach or stepping up and cooking meals for the soup kitchen. Pastors serve a more important role than simply "filling in the leadership gap" in a church. In fact, I believe pastors are responding to a direct <span style="font-style: italic;">calling of God upon their lives</span> to dedicate part of their on Earth to the service of the Kingdom of God. This does not have to be a lifelong calling, or even necessarily a full-time calling, but it is nevertheless a serious and weighty calling.<br /><br />Of course, this is actually the same for missionaries and church planters! It is not meant to be a distinction. It's not as though the pastoral calling is somehow ontologically distinct. But we need to recognize that missionaries, pastors, and many other roles serve not at the behest of a whim or even a need, but at the calling of God. It is the call the we respond to, and in the proper response of that call we become ministers of the Gospel of Christ. The actual ordination process (like that of baptism or communion) is merely the Church's <span style="font-style: italic;">recognition and affirmation</span> of that calling.<br /><br />Understanding "to be is to be called" has several advantages. For one, I believe it aligns more closely with the Biblical narrative. Yes, the Bible affirms the priesthood of all believers; yes, Paul talks about Spiritual giftings available to everyone. But this does not mean that everyone has each of these gifts! Not everyone is called to be an apostle, nor just anyone a prophet. From the very beginning - when God called Abraham, through the anointing of King Saul and King David, to the callings of the Old Testament prophets, and ultimately the Disciples and Paul on the Damascus Road, God chose <span style="font-style: italic;">certain </span>people and invited them to play a unique role in His plan for the World. Some are called to be prophets, some to be teachers and preachers...Paul recognized these as distinct gifts that are imparted by the Holy Spirit, and only affirmed by the Church.<br /><br />This understanding solves a few other dilemmas as well. For example, since it is God that calls, it is He who determines who will be chosen. God can call whomever He wants, and can choose <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>to call whomever He wants. It is at least consistent in this framework to say that, while God may call both men and women to missionary roles or to other church function, God may choose to restrict the calling of senior pastors to males. <span style="font-style: italic;">I am not necessarily claiming that this is in fact the case</span>, but I respect John Wimber's understanding of the New Testament, and it is my desire to remove the appearance of hypocrisy within the framework of ordained leadership. (I might offer a <span style="font-style: italic;">tentative </span>explanation of this by noting that perhaps God desires to model the pastor-church relationship on His own relationship to the universal Church - so limiting those whom He calls by virtue of upholding some element of that relationship.) This is not to denigrate the importance of feminine leadership in the Church, nor is it to undermine the priesthood of all believers. Affirming the central importance of calling does not absolve the priesthood of all believers any more than Jesus calling the Twelve does. Similarly, it does not increase the "bureaucracy" of the Church to a mainline levels, because it is God's calling, not an M.Div. or some fancy process that establishes the pastor in his capacity. The Church merely recognizes that calling, and affirms it.<br /><br />I will admit that part of my emphasis comes from my observation of the way Vineyards actually function, and the appropriate (I believe) emphasis they implicitly place on the unique calling to ministry displayed by those seeking ordination. This is occasionally in spite of their "to be is to do" rhetoric! They seem to understand the importance ordination without properly being able to articulate just why is it so. My mindset shaped by my understanding of my own call to pastoral ministry in the military chaplain corps. This role is very distinct, both in the Church and in the military, and allows for a unique kind of access to authority by virtue of this position. It is not something you just "start doing" and are then recognized. For military chaplains, "to be" is most certainly not "to do." It is a position that entails rights and responsibilities that are occasionally matters of life and death. Just as an apostle has certain responsibilities, a prophet has others, and an evangelist still others, so too does the chaplain/pastor. You do not leave the Church to become a prophet, evangelist or pastor. You are not called out from the Church for these roles. Instead, the ministry is internal to the church body and to the world. But the recognition and affirmation of that calling provides both responsibilities and rights. It may be important to be called "Pastor _____", or perhaps in certain occasions to wear a certain type of clothing. This is not to highlight your special characteristics as special, but to enable those in your care (or perhaps more importantly, in the world) to recognize your calling and identify you as someone who might help them see God in their situation. In the military, I will be addressed as "Chaplain ________." I will wear a uniform with a cross on the sleeve and on the collar, so that anyone who sees me will know that they can approach me with spiritual questions and have confidence that I will take the time to help them address these questions. The same rules apply in the civilian world (although perhaps less distinction is required for practical purposes) and there is no reason to shun either the rights or the responsibilities of a calling from God under the pretense of false humility or "team leadership." Humility and team leadership are important, but we must recognize that God calls certain individuals to distinct roles in the church (prophets, evangelists, pastors, etc.), and if he has done so for a reason, then we ought to step aside and let them do their job, or step out ourselves in confidence and live out those rights and responsibilities. To do otherwise is to undermine God's call.<br /><br />A proper understanding of Vineyard theology of ordination ought to focus not on "to be is to do." This notion fails not only on the practical level, but also on the theological and Scriptural ones as well. God's call will lead us to understand rather that "to be is to be called," and to respond and be affirmed appropriately in that calling...I welcome your thoughts and considerations.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grace & Peace</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com