Theology’s Curse, Part 1

I just got back from the Catalyst: One Day conference in Atlanta with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. It was excellent – much more focused on church leadership than the regular Catalyst conference. I even sat three seats away from Perry Noble. Of course, I had to put up with a lot of latte drinking, Abercrombie wearing, faux hawk sporting, twittering “change agents.” It’s funny how every generation thinks they are more “cutting edge” than the last…

I thought I’d post on two issues I struggle with in the theology/ministerial profession – one this post and one the next. The first issue I run into constantly is what I call democratized Christianity/spirituality. Let me explain what that means.

I grew up in a evangelical tradition that emphasized the ability of any lay person to read, digest, and interpret biblical doctrine for themselves. I still completely agree with that concept.  God made sure the Bible (though particular to Eastern culture) could be generally understood by those outside of its original historical context. My upbringing was completely devoid of the “history” of the Bible – to me, it merely spoke in broad generalized themes. I remember sitting in the library my freshman year of college searching the book of Isaiah for verses that specifically meant something to me. I had no idea what Isaiah was really about, but it didn’t matter – God could give me an answer through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Though that idea was liberating, it lead to some really wrong conclusions. And no one was around challenging me about my “inner revelations.” If they had been around, I wouldn’t have listened. The democratization of Christianity simply means that everyone gets a “vote” as to what a particular passage means, whether they have the expertise to do so or not.

After a lot of study, though I don’t have all the answers by far, I have a fairly good catalogue of information that guides my understanding of a biblical text. But now, as a pastor and somewhat of a theologian, I am on the other side of the democratization of spirituality. People now come to me, not ask for advice about a passage, but to share what God told them about a particular scripture. The interpretation may be completely divorced from the author’s original intent. But that makes little difference. People honestly don’t care to hear my opinion about a particular Bible passage. They already know what it means. And though that hurts my pride a little, unless dangerous for the individual, I do my best to affirm their interpretations. Why? Because outside of a few essential beliefs, most people’s interpretation of a Bible passage isn’t going to hurt anything.

Doctrine police will hate that idea, but their church lineage gave us that predicament. Part of the birth of Protestantism included a theological version of the Renaissance cry: “Back to the Sources!” We would no longer take the word of clergy – we would read the Bible for ourselves and determine what it means! My favorite story about this involves Martin Luther, one of the greatest champions of this idea. Luther was fine with it all until his friend Andreas Karlstadt decided he didn’t agree with Luther’s interpretation anymore. Using the same Bible, Karlstadt interpreted things very differently than his friend – he denounced his academic degrees and went to live on a farm as a peasant! This drove Luther nuts who had declared that Karlstadt should only preach the doctrine Luther had instructed. Luther blasted others with similar inclinations and called them “Schwärmer”: bothersome enthusiasts who don’t listen to reason. In effect, Luther became the clergyman he had been fighting years before, restricting the authority of interpretation he previously taught had belonged to everyone. I love it when ministers squabble…

We do the same thing now: we determine through personal study what we believe the Bible teaches and then begin to systematically govern the right of others to do the same thing. In this way, the “clergy/laity gap” is introduced by lay members as much if not more than ministers.

There’s only one group who struggles with this democratization of information as much as clergy: doctors. WebMD has effectively taken the place of an examination so that many patients come in confidently diagnosing themselves. Of course, the doctors and physician’s assistants I’ve talked to about this want patients to be informed about illnesses. But they also want them to listen to the experts. At least doctors can threaten with physical death and pain or other immediate consequences. Ministers don’t even have that leverage…

Why I’m Not on Facebook…

I really don’t know the answer to this question, though I plan to use all my brain power in the next few minutes make up an answer (Wow! I swear the lights above me just dimmed…).

I have a general aversion to all things popular, particularly where Christian culture is concerned. In many ways I am proud of my Christian snobbery. Purpose Driven Life? Your Best Life Now?  Never read them. Max Lucado? Beth Moore? Ignore ‘em. Their popularity ensures that I will not join in. I read The Shack before it became popular, so I actually take pride in the fact that I read it when it was obscure. Same with music. I point out to people that I saw P.O.D. in concert before they became famous…like I had anything to do with their rise in popularity. In fact, one of my co-workers told me I was a theological snob last week (thanks Chris). Of course this was said in a spirit of love…  :)

Truth is, in some warped way, I find identity in resisting things that others do so easily. Like being counter-cultural for identity’s sake. But statistically I’m not counter-cultural at all – I’m the most average guy in America. And that makes being counter-cultural…well, stupid.

So why am I not on Facebook? Blogging is much more time consuming and personal if you do it right. I dunno – I feel like signing up for a social network like Facebook would “expose” me in a way that I’m not comfortable with. There are some people I don’t want to find me, you know. At the same time, social networks make you feel like you’ve sat down and had a conversation over coffee with someone when, in reality you have a surface understanding of them at best. More “small talk.” I can shake somebody’s hand at a party and do that – why carry it over into cyber-space? Weird huh?  Anyone else boycotting Facebook?

“Don’t Kiss it, Pray for it!”

Beth had a funny experience a few months back. She went into Annagale’s room one morning to find her whimpering while holding her nose. Evidently she had hurt it somehow. Beth went into mom mode and attempted to kiss it to make it feel better. Annagale backed away and said, “No, don’t kiss it, Mommy – pray for it!” Well, that was certainly unexpected…

Beth and I laughed about it but then I got to thinking about what had actually happened. Annagale chose a spiritual method of relief over a “conventional” one. Now, if Annagale did that at age 20 or 30 or 40, some might say that she wasn’t being practical or that she was “so heavenly minded that she was no earthly good” or some other “gem” produced by our rationalistic mindset. But that idea is quickly fading away. Newsweek had on its front cover a few months back about the fact that “alternative” medicine is now becoming “standard” practice. Conventional means no longer satisfy peoples’ needs.

Yet, Christians still struggle with the possiblity that God might actually want to heal us. I don’t think we have a problem with whether or not he’s powerful enough. It has more to do with whether we think he wants to heal us. Scriptures like the one where the leper asks Jesus if he is willing to heal him fail to convince us. Even though Jesus gave a resounding “I will!” we still often times say that God works through “other means” to bring about his purposes. What’s with that? What’s so hard about actually believing in healing?

I think this mentality also affects our prayers. Why don’t we pray for healing more often? Many of the prayers for healing I hear are more like short essays preparing us for the psychological impact of disease or the inevitability of life’s end. Now that’s uplifting. Outsiders hear those prayers and think, “hmm, maybe the church doesn’t have anything to offer after all.” I also think it affects why we have trouble praying out loud. Once you’ve said it out loud in a group of people, it’s hard to take back. Plus, we are constantly told that no one is sure what God’s plan is anyway – our job is to pray for the courage to bear up under trials. Praying for healing is kind of like a poker game when you go “all in.” You think you have the winning hand…but what if you don’t? Maybe it’s best to fold this round. I think that tendency goes back to the fact that we’re not sure what cards the Dealer holds.

I want faith like my three year old. She obviously considered the effectiveness of prayer more appropriate than a kiss on the nose. Though we spend plenty of time praying and talking about God around our house, we’re not having healing lines or scripture memory drills or anything. Our faith incorporates itself into our lives without any “grand standing.” Having the faith of a child simply means to take God at his Word. It means to honestly follow that inward inclination to trust God in the face of more “conventional” advice. “Conventional” doesn’t always mean correct or wise – it just means common. Christians aren’t called to be common – they’re called to be unique, curious, and full of life.

Who Are the NeoReformed?

If you believe like me, they aren’t exactly your friends… Here’s a good article by Scot McKnight.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/2009/02/who-are-the-neoreformed.html#more

Blogroll Update

I just added some links in my blogroll – most of the new ones have to do with Bible or church history. Once again, I don’t assign any status to my blogroll. It’s a mixture of people I know and blogs I read personally. I hope you enjoy the new links.

Life Updates for February…

We’ve had a lot going on lately. February always seems to be a busy month. But I have some particularly good news. I’ve known since New Year’s Eve, but I can now make it official: Beth and I are expecting our third child in September. Woo hoo! Boy or girl? Either will be fine.

We celebrated our ninth anniversary two weekends ago and took a quick trip to Savannah, Georgia. Beautiful city. We stayed downtown close to the river at the Planter’s Inn on Reynold’s Square. I found it funny that our hotel adjoined the original parsonage that John Wesley used during his stay there. Providence? No, silly people. But cool nonetheless. We ate some really good food: The Old Pink House, Vic’s on the River, and the Firefly Cafe for brunch.

This past weekend we were in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday. She’s in great shape – she skydived (tandem jump) at the young age of 82. I have a lot to live up to in that regard. We stayed with some cousins, ate some great Japanese food/sushi at Bento’s on The Strip, and took in an Alabama gymnastics meet against LSU. That was great fun, too. I am a huge Alabama football fan. I know – it’s hard to believe you can be that and a Christian as well. I’m just hoping God is very gracious…

Next week I will help lead worship at a women’s conference in Destin, Florida. I know – it’s tough serving Jesus. I haven’t done anything like that in a couple of years, so I’m a little anxious. I’m sure it’ll come back to me after a little practice.

I Love Girl Scout Cookies

Beth and I “obtained” a frozen box of Girl Scout Thin Mints last Friday from my mother-in-law. I desperately tried to control my excitement, but it was all too much. I love Thin Mints. We packed up and headed back home and put our precious treasure in the freezer. I actually forgot they were there for about 18 hours…but I remembered on Saturday. Upon this revelation, I actually jumped around in the kitchen, did a little jig, and promptly ate half the box. I’d like to say the jig had an Irish feel to it – but really it was little more than something you might observe in a circus freak show.

In light of this, it’s really is no surprise that at age 33, my Wii Fit “age” is 44 and holding. But that didn’t stop me from ordering 8 boxes two weeks ago.

I think I need to pray for self control. Someone, help me please?

Pastors Who Use Word Study in Their Sermons…

…need to follow the link below and give it a listen. I have personally made every one of these mistakes in the pulpit! Don’t be stupid like me. I don’t agree with everything Ken Schenck says here but he’s gives a lot of valuable information that rarely makes it into the hands of local ministers. I personally think he goes too far devaluing etiological meaning and over-emphasizes contextual meaning. The overabundance of wordplay, repetition and puns throughout the Hebrew Bible shows us that those writers valued the root concepts imbedded in their language. I’m not sure why we shouldn’t at least consider that.  There’s a whole lot of help in this vidcast though. Other vidcasts are to follow…

http://kenschenck.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-words-work-word-studies-vidcasts-1.html

My cyber-buddy Brian also provides some links to the pastoral condition of “strongnosticism”: the habit of mining for original meaning treasures using a Strong’s Concordance.

http://sunestauromai.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/strongnosticism-how-to-and-not-to-do-word-studies/

Am I picking on Bible study leaders or Sunday school teachers who use word study helps? Absolutely not. We need your enthusiasm and willingness to study the Bible. Ministers actually pray for people like you to come to their church. I’m not a Greek or Hebrew whiz kid. In fact, I consider it a personal victory to have forgotten the majority of my language  training (cue the groans from biblio-bloggers throughout cyberspace). :) But the links above make some really good points. If anything, the fact that this problem exists indicts academia for not making accurate lexical information more available to the masses or at least training them in what’s acceptable. In theological circles, expertise in language is the dividing line for intellectual acumen and provides identity for theologians. Maybe I’ll do a post explaining the history behind that type of elitism. I realize I’m not “towing the party line” on this one. As with most things, our present view of biblical languages finds its roots deep in our religious past. The question is not whether biblical languages are important but the reasons why we have been told they are.

At least the “how to” links above are attempts to remedy that situation.

“Horse Pill” Theology

I like “southern-fried” Christian theology. You may not know what that means – when I say that I’m saying I like to take complex theology and make it accessible on a popular level so that everyone can get in on the discussion. After all, who doesn’t like fried chicken? Most theology makes itself exclusive due to the technical jargon associated with it. And, as in this hilarious post, the more Latin/German terms (# 4), the better. And you must know whether i.e. or e.g. is in vogue. So, “southern-fried” theology makes God-talk easier to understand - since everyone already thinks southerners are dumb anyway. Yes, we are aware that you think we’re dumb. Truth is, we’re just more fun than you are.

I coined “Muttism” as a theological position a while back to describe my theological tendencies and rejection of denominational labeling. Here’s another “southern-fried” original for you: “horse pill theology.” A horse pill is actually a way to describe a giant pill that is difficult to swallow – I use it metaphorically when describing one of the biggest problems in theology. Every theological position has horse pills to swallow: Bible verses that seem to contradict your theological stance no matter how hard you try to explain them away. They will forever be a pain in your exegetical neck. Everyone has them, even those intriguiging people who confidently say they only believe what’s in the Bible. Part of defeating the nervousness that “horse pills” cause is knowing that every theological stance has them. Every one. So, we’re all in the same boat. And for every Bible verse that supports your position, there is one contradicting it. What do you do with horse pills? You choke ‘em down.

Depressing, huh? Makes theology seem futile…like we won’t ever find the definitive answer to any theological question. That’s the point. God doesn’t write systematic theologies. We do. God is not a system. God is a relational being. He is to be known, not studied. He is to be engaged, not researched. He is to be loved, not objectified. Above all, he is to be approached with the heart first - only then can the mind begin to grasp his goodness of character.

Reading and Listening…

Updating you on books I have read and music I’ve been listening to in the last few months.

Jersak and Hardin, Stricken by God: Nonviolent Indentification and the Victory of Christ. If you are struggling with the penal-substitution model of the atonement, this has a lot of articles from other perspectives. A few throw-away pieces, but good overall.

Daniel Levitin, This Is Your Brain on Music. About the neuroscience of music and why we enjoy music as much as we do.

Robert Farrar Capon, Between Noon and Three. I wrote about that book here.

Lawrence Cohen, Playful Parenting. Good book for any parent to read. Children learn through play much easier than instruction. The question is: will parents get down on the floor and join in?

Barry Webb, Five Festal Garments

I’m still only halfway through Robert Alter’s The Five Books of Moses.

Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Margaret Feinberg, The Organic God

 

I’ve been listening to other stuff as well but these are the albums that really stick out…

Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun. If you haven’t heard this or Smile, you’re missing out.

Ben Folds, Way to Normal. What would happen if Ben put out a “clean” album I could feel comfortable recommending? I think the earth might explode. Though “Cologne” and “Kylie from Connecticut” are gems. “Effington” may be one of the best musical pieces he’s ever written.

Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison, Greatest Hits. My girls are in love with Johnny Cash. Favorite Songs? Folsom Prison Blues, Jackson, Ring of Fire, Walk the Line, Orange Blossom Special, and Hey Porter. They know all the words and there’s nothing quite like hearing a four and three year old sing “I don’t care if I do-da-do-da-do-da-do-da-do-da-do-da-do.”

Panic at the Disco, Pretty.Odd. Incredible Album. Here’s the single.

Alex Gopher, Self-Titled. This French house DJ is incredible. Kinda of an 80s New Wave vibe cradled in dance music. Listen here and here.

Copeland’s new disc, You are my Sunshine, is a fun listen and I also finally got the chance to listen to Bernard’s debut album, A View Beyond the Cave - great piano oriented rock.