lifeasmission
exploring the mystery of life and mission as one and the same
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Archive of "decisions" Category
Mr. Deity and the Skeptic
If you haven’t come across Mr. Deity yet, you ought to check it out and subscribe via iTunes. If nothing else, it’s a fascinating window into the social standing of the Christian faith.
Thought it was interesting that shortly after posting previously, I made it around to watching the most recent episode. Anxious for your thoughts.
Why I’m Not Voting
The Short Answer:
It’s a biblical/theological decision that has to do with conscience (1 Cor. 10:31-33) and not the candidates themselves
The longer, but hopefully more interesting answer:
As I did 4 years ago, I have toiled and prayed over this decision for months and have not come to it lightly. But, for the life of me, when I try to envision Jesus living here and now, I just can’t see him walking into an election booth. Others have no problem with this vision, many of them even have no problem stating for sure just which box he’d tick, but the Jesus I encounter in the gospels refused to capitulate to the political parties of his day and in trying to follow him, I am simply more interested in charting a different course altogether and inviting others along.
Tim Kumfer, in his brilliant article, “Between Sojourners and the Simple Way? Rethinking Radical Evangelical Politics in ‘08 with John Howard Yoder” says,
A majority of the church in the United States still assumes that voting is one of the most meaningful ways Christians can engage themselves politically. This assumption is Constantinian; it assumes that politics for Christians is primarily about ensuring that society is headed our way…the problem occurs when we are more concerned with managing this realm than witnessing to a different one.
This mentality was perfectly embodied just the other day as I listened to a gentleman speak to a large crowd, encouraging them to vote for whichever candidate they thought would most ensure freedom of religious rights for Christians. I find this sort of thinking to be positively debilitating to the character of the Church. To think for a moment that the Church would believe that its ability to function had anything whatsoever to do with government protected rights is just the sort of posture that led to the utter decimation of the people of God in the First Testament. A Church which looks to the government to protect its rights is in grave danger.
This really worries me. Not only because I live in a place where the reality of this assumption is thicker than I have ever experienced, but because I am not above falling prey to it.
As I understand the Bible, I would say that all those who follow Jesus are given freedom to vote if they choose, but nowhere do I sense that this is an obligation. There are typically two common biblical objections to this which I will try to respond to briefly.
The first is Jesus’ command, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” (Mark 12:17) I actually think (ala NT Wright) that in classic Jesus fashion, this is an underhanded way of saying, “Caesar actually doesn’t have a right to anything since everything is God’s. So, if you want to pay taxes (or vote or otherwise participate in government), go right ahead, just don’t forget who you are ultimately accountable to.”
Others would quote Romans 13:1, “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” But I am reminded that secular governments, even democratic ones, are a result of people rejecting God (1 Sam. 8:7). Not rebelling against them is one thing – we made our bed and therefore must lie in it, but assuming they have a claim on our allegiance and participation is quite another.
Not voting is a way to remind myself (and hopefully others) of these things – that it is the church and the church alone which witnesses to a new world order – which is called to put on display in the here and now what God dreams for the new creation.
A few influences. Shane Claiborne wrote a good article entitled, “Advise Everyone… Endorse No One” that helped me to think about these issues.
As one with Anabaptist leanings, I was influenced, first in 2005, and again this year, by this article from John D. Roth, “Polls Apart.”
The words of Stanley Hauerwas in this article/audio were helpful.
As were David Fitch’s musings on, “Not Voting as an Act of Christian Discernment: Calling the Emerging Church Into a Different Kind of Faithfulness.”
Liked Mark Van Steenwyk’s thoughts here.
Finally, once again Derek Webb has come through on the bonus track of the re-release of Mockingbird (which you can get for free here), with “How Then Shall We Then Vote?”
It may very well be that my decision on this matter comes from having a weaker conscience than some others, but as it indeed is my conscience here I stand and can do no other.
Kingdom Stimulation
I received my Economic Stimulus Payment the other day and wondered what I would do with it. As I thought and prayed, I decided to join the ranks of those who called the whole premise of the program into question.
Feel free to accuse me for oversimplifying things if you want, but bottom line, the whole point of the Economic Stimulus Payments that virtually everyone received this year, was singular, “The economy is hurting, so please go buy stuff.”
Sadly, this advice just doesn’t square with those of us who live in a new reality under the Kingship of a God who says, “a man’s life does not consists in the abundance of his possessions” or whose dream for people is to live lives of sacrifice, sharing, generosity, and stewardship.
God’s economics fly in the face of the dominant American addiction to consumerism illustrated perfectly both by the opening line of a recent credit card advertisement, “We are a nation of consumers….and there’s nothing wrong with that.” (ht: Grete), as well as our President’s advice to the country after the 9/11 attacks of, “Go shopping.”
So, 1/2 my check went to Geronime, a woman in Benin, Africa, a fruit vendor through Kiva – a group (you definitely need to check out) that makes micro-loans to “entrepeneurs in the developing world, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty,” and the other 1/2 went to pay down debt. Guess I will just have to go without that gizmo, gadget, or do-dad that I probably needed sooooo badly.
A Place to Lay My Head
After 4 months of getting to know Memphis, living with various people and in various places, and living out of a suit case, I have found a place to hang my hat – at least for the next year.
here for more pictures (not my stuff in the house)
Here’s what metropolitan Memphis looks like
Downtown Memphis is actually to the west of “the loop” between the Mississippi River and 240. Inside the loop is generally referred to as midtown, though it has more specific designations in certain parts. To the east of the the loop is Germantown, Cordova, and Collierville. Piperton, where our church community has purchased land for some future use is a little more east than Collierville. I considered living in virtually all of these places.
Living subversively in a suburban context is something I care deeply about and feel like a good portion of my life will probably go to, but for a smattering of reasons, it doesn’t seem that now is the season for that. I mentioned a slew of factors in the decision making process in my post about being scared to live in the suburbs and I don’t really think that any decision I would have made would have been THE right decision, but here’s why I am pretty excited about this place.
1) Location. This house puts me within walking distance (less than 1/2 of a mile) of coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, the largest park in the city, the playhouse, and the only theater I am aware of in Memphis that shows Indy films. Here’s a little map I started to put together of all the stuff I can walk to easily. There’s a ton more that is easily within biking distance (1-3 miles) such as the YMCA where I’ll work out and my bank.
2) Set-up. The house is perfectly set-up to invite others to explore intentional community. There are 3 huge bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms on the 1st floor as well as a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment with its own kitchen and a separate entrance on top.
3) Neighborhood. The neighborhood is both racially and socio-economically diverse and by virtue of living here I will be part of the “Tucker-Jefferson Neighborhood Association,” an active group which aims “to maintain and improve the dignity and integrity of the residences and businesses in the area, to preserve the diversity of the area, to insure orderly an compatible land use in the area, to encourage homeowners living in the area to improve their homes, and to work together on problems and issues of certain concern.”
4) Opportunity. Living Hope is a primarily white, affluent, suburban church that is asking God how we might engage and be a blessing to urban Memphis as well as to where we are. Having more people move into urban parts of the city will inevitably be a big part of that.
I am truly grateful to have found this place and am really looking forward to having a context to engage on a more constant basis.
Truth Be Told, I am Scared to Death to Live in the Suburbs
Update: Just after I posted this, I happened to come across a few relevant posts on this subject. Be sure to check out David Fitch’s – “The Middle In: The Unique Missional Opportunity,” and Joe Thorn’s, “I Love the Suburbs” on a brand new blog about the gospel in the suburban context, SubText.
I hear people talk quite frequently about the “dangers of the city” and how unsafe certain parts of town are. But if I were being honest, I would tell you that I am far more scared to live in the suburbs than I am to live virtually anywhere else.
By design, suburbs are places of isolation, disconnection, and compartmentalization. Their very existence is predicated on cultural values of materialism, consumerism , and individualism. All of this makes it much harder (not impossible mind you) to follow the way of Jesus – a way of simplicity and interconnectedness with those on the margins of society.
I bring this up because I will very soon need to decide on a more permanent place to live. I have been looking in mid-town which is more urban, racially mixed, threatened by crime and violence, accessible to pedestrians, affordable, and artistic. All of this most naturally appeals to me.
But, I have also been looking in the Germantown/Collierville area which is suburban, predominantly white, relatively free of crime and violence, necessitates a car to go anywhere, more expensive, and culturally bland.
Complicating these basic dynamics are factors such as these…
– most of the folks at Living Hope are suburban people thus I feel I should live among them
– I am a young adult pastor and mid-town is more attractive to young adults
– we gave bought land and are discussing the potential of building a gathering place on it even further east from urban Memphis in Piperton
– the idea of our church planting or having more of a presence in urban Memphis is something we are discussing
– currently, the people I am aiming to really share life with live predominantly in suburban Memphis
– it maybe the case that more of our folks would head toward mid-town if a few more folks blazed that trail
… and I could probably list more. I have been basically paralyzed by this decision of where to live and why. Maybe I can just rest in the fact that no matter what, I am looking to rent and not buy, which ties me down probably for a year at the most. On top of this, where ever I wind up, I am seeking to be there with the express purpose of taking Jesus’ command to love my neighbors literally and seriously. So, whether in mid-town or the burbs, I am sure there will be folks who are hurting and in need, and I find some solace in the primacy of this calling.
So there ya have it – with all the transparency I can muster, the suburbs scare me. I would much rather live in a place where I could be shot or robbed than in a place that has the potential to chip away at my soul and spiritual sensibilities every so slowly and subtlety. I welcome your thoughts.
Riches in Poverty
If I had to guess, I’d say that I’ll be posting on “the scandalous impracticality of all that Jesus stood for” really soon as I can’t seem to stop thinking about it.
As a prelude to that though, I wanted to point to a message Gib offered to the Living Hope community this past Sunday when I was away, “Riches in Poverty.” Probably my favorite line, “Every time currency changes hands, I am making a spiritual decision.” How different our lives would be, how different our very understanding on what it means to be a gospel people if we embraced and lived out this Kingdom truth!
Hi There…
Hey, I'm JR - welcome to the blog.
I'm just an average guy trying to shape his identity around God's dream for the world and his place in it. This blog is a place for me (and you!) to reflect on and discuss all that might mean. Looking for a bit more on me? Check out the about me. Peace.
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