Consuming Jesus

January 15, 2009 // 9242 Comments »http://lifeasmission.com/blog/2009/01/consuming-jesus/Consuming+Jesus2009-01-15+21%3A05%3A28JR+Rozko

I have been looking forward to reading Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church by Paul Metzger for some time.  For the sake of an alternative context and experience, I was even more excited to read the bulk of it amidst my time in Africa and its deep seeded tribalism.

In Metzger’s words, his aim is to…

confront the ways evangelical-consumer or niche-church Christianity fosters racial and economic divisions, and I wish to offer an alternative theological paradigm to the one that is often embraced in the evangelical subculture. (11)

In my words, this alternative theological paradigm comes only by way of rejecting the version of the gospel which has led to a consumer-oriented faith/church and embracing one that prophetically strikes at the very heart of that reality.

In John Perkins’ words,

The only purpose of the gospel is to reconcile people to God and to each other.  A gospel that doesn’t reconcile is not a Christian gospel at all.  But in America it seems as if we don’t believe that.  We don’t really beleive that the proof of our discipleship is that we love one another.” (9)

I love that Perkins understands the gospel by what it does.  Like love, the gospel takes on its true nature only when it is enacted.

In the beginning of the book.  Metzger insightfully traces the various streams, characters, and events which have so vitally contributed to the dominant expression of Christianity in America.  From here, he probes into the ways in which “the dominant structure of the evangelical church today favors, fosters, and shapes its structures around the key ingredient of individual choice…” (79)  Key to understanding this tendency is his discussion of the popularization of the Homogenous Unit Principle (HUP) by Donald McGavran as a method for church growth.  The remainder of the book features insightful biblical and cultural reflections, helpful examples and a sustained discussion on the vitality of Scripture and sacraments for the formation of communities of reconciliation across racial and class boundaries.

Of Scripture, Metzger says…

We must move people with God’s word on Sunday mornings to move beyond their addictions to race and class affinity groups.  Authentic witness to Jesus is at stake, and we must stake our lives on it. (117)

– a quick aside here: just as the goodness of the gospel lies in what it does, so too the sermon is only good inasmuch as it results in changed lives.  Don’t ever tell a preacher his or her message was good unless you are prepared to also tell them how it resulted in your changed life

And I love that he includes Marva Dawn’s words on the Lord’s Supper…

How can we share the eschatological feast if we don’t participate in displaying God’s future, in which all will be equally fed and we will all join together in universal praise?  It seems to be that if we eat the body and blood of Christ in expensive churches without care for the hungry, the sacrament is no longer a foretaste of the feast to come, but a trivialized picnic to which not everyone is invited.

The end of the book is the author’s attempt to move into a discussion of partnerships amongst churches across racial and socio-economic lines.  His desire is for the church to…

re-envision its understanding of communal identity in view of its communal and co-missional God as involving solidarity with society at large…. This will entail a radical break from the dominant American individualistic mindset that keeps us separate from others.  It will require that we lay down our lives and die for our enemies rather than try to take back America from them. (149)

I found this to be a fantastic book.  A bit narrow at places where I though the discussion (at least by way of footnotes) should have been expanded, but definitely a much needed message for the American church.  I suppose the big question I am let with is how to think about local congregations that are seeking to incarnate themselves in places that are intrinsically homogeneous.  If anyone wants to weigh in, please feel free, I’d enjoy the discussion.

Posted in africa, books, christendom, church, community, consumerism, culture, evangelical, gospel, individualism, love, missional, preaching/teaching, review, sermon, spiritual formation, theology

The Fuller Seminary Generation

February 25, 2008 // 4884 Comments »http://lifeasmission.com/blog/2008/02/the-fuller-seminary-generation/The+Fuller+Seminary+Generation2008-02-26+01%3A04%3A44JR+Rozko

Jim Wallis is an author and speaker who emphasizes the ways in which Jesus is a political figure, the gospel is a political message/lifestyle, and the church is a political body. IMPORTANT: Neither Jim Wallis nor I would ever say that this is ALL Jesus, the gospel, and the church are – just that they are vital, but often overlooked dimensions.

These were new and not-so-easy-to-swallow concepts for me as a student at Fuller. In ten years as a christian, and until coming to Fuller, I had never been invited to contemplate what it means that Jesus died, not an abstract atoning death, but at the hands of the Roman empire for being a political insurrectionist. Additionally, the gospel (far from being poised as a life to be lived – which has political implications) was reduced to a truth to assent to, namely, that Jesus was God and that he died in my place so I can go to heaven when I die. Incidentally, I should say that I believe this insofar as it goes, but rejoice that I have come to embrace a much more robust and holistic understanding of God’s good news. Lastly, I understood the church as little more than a collection of saved individuals, not as I do now, a community called to embody an alternative way of life – a polis with the Triune God as its Lord.

Anyway, in a recent article, Wallis discuses the way in which an increasing number of people in my generation (current 20-somethings), are “abandoning a worldview that reduces the gospel of Jesus Christ to an afterlife-oriented, fire-insurance, salvation pitch.” He claims, “These are Matthew 25, Luke 4, and ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Christians. They really believe that the kingdom of God represents God’s best hopes and dreams for this present age, not only for the life to come.”

In calling this demographic of people “the Fuller Seminary Generation,” Wallis notes the enormous role Fuller Theological Seminary has played in shaping a generation of pastors, theologians, and missionaries who don’t quite fit into traditional molds. Depending on who you talk to Fuller is either too conservative or too liberal – too political or not political enough – too rightist or too leftist. No one quite knows what to do with the school and I would say that this is to their credit as they seek to transcend conventional dichotomies.

I believe that Fuller is able to overcome these dichotomies, not by finding a balance between them, but refusing to see them as the only viable options (FYI – I think they get this from Jesus who also refused to pick sides). As my friend Sam pointed out, people like Rob Bell (maybe one day I’ll have my own wikipedia page!! jk, I don’t want one and Tony Jones are products of Fuller and I think they are doing a world of good for the state of the church in Western culture (I’m compelled to add, there are plenty of other people – non-white/male people, from Fuller doing a world of good – I mention these however because, sadly, they are still the only figures our culture tends to give any attention to – this is a serious problem!)

Anyway, here’s the point. I love Fuller and I am thrilled that someone like Jim Wallis is giving them credit for the contribution they are making to the reshaping of the church in Western culture and beyond.

 

 

Posted in articles, evangelical, fuller, politics, theology

The Story of the Missional Church

October 5, 2007 // 422No Comments »http://lifeasmission.com/blog/2007/10/the-story-of-the-missional-church/The+Story+of+the+Missional+Church2007-10-05+12%3A02%3A43JR+Rozko

Thanks to my good friend and esteemed colleague Deb Flagg, I am on a email list with Evangelicals for Social Action. In an email I received the other day, they offered a short article by Stephen Hayner entitled, “The Story of the Missional Church.” It is a very concise article focused on the relationship between church history and the emergence of what we are calling the missional church and well worth your time if you’re interested in missional church stuff. It’s here.

Posted in church, evangelical, justice, missional

No, No, Please God, No

September 25, 2007 // 4218 Comments »http://lifeasmission.com/blog/2007/09/no-no-please-god-no/No%2C+No%2C+Please+God%2C+No2007-09-25+14%3A41%3A20JR+Rozko

From Leadership Blog: Out of UR

September 25, 2007

ATMs: Automatic Tithing Machines

How can you pass the plate to people who don’t carry cash? You can’t. So
the next big wave may be the “Giving Kiosk” in your church’s lobby.

“A lot of people no longer carry cash or a checkbook,” says Marty
Baker, pastor of Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Georgia. So he
installed two ATMs in 2005. The experiment has been a success.

During the first year, the kiosks processed over $100,000 in
donations at Stevens Creek. In 2006, that number increased to just over
$200,000, representing more than 25 percent of the church’s total
income. Even more impressive is the fact that giving as a whole
increased 18 percent since the ATMs were installed. “It’s a safe,
convenient way for people to donate to their church,” Baker notes, “and
it meets people where they are today.”

These positive returns encouraged Baker to launch SecureGive, a
for-profit company that produces and maintains several different
versions of the giving kiosks. “We knew that if this concept and
technology was so beneficial for our church, others could benefit from
it as well,” says Baker.

SecureGive currently operates in 25 churches around the country. One of them is
Family Church in West Monroe, Louisiana, where Terry Taylor is the
executive pastor. “We wanted to help those who were not giving to start
walking in obedience,” says Taylor. “We feel that is being achieved.”

Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio, had featured online
giving for years, but the service was used consistently by only ten
families. The church engaged SecureGive in January and now has more
than 150 families contributing regularly through the giving kiosk.

The company points out an array of practical advantages. One example
is a decreased risk of embezzlement, since donated funds are
transferred directly into a church’s bank account, bypassing the
counting committee. And the kiosk documents satisfy Internal Revenue
Service regulations requiring taxpayers to present a written statement
from a bank or charitable organization when claiming a deduction on
their returns.

Phil Martin of the National Association of Church Business
Administrators says that Automated Tithing Machines might only be the
beginning. “Whether we’ll have an offering plate with a card reader one
day, who knows,” he said. “But we’re certainly not far from that.”

Posted in articles, capitalism, church, consumerism, evangelical, individualism, modernity

My 2nd Naivety

August 27, 2007 // 418No Comments »http://lifeasmission.com/blog/2007/08/my-2nd-naivety/My+2nd+Naivety2007-08-28+03%3A10%3A24JR+Rozko

I don’t think I know anyone, student, faculty, or staff person, who more personally embodies the ethos of Fuller Theological Seminary than its president, Richard Mouw. Much like Fuller, and to the great frustration of conservatives and liberals alike, he’s happy to call himself an evangelical, but really can’t be placed on the conservative/liberal spectrum. He holds hard and fast to the core tenants and practices of the Christian faith, but prides himself, as does his school, on humbly receiving and genuinely listening to those of different traditions and persuasions.

I graduated this past December and therefore had the opportunity to participate in the commencement ceremony this past June, but chose to skip it. The only regret I had was missing Mouw’s address. That regret has been remedied by the publishing of the address on iTunes and I offer it to you here.

It’s only about 15 minutes and is well worth your time. However, if you just can’t swing it, I think it is fair to say that his message is summed up in this quote.

I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.
– Oliver Wendell Holmes

As I reflect back on the Christian I was before coming to Fuller, I can honestly say that I would not want to return. It sounds contradictory, but I would say that my faith was naive in an arrogant sort of way. I may have admitted that I had a naive faith, but I would have prided myself on it as though it was better (more childlike) than an informed and overly complex faith. Having spent these last years wrestling through some of those complexities and becoming more informed, I am genuinely excited to move, not backwards toward naivety, but forwards into a different sort of naivety. Whereas my first naivety was marked by existence in the darkness of complexity, I pray that I might find a 2nd naivety in the light of complexity. Thanks Rich for your heart, your leadership, and your commitment to Jesus as the center of the Christian faith.

 

 Rich Mouw 2007 Fuller Commencement Address: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

Posted in Jesus, evangelical, fuller, quotes

Scot McKnight – The Whole Gospel

July 16, 2007 // 398No Comments »http://lifeasmission.com/blog/2007/07/scot-mcknight-the-whole-gospel/Scot+McKnight+-+The+Whole+Gospel2007-07-17+04%3A25%3A58JR+Rozko

I just finished listening to this message/podcast by Scot McKnight (check out his blog here) entitled, “The Whole Gospel.” 

It is definitely worth a listen and I’ll be adding it to my audio page.  Incidentally, if you tend to only read my stuff through a feed reader, I have tried to catalog a number of good audio messages that you might want to check out – there’s stuff from Rob Bell, NT Wright, Mike Frost, John Piper, Brian McLaren and even (gasp!), Mark Driscoll.  The vast differences in the theologies of these presenters are perhaps surprising, and all I can do is say a hearty thanks to my professors from Malone and Fuller who have helped me become the sort of Christian who is able to pull the best from all sorts of different sources and drop the rest – thanks.

There’s one thing in particular that I’d like to humbly disagree with Scot on here.  Toward the beginning of his message he talks about the 20 million or so (says Barna in this book – my review here) believers in the United States who have chosen to live out thir Christian lives as part of house churches.  He seems to say that this is indicative of their individualistic tendencies as they have abandoned the more formal institutional form of church.  Quite the opposite, I’d venture to say that it’s specifically on account of the individualistic gospel proffered by these more formal institutional forms of church that has resulted in millions of believes seeking out smaller, more authentic and committed communities of followers of Jesus.  At least this has been the case for me and many others I know well.  Past that, Scot has a lot of great things to offer.  Enjoy and please offer your thoughts.

Posted in church, community, emergent, evangelical, fuller, individualism, malone, preaching/teaching, theology