Afraid of Form

I have a friend who just bought his first house. He and his wife are excitedly stocking the house with furniture, appliances, and rooms full of love. I am really happy for them but I do have a concern and that is this... What kind of house did they buy? I mean, is it a ranch, a bungalow, a colonial, or a Tudor? Is it one of those cookie cutter houses in the suburbs or is it a house we describe as having lots of character which really means that it will suck all the savings you will ever have? See, here's the thing, I am comfortable in only a few types of houses. I live in a typical 1980's Michigan colonial. Sherri is partial to vinyl-sided ranches with the garage on the side so that’s not the first thing you see. I like houses with alot of stone. Anything else is suspect and I'm not sure that I can really hang out with anyone not in a house that is in the style of the three mentioned previously. I once knew someone who lived in a Tudor--they were jerks. Therefore, I don't like Tudors because they house mean people. I do like vinyl-sided ranch houses because that was the first house I ever bought. I'm pretty sure only good people live in those. It's funny how I'm not concerned about the materials in the house, just the style. Asbestos? Lead based paint? Cat urine in every corner? That's fine as long as the form of the house is to my liking. Surely I am insane! This is not for real, is it?

No, rather than talking about houses, lets talk about churches. Instead of the style of a house, let’s talk about the form of church. There are traditional, orthodox, charismatic, emerging, modern, post-modern, contemporary, and mega churches. These are all forms. The interesting thing is that some of us are afraid of the very mention of one or more of these forms. "I hate traditional churches because they are boring and the typical pastor doesn't even try to be relevant." "I think that post-modern churches are of the devil. I don't even think those pastors know who Jesus is!" I got into a conversation with someone who wanted to learn more about this thing called the emerging church as if it was some import from Japan. So, I gave him a few books and he is on his way to enlightenment.

At the very bottom of everything, I am not so sure that traditional, postmodern, contemporary, emerging, or modern is something that really matters. It's just form. The only real churches are the churches whose content and raw material is reflective of the Jesus who is revealed in God's Word. If a church is has that, then the form must take whatever will best reach the immediate community where it serves. I don't care what "form" that is because it becomes meaningless if no one is being connected to Jesus through it... and it would be nice if there was a steeple, because that's how a church is supposed to look.

Things I Need On The Go

This past weekend, I spoke at a youth retreat in Xenia, OH. I took with me a friend, Chris, and we had a great time. On Saturday night, we had one of the best experiences of my life while we were searching to fill his craving for an Arizona Arnold Palmer Tea. Picture this, it's 10:30 at night and Bright Eyes is blaring through the speakers. The air is crisp and cool as winter peaks its head around the corner. We stop at Fulmers grocery store and find nothing but questioning stares mainly because Chris wears tight jeans, a shirt, and a scarf - not exactly the trend in clothing in Xenia (unfortunately Chris does not have a camouflaged scarf which would have built a bridge with the locals). We stopped at a convenience store/gas station and still nothing. After about 5 stops, one of which I picked up a box of 6 day old cream filled chocolate iced Krispy Kream doughnuts (by the way, bad idea to eat 3 with a Mt. Dew), we found the holy grail of beverage stores. As we turned the corner, there it was, as if a shaft of light was illuminating the entire lot. We had stumbled upon a drive through liquor store. It was a narrow building with a garage door on either side. We drove in and lowered our window as a man came up and asked us what we wanted. Chris asked for a Palmer and the man went to the cooler. Unfortunately, he came up empty and we were out of luck. But nothing could taint our experience. I drove out the other end the store and felt satisfied because I had just experienced the next evolutionary stage of convenience - beer on the go! Doesn't it just make sense? Imagine, I'm in a hurry, running late and I need something to drink. What can be done? Good news, just drive through the local drive-thru liquer store and get a cold one to go! Finally, a drive-thru liquor store is exactly what the modern drunk-on-the-go needs. Thank you America!

The Winds of Change

There are alot of happy people and alot of unhappy people this week. In fact, many of the happy people have traded places with the unhappy people. Yet, there are also alot of life goes on people who care little to none. What the heck am I talking about? Decision 2006, of course. I voted. Motivated hugely to get the politicians to stop bombarding me with commercials and phone calls. I hate elections. However, based on recent conversations, I have some thoughts.

It is time for change, and I am not talking about political change. I am talking about a change in how those who follow Christ engage the rest of society. There are places where the terms Republican and Christian are synonymous. There are also places (fewer but growing) where it is unbelievable that a Christian would not be a Democrat. I am pretty sure that the boat has been missed on both accounts. The Religious Right is an oxymoron, because the religious are rarely right (right applies more to Jesus than an establishment) and by definition, Christianity is not inclusive (yes, you have to make a radical decision to dedicate yourself to the values and agenda of One who makes the absolutes and there is no such thing as tolerance in that arena). I guess I frankly don't care how you vote, given, your decisions will have consequences, but holding a political platform up in one hand and a Bible in the other is a horrible idea. Why would I ever consider placing a sign in my front yard supporting a candidate that may close a door with a neighbor or a passerby? Guess what, both Republicans and Democrats (and anyone else for that matter) need Jesus. Funny how Jesus himself hung out with tax collectors (who were seen as having turned their backs on both Yahweh and Israel) and didn't make a big deal about politics.

I think its time the church stopped letting politicians "preach" in church on Sundays close to the election and I think that the church has to stop fulfilling its desire to have power by making political alliances. Things look similar to the Roman Catholic Church before the Reformation. I don't agree with the contemporary interpretation of separation of church and state. Kids have every right to say God and pray in schools. The problem is that the church is not affiliated with a political party, it is radically and completely devoted and sold out to Jesus Christ and I guarantee that Jesus Christ is not wearing a tee-shirt with a donkey or an elephant! If Jesus is wearing a tee-shirt, it probably has a sad face with a tear running down its cheek (perhaps similar to the sad Indian in the old anti-pollution commercial) because of how his bride parades herself around waiting to be wooed by whoever can use the right lingo. I guess I am at the point that if I hear one more person use Republican/Democrat as a foundational characteristic of someone who is going to heaven then I am going to pee on their bumper stickers.

Quote of the Day

This weekend, Sherri was gone on a retreat so I was at home with the children. What exactly does that mean? It means I cared for them during the day, put them to bed early, and I watched movies all night! One of the movies I watched was Green Street Hooligans, a movie recommended by some of my students. It does have a decent amount of violence and language (there's my disclaimer so I can't get in trouble). Anyway, Elijah Wood plays a young man about to graduate from Harvard who gets wrongly kicked out and moves to England to see his sister. Long story short, he gets involved with a British style, European soccer groupie fight club. As he becomes one of the guys, he does the voice-over narrator thing about half way through the movie and says something that leveled me. In reference to being part of the GSE (green street elite), he says, "It's not knowing that your friends have your back, it's knowing that you have your friends back." This is the difference between being a consumer and being missional (okay, yes, everything I hear and see goes through a "church" filter).

Ok, so you think I'm spiritualizing this? Hear me out... When I want to be assured that someone has my back, all I am thinking about is me. My chief concern is me. It's not about them, it's about me. "You watch out for me." It's like I am sucking the life out of the people around me. I want them to defend and care for and think of me first. While that may make me feel good, it doesn't make me a good person. I do want to know that someone has my back, but I what is more important is that I have their back. It's the difference between giving and receiving. I want to live my life in a way where people see me as someone who will get their back, not as someone who's back needs to be gotten.