LeadershipConneXtions

A Theology of Hope Made Simple

 

A Little Theology of Hope
Can Go A Long Way

On a weekly basis, I have convesations with people who need hope. Life is hard. It is not working out the way they want. Struggles in marriages. Children problems. Financial problems. Fear. Anger. Depression. Anxiety. Doubt that God is going to come through for me in the way I want Him to. How do I engage with these "doubters and hopers."

It is time for a "bit" of theology. So bear with me and I think you will appreciate the different a little bit of good theology makes (as well as see the problems of "bad" theology). I'll do this with a number of short statements that will add up to a bigger picture understanding of hope.

1.  Hope is always about a desired future reality. It is future because it is not yet. It is a better future because we desire it and usually we desire what we value and affirm as good. It is a reality because we really want it. Not just in theory but in actuality. A single person "may" desire to be married. An out of work individual desires a job. A childless couple desires a child. In each case, what is desired is seen as better and satisfaction will happen when the preferred future actually comes about.

2.  When it comes to God and the things of God, we may broadly speak of "the kingdom of God." The kingdom of God is when the presence of God, the activity of God, the will of God and the "rule" of God are in operation. All Christian hope is hope concerning the kingdom of God coming on earth as it is in heaven.

3.  Concerning the kingdom of God, there is ALWAYS an 

Already but Not Yet

tension we experience. God's kingdom is already here, but it is not yet fully here. God's will is already being done, but only imperfectly and sporadically. God's will is already being done, but only by a few and only at some times. Christian hope is concerning what is NOT YET here.

4.  Hope will be generated either from the promises of God's future and coming Kingdom, or from the energies of this world as it offers options and possibilities.

An improving economy may be the source of hope for a person. Improvements in medical technology may be the hope for a sick person who cannot currently be treated. A dating service may be the source of hope for the person looking for a partner. A peaceful settlement among disputing grops may be grounded in the work of political peace-making efforts. The needs are real - but the source of hope is found in earthly powers.

5.  All hope that is generated from earthly sources is finite, temporary, limited, and tainted with inadequacy. It is a fragile and tentative hope. Human history is littered with the wreckage of this tenuous fragility. 

6.  Still, it is the work of God's people to labor on earth for the sake of truth, beauty, goodness and love and do that in and through the systems of this earth. In other words, we engage in political, economic, legal systems to accomplish things we believe are good and worth fighting for. Even temporary shalom is better than no peace.

7.  We have a future/eternal perspective. So as we work for the sake of hope, as we pray for God's grace to make real what we work for, we also know that the FULNESS of what we seek is NOT YET here and will only be FULLY here at the consumation and renewal of all things. 

In other words, we can experience the down payment (the first fruits) of what is hoped for, but the full and final possession (the rich harvest) is eschatological.

Christian hope is inescapably eschatological. It is rooted in the future fullness of God's kingdom. But Christian hope is never escapist. We never capitulate (give up) and we never cease in our labors as we wait hopefully for the coming of the King and His kingdom.

8.  We do not over-invest our hope in earthly, finite resolutions and outcomes. To do this is to set oneself up for a life of disappointment, dismay and despair. (A growing problem for so many). We are not inordinately attached to the things of (values, solutions, methodologies, promises) this fallen world.

9.  And, we rightfully and appropriately appreciate and receive with thanksgving, all limited hopes as they come our way and still know a better future is yet to be. Humility, prayerfulnes and thankfulness are the way to cultivate hope.

Now, with this biblical framework in place, what are you hoping for? And what are you hearing from God about what you hope for?

p.s.  This was A Theology of Hope Made Simple. If you want to chew on the meat of these things, there are two thoughtful books that will take time and work.

Surprised by Hope by British, New Testament scholar, N. T. Wright
A Theology of Hope by the German theologian, Jurgen Moltmann 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

 

Truth, Error, Orthodoxy, Heresy

 

 

Heresy and Heretics!

Now that is a pretty unpleasant topic.

In doing some preparation for a session I am doing on False Teaching and on the need for careful theologizing that stays faithful to a generous orthodoxy I came across this insightful quote.

Although I concede that there are other tasks more important than the exposure of heresy, I warn: If there is no immune system to resist heresy, there will soon be nothing but the teeming infestation of heresy. I speak as one who was once a lover of heresy. 

Thomas Oden (patristics theologian/historian)

 

I'll resist saying much more here. Other than to suggest we tend to fall into extremes. There are some who are heresy hunters and they have a very narrow field of orthodoxy. It doesn't take much movement to be labeled devaint.
 

Then there are others who are so tolerant that almost any bad teaching is seen as okay.

I'll only ask a question . . .

What do you think?

Is Thomas Oden on to something?

Has our immune system to heresy disappeared and is there a teeming infestation/infection running through our systems?

If you have time, check out 2 Peter 2, which is the core text I am using. It is SUPER STRIKING the excessively strong language used by the Apostle, to talk about the dangers of false teaching.

And if you want to go deeper, I would suggest the always reliable and astute Alistair McGrath, one of the truly great historical theologians of our time and his book, Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

 

Sustaining Grace

Not only do we need Saving Grace daily, but we need Sustaining Grace as well. It is not that God saves us by his grace and then, now it is up to us to run the race, to be faithful on our own strength and to finish well by the effort of our own will.

A number of years ago, a well known speaker told me a story about a friend of his who had followed Christ for many years, been used for many significant ministries . . . and then, in the space of about a month's time, made so many horrible choices and fell into such an abyss of sin, and walked so thoroughly  and far away from God - that the speaker wondered if his friend had ever really been a Christian.

But that seemed silly, for his friend had prayed the prayer of faith, had sacrificed much for God, had a wonderful influence on many through the teaching ministry he had and they had many profound conversations of life with Christ.  But all that had come to an end.

And at the time of the telling me of this story, that friend had not come back to God, but continued on in a hardness of disobedience. 

The great Augustine had this to say:

Who is not aghast at the sudden crevasses that might open in the life of a dedicated man (woman)? When I was writing this, we were told that a man of 84, who had lived a life of continence under religious observance with a pious wife for 25 years, has gone and bought himself a music girl for his pleasure . . . 

If the angels were left to their own free will, even they might lapse, and the world be filled with "new devils."

It is the mystery of sin. 

Augustine didn't have to figure out that mystery to understand that on his own free will, unaided by the grace of God, and apart from the power of the Spirit of God . . . he would also make bad choices, he would disobey the will of God, and he would walk away from the love of God.

The great saints know they are deeply flawed sinners . . . who daily need the mercy of God to keep them close to Himself, to keep them secure in his love, to give them victory over sin . . . and to forgive and restore them when they fail.

The maturing process of the Christian life is not a growing independence from God... rather, it is the exact opposite. It is growing in our knowledge that apart from God we are undone and lost. So it is the hunger of more of God, more dependency on God, more intimacy with God.

As you begin your day, pray for the sustaining grace of God so you may love and follow Him in joy and serve Him in obedience.
 

May today be your Declaration of Dependence on God.

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

What is a Christian?

TODAY - questions, lots of theological questions, spiritual questions, personal questions. 

And no answers - although, the nature of the questions will indicate some direction for seeking asnwers.

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What is a Christian?

How you answer this question will shape pretty much everything else.

It's a big one and a debated one. Here are a few questions that unpack our main question - what is a Christian?

If you "pray to receive Christ" is that what it means to be a Christian?

If you "ask Jesus into your heart" is that what it means to be a Christian?

Is it enough for Christ to be your Savior or must Christ also be your Lord to be a Christian?

Can you be a Chrisitan without being a disciple of Jesus? (See Luke 14:25-35 for a pretty strong response from Jesus.)

Can you believe in Jesus but not want to (and choose not to) follow Him and do His will?

Can you be a disciple of Jesus without obeying the commands of Jesus - the Great Command being that you love Him with a superlative love that has no competitors and that you arrange your entire life around the obediene of love and loving obedience to Him (Read Luke 14:25-25 on Jesus' standard for being a disciple.)

Is being a Christian mainly about forgiveness or transformation? Can you have forgiveness but no transformation and be a Christian? Why would we even turn this into an either/or?

Can you be "justified" (declared righteous) and have next to no sanctification (becoming righteous) and be a Christian?

If a saint is a "holy one of God," can you be an "unholy saint?" If so - for how long until you should question if you are indeed one of the holy ones of God?

If you live a life of lukewarmness toward Jesus and the things of God - are you a Christian? What does it mean when Jesus says he "spits/spews" the lukewarm out of his mouth?

If you have faith but no works - are you a Christian? How long can you live a life saying you have faith but bearing no fruit of faith, and be a Christian? How long can you protest you are justified freely by grace when there is no evidence that justification has occurred?

If you are a new creation in Christ and the old has passed away, what does it mean when it seems as if the old is pretty much still the status quo and there is little of the new creation evident in your life?

Is it really just a matter of saying a prayer to "get in to heaven when you die" and then spending the rest of your life living in whatever way you want, doing as little as you can to get by and still "be in?" 

The parable of the soils - which soil(s) are authentic Christian faith?

Can you be a Christian AND NOT take up your cross daily and follow Jesus?

Can you be a Christian, but just be a "bad" Christian?
And what is a "bad Christian?"
And why would anyone want to be a "bad Christian?" 

These questions are BIG ONES and the church, from time to time, must revisit them. They can be revisited in a way that does not lead to legalism or works righteousness, but instead leads to a robust Christian faith.

In the 1980's and 1990's this issue erupted across the American landscape in what became known as the Lordship Salvation Debate.

Today it has been renewed with people like N.T. Wright and John Piper having some vigorous discussions on these matters.

Any leader who is seeking to build communities of faith has to wrestle with these questions and help the community wrestle with them as well. The Gospels reveal the story and message of Jesus as he MADE everyone he encountered wrestle with these questions.

And of course, the point of this post (as is every other one) to personally think on these things. So . . .

How about you?
What would Jesus say to you about your faith in Him? 

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

Knowledge and Wisdom

 

I'll begin this post with a saying.
 

There are a number of assumptions involved in that 9 Word question.

First: Wisdom and knowledge are different.

Second: That Knowledge is more prevalent than wisdom. We have too much knowledge and not wisdom from that knowledge.

Third: That knowledge may actually be a barriar to gorwing in wisdom.

Fourth:  Wisdom is more important than Knowledge.

Fifth:  That we can find our way to wisdom once again, or else why conmplain about it?

So the only real questions are:

Are you wise?
Do you know how to pursue wisdom (become wise)?
How much do you desire this and what pricne will you pay?

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com 

 

 

Error is a Serious Matter

Jesus said it very simply. "You are in error not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God" (Matthew 22:29). There are a lot of categories of errors that are described in the Bible. Here are some of them.

IGNORANCE:  Not knowing truth.

UNBELIEF:  When you know the truth but reject it.

DECEPTION: When you believe error, but think it is true when it is false.

DISOBEDIENCE:  When you know the truth, even believe it to be true, but fail to live by it. (Also known as INSANITY.)

IMMATURITY:  Have some understanding, partial and incompletel understanding.

DRY (or Dead) ORTHOSOXY: Knowing the truth and believing the truth, but having no passion for that truth in a way that it changes you.

DUALISMS:  Have alternative and usually contradictory truths for differnet situations. It is an endless way of double standards - one for your "church world, your spiritual life, your personal life" and the other for everything else in the world.

KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT WISDOM:  Knowing facts, ideas, pieces of information, but not having these facts integrated into your life so they become the "way you live."

INTELLECTUALISM/RATIONALISM: This is another way of talking about head knowledge without heart knowledge.

SKEPTICISM, CYNICISM, DOUBT, AGNOSTICISM: While these are each a little different, they have enough "cognitive" overlap that I'll include them together. For these errors, you are confused, uncertain, suspicious, questionning, it's possible but not likely that the item of faith is true...

Every item above is a real problem. Often there are several of them going on at the same time. Be attentive to the condition of your own heart and whether any of these "errors" are traps you may experience.

Christian maturity includes the process of moving deeper into belief, faith, understanding, enlightenment, truth and wisdom.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Assurance (or not) of God's Saving Love

We need to distinguish between two beliefs.

One theological belief is that of the persevering of the saints, who are kept by the power of God for eternity. This is sometimes known as "eternal security" or "once saved always saved." It means, because of God's unconditional grace/love, you CANNOT lose your salvation.

In the United States, this has been in the minority theological position, with more Christians subscribing to the belief that one can lose their salvation. By virtue of free will and sustained disobedience, one can turn their back on Christ, say no to his free gift, reject what had been given and walk away from grace. Hebrews 6:1-6 is often cited as one of the passages that support this.

I personally subscribe to the understanding of eternal security and do not believe one can lose their salvation.

But wait a minute before you start drawing conclusions that if you are eternally secure because God's love will be unconditional forever and ever, no matter what you do, even if you choose to live a very minimal life as a follower of Jesus - such a view IS NOT and HAS NOT BEEN the view of the great theologians who did indeed believe in the perseverance of the saints.

Here is where the second doctrine enters in and that is the theology of "assurance of one's salvation." These theologians (and I number myself among them) believe that while you MAY be saved, if you are continuing in sustained disobedience, if you do not love Christ, if you are lukewarm about Jesus (being spewed forth from his mouth according to Revelation 3:16), etc. you SHOULD HAVE NO assurance or confidence that you are saved. In fact - just the oppositve - you should conclude that you are not a follower of Jesus. 

You MIGHT be...
But you might NOT BE...
And you certainly have LITTLE or NO grounds to think you are...

Read Luke 14:25-35 on the "cost of discipleship" and see Jesus clearly say if you don't do certain things - than you CANNOT be His disciple. (Hey, these are His words, not mine.)

Read 2 Peter 1:5-10 about "making your calling and election sure. For if you do these things , you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior jesus Christ.

You see, forgiving grace is also and always a transforming grace. You are not just forgiven (getting eternal fire assurance to go to heaven), you are transformed, remade in the image of Christ, and are to be about the "imitation of Christ" (Ephesiand 5:1).

The evidence of forgiving grace is transforming grace. They are a package deal and if you don't have evidence of the latter, don't assume you have the former.

For some on the journey, their struggle is legalism and a works-righteousness.

For others on the journey, their struggle is cheap grace and a cross with no cost.

Both are equally dangerous.
Both are distortions of the true gospel.
Both fail to produce genuine followers of Christ who are his missional servants to the world. 

These theological matters are once again under heated discussion in the church. N. T. Wright is one who encourages us to revisit the idea of transforming grace and the essential linkage between justification and sanctification.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

Sometimes the Question is Not - Does God Love You? . . .

Today is the first of some "theological reflections."

One of the GRAND ideas of the reformation was that the church should always be reforming itself, and that included, ongoing theological reflection and reformulating the best way to be faithful to Scripture and contextually relevant to the culture.

I think a lot about theological themes, I usually don't use this blogsite to post those thoughts. As I have been involved in a rather large writing project (The Five Volumes of Spiritual Exercises) for the last three years, I have revisted quite a number of theological themes that shape the spiritual journey and life.

Since spirituality is essentially connected with sanctification, I have thought a lot about the nature of the Christian life and the "doctrines" involved with our salavation, which are some of the great (and debated) themes of our faith.

I've thought a lot about grace and works and of God's love and the cost of following Jesus. Today's thought arises out of that.

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Can we take a minute and revisit the Great Commandment.

Jesus does not say, "The greatest commandment is that you allow God to love you with all His heart..."

But the way we talk about God's love, it sometimes seems that what I just stated must be the great commandment.

The Great Commandment is not about God loving you or even you believing God loves you. The Great Commandment is about YOU LOVING GOD!
 

God loves you...
God loves you...
God loves you...

Yes, He does.

With that affirmed - let's ask some other questions: 

Do you love God?

And . . . are you obeying God's commands (and not just the ones you like) as the testimony of your love for God.

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey me (i.e. my commands)." I guess we could assume the opposite: If you don't love Jesus you won't obey Him and if you don't obey Jesus then you don't love Him.

What are the implications if you don't love Jesus enough to obey Him?

And if you don't love Jesus enough to obey Him, then what message do you need to hear? Do you need me to say to you, "That's okay, God loves you no matter how little you love Him or how little you obey Him or how little motivation you have to love and obey Him?

Is that the appropriate message you need to hear?
Is that the message Jesus would give you.
I don't think so!

Jesus told the rich young ruler to love him enough to sell all he had and come follow Him. The man walked away, loving his money more than Jesus. Jesus DID NOT GO AFTER HIM.

In John 6, Jesus is giving a hard teaching and "many disciples" left Jesus and no longer followed Him. Jesus DID NOT GO AFTER THEM, but instead, looked at the 12 and asked if they were going to leave him as well?

Jesus said many will call him Lord, but He (Jesus) does not know them. He is not really their Lord. Jesus DOESN'T CHANGE HIS STANDARD when people find it unappealing.

So WHAT IF you don't love Jesus enough to obey Him? 

Well then, here is another question(s).

• Is Jesus pleased with you at that moment?
• Is Jesus pleased with you as you continue in disobedience?
• Is Jesus at all concerned that your disobedience is not glorifying to Him (which you are created to do and for which reason - you have been blessed with all the blessings of salvation - to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14)?

And - what are the implications of Jesus not being pleased with you?

Isn't it pretty safe to assume that while He may love you, Jesus is not going to bless you, reward you, pat you on the back, say well done good and faithful servant, point you out to others as a testimony to his transforming power, and so on.

And it is quite safe to say (for the author of Hebrews says this) that He is going to discipline you, because He loves you. The good news is you are loved... and the better news is that you are loved so much, there is a load of discipline (some call it chastisement) coming your way.

The problem is that for some (and maybe for many) is we just default to thinking, "No big deal, God loves me the same no matter what. He isn't concerned. No big deal to God." 

So we have very little concern to be obedient. 

And this heart is utterly removed from the teaching of the New Testament.

And tomorrow's post - is a person with such a heart attitude a genuine follower of Christ?
 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

Documents and Resources for the LWCC Staff Discussion on Love Wins

The staff of LWCC had a "first" discussion of Rob Bell's latest book, Love Wins. A book that the senior leadership of the church believes falls well outside the boundaries of historic, evangelical faith. 

That is not an unkind, uncharitable statement, for Rob Bell refers to that historic, evangelical faith as toxic and a view that has hijacked the real truth about Christ.

Frankly, when Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Spencer Burke and Peter Rollins made similar statements, we never felt the need to address them. They just are not very relevant to the large majority of people in our congregation. 

But Rob Bell is a communicator of a different caliber and has a wide audience. So we felt the need to address his book and its theology.

Here is a pdf for the PowerPoint outline and images. It is not a very creative PP, but it does provide an outline for what we talked about.
Download Ppt RobBell 

 

Make no mistake, Rob Bell believes truth matters. It is just that his spin on truth shows he is the hijacker, rather than the hijacked!

Here are several documents (reviews) in PDF format, that we made available to our staff. They can also be found on the web. For the most part, we believe these reviews are accurate. Depending on the reviewer, they may have a different flavor, but in the end, their assessments are pretty similar.

(1)  This is by far the longest  (20 pages) and most critical, but I do not think it is unfair. He shows the many biblical gymnastics and inadequacies of interpretation in this book. It also hints at the historical exaggerations scattered throughout as well. Rob Bell has thrown down the gauntlet and is very critical of historic orthodoxy on many levels. He has set the tone for this discussion when he says evangelical theology is wrong on these many vital matters.
Download Bell LoveWinsReview

(2)  This is a review (5 pages) by Mark Galli, a senior managing editor of Christianity Today, which has been a mainstream journal for the evangelical movement for many decades.
Download Bell CT Review
 

(3)  This final review (2 pages) is by Ed Setzer and can be found on their website at Christianpost.com. Ed is kind but clear in stating that Rob Bell is much more standing in the tradition of mainline liberalism. And this has been shown to be a historic dead end.
Download Bell Setzer Critique

 

We did several things in our discussion.

ONE:  We talked about the importance of theology and our need to be theologically discerning.

TWO:  We looked at Augustine's dictum: "In essentials unity. In non-essentials liberty. In all things charity."  This launched our discussion of what is core and what is periphery in the Christian faith. And how different groups adjust the size of the core.

THREE:  We spent time talking about what is actually ESSENTIAL to make a saving profession of faith in Christ. For example, while we may say that the doctrine of the Trinity is core for the faith, must one understand that doctrine to cross the line of saving faith?

FOUR:  We looked at a model of plotting where various churches, writers and theologies fall on the spectrum of Change in Message - Change in Methodology.

FIVE:  We defined the terms of this discussion:  Orthodoxy, historic, traditional, apostolic, reformational, evangelical and the one main terms standing in opposition - Liberalism.

We walked people through an explanation of church Creeds, Catechisms, Confessions and Statements of Faith.  The first document is a short explanation for defining terms. The others are all documents easily obtainable on the web. We simply provide them here in a PDF format.

Download Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms

Download Apostles

Download Nicene Creed

Download Christianity Today International Statement of Faith

Download NEA Statement of faith

Download The Lausanne Covenant

SIX:  We looked at the issue of FALSE TEACHING (which the  Scriptures talk about often and forcefully). For example, see:  Jeremiah 23,  Ezekiel 34,  Matthew 23,  1 Timothy 4:1-10;  6:3-5;  2 Timothy 3:10-45 and 2 Peter 2. 

We looked at the issue of a "spectrum of false teaching" (is it unbalanced, distorted, bad, heretical or apostate) with the fact that there is an increasing seriousness with these words.

We then asked an important question: How much bad teaching needs to be in a book (or a sermon) until one concludes - this is just a bad book? By way of comparison. How much urine can be added to water until one refuses to drink the water, since it can no longer be called water? 5%... 10%... 25%... Or, how many times can a spouse commit adultery until you feel justified in saying, this spouse is not a faithful spouse but is an adulterous spouse? 

One of the reasons we did this is from hearing people say, yes the book has a lot of problems, but there are things we really like in the book!  (Just worth thinking about . . .)

SEVEN:  We looked at the theological positions of classic liberal theology, compared with classic orthodoxy and asked - where does Rob Bell fall on these matters?

EIGHT:  We spent some time talking about the missiology behind all this. We live in a time, once again, when Christianity has its many cultural despisers. In a cultural season of pluralism, relativism and tolerance as the greatest value (except for orthodox positions), how do we function as missional servants in the world? 

When it comes to the spectrum of the gospel in the world, we can be:

(1)  irrelevant (faithful to the gospel, but hopelessly unable to connect and communicate to the culture.

(2)  contextualized (faithful to the gospel, but skilled in connecting with the culture and communicating in ways that create dialogue and interest).

(3)  syncretistic (where we are unfaithful to the gospel, seeking to accommodate its message so it does not offend the culture.

And we didn't yet look at particulars of Rob Bell's book, Love Wins. This was mainly to set the stage for how one reads, thinks, assesses and responds to books like this.

Brian K. Rice  
Living Word Community Church  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

Augustine - the Doctor of Grace

I am using Kierkegaard's Provocations (a collection of his devot ional thoughts) and have just started using Augustine's Confessions as devotional resources.

Here is one of the best descriptions I have ever read of grace. It comes from the 1955 Introduction to the Original Edition of Confessions. I have it in the Hendrickson Edition (2004) of Augustine's Confessions.

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"Grace, for Augstine, is God's freedom to act without anye xternal necessity whatsoever - to act in love beyond human understanding or control;

to act in creation, judgment, and redemption;

to give his Son freely as Mediator and Redeemer;

to endue the Church with the indwelling power and guidance of the Holy Spirit;

to shape the destinies of all creation and the ends of the two human societies, the "city of earth" and the "city of God."

Grace is God's unmerited love and favor, prevenient and occurrent.

It touches man's inmost heart and will.

It guides and impels the pilgrimage of those called to be faithful.

It draws and raises the soul to repentance and faith, and praise.

It transforms the human will so that it is capable of doing good.

It relieves man's religious anxiety by forgiveness and the gift of hope.

It establishes the ground of Christian humility by abolishing the ground of human pride.

God's grace became incarnate in Jesus Christ, and it remains immanent in the Holy Spirit in the Church."

The preface goes on to say:

"(Augustine) had an unwearied, ardent concern: Man's salvation from his hopeless plight, through the gracious action of God's redeeming love. To understand and interpret this was his one endeavor, and to this task he devoted his entire genius."

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May we live in the power, beauty and glory of God's grace today... which means being agents of grace, letting a life of grace speak through us.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Rob Bell Love Wins Reviews Worth Reading

Well, due to the enormous popularity of Rob Bell;  and due to Bell's off the charts communication gift which makes him so popular; and due to the subject under consideration; and due to the cultural climate of our day:

This book is going to occupy the blogosphere for some time.

I want to emphasize that eternal destiny and what one thinks about it is extremely important. And it is linked/interwoven with many other theological themes.

Traditional Christian teaching on hell is a "hard sell" in today's climate. I read somewhere that Bell should be commended for his courage on writing about this issue in the way he did. Actually, I think it takes as much (if not more) courage to write about hell from a historic stance of orthodoxy. And it certainly takes enormous wisdom and sensitivity to write about it in a way that is full of pathos and love, concern and sorrow. 

I vote for Tim Keller to write that book.

Be that as it may . . .

Here are two reviews of Bell's book.

The first one is by  strongly Reformed pastor Kevin deYoung. It is a strong critique of Bell. And like most of deYoung's writing - it is long.

The second one is from Mark Galli of Christianity Today. It also sees problems but tends to be more inclusive in positions on the subject. You can read it here. It is also available as a pdf at that site.

This is an important issue. Rob Bell obviously thinks it is since he wrote a book about it... and is out of that theological closet (somewhat) on what he thinks.

If you want to read a one chapter restatement of historic, orthodox, and evangelical belief on hell - you can check out:

Don't Stop Believing: Why Living LIke Jesus is Not Enough by Michael Wittmer, chapter 9, "Is Hell Real and Forever."

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Jobs that are too small for our souls . . . ? Or is something else at "work"?

A friend had a quote that really launched some reflection for me. Well, actually, it contributed to some reflections that have been going on for some time. 

The quote is this:

"Most of us have jobs that are too small for our souls."

There wasn't a reference provided for it, so I don't have that for you. But I sat for awhile and pondered... and deconstructed that perspective.

Sometimes a good way to penetrate (and critique and deconstruct) an idea is to suggest its opposite. So for example, what if I said:

"Most of us have souls that are too small for our jobs."

Perhaps that is a window that gives a different insight into the dis-ease many of us have with our occupations and careers.

Here is an illustration. 

Anyone who has ever read The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection would probably agree on several things:

(1)  In the big scheme of things, he had what most of us would see as a small job... a very small job... washing dishes, year after year.

(2)  He also had a very large soul, perhaps "vast" is the word.

(3)  He was very content, satisfied, connected with life and God, with purpose and meaning, with joy, love and hope . . . in the context of his quite small job.

(4)  His very small job (work, occupation, career) didn't seem to be the issue.

(5)  As you read his story, you discover that his large soul did not develop quickly. It took years of thinking, praying, discerning, waiting . . . and eventual finding.

On those things we would probably agree.

*****************

Now, here are some open ended questions and observations on which we may not agree, but are worth good reflection and conversation.

(6)  Maybe his very small job was the very avenue needed to grow a very big soul!

(7)  Maybe some of our big jobs are counter-productive for growing a very big soul? (I know quite a few people in some very big jobs who have very small souls. I happened to suffer from that very sickness for a long time.)

(7a)  By the way - what is a small job and what is a big job?

(8)  Ignatius of Loyola talks about our disordered attachments. I think it is profitable to think about our occupations (and vocation) along these lines. 

(8a)  Tim Keller has some words of wisdom on this matter with his book - Counterfeit Gods. For many of our big jobs become the idols of our life, to which we are excessively, inordinately attached . . . and our souls shrivel.

(9)  C. S. Lewis chimes in on this theme with his observations about First and Second things. For many modern and post-modern westerners, our work (a good Second Thing) has moved to the status of the First Thing (which is a very bad thing).

(10)  Ronald Rolheiser (in The Shattered Lantern) provides another perspective when he describes one of the sicknesses of our time as that of an unbridled restlessness, a constant discontent, an ongoing shuffling from one opportunity to the next, in search of the elusive "fulfillment." (By the way, we are back to the problem of small souls not knowing how to grow bigger.)

(11)  Rolheiser also suggests that narcissism is another dominant sickness of our western culture and certainly, unattended to, this will inevitably morph how we think about our occupations and pursue them. And when this is the driving motive, not only does the soul shrivel, it becomes sour.

(12)  The church and its wisest theologians, pastors and spiritual directors have offered profound guidance on these matters. I personally have a great deal of debt to Ignatius of Loyola and his perspectives on "the chief end of my life." I am also grateful for the Baltimore, Heidelberg and Westminster Catechisms on these matters as well (not necessarily in that order of importance).

(13)  I think that many of us (self included) conflate a desired Occupation with Vocation. Brother Lawrence was one who sorted out his "vocare/call" and was then able to pursue it in any job he had. 

So I have to bring ideas like this into how I think about my Vocation and my Occupation... at least if I want to think deeply and well about them. 

Since The Gutenberg Elegies are front and center on my mind these days, I am aware that this kind of thinking and reflecting (as well as praying and discerning) is, at best, hit and miss. Therefore, our souls face the danger of remaining small, we continue in our restlessness (with its disordered attachments and narcissistic tendencies) and we make premature, unwise decisions about our occupations.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

What Do Sam Gamgee and John Piper have in common?

Very near the end of the Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter Ten, the fellowship was attacked by the orcs of Isengard. Boromir was slain, Pippin and Merry were captured, Frodo fled and  Sam cannot find him. He is running aimlessly, his emotions flooded with desperate adrenaline. Suddenly he stops and says,

"Steady Gamgee," he said, "think if you can."

Think if you can.

The need to think . . . to think carefully, wisely and well.

To think and then to understand and then to know what to do with your understanding.

THINK.

This is the new book from Bible teacher, John Piper. John Piper certainly knows how to think. I have just started the book and already - I am hooked.

For several reasons:

ONE: I love to think and I know the dangers of thinking. For me, the greatest dangers are pride in one's thinking, obstinacy concerning one's theology, and dryness (deadness) concerning one's orthodoxy.  These are very real dangers to which I have fallen and without vigilance, I will succumb in the future.

TWO: A theme that is on the front burner for me is that of AFFECTIONS. Religious affections... the affections of the heart... affective orientations that are deeply ingrained patterns of being. I am thinking about affections all the time as I continue to work on the LCI Exercises Workbooks.

THREE:  I think most of us get this wrong, this delicate dance of heart and mind, of emotion and thought, and I would like to be reasonably, ballpark close to getting it right. For when we get it wrong, no matter which way we distort it, there are serious problems.

More than a year ago I read Feel: The Power of Listening to Your Heart by Matthew Elliott.  For a post on that book and the subject of emotions, click here. It was a powerful, well written book and one that I highly recommend. You can visit his website here.

So now I am reading Think with anticipation.

Maybe next year someone will have written Act and eventually someone will write Be (or not).







 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Christianity and McLarenism (An Article from DeYoung and a Few Brief Comments From Me)

Brian McLaren is one of the most prolific authors in the Emergent Movement. For several years I have had "very mixed feelings" about McLaren, with my assessment gradually becoming more critical of McLaren's theology. For a long time, it seemed that McLaren was like a theological chameleon... that he could blend in with a variety of theological surroundings... But that has definitely changed.

His general critical stance toward conservative evangelicalism (and I would say the orthodox Christian faith) has become clearer, as is his statement of his own theology.

By about his last two or three books, I felt pretty comfortable in seeing McLaren has generally falling into the theological tradition of 1960s liberalism, albeit updated with language of the 21st century. And it seemed to me that McLaren was losing his ability to "appear" charitable and generous toward evangelicals. In fact, McLaren could be either harsh in his assessment (or) simply dismissive in his language.

I don't think McLaren is wrong on everything and in fact, I think he has "some" (although, maybe it is now down to "a few") good things to say. But I do think he is increasingly wrong on the most important things.

Most people just don't have the time to read many of his books (and personally, I no longer recommend them). 

Here is a critique worth reading. It is from DeYoung, who is strongly in the  Reformational tradition and who could be described as an evangelical, although one with the Reformational theology of Calvinism as his primary tradition.

I think DeYoung is pretty accurate in his critique, even if he must make some generalizations due to the nature of this as an article and not a full length book response.  If you want to do a "little work" you could probably read this in 30-45 minutes.

I don't think DeYoung is right on everything and in fact, I think he can be a bit myopic in his theology and not as "generously orthodox" as I think it is worth striving for.

But with that said... DeYoung has a critique well worth reading and understanding.

Download ChristianityAndMcLarenism

Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International  www.lci.typepad.com

The Messiness of the Human Condition

NOTE:  I have a PAGE on the right hand column called Church Series of Posts. I didn't realize how many posts I had been doing on the church. So if you are interested in seeing any of those previous posts, they are listed in order of posting, and with their title.   -bkr-
 

*****************************

 

I love our church's mission statement. I should! I was part of the team that carefully, prayerfully crafted it.

Living Word
is a grace filled community where 
the messiness of life, 
the message of hope, 
and the beauty of Jesus 
converge.
 

I think healthy churches are those that are up front about the human condition. Life is messy. Very messy. Messy people bring their messes to church and so churches are messy as well. When messy and messed up people do life together, the result is, well --- more mess.

And that doesn't surprise us.

It doesn't catch us off guard.

We don't pretend there is no mess (in us or around us).

We don't shame people for having messiness in their life.

We exist for messy people to find hope and a beautiful (and wild) Messiah Jesus.

Our leaders are pretty messy at times as well. And most people aren't surprised by that.

Notice, it is grace that makes it possible to own the mess, to deal with the mess, and when necessary, to live with unresolved mess.

I could never quite understand why a church presents itself as "mess free" and criticizes the world for being messy.  The human condition is the same inside and outside the church (okay, I know that last statement begs for some theological discussion, which I'll avoid). 

 But I think the church should be the place where we are open, honest, authentic, vulnerable and optimistic about that condition. Because of GRACE.

I think that leaders will build healthier churches when we are honest and genuine about the mess. If we don't work with grace and honesty about our human condition, we will (almost inevitably) move into legalism and become contemporary Pharisees who are obsessed about the sin of others.

Brian "who is quite messy" Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Woody Allen on Crossroads and Pessimism and Moses on a Better Way

I have always liked Woody Allen. His self-depracating humor, his ironic existentialism, his melancholy personality . . . his philosophy laden movies . . . (Some of his personal life choices are quite a different matter.)

Here is a quote from "My Speech to the Graduates" that Woody Allen gave, which was first published in the New York Times in 1979.

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. I speak, by the way, not with any sense of futility but with a panicky conviction of the absolute meaninglessness of human existence, which could easily be misinterpreted as pessimism.  (Allen)

Isn't it striking how the average person manages to live life, pretty much ignoring the ultimate questions of purpose and meaning, of legacy and destiny. Many of us (most of us) are locked into modes of just trying to get by, keeping our head above the waters of daily hassles and urgencies . . .  Or stuck in ruts of endless acquisition of "stuff" which we think will make us happy. For many of us, personal happiness is the greatest good and the all important goal in life. 

So busyness or ignorance are our drugs of choice to numb us to the really BIG QUESTIONS.

Fortunately it is football season and all the new Fall TV programming has started up, so the available distractions are there for us.

You might want to pull out your Bible and read Psalm 90. It was written by Moses.  This one is worth several days of lectio divina reflection. Here are just two of the many powerful verses in that Psalm.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heat of wisdom (vs. 12).

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; 
establish the work of our hands for us--
yes, establish the work of our hands.  (vs. 17).

There is another path Woody Allen doesn't mention. It is a life re-ordered and well-lived under the Lordship of the Living God, the recipient of His transforming grace and dedicated to His purposes.

May today be such a day for you. 

And while it is, remember that Thoreau agrees with Allen (or perhaps it is the other way around) when he says, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation." We can help them discover the way of Moses vs. the way of Allen.

Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism

Many years ago I ran across a "concept" from Parker Palmer. In a little booklet he did on leadership, he referred to the rampant problem of "Functional Atheism" among Christian leaders. A Functional Atheist is a Christian leader who talks a pretty game about God, but when you actually look at her or his life, it is quite apparent that the leader believes that if anything good is to happen, it is pretty much up to them to make it happen. 

I have been convicted about my own problem of Functional Atheism more than once.

A few days ago I came across another "concept" that is closely related to Palmer's. This time it is from Christian Smith who is a sociologist of religion at the University of Notre Dame. Smith spent five years researching the spiritual lives of American teens and concluded that for most of them there faith is MTD:

Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism

Here is how he describes MTD.

By moralistic I mean being good and nice . . . By therapeutic I mean being primarily concerned with one's own happiness in contrast to focusing on glorifying God, learning obedience, or serving others. Finally, by deism I mean a view of God as normally distant and not involved in one's life, except if one has a problem one needs God to solve. In other words, God functions as a combination divine butler and cosmic therapist.

Ouch again. Been there, done that, and can fall into that quite easily. I have actually used the phrase Evangelical Deists to describe a lot of what goes on in contemporary evangelical leadership these days. Maybe that is one step up from Functional Atheism, but it is not a very big step.

So, these words by Erwin McManus and Dallas Willard were very important for me as we talked about  them the other day at the Institute. I offer them to you for your own consideration and prayer.

The real issue facing the church is not essentially about methodology or even the preserving of the message; the real issue is why the church is so unaffected by the transforming presence of the living God. Erwin McManus

(and)

What has become of the ongoing walk with Jesus Christ and the integrity of soul that permits one to worship the FAther in Spirit and truth. The sad truth is that you can be an evangelical in excellent standing without these experiences . . . We haven't figured out what the spiritual life is really like, inside and out. We haven't dealt successfully with the challenge of transforming our characters into Christ-likeness . . . We haven't learned how to live in God's power in every aspect of our lives.  Dallas Willard

I believe one of the great leadership tasks we face is to help a new generation of leaders experience these realities and resist the temptation of Functional Atheism and Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism. Of course it will help if we do that first ourselves.

Brian "MTD all to often" Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Ancient Future Faith

Ancient Future Faith is a mid-size community I do at Living Word Community Church.

This year my spiritual friend, fellow theologian and LWCC colleague, Gordon Carpenter will be co-teaching and co-facilitating this community with me.

Here is what we seek to do at AFF.

We study the Bible in a meaningful way. This year we focus on Ephesians as our main text.

We then do some theological thinking about the meaning of these biblical passages, what we learn about Christ and what we learn about our life with Christ.  (See important images at the end of this post.)

We do spiritual formation, seeking to align our lives with what we learn from our study of the Bible and our theological thinking.

And we seek to understand our cultural dynamics so we may be missional people of God.

Add in some good learning processes to this and we create a transformative environment.

J.I. Packer once said, "North American Christianity is 3000 miles wide and 1/2 inch deep." This is how we seek to form deeper followers of Christ.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Everyone's a Theologian

Everyone is a theologian. The question then is, how good a theologian will you be?

Theology!

What comes to mind when you hear that word?

Does it sound scary, esoteric, boring, difficult, academic . . . ?

Does it conjure up images of academics, professors and their students sitting around having discussions and arguments about beliefs and doctrines that seem pretty far removed from daily life?

Actually . . . at times, some theology is everything mentioned so far. But it doesn't have to be that way and my argument is that it should not be that way.

Everyone is a theologian.

I say this because, at its simplest, theology is simply thinking about God.

Let me expand this just a bit, with a slightly longer definition.

Theology is thinking about God, God's Work, God's Presence and God's Word as we study the Bible, as we think about the traditions of the church (i.e. those before us who thought about God) and as we think about our experiences of God.

Theology is the attempt to think well and to think rightly about God.

Theology is important because - what you think about God inevitably shapes how you make your way through life, before God, with God, in God and for God. Wrong thinking about God leads to distorted living for God.

What do you think about grace?

What do you think about suffering and the meaning of suffering?

What do you think about your life purpose?

Are you accountable for your life?

Do your choices matter (in the end)?

What do you think about The Shack?

What do you think about the Emergent movement?

How do you view postmodernity?

Are we living in the end times (or perhaps better - in what way can we understand our times to be the end times)?

Ask any of these question and endless others like them - and you are now thinking about God and you are now "doing theology." 

Living Word Community Church is doing the Alpha program. In a good way, it is a "theology" conversation that paves the way for people to make intelligent, wise decisions about Christ. Alpha covers many of the "big" questions about God.

Everyone is a theologian... 

The main question is - will you do it wisely and well?

And for leaders, a follow up question is - how will we help those we lead become theologians.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

On the Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom (With a Little Help From Two Proverbs)

A few weeks ago I spoke on a Sunday morning about wisdom.  A theme I have pondered (and a question I have been asked) is - what is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

Before I answer that - let me give you a quick perspective.

We have become a knowledge-based society - not a wisdom-based culture.

Today we are Information Workers Not Wisdom Workers.

We are packrats of ideas and not storehouses of wisdom.

We know more than ever before and are more foolish than ever before.

Knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing.

Knowledge has to do with the realm of ideas, information, and data.

Wisdom is something deeper and bigger than that.

Here is one way I illustrate the difference.

Let's use two well known, "American folksy" Proverbs.

Look Before You Leap.

That's good advice. 

It means - check things out before you commit.

Investigate. 

Weigh options. 

Don't be hasty, impulsive, or rash. 

Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Then, decide and commit.

Now, here is the other one.

He Who Hesitates is Lost.

That's good advice also. 

It means - seize the day. 

Don't dwaddle on deciding. 

Time is fleeting, don't waste it. 

The opportunity is here but it is moving on. 

Go for it. 

Take the plunge. 

Change is happening faster than ever and you have to decide quickly.

Two Proverbs.

Two collections of ideas.

Two groupings of knowledge.

Which are coming to exactly opposite conclusions!

Wisdom is knowing when to apply which Proverb's advice to your situation!

Ah.....

But you say, well, how do I learn that?

And I say - that was not the point of this post!

The point of this post was to illuminate the difference between knowledge and wisdom!

And you say - that's just wrong!

Okay . . .

I will say this. I can learn the ideas associated with each proverb and understand them in just a few minutes of time (Knowledge). But learning when to go with which proverb (Wisdom) - that is going to take some time. 

In the Sunday message on wisdom, I gave this explanation of the role of experiences in the gaining of wisdom.

We have a situation

in which we make choices

and then experience consequences/repercussions

which then invite reflection 

on the situation, the choice and the consequence

in light of a biblical worldview

which lead to course corrections and adjustments.

That is how you will come to know (for example) when which Proverb applies to your situation.

Brian "Look Before You Hesitate and Leap Quickly and Cautiously" Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Golden Rule, General Revelation and Conversation Starters

This one is a little follow up from yesterday's post.

Many years ago, there was a missiologist named Don Richardson who wrote a number of books on missions and cross-cultural ministry. One of his books was called Peace Child. In that book, Richardson put forth one of his really good ideas of "Redemptive Analogies."

A Redemptive Analogy means that God has placed in all cultures, stepping stones, connecting ideas, images, stories and clues that point people toward redemption. For the Sawi people of New Guinea, Richardson found the Peace Child redemptive analogy.

If you want to learn more about that particular redemptive analogy, check out the book. For this post, I want to move on to the Golden Rule.

You most likely know the Golden Rule as it is taught by Jesus in Luke 6:31.  "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

This little piece of wisdom is found in cultures all over the world. It is an example of general revelation. General revelation is how God provides redemptive analogies and spiritual wisdom throughout the world, apart from the Bible. While the Bible is Special Revelation where God gives us great clarity about Christ, general revelation is just that. It is still from God, but is is of a more "general" nature.

The Golden Rule showing up in cultures and religions everywhere is one example of this. So, we have:

The Hindus, Mahabharata 5:1517

This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.

Isalam, Number 13 of Iman Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths.

None of you truly believe until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.

Confucianism, Analects 15:23

Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.

(Note: The image to the right is the famous rendition of Norman Rockwell.)

One thing Richardson reminded us of is this:  There are conversation starters everywhere. We just need to have our eyes and ears open to see and hear them. And then a willingness to talk about the great things that matter the most to people.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Kindergarten Wisdom and General Revelation

Do you remember that delightful little book by Robert Fulghum, based on the poem:

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

(a guide for Global Leadership)

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

**********************************

Use this and do a little self-assessment and journaling as to how well you are doing on the wisdom you should have learned in Kindergarten.  Maybe some of the work of leadership, teaching and spiritual formation is just to help people get back to these basics. Maybe the real deep stuff of life is, at the same time, the most basic stuff of life.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Questioning God

It has become rather fashionable for us these days to throw our "tough questions" to God. Our questions often come in the form of a challenge or a complaint (if not a criticism). These questions have a condition attached. 

It is kind of like we say, "God, if you answer my question (to my satisfaction) then perhaps I'll believe you are worthy of having the name God and worthy of following." God is on the witness stand and we are the prosecutor and the jury.

I suppose we are in good company, for regularly throughout the Bible, we see His people asking tough questions of God.

But I wonder if another perspective would serve us. Perhaps we need to understand that the deeper reality is that God is the one who is asking the hard questions to us.

Here are a few that come to mind.

"Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?"    (John 21:17)

To the prophet Isaiah: "Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?"  (Isaiah 6:8)

To Adam and Eve:  "Where are you?"  (Genesis 3:9)

"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  (Acts 9:4)

To Job:  "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"  (Job 38:2)

To Job:  "Would you condemn me to justify yourself?"  (Job 40:8)

To Job:  "Who has a claim against me that I must pay?"  (Job 41:11)

To a blind man:  "What do you want me to do for you?"  (Luke 18:41)

"What are you doing here Elijah?"  (1 Kings 19:13)

And on it goes, God the Questioner, looking into the heart and asking the question that we must answer.

As T.S. ELiot has said (and I know you have heard this one from me before . . . but the best ones are worth repeating): 

"Oh my soul, be prepared to meet Him who knows how to ask questions."

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Behave Your Way Into Being Better... ?!?

Behave your way into being better!

I’ve heard that “theology” a number of times in recent weeks.

I was in our Monday morning Bible study and as we were talking about a few verses in Ephesians 3 and it came up again. I’ll come back to Ephesians 3 in a minute.

Behave your way into being better. Behave your way into believing what you should believe.

That’s behaviorism… one of the dominant psychological approaches of modern times.  (One of the founders of this approach is B.F. Skinner.) The driving idea is that if you struggle with anger, then start acting in non-angry ways in a difficult situation. If you choose to have a calm behavioral response instead of your typical angry behavior, your calm behavior will drain away your emotional anger and you’ll stop feeling angry.  Keep on doing that and you’ll stop being an angry person. Behave your way out of anger and behave your way into peacefulness.

If you have a rough marriage and things aren’t going well and there is a lot of self-centered behavior in the marriage – just start acting in loving ways toward your spouse. If you act in loving ways, then you will start to “feel” love for your spouse. Continue to act in loving ways and you’ll behave your way into being a loving person and having a loving marriage.

One of the core ideas is that behavior and feeling and thoughts must be aligned. For example, you can’t do loving things and continue to think unloving thoughts and feel “unlove.”  Behaviorists choose to start at the point of behaviors and seek to change everything from there.

In this blogiste, I rarely choose to move into extended and complicated discussions of topics because most people won’t read long, complex posts.  I’ll continue that approach and so you won’t find a major discussion/critique of this idea.

But I do believe it is misguided in its emphasis and certainly ignores much of the substantial biblical insight on this subject. It’s not that our behavior is unimportant and has nothing to contribute. Our behaviors are very strategic and required, but behavior does not have the power or primacy  or role the behaviorists (secular or Christian) give it.

Here are a few things to think about. 

Entropy and Easter: Collisions and Collusions

To all my friends and readers - Christ the Lord is Risen Today. Alleluia.  May you each have a blessed Resurrection Day. Here is my Easter Morning reflection. Bear with me through the first few paragraphs and you will see the point.

Entropy, Easter, Collision, Collusion. Four words... two of them probably somewhat unfamiliar to us.

Entropy:  A word we have heard, but are probably a bit fuzzy as to its meaning. It is a word from the world of physics. It means the universe is moving from a state of high energy to low energy. In layman's terms, it means things wear out, they rust, deteriorate, lose steam, and run down (even the Mythic Energizer Bunny eventually must succumb to entropy).

Easter:  One of the great defining Events of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Christ from death. The conquering of death, the guarantee of God's Kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.

Collision: When two things (entities, powers, forces) that are moving in opposite directions run into one another. The result is often an explosion of some sort. They impact, penetrate into each other, occupying mutual space that can be occupied by only one thing. Think of any of the Rocky movies and you have examples of collision. The balloons to the right are another.

Collusion: A more unfamiliar word. Collusion is almost the opposite of collision. Collusion is when two things (entities, powers, forces) join together going in the same direction. Sometimes the collusion speeds up the movement toward the final destination. Other times the collusion produces a new thing that is unique and wonderful.  Like Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and their award winning music.

N.T. Wright, in his excellent book, Surprised By Hope talks about Christians and our "collusion with entropy"! By this, he means that too many Christians have too often forged an uneasy alliance with the mindset of "acquiescing in the general belief that things may be getting worse, but there's nothing much we can do about them."

In other words, we become passive and resigned to the world going to "hell in a hand basket." We separate ourselves from that world and mainly wait to escape by rapture, hoping to take as many others along with us we can on that day.  Wright says, and he is right, this is not New Testament Christianity.

Today is Resurrection Sunday... Resurrection Morning. And the resurrection of Christ from the dead means EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED.

Resurrection means Entropy, the handmaiden to Death has been overcome because Death has been defeated.

Resurrection means that the unstoppable, irresistible Life of God and His Kingdom has been unleashed in the world. Entropy is no longer inevitable and Death is no longer the master.

Resurrection means that what is broken is rebuilt, what is damaged is remade, what is marred is restored, and that all the hurts of the world can be healed.

Resurrection means our Hope is sure and that Life wins... because Jesus is our Hope and our Life.

Resurrection means that we now can and must live differently. Listen to these final words of the Apostle Paul as he concludes that great resurrection chapter in the Bible - 1 Corinthians 15.

"Therefore (in light of the 57 verses he has just spoken about resurrection), my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  (15:58)

The Resurrection of Christ and of our very bodies is the seed that germinates into the Restoration of all things. So Easter Resurrection means everything can be Restored. Nothing we do, that is done in the name of Christ, in the name of Love, and in the service of God's Eternal Kingdom will ever be wasted.

Far from us living lives of passive resignation and pathetic withdraw (COLLUDING with Entropy), instead we live lives of vibrant power and energetic involvement, COLLIDING with Entropy. Our very lives are the embodiment of the Great Reversal of Resurrection. We say no to the Way Things Are and yes to the Way Things Will Be By God's Grace.

Resurrection is the way we now live... for the rest of our years on earth.

So, may this new Easter Morning be the first day of a new season in your life. A new time of standing firm, allowing nothing to hinder you, engaging the world in love and hope, and always giving yourself fully to the Lord's work.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today.

His Resurrection Life Flows Strong Within Us.

Death Has Been Swallowed Up in Victory

And the Resurrected Christ is Making All Things New.

Christ Has Risen Indeed.

Alleluia!

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International