::orthosocietas::

I'm Back!

2006-09-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back after a grueling summer. I am also back with a new job. I am now employed at Azusa Pacific University as a Customer Service Technician in IMT department. Basically, all that means is when people are having trouble with their computers they give me a call and I help them troubleshoot the situation. This position will be a huge blessing and is an answer to prayer so a big thank you to all of you that have been praying for this position! I'll continue writing on how we can create an "orthosocietas" shortly!

Life in the Fast Lane

2006-07-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

My apologies to those who have been waiting for a post over the last several weeks. Life is crazy. I haven't posted the news yet but my wife, Heather, is pregnant! She is now in the end of her second trimester. We know (as accurate as an ultra-sound can be) that we are having a girl and we have decided to name her Kessid Grace Cooper! I am very excited about the name because it was of my picking and it was a tough campaign! In case you are wondering, Kessid is Hebrew for "lovingkindness" and is a powerful theological word that often describes God's lovingkindness to his people. The transliteration is actually Khesed but the compromise was presenting the name in a way inwhich it wouldn't be mispronounced and didn't quite look so Klingon!

Due to the expected arrival of the new addition, I have been vigoriously looking for a full-time staff position at Azusa Pacific University. I also have started a part-time position at the church I have been serving at as the "Discipleship Coordinator." The church position is volunteer so I have been looking for something to add that involves getting paid. My hope is to return to blogging soon and perhaps add a couple more articles on Revelation.

So thanks for the patience and I should have something posted within the next week!

King of the Abyss (Rev. 9)

2006-06-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Chapter 9 is a fascinating picture visually. "The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared th be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months." (Rev. 9:7-10) With such a vivid image of these locust "centaurs," you can begin to imagine the plethera of interpretations that have sprung up. For example, some have thought these creatures to be the modern day "Scorpion" helicopters. One could easily fit the job of these creatures into the idea of a helicopter except for the fact that they don't have the ability to kill. They are only permitted to torment for 5 months (v. 10).

Then after the processional of locust centaurs have emerged, we are told that they have a king over them, the angel of the Abyss. John records something very interesting, he gives us the name of the angel of the Abyss in Hebrew and Greek. In Hebrew the name is Abaddon and in Greek it is Apollyon. The fact that John gives us two names here should give us a hint that there is something else going on. Why is he giving us two names now? Most of the imagery so far has been rich with OT passages and he hasn't felt a need to bring in the Hebrew before now. Abaddon is only mentioned a few times in the OT (Job 16:6, Prov. 15:11) and in most cases it is linked with Sheol. Yet the references are still very vague as to what Abaddon is. We know that the Hebrew is for destruction but aren't able to understand more than the generic definition gives us. It isn't until we turn to the Dead Sea Scrolls that we see a connection with abaddon and the Abyss.
DSS (1QH,1QH36,4Q427-32; Hymn 9, 10) :

Hymn 9: line 16,17--"Hell and Abaddon shall open and all the flying arrows of the Pit shall send out their voice to the Abyss."

Hymn 10: line 18--I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast redeemed my soul from the Pit, and from the hell of Abaddon Thou hast raised me up to everlasting height.

Hymn 10: line 32-36--The torrents of Belial shall break into Abaddon, and the deeps of the Abyss shall groan amid the roar of heaving mud. The land shall cry out because of the calamity fallen upon the world, and all its deeps shall howl. And all those upon it shall rave and shall perish amid the great misfortune. For God shall sound His mighty voice, and His holy abode shall thunder with the truth of His glory. The heavely hosts shall cry out and the world's foundations shall stagger and sway. The war of the heavenly warriors shall scourge the earth; and it shall not end before the appointed destruction which shall be for ever without compare.

--Does this account sound more like what we see in Revelation 9? It seems to be more detailed and reveals that at the time of Revelation's existence, there was most likely a well rounded understanding of the concept of abaddon. The thing that makes abaddon unique in Chapter 9 is that abaddon is personified in the king of the abyss. It is no longer a location, but a being. It is most likely that when the first century readers heard this being read, they probably attributed the characteristics of Abaddon to the king of the abyss.

Then, John doesn't leave it at abaddon but he gives us further insight into who this king is. He tells us that his Greek name is Apollyon. This speaks volumes to the first century reader. First of all, notice that Apollyon is a concrete masculine form that means "destroyer." It is a person who destroys. Yet Abaddon means "destruction" and is not concrete. If John wanted to bring out the Greek equivelant for destruction than it would have been Apoleia which is an abstract feminine word. By using Apollyon, John is bringing to mind the Greek god Apollo with is actually a derivative of apollyon. Apollo was the god of the sun and was known as a conqueror who was quite successful in battle. I also don't think it is a coincidence that one of the symbols used to represent Apollo was the locust because the locust represents destruction and devestation.

So who is this king of the abyss? I don't think we can be 100% sure since we are 2000 years removed from the culture but I tend to lean towards the possibility that he is Domitian. Domitian was very well known for declaring himself "Apollo incarnate." So, I guess if I was a first century Christian and was listening to the reading of Revelation, I think I would see where the Apollyon would be Domitian since he was "tormenting" fellow Christians. However, I don't think John ever intends to sell out on one interpretation. I think John's bigger goal is to remind Christians that God is ultimately in control. The king of the Abyss can't even be let loose without God's orders. The king of the abyss is just a part of God's greater plan of redemption and salvation.

Cultural Relevancy In A Broken Culture

2006-05-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

I heard an advertisement on the radio yesterday that activated my theological mind. It was on a local Christian radio station and it was "advertising" a relationship with Jesus. It was stating that you don't have to feel lonely or depressed because Jesus wants to have a relationship with you and if you take Him up on his offer than you will be happy and not lonely anymore. The problem is that I feel lonely sometimes and I have a "relationship" with God. How does that type of evangelism make the gospel appear? It would seem that if I came to Christ for the purpose of not feeling lonely, then perhaps the gospel is a warm fuzzy blanket that I can curl up to at night and not feel alone. Didn't people once die for this gospel? Did they feel lonely?

What is the good news of the gospel? Are we spreading the gospel when we tell people that they don't have to be lonely and if they need a friend Jesus is there to "comfort" them? What happened to forgiveness, mercy, and grace? What happened to the costly discipleship that millions of Christians have died to pass on to us? We live in a Christian sub-culture that promotes the gospel through a broken culture. I used to be a big supporter of this method, but as time goes on I'm seeing how broken our culture really is. How effective can the gospel be spread through the conduit of a broken society? Can the gospel not stand on its own feet? The thing that I'm being drawn to most about church these days is that our church is different than the culture. It is a place where I can get away from the brokeness of this world. I don't want to hear how I can have a "relationship", "friend", "lover", or whatever other metaphor that encourages a comfortable and safe lifestyle. I want to stand in the presence of an Almighty God that breaks the borders of my understanding. I don't want a God that I can understand or contain.

I also don't want a gospel that is private and makes me feel comfortable. I want to share this good news by loving people. I want to spend more time loving people outside the church walls and not just "tell" people about the good news, but to show them. I want to feed the homeless. I want to preach to the "scum" that our culture pushes aside. I want to help the needy and love the unloved. This is the gospel that I read about in the Bible.

What type of gospel do you believe in? If you were a newcomer to your church, what message would you say your service is communicating about who God is?

Do we dare to be ordinary?

2006-05-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

What makes a church attractive? If you've been to a variety of churches then you will know that they can be very different experiences. It almost seems that many churches today are "fishing" for people. Each church has its own "hook" on which they try to snag people and toss them in the "boat." You could almost make a consumeristic comment like, "There is a church out there for everyone." It's almost like shopping for a new car. Each person has certain amenities that they are looking for...cupholders are crucial for me. We want a church that fits and feels comfortable. Watch the clip and see if it resonates with your church "shopping" experience.

Have you ever felt that modern day evangelism is more about trying to "fish" people into your church? There is this idea that we need to be "culturally relevant" and use the cultural hook to snag people and pull them into the church boat. Are our churches spending less time going out into our communities and trying to impact peoples lives in order impact the kingdom? The more I learn about and desire discipleship, the less time I want to spend in the church. I read about this man named Jesus and he walks around healing people of horrible diseases. A grieving widow causes Jesus to pause and have compassion on her. Jesus brought healing and restoration to people's lives. He wasn't merely "telling" people about the kingdom of God, he was showing them the kingdom.

So, how relevant is cultural relevancy in our churches? Does this put to much emphasis on evangelism and neglects discipleship? Share your thoughts, I'm listening.

What's so bad about community service?

2006-05-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Being an avid NASCAR fan, I noticed that the 2004 Nextel Cup champion was on the front page of USA Today. I picked up the paper expecting to hear how amazing NASCAR really is and what a wonderful family sport it is. Instead, I read an article about how Kurt Busch weaseled his way out of community service for a misdemeanor by signing autographs and throwing the first pitch at a Giants vs. Diamondbacks baseball game. You can read this article here.

As I'm reading the article my mind is thinking, "What's so bad about community service?" Our small group engages in community service and I look forward to it each month. Why is community service considered a punishment? When it is issued as a punishment, why do celebrities weasel out of it by doing daily routine activities instead of actually serving the community in a more helpful way?

I think that this is an area where the church can stand in the gap and get involved in our local communities. Unfortunately, not all of our churches see community service this way. There are still many churches that would view community service as a punishment and have no desire to go outside the church walls. If we are truly striving to be a "right community", then I think community service and loving our neighbors needs to be an integral part of the church.

So, what are some things that your church has done to encourage community service in your neighborhoods? What are some ideas that you have?

Jesus and Healing

2006-05-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a book by Herzog that discusses the healings and exorcisms of Jesus. He brings up an interesting point that Jesus' healings weren't merely for the sake of healing or to gain public support, but they also brought restoration and a renewed membership into the community. During the time of Jesus, when someone was striken with a disease or illness they would be considered unclean and casted out of the community until they were clean again. This is why you have small communities of lepers that congregate together because they were casted out of the community due to their uncleanness. So Jesus' healings weren't only a physcial healing but also a social healing as well. The unclean people were also restored to enter the temple because they weren't allowed to enter due to their health situation. It is at this point that Herzog says, "So healing is a means not an end, and Jesus is not a healer or an exorcist who conducts his work to gain public support." In every case that Jesus healed someone, it brought about a social restoration that enabled them to partake in the community of worship. Uncleanness was often associated with sin and we see Jesus on many occasions tell the person he healed that their sins were forgiven as well. So Jesus used healing as a means to restore people to the community and their families.

So, I started to think... what is the purpose of healing today? Most people today don't associate illness or disease with sin so diseases such as cancer or AIDS don't make a person less holy or spiritually unclean. In some cases do we pray for healing out of inconvenience? I prayed a few weeks ago that my sinus infection would go away because it was a pain. I wanted to be more productive and the infection was hindering me. Is that a right reason to pray for healing? What are right reasons? Can healing bring restoration to society today as it did when Jesus was healing in the 1st Century? Has the rules of healing changed? What do you think?

What do you think???

2006-05-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a study on the Book of Revelation and have tossed around the idea of starting a blog on Revelation that would take us chapter by chapter. Revelation has been my passion for a decade now. I still remember reading a book in Jr. High about the end of the world happening during Project Desert Storm. This book said that Saddam Hussein was the anti-christ out of Babylon and that the end was near...I believed it. I remember feeling stupid and mislead when things didn't happen the way they were predicted. So I started on a journey to find out why their were so many interpretations and I wanted to know what Revelation was really about.
Now, a B.S. in Biblical Literature and 2/3 of a M.Div. later, I feel that I understand much more what Revelation is about... hope. My passion is to teach Christians about our early church heritage and the environment in which Revelation was written. I feel that this is an important topic for the church community to be knowledgeable on. So the big question is... is anyone out there interested? Will there be readers for it? If I were to do a blog on Revelation, what suggestions would you have? What do you want to know about the book? Sound off and give me feedback. I want your help in creating this thing, if that is what is going to happen.

A New Name

2006-04-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

Why a new name? As time goes along, I find that the Lord is honing my heart towards ministry in the local church. I have concerns for it. I see a lot of emptiness and meaninglessness in our churches and it burns a fire in my soul to make a difference. I remember times when I tried to encourage the church to get out in the community along side me and I was told, "Well we pay you to minister, why don't you do it?" No joke (church not in CA). Our church buildings have become a retreat for the Christians in our community but it is becoming increasingly harder to pull in non-believers across the threshhold. Are Christians spending to much time inside a building and not enough time out serving in the communities? Why are pot-lucks and the occasional leisure outing more popular than a community work day?

So I want to wrestle with what makes a true biblical community. How do we escape our American cultural habits and become a genuine Christian community that earnestly seeks to love our neighbors and exemplify Christ in our lives? Let's make a difference to the broken people around us. Let's focus less on filling ourselves and work on emptying ourselves. Join me as we work out an "orthosocietas", or "right community."

Revelation::Christian Jihad?

2006-04-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

The book of Revelation is probably one of the most popular books in the Bible among Christians and non-Christians, yet few people have actually read it from beginning to end. Is it really important to study this confusing book? Can anyone really know what is going on? You have your pre-, post-, a-, and pan- (it will all pan out) millenialists. You have your preterists, dispensationalists, and idealists. Don't forget about your pre- and post-tribulationalists. Then there are always the hundreds of different maps that attempt to chart the chronological events that take place. I would be surprised if 3 of them looked the same. So how important is it to fall off the log and believe in one certain view?

Some of you may know that the Book of Revelation is one of my passions. I have a deep desire to teach this book because the church is the least educated on this apocalypse than all other books in the Bible. Pastors steer clear of it and tele-evangelists cash in on it. I have spent considerable time studying Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, and early church history to better understand the environment that it was written in. I say all this to tell you that I believe that it is becoming increasingly more important to study this book because of all the abuse that it is taking in our culture today.

For example, check out this article on The Christian Post. There is a new video game that is coming out called Left Behind: Eternal Forces. It is basically a video game based off of the Left Behind series which portrays the last days on earth after the Church has "raptured". There seem to be several issues that this brings to the Christian community. The first being that this is a violent game where one of the main goals is to kill people. You are part of the "Tribulation Force" that seeks to destroy the Anti-Christ and his army. So we have a game geared towards our Christian teens that teaches us that murder is acceptable under certain criteria or according to how you interpret Revelation. The article that I linked you to deals with this issue heavily. However, I feel one of the main issues of this type of game goes much deeper than worrying about the violence effecting our teens. When you strip all the interpretations of Revelation away you are left with a game that shows "left behind Christians" killing non-Christians. How can we go from loving unbelievers and showing compassion then all of a sudden pick up a gun and start blowing people away? Somehow that doesn't exemplify "love your neighbor" in my Bible. In any other circumstance this is a huge problem but put in the context of an apocalyptic interpretation it is deemed "holy." I haven't played the game yet but I imagine that it will look like a Christian Jihad.

So, is it important that we as a church community have a better understanding of the Book of Revelation? I think it does. There are so many views out there that our congregations don't know what to think. Most of them don't know why they believe what they believe. So why do pastors avoid teaching and preaching on this book like the plague? When was the last time you heard a good sermon on Revelation (other than the 7 churches :)? I say the seven churches because that is the safe part of Revelation. I know many of you that read these articles don't post comments, but I'd like to ask you to voice your thoughts because this is an important topic to me and it would benefit me greatly to hear your opinions.

Other Reviews of Ten Commandments

2006-04-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Jewsweek
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PluggedIn Online
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Philadelphia Daily News
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LA Times
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NY Post
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MetaCritic.com

"The Ten Commandments"-- Mini Series

2006-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

How many of you were able to watch the "Ten Commandments" mini-series that aired Monday and Tuesday night? What did you think? In some ways I liked it because it was a bit more realistic and more accurate than the Heston version, but at the same time I disliked it because of the way it portrayed God.

Some of the positives of the movie were the more accurate details of the story of the exile. For example, I think the golden calf was probably a bit more accurate to what was actually made than Heston's shining perfected golden calf. Also, when the people worshipped the calf and were punished on Moses' return, it also was, unfortunately, more accurate than the Heston version. In the Heston version the ground opens up and swallows those that chose to rebel against God. The mini-series portrayed it as Moses and the people picked up weapons and destroyed those that rebeled. It was a very sad and brutal scene. So, in some ways it was more biblically accurate... but not in the portrayal of God.

The number one reason that I didn't care for this interpretation is because they removed God's holiness. I started to become concerned when my wife pointed out that Moses didn't take off his sandals in the presence of the burning bush. OK, OK, that might be considered a small mishap depending on how you look at it. Yet, as the movie went on, God looked more and more like a dictator barking orders rather than a holy God trying to shape his people. The Moses in this series did talk about being molded into a people group, but it was through war and suffering that they were shaped into God's people. Their was no ark built for God's presence. There was a make shift box that was made to carry the stone tablets but not the holy ark that God gave blueprints for in Exodus. The Levitcal line was never really established in order to administer a sacrificial system or priesthood. We basically see God's people leaving Egypt to become warmongers. While I do understand that war did happen and it wasn't always pretty in the transition to Canaan, the holiness and God's love for His people were removed.

So as a 21st Century American Christian, I'm sitting here watching this movie and thinking that this movie is almost a propaganda for the Republican party. I know that's bad, but I couldn't keep my 21st Century mind from watching the movie. God demanded war. But, unfortunately God was viewed more as a Divine Conquistador than a God trying to reclaim the land that was lost to His people. It would be interesting to learn the political standing of the producers and director for this movie. I have a hard time seeing a Democrat creating such a movie.

For those of you that saw the movie, sound off! I want to hear your perspectives of the movie as well! Let me know what you think. Did you like? Hate it? Both?

The Widow's Mite:: A Blessing to Tithers???

2006-04-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Mark 12:41-44

How many times have we heard this parable preached? I hear it from pastor's that have decided to preach and teach on tithing. You hear it often from radio and TV evangelists as a way to support their ministry. But the question I want to ask you is: Is this parable really about the tither??? Is this really a positive passage? Is Jesus really "happy" that this poor widow is giving all she had?

The first thing that we notice about this text in Mark is that the poor woman isn't given a blessing whatsoever. Jesus doesn't say, "Blessed is this woman for she has given all that she has." The woman isn't even directly addressed. The woman is oblivious to the fact that Jesus has called his disciples around him in order to point this poor woman out to them. So for us to say that this woman is blessed is merely a theological implication that is bestowed on this text by the reader. Now... do I think she was blessed for giving all she had? Absolutely! But I also think there is something deeper going on here. Let's back up a few verses and see what the larger context is.

In verses 38-40, Jesus is warning the crowd of the scribes. He tells us that they are arrogant and seek public approval and honor. Then in verse 40, Jesus says that they devour "widow's houses." Is it a coincidence that the following illustration is of a poor widow? Scribes often used their positions for selfish gains and took advantage of the widows, yet they were supposed to be the leaders in understanding and obeying scripture.

Then you have the Old Testament picture of the purpose of the "tithe." (Deuteronomy 14:22-29) This passage tells us that part of the tithe was used to take care of 4 types of people: the Levite, the alien, the orphan, and the WIDOW. These people came and ate and were taken care of because they didn't have land in which to care for themselves. The blessing at the end of the text seems to be linked with not only the fact that they gave a tithe, but also because these less fortunate people were taken care of.

So let's jump back into the New Testament. So now we have the greedy and self-gratifying scribes in verses 38-40... we have rich people putting in large sums of money in verse 41... and we have a poor widow putting ALL THAT SHE HAD. So the question is why is that all she had? People are tithing large sums into the temple and a portion of the tithe was to go to the less fortunate: Levites, aliens, orphans, and WIDOWS... according to Deut. So if the poor widow was putting all she had into the offering then she wasn't getting anything back from the temple. Therefore, the temple wasn't doing its job in distributing the funds and wasn't serving its purpose.

Now, let's look at chapter 12 as a whole:

12:1-12 Parable of the Vineyard-------->Bad tenants

12:13-17 Give unto Caesar what is his--->Stewardship/what belongs to God?

12:18-27 Sadducees try to trap Jesus--->Sadducees misunderstand scripture

12:28-34 Greatest commandment?------>Love God, LOVE NEIGHBOR

12:35-37 What the scribes say------------>They don't know what their talking about

12:38-40 Beware of Scribes--------------->They are bad tenants in the vineyard, will be condemned

12:41-44 Widow's Mite-------------------->Temple is a bad steward/tenant, poor become poorer

Then, notice 13:1,2. Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. Hmmm... I wonder what they did wrong?

In conclusion, I see this passage of scripture to be more about the temple/church's responsibility to take care of the poor and less fortunate than it is a parable about a blessing for tithing. We, as a church, have a deep responsibilty of what we are going to do with the tithes people give. Are we going to add luxurious carpeting when there are poor and needy in our communities? Or are we going to seek out the less fortunate and minister to them the way the tithe was meant to be used.

...

What do you think? Am I way off? Does this sound like what Mark was trying to convey to his audience? Have you heard this interpretation preached before? Sound off. Let me hear your thoughts!

A Communal Sermon :: Part 2

2006-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

I finally had the opportunity to preach on Jan. 22nd and I honestly have to say it was one of the best sermons I've experienced. By no means did it have to do with "my" own knowledge or the amount of time that I put into preparing for it. The power behind the sermon in fact had nothing to do with me. It had everything to do with my life situation. I hate to say it, but this was one of the first sermons that I have preached where I was fully experiencing God working in my life.

I preached on Mark 1:14-20. This is the passage where Jesus calls his disciples and it was assigned to me from my pastor who follows the lectionary. My first action in preparing for this message was to get my young adult group involved. I divided the texts up among them and I recieved their input and insight and was impressed with what they came up with. This served as a backbone for me as I went along in my studies and preparation. I also had some members of our group read the assigned scriptures in the service and one of our members happens to be our worship leader. So the entire service was very community oriented. When I talked about discipleship and what 21st century discipleship should look like, people were able to see the value and importance of it through our group. The congregation is aware of the community service that we have been providing each month to a local mobile home park filled with the elderly. They hear and see the excitement from our group, including myself, and how it effects our lives. I wasn't preaching a sermon, I was preaching life. Too many sermons have I preached where I stood behind a pulpit all alone and spewed out information or instruction and expected people to listen or even live it out. To many sermons have I spent more time behind my desk preparing for a message and not preparing for it by serving those in need around me.

Overall it was a great blessing to me and greatly encouraged me to change my approach to preaching. Some times I spend more time trying to put together an attractive "presentation" rather than just preaching life and Christ. It was the most natural sermon I've experienced.

Encouragement Appreciated

2006-02-28T00:45:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take a moment to thank those that have either sent me an email or have responded to the articles with a comment. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading, thus I stopped posting for a while. So I will begin writing again next week. Give a shout out if you find this site beneficial in any way or simply enjoy reading the articles. Come back next week for a new post.

Christmas: Symbolism Gone Amuck

2005-12-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

I went to the only open convenient store in our area to pick up some birthday candles. I was going to make a birthday cake for Jesus with our 2 year old daughter. As I was paying the cashier for the candles, the man behind me asked if there was a birthday today. Knowing that he was looking for small talk and not guilt trip I simply said yes. He simply shook his head and slightly lowered his head when he replied, "Ah, that's to bad." Perhaps that was a good time to plant a seed, I don't know. I was so fascinated by the comment and the theological implications that I merely said Merry Christmas as I was walking toward the door and chewing on the newfound theological morsels. Christmas was something different for me than it was for him. Yet, we celebrated the same "holiday."

Symbolism. Webster's Dictionary defines it as: representation of abstract or intangible things by means of symbols. Christmas is all about symbolism. We obviously can't recreate the Incarnation so we fill our houses with symbols and decorate things and hang lights up around, inside, and outside our homes that remind us of that blessed day that God became flesh. So, basically we have a "Christian" holiday that we as believers celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We prepare for it spiritually and mentally through Advent and hearing those prepatory sermons that help to build the anticipation of the glorious birth of Christ. What happens to that holiday when you are not a Christian? What if you haven't even heard the word Advent before? Can you truly celebrate Christmas without giving a hoot about Christ and the virgin birth?

Well, apparently you can. Millions do it every year. It would seem that we have created enough "symbolism" that the holiday has been on auto-pilot for quite some time. You can give the gifts, decorate an evergreen tree, hang "Christmas lights", and leave milk and cookies for a saint that dresses in red and white to bring gifts to all the "good" boys and girls. However, we seem to be going through another enlightenment period in history when people are starting to ask, "Why do we do what we do?" So when people realize that they don't necesarilly believe in the symbols they use over Christmas time, they start to change things around so that they become symbolic of what they actually believe and live it out on a day to day basis. Christmas trees become holiday trees and we are told that we shouldn't say Merry Christmas but we should say Happy Holidays to emphasis the plurality of the holidays in December. St. Nick loses his historical symbolism and becomes a man named Santa Claus who lives in the North Pole with a plethera of elves that seem to be trapped in some form of slave labor. The joy of giving is replaced with the seduction of commercialism and the pressures of obligatory gifts because "they" already bought you a present so you must reciprocate or be shamed. Does all this changing of the symbolism depreciate the meaning of Christmas? Is Christmas losing it meaning or "reason for the season?"

I don't think so. If you change the symbols, then you change the representation of abstract or intangible things. In other words, the birth of Christ and the celebration of God's love for His people is taken out of the equation. Should we be surprised? Should we be angered? Absolutely... not. Why should we expect non-Christians or atheists to celebrate a God they don't follow or even believe in? I get irritated when I hear the news or read the papers about "Christians" who vehemently oppose those who call an evergreen tree a Holiday Tree instead of a Christmas Tree. Or perhaps they are arguing against those that are saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. I don't believe that the changing and creating of new symbols is a threat to Christmas. Let pagans be pagan and let Christians be Christians.

The main threat that faces Christmas is the loss of symbolism among believers. Do we really understand the symbolism of a lot of the things that we do over Christmas? Do we actually ponder on the meaning of the Christmas lights that we are stapling to our house or are we trying to go "Chevey Chase" on our neighbors? Do we take time to remember and reflect on the gifts that God has given us as we hand out the presents? Or do we simply hand them out and tear into them without a thought of the greatest gift that God delievered to us in a manger? We as Christians hold the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts and we express this meaning through symbols and traditions.

It's so easy to kick into auto-pilot mode and let the holiday drag us along each year. Advent becomes a count down rather than a preparation time. Preparation is working overtime so you can have some extra cash to be able to pay for those gifts without going into debt. If we lose intentionality, then what is the purpose for all of those symbols and traditions that we perform? If we lose intentionality and don't take time to remember why we do the things we do than we might as well say Happy Holidays and decorate our Holiday Tree next year. Symbols only work when you take time to reflect on them and add meaning to them. Christmas isn't about the symbols, it's about what you believe.

A Communal Sermon

2005-12-12T00:20:00.001-08:00

I have a dilemma. You see, I love to learn and I love to teach even more. I went to Indiana Wesleyan University and studied under an amazing staff. I'm currently half way through my M.Div. at Azusa Pacific Univ. and I'm eating up every second of it. Yet when I enter into the ministry I know that I'll have to make some compromises. I would love to spend 20-30 hours a week on preparation for sermons and "life classes," but all of us in ministry know that this simply can't be (unless you were hired as a Teaching Pastor). Yet at the same time I feel that I'm not doing the text justice if I only spend 10 hours or less on sermon prep.

So I had an idea. I'm currently leading a young adult ministry called The A.D. Community and believe it or not one of our main goals is to create a strong... community. So when my pastor told me that he would like me to preach, I thought that it would be a good opportunity to experiment with the idea of a communal sermon. Most pastors out there do 100% of the sermon preparation for their messages. While there is nothing wrong with that, it can be very time consuming and tempting to shorten the time to make room for other tasks. So, why not have others help us? One thing I would like to do when I work with a staff someday is to distribute the work load. Perhaps I could have one pastor do a word study and another working on the historical background of the text. Then I would compile the information and develop a message from the collaboration of the entire staff.

Last Thursday I did something a bit different in our group meeting. My pastor preaches from a lectionary and gave me 4 passages to preach on for the message. So I printed the 4 passages out and gave them to each of the disciples. I divided them into groups and had each group study one of the passages closely and in detail. Then I combined the 2 OT groups together and did the same for the NT groups. Then I brought all the groups together and we discussed how all 4 passages relate to one another and I was very pleased with the outcome. Not only did they get the same results as I did on an observational level, but they brought several other insights that I had not seen in the text. They seemed to really enjoy the study and it was an indirect method of teaching.

So why don't more pastors feel the freedom to engage in communal teaching?

Do you know of any pastors that practice this form of communal preaching?

Do you think that we could benefit more from a pastor that engages in communal sermons than a pastor that flys solo? Advantages? Disadvantages?

I preach on Jan. 22 so I will give an update on how the sermon went on Jan. 23rd.

--Brian

Christianity: what defines us? (PART 2)

2005-12-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

TRUE STORY: A young woman started to attend the church that a friend of mine pastors. She wasn't a Christian but she knew that something was missing in her life so she started to attend his church in search of answers. Over time she discovered that God was the element in her life that she was missing and decided to become a Christian and also became a member of the church. At the same time this woman was living with her boyfriend and continued to do so for a several months.

Let's pause the story for a moment and ask a few questions:

What would you do in this circumstance if you knew about this woman's situation?

Would you approach her and tell her that what she is doing is wrong and sinful?

Would you have even allowed her to become a member of the church? (the pastor knew of the situation before he allowed her to become a member)

Let's resume the story:

It had been several months since this person had become a member and she was still living with her boyfriend and she was earnestly pursuing Christ and learning what it means to be a disciple. Then one Sunday she approached the pastor after a church service and asked him, "Is it wrong to sleep with my boyfriend if we are not married?" In response the pastor told her that the Bible describes her situation as fornication and continued to give a biblical response to the young woman's situation. In reply the young woman said, "I thought that might be the case because last week, after we had communion, I went home and had sex with my boyfriend and it didn't feel right as if I was doing something wrong." She then moved out of the house with her boyfriend and eventually broke up with him in pursuit of a biblically healthy relationship. As she grew in the Lord and looks back on the situation, she understands that "feeling" as the Holy Spirit convicting her of those actions.

As Christians, can we cut the Holy Spirit short by trying to do His "job?" How many churches would have denied her membership or even made her feel uncomfortable because she was living with her boyfriend? I know people that were turned away from churches for smaller and more debatable issues than fornication. How many people have been turned away and judged before the Holy Spirit was able to do a work in that person's life?

Christ dying on the cross so that we can be redeemed and forgiven of our sins is probably one of the most defining concepts to our faith, agreed? The cross is central to our faith and we even consider the climax of earth's history. So forgiveness is huge because it is one of the purposes of the cross and the necessity for reconciliation with God. It only seems natural that the pursuit of a sinless life would be a major characteristic of the Christian faith. So why does it turn people away when tell them that they need to stop sinning in their life when they become a Christian? Why can't we hand them a list of Do's and Dont's when they join the church?

I believe it is because there is an element to the Christian faith that is even greater than forgiveness: love. Sounds simple doesn't it? It seems like the typical Sunday School answer, but do we as Christians really know what love and compassion look like outside the church walls? One of the biggest challenges in my pastoral experience has been to MOTIVATE the body of Christ to go out and serve the community. It sounds strange saying it, but many people are to "busy" or have other "priorities" that conflict with giving of their time in order to serve and love the surrounding community. Yet those same people show up in large numbers and bring friends when we have potlucks, basketball events, or other areas of personal interest. Are there other pastors that would agree with this or is it just me? Why do some Christians say that some of the toughest work environments that they've been in are Christian workplaces? Shouldn't they be the most forgiving and compassionate workplaces?

The farther I fall down the rabbit hole of the revelation of God, the more I realize how crucial serving and loving others becomes. You see, I've been studying this rabbit hole for several years at Indiana Wesleyan and Azusa Pacific University. I've dropped a line down the hole to measure the depth and I've measured how wide it is and could give a solid theological explanation of the revelation of God, but something happened when I put my notebook down and simply jumped in. I feel more complete as a disciple. I feel as though I'm fulfilling God's purpose for my life when I serve and love those around me. Is there something to what Jesus said about loving God and our neighbors as being the greatest commandments? Is there something to how Jesus met the needs of the woman at the well by accepting and loving rather than telling her that she needed to repent of her sins? How many times did Jesus confront people with a prayer of forgiveness as the beginning of a discipling relationship? How many times did He confront them with love and compassion first?

Most of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13 as the "love" chapter, but one of my favorite verses is the last verse in chapter 12 that introduces chapter 13: "But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way." So Paul has just finished talking about spiritual gifts in chapter 12 and he refers to "love" as the "more excellent way." So...

Why is it so hard to reach out to the needy and poor in our communities?

Is it easier to lead someone in a "prayer of repentance" as entrance to Christendom rather than getting to know the person and discover their personal needs... and meeting them?

Shouldn't love, compassion, and acceptance be the defining characteristics of Christianity?

What do you think? Am I way off base? Am I on to something? Or have I had to many cups of coffee and should stop typing before I hurt myself? :)

--Brian

Christianity: what defines us? (PART 1)

2005-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

I still remember listening to the TV evangelists and the street preachers when I was growing up. I remember that their messages always included words like: hell, sin, damnation, need for forgiveness, running out of time, the end is near, etc. Even in the church I remember hearing "evangelistic" messages that focused in on sin in our lives and our need for forgiveness and once we were forgiven then we had made the transition over into Christianity. So I began to view my salvation as a sort of "sin thermometer." When I was living in sin or too much sin than I found myself wondering if my salvation was being jeopardized. Yet, when I felt that I was being obedient and a "good Christian" I was much more confident and less worrisome. So I started to ask myself, "What defines me as being Christian?" As I've experienced life and heard testimonies of those around me, it would seem that there are two main prevelant philosophies out there: Boundary Christianity and Progressive Christianity.

Boundary Christianity

I have talked to a number of people that have been turned off to church because of "boundary" judgments that have been placed upon them. Some of them were smokers or drank alcohol. Some of them had bad habits that they were looked down upon for having or considered "weak" by the church community. It seems that in many churches there is this invisible boundary that is drawn that defines what a "good" Christian looks like. It's not a universal standard either. It can vary from church to church. Yet, many people view their salvation or "spirituality" by whether or not they are inside or outside this boundary of holiness.

In this model, Christianity is defined by your actions. As long as you don't do anything outside of the boundary, your a Christian. It's can be comfortable because you can identify other Christians by their actions or deeds and you know exactly where you stand... sort of. Yet, there is no gauge for the true intentions of the heart. One can act and look like a Christian but be spiritually bankrupt on the inside.

Progressive Christianity

The next model is more of a process in which salvation is more progressive. As long as one is moving towards Christ, they are working out there salvation. Some people are closer and deeper in the maturity while others may be farther away and less mature. Yet as long as you are advancing towards Christ you are a "good" Christian and your salvation is intact. If you are moving away from Christ then you have forsaken Christ and your salvation is in jeopardy. This philosophy tends to be less judgmental because it accepts people where they are in their progressive journey towards Christ, but it has also been viewed as too tolerant because sin isn't dealt with as harshly as the boundary model.

Let me throw out a situation that will show the contrast between the philosophies. In my denominational conference, we have an open membership policy that allows us to accept people who are publically living a life of sin into our membership role as long as they are making an effort to progressively moves toward Christ and are genuinely seeking discipleship. This means that as long as they are seeking to be disciples of Christ, we can accept homosexuals, adulterers, fornicators, smokers, and drunkards that are living sinful lives openly. Some boundary model churches would have some serious issues with this type of membership policy. So...

What do you think?

Have you experienced these models?

Is there another model that we could add?

Is one right or wrong?

If you hold to the Progressive model, is there a distinct time when sin needs to be addressed? When?

Should sin be the defining element that determines our salvation?

--Posted by Brian