A Greater Impact

I must admit that my knowledge of U.S. policies in Columbia is cursory at best. As a result, I will not dispute the position of our moderator and Columbian Presbyterians. Moreover, I accept the moderator's frustration over injustice as heart-felt. I am concerned, however, about the impotence of the PC(USA)'s response.

According to the PNS article "Not so moderate", Susan Andrews pledged to "redouble" our efforts to oppose military aid, "advocate" for more U.S. developmental aid, and "defend" the human rights of the Columbian people. Apparently, the Columbian media was impressed. However, I am not.

Does anyone believe that the Washington Office has any influence with Congress or the Bush Administration? The PC(USA) commands neither the money nor the votes to be effective lobbyists in Washington. I find it shameful that we would falsely raise the hopes of the suffering in Columbia.

The PC(USA) has very little control over the principalities and powers, but Christ does. Therefore, we have something more important to offer the Columbians. We have the gospel. Let's commit to sending more missionaries to Columbia. Let's redouble our efforts to support indigenous churches. Let's offer our resources to directly impact the lives of Columbians.
Perhaps these efforts will not impress the Columbia media, but I believe they will have a greater impact for justice in the kingdom of God.

Newsletter: "We've Never Done It That Way Before"

Over the years, I’ve noticed something. People like to complain about change. It doesn’t matter the setting--business, government, family, or even the church. Whether you are six or sixty, change never comes easy. People are simply resistant to innovation. That’s human nature. However, complaining about the lack of change is also human nature. In seminary, I remember several student pastors lamenting congregations that seemed devoted to the old ways of doing things. Occasionally, I have heard preachers in the pulpit complain about parishioners who say, “We’ve never done it that way before.” I have even heard of a denominational official who wrote that sentence on a banner declaring them “the seven last words of the church.”

Although traditions from the past can easily become idolatries of the present, I still welcome a congregation with a healthy skepticism about change. We share some very old beliefs. Every Sunday we proclaim Jesus lived, died, and rose again. If someone offered an alternative, I would be the first to say, “We’ve never done it that way before.” Innovation for the sake of innovation is dangerous. We should never forget what God has given and the men and women of faith who came before us.

Nonetheless, I am not arguing for a faith which is stagnant. Traditions worth preserving should equip us for the future. Like the writer of Hebrews, we should see the Church Triumphant as a source of encouragement: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb 12:1).

Making the choice between tradition and innovation takes discernment. We love and respect our children enough to give them the best of the past. We should also love them enough not to give them our stale prejudices. As we enter a new year with new resolutions, my prayer is that we will act with discernment building up the body of Christ. Then, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Grace & Peace,
James

Newsletter: Prepare Him Room

Almost a decade ago, I spent two years teaching in the Mississippi Delta with an organization called Teach for America. Since then, the organization has attempted to stay in contact with me and other alumni. Right around this time of year, TFA, for example, sends its participants Christmas cards. Well, they aren’t really Christmas cards. They are “Winter Holidays” cards.

The competition this time of year is fierce. There is Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and even Winter Solstice. In honor of this multiplicity, Teach for America tries to be inclusive. While living and teaching in the Delta, I attended “Winter Holidays” parties sponsored by Teach for America. As TFA teachers sat around the “Winter Holidays” tree, we would give out “Winter Holidays” presents. Unfortunately, being so inclusive seemed to crowd out the Christ child.

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7)

Actually, I shouldn’t criticize Teach for America’s holiday greetings. They merely acknowledge the reality of living in this world. Whether competing with saccharine sentiments, rampant consumerism, or Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, we usually find ways to crowd out the Christ child. However, I don’t pretend that Christmas in the past has been any different. There has been no glorious time when men were men, and Christmas was celebrated correctly. Often the very things that concern us most figure least in God’s economy. God has always played by a different set of rules.

“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

One of the most radical things that we can do this Christmas season is heed the words of the hymn - “Let every heart prepare Him room.” Instead of crowding out the Christ child, we should let Him enter our hearts. Let that same Jesus increase in wisdom and stature in our lives. Let Jesus be Lord.

Merry Christmas.

Newsletter: An Offering of Thanksgiving

In my life, there has always been something special about Thanksgiving. There were no cards, presents, costumes, or egg hunts, but still it was one of my favorite times of the year. The family was all there, and everyone joined in the preparations. Sure there was football later, but during the meal, nothing distracted us from our time together. We took a moment of Sabbath in our busy lives to gather together.

Times have changed. Do you remember the Norman Rockwell painting, Freedom from Want? In the picture, a smiling family is gathered around a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Recently, Readers Digest ran a picture which seemed to poke fun at the Norman Rockwell nostalgia. In this picture, a smiling family is gathered in the kitchen pulling a pre-made pumpkin pie and a roasted turkey out of grocery bags. Despite the differences, Thanksgiving still remains one of the least commercialized holidays. Even in our day, Thanksgiving remains as a celebration of family and fellowship.

However, too often our celebrations have forgotten to whom we should be most thankful. We are quick to offer thanks to everyone but God. When I was young, I believed that the first Thanksgiving was given by the Pilgrims to thank the Indians. I’m sure the Pilgrims were thankful to the Indians for teaching them how to survive in the American wilderness, but ultimately those early Puritans believed that they were dependent upon God’s provision. A Thanksgiving Proclamation from Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1676 stated that one purpose of the celebration was “that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him.”

At the end of November, let’s take a moment of Sabbath to gather together to thank God for his provision. As we count our blessings, let us remind one another of how merciful and graceful our God is. Let us live as a people offering praise and thereby glorifying our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Grace & Peace,
James

Newsletter: The Forgotten Spiritual Discipline

The market for books of spirituality has grown considerably in the last two decades. Now almost every bookstore has a growing section devoted to books on prayer, fasting and meditation. The plethora of Christian titles suggests a real spiritual hunger. People want to tune into something beyond themselves. People desire to put their faith into action. Prayer, fasting, the study of Scripture, and worship are all ways in which we respond to the grace God has given us in Jesus Christ.

However, there is another spiritual discipline which is rarely discussed. In Matthew 6, Jesus adds the giving of alms to the more familiar disciplines of prayer and fasting. The giving of our money, our time, and our talents are spiritual disciplines. Our checkbooks may unfortunately speak more about our spiritual lives than our prayer journals. We must recognize that stewardship is not something that occurs once a year. Instead, stewardship is a life in which we recognize that Christ is Lord of everything…including our hard-earned resources. In this season, I urge all of us to consider the discipline of giving--to the church, to our neighbors, and to the least among us. Likewise, we should prayerfully consider how we can get involved, in the church and in our communities. Let us together take up the discipline of giving.

Grace & Peace,
James

Presbyterianism: A Restatement

While digging around the office of the Waynesburg church, I discovered some old confirmation materials. Among the documents included, Presbyterianism: A Restatement in Question and Answer Form by Carl G. Howie, published in 1975. Although the PC(USA) did not publish or endorse the pamphlet, apparently Dr. Howie is or was a pastor in my denomination. After reading A Restatement, I understand some of the struggles we face. Dr. Howie appeared afraid to embrace many of the traditional teachings of the church.

In the sectioned entitled "What it is All About," there are questions about Jesus such as...

HOW DID JESUS BEGIN HIS MINISTRY?
HOW DID HE COME INTO CONFLICT WITH
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES?
HOW LONG WAS JESUS ON THE CROSS AND WHERE?

Then Dr. Howie writes...

WHAT ABOUT ACCOUNTS OF RESURRECTION?
There are several accounts which emphasize that he was seen and known to be alive in rooms where Christians lived and on roads where they walked after his death. He was the living Lord.

Why the reluctance to simply say with the Apostles' Creed, "...on the third day, he rose from the dead"? Why not proclaim, "He is the living Lord." Following Dr. Howie's example, could we not also proclaim, "There are several accounts of Elvis which emphasize that he was seen and known to be alive."

ARE THERE NOT SEVERAL THEORIES ABOUT THE CROSS?
Yes, there certainly are. Among them there is the idea that God ransomed believers from enslavement by Satan with the price of Christ's death. Another widely held view is the substitutionary idea that Christ took man's place and suffered what was due to others. Some say his was a courageous act that has a great moral influence upon those who see him there on a cross...

Here Dr. Howie speaks of the atonement. He never uses the word. Granted, it is a messy theological word which requires definition. Nonetheless, the word is how the church has discussed Christ's work and our relationship to God. Dr. Howie discusses some traditional, biblical ideas about the atonement. Then, he speaks of Jesus' death as an act of moral courage. Althought that statement is true, it does not belong here. How are we reconciled to God? Dr. Howie seems to suggest that people saw Jesus hanging on a cross and were encouraged. No wonder the author runs away from word, "atonement."

WHAT DO PRESBYTERIANS INTERPRET THE RESURRECTION TO MEAN?
First it means that Jesus lives among us as the Lord of life. His was not a short visit to earth that ended in a quick death. He has risen from the dead and is present to the church and in the world.

After reading this, I wanted to proclaim with Thomas, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25). Granted, I admit that I'm strange, but for me, the Christian faith hinges on more than Jesus' memory lives after him.

IN WHAT SENSE THEN IS JESUS SAVIOR FROM SIN AND DEATH?
...Moreover, he takes away the terrible fear of death by teaching us that life is not given as a time to be spent in getting ready to die, but is rather out time for living life to the full. By showing that death is only an incident in life, he saves us from wasting our days being "scared to death." So he saves from sin and death.

Dr. Howie suggests that death is merely an incident in life. Jesus is our Savior in that he takes away our anxiety about death. How disappointing! For Dr. Howie, Jesus is as much a savior as some pychoactive drugs. All praise Pfizer and Eli Lilly. Gives new meaning to Marx's "opiate of the masses."

WHAT DO PRESBYTERIANS BELIEVE ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE?
For those who put their trust in Christ, eternal life has already begun. It is a new deathless quality of life. As life itself was a gift, so eternal quality of life is also God's gift.

Eternal life isn't actually eternal life, but Dr. Howie suggests an eternal quality of life. Maybe, but will I ever see Grandma again? What the heck anyway is a "deathless quality of life." Frankly, I'm more concerned about the "lifeless quality of death."

DO PRESBYTERIANS BELIEVE IN HEAVEN?
Without question most do.

(Well, that's reasurring.)

We are, however, reluctant to go into theories about the details of that situation toward which life is now tending.

Does this mean that life is tending toward heaven? I affirm that the evidence suggests otherwise. Did this guy miss out on World War I, II, the Holocaust, and Vietnam?

WHAT ABOUT PRESBYTERIANS AND HELL?
Yes, there will be Presbyterians in hell.

Okay, okay, the real response was too long-winded and wimpy to be worthy of comment.

HAVE WE NEGLECTED OR FORGOTTEN THE DEVIL?
...Presbyterians believe that light overcomes darkness, so we do neglect the devil as we think Christians should.

Perhaps if we ignore him, he will go away.

--------------
Dear Wormwood,

I am pleased to hear of your recent promotion within the denomination. The writing of curriculum will certainly benefit our cause.

Sincerely,
Uncle Screwtape

From the 214th General Assembly

The 214th General Assembly is now over. Its work has been both satisfying and frustrating. The GA has affirmed both that Jesus is the only way to salvation and that women have a right to suck out the brains of children who could survive outside the womb.

Actually, upon further reflection it was a General Assembly which affirmed the status quo in the PC(USA). We are a mainline denomination refusing to recant the historic positions of the church, yet we are unclear what these doctrines actually mean.

In all seriousness, holding onto the traditional teachings while winking and nodding is still an accomplishment. I grew up on wimpy denominational curriculum. I heard plenty of sermons which dwelled on metaphor. Nonetheless, even as a pre-Christian I knew enough to be offended by the campus pastor at University of Houston who denied the resurrection.

Of course, that doesn't mean that things will be great for the mainline American church on judgment day. But God will even use our inertia to His glory. Amen.

Hope?

From the 214th General Assembly of the PresbyterianChurch USA...

At a breakfast meeting of "Voices of Sophia" on June18, Jane Spahr, a self-proclaimed "lesbian evangelist," stated...

"I am stunned by a Presbyterian church so wrapped up now in the lordship of Jesus Christ that we forget how many ways, traditions and cultures God comes to us."

There are those who believe that we have outgrown our creeds and confessions like a snake needing to shed its skin. They are perpetually offended at our unwillingness to part with perceived childishness. As troubling as it is to hear these voices, I am heartened to hear that they believe the Presbyterian church has wrapped itself in the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Gee, maybe there is hope for the PC(USA).