Many of us see the term Christendom and wonder what on earth it is, so let me give you a brief definition, some history, and begin a series of posts on how an understanding of it impacts the current state of the church and how we understand our faith.
A definition: "Christendom" is the name given to the religious culture that dominated Western society since the fourth century (from Michael Frost's book, Exiles)." Now, let me add a little bit to that. A way to understand Christendom is to understand Christianity as a state religion. Often many people see the United States as this way, but it goes back long before our country was even a thought.
When Jesus died there was a period of a few hundred years where there was great persecution of the early church. People were crucified, tortured, and killed for their faith. Christianity, in short, was not an acceptable religion by the larger culture's standards. It was subversive, revolutionary, and controversial. People died for their belief in Jesus Christ.
About 400 A.D. Constantine came to the throne of the Roman empire. I'm not a history buff, so I'm not sure of all the reasoning, but in short he made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire. What used to be subversive, illegal, and revolutionary was now socially acceptable (expected) and the norm of the state. It became the state religion. Interestingly enough prior to Christianity being a state religion there was no participation of Christians in the military, but with the 'legalization' of Christianity the military was now full of Christians. Things changed drastically for the Christian faith.
That paradigm of Christendom where Christianity was a state religion has carried us up until recent history. Current writers such as Michael Frost and Gregory Boyd critique the current American situation and call it a post-Christian culture, and I would tend to agree. The age where the church was the central social gathering place and where the church was all seen to vote one way, etc...those days are gone, and I think it's for the better. What Christendom has done is make us socially acceptable. There is little to no need to be radical and subversive in a culture that accepts your religion as the religion. Where we are at now is a place where Christianity, by and large, is no longer the acceptable religious norm of our country.
The Christian faith was never supposed to be or intended to be taken over by any nationality. If you remember the words of Paul he said there was no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female...but all are one in Christ Jesus. If you look at the history of the Old Testament you see that Israel was condemned by Jesus for their nationalistic attitude as if they were a nation blessed above all others. They were blessed in order to be a light to the nations...set apart...not exclusive. This is what happens in state endorsed religion...it becomes exclusive.
Our current state of affairs, I believe likes us to that of the writings of the prophets and the early church when they were no longer socially acceptable but lived in exile (Walter Bruegammen and Michael Frost are great reads for this belief). It is a privilege to live in exile. Living in exile is nomadic in a sense. You don't conform to the culture that surrounds you but you live in distinct and Jesus like ways to demonstrate another Kingdom...that of the Kingdom of God.
This is our current situation. There is no need to wish for the days of old when everyone loved the Christian faith because I'm not sure it was the greatest representation of the subversive and radical ministry of Jesus we're called to follow. We're in a new situation where we're no longer the acceptable norm of religion, and that is good. It calls us to live the life Jesus commanded us to live in new and invigorating ways.
We'll continue to look at the affect of Christendom in the next few posts.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
A Poem
What is, therefore, the task of the preacher (or the church) today?
Shall I answer: "Faith, hope, and love"?
That sounds beautiful.
But I would say - Courage.
No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth.
Our task today is recklessness.
For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature,
we lack holy rage.
The recklessness that comes from the knowledge of God and humanity.
The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets...
and when the lie rages across the face of the earth -
a holy anger about things that are wrong in the world.
To rage against the ravaging of God's earth,
and the destruction of God's world.
To Rage when little children must die of hunger,
when the tables of the rich are sagging with food.
To rage at the senseless killing of so many,
and against the madness of militaries.
To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction - Peace.
To rage against complacency.
To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change
human history until it conforms with the norms of the Kingdom of God.
And remember the signs of the Christian church have always been -
the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish...
but never the chameleon.
Shall I answer: "Faith, hope, and love"?
That sounds beautiful.
But I would say - Courage.
No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth.
Our task today is recklessness.
For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature,
we lack holy rage.
The recklessness that comes from the knowledge of God and humanity.
The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets...
and when the lie rages across the face of the earth -
a holy anger about things that are wrong in the world.
To rage against the ravaging of God's earth,
and the destruction of God's world.
To Rage when little children must die of hunger,
when the tables of the rich are sagging with food.
To rage at the senseless killing of so many,
and against the madness of militaries.
To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction - Peace.
To rage against complacency.
To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change
human history until it conforms with the norms of the Kingdom of God.
And remember the signs of the Christian church have always been -
the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish...
but never the chameleon.
Danish pastor Kaj Munk
There is much of me that echoes with this. There is a lot of frustration as I deal with myself personally in ways I have become more like this kingdom and bought into our affluent culture's terms of success and how things ought to be. Bigger is not always better. Wealth is not always positive. More doesn't make things easier. The list could go on.
I am continually challenged to live the way Jesus did in opposition to the culture of his day. He upset the paradigms of social construction and called the outcasts to himself while rejecting the religious and pious. I continually struggle with my own sense of how to live and how the people of the church must live. Jesus showed us a better way. It was a way that was completely against our own sensibilities, but it was a way that drew the outsider. He did not cast stones at what was wrong with the world, but chose to demonstrate to the world and those in it a way that was different than that kingdom...the way of the Kingdom.
I would suggest we call into question...pray about...seek Scripture's guidance...on each way we've chameleoned to our culture. So how do you think about money? The environment? How you spend your time? What about relationships? Your job? Media? Etc? Instead of thoughtlessly absorbing these things I think Jesus gives us some direction of how to be life giving in a way that doesn't cast stones at those who are absorbed in the culture, but in a way that shows them a different path...the one less traveled.
In closing I must admit this journey is not even close to easy. In some ways I'm scared. What exactly will have to change in me, my life, how I think, and how I do things? In what ways do I have to give up control in order to live a life of faith? There is a radical nature to all of this and it's not very palatable. However, I believe as it's embraced the life of God enters into us restoring us in such a way that our holiness (being set apart) is a light to all.
Wasn't that the hope for Israel and the church anyway?
Friday, October 19, 2007
God's Not So Scary
There's a little story in the book of Matthew where a few disciples have a chance to be with God the Father and Jesus the Son at the same time. They're standing on a mountain when this happens and the commentary reads like this:
"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, and led them up a high
mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the
sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them
Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus...While Peter was still speaking a bright cloud
enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him
I am well pleased. Listen to him! When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to
the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. 'Get up', he said. 'Do not be
afraid.' When they got up they saw no one except Jesus." Matthew 17:1-8
The reaction of the disciples to the voice and presence of God is reminiscent of the reaction of the Israelites in the Old Testament when they encountered the awesome presence of God. When I think back to God's revelation of Himself in the Old Testament it seems scary. There is an awesomeness to it. There is a sense of otherness. In God's effort to communicate with humanity he kind of freaks them out. I would suggest this doesn't have so much to do with God being frightening in the sense where the God of the Old Testament is the big finger in the sky pointing at us when we do wrong. Instead I would suggest God is desiring to reveal himself to us, but that revelation is too awesome for us to bear. The glory of God (which literally fills all the earth) is revealed at different times and places in scripture and people can't handle it. In God's attempt to be with Israel there is still a separation.
Enter Jesus.
The disciples standing on the mountaintop are freaked out. They fall to the ground...faces hitting the dirt...and then Jesus approaches them and tells them not to be afraid. Jesus is the divine connection with humanity that makes connection with God the Father possible and perhaps we could say more comfortable. When Jesus is saying 'When you see me, you see the Father' he's telling us that the God who reveals himself is such awesome ways has become one of us...to empathize with us...to learn and live our lives and what they're like. Jesus still possesses the awesome qualities of God, but he is a living, breathing person who translates that awesome character in a way we can understand and relate to. Jesus doesn't replace the awesome nature of the Father, but the Father sends Jesus to us as a further effort to be personable with humanity and to restore the intimacy lost at the Fall.
An off the cuff thought, but what does that say for the oft quoted verse on salvation that Jesus gives when He says 'no one can come to the Father but by me.' Could this be as much a reference to God the Father's continuing revelation of Himself? You can't know the true nature of the Father unless you first know me...because Jesus is God revealing His nature, character, heart, etc in a way we can understand and relate to.
"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, and led them up a high
mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the
sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them
Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus...While Peter was still speaking a bright cloud
enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him
I am well pleased. Listen to him! When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to
the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. 'Get up', he said. 'Do not be
afraid.' When they got up they saw no one except Jesus." Matthew 17:1-8
The reaction of the disciples to the voice and presence of God is reminiscent of the reaction of the Israelites in the Old Testament when they encountered the awesome presence of God. When I think back to God's revelation of Himself in the Old Testament it seems scary. There is an awesomeness to it. There is a sense of otherness. In God's effort to communicate with humanity he kind of freaks them out. I would suggest this doesn't have so much to do with God being frightening in the sense where the God of the Old Testament is the big finger in the sky pointing at us when we do wrong. Instead I would suggest God is desiring to reveal himself to us, but that revelation is too awesome for us to bear. The glory of God (which literally fills all the earth) is revealed at different times and places in scripture and people can't handle it. In God's attempt to be with Israel there is still a separation.
Enter Jesus.
The disciples standing on the mountaintop are freaked out. They fall to the ground...faces hitting the dirt...and then Jesus approaches them and tells them not to be afraid. Jesus is the divine connection with humanity that makes connection with God the Father possible and perhaps we could say more comfortable. When Jesus is saying 'When you see me, you see the Father' he's telling us that the God who reveals himself is such awesome ways has become one of us...to empathize with us...to learn and live our lives and what they're like. Jesus still possesses the awesome qualities of God, but he is a living, breathing person who translates that awesome character in a way we can understand and relate to. Jesus doesn't replace the awesome nature of the Father, but the Father sends Jesus to us as a further effort to be personable with humanity and to restore the intimacy lost at the Fall.
An off the cuff thought, but what does that say for the oft quoted verse on salvation that Jesus gives when He says 'no one can come to the Father but by me.' Could this be as much a reference to God the Father's continuing revelation of Himself? You can't know the true nature of the Father unless you first know me...because Jesus is God revealing His nature, character, heart, etc in a way we can understand and relate to.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
One Village Coffee
Friends -If you didn't know, my sister and brother in law have ventured out into the business world to produce coffee, but not just any coffee, coffee with a mission. They forwarded me this link from Relevant magazine's blog and you should check it out. They are great people with a heart for people and the Kingdom. They're doing Kingdom work in a radically different way. Check out Relevant's blog here or visit their site at www.onevillagecoffee.com
Peace
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Saturation Readings
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." - John 17: 16
There is a thought of hope as I read this short statement of Jesus in light of what is to come in the way of the cross. He describes the disciples as not of the world, yet in a little while they will disperse in fear of the world...Peter will deny relationship with Jesus three times and the other disciples will scatter. So even though Jesus says this in His prayer the stark reality is they have some fear of the world around them...they're still attached.
This gives me hope, however, because this is what Jesus is seeing in them. They may desert in a few days, but he sees beyond their actions into their hearts and how they will be forever changed by the resurrection and giving of the Holy Spirit. At some point these 12 (11) guys will be about proclaiming a message of a greater Kingdom. So Jesus sees past the immediate actions of betrayal to the fear of this world to something deeper and something greater.
The second thought in these few words of Jesus is that being not of the world is identifying deeply with Christ. It does not dismiss the importance of being in the world, but it emphasizes it. Creator God makes Himself known through Jesus the Son...a living, breathing, visible, able to touch and hear person. God made himself man in a way so he could communicate his character, holiness, and nature to us. So there is a great emphasis on the importance of being in this world while yet being about something far beyond this world as we know it.
Jesus is praying for deep work in his disciples' hearts that will move them from the fear of the dispersion of the cross and hiding in the upper room to the boldness of the Spirit given to them in the beginnings of Acts. There is a movement and greater understanding among the disciples as Jesus reveals himself in the resurrection and gives His Spirit their call to live out the world of the Kingdom of God in this world of fallen humanity. It is a call to hope that we too can somehow, amidst our attachments and fears if we live something other than those around us, that we too can live in this world yet not be so attached here.
There is a thought of hope as I read this short statement of Jesus in light of what is to come in the way of the cross. He describes the disciples as not of the world, yet in a little while they will disperse in fear of the world...Peter will deny relationship with Jesus three times and the other disciples will scatter. So even though Jesus says this in His prayer the stark reality is they have some fear of the world around them...they're still attached.
This gives me hope, however, because this is what Jesus is seeing in them. They may desert in a few days, but he sees beyond their actions into their hearts and how they will be forever changed by the resurrection and giving of the Holy Spirit. At some point these 12 (11) guys will be about proclaiming a message of a greater Kingdom. So Jesus sees past the immediate actions of betrayal to the fear of this world to something deeper and something greater.
The second thought in these few words of Jesus is that being not of the world is identifying deeply with Christ. It does not dismiss the importance of being in the world, but it emphasizes it. Creator God makes Himself known through Jesus the Son...a living, breathing, visible, able to touch and hear person. God made himself man in a way so he could communicate his character, holiness, and nature to us. So there is a great emphasis on the importance of being in this world while yet being about something far beyond this world as we know it.
Jesus is praying for deep work in his disciples' hearts that will move them from the fear of the dispersion of the cross and hiding in the upper room to the boldness of the Spirit given to them in the beginnings of Acts. There is a movement and greater understanding among the disciples as Jesus reveals himself in the resurrection and gives His Spirit their call to live out the world of the Kingdom of God in this world of fallen humanity. It is a call to hope that we too can somehow, amidst our attachments and fears if we live something other than those around us, that we too can live in this world yet not be so attached here.
Check this out...
A prof of mine from Biblical seminary has a blog with some great thoughts. Check this one out on The Mission of God. Here's a brief exerpt:
Here’s my 3 core statements that describe our part of the mission:
a. to glorify God and enjoy him forever in the kingdom of heaven, first here on earth
and then fully in heaven.
b. to extend the kingdom boundaries (a la Ezekiel 47) in order to participate in the
healing of the nations through reconciling, binding up, loosing, feeding, clothing, and
preaching the new good news.
c. to live righteously in exile (Jeremiah 29) for the benefit of all peoples (for their
peace and comfort) and as lights shining on a hill giving glory to God (Matthew 5:14)
Here’s my 3 core statements that describe our part of the mission:
a. to glorify God and enjoy him forever in the kingdom of heaven, first here on earth
and then fully in heaven.
b. to extend the kingdom boundaries (a la Ezekiel 47) in order to participate in the
healing of the nations through reconciling, binding up, loosing, feeding, clothing, and
preaching the new good news.
c. to live righteously in exile (Jeremiah 29) for the benefit of all peoples (for their
peace and comfort) and as lights shining on a hill giving glory to God (Matthew 5:14)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
GodSoaked World
Are you ever really satisfied with your faith? Is it ever enough or are you left wanting for more? I'm not satisfied, and yes...I'm left wanting for more. Every bit God reveals of himself leaves me in want for more. I don't want to stay where I am. The pieces of revelation I'm graced with are not enough. I want more of God.
Many of us feel inadequate in our faith in Jesus and we're left to saying "I should really pray more" or "I should really read the Bible" or whatever...and those are good things. But the fact of the matter is that God is constantly around us, ready to be observed in every great and every small thing. Laughter is a grace of God and exemplifies His presence. Love is the same. The relationship you have with your husband or wife is a blessing of God and on it his Presence rests. People possess divine attributes. Nature in all its beauty cries out the glory of God. The fact is that God is rarely if ever absent, but we are the ones who are so.
So raise your awareness of the presence of God. Let your thirst grow. As you experience and witness the greatness of Him let it cause you to look for more. Wherever you are reading this right now...look around...where's God? How do you see Him, hear Him, and witness Him? As the psalmist says, "Where can I flee from your presence?"
Many of us feel inadequate in our faith in Jesus and we're left to saying "I should really pray more" or "I should really read the Bible" or whatever...and those are good things. But the fact of the matter is that God is constantly around us, ready to be observed in every great and every small thing. Laughter is a grace of God and exemplifies His presence. Love is the same. The relationship you have with your husband or wife is a blessing of God and on it his Presence rests. People possess divine attributes. Nature in all its beauty cries out the glory of God. The fact is that God is rarely if ever absent, but we are the ones who are so.
So raise your awareness of the presence of God. Let your thirst grow. As you experience and witness the greatness of Him let it cause you to look for more. Wherever you are reading this right now...look around...where's God? How do you see Him, hear Him, and witness Him? As the psalmist says, "Where can I flee from your presence?"
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A Prayer
God Answers Prayer -
Not always as we want Him to...
I asked for knowledge
-power to control things;
I was granted understanding
- to learn to love persons.
I asked for strength to be a great man;
I was made weak to become a better man.
I asked for wealth to make friends;
I became poor, to keep friends.
I asked for all things to enjoy life;
I was granted all life, to enjoy things.
I cried for pity; I was offered sympathy.
I craved for healing of my own disorders;
I received insight into another's suffering.
I prayed to God for safety
-to tread the trodden path;
I was granted danger
-to lose track and find the Way.
I got nothing that I prayed for;
I am among all men, richly blessed.
Not always as we want Him to...
I asked for knowledge
-power to control things;
I was granted understanding
- to learn to love persons.
I asked for strength to be a great man;
I was made weak to become a better man.
I asked for wealth to make friends;
I became poor, to keep friends.
I asked for all things to enjoy life;
I was granted all life, to enjoy things.
I cried for pity; I was offered sympathy.
I craved for healing of my own disorders;
I received insight into another's suffering.
I prayed to God for safety
-to tread the trodden path;
I was granted danger
-to lose track and find the Way.
I got nothing that I prayed for;
I am among all men, richly blessed.
Author Unknown
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Justice in the Burbs pt.2
I've just finished Wil and Lisa Sampson's book, Justice in the Burbs. The final pages brought tears to my eyes as I realize the challenge before me as a husband, father, pastor, and follower of Jesus Christ.
Issues of justice abound all around us. I wonder if sometimes we don't address them because of their overwhelming nature. I think that's the part that brings me to tears. This life entails suffering. The work of our lives for the Kingdom will not alleviate the suffering factor. It may bring healing in some cases, but just as in the cases of those in Hebrews 11 it seems as though we work for a place that will not exist this side of eternity. However, that doesn't mean we don't seek it, live for it, and work for it with everything we have.
I'm making lifestyle choices. I want to live differently because I want to live justly. To live like Christ challenges the fabric of my being which is so ingrained with our present day situation of 'stuff' and personal securities. Think about it, how many relationships don't we have because they'll cost too much or because they're too inconvenient? Have to protect ourselves, right? How much of our personal resources are tied up because we're too far in debt to give anything away to those in need? Living justly requires a shift in thinking. I've begun and I hope you will too. From what I've experienced, living without is much more life-giving than living in so much excess. Blessings on a journey I hope you will take.
Issues of justice abound all around us. I wonder if sometimes we don't address them because of their overwhelming nature. I think that's the part that brings me to tears. This life entails suffering. The work of our lives for the Kingdom will not alleviate the suffering factor. It may bring healing in some cases, but just as in the cases of those in Hebrews 11 it seems as though we work for a place that will not exist this side of eternity. However, that doesn't mean we don't seek it, live for it, and work for it with everything we have.
I'm making lifestyle choices. I want to live differently because I want to live justly. To live like Christ challenges the fabric of my being which is so ingrained with our present day situation of 'stuff' and personal securities. Think about it, how many relationships don't we have because they'll cost too much or because they're too inconvenient? Have to protect ourselves, right? How much of our personal resources are tied up because we're too far in debt to give anything away to those in need? Living justly requires a shift in thinking. I've begun and I hope you will too. From what I've experienced, living without is much more life-giving than living in so much excess. Blessings on a journey I hope you will take.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)