The Feast

What if Jesus really meant what he said? What would it mean if Christ-followers truly believed his message and chose to do daring things in the name of Jesus?

These questions and more are explored in a new book by a good friend of mine Josh Graves. He is a minister at Otter Creek Church in Nashville, TN and is currently finishing up his Doctor of Ministry degree at Columbia Seminary in Georgia. The name of his new book is The Feast: How to Serve Jesus in a Famished World and it is now available for purchase. I also recommend Josh's blog at www.joshuagraves.com.

Liberation Theology & Health Care

There are many voices in the health care debate. Many voices come from places of power and influence with much at stake to lose in the scuffle. One voice however comes from the margins because its voice rests among those who have no voice and who have already lost so much at the hands of the powerful. Liberation theology (as a formal theological discipline) originated in the 20th century from a brilliant priest still serving today in the Peruvian mountains among the poorest of the poor in that region of the world.

Liberation theology hinges on a fundamental belief: God has made a preferential choice on behalf of the poor & therefore it is the church's responsibility to do so as well. Liberation theology points to the numerous and repeated incidences in scripture where God chooses the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized for his work. He chooses widows, children, prostitutes, younger brothers, fishermen, uneducated, tax collectors, etc for his work. Jesus' incarnation was as a poor, homeless carpenter's son born on the backside of nowhere. God's preference for the poor and marginalized is a statement of solidarity with those society dehumanizes and deems less important. It is a choice to stand with the marginalized directly opposed to the cultural impulses that seek to strip people of their dignity.

Implications...(if the church were to take this seriously)

1. The church must identify those groups which are dehumanized by society, even if the church morally disagrees with them, and stand with them against the cultural oppression. This is easy(er) when we view the oppression context as the rich white man oppressing the poor black man. This is much more difficult when we look at other groups our society deems as less than human (i.e. homosexuals, those on welfare, etc.) and hear God calling us to stand with them against the societal impulse to reject them.
2. In any debate, it is the church's responsibility to insure the voice of the poorest of the poor is heard and heard well. When the marginalized are silenced by contemporary culture on issues that directly affect them and thus dehumanized, the church is to be the place where that voice is heard, listened to, and encouraged to be spoken.
3. In doing either of the above-mentioned options, the church risks (and fully expects to receive) the ire of both Christendom-bound churches as well as those in positions of power and influence. The church must be willing to engage passionately in pursuits of justice that place it directly in the line of fire from many sides. To reach this point requires a redefining of the good news of Jesus as the arrival of the kingdom of God rather than a simplistic opportunity for eternal destiny.
4. Regarding the health care debate specifically, I find myself in a difficult position. As a white male in a field of powerful, wealthy individuals I am part of a long line of oppressors now called to join the oppressed. Health care is an industry based on economics that does its best to avoid and repel the very people liberation theology (and much of scripture) call the most important. The implications of such a belief - not only on my own life but also hospital systems, medical companies, and the entire industry - shake the very foundations of this field called health care.

Liberation theology is very interesting to me. It is a discipline that is easy to agree with intellectually but very difficult to live out the implications of viewing Jesus, the church, and the world through its lens. I am new to the exploration of Liberation Theology but I hear rings of truth and gospel and passion for issues that matter within its community. As we go forward on the issue of health care and seeking the kingdom of god and his justice in all things, the voice of the poorest of the poor may in fact be the voice needed the most.

Blessings...

Partners in Health

Paul Farmer, MD is a very influential man who has spent most of his life at the intersection of medicine, social justice, anthropology, and politics. The majority of his work has been in Haiti though certainly not limited to there. A recipient of his medical degree (M.D.) as well as a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard, he started an organization called Partners in Health whose purpose is to provide a preferential health care for the poorest of the poor. PIH is now an international organization with active health care outposts in multiple continents. If you are interested the website is www.pih.org .

The model PIH uses when entering a country is based on these principles taken directly from their website.

1. Access to primary health care
A strong foundation of primary care is critical to successfully treating specific diseases, such as AIDS. People seek care because they feel sick, not because they have a particular disease. When quality primary health care is accessible, the community develops new faith in the health system, which results in increased use of general medical services as well as services for more complex diseases. Therefore, PIH integrates infectious disease interventions within a wide range of basic health and social services.

2. Free health care and education for the poor
The imposition of user fees has resulted in empty clinics and schools, especially in settings where the burden of poverty and disease are greatest. Because both health and education are fundamental routes to development, it is counterproductive (not to mention immoral) to charge user fees for health care and education to those who need these services most and can afford them least. PIH works to ensure that cost does not prevent access to primary health care and education for the poor.

3. Community partnerships
Health programs should involve community members at all levels of assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation. Community health workers may be family members, friends, or even patients who provide health education, refer people who are ill to a clinic, or deliver medicines and social support to patients in their homes. Community health workers do not supplant the work of doctors or nurses; rather, they are a vital interface between the clinic and the community. In recognition of the critical role they play, they should be compensated for their work. PIH doesn’t tell the communities we serve what they need—they tell us.

4. Addressing basic social and economic needs
Fighting disease in impoverished settings also means fighting the poverty at the root of poor health. Achieving good health outcomes requires attending to peoples’ social and economic needs. Through community partners, PIH works to improve access to food, shelter, clean water, sanitation, education, and economic opportunities.

5. Serving the poor through the public sector
A vital public sector is the best way to bring health care to the poor. While nongovernmental organizations have a valuable role to play in developing new approaches to treating disease, successful models must be implemented and expanded through the public sector to assure universal and sustained access. Rather than establish parallel systems, PIH works to strengthen and complement existing public health infrastructure.

The work of PIH has three goals: to care for our patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.

As the debate continues, here is a voice on behalf of the poor for the sake of the poor that is not just rhetoric but passionate action.

Blessings...

Ask Bob

Ever since the debate (at least this go around) began over what to do with the health care crisis, I have had an undefinable churning in my stomach about both sides' arguments. I often have this sense of unrest and uneasiness about things until I find someone with a similar unrest but with the words to articulate it. On this issue, one of those people is my friend and cousin, Bob Lawrence. He is a man I respect greatly because of his passion for Jesus Christ but also because of his intellect and insight into issues that matter. He is a family medicine physician practicing in Nome, Alaska with his wife and four children. I recently Facebooked him to ask him his thoughts on the health care crisis. This is his reponse.

When you look at the details of what is being called reform, you'll see the parties are not talking about real reform of a system but of mere rescue of a failing system. I personally think it looks more like an insurance company bail out than any kind of re-forming of the way we provide health care.

Reform would mean going back to the drawing board. We would start with the center of health-care being the patient and the provider then we would re-build practices, hospitals, and services that guard the trusted relationship between the patient and the provider. If you peel away the layers of our current system you find that patients and providers exist only to support a business relationship between practices and third-party payers.

Regardless of where the reform discussion goes, remember that on the first day of medical school you married every patient that entrusts you with their care. Somewhere along the line, probably many times already, the third-party sirens of the insurance and medicare industry will lull your colleagues into an affair. Over the years, many docs find themselves trapped in a business relationship with these third-party payers wishing desperately they could return to their first love...the patient.

I personally think there is no good solution to the health care crises outside of Christ. The true problems result from greed in the hearts of men, and only the Lord can address that issue. This is why mission-minded hospitals, to the extent they stay mission-minded, seem to perservere.

Also remember that it really doesn't matter if we are more capitalistic in our heath-care system or more socialistic in our approach. In each case, someone will be discriminated against. A capitalistic system discriminates against the poor, but a socialistic system discriminates against those who cannot contribute to the society and therefore impoverished by status (the young, old, and handicap). In either case, a good government must ensure there are protections for those who cannot speak for themselves and would otherwise be discriminated against. In the absence of such protections, we must be the voice of the poor in policy discussions and keep an "option for the poor" in our practices.

More fuel for the fires of conversation that expose the darkness that envelops our world, our minds, and our hearts. Blessings...

Heart of the Matter

Brian McLaren blogged a couple weeks ago on Sojourners with a very challenging letter to all those, conservatives and liberals alike, regarding the spirit which people have entered into debate over health care reform. I hope you find it as insightful as I did. The actual post is on www.blog.sojo.net or can be found through the Sojourners website if you don't want to read this insanely long blog post :)

An Open Letter on Health Care to Conservative Christians in U.S.

Dear Friends,

Although today I would not call myself a political or social conservative, I am grateful for my heritage as an evangelical Christian: My faith is rooted in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, I honor and seek to live in harmony with the scriptures, and I love to share the good news of God’s love with others. Since my teenage years when I decided to follow Jesus, I have pursued wholehearted discipleship, and my life has been shaped by that commitment. After completing graduate school and teaching college English, I became a church planter and pastor and served in the same congregation for 24 years.

But for almost that many years, I have been growing more and more deeply troubled by the way so many from my heritage in conservative Christianity – in its evangelical, charismatic, and Roman Catholic streams – have allowed themselves to be spiritually formed by various conservative political and economic ideologies. It’s been disturbing to see how many Christians have begun to follow and trust leaders who live more by political/media/ideological codes than by moral/spiritual/biblical ones.

As a result, I sometimes think that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Fox News may now influence many conservative evangelicals, charismatics, and Catholics more than Billy Graham, Rick Warren, T.D. Jakes, Pope Benedict, or even the four gospels.

Now in a free country, people certainly have the right to choose their ideology. But Christians of all sorts, I think we all can agree, have a special calling – to increasingly harmonize our lives (including our lives as citizens) with the teaching and example of Jesus. My concern is that many of my sisters and brothers, without realizing it, have begun seeing Jesus and the faith through the lens of a neo-conservative political framework, thus reducing their vision of Jesus and his essential message of the kingdom of God. As a result, too many of us are becoming more and more zealous conservatives, but less and less Christ-like Christians, and many don’t seem to notice the difference.

Thankfully, many Christian leaders are far more thoughtful and nuanced in their integration of faith and public life. They don’t jump on talk-radio’s latest conspiracy theory bandwagons, nor do they buy flippant talk of “death panels” or inappropriate comparisons to Hitler and so on. But still, so many of them remain silent about what’s going on, and thereby grant it tacit approval.

I too was silent for a long time during my years as a pastor. But during the lead-up to the Iraq War, as I saw how little discernment was being exercised regarding the moral logic of pre-emptive war, I began taking risks that I hadn’t taken before. I was similarly moved to speak out when, in the aftermath of Abu Ghraib, relatively few Christians in America took a stand against torture. (In fact, according to survey data, Southern white evangelicals were the group most likely to support doing unto others as they would never want done to themselves.) And when I heard Christians (mis)using the Bible to argue against environmental responsibility, again, I could not be silent.

Now, in the debate about health care, I am similarly disheartened to see the relative silence of thoughtful Christian voices as counterpoint to the predictable rhetoric of the more reactive voices. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting mass e-mails and Web links from evangelical and charismatic organizations that present frightening and outlandish claims about what President Obama is planning to do regarding health care. I’ve checked into these claims, and in case after case, they are simply false. They’re based on rumors spread by certain dramatic radio and cable-tv personalities, but they are not based in truth.

Again, people are free to disagree humbly and respectfully with their fellow Christians and their government. (As readers of my books know, I take this freedom seriously in my own life). But we Christians, it seems to me, have a high calling – to be radically committed to integrity and civility, even (especially) with those with whom we disagree. God, after all, is merciful, generous, and kind to “the just and the unjust”: How can we not have that same obligation regarding those with whom we disagree? Even if others resort to dirty political tricks and distortion of the truth through exaggeration and fear-mongering, we simply cannot. At the very least, we should be seekers of truth, seekers of wisdom, not consumers (or purveyors) of propaganda – even if it comes from members of our own political party and people who quote a lot of Bible verses (often out of context). We have a higher calling.

So, without going into health-care reform specifics (which is still difficult to do, since there are many fast-changing proposals in play and the process of developing a vote-able proposal is far from over), I would simply like to plead with conservative Christians – conservative evangelicals, conservative charismatics, conservative Catholics, and so on – to take a stand for integrity and civility in the health-care debate, alongside and in solidarity with those of us who love Christ just as you do, but do not rally around the conservative political banner.

If you take this stand, you will be heard by your fellow conservatives in ways that some of the rest of us can’t be heard. And lives could be saved as a result of our joint calls for Christian integrity and civility: We’ve already seen what happens when people translate religious and ideological passion into violent action. Recalling the words of that great 19th century British conservative Edmund Burke, think of what could happen in the next few years if too many good conservative people sit back and do nothing … while less scrupulous and more desperate conservative people whip their followers into a frenzy through fear and inaccurate information.

I will continue to speak out on these issues as I have done in the past. But I don’t expect the most extreme Christian conservatives to listen to me much. Since I was an outspoken supporter of President Obama’s candidacy, and since before that I was equally outspoken against torture, against the invasion of Iraq, for environmental stewardship, etc., many of them have written me off (sometimes with quite spicy language). But if you are a conservative Christian who cares about integrity and civility in communication and debate, perhaps they will still listen to you when you call them to a higher standard. I hope you will take the risk of speaking out with that in mind.

As my friend Jim Wallis recently said so eloquently in his last blog post on health care, we may have honest differences with our fellow Christians on the issue of health care and many other issues too, but even in our differences we can agree that debates should take place in the light of truth and civility, not in the shadows of misrepresentation and prejudice.

Be assured, I am no uncritical supporter of health-care reform. I am no more in favor now of rushing into expensive health-care reform without sufficient debate than I was a few years ago when we rushed into an expensive pre-emptive war without sufficient care and discernment. I’m eager, like many of my conservative friends, to see the kind of reform that encourages small business and entrepreneurship. I’m interested in the kind of reform that reduces the power of both unaccountable mega-corporations and unaccountable government bureaucracy. I’m eager to see the kind of reform that doesn’t pave the way for powerful health insurance companies to do to the public in the next few decades what “too big to fail” Wall Street debt-repackagers did to us over the last few. I’m eager to see the kind of reform that in the long term reduces rather than increases our growing national debt, and that truly helps our poorest neighbors without creating reductions in real service for our more prosperous neighbors.

Getting the kind of reform we need won’t be easy, especially with so many powerful interests spending huge amounts of money to achieve their own ends, with too little concern for justice, the common good … or the truth. That’s why, for there to be the kind of debate that produces good results, we who call ourselves Christians – conservative or otherwise – need to stand for full integrity in communication, whatever our political leanings. We need to be sure that the best arguments on both sides are heard … not being satisfied to compare “our” best with “their” worst, as unscrupulous politicians and media personalities so often like to do, and not reducing the views of others to absurdity, even if we disagree with them vehemently.

The moral authority of Christians has been severely compromised in our culture in recent years. The most serious kinds of sexual scandals have rocked the Catholic, evangelical, and charismatic communities, not to mention financial scandals, ugly denominational lawsuits, and high-profile divisions. Studies have shown that some kinds of Christians are not only more likely to support torture – they are also more likely to hold racist views, to engage in domestic violence, and to end their marriages in divorce. No wonder young people are turned off as never before to a hypocritical face of Christianity that radiates shame, anger, and judgment rather than grace, love, and truth.

Even if we disagree on health-care reform and other political issues, I hope we can agree that it is time for us to start walking – and talking – more worthy of the calling to which we have been called, to use Paul’s words, to speak the truth, and to do so always in love. Or as James said, we must remember in this fire-prone political climate that the tongue can set off tiny rhetorical sparks that create huge flames of unimagined and unintended destruction. It can spread a false wisdom that sounds good on the surface, but beneath the surface is driven not by love but by bitter envy and selfish ambition. In contrast, he said (3:13 ff),

The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise of harvest of righteousness.

Wise and needed words to guide us in the weeks and months ahead as health-care reform is debated for better or for worse. May both the debate and the outcome bring us to a better place.

By the way, if you’d like to do some fact-checking about the health-care debate, here are some faith-based sources that I believe can be trusted to avoid uncritical and inaccurate reporting about health care. I understand they will be offering correctives to rumors and misinformation in the months ahead.

http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/
http://www.sojo.net
http://www.catholicsinalliance.org/

While we were on vacation, we visited our wonderful friends Mike & Sara Darling in Paducah, KY and though I thought we were there for quality time with friends, it soon became apparent there were other motives working in our midst unbeknownst to us - motives of torturing people they consider good friends for long periods of time (at least 20 minutes) with photo after photo!! The nerve :) Love ya Sara. If you would like to view these photos you may do so at www.darlingbydesignphotography.com along with many other wonderful photos! Thank you guys!

Kingdom & Healthcare I

Jim Wallis is a man with a prophetic voice in our world today with convictions formed and shaped by God's call for justice now. He is a terrific author and one of the primary voices of reshaping the form of Christian faith and values within the larger marketplace & political realm! He (and other writers) have produced an essay discussing the issue of health care reform designed for use in churches and small groups. It is called the Healthcare Toolkit and offers a very challenging perspective and call on Americans to radically change the health care system. It is found at www.sojourners.com. What follows are my thoughts and interactions with his position.

Wallis' views the world (and health care) through a lens of intense passion for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The prophetic call for justice by Jeremiah, Amos, & Isaiah shapes his ministry as the founder of Sojourners, an organization exploring the intersection of faith, politics, & culture.

He grounds his argument on the concept of imago dei - that every human regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status is created in the image of God himself. All people have dignity because of their creator and deserve to be treated as such. Therefore, to deny care to a fellow human because of money (or any other reason) essentially denies them their divinely appointed status. The caregiver who refuses the care ascends to a precarious place of power in a worldview where economics displaces empathy & people are reduced to numbers. Wallis taps into the prophetic pulse of Jesus himself and argues the church is commanded to seek the good of the "least of these" & to further allow large interest groups to lobby lawmakers into preserving what is in their best interests is an injustice. He argues for reform that would allow the poor (deserving or not) a means to attain care consistent with their intrinsic worth.

I was once asked by a good friend if I thought "health care was a right." I replied that I didn't know. To some degree I am still unsure. However, a portion of my uncertainty (not sure what size portion) is directly tied to the "rights" language - words so closely interwoven with a western sense of entitlement. And yet when I try to view the issue of health care reform through the kingdom of God, as a caregiver I cannot refuse proper care to a person for any reason and call myself a follower of Jesus.

Maybe others can delineate the political issue (with all its economic consequences) from the moral issue to care for the hurting person in front of you. I assume the former allows us to "dehumanize" people in the name of efficiency & sustainability. There is no face on the uninsured hurting with the former. And yet there are the clear economic consequences (for hospitals, doctors, nurses, etc.) of doing everything for free. But how can I even think about supporting a political position that blatantly ignores those most in need? The lines are very blurry here (at least for me). I have very serious questions about the current proposal but insofar as my objections are based on possible personal consequences (i.e. less income), they are sinful. My primary questions about the proposed bill have to do with the quality of health care and involvement of the government in the patient-physician decision-making process? I do think reform needs to happen. But I'm not sure how!

Imago Dei & The Emergency Room

I understand why emergency room doctors and staff become calloused over the years! I have completed five shifts or so in the emergency room and I must confess the deep theological problems that this has created within my soul - problems more of praxis (actually doing what Jesus called us to) than anything else.

The ER is one of those unique locales where the frailty of humanity is encountered at all places on the spectrum - coughs and colds, suicide attempts, high-speed car accidents, heart attacks, and drunks...many, many, many drunks!! ER staff have a front row seat at one of the most interesting shows in the world. Noone knows who is about to walk through that door, what problem they will present with, or what or who caused their predicament. It could be the "Drinking Olympics" and the subsequent foot-race that went awry. Or maybe it's the guy who was stabbed by his ex-wife with a pair of scissors. Or maybe it's the lady who punched her garage door!

The crux of the matter is this: What does it mean to be a Christ-follower in the face of tremendous stupidity and self-inflicted harm done repeatedly with no perceived end in sight?

ER docs (and staff) call them frequent flyers and other less complimentary names. And yet God calls them good...he created them and deemed them good. They as much as I are created with the divine imprint of the creator of the universe and deemed worthy of intrinsic inesteemable value! And yet I must admit I struggle with this tension. Jesus came to create a new humanity with a new lens through which to view the world in which we live and the people we cohabitate this planet with. And though I confess Jesus as Lord and know his way to be a way of love, peace, compassion, and justice, I struggle to keep this lens on all the time, especially with the drunks who seem to have nothing better to do than be stupid, hurt themselves, and come to the ER.

How do I continually, consistently, and compassionately care for those who seem to have no interest in their own well-being? How does a Christ-follower maintaina Christ-formed lens and avoid the judgmental, hateful, and arrogant spirit so prevalent and so easy to adopt?

One of the words we (all Christ-followers) must avoid is just. Such a short, simple word that is so insignificant on the surface...until the word is more fully examined and understood. In the ER we say things like "He's just a drunk bum" or "She's just a druggie and a pillseeker." Just is such an inherently reductionistic word because it takes a good creation of God - a human being created in the image of God - and instantaneously robs them of their dignity. When someone is just a drunk, they are no longer fully human but now defined by their fault and pigeon-holed into a certain class of people that are substandard. Though I understand they have robbed themselves of their own dignity with their own decisions, this is no excuse for people like to me to treat them as such and affirm their often self-proclaimed and society-labeled status.

God has called us to be just people - people who love His justice and His mercy; He has not called us to dehumanize people with our rhetoric and to rob them of what he has placed within them. Though I understand the calloused hearts, it is exactly those impulses that the cross calls me to reject!

This is hard. I confess my participation in this and seek forgiveness for where I have been a accomplice.

4 Years Ago

Yesterday we celebrated our 4th anniversary and spent the night down at the hotel at Paris Landing State Park. It has been a wonderful (and very busy) four years of life. We have managed to have 2 1/2 children (Bryan will be here in November). We have moved 5 times and lived in 4 different states. We have completed medical school with basically no income. We have worshipped at four different churches. Crazy!!

4 years ago yesterday I made the best move of my life and married my best friend. I love you Jenn! Here's to forty more...years, not kids! :)

The Kingdom of God & The Healthcare Debate (Intro)

Much ink, time, and press have been given lately to the current healthcare crisis - healthcare costs skyrocketing out of control, prickly questions about whether healthcare is a right and if it is then is healthcare equality also a right (i.e. Should the US Senators and the homeless man recieve the same level of care?). Words like "efficiency" & "limited resources" & "socialized medicine" & "market-driven" swirl around in a storm of power plays, barbed rhetoric, and ridiculous complexity. There is much confusion about what the new bills in the House & Senate do and don't do and there is no shortage of opinions at all places along the spectrum. If I were to be honest about where I am on the spectrum...I have no stinking idea!!

In the coming weeks I will try to honestly portray the tensions that reside within my mind and heart about what option (if such an option exists) that is consistent with the kingdom of God. I live in world - i.e. Medicine - as a physician that at least in my opinion is very opposed to any such reform bills being passed. Some objections are purely financial and greed-driven - the perceived ability to earn more money, etc - while others put forward concerns about the quality of care that will be given.

I also live in the world of theology and the kingdom of God and seek to be defined first and foremost as a disciple of Jesus Christ and no other. Justice for the poor and the least among us is an absolute non-negotiable in the eyes of God. He has proven repeatedly that he dislikes it when the rich oppress the poor and perpetuate injustice.

Christians are equally divided on this issue with perspectives from all corners claiming to be doing the will of God. What in the world is going on? I have no intention of trying to answer all these questions (or any of them for that matter) in this blog but I do hope to portray one man's honest perspective and questions about our current situation. I pray that whatever is done with these posts will be only helpful and conversation-provoking. One thing I am certain of is that wherever there is slander from any side, it does not reflect the image of Jesus.

Blessings...

Emergency Medicine

Well...I survived my first month of my internship. 35 days of Internal Medicine taking care of everything from electrolyte imbalances to heart attacks to ruptured intestines to anxiety attacks. I did six shifts of inhouse (we actually have to physically be in the hospital - yeah it stinks) call and the best part...all my patients survived! At least when I left them they were alive and that's kind of the point. Now I am doing Emergency Medicine. In the next 35 days I have 16 twelve hour shifts...(do the math and that'a alot of days off - yeah that rocks) and the best part...no deaths yet!! And I do stress the yet aspect! The goal is to make sure that at the end of your shift, your patient(s) are still breathing and if they are, it's been a good day...because now they are someone else's problem :) Just kidding but shift work is kinda nice!

Anyways, this post is part to let you know what's new in my world and part to justify why I haven't written in a while. Everything is going well. We are adjusting to life in Motown (burbs really) and settling into a routine. Look for more soon!

Who Are We?

Churches of Christ are in an interesting position. The theological spectrum - traditional to progressive - has seemingly never been wider as cultural forces continue to wreak havoc on both the theology as well as the attendance of denominations nationwide. And yet a disturbing trend is beginning to appear. As many churches of Christ move farther away from the traditional stances (a good thing) and hermeneutic (way of interpreting and applying Scripture), many have taken pride in what we have left behind and yet seem to have no legitimate alternative to replace it. We know what we are against but what are we for? If we are not churches that fight over issues of worship forms or eternal designations, what are we willing to be passionate about and intensely pursue? Are we willing to pursue issues of justice and peace, causes of community involvement and development, or cultural engagement with postmodern youth? There is certainly a place to critique our heritage and its faults, but I assumed that "progressive" churches had moved past berating our ancestors to a "better" place. But after listening to many churches whose goal seems to be "not being a traditional conservative COC" the question has to be asked: "If we are becoming progressive, what are we progressing toward?" And "Is it really progress?" I would love your thoughts...

Religulous: "Religion + Ridiculous"

My wife and I finally broke down and watched the movie (one among many) that is causing an outcry from so many religious groups - Bill Maher's 2008 documentary Religulous. As I watched the movie I found myself both crying and laughing, disgusted and intrigued, ashamed and enthralled, appalled and captivated.

For those that haven't seen the film, Maher's quotes include...

"Religion must die in order for man to live."
" Religion is detrimental to the progress of humanity."
Religious people make a "virtue out of not thinking."
Religious leaders are "intellectual slaveholders."

Not exactly a flattering portrayal! Throughout the film Maher's cynical and sarcastic interactions with some of the most fanatical people I have ever seen reveal both a distasteful mockery of religion and a surprisingly accurate critique of much of Christianity. He talks in depth about his own journey - growing up with one Catholic parent and one Jewish parent - and in doing so offers a very insightful glimpse into a perspective shared by more and more people in the United States. He describes his early church experience as "vast stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror."

His film asks penetrating questions like "Why is faith a good thing?" He stands in front of St Peter's Square in Rome and asks if the power and wealth represented by the Vatican was really what Jesus intended? He confronts a wealthy televangelist with the stark contrast between his life and that of Jesus. He identifies the dissonance between Christianity and Nationalism - the bedfellows of God & Country. He questions the "arrogant certitude" of religious people.

When he finished his monsoon of attacks on religion, I was heartbroken at the representation that Jesus has in this world. It almost seemed that Bill was enthralled with a Jesus who stood for the poor, challenged the powerful and wealthy, and offered a new way of living but Bill wasn't seeing it lived out. He observed the stupidity and irrelevance that characterizes so much of Christianity today and asks how this is good news for the rest of the world. As I waded through the sarcasm and mockery, I found a prophet - a voice asking followers of Jesus "Are you really good news to the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, and the entire world?" "Or do you live in a land focused only on the hereafter and unwilling to engage in honest discussion about tough issues like evolution, homosexuality, wealth, and justice?"

Maher is advocating that the answer to bad religion and bad theology is no religion or theology at all! Get rid of them! I disagree. The solution to bad theology is good theology, not jettisoning all theology. The solution to a screwed-up religion is to replace it with a healthy one - to recapture the essence of Jesus of Nazareth and proclaim his kingdom. Hopefully this call will be heeded by those who claim Jesus as Lord.

Stuff

We have alot of stuff! As we prepare for our fifth move in under four years of marriage, we are engaging in the ritual of packing. And as we pack we discover things we haven't seen since last year and haven't used in the past two years...if ever! This year we are joining some friends to do a yard sale and as Jenn and I go through our junk we are having some very interesting conversations about what stuff we are willing to part with. It is amazing how attached we get to certain items that may or may not be of any use but are retained "just in case I ever need it."

For example, my mountain bike. I cannot remember the last time I rode it. I cannot ride it because the chain has rotted (because I haven't ridden it). And yet I love my bike! I paid hundreds of dollars for that bike! All I can do with my bike is look at it and think "I have a really nice bike! I ought to ride that some time" but my wife dared to ask me about selling my bike! How dare she!! I am amazed that as we struggle financially through the tough times of finishing a life lived on student loans and the time of making a salary still well below the poverty line, I turn aghast at getting rid of my bike! Enter Holy Spirit... ( I really hate being convicted)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also! ~ Mt6:19-21

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. ~ Mt6:24

Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice... ~ Mt6:33a

So, if anyone is interested I have a (really tall) TREK 4500 Aluminum Frame Men's Mountain Bike with front and rear shock absorbers that will be for sale tomorrow morning! We'll see what happens...

Is God Just?

Today was a difficult day! The sermon today came from Joshua 6-7 & dealt with the stories of Jericho's fall and Achan's sin. Though these stories (more so Jericho than Achan's stoning) have been ever present in my upbringing, today the Spirit (I think it was the holy one) put before me once again the issue of justice. But today was different because the question lay not with instances of human violence &indifference but rather acts of violence ordered directly by God!

They devoted the city [Jericho] to the LORD & destroyed with the sword every living thing in it - men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys. (Joshua 6:21)

Then Joshua...took Achan, son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons & daughters, his cattle, donkeys, and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today!" Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. (Joshua 7:24-26)

I am not sure how many sermons I've heard give the "point" of these stories in phrases like... "God takes sin very seriously and therefore we need to take sin more seriously too" or "If you listen to God things will go well for you, but if you don't, remember Achan." I know that there is some truth embedded in those statements but the fundamental issue of my struggle is much deeper.

How do you reconcile this God (YHWH) with the message and person of Jesus Christ? I understand taking sin seriously and maintaining the covenant with his people, but ordering the massacre of women and kids, grandmas and grandpas, babies and little boys (probably some of them around my sons' ages)? And then Jesus comes along as the full embodiment of God in the flesh with "Love your enemies" and "Blessed are the peacemakers" and "Let the sinless one throw the first stone." How do these go together? I understand the communal identity inherent within the ancient time period (totally foreign to an individualistic, consumer-driven society of the USA) but.... is that really just? When Jesus calls us to "Seek first God's kingdom & God's justice" with peace and love instead of hate and sword, what are we to do with these stories?

A fundamental assumption of the scriptural narrative is that God is the same and that Jesus is the embodiment of that deity in its fullness! And yet God remains free - free from my preconceived notions of what he should be doing with his time and his universe and his creation! (He has yet to ask my opinion on any of that!), free from our doctrinal boxes that seek to describe him, free from the limitations of our understanding and intellect, free to be the "I AM." I don't have any answers; just alot of questions - hard but honest! Today was a tough day!

It's a Boy!!

Today we had our ultrasound and our little bundle of joy went spread eagle for the camera and showed off his turtle for the world to see! It is quite the incriminating picture and one that could possible show up in a graduation video somewhere down the line. I would post it but our scanner doesn't work. Oh well! Everything looks good and we are thrilled not to have to buy girl stuff...yet. I get to avoid the pink stuff for a little while longer!! :) Though I do keep wondering...maybe God keeps giving me boys because he knows that I don't want a girl that looks like me!! Hmmm....

My youngest son - Luke Richard Stephens. This was at my graduation from medical school a few weeks ago.

He Looks better in it than I do!

Not-So-Deep Service & Deep Justice

Let me share with you something I ran across recently. The book is Deep Justice in a Broken World: Helping Your Kids Serve Others & Right the Wrongs Around Them by Chap Clark & Kara Powell (Zondervan 2007). The authors juxtapose (compare & contrast) service and justice with intent of pointing Christians to pursue "deep justice." (pp. 15-16)

Service makes us feel like a "great white savior" (or black or brown or other skin color) who rescues the broken. Justice means God does the rescuing, but often he works through the united power of his great and diverse community to do it.

Service often dehumanizes (even if only subtly) those who are labeled the "receivers." Justice restores human dignity by creating an environment in which all involved "give" & "receive" in a spirit of reciprocal learning & mutual ministry.

Service is something we do for others. Justice is something we do with others.

Service is an event. Justice is a lifestyle.

Service expects results immediately. Justice hopes for results some time soon but recognizes that systemic change takes time.

The goal of service is to help others.The goal of justice is is to remove obstacles so others can help themselves.

Service focuses on what our own ministry can accomplish. Justice focuses on how we can work with other ministries to accomplish even more.

Service is serving food at the local homeless shelter. Justice means asking why people are hungry and homeless in the first place - and then doing something about it.

Kingdom Justice

Jesus came to bring good news...to the poor. He called that good news the kingdom of God & said it was at hand. He invited everyone to enter it & experience life to the fullest! He lived complete love, perfect holiness, and radical justice. He demands the same of his followers. So, as his apprentices, we seek kingdom life & kingdom justice...now!!

What an awesome story and an awesome calling!!

"We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, but we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"We can do no great things. We can only do small things with great love." ~ Momma T

"We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside...but one day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that a system that produces beggars needs to be repaved. We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to ask, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

When Gandhi was asked whether or not he was a Christian, he would often reply, "Ask the poor. They will tell you who the Christians are."

Journey of Justice

What is justice? A word? A concept? An ideal? A pursuit? Much easier to demand than define. Very complicated yet essential. Incredibly difficult yet important. A journey not taken alone but with people of all races, genders, socioeconomic classes, etc.

The word in the New Testament for righteousness & justice is the same word. The "rightness" and perfection of God flows directly from His very essence. God is defined by justice - a justice far beyond our comprehension yet with very clear parameters. God hates the oppression of the poor. Though he does not favor the poor, he is favorably disposed toward them because he knows that it is the poor who are often exploited, oppressed, and trampled on by those in places of power and prestige. The poor are not to be exploited. The orphans and widows are not the be ignored. God always hears the cry of the oppressed...always! 'Let there be justice' is the rallying cry of prophetic voices through the ages from Amos to Martin Luther King, Jr., Isaiah to Ghandi, & embodied perfectly in the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. God's story in Scripture explodes with God's concern for justice and his response when it is ignored.

I am relatively new to this journey. Justice has not been my passion. For whatever reason, a disconnect has existed between my faith and the impetus to engage in social issues such as poverty, oppression, international human rights causes, etc. For that I am truly sorry. Though i am certainly not where I need to be, I freely admit that I believe I am now cognizant of God's intentions for justice moreso than I have ever been before. My eyes and ears are continually being opened to the work that is before us. From this day forward, I commit to seeking justice and pray for the courage to go wherever God may take me.