The American Dream Above All Else

I saw a film last night that was especially relevant to my journey right now and I want to comment of parts of it. It was called "Religulous" with/by Bill Maher.

This documentary didn't get a lot of attention because it basically attacks every major religion and anyone who buys into any level of spirituality. Needless to say, that doesn't leave it with much of an audience. I decided to get it because I wanted to see what he had to say about Christianity and Christians. I do not regret it.

The basic premise of the film is that Maher thinks all religious people are, on some level, behaving unintelligently to buy into the spirituality thing. He conducts a series of Michael-Moore-style interactions with different religious leaders and followers to try to convince them that they are believing in a myth. These interviews are spliced with footage of religion at its worst (i.e. 9/11, london bus bombing, abortion clinic protests and bombings, God Hates Fags demonstrators, etc.). Overall its a light hearted, humorous approach to a pretty serious topic. Maher employs a style that he is particularly good at (being a smart-ass) to make his point.

I hate when people give you the whole movie so I won't do that, but I do want to touch on one particular interaction. Maher decides to interview a pastor who is well known in the "health and wealth" gospel movement. He began the interview by talking about how pastors/clergy resemble rock stars more than they resemble Jesus (fancy/weird clothing, people worshipping you, crowds, etc). As I watched this interview unfold his harsh comparison was unfolding in my head. He spoke with the pastor about his $2000 suit, $50,000 car and who-knows-how-expensive house. He asked the pastor how he could justify his lifestyle when Jesus spoke so clearly about the poor being blessed and the rich having a hard time getting to heaven. His answer: "The people want you to look good, they want to see the dream they are chasing after". Wow.

I know that all pastors don't act this way. Trust me, I haven't made a ton of money being a pastor. Neither have many of my friends who work at churches. But I know guys who have. I know of a pastor (who doesn't subscribe to a "health and wealth" approach) who owns a yacht that he uses to court other pastors they want to hire at his church. Many others that travel the country preaching in rock show atmospheres for a ticketed admission to get in the door. I would venture to say that most of the Senior Pastors in churches today are among the 10 highest paid people that go to their church. The sad thing is its easy for me to think that because the car I drive is worth less than a $2000 suit that I am not part of the problem. But maybe I am.

When I look at the first leaders of the Jesus movement I do not see wealth. Jesus actually told his disciples to sell everything and follow him (Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22). He also sent them into towns to do ministry with nothing and told them that they were to live on whatever people would have to spare (Luke 9:3). It looks to me like Jesus' early followers didn't get a salary or a 401K or benefits. As someone who will be without all three pretty soon, I must say it is pretty hard to fathom. I have become completely dependent on money and security. The thought of losing it is scaring me to death.

Although I disagree with Bill Maher on a lot of the points he presents in his documentary. I do agree with one thing: The American church has become obsessed with promoting the American dream above all else. It has allowed its message to be the same as the message that everyone else is our culture is preaching, "You are broken, we have the product that can fix you, buy it while it lasts...because we need better computers and more free lunches and raises and bigger 401Ks and better health benefits. Oh, and we might help a few people to get our name on the news so more people come to hear our message (and in turn give more money so we can get better computers and more free lunches and...)".

So I am sure your questions will revolve around what the church would look like if it were different or if there were no paid pastors. The answer is "I don't know". I want to know. I want to be a part of figuring it out. I know there are lots of people out there who go to churches were the pastors don't get paid so maybe we should ask them. The part we have to come to grips with is that it would be a huge change. It would affect my life and the lives of my friends immensely. There would be much resistance. But is it worth it?

This post is harsh and painted broadly but it is how I am feeling so it goes on the blog. There are lots churches and pastors that are in it for all the right reasons. Not many are inherently evil. Everyone just wants to make a difference. My question would be "Are we really making a difference or are we just making it the same?"

Your comments are welcomed. You can even make them anonymous.

When you come to a fork in the road...

I have been wondering lately how important the details of our lives are to God. I know that they are important in that He cares about what we care about. My questions surround how much he cares what job we have or where we decide to move or what type of house we buy, etc, etc.

When I think of the future of my children I know that I will love them no matter what. Beyond that, I hope they make good decisions in their lives or, at the very least, learn from the not-so-good ones. Sometimes I think that my life was actually shaped more by my bad decisions that my good ones. So does it really matter if I my kids make the best choices all the time? Is it the same way with God? I am sure He hurts for us if we chose poorly just I like would with my son. I am sure He rejoices with us when things go well. But as far as really having a desire for us to make one decision over another (unless sin is involved) I am not sure what He thinks.

Theoretical example: As I am nearing the end of high school I sit down with my parents and try to decide which college God "wants" me to go to and what He "wants" me to do with my life.

Scenario A: I go to a well known university into a a program that will eventually set me up to make lots of money.

Scenario B: I decide not to go to school at all but to move into a bad neighborhood with the hope of bringing the Gospel to everyone in that neighborhood.

When you look at these scenarios from a bird's eye view it would be easier to say that B is the choice God wants you to make. After all, you are giving up financial security, prestige, fancy clothes, nice house, etc. to do something that serves God. But what if I do A, get my degree, get a great internship at a really successful business and 5 years down the road I start my own venture. I make a ton of money, so much I don't even know where I would spend it all. The catch is, all along I knew that once I had some money I would start using it to benefit God's poorest and most down-and-out people in my city. I start using that money to plant churches and ministries all over my city in the worst neighborhoods. I am able to support hundreds or thousands of people who have the dream of moving into a neighborhood and bringing the Gospel to the people of that area.

Which scenario does God want? The answer is yes. He wants them both. The question is not either/or it is how? How am I going to use the path I choose to impact the world for God's sake? How is my life going to physically represent Jesus on earth? For this reason I don't think God has as much stake in what decisions we make with our lives as we convince ourselves He does. His stake is in how we use our position and influence to worship Him with every dollar, moment and breath.

God help me to recognize how I can worship You with the choices I have already made and those I will make in the future.

Playground in Winter

Look at the pictures before reading the entry.

Click here to see the pictures

I was out taking pictures today and found a playground.  It was in a neighborhood with tons of kids but the cold dry air kept them hostage in their homes.  I imagine that on warmer days this playground is filled with laughter, screams and audible joy.  Kids run from tower to tower pretending to be princesses and knights and ship captains and superheroes.  Soccer moms and stay at home dads fill the benches with one eye on their children and the other on the latest novel or text from a friend.  This is a place that was made for life.

Today the vacant swings were swaying slowly in the frigid breeze.  The sandbox contained lonely buckets and shovels without little hands to guide them.  The slide had and icy pools of half-melted snow resting at its base.  There was no laughter or joy or barely a sound at all.  Only the soft footsteps and clicks of a camera from a shivering photographer.  This playground was empty of the life that it longs for.

This hillside oasis was created for a specific purpose.  Yet, every November or December that meaning fades away and hibernates until a time when the sun shines again.  Its almost as if it ceases to breathe for months at a time until, just at the right moment, its life comings coursing back into its veins.  As the sun and temperature rise, children return to fill its lungs with the breath that it has missed for so many days.  It has a reason to exist again.

In my life there have been many times when my purpose has escaped me.  I lay dormant for days or weeks or months, ceasing to remember to breath in and then out again.  Like this playground I was created for something and when I lose my way I forget why I am here in the first place.  But my Creator calls me out of my hibernation.  He reminds me that I was created to have life.  Jesus said, "I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full."  Jesus came so that I may live the life God created me to live.  I am to be used for other's joy and laughter.  I am to be a facilitator of life.  I was created to help other's realize who they were made to be.  My life has meaning.

So it is for you as well.

My son the spiritual advisor.

I am learning a ton everyday about my relationship with God.  When you work at a church its difficult to cultivate a real relationship with your Creator.  I think its because you spend so much time trying to come up with clever ways to "sell" your "product" to the "customer" that you forget a relationship with God isn't a product at all.  I imagine it would be something like getting tired of eating the food at the fast food joint where you work.  No matter how much you loved a Big Mac Value Meal before you starting working at McD's, it starts to get a little old having to slap them on trays all day.  (I know God's not a burger but just play along...)

The last few years I've felt like a victim of working at my favorite fast food restaurant.  I had this incredible passion for God when I first started but somewhere along the way everything just started to leave a bad taste in my mouth.  I'm not blaming the church, or my pastor or any of the people I worked with...I just didn't take the time to keep that relationship fresh.  It's my own stupid fault.

Lately I have had a lot of time to sit around, read, write and mostly just think.  (I lost my job a month or so ago)  I have a lot of thoughts about whether I really believe in God.  Or more specifically the God that I pushed so strongly in my most recent profession.  I have thought about what it would mean to actually interact with a God that is all those things that I have told people He is: loving, kind, caring, compassionate, just, right, unexplainable, etc, etc, etc.  

With all that free time one really cool side effect is you get to spend a lot of time at home, with your family.  Mine consists of my beautiful wife of 6+ years and a little 21 month old bundle of energy named Ryan.  No matter how much you want to see the glass half empty you look at what you have at home and you can only think of how great life actually is.  It's really beautiful.

I tell you this because my son has been teaching me so much about God lately...weird right?  A 21 month old teaching his dad about spirituality is not all that promising for my maturity but it is what it is.  

When I first lost my job my wife and I went "church shopping" and wound up at a big church here in the area.  Due to some issues with the children's ministry that night, we ended up in the lobby for a few minutes as the service started.  The music kicked in and the leader began singing.  Because this church is so big, the leaders tend to write their own music for the services, which is great for the church members, not so great for me.  I was standing in the lobby, holding my son, watching the words roll across the screen. I was just trying to get a feel for the song when I heard the most beautiful noise I have ever heard.  It wasn't really words or on-key notes or really even what most would consider singing, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  As you might guess, it was my then 20 month old singing along with music that he had never heard before.  He didn't know the words, or the tune or the music leader or the style but he knew how to use his voice.  It was like a ray of light was shining directly on his head while he sang.  If I could bottle that moment it would surely sustain me for the rest of my life.  It instantly melted my heart.

I know what you're thinking "another message about how we should sing uninhibited to God". I mean, it goes without saying that God loves it when we sing His praises no matter what it is we sound like.  The Bible says that we should make a "Loud (joyful) noise to the LORD".  We have heard this a million times and probably could stand to hear it once more.  We have even heard Psalm 40 (if only the U2 version) where it talks about singing a new song unto the Lord.  It is a popular message we hear when the pastor wants the congregation to sing louder or with more passion.  But that's not where I am going.

Standing there in a concrete and metal lobby staring at a flat screen tv I learned something even more profound about God than any of those (really important) messages.  When I think back on that evening I don't remember loving my son any more or less in that moment than any other in his life.  Sure, he made me happy in that moment and he makes me frustrated or fearful in others.  But in that moment, and every other moment, there existed a love for him that I couldn't turn off if I tried.  I love his voice, his face, his dance moves, the way he says "toot nacks" (fruit snacks) and everything else about him.  I love his existence.  He pooped on my chest once while I was playing with him and I even loved him then.

If God is a daddy (abba), as the New Testament explains, He must feel the same way about me.  No matter what I do, good or bad, He loves me the same.  He is filled with an overwhelming joy when I sing or dance or laugh or love.  He is filled with compassion when I am hurting and disappointment when I run from Him.  He wants me to come close even when I don't want to.  He longs for me to crawl into His lap and lay down my head.  No matter how I change there is always a constant: His love.  I can not deserve it or turn it off.  I can only find little ways to reciprocate it the best ways I know how.  

So here I am...I recently got laid off from my favorite fast food place and my  21 month old son is teaching me how to fall in love with the food again.  Let's walk up to the counter, order a number 1 and chow down.

Organic Church

I am reading a book right now called "Reimagining Church" by Frank Viola.  With almost every sentence Viola challenges the ideas I have about what a church should be.  Some of the concepts he presents are a little out there but I think that is what he is going for.  He wants to push you into thinking outside of the American mega-church box that you have grown up believing in.

One particular sentence that I have been chewing on these past couple days is especially challenging.  Viola boldly states, "The first century church meeting was primarily a believer's meeting...While sometimes unbelievers were present, they were not the focus of the meeting." (51).  

I have to admit that this statement rocks my entire world.  Everything I grew up thinking and learning about church services was that their primary focus was to reach lost people.  In college I was taught about churches who were phenomenal at making new people feel comfortable and not out of place.  I have worked at churches that strived to be as non-confrontational as possible as not to offend the visitor.  Offering times were apologized for, the Lord's Supper was a introspective self-evaluation time and the pastor would never preach a deep sermon because it wouldn't be understood by the non-Christian walking in off the street.  But is this what church services are supposed to be?

I know that some of this sounds a little "old school" Christianity.  This is the stuff that traditionalists have been saying for years (probably for completely different reasons).  Those of us who fancied ourselves as "contemporary" or "hip" or "relevant" would be quick to point out how close minded their objections were and how these pastors were afraid of change.  We justified by saying, "If the Great Commission is one of the last things Jesus said on earth then we should do everything short of sin to get people to come to our churches."  This included creating media heavy services that attract an MTV generation, turning prayer into an acronym (A.C.T.S.) to make it easier to do and giving away gifts (sometimes a iPod, car or family vacation) to those who show up to our churches for the first time.  When it came to attracting people to our church, as long as we aren't giving away beer or showing porn on the screen then it was no holds barred.

Is this really what God had in mind for His physical representation on earth?  Viola points out that Jesus' intention for the Great Commission was that those who followed Him would go out (into their homes, workplaces, communities, etc.) and tell/show people what a life of following Jesus was all about.  Jesus' evangelism model was not to build massive boxes where we could store all the little Jesus-freaks.  Jesus knew that people would believe He was real and life changing when they saw and heard the life-change in others.  Jesus believed in one-on-one, or at the very least, small groups of people being taught by a mature follower.  (See: Jesus and the 12 disciples)

God knows that the life He has called us to is hard, impossible even.  That is why He designed church services to be places of refuge for those who are committed to living out this intensely difficult calling.  Services are meetings where believers could join together and talk about life as it relates to living out an impossible dream.  This would be a place where joy, suffering, encouragement, pain and all those emotions in between could be shared among friends.  This is the kind of place where people miss each other if they go days, let alone weeks without seeing each other.

Here an exercise to get you and me thinking:

Step 1: Throw out the picture in your mind of what a church service is supposed to be. (Admittedly harder to do than type)  

Step 2: Read 1 Corinthians 11-14. 

Step 3: Contemplate whether Paul was talking to a "Seeker church" or a church full of passionate (if a little misdirected) Jesus followers.  I don't think He could get away with being that harsh and direct to people who didn't even know what it meant to be a Christian...but read it and decide for yourself.

The idea is that "evangelism" happens by Jesus followers having authentic relationships with their friends.  It doesn't happen by some pastor on stage delivering a comical-tear-jerker of a sermon and then hoping that new believers get involved enough in the church programs to take their spirituality to the next level.

There is lots to unpack here but I will wrap it up for now.  I am sure that this will be a recurring theme over the next few weeks and months.  

Grace and peace.

Demographics

It's not the most exciting bedtime reading but it's interesting to see what's going on in the place where we want to start a church. Here are some sites that paint a decent picture of the need:

Growth Coming at a Break Neck Pace
Church Affiliation in Charleston County
Charleston City is the 67th fastest growing city in the nation

I am noticing that most of the churches in Charleston and the Metro Area are older and more traditional in nature. There are a few non-denominational churches in the area and one really big church in North Charleston. Other than that it looks like a new church in Charleston could make a lot of sense. We'll see.

Lying awake

I am lying in my bed at about 12:30 am. I can't go to sleep. I think
constantly about the possibility of planting a church. I have been
talking to friends about it. I have also been talking to some people
who have already taken the plunge. They tell me how hard it is and
how I should think twice about doing it. What they don't know is that
this only makes me more excited. I don't know what of is about me that
makes me want to take on the biggest challenges I can think of.

A pastor once told me that church planting is where good people go to
die. Maybe I am stupid or a non-conformist or just like to prove
people wrong but hearing him say this in my head gets my blood pumping.

I have been reading some statistics on Charleston and they are mind
blowing. I will probably put some up soon but one I particular blew my
mind...

In the year 2000, a study was done of the church affiliation of
everyone in Charleston County. Not including people who belonged to
traditionally African American churches there were 300,000 people
accounted for. Of these 300,000 people, 50,000 claimed to be part of
an Evangelical church. Of those 50K, about 3900 claim to be a part of
an independant or non-denominational church. And the most staggering
figure is that 177,000 people consider themselves a not a part of a
church at all. Wow!

Since 2000, a non-denominational church in North Charleston has grown
quickly. However, with the most generous numbers it might change those
numbers by 10-20 thousand. That means there are still a whole bunch of
people in Chucktown who are missing out on a relationship with their
Creator.

God wants more people worshipping Him in Charleston. He deserves more
glory. I want to help bring it to Him.