Second Chance Buffet: Why I do What I do

I’ve been on the ride of my life lately speaking to different groups about what it means to be a Lutheran. It’s been a little different every time I’ve stood before a group talking about Law and Gospel, being sinners and saints, good theology, bad theology, and the liberation of the cross.

The fact is, I talk a lot! This trait comes in handy when you’re going to give hour long talks on anything. But, there are a lot of things I’d never talk about like I discuss being a Lutheran Christian in the 21^st Century. I’ve got passion, hope, and excitement; which counteracts my infamous cynicism and raw and gritty expectations.

No one has to convince me to tell people God’s grace is sufficient; you’d actually be hard pressed to stop me. It’s not because I’m a good person because I’ll never be that apart from the grace of God. I talk about this like I just went to Wrestlemania for the first time (April 7^th here I come!) because the grace of God has drawn me to the cross through broad experience of all kinds. I talk about grace, and Jesus, and the cross, not because it makes me a better person, not because I think other people will suddenly become saints, but because it is liberation.

There isn’t a human being on this earth that lacks the need for liberation or the desire for something real. I’m a Lutheran, this is me – whether at the bar or the altar – my life has been changed in such a way by the grace of God that I can’t get any more real than second chances that go beyond second chances. This is why I do what I do, this is why I love what I do, and this is why I will never stop proclaiming the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for YOU, no matter who you are, no matter whether you care, whether you want it or you don’t, it’s been done.

I’m telling you as a friend or a stranger, your sins are forgiven on account of the cross of Jesus Christ. Go in peace and serve the Lord.

Crucifying Bad Theology

 “You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’s ‘ill cut you down.” Christ died even for us. Why does good theology matter? Is it because we have books like unChristian giving us statistics of a failing Church? Is it because we have authors like Kenda Dean exploring a moralistic therapeutic deistic culture? Absolutely. We need good theology if young people are abandoning the Church because the very thought of Christians equals bigoted hypocrites. We need good theology if all that matters about God is whether or not we are good people. More than that, we need good theology because it changes lives.

How does good theology change lives? Lutherans have had good theology since Martin Luther decided to deconstruct the core of the Church. If it doesn’t point us to the cross and the work of Christ, it doesn’t matter. Perhaps it is easy to take this for granted or to appeal to experience to “find God,” but good theology is life-changing precisely because it cannot be found and it does not rely on human experience. That’s not to say it doesn’t cause experience. Good theology is life-changing because it finds the lost and leads the blind. Good theology reconstructed in the redemption of the cross of Jesus Christ.

“You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’s ‘ill cut you down.” Christ died even for us. What does it mean to have good theology? Our academic and practical theologies have no separation. Good theology is put into praxis. Beyond that Good theology has the crucified God at its crux. Theology is nothing apart from the work of the cross. Our redemption lies within the crucifixion and our reconciliation is rooted in resurrection. The law tells us that God will cut sinners down; conjunctively, the Gospel tells us Christ died even for us.

Good theology matters because the gracious work of Christ is at its core. It is life-altering for people who’ve never known the grace of God or for people who have been blinded by bad theology (which does not point to the work of Christ through the cross). Guilt may be a more powerful motivator than grace, but it doesn’t make it good. Where, then, do we go from here? We go where God is found, where we are led, to the foot of the cross. If you’ve never known the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ or you’ve been trapped by the guilt and shame of piety that puts the role of justification in your hands; by the work of God alone, through the cross of Christ alone, grace is sufficient for you.   

  

21st Century Theologians of the Cross: Workshop Proposal (alpha stage)

Hello my dear readers,

Within the next few months I will be teaching a workshop at a Youth Ministry convention and I want to share my course proposal with you all. Below, you will find my initial proposal of the questions and topic of focus, I invite you to provide your feedback and thoughts on the questions. Over the course of the next weeks and months, I will beta test my workshop content with you in order to craft the best final product for the audience. 

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If you’ve read recent books and articles about churchgoer statistics, or Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, you may be feeling a little discouraged. Whether the Church is the loudest voice within culture or it’s losing steam, we have theology with a powerful point! Christ died for us and God is found at the cross. Today, we have more than a few options, we can ignore MTD and the decline of church attendance, we can fight the changes, we can join the trends, we can accept fate, or we can teach the next generations something real and relevant.

In this workshop, we’ll explore questions such as:

What does it mean to be Lutheran?

Why does Lutheranism matter for youth today?

How does good theology change lives?

Who needs the Theology of the Cross, anyway?

When am I ever going to use this boring theology stuff?

Where do we go from here?

In a culture of challenging church trends, youth and Youth Workers are faced with some tough questions about the relevance and effectiveness of theology. The Lutheran Theology of the Cross has powerful answers to these 21^st century questions, and even more powerful questions for us.

Radical Transparency and the Colapse of Piety

Greetings Readers, it’s been a minute since The Dialect of Praxis had a post. It’s been an exciting time in my life and new adventures have kept me engaged in conversation elsewhere. I hope you all are well!

Radical Transparency is a term I’ve borrowed from David Kinnaman’s well-selling title UnChristian. The phrase is an ideal set by the Buster and Mosaic generations (specifically those ages 16-29) who have grown skeptical and/or cynical about the portrayal of Christianity and the mass-marketed consumerist society surrounding young people today. Radical Transparency is a mindset aimed at deconstructing image-centered hyper-individualism and being “real” with people.

Kinnaman’s book, boasting copious amounts of research and data analysis on Western culture’s negative perception of Christianity and its people, declares, only 1 in 22 Christians (in the 16-29 age bracket) have a deep connection to the Christian faith (UnChristian). This phenomenon is what authors such as Kenda Dean and others have come to call Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.

In the spirit of Radical Transparency, I have to say I’m not alarmed by any of the statistics, negative views, erosion, or declining numbers of the Christian faith. I’m at the tail end of the Buster demographic and have personally experienced the skepticism, cynicism, and need for authenticity in the Christian world. But, the skepticism and cynicism (which I have no doubt worn as a coat of armor) is as concerning as the façade of moralistic perfectionist Christianity.

Pious behavior (personal devotional reading of scripture, doing everything right, praying enough, and the like) doesn’t save us and this is a fair criticism from non-Christians and skeptical believers, towards the typically Conservative portion of the Christian community. However, I’m not looking to tear down Evangelicals today. Instead, I ask, could a delicate balance of piety be a bad thing?

Honestly, I’m not hugely pious (or remotely pious compared to my days as an Evangelical Christian) but I like to study the scriptures. As is evident by the statistics in UnChristian, most people identify the importance of Christianity in lifestyle before anything to do with the Gospel message. And, experience has shown me that many young people in the Church today don’t have a basic understanding of the Gospel (or scripture in general). Maybe non-Christians don’t want to know who Jesus is because most Christians don’t know who Jesus is anymore. Christianity is not a set of lifestyle principals; it is faith in the living God and redemptive work of the cross.   

Lenten Devotional 10: Getting Pastoral

Friday, March 02, 2012

Scripture reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-16

Personally (before we get started with the text) I find it ironic that my first and middle names come from pietistic epistles that are troublesome to me (Timothy and James). The author of the book of James seems like, a pompous sycophant and the author of the Pastoral Epistles (who I think was pseudonymously posing as Paul) is a product of his hierarchal-sexist times. But, I digress; for, God’s grace is sufficient.

The passage of “The Overseer” (v.1) has been one I’ve lived in tension with for years. Two words fascinate me, make me cringe, and cause controversy: “above reproach” (v. 2). What does this pastoral instruction even mean? Is it a call to perfection or something else? The English dictionary defines reproach as blame (among other things). However, the Greek word that we translate to reproach (anepilēmptos) appears to have a more specific meaning than blame – apprehension.

Context is everything. When we interpret scripture without context we can seriously distort its contextual meaning. For one to be, “above reproach” (in the first century Church) this term had legal implications (vv. 3-5).

First, having one wife; not a harem. Second, temperate; not enraged. Third, sensible; not stupid. Fourth, respectable; not disgraceful. There’s more but, for the sake of time, what might the legal implications of reproach be? In the first century, it was not quite safe to be a follower of Jesus the Christ. If one had a harem of wives, it likely drew attention they didn’t need. Keeping one’s temper was and is a good way to avoid undue trouble. Sensibility might keep a person from losing his head (literally). If people respected Church leaders it might dissuade apprehension (vv. 3-7).

Bishops, Deacons, Overseers, Pastors, etc., had a different role in the Early Church – survival of believers and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. There was great concern over false-teaching and blaspheme (possibly Gnosticism, depending on the date of composition, ch. 1). The piety in 1 Timothy, like other scriptures, was meant to set God’s people apart from idolatry and/or heresy.

What does this all mean for us (and our Church leaders)? One who is “above reproach,” in the Church today is one who does not bring ill fate to God’s people or the Church. Instead, proclaim the truth of Christ, “He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory” (v. 16).

Lord, God, you are holy and your majesty is revealed in Christ. The grace of the cross, in death and resurrection, has justified us. Who you are and what you’ve done continues to be proclaimed and believed throughout the world. No human being is blameless in what we do, but may our blame be met with grace and not reprehension. May you free your captive servants around the world, who face death and persecution because of your name and may we – who freely express the work of your cross – pray for those who persecute our brothers and sisters. In your name O Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

What Type of Role Model are You; The False Dichotomy of Role Models

It’s been a quiet month for The Dialect of Praxis, but many thoughts have been brewing, and it’s about to get a little louder. Among the percolating questions, who are role models, why do so many Christians misunderstand mental illness, and Sanctification; what happens after Justification? Today’s post, “What type of role model are you; The False Dichotomy of Role Models” (we’ll get to the other questions another day).

Everybody is a role model. But, not everyone is the same type of role model and maybe some people shouldn’t be afforded the title. Everyone’s a role model, but not everyone wants the job.

“I'm not a role model... Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids” (Charles Barkley).

“I would like to be called an inspiration to people, not a role model - because I make mistakes like everybody else. When I'm offstage, I'm just like everybody else” (Britney Spears).

“I’m not a “Role Model,” I don’t wanna babysit kids…” (Eminem).

The previously quoted celebrities claim they are not role models and I feel sorry for them. Few people choose or feel called to be role models, but it’s not that simple. It used to be, parents, teachers, ministers, and prominent public figures that were bestowed the title of role model. Thanks, in large part, to the internet, no one is exempt from the title. If you come into contact with other human beings, you are a role model, but what type of role model are you?

To be a role model is an arduous task and all have been designated with the job, but not all share the same responsibility. NBA super-stars, like Barkley, may be an example to kids and/or admirers, but their examples may not be what parents want for their kids; that’s why celebrities and public figures are generic-role-models. The difference between celebs, parents, and people like me, job description defines what kind of role model responsibilities come with the position.

Public figures, like celebrities, teachers, and ministers have two things in common: first, they are not primary-role-models; second, if they don’t want to be criticized for their influence they’re in for a bumpy ride. Hence, this is where I let celebrities off the responsibility train. Their example (intended or otherwise) is one of a generic-role-model and their job description is only the technical definition of “role model.”

Teachers and ministers make a decision or fill a calling; as a result, they are secondary-role-models.  A secondary-role-model has more responsibility than celebrities (who are generic-role-models). Teachers and ministers were hired (professionally and voluntarily) to fill an, intentionally, influential position. As secondary-role-models, they will receive more critical reviews. As a Ministry Worker (and a human being) I don’t enjoy heavy criticisms of what I say or do, but it comes with the job description. Thus, the difference for secondary-role-models (like me) and generic-role-models­ (like celebrities and public figures) is we have a greater responsibility to respond to our critics. This reality does not give us primary responsibility.

Parents are the primary-role-models. It is a parent’s job description to raise their children in the ways they think best and they have the most responsibility for the behavior they want their children to emulate. If parents want their kids to be educated, it is on them to foster good work habits and environments, it is up to them to work with teachers, and it is up to them to be the primary example of learning for their children. If a parent wants their child to have lifelong faith discipleship, then a parent has to model the example of faith that they hope their children will live out. As a Youth Minister, I will teach young people the scriptures and foster orthodoxy to the best of my abilities, and encourage orthopraxy, but the job of faith discipleship starts with the parent.

Bottom line, all people are role models, but parents are primary-role-models, educators and ministers are secondary-role-models, and celebrities and public figures are generic-role-models. No one is exempt (thank you Social Media, Internet, and human communication). All aforementioned role models fail and God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus, the Role Model of Role Models, died for all of us role models (called humans) out of grace for our imperfect modeling; may we look to the cross in humility, as none of us has been afforded our positions as role models, without the work of God.