What is the purpose of the Church?
The Church of the 1970’s is over (social-gospel, mainline Protestantism); the Church of the 1990’s is over (Evangelical Seeker); the Church of the 2000’s is ending (GenX Emergent).
The late 20-Century Church model is over, even as the formal structures try in desperation to maintain it.
The culture is no longer with us. What are we to become in this day and this context? That which has endured will continue to endure!
What is Democracy without Privacy?
One of the benefits of the Christian Church in the world, or
a benefit that we should provide but in these days often don’t, is that we call
society and culture to higher standards of discourse, politics, education,
ethics, and culture, and call individuals to their better selves. God desires us to live life to the full – in
sane, healthy, altruistic, and responsible ways that are beneficial to not only
ourselves, but to all of society.
In times past, if people wanted to be educated they went to
the Church. If you wanted to be cultured, you came to the Church. If someone wanted to help “the least of
these,” s/he went to the Church.
Not so much, anymore. And, of
course, there are plenty of examples throughout history where the leadership of
the Church exploited, tortured, killed, maimed, impoverished, etc., people and
societies. Yet, the negative exploits of
those who used (and continue to use) religion for their own gain does not
diminish what the Church is supposed to be and do and what we as Christians are
called to be and do.
In these days, we tend to align ourselves with the
prevailing culture that too often wants to dumb things down – because that is
what people in the general culture have come to expect. The banal, the lowest
common denominator, the most profane or perverse, the most demeaning, the most
dictatorial, the most arrogant, the most selfish, and so forth, has become the
norm. We make little effort to truly teach
and to call people to move beyond and above the crass, sterile, and
manipulative norm that invades all of life.
The perception many younger people have of the Church is that it is just
yet another cooped institution or group of people that wallow in the cultural
morass and that offers no real escape and alternative way forward.
As a Christian, I take upon myself to be educated, to seek
understanding and wisdom, to be forgiving, to be giving of myself, to be
respectful, to love beauty, peace, and freedom. I also understand that in order
to do all of this in God’s economy of things, my first and primary motivation
and goal is to love God with all of myself – my intentions, my devotions, my
perceptions, and my thoughts. It is tough to do in our culture, but we in the
Church must stop giving into or aiding the dumping down of everything.
I suggest that the primary problem that is at the heart of the creeping
crisis in American Christianity is a spiritual one – not merely
financial or lack of members or the presence of young people or
unresponsive structures or antiquated thinking (1960’s and 1970’s
thinking, that is the antiquated thinking I’m writing about), but a
spiritual problem.
What is the single thing that the Christian
Church provides humanity that no other organization or institution or
system offers? It is squarely Jesus Christ! Redemption – forgiveness,
healing, and restoration between God and the rest of humanity. That’s
it. Period.
The Christian Church is not needed for social work,
political activism, justice seeking, or most anything else, except new
life in Christ. (Not that we don’t have something to say or do with
regard to those other things, but our engagement with such things is on a
primarily different plain than is secular society’s.)
Until we
recognize the reality of spiritual crisis, no matter what “change” we
engage in to correct other presumed crises within our churches will
bring about the results we seek or bring about the reality of the
Kingdom of God in the world around us.
English: Cover of the January 16, 1939 issue of Newsweek magazine. The issue features Felix Frankfurter on the cover. The issue cost 10 cents. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Well, I heard this morning that the once venerable “Newsweek” will cease print publication and be a digital magazine beginning in January, 2013. I’ve been getting Newsweek since my Current Events class in high school – many years ago. I’ve debated ending my subscription several times as the magazine went through a variety of changes, many of them away from hard news reporting and to something more fluffy like “People” or some such magazine.
The latest rendition it has taken after being given to Tina Brown and the “Daily Beast” pretty much convinced me to finally end my subscription – but I felt disloyal to a once great news magazine going through tough times. Well, the decision has been made for me. Just like “US News and World Report,” Newsweek will end being a substantive news magazine.
Sad, but yet another example of companies, media, organizations, or even churches whose leadership that just can’t seem to make the changes necessary to stay current and viable – the leadership of these organizations make changes, but the changes they think are pertinent simply aren’t, and they won’t learn. Buggy whips.
Time for the “Economist.”
Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales.
I’m beginning to realize that much of what is passing as “innovative change” in the Church has more to do with attempts to force the continuance of late 20-Century “church” than to truly move into the reality of the emerging 21-Century. We tend to put new cloths on the same-old-thing and call it innovative and new. It isn’t. We deceive ourselves when we do such things.
There are examples all around of truly innovative thinking and methodology within American Christianity, if only we will open our eyes to see. And, if we will be humble enough to learn. Yet, when we do see, it does not mean that we abandon who we are authentically in crass attempts to gain, whatever it is we want to gain. It means that we take our authentic best, and in my case the best of the enduring Anglican Tradition of Christianity, and figure out how to translate such enduring faith for emerging generations
So, as part of my “Ministry Portfolio” that is needed as I look for ministry positions within the Church, we are supposed to post a link in our online portfolio to examples of sermons. Most Episcopal Churches do not record the sermons of preachers, although more are doing so. There isn’t the “tape ministry” turn “.mp3” recordings of preachers sermons culture within the Episcopal Church as has been common for a long time among Evangelical churches.
Anyway, I’ve started recording some of my sermons… because that is what is expected these days by those who make up search committees. Here is my sermon at St. Paul’s Church Carroll St. in Brooklyn, NY. The text comes from James, Proper 20 of the Revised Common Lectionary.
These things can be so sappy. This isn’t so much – and she certainly isn’t. What we do to our kids and allow to be done to them!
Give a listen (3:45 is when her song/singing actually begin)…
Here she is singing this song in an early performance:
The song is by Jessie J, an English performer. Here is a video of Jessie J singing her song “Who You Are”:
This is an American problem. It is a problem with the lack of vision and with the American psyche at this time. It is a problem with those who refuse to consider the civic good over what profits the self or “my little group”, only. It is a problem of not being able to conceive of a 21-century America that will be very, very different than the 20-century America.
It is all being upended, and there is great potential and great hope for those who can understand it and move within these new days of new realities (and it doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, of whatever race or ethnicity, etc., but a matter of understanding, attitude, and determination). We have to be able to remake ourselves, transform ourselves and our communities, and evolve rather than trying to cling to an imagined, idealized “America” that is quickly ending. Where do we go from here?
(It isn’t just notions of self-sufficiency offered by conservatives or government-sponsored anything offered by liberals, but the need for a different way of approaching the problems and conceiving of the future. It is all predicated on cooperation and compromise – nasty words in today’s social and political climate.)
What the trailer for the new Detropia movie. This may be Detroit, but I see the same in Lima – town where my parents and my sister’s family live, home of the fictionalized “Glee.”
DETROPIA Trailer from Loki Films on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/45929284?action=share&post_id=521576524_168269353310529#_=_
A few days ago I read a blog post from Fr. Robert Hendrickson, friend and colleague, Curate at Christ Church New Haven, and developer of the new and wonderful ministries of St. Hilda’s House, Ascension House, and Church of the Ascension in the Hill district of New Haven. In his blog entry, we spoke about the centrality of worship as the hallmark of Anglican Christianity and the Church’s experience. From his blog entry:
I have found that this exercise has emphasized that which we have
always struggled with as Anglicans – uniformity of belief. Throughout
our history we have navigated the Catholic and Reformed strains and
struggled with the melding of politics and religion. Through all of
this, we have maintained our identity through common worship. We have
prayed together, broken bread together, and listened to one another with
a common language, with a common prayer.
It may sound nonsensical or naive but I truly think the most crucial
task for the Church is not growth, justice, discipleship, survival, nor
restructuring. The most crucial task facing the Church is worship.
Please read his entry at his blog, The Curate’s Desk
This morning, I thought it might be interesting to see how Eugene Peterson (pastor, scholar, writer, and poet) wrote a couple particular chapters in the book of the Bible known as the Revelation (you know, that strange, last book of Holy Writ) in his version of the Bible known as “The Message”. Upon reading his short introduction on Revelation, I was reminded of Fr. Hendrickson’s blog post above on worship.
Peterson writes,
Worship shapes the human community in response to the living God. If worship is neglected or perverted, our communities fall into chaos or under tyranny.
Our times are not propitious for worship. The times never are. The world is hostile to worship. The Devil hates worship. As The Revelation makes clear, worship must be carried out under conditions decidedly uncongenial to it. Some Christians even get killed because they worship.
We are wise if we heed such instruction and insight from both.
