VillagePastor

WHAT I DISCOVERED IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE

Last year, coming back from theological meetings in Philadelphia, I took out time to give awards for those papers that had nothing to do with anything—at least anything I am interested in. This year, the awards for “Most Irrelevant Papers” come down to these—

§   “Is Evil a privation boni? Chisholming Away at Augustine’s Theory”

§   “Flesh on the Bones: Metaconsiderations and Critical Realism”

§   “Melchizedek: Biblically (Genesis, Psalms, Hebrews) and Second Temple (Genesis, Apocryphon, The Vision of Amran, 11Q13, Midrash, Targums, 2 Enoch, Josephus, Philo, and miscellaneous references)”

You can rank them yourselves. However, I should note that much of what I experienced was relevant, for the theme revolved around Christians in the Public Square. Appropriately, the meetings were in Washington, DC. It was fascinating to listen to various theologians grapple with the issue of Christians and politics, Just War versus Pacifism, Bush and Clinton, liberal vs. conservative. J. Budziszewski gave a most interesting analysis of Francis Schaeffer, and his influence ultimately on the Christian right. Perhaps the most stimulating talk was given by Hugh Hewitt, lawyer and radio talk show host, on God-blogging.

His message revolved around the necessity of blogging by thoughtful articulate Christians. Hewitt believes this is where much of the battle for influence will be fought. There are currently 55 million blog sites—underscoring that this has become the new media. There is something about the immediacy, hearing voices that would otherwise not be in print. The exciting thing with blogs is that hardly any part of the world is closed to their message. All you need is a computer and a modem, and a passion to engage in advancing the kingdom of God.

Hewitt also gave a warning that is worth passing on. Among the potential candidates for President is Governor Mitt Romney, who happens to be a Mormon. It could well be a huge test case for evangelicals, as well as a potential disaster if they should oppose him simply because he is a Mormon. This, according to Hewitt, will play nicely in the hands of secularists who would love to see Christians pushed out of the public square. If we make Mormonism a cause for disqualifying one from political office, the same arguments will be used next time to disqualify evangelicals.

Finally, on my last day, with just an hour to get out, I walked down Connecticut Avenue, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the White House. It was a brilliant November afternoon, and on the way, I passed a choir, composed of some 25 people, singing a song calling for the impeachment of President Bush, a president with diminished influence in a lame duck role. It struck me as odd that they would invest their time this way—but yet a reminder that all of us have a place in the public square. I put little hope in politics, and I find myself increasingly put off by those on the Christian right. My best hope, more than ever, is in the church. But we must nonetheless not give way or be intimidated by anyone who says we do not have a place in the public square. If we reason thoughtfully, and do it with grace, our voice may be the most important one of all.

Blog Block

Anyone who has preached for any length of time knows that you can suddenly come down with “sermon block”. It is an affliction known to strike at any moment—the worst being in the final preparation before preaching. It is 2:15, the preaching happens at 5:30, and one feels like he is staring into a large, dark void. The hands at the keyboard are suddenly frozen. Caffeine, even a time of praying near drops of blood, seem to have little affect. Desperation begins to kick in. The hope of being saved by a sudden illness or snowstorm does not seem to materialize.

I’ve discovered blogs can do this as well. A form of “blog block” takes hold, leading to blog avoidance. I have been living here the past few days. I’m trying to come back. It’s not for lack of reading or thinking. I just finished Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation. If this doesn’t disturb you, then maybe you are way too sheltered. I also just finished Lencioni’s Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars, causing me to think hard about how we create these things, both in a seminary and in a church. It’s time we tear most of them down by coming back to a common purpose. I liked Galli’s Jesus Mean and Wild, another recent read, who reminded me that it isn’t God’s aim to always be nice—nor should it be ours.

Last week I reread Frost’s Exiles. I really liked his first book, The Shaping of Things to Come, but this book is over the edge for me. This may be, in light of the fact that “exiles” is a word that speaks of those “being forced from home.” And I am not seeing a forced movement of people from home. I see people frustrated with the existing church, who tend to all too easily leave if their needs (or preferences) are not met. And there is something wrong with this. It sounds more like consumers than exiles, consumers seeking for fulfillment of desire, something reinforced constantly in our culture today. We walk into Starbucks, where regular or decaf has turned into 20,000 beverage permutations. A pastor, if he is not careful, can begin to feel like a “religious barista” (not my words—but Skye Jethani’s), trying to supply spiritual goods for others based upon their preferences.

So what is it exiles want? Frost writes that exiles are those who want what they haven’t found in existing churches: a free, organic, egalitarian communitas bound together by a common cause, a cause greater than themselves, a cause for justice, grace, and peace. But maybe some of these things aren’t there because they shouldn’t be. Organic all too often seems to be a reaction to organization, but a church is an organism that cannot exist apart from organization. Emerging communities are tomorrow’s institutional churches. This is reality. As long as existing churches do not come down with a severe case of institutionalism (form over function), then organization is fine—even necessary and vital. There should be freedom, but I do not enter church so much to find freedom. It’s in the community of saints, in the institution of covenants and commitments, I come to give myself as a bond servant to the call of God, the work of God, the people of God. I place a lot of my personal freedoms aside, frankly, to stay late and clean up, remain after a service to hear a brother share his grief, take what God has given me and sacrificially give a portion back. Egalitarianism? Where is this in the New Testament description of the early church? The language of Scripture is one of order and authority, of leaders called as servants who will one day give an account for the care of souls they were mandated to watch over. The same Scripture also speaks of headship, as well as a distinction between male and female roles. Equality for sure. We are in the process of ordaining a woman to ministry—the first in our church. It is a great moment for us. But it has nothing to do with pursuing egalitarianism.

Frost is right. We must be communities that pursue justice and grace and peace, but nothing says we can’t (and must) do this in a structured time and place, with buildings and memberships—that all serve as servants so that we can do what God has called us to do.

Now that I am over my blog block, maybe what we really need is a book entitled something else besides Exiles. Maybe something like Citizens, that challenges us to see each other, whether in new works or existing ones, as citizens of the same heavenly country, working together to advance God’s kingdom.