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Recommendation #2: Look for a church that is essentially orthodox, unless . . . .
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, May 23, 2008
Part 5 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
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In my last post I suggested that if you’re looking for a church, you should clarify your basic values for a church, but with an open mind and heart, since God might surprise you. This suggestion might seem to imply that there are no absolutes in looking for a church, that anything is possible. But, in fact, I believe that there are certain characteristics of a church that one should almost always seek. I’ll explain my “almost” below.
One of these characteristics is right theology. I believe you should seek a church that is essentially orthodox. Let me unpack this phrase. First of all, orthodox means “right believing.” I am using a lower-case ‘o’ because I don’t think one must join an Eastern Orthodox Church (with a capital ‘O’), though this is one possible option, since Orthodox churches (Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc.) tend to be orthodox as well. They believe the right things at the core. (Photo: The vast majority of churches in Greece are, as you would expect, Greek Orthodox. While in Athens last year, I was surprised to find a Protestant church. The sign reads: HELLENIKE EVANGELIKE EKKLESIA, or “Greek Evangelical (Protestant) Church.”)
Of course you’ll find different versions of what constitutes orthodoxy among Christians. But historic orthodox has affirmed such basics as: God as Trinity; Jesus as fully God and fully human; Jesus as Savior of the World. These basics are captured in the classic creeds of the church, especially the Nicene Creed. I realize many Christians would add to the list of essential orthodoxy (the authority of Scripture, the nature of the sacraments, etc.), but I want to focus on the core doctrine affirmed by virtually every true Christian throughout the centuries.
That covers the meaning of orthodox in essentially orthodox. So what about essentially? I’m using this word in two senses. First, I mean that the church should be right-believing in the essential core of doctrine, that which has to do with the nature of God, Christ, and salvation. But I also mean that the essence of the church has to do with God, Christ, and salvation. Churches have to do with all sorts of wonderful things: friendship, helping the poor, music, art, teaching, prayer, and so forth. But every church must be grounded upon and centered in God, the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the God who became human in Jesus Christ in order to save the world. If a church is based upon something other than God and God’s salvation in Christ, then that church is not essentially orthodox.
Let me hasten to add at this point that the church is not simply a community of right belief. Scripture is clear, from Genesis 1 straight on through to the end, that faith in God is more than merely believing the right things about God. It is a relationship of trust in God, a relationship that leads to right action (orthopraxy or orthopraxis) as an outgrowth of right belief. Too many churches, especially in my Reformed, evangelical tradition, pride themselves on being orthodox by utterly fail to live out their true belief in obedience and love. I would encourage you to look for a church that is both essentially orthodox and that seeks to live out its faith in everyday life.
My Recommendation #2 stated: ” Look for a church that is essentially orthodox, unless . . . .” My use of unless seems to imply that there may be a situation in which it is right for someone to join a church that is not essentially orthodox. Indeed, I am using unless in this sense. But, before I get besieged with critical comments and emails, let me explain my meaning.
I believe that almost every person should look for a church that is essentially orthodox. Several years ago, a good friend of mine, I’ll call her Lisa, did this very thing as she began seeking a church. But, in the end, she decided to join a liberal church that did not proclaim Jesus as the Savior. He was merely the Savior of those who happened to believe in him. According to this church, there were plenty of other saviors for other people. Lisa, who believed strongly that Jesus was THE Savior of the world, nevertheless felt called by God to join a church that was not essentially orthodox. Why? Because she believed that God wanted her to bear witness to classic Christian truth in that church.
Now Lisa was not the sort of person to offend people by her arrogance. She had a winsome personality that reflected both the truth and love of God. In time, she did indeed have opportunities to share her orthodox belief. And many people in the church were drawn to orthodoxy through Lisa’s faithful witness. As I look back upon Lisa’s choice of a church, I do believe that she was in fact called by God to a church that was not essentially orthodox.
This explains my use of “unless.” But, let me add in closing that I think Lisa’s example is unusual, though not unique. Lisa wasn’t your average, every day Christian. She had a bright mind and lots of biblical training. She was solid enough in her core beliefs that she was not persuaded by her new church to give up essential orthodoxy. Most people aren’t like Lisa, however. Most of us need, for a wide variety of reasons, to be in a church that gets the basics right.
What I’ve said about essential orthodox raises a practical question: How can you know what a church believes . . . really? How can you know if a church is essentially orthodox? I address these questions in the next post in this series.
Topics: Choosing a Church | 10 Comments »
Recommendation #1: Clarify what you value most in a church, though with an open mind and heart.
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, May 22, 2008
Part 4 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
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As most of my blog readers know, recently my family and I moved from California to Texas. We had a fairly easy time deciding that we wanted to live in Boerne, a small town on the outskirts of San Antonio. The schools are excellent in Boerne and it is located halfway between Kerrville (where my office is) and San Antonio (a major city with shopping, an airport, and where I frequently go for meetings).
Deciding to live in Boerne was easy enough, but deciding which house to buy was much trickier because there were so many variables. Did we want more land (which is amazingly inexpensive in Texas compared to California)? Or did we want a view of the hills? Did we want to live out in the country? Or did we prefer proximity to school and church? Then there were questions of price, style, floor plan, etc. etc. etc. It took us a few months of looking around before we were able to identify what we value most in a house. We learned, for example, that it was important to live fairly close to town so we didn’t end up spending lots of extra hours each week in the car (and burning gasoline!). (Photo: Our house hiding behind the trees.)
As you consider what you value in a church, as in shopping for a house, you’ll probably come up with top priority items (like solid theology), mid-priority items (proximity to home) and low-priority items (not too big). A prioritized list of values will be of great help as you try to settle in on a church. For example, when it comes to preaching, I don’t need my preacher to be a fantastic public speaker. That’s a low priority item. I don’t need great stories or jokes. I don’t need engaging PowerPoint. But I do need my preacher to be a person of solid Christian integrity, somebody I can trust. That’s a high priority item. I also need my preacher to have at least something worth saying each week. I don’t need twenty minutes of brilliance. But I do like to receive at least one thought I can take to heart. My pastor at St. Mark Presbyterian in Boerne fits the bill here, both in his character and in the wisdom of his preaching.�
Also, one of the benefits of clarifying your values will come if you’re not the only person making this decision. If, for example, you have a spouse and/or children, then the clarifying process will be a corporate one. It will be essential that you know, for example, that your spouse really doesn’t like music led by a rock band (or a choir, or a DJ, or whatever). �
When you’re looking for a new church, you may or may not be able to say at first what you most value. Or you may think that you care about certain features which, in the end, turn out not to matter. I know many people, for example, who begin the church search believing that they are looking for a church in a certain denomination (or independent), but in the end they find a wonderful church in a different denomination than they had expected.
One way to discover what you care most about in a church is to visit several churches and see what happens. I’d encourage you to be engaged, attentive, and open to the direction of the Spirit. You might be surprised by the result.
As you’re visiting churches, try to clarify what you care most about. Most of us have expectations and values, but these are often unexpressed. The process of clarification will enable you to know what you value and even to consider whether, in light of your theological convictions, you should in fact value these things. But remember to have an open mind and heart in the process, because God might have in mind a church that’s different from what you expect.
Although my example of going to Irvine Presbyterian Church isn’t ordinary, since I was being called as the senior pastor of this church, it does function as an analogy. If you had asked me in 1990 what I valued in the church to which I would be called as pastor, I’d have told you that I absolutely did not want to go to a church that needed to build buildings. I had seen churches in my area go through major crises associated with building projects. I had seen the conflicts, the financial drain, and the fiascoes. Moreover, I knew that there were hundreds of Presbyterian churches, often in cities, that had giant facilities but dwindling congregations. I believed I’d be a perfect fit for such a church, given my experience in Hollywood. I could focus on ministry without having to worry about buildings. That is what I thought in 1990, passionately. In fact, I told the search committee at Irvine Pres that I had major reservations about building projects. I said this knowing that this church was on the verge of building a sanctuary, and had more building on the distant horizon.
Well, as most of you know, God had the last laugh here. I ended up going to Irvine Presbyterian Church in 1991. And we did indeed build a sanctuary while I was pastor there, and also an administration building. I provided pastoral leadership for four, count ‘em, four capital campaigns. For the most part I enjoyed the challenges and opportunities of building, even the capital campaigns.
So, before you tell yourself, “I absolutely will not go to a church that [fill in the blank],” be aware that God might want not only to clarify your values, but also to change them.
At this point I can imagine some of my readers wanting to object: But aren’t there some bottom line qualities of a church that are non-negotiable? You’re not urging me to be open about everything, are you? You’re not suggesting that I should be open to going to a church that has lousy theology, are you? I’ll answer these questions tomorrow.
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Choosing a Church: A Few More Preliminaries
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Part 3 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
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Yesterday I put up a few preliminary comments to lay some groundwork for this series on choosing a church:
1. How you choose a church depends on your basic understanding of the church.
2. In a sense, we don’t choose the church. The church chooses us.
3. The real question is not what church I choose, but what church God has chosen for me.
Today I want to add a couple more items.
4. There is no perfect church.
If you’ve been hanging around churches as much as I have, you know this is true. Every church has strengths and every church has weaknesses. Often the strength is closely related to the weakness. If, for example, a church has an excellent choir or worship band, chances are that average singers or musicians are not welcome to participate in the choir or band. So the church gets an A+ for musical quality and a C- for lay ministry (at least in this area). On the contrary, a church might welcome every one into its choir or band, thus guaranteeing relatively low musical quality along with stellar participation.
Of course, from another perspective, there is no perfect church because churches are made up of people, and people are imperfect. Even the healthiest church is composed of forgiven sinners who wrong each other, sometimes inadvertently, sometimes intentionally. If a church appears to be fully harmonious, know that you’re simply looking on the surface.
It’s important to acknowledge that there’s no perfect church because sometimes people’s idealism about church gets in the way of their actually joining one. They keep on looking for a perfect community or a perfect fit, when this just isn’t to be found this side of heaven.
If there’s no perfect church, then every church you’ll consider has trade offs. A megachurch will offer an amazing array of programs, but will allow you to remain disconnected from the body. A house church, on the contrary, will maximize relationship but may lack ministries you deem essential, such as a youth ministry for your kids. You’ll have to decide what you value most in a church so that you can accept something less than impossible perfection.
5. Don’t idealize the early church.
During my freshman year of college I first experienced “church shopping.” Having move far away from my home church in California, the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, I found myself “churchless” in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As I thought about what kind of church I wanted to join, I expressed this in terms of finding a church “just like the early church.”
What I meant by this was that I was looking for a church that was open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit like the church in the Book of Acts. At that time I did not have established views about how spiritual gifts ought to function in the church today, but I sensed that God wanted to do much more through me than I had experienced in the past. I wanted a church that would encourage me in new avenues of ministry and that truly sought the power of God for daily living.
Yet I now chuckle at my desire to find a church “just like the early church.” The New Testament is plenty honest about the messes that the first churches made. Conflicts and heresies abounded in the early church, much like we find in today’s church. So, though we can surely desire a church that imitates the zeal and commitment of the early church, we should also remember that the early church wasn’t perfect either.
6. Don’t idealize your own earlier churches.
Throughout my years as a church member and a pastor, I have found a tendency for some people to idealize, even to idolize their own previous church experiences. They remember what was good about their former churches, often magnifying that goodness through the rose colored glasses of nostalgia. At the same time, they conveniently forget what wasn’t so great about their earlier churches. A friend of mine would wax eloquent about the wonderful “traditional” worship of his boyhood church, yet neglect to mention that this church died out because it failed to connect with its community. (Photo: The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. I was involved in this church from 1963 through 1991, both as a member and as a pastor. It was (and is) a wonderful church, and it’s easy for me to idolize my experience there.)
When I was the pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I often heard from folks who moved away that they couldn’t find a church like ours in their new location. I took this as a compliment, but often felt concerned that this kind of comparison was keeping people from getting plugged in to a church in their new community. �
It’s surely fine to be thankful for your positive church experiences. In fact, you should thank the Lord for such marvelous gifts. But if you dwell upon the past, and if you exaggerate its goodness, you may very well have a hard time finding any new church that measures up to your idealized memories.
In my next post in this series I’ll move beyond preliminaries and begin to offer some suggestions about how to choose a church.
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Choosing a Church: Some Preliminary Comments
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Part 2 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
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I’m continuing to collect input from my blog readers on choosing a church. Thanks for your comments and emails. Keep ‘em coming!
Before I start offering some recommendations on how to choose a church, I want to make some preliminary comments. These will set the stage for what’s to come.
1. How you choose a church depends on your basic understanding of the church.
If you’re looking for a church, you already have a basic understanding of the church, even if this understanding is more intuitive than rational. This core theology of church will strongly determine how you look for a church and what you value in a church. Let me offer several examples:
• If you believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the true church, then your search for a church will be limited to Roman Catholic parishes. It’s not unlikely that you will simply end up at the Roman Catholic church closest to where you live.
• If you think of church primarily as a place to get theological input, then you’ll be inclined to seek strong preaching and teaching, and to make this a top priority.
• If you think of church more as a body of believers who share life and ministry together, then you may be less worried about the quality of the preaching and more interested in finding a church with strong fellowship.
Given the fact that choosing a church depends on your theology of church, it does without saying that my approach to this matter assumes a certain theology of church. Some time ago I began a blog series on What is a Church? There I began to spell out my theology of church. But this series isn’t completed. I need to get back to it sometime. At any rate, as I talk about how to choose a church, you’ll see through the lines to my basic understanding of the church.
2. In a sense, we don’t choose the church. The church chooses us.
Okay, so here is part of my core theology of church: We don’t choose it. It “chooses” us. What do I mean? Scripture is clear that when a person becomes a Christian, that person is joined to the church by the Holy Spirit (see, for example, 1 Cor 12:12-13). It’s not an option for a believer in Jesus to be a part of the church of Jesus Christ or not. If you’re a Christian, you’re a member of the church. Period. (Photo to the right: Holypark United Methodist Church, Gardena, California. Retrieved through Google Maps Street View. My first church, where my family attended until I was six-and-half-years old. One of my first memories of this church was sitting in a worship service and noticing a boy crawling through the bushes along the side of the sanctuary. I pointed this out to my mother, who informed me that he was the minister’s son. “Minister’s kids often get into trouble,” she told me. Indeed.)
Of course you can choose not to act on this truth. You can choose to amputate yourself from the body of Christ in practice. There are many Christians who do not associate with other believers in any tangible, regular way. This is not what God intends for us. But it is an option that many Christians take.
Of course, in practice, most Christians choose a church with which to affiliate. But I think it’s important to recognize that this isn’t some extra credit option for believers, but rather a response to the fact that the Holy Spirit has immersed us in the church of Jesus Christ. When we take this fact seriously, we’re inclined to think of choosing a church differently. We realize it isn’t a matter of our personal choice so much as it is a matter of discerning God’s choice for us.
3. The most important issue is not what church I choose, but what church God has chosen for me.
Choosing a church is like other major decisions in life. The main question isn’t what we want, but rather what God wants for us. I might want to join a church in which I can be anonymous, but God wants me to be in a church where I share life with people who know me. I might want a church where I can just sit and enjoy the worship service, whereas God wants me in a church where I am needed. Etc. etc. etc.
Let me hasten to add that discerning God’s will for our lives is not necessarily easy. Often we end up doing what we believe is right without any divine revelations or reassurance. I won’t go on and on about the will of God where because I’ve already done that elsewhere (Why Move? Stewardship, Wineskins, and the Enigmatic Will of God). But putting God in the center of the church-choosing process is essential, because it takes the focus off of “me and what I want” and puts the emphasis upon what God wants for me and for his kingdom.
More tomorrow . . . .
Topics: Choosing a Church | 7 Comments »
Choosing a Church: Your Help Needed
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, May 19, 2008
A friend of mine and faithful reader of my blog has suggested that I do a series on choosing a church. What should one look for when seeking a new church? What is most important? How should one go about finding a new church? Etc. etc. etc.
I think my friend has an excellent idea, especially since my family and I have just been through the process of choosing a new church. But before I weigh in on this subject, I thought it would be both interesting and helpful to hear from you. What do you think is important in choosing a church? How have you gone about finding a church?
You can answer this question by adding a comment to this post. Or, if you wish, you can weigh in confidentially by sending me an email. I may quote your email, but I won’t reveal your name.
Photo montage above: All the churches (buildings) where I’ve attended worship for a significant length of time. From the upper left corner, moving clockwise: Hollypark United Methodist Church, Gardena, California (1958-1963); First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, Hollywood, California (1963-1991); Cambridge Christian Center, met in Prospect Street Congregational Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1977-1979); Irvine Presbyterian Church, Irvine, California (1991-2007); St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Boerne, Texas (2007-2008); Cambridge Christian Center, met in Christ Church Cambridge, Massachusetts (1976-1977).
Topics: Choosing a Church | 11 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, May 18, 2008
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Ever since sin broke God’s perfect world, sadness pervades our existence. Oh, to be sure, there are times when we rejoice. But we also experience times of mourning, even extended seasons of grieving. We mourn for many reasons: human suffering, the loss of loved ones, broken relationships, the persistence of our sin.
Such sadness prepares us to receive God’s kingdom. In fact, through Isaiah, God promised that the Messiah would comfort those who mourn:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,
for the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the LORD’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the LORD has planted for his own glory.
Isaiah 61:1-3
Because Jesus was anointed to usher in God’s kingdom, those who mourn were blessed because comfort was on the way.
Yet, until the fullness of the kingdom comes to us, we will still grieve. The tragedies of life will at times weigh heavily upon our hearts. But in our grief we have hope for the future. We also have the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who meets us in our sorrow and calms our hearts.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When you grieve, do you bring your sadness to God? How have you experienced the comfort of God’s Spirit in your life?
PRAYER: Dear Lord, there are times when this life is filled with joy, times of gladness and celebration. But there are other times, many other times, times of sadness and loss, times of mourning and weeping. Along with the whole creation, our hearts ache for the day when your kingdom will fully come. Then you will wipe away every tear. Sorrow and sadness will pass away.
In our mourning, we thank you for the hope you give us through Christ. But we also thank you for the comfort you give us right now. Indeed, how grateful we are for the Comforter, the Spirit who dwells within us to grant us your peace.
Today I want to pray for those who mourn. I think of a dear friend who just lost her father and a cople who recently lost their son in a tragic death. I remember parents whose children have given their lives in service to this country. I envision countless victims of poverty and injustice throughout our world. Comfort those who mourn, dear Lord. And may your kingdom come, so that mourning may be swallowed up by celebration.
All praise be to you, Lord, because you comfort those who mourn. Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
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A Couple of Good Leads: Lapinator and Overstock.com
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, May 17, 2008
As most of my readers know, I don’t accept advertising on this website. But, upon occasion, I do point my readers to products or services that I have found helpful. Today I want to highlight Lapinator and Overstock.com.
Lapinator
Every now and then I actually want to use my laptop computer on my lap. The problem is that my computer can get pretty warm on the bottom. If it’s on my lap, computer heat plus body heat leads so some discomfort.
What to do? Get a Lapinator. Yes, a Lapinator. You’ve gotta love this name! More importantly, you will love this product. It’s a lightweight, inexpensive device that will allow you to use your computer on your lap in full comfort. I prefer the Lapinator-Plus, which is a little larger than the Lapinator. You can order it from Amazon.com, or directly from Lapinator website.
Overstock.com
I expect many of my readers are already familiar with Overstock.com. The company has been around for over then years, but I just started doing business with them in the last year. Basically, Overstock.com sells, you guessed it, overstocked items at a discount. If, for example, Panasonic has too much stock of a certain television set, then it might sell that model at a significant discount through Overstock.com.
If you expect to do much shopping through Overstock.com, I’d highly recommend their “Club-O” program. You pay $29.95 per year. In turn, you receive an extra 5% off almost every order, as well as free shipping. This is quite a deal, in my opinion. We’ve bought some furniture for our house from Overstock.com, using the “Club-O” deal. The savings were significant, and we’ve been very pleased with the quality of our purchases.
I recently purchased a television from Overstock.com. It arrived in fine shape, but, in transit, someone had opened the box and removed the remote control. I thought to myself: Oh, no! This is going to be a huge hassle. I called Overstock.com’s free phone support and explained the situation. The person on the other end, who spoke intelligible English, gave me absolutely no hassle. When he couldn’t help me, he passed me on to someone who could. Overstock.com was not able to send another remote since they were out of stock. But they gladly refunded to me the amount it took me to order a new remote from another vendor. All in all, I was greatly impressed with this experience. I give Overstock.com an A+ in customer care.
So, there you go, a couple of recommendations, free of charge. By the way, I checked, and you can’t get a Lapinator from Overstock.com.
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Avoiding Pulpit Pride: Advice for Preachers
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, May 16, 2008
Part 5 of series: Pride and the Power of the Pulpit
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In my last post, I suggested what a person should do if his or her preacher fell prey to pulpit pride and started to preach irresponsibly. In today’s post, I want to offer advice for preachers about how to avoid pulpit pride and its negative results.
1. Recognize the possibility of pulpit pride.
In my second post in this series, I talked about the pride of the pulpit. From my own experience, and from what I know of other preachers, it’s easy to get caught up in the headiness of having lots of people listening to you as you preach. Preachers are human beings, and can easily fall into pride. If preachers acknowledge this possibility, then they’ll be in a position to avoid it. If they pretend that they’re immune from the temptation of pulpit pride, then they’ll be ill-prepared to combat it.
2. Come humbly before the Lord.
Nothing keeps me from pride better than when I come humbly before the Lord in prayer and worship. When I remember God’s greatness, then it feels almost silly to get puffed up about myself. I am renewed in my sense of calling as God’s servant, and therefore as a servant to oathers. Even when I’m in a place of power, the pulpit, if you will, I’m there as a servant leader, with the emphasis on servant. So, if you approach the pulpit on your knees, you’ll be protected from pride.
3. Get honest feedback on your preaching.
Most preachers get regular feedback on their preaching. It comes in the form of comments after the worship service: Nice sermon, pastor. Thank you for your words, pastor. That was very meaningful. Etc. etc. etc. These are encouraging words, to be sure, but rarely do they provide substantial feedback. In fact, I would encourage sermon-listeners not to give heavy-duty feedback, pro or con, to a preacher immediately after a worship service. Most preachers are tired at this moment and not in a place to listen carefully.
How can preachers get honest, helpful feedback on preaching? It depends. Sometimes this can come from wise, mature members of a pastor’s congregation. It could come from peers. It might come from one’s spouse. Of course if a pastors publish their sermons on the web, either in manuscript, audio, or video form, then feedback could come from almost anywhere. I’ve received hundreds of email responses to my sermons (published online) from people all over the world. Most have been positive, though some have raised substantive issues.
4. Watch a video or listen to a recording of your preaching.
If you’re a preacher and you haven’t done this for a while, perhaps since seminary days, you would be well-served to listen to a recording of yourself. A video would be best. You might see yourself in a new light. If you’re wandering into pomposity and pride, seeing yourself as others see you might be eye-opening.
5. Consider the majesty of your message.
At the core, preachers are called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not only good new, but also the best news of all. We get to tell people that God loves them in spite of their sin, that they are accepted by God’s grace through Christ, that they can live new lives of meaning and purpose as God’s beloved children and ministers of Christ, that the Spirit of God will live in them to inspire and empower them, etc. etc. etc. The more we are overwhelmed by the majesty of that which we’ve been called to preach, the less we’ll be impressed by ourselves. (Photo: from inside the Chapel of the Transfiguration, Grand Tetons National Park)
Moreover, when we remember the core of our proclamation, we’ll be less inclined to wander into tangents that get us in trouble. If we’re focusing on the good news of Christ, along with all the implications of that good news as revealed in Scripture, we’ll have more than enough to preach. Thus we won’t have time to pontificate about the sorts of things that can get preachers in trouble. The gospel of Jesus Christ keeps us focused in the right place, even as it humbles us when we consider the sheer privilege of being messengers of such great news.
We preachers need to take our message more seriously and ourselves less seriously.
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What Should You Do If Your Preacher Falls Prey to Pulpit Pride?
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, May 15, 2008
Part 4 of series: Pride and the Power of the Pulpit
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As I wrap up this series on Pride and the Power of the Pulpit, I want to speak practically to those who find themselves in a situation not unlike that of Barack Obama. What should you do if your preacher gets puffed up with pulpit pride and begins to speak irresponsibly? Should you just sit there and take it out of loyalty or inertia? Should you leave the church? Or ???? (Photo: I’m preaching at Irvine Presbyterian Church. I hope without pulpit pride.)
It was easy for many to criticize Barack Obama for staying in Trinity United Church of Christ when his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, was preaching irresponsibly. I must confess that I found his willingness to stay at the church for so many years to be perplexing, given what seems to have been Rev Wright’s history of irresponsible communication. However, at the same time, I can appreciate Obama’s commitment to the Trinity congregation even when its pastor was a rhetorical loose cannon. Church, after all, isn’t primarily about the preacher. It’s a community of people who have pledged faithfulness to each other. If you’re committed to your church, then your instinct should be to remain in that church even if the pastor runs off at the mouth at times. Yes, yes, there may be a time when leaving a church is necessary. But such a decision should not be a Christian’s first move when the preacher gets out of bounds.
So what should you do if your preacher says things from the pulpit that you find irresponsible?
If the offense is minor and rare, you might want simply to ignore it. Pastors say a lot of things, and deserve, in my opinion, a measure of grace and forgiveness when they mess up in relatively minor ways. If your pastor messes up every now and then, and not in major ways, then perhaps all you need to do is to pray more faithfully for your pastor.
However, even if the preacher’s offense is minor and rare, if you can’t let go of your negative response to it, then you should not ignore it. Unexpressed resentment or anger with your pastor will keep you from hearing God’s word through that pastor’s preaching.
If you can’t ignore your preacher’s irresponsibility, or if you have been truly offended by it, then you need to do what Jesus commands of his disciples in Matthew 18:
“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one” (Matt 18:15).
Note carefully that you’re to speak to the preacher when the two of you are alone, not in the receiving line after worship, not on the patio. Note also that you are not to gossip about your concerns to others. Usually when people in church are upset with their pastor, they make sure others hear about it. Jesus says you’re to go straight to the one who offended you, in this case, to your preacher. Furthermore, note that you’re to be focused in your communication. “Point out the fault,” and only the fault. Don’t use the occasion of this discussion to bring up other frustrations with your pastor. Finally, note the point of the conversation: reconciliation. You’re to seek to “regain” a healthy relationship with your pastor.
Of course there are times when one who sins against another will not listen when confronted in private. If this happens to you in your conversation with your pastor, it still isn’t time to leave the church. And it still isn’t right to gossip. Rather, Jesus says:
“But if you are not listened to, take one or atwo others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Matt 18:16.
I’d urge you to ask one or two mature Christians, perhaps elders of the church, to join you for another conversation with the pastor. Those people will also be able to help you determine whether your offense is warranted. Once again, the intent of this conversation is reconciliation.
If that still doesn’t happen, then things get tricky. Jesus says “if the offender refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church” (Matt 18:17). Most churches today have a layer of leadership that wasn’t present in the time of the earliest church, a board of elders or deacons or something similar. In my opinion, your best move at this point would be to communicate in an official way with the board, probably through a letter. It will be the responsibility of the board to confront the pastor about any irresponsible preaching.
Now I realize that reality can be pretty messy. Some churches don’t have boards. Some boards are under the thumb of the pastor. Some pastors will never listen to criticism. Etc. etc. etc. But, in my personal experience, as a preacher, a friend of preachers, and a listener of thousands of sermons, most preachers really want to say and do what is right. If they have been irresponsible, many will admit it and make amends. The result of this process can be a wonderful one, not only for the person offended by the preacher, but also for the preacher and the church.
So when should you leave a church because of a preacher’s irresponsible preaching? I don’t think there’s an easy, one-size-fits-all answer to this question. I can imagine situations in which people decide to remain in a church where a preacher occasionally messes up for lots of godly reasons. It would be a major problem for me if those mistakes had to do with central theological issues. I could take a measure of anti-patriotic fervor in my pastor far more easily than I could stomach heresy.
Curiously enough, the sermon tidbits that got Jeremiah Wright into trouble were not theological teachings so much as social commentary. Wright wasn’t denying the deity of Christ or salvation through Christ or something essential to orthodoxy. Rather, he was espousing views about the U. S. government and American society in general that were negative and, in my opinion, eccentric. It seems to me that a preacher who gets the theology right but says some kooky things about society deserves more grace than a preacher who preaches theological heresy but does so with exuberant patriotism. (I have not studied Rev. Wright’s theology enough to know where he stands with respect to historic orthodoxy.)
If you decide that you need to leave a church, I’d urge you to do so with as much grace and kindness as you can muster. Throughout my years at Irvine Presbyterian Church, there were people who left the church largely because of me. That was hard for me, as you can imagine. But some who left did so in a way that honored our relationship and my pastoral role. They came to me, explained honestly why they were leaving, but without unnecessary criticism. They found things to affirm in my ministry, and I was able to return the favor. Though our parting was painful, it was healthy for all involved, including the church. Moreover, their kindness and responsibility made it so much easier when we ran into each other at Starbucks or wedding receptions.
Topics: Pride and the Power of the Pulpit | 5 Comments »
Headlines You Don’t See Every Day . . .
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Today as I was scanning the latest edition of The Boerne Star, my hometown paper, I read several headlines that impressed me as being unlike anything I had seen in a while . . . maybe ever. The headlines included:
Sewer leads city agenda
A front page headline. Not exactly going to sell many papers. The Boerne Star has a monopoly here, if you hadn’t guessed.
County considers deer hunt at park
Back in California, somebody would sue if officials tried to trap rats in a park. Here, they’re willing to shoot Bambi’s mother. (P.S. There are so many deer in this area that the land cannot support them. Hunting is rather like pruning.)
Boerne Brawl
A recent baseball game between the Boerne High Greyhounds and the New Braunfels Canyon Cougars included a 20 minute scuffle. New thing you know we’ll be hunting cougars.
Property values up in Kendall County
Huh? What? I just moved from California. Of course the downside is that property taxes will be going up.
Coral Snake: Our colorful, but shy neighbor
Oh, did I forget to mention “colorful, poisonous, sometimes deadly, but shy neighbor.”
Topics: Only in Texas | 2 Comments »
Blog Tour: Trading Places by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I’m the seventh stop in a book blog tour for Trading Places: The Best Move You’ll Ever Make in Your Marriage by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. If you’re interested, you can find the other stops here.
Here’s the Parrotts official bio:
Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott are founders of www.RealRelationships.com and the Center for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University. Their bestselling books include Love Talk, Your Time Starved Marriage, and the award-winning Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. Their work has been featured in the New York Times and USA Today and they have appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, and Oprah.
They are well known for their excellent work on marriages, as scholars and especially as people committed to helping others. Trading Places falls into the later category.
So, with no further ado, here are my question for the Parrotts and their answer:
Question from Mark for Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott
Les and Leslie:
First, thanks for stopping by my blog on your blog tour. It’s a pleasure to have you here.
Second, thanks for your consistently excellent efforts to strengthen marriages. Your books, conferences, and other resources have helped literally millions of spouses to have healthier and happier marriages.
Third, thanks for writing Trading Places. This is a fine book: focused, readable, engaging, relevant. In reading Trading Places as a part of my preparation for your blog tour, I was challenged personally as a husband. (I say this as a dyed-in-the-wool Analyzer who has to work hard at the feeling part of empathy.)
Okay, now my question: You make a solid case for the importance of empathy in marriage. I’m convinced. So, why do you think so many marriages lack empathy? If it’s so important, and if the fruits of empathy are so delightful, why do husbands and wives struggle with this stuff?
Thanks for taking time to respond to this question.
Answer from Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott
We’re glad we’ve convinced you to practice more empathy! That’s terrific. And we’re so glad you like the book. You’ve posed a good question.
We’ve often felt that if we could give a couple about to be married anything in the world, we’d give them a box of empathy. Can you imagine who nice it would be if this quality would be that simple to instill? Of course, it’s not that easy. And that’s precisely why empathy, or “trading places,” is lacking in so many marriage – it takes intentional effort.
Many of us think we’re already empathizing with our spouse. We think we accurately understand his or her circumstances. We believe that we have feelings that are in tune with his or her emotional world. But truth be told, we’re often missing the mark. We make assumptions about our spouse’s circumstances and experiences that are simply not accurate. So, even if we are well intended when it comes to empathy, we too often miss the mark because we lack the skills. Of course, that’s why we wrote the book … to hand off these skills in a way that you can put into practice.
But there’s another reason that so many couples don’t take advantage of empathy in their relationship – and it’s a selfish one. We mistakenly believe that if we empathize, if we try to see the world from our partner’s perspective, that we will be setting out own needs aside. We erroneously believe that our own needs will not get met. But nothing is farther from the truth. Empathy, in fact, is the quickest way to get your own needs met. Why? Because once your partner senses your empathic investment in him or her, the act is contageous. He or she is soon beginning to empathize with you. Empathy begets empathy. And that’s precisely why we believe that “trading places” is the most rewarding skill you’ll ever practice in your marriage.
Response from Mark
Thanks, Les and Leslie, for this thoughtful and helpful response.
Speaking as a husband and a pastor, you answer hits the spot. It’s easy for folks, including me, to assume that we’re empathizing with our spouse, when in fact we are not giving the “intentional effort” required. I know I can simply take it for granted that I’m in touch with my wife’s feelings, when in fact I’m simply wrapped up in myself.
One of the things I appreciate about Trading Places is its focus. Often books on marriage offer too much advice for me to take in and act upon. I can feel overwhelmed. Trading Places, by focusing on empathy, encourages me to grow in this crucial characteristic of marriage, without feeling like I have to get it all right.
Final Word for My Readers
If you’re married, Trading Places will help you have a better marriage now. If you’re on the way to marriage, buy Trading Places and get a head start on empathy.
Topics: Book Reviews | No Comments »
Brazen Politics in Church on Pentecost & Mother’s Day
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, May 12, 2008
Yesterday was Pentecost, the day when Christians celebrate the birthday of the church, which happened when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the first disciples of Jesus. Yesterday was also Mother’s Day. In fact, it was the 100th anniversary of the first Mother’s Day celebration in church.
Yesterday was also a day in which I heard the most obvious and brazen endorsement of a political candidate that I have ever heard in all of my years of church. Before you get on the phone to call down the IRS on my church, allow me to explain.
My church, St. Mark Presbyterian in Boerne, Texas, did a fine job recognizing both Pentecost and Mother’s Day, while keeping the focus on Pentecost, which, in my opinion, is the right emphasis. The church sanctuary was decked out in red, the liturgical color for Pentecost. In addition to red paraments, stoles, candles, and flowers, there were dozens of red balloons: red for Pentecost, filled with air to signify the Spirit.
The children’s sermon had a Mother’s Day theme. About a dozen children from ages 3 to 10 gathered at the front. Their leader began by asking: Why is today special? One kid blurted out “Because it’s the church’s birthday.” Not bad! The others filled in with “It’s Mother’s Day.”
Then the leader asked the children what they do on Mother’s Day. The answers included:
We give our mom a present.
We make cards for our mom.
We tell our mom we love her.
. . . and the like.
Then, out of the blue, came a most unexpected answer:
We’re still hoping that Hillary will win.
There it was. Politics in church. How brazen! Never heard that before in St. Mark Presbyterian! For a moment there was hushed silence. Then some of the adults in the congregation began to chuckle. I was grateful that none of the other children picked up the gauntlet, adding: “We want Barack!” “We want McCain!” (Notice that the Democrats have first names, while the Republican has a last name.)
I don’t know why this kid mentioned Hillary Clinton when answering a question about how he celebrates Mother’s Day. I’m pretty sure that kid wasn’t Chelsea Clinton. For one thing, he was a boy about six years old. Maybe his mom is a big Hillary fan and he was trying to be supportive of her passion. Maybe his folks talked about Hillary on the way in to church. Maybe he was struck by the fact that a prominent presidential candidate is also a mom. Who knows?
Given the source of the political lobbying in worship today, I doubt St. Mark Pres will have trouble keeping its non-profit tax status. The IRS tends to go after pastors who endorse candidates, not children who contribute to a children’s sermon.
Topics: Fun | 3 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Ministry of John the Baptist
“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
These days, if we even use the word “repent” in common discourse, we emphasize feeling bad for something we have done. “I have repented” means “I am truly sorry for my actions.” Biblically speaking, repentance may imply sorrow for sin, but it includes so much more. Repentance is a thorough change of life. It’s thinking in a new way and heading in a new way. It’s turning from one sort of life to embrace another.
The approach of the kingdom of heaven called forth repentance in the day of John the Baptist. So it does today. When we recognize God’s sovereignty over our lives, when we realize that God is present to guide and use us for his purposes, we can’t keep living in the same way. Rather, we turn away from self-centeredness so that we might live for God. We reject a life of sin so that we might live rightly for God’s glory.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Has the kingdom of heaven led you to genuine repentance? How does the reign of God over your life impact your daily living?
PRAYER: Dear God, you are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Your kingdom touches all of life, including me. When I reflect on the implications of your sovereignty, I am called to repentance. I want to leave my sin behind and follow you. I seek to live for you this day, seeking your glory rather than my own.
Though my situation differs widely from that of John’s audience in the Judean wilderness, help me to hear a similar call to repentance. By your grace at work within me, may I turn my life around so that I might live fully for you each day . . . beginning right now. Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
Only in Texas???? Or Africa!
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, May 10, 2008
Last weekend my wife and I attended a party at a ranch in the Hill Country of Texas about 25 miles from our house. In order to get to this ranch, we had to drive through another ranch. This other ranch had exotic game wandering about. It was like driving in a zoo, or in Africa.
At first we saw camels. They looked harmless enough, and didn’t seem interested in us. Later, I learned that one of these camels has a foundness for side view mirrors on cars, and had torn off several over the years. I’m glad we didn’t have such an encounter with this camel.
Then we saw zebras. These are actually fairly common in the Hill Country. I often see zebras on my way to work. They aren’t wild, but are kept behind ranch fences. A couple of months ago, a zebra got out and worried people who live in my town. It made the local police blotter. You may remember this entry from one of my earlier posts:
Farm Road 473, 10:15 p.m., Caller said a stray zebra was standing in her front yard. While an officer was en route, a vehicle hit the animal which sustained minor injuries. Animal control loaded the zebra into a trailer and took it to the wildlife refuge.
Finally we saw two animals that looked very odd. They seemed to be cattle of some sort, but with gigantic horns. Not only were the horns quite long, but they were very large in circumference. When I got home I did some Internet research. It turns out that these animals are Ankole-Watusi cattle from Africa. They were brought to the U.S. about 50 years ago. One Ankole-Watusi steer has the Guinness Book record for the largest horn circumference. Check out this website devoted to “Lurch” with the giant horns.
Oh, the surprises of Texas!
Topics: Only in Texas | No Comments »
An Evangelical Manifesto: Why I Signed (Part 2)
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, May 9, 2008
Part 2 of series: An Evangelical Manifesto: Why I Signed
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Yesterday I began to explain why I joined the list of “charter signatories” for An Evangelical Manifesto: The Washington Declaration of Evangelical Identity and Public Commitment. I summed up my rationale this way:
I signed because An Evangelical Manifesto expresses many of my concerns and convictions about the interaction of Christian faith and politics.
In yesterday’s post I began to lay out some of those concerns and convictions. Today I’ll continue the conversation.
The Manifesto repudiates “the two extremes that define the present culture wars in the United States” (Executive Summary [ES] p. 4). And what are these?”
“On one side, we repudiate the partisans of a sacred public square, those who would continue to give one religion a preferred place in public life” (ES p. 4). (Note: Had I written this statement, I would have reserved “repudiate” for views, not people.) Clearly, this is a critique of those who, arguing from the Christian roots of American history, would want Christianity to assume a privileged place in American society today. The Manifesto argues that our society is, and should be, one in which various religious traditions stand on equal ground.
“On the other side, we repudiate the partisans of a naked public square, those who would make all religious expression inviolably private and keep the public square inviolably secular” (ES p. 4). It is increasingly common these days to hear secularists and even some Christians call for prohibiting religious ideas in public conversation. According to this view, for example, presidential candidates have no business talking about their religious faith (or lack thereof). Religious people can participate in public matters, but without speaking of their religious convictions. It is extraordinarily narrow-minded of proponents of the naked public square to argue that people should not bring their deepest beliefs and moral convictions into public conversations.
So what does the Manifesto suggest instead of a sacred or naked public square?
We are committed to a civil public square – a vision of public life in which citizens of all faiths are free to enter and engage the public square on the basis of their faith, but within a framework of what is agreed to be just and free for other faiths as well (ES, p. 4).
The authors of the Manifesto want a seat at the table of social and political discussion. They don’t want to have to hide their religious convictions. And they’re willing to give the same opportunity to non-Evangelicals, whether they are otherwise religious or non-religious. The point is that all people should be included in the conversation, and should receive respect from their conversation partners.
Why does this even have to be mentioned in American society, with our long, long history of religious freedom and religious participation in public discourse? The Manifesto explains:
Third, we are concerned that a generation of culture warring, reinforced by understandable reactions to religious extremism around the world, has created a powerful backlash against all religion in public life among many educated people. If this hardens into something like the European animosity toward religion in public life, the result would be disastrous for the American republic and would severely constrict liberty for people of all faiths. The striking intolerance shown by the new atheists is a warning sign (ES p. 5)
In this generation of “culture warring,” there have been some leading Christians who have sounded as if they want to impose their religious convictions on others. I expect some have actually wanted to do this. Others have simply spoken unwisely. And many others have been misunderstood and misrepresented by the secular media, which have given the impression that Evangelical Christians want to impose that which they simply want the freedom to believe, practice, and advocate. (For an example of such misunderstanding and misrepresentation, see my series: The Great Commission and the “Christers”:
A Critical Examination of “The New Blacklist” by Doug Ireland.)
In my opinion, the Manifesto hits the nail on the head by referring to “understandable reactions to religious extremism around the world” (ES p. 5). Recently I was giving a lecture at Austin Graduate School of Theology. After my presentation, I was asked why I thought atheism has had such a run of popularity. I gave a few reasons, the most important of which pointed to the reaction to religious extremism. On September 11, 2001, our national consciousness was rocked by the unthinkable as we were attacked. Who was behind the attack? A particular category of religious extremist, sometimes called “Muslim fundamentalists.” This fact has led many to propose that the world would be better off without religion, or without any public expressions of religion, at any rate. They point, not only to Islamic extremism, but also to violence done by others. Christians get tarred with the brush of the Crusades and abortion-clinic attacks. And, of course, religion’s detractors almost completely fail to mention any of the positive things done in the name of religion (feeding the hungry, building hospitals, etc. etc. etc.). And they also neglect the horrors done in the name of secularism (Stalin’s genocide, for example) or try somehow to blame religion for secularist atrocities (as Christopher Hitchens does in god is not Great.) (Photo: Some oak tress in Austin, not far from Austin Graduate School of Theology.)
I would agree with the Manifesto that such anti-religious reactions are “understandable.” But to move from outrage over 9/11 to the conclusion that religion should be banned from the public square is a simplistic and unpersuasive position. Moreover, it is fundamentally opposed to the basic vision of our nation as a place of freedom, including freedom of speech and religion.
There is much more in An Evangelical Manifesto that I’m not going to comment on now. Once again, I’d urge you to read the whole statement (PDF version, 20 pages), or at least the Executive Summary (PDF, 6 pages) of the Manifesto that was prepared by the authors.
I’m going to close this post by quoting from the closing section of the Manifesto. Its invitations are well worth accepting:
We urge our fellow-Evangelicals to consider these affirmations and to join us in clarifying the profound confusions surrounding Evangelicalism, that together we may be more faithful to our Lord and to the distinctiveness of his way of life.
We urge our fellow-citizens to assess the damaging consequences of the present culture wars, and to work with us in the urgent task of restoring liberty and civility in public life, and so ensure that freedom may last to future generations.
We urge adherents of other faiths around the world to understand that we respect your right to believe what you believe according to the dictates of conscience, and invite you to follow the golden rule and extend the same rights and respect to us and to the adherents of all other faiths, so that together we may make religious liberty practical and religious persecution rarer, so that in turn human diversity may complement rather than contradict human well-being.
We urge those who report and analyze public affairs, such as scholars, journalists, and public policy makers, to abandon stereotypes and adopt definitions and categories in describing us and other believers in terms that are both accurate and fair, and with a tone that you in turn would like to be applied to yourselves.
We urge those in positions of power and authority to appreciate that we seek the welfare of the communities, cities, and countries in which we live, yet our first allegiance is always to a higher loyalty and to standards that call all other standards into question, a commitment that has been a secret of the Christian contributions to civilization as well as its passion for reforms.
We urge those who share our dedication to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed to join with us in working to bring care, peace, justice, and freedom to those millions of our fellow-humans who are now ignored, oppressed, enslaved, or treated as human waste and wasted humans by the established orders in the global world.
We urge those who search for meaning and belonging amid the chaos of contemporary philosophies and the brokenness and alienation of modern society to consider that the gospel we have found to be good news is in fact the best news ever, and open to all who would come and discover what we now enjoy and would share.
Finally, we solemnly pledge that in a world of lies, hype, and spin, where truth is commonly dismissed and words suffer from severe inflation, we make this declaration in words that have been carefully chosen and weighed; words that, under God, we make our bond. People of the Good News, we desire not just to speak the Good News but to embody and be good news to our world and to our generation.
Here we stand. Unashamed and assured in our own faith, we reach out to people of all other faiths with love, hope, and humility. With God’s help, we stand ready with you to face the challenges of our time and to work together for a greater human flourishing. (EM pp. 19-20)
Topics: Evangelical Manifesto | 1 Comment »