Vacations, Culture, and Churchy-ology

Vacation Experiences Our experiences, upbringing, personal preferences, and surrounding context influence our opinions about pretty much everything. For example, if we were to talk about the word “vacation” there would be a plethora of opinions and mental images connected to the word. A vacation is defined as a “personal trip or journey usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism.” When I think about vacation, I think about palm trees, sunshine, relaxation, and my wife enjoying it by my side. For others, they may think about Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, and an RV. Others may think about hiking, a campsite, and the great outdoors. The core purpose of a vacation is not compromised, but rather experienced and outworked through a variety means.

While all illustrations break down at some point, this illustration relates someting that is also true about the Church. For some of us, we think about a red-faced shouting preacher, choir robes, and pews. For others, (like myself) we think of a large gathering, a full band (with drums), and a conversational style sermon. Still others, (like the service I attended in Haiti and Guatemala) we may think of loud, dynamic singing with creative clapping and a long narrative sermon.

I fully understand that there are some theologically dangerous expressions of worship. I fully understand that distorting the truth to accommodate people’s or your own desires is wrong. However, I have seen a LOT of debating over mostly peripheral issues. The purpose of the Church is to incarnationally reflect the coming Kingdom to a lost and dark world. “We are committed to describing the world not just as it should be, not just as it is, but as — by God’s grace alone! — one day it will be.” (N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope) That is why the Church exists–which should not be confused with the corporate worship gatherings that happen in our local buildings we call “churches.”

The purpose of corporate worship is to proclaim the worth of the resurrected Jesus! In proclaiming his worth we both 1) Encourage and edify one another by reminding one another that Jesus has conquered death and we are raised with him and 2) we proclaim to a world that the grave is defeated and hope, love, grace, and mercy can be experientially known through a relationship with the resurrected Jesus!

The means through which we communicate this should not be dull, boring, irrelevant, disconnected or difficult to understand for the surrounding world that we should be seeking to point towards Jesus. That brings me to a brief thought on culture.

Culture War I read an article recently that talked about how the Church should stop trying to imitate the culture around her and stop being worried about being “churchy.” I understand that we are not to imitate the sinful aspects of our culture, but culture in and of itself is not bad. Culture can be quite beautiful. (We also need to distinguish the difference between culture and pop culture.) Culture has to do with a society or people group’s expression of it’s unique identity through art, language, literature, music, attire, and, my favorite, food. All of which can be appreciated as diverse expressions of God’s creativity inherent in Creation itself.

When we demonize culture and demand that our style or expression of music, art, language, etc. is holy and others are not, we vastly underestimate the value of reflecting the image of the Creator through creativity. Can culture be twisted or corrupted? Absolutely. So can sex, but that does not mean sex is inherently evil. It is actually quite beautiful inside the context of marriage — a committed relationship in which two people know and are known intimately and possess the potential to participate in the creation of new life through procreation.

I once listened to a sermon by a man who was part of a ministry that ministered to Native Americans. he noted that one of the tragedies in evangelizing the Native Americas was the tendency throughout history of the “white man” to insist that their cultural expression (music, dancing, and language) had to be abandoned in order for salvation to be attainable. This man advocates the use and appreciation of their culture and argues that their expressions can be redeemed and used for worship. This is true in a number of contexts. You do not go to another country and demand that they read an English Bible because the KJV is the only authoritative translation.

My point? Culture is redeemable. Culture is not inherently bad. Culture is actually a beautiful thing that can glorify God. The Western Church has a culture. Whether we want to admit it or not, our suits, choirs, pews, Bible translations, Sunday Schools, and even our lingo is cultural in nature. You only have to experience church in another country to realize that your idea of Church is in fact not universal. Like our experiences of vacation.

What happens though when our culture fails to connect, reflect, and communicate to the surrounding context of our local community of believers? What happens when our gatherings become what some have called “churchy.” This brings me to that dirty term “seeker friendly” and a word I made up –“churchy-ology.”

Churchy-ology Before I go any further I want to clearly say that, I believe the Bible is our authority for all matters of faith and practice, I strive to be theologically responsible and consistent (though I am a young student of theology), and I believe the hope for humanity is found through a reconciled relationship with the resurrected Jesus. When some talk about the Church needing to not be churchy, they may mean that the church should avoid all possible points of tension with the world around us. They may mean that we should “water-down” the truth. However, there are others, arguably more so, who mean that the Church should not, like the Pharisees, keep God on the top shelf but rather imitate the Incarnation and communicate who God is in a language people can understand.

I do not have the space here to go into all the specifics, but there are things about our churches that are churchy and biblical. BUT, there are also things that are just churchy. They are neither theologically nor biblically grounded. Rather, they are completely based on opinion and preference. I know some will vehemently disagree with me, but I can find no real reason why it makes a difference whether Scripture is read from an iPad or a Bible. I prefer the Bible when I preach, but the text is the same. Once upon a time, the mass production of the printed word was a new development and was a result of technological advancements.

When people talk about not being churchy, most are talking about not allowing our personal preferences and expressions to get in the way of reaching lost people. This is EXTREMELY biblical. If Peter would have adhered to his Jewish understanding of clean and unclean he never would have stepped foot in Cornelius’s home and the story of the Gospel reaching Gentiles would be a lot different (Acts 10). Paul’s primary concern for the orderliness of worship when writing the church at Corinth had to do with the “unbeliever or outsider [that] enters” (1 Cor 14: 23). Paul believed in incarnational ministry which is evident by his evangelizing the people in Athens. He used poetry from their own culture to argue for the existence of the one true God (Acts 17:28). Jesus was constantly teaching people about the Kingdom of God and he used elements that were familiar to their cultural context (farmers, seeds, widows, betrothed young women, prodigal sons).

Seekers and Friendlyness 

Jesus, to some degree was also seeker friendly (which in reality is different from seeker sensitive). Again, some would adamantly argue against this, but the gospels are full of passages that talk about “crowds” and “multitudes” of people gathering to be healed and hear this Master Teacher preach. There were times, and there is a time and place for this, that Jesus drew a line in the sand and clarified what discipleship entailed. But, by and large, he doesn’t call out the self-seeking desires of those longing to be healed or the entertainment-seeking intentions of those gathering to watch the show. Rather, he offered hope through healing and truth through preaching. Most of the “offensive” things Jesus says are directed at religious people. That should give us pause.

I believe it is possible to be relevant to the culture around us. In fact, I believe it is not only possible, but necessary. When I preach, a great deal of my preparation is reflecting on the audience I will be speaking to and discerning what the community needs to hear from God. I also spend a great deal of time trying to compose a message that contains language that most of my audience can connect with. This audience includes the reality that there may be people new to church present as well as people familiar with church and “churchy” language. I believe it is irresponsible for preachers to lazily fashion a sermon without seeking to connect to the audience. Andy Stanley says it well, “As a leader it is your job to protect the missional integrity of the Jesus gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see to it that the church under your care continues as a gathering of people in process’ a place where the curious, the unconvinced, the sceptical, the used-to-believe and the broken, as well as the committed, informed and sold-out come together around Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Deep and Wide)

I do not want to compromise truth for the sake of making the gospel palatable. But in the words of James the brother of Jesus, “we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). I want to do all I can to creatively and responsibly communicate who Jesus is to people in a language they understand. If that means preaching in jeans with an iPad because it will help people drop their defenses or feel that I am more relatable, then I will do it. Jesus left the glories of heaven and wore flesh to communicate who God is to humanity. I think I could sacrifice some of my preferences too.

Polarizing Words

I think knowing details about other people’s lives makes us feel less isolated—you know, more connected. Sharing details about other people’s lives makes us feel important, like we know something others don’t. Or, sometimes sharing negative things about other people’s lives makes us feel more normal—we think, “At least I am not as weird, crazy, or messed up as that person.” Sometimes it seems like we have this insatiable need for validation and somehow transferring value from someone else to ourselves creates this false sense of value.

The easiest way to transfer, or rob, this value from someone else is to criticize or cut them down. We probably do not always realize that our criticism is rooted in this need for validation, but I am fairly sure there is a connection. I am also fairly sure there is a connection to pride too; which is also connected to our identity and our need for validation. We criticize because tearing someone else down makes us feel better about ourselves.

We also criticize because we believe we have it figured out—whatever the “it” is. “They have it wrong and I have it right.” At least that is what we tend to think. Therefore, it is our duty to criticize their way of doing things until they figure out that they should just submit to our way. The problem with doing this is that it feeds polarization which breed isolation. This happens in marriages, friendships, and, sadly, churches. We create sides and set up a fortress to defend our side. All the while criticizing and gossiping as if we are campaigning to attract supporters.

I know this is true because I have seen it in the church (and in marriage). People disagree with something and tend to feel that they are God’s gift to the church and that their mission in life is to criticize everything until everyone sees it “their way.” This creates disunity—which is like a disease in the community. So long as there is a strong sense of disunity a community, relationship, team, marriage, or a church will never be as healthy as it should be. Furthermore, we will never be as healthy as we should be so long as we are active participants in the war of opinions. In part, because we are either: 1.) acting out of some sort of identity deficiency or 2.) out of our self-righteous pride.

Paul talks about this in his letter to the church at Corinth. He writes,

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”

(1 Corinthians 3:1 – 3)

He goes on to talk about them being the temple of God and how His Spirit dwells in them. This is typically the verse people use to argue against destroying your body. Which, I believe there is biblical precedent for not destroying your body with drugs and undisciplined habits, but this verse is really not the one to use. The “you” in this case is plural and the context surrounding the verse has to do with the lack of unity in the church, the community (Much of Scripture is not intended to be interpreted from our Western, individualist mindset. Many other cultures have a greater sense of community than we tend to, but that is for another future blogpost). What Paul is saying is “you all are the Body of Christ and His Spirit dwells in you. Stop causing division and tension that is destroying the community—or else you will reap the consequences.” That is my paraphrase, but his point is clear: the unity of the community is vastly important and we should not be participating in anything that causes disunity.

Something I have noticed about myself is that I am usually able to identify when other people have this problem of gossip or criticism, but I am typically oblivious to its presence in my own life. When I recognize that I am being critical of something, I tend to justify it. Right now, the church at which I am now serving is undergoing some changes. Everybody all of the sudden has become experts on church growth, preaching, worship, and theology. In all honesty, it is quite frustrating sometimes—even hurtful.

Then I was reminded of times when I relentlessly criticized a teacher, professor, manager, or church leader myself. Ouch. Being reminded that I am no better than the people I am frustrated with is a sobering reality. I confess that I have embraced pride, contributed to gossip, and cultivated division. I want to be more careful in the future about what I say to other people and about other people.

Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.” I think we should speak words that give light. I think we should find validation in our relationship with Jesus. If the Creator of the universe has accepted me, then why do I need to fight for my right to be right? Why do I need to criticize others? Why do I need to gossip? I hope you will decide to speak words of light and life with me. I think it would help cultivate healthier relationships with the people around us. What do you think?

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered….Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. Proverbs 11: 9, 12 – 13

Confession and Grace

So, I hear Christians say this phrase quite often, “I am struggling with _________.” Actually, I have frequently used the phrase myself. Usually it is the context of confessing or sharing some sin or temptation in our personal lives. What I find interesting is the word “struggling.” What does that mean? What I have found we usually mean when we say it is one of two things: 1.) “I am being tempted with a certain sin and I am struggling to resist,” or 2.) “I have given into a particular sin, but saying I am struggling with it sounds better.”

What I find to be troubling is the reason behind why we word it this way. Essentially the reason we say we are struggling with something is because to come out and straight up say that, “I sinned and I sinned on purpose,” is just not acceptable in most Christian circles. Or to say, “I am being tempted, and it seems really appealing right now,” is also not very holy. We use generic wording because often times the church is not a safe place to confess. This is problematic because James 5:16 encourages us to confess our sins to one another so that we can find healing.

I remember the first time I really paid attention to this verse. Everything inside me wanted to reject the implications of this passage. “Confess… to one another… nope.” The idea of confessing the deep things in my heart that I knew were ugly and corrupted to other people was horrifying. The reason it was horrifying was because I was convinced that no one else was as sinful as I was inside, and if they knew… gasp, what would they think. The assumption is rooted in a fear of being judged by other people. Sadly, this fear is not totally unjustified because the church is sometimes a place of judgment rather than grace. How did this happen though? How did the community of people who believe that God, in an act of scandalous grace, offered his very life to atone for our sin become so ungracious with one another?

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I went to a Christian high school that leaned a little bit towards legalism in my opinion. I remember it being well known that there were a few couples in the school who were having sex. This was against the rules and consequence for such a trespass was excommunication—I mean expulsion. There was one girl who experienced a sense of conviction after a series of chapel services and confessed to the administration, which included the pastor of the church. Instead of being extended the sort of grace that Jesus embodied to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1 -11), she was expelled and her sin somehow became very public. She was treated like a leper by some who were more “holy.” I remember talking to her once about how she felt her church was treating her and I remember hoping that she somehow experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus despite the judgment his followers were showing her. I am not sure she ever did.

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How different would the church be if people realized that we were all as capable as any other of the most grievous of sins? What if we all realized that we needed a Savior just us much as the murderers, rapists, racists, genocidal menaces, liars, thieves, adulterers, and idolaters? What if we were a community sinners dependent on grace rather than a community of righteous people dependent on our doctrinal beliefs? What if grace was abused? I know that is a dangerous statement to some, but grace is costly in that it cost Jesus everything, but it is only grace insomuch that it is freely offered to us.

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I cannot say for certain that all churches tend to be an unsafe place to confess personal struggles, sins, and doubts, but I can say from my experience, there are not very many safe places for this sort of dialogue. The problem is that there are a number of people trying to live lives free of sin in isolation. There are a number of people who sit in a pew on Sunday morning, but do not have anywhere to go for real, vulnerable, authentic community. We have this mentality that “real” Christians who have a “strong” faith can withstand doubt and temptation on their own. This is simply incompatible with a gospel that calls us to depend on Christ and worship him in community. We were never created to live in isolation, but to live in relationship.

James writes that there is something about confession that has healing effects for the soul. I have found this to be true. There is something about releasing a weight of shame that you have been carrying and experiencing the grace and love of God through His Church. We are intended to embody God’s love to the world and to one another. When I can look at someone and admit my failure, and they look back at me without condoning the failure and affirm to me that I am a child of God—there is something healing in that.

I don’t know about you, but my soul needs to be reminded that I am a new creation in Christ. My soul needs to be reminded that forgiveness is here, love is here, the kingdom is here, grace is here. I am not advocating that our worship gatherings become a place for everyone’s dirty laundry to be exposed. But, I am advocating that we create spaces and opportunities for this sort of dialogue and community to develop. Some call it small groups or accountability groups. I don’t care what it is called—I just know the Church needs more of it. There are too many followers of Jesus who are pursuing Christ on an island of their personal spirituality that consists of their personal relationship with Jesus in which they personally confess their sins. I am not against the personalizing of our faith. I am for it. However, I am against the Americanized individualism that has seeped into the American Church. We need each other. We need to embody grace, mercy, and love for one another. Sometimes I need to be reminded by the community that I am accepted and loved in spite of my sin. I am suspicious that others need to be reminded of this too.

“’Confess your faults one to another’ (James 5:16) He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, not withstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final break through to fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everyone must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners!” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Life Together