My Part of the Conversation

A recent Time magazine article told about a Christian humor website called “Lark News“.  It’s a lot like “The Onion” except with an evangelical spin.  The fake articles often cross into irreverent zones, but also force me to evaulate some things that might make me uncomfortable.  Check out this article:

Inner-city ministry trip confirms youths’ worst impressions

or this one:

Lotion soap switch angers congregation

(Try switching “soap” for hot buttons you might have at your church.  Frightening.)

Anyway, if you hate irony or sarcastic writing, this site isn’t for you.

A few weeks ago, I learned a new word that greatly challenged how I view ministry.  I was sitting in a class on “Bridging the Suburban-Urban Gap”, when Chris Brooks, the presenter, made a reference to “gentrification“.  Everyone in the class looked at each other like “was I supposed to know what that means? “  One brave soul asked for an explanation, and the immediate ministry implications overwhelmed me.

In a nutshell,  gentrification is a conscious effort by a city to replace low-income inner city areas with more expensive real estate.   In large areas, since many people work in downtown city centers and drive from the suburbs to work, the idea is to create more “desirable” housing closer to the downtown area.  When rent goes up in the area, many people are displaced.  Government housing projects are “relocated” to suburban areas.  (Consequently, Chris Brooks says that many view the first sign of gentrification is when a Starbucks moves into the neighborhood).

Both of these scenarios creates a situation where different church cultures are suddenly thrust together.  This is particularly a challenge in suburban communities where they didn’t have to interact much with urban families.  Urban families change the face of the congregation, from the socio-economic differences to increased racial diversity.  Many churches are just ignoring it, either hoping it will go away, or everyone will adapt to”the way things have always been”.  Either way, many spiritual needs are not being met.  And virtually no one is talking about it.

Recently, I’ve been asking the question of how to better “bridge that gap” my youth ministry.  It’s a challenge when several very different cultures are called into one room.  Notice, I mention “cultures” not races.   This issue is not necessarily white/black/hispanic.  It is more related to education, income, and family structure.

In my assessment, here are some challenges churches need to be prepared to handle when faced with the effects of gentrification:

1.  Are we prepared to offer transportation to ALL our events or activities?  People with low-income often do not have vehicles or regular access to vehicles (because of long or difficult work hours and the price of gas).

2.  How expensive is it to be part of our community?  The church ski trip has to go.  But, are we excluding people because they don’t have money?

3.  Are we prepared to meet people where they are at, whatever baggage they are bringing?  Crime, drugs, parental abandonment, teen pregnancy are very common problems the church needs to be prepared to walk people through, on top of communicating the theological truths of Scripture.

4.  Will our church be accepting of new people different than themselves?  Or did they move to this part of town to get away from “those” people?

5.  What kind of language do we use?  Are we so bogged down by our college educations and church lingo that we fail to communicate the truths we hold so dear?

6.  Are we prepared to take an increased role in social justice?

The scary thing about this issue is nobody is really talking about it.  I’m sure some churches out there are doing a good job integrating their communities, but they are not openly sharing their journeys.

Just a few of the things as I see it now.  Are there other questions churches need to ask that you see?

I briefly stopped by Mike Cope’s blog recently, and he had linked this post from a member at his church.  He was writing in response to Shane Claiborne’s recent book “Irresistible Revolution” which I haven’t read yet, but plan to soon.  Anyway, it’s a pretty good post worth a read.

From high school through a Bible degree in college, I’ve had multiple classes where I was taught how to share the gospel with someone. There were a few different approaches, but they almost all of them involved some path that worked it’s way through the Bible, asking pointed questions about each passage and how it relates to the person’s life.

They all made so much sense. Sometimes moving from uncertainty about the fate of one’s soul, to the fact we’ve all sinned, to the need for a savior, to how to accept such an incredible gift. A usually clear and perfect stream of thought. Other times just reading about Jesus and God’s love and calling the reader to follow Him.

I’ve heard stories about each method, and how different people had converted hundreds with each one. I remember after learning a new one, how I was excited about the prospect of trying it out.

But, they rarely seem to work.

I had some scattered opportunities before college, but most of my experience came while working in Italy. I worked with a program called Avanti Italia where we would teach English using them Bible. I averaged around 10 studies a week, so I got the opportunity to use many different approaches.

The outcome was never what was promised.

I had several instances where we finished studies, I asked questions to verify that they understood what we learned. All people are lost without Jesus. All have sinned. We need to be baptized as our act of unifying ourselves with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We need to walk with Him and live pure lives. It was all clear, and I heard so many people say it right back to me.

Yet, when I would follow the logical questions with personal questions, the responses left the realm of logic and went… someplace else. I had one student say he understood it, and even believed it, he just didn’t want to do anything about it. Others simply stated they had been their background taught something different, so that’s where they were going to stay. Others said it’s a question for the old. And many said they just didn’t want to think about it. Almost all walked away without ever getting to know Jesus beyond those few times we read together.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am very conservative when it comes the the Bible.  I believe it is God’s inspired Word, and that as we read it, we are reading a message directly from Him.  We are called to follow His Word without question or prejudice.  In fact, the times I have been criticized for my belief or teaching (never to my face, of course), it was because I refused to teach and practice traditions churches have created and tried to make equal to Scripture.

But, Scripture is not God.  It is a pathway, a beacon, a light to lead us to God.  It helps us get there and know Him.  I believe it is a crucial piece, but I’ve found there must be something else- something that takes place beyond logic or reason.  People believe all kinds of things that aren’t logical or reasonable, yet hold firmly to them.

I think our commercial culture has made us all defensive.  We’re bombarded with millions of messages every day to break into our minds and get us to buy into an idea or concept that might not even make sense.  Today I ate breakfast at McDonald’s and was trying to figure out why I had a green straw until I saw all the Shrek 3 ads all over the place.  My plastic straw was telling me to go see a movie.  If my head is trying to sort out messages from my straw, no telling what else my subconscious is fighting off.

If a telemarketer were to call me with the deal of a lifetime, I’d miss it.  I just don’t trust them.  If I got a coupon for a free house in my inbox, I’d probably delete it without reading.  There are just too many messages out there.  I think our message about Christ’s salvation somehow gets mixed in with everything else.

There’s a connection beyond logic and reason to the human heart.  There are barriers brainpower can’t cross.   There are paths that good arguments and excellent points are not able to complete.

What are they?  How do we get there?

I just recently started a class on the book of Revelation.  I have to confess, I don’t know a lot about the book.  I’ve learned a few things over the years, but I don’t feel like I’m any kind of expert to be teaching from the knowledge I have.  So, I have had to do a lot of study to learn it well enough to teach in a meaningful way.

I’ve been struck by how God is portrayed throughout the book.  The presence of God is always portrayed as immensely holy, with lots of movement and worship going on all around him.  Angels and worldly leaders are all in a constant state of worship around him.  While those are probably not actual physical descriptions of what it’s like, a strong feeling is communicated: God’s presence is a holy place.

You wouldn’t walk into that throne room and say, “What up, God?”  You wouldn’t stroll in, plop a seat in a chair and kick back your feet.  You wouldn’t dance for him.  You’d hit the floor (much like Isaiah did) in fear.  The holiness and omnipotence would be too much for us.

In seeing much of this, I’m reminded how much we talk about God’s love for us, and how Jesus loves us.  I believe that’s true, however, there’s something that makes his love so much more meaningful- his divine authority and power.

My draw to follow Jesus has never been his love for me.  I’ve never been able to connect with the “Jesus is my boyfriend” books that fill the shelves of your local Christian bookstore.  However, I do connect with an Almighty God who calls me to follow him.  A God who sent his Son to save me, but who also requires that I make myself a disciple of that son.

Maybe I’ve just been blessed with so much love in my life.  I’ve always had a family that truly loved me, some friends that truly loved me, and now a woman who loved me so much she wanted to spend every day for the rest of her life with me.  I know what it is to be loved, and I have buddies.

But what I need is not a buddy.  I need a Lord.