CAN YOU KEEP YOUR FAITH IN COLLEGE? January 6, 2007
My church recently planted a new church next to the campus of San Diego State University where I lead worship every Sunday. It has been a few years since I graduated from college, but I can still recall the difficulties of that major life transition. As I’ve met and ministered to these young men and women on campus this past semester, I have been reminded of these challenges: moving away from the security of home and family, meeting new people, finding a new church, being challenged on what you believe by faculty and peers, the pressures of fitting in, parties, sex, academics, and of course…dorm life.
I recently came across a great book by Abbie Smith called Can You Keep Your Faith in College?, Abbie gathers together 50 college students to write essays on college life as a Christian. They openly discuss the ups and downs, pressures, perceptions, and challenges that a Christian college student faces on campus. The fact that this subject is written by actual college students living in the academic trenches helps to give this book credibility. I’m sure parents, pastors or professors could write a helpful book on the “dangers of college life”, but it just wouldn’t carry the weight and urgency that come from hearing from your own peers.
I think most young men and women cannot wait to get out of the house when they graduate from high school. The idea of calling your own shots is alluring, but it also comes with an incredible amount of responsibility - and this is something that is learned by experience. I found most of the writers that shared their experiences in this book to be extremely open about their struggles and sin, and I found this refreshing and not something you read too often in Christian literature.
In my favorite essay, Regrets and Grace, Sara T. mentions how she experimented with things she had never done before and is now living with the shame and guilt of her sin. Most of her peers told her that all religions were the same and not to worry about it, but Sara came to see the clear difference between Christianity and all other religions – and that difference is grace. She mentions that the best gift she could take away from her college experience was coming to grips with the grace she had received in Jesus. Other religions base their experience with God on a “If I do this, then you will do that,” or “If I say this, then you have to give me that” basis. But our Father in heaven’s kindness does not work like this:
“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of our righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:4-5).
I am going to use this resource in my college ministry and I would heartily recommend this book to high school or college students, parents, and churches that minister to college students. College life may challenge your faith, but it is also a great opportunity to deepen your faith as you come into your own as an adult.
Brian Thomas is the Director of Worship and the Arts for Kaleo Church in San Diego, CA. www.kaleochurch.com
Building the Kingdom Through Socks and Cigarettes January 5, 2007
As missional people, we are all familiar with the term contextualization. It is one of those words that we embrace and hang our ecclesiastical hat on but, as is often the case, we may have difficulty defining it. As an exercise, quickly jot down your definition of contextualization. It is harder than you think. The best definition I have found is:
“Contextualization is the work of presenting and practicing the Christian faith in such a way that it is relevant within the surrounding cultural context” (read the full article here)
Once it is defined, one must make an effort to be contextual. This is less black and white. Being contextual means adapting. It means to live in a constant state of tension. The more I meditate on what it means to be contextual, the more I am willing to let the term remain full of question. Let it remain in the spiritual gray area, while the unyielding, so-called orthodox theologians draw their lines in the sand and forcing the kingdom of God into a neat and tidy little box—a box which unfortunately never allows any one out or, even worse, in.
I read this great passage recently in Rick McKinley’s excellent book This Beautiful Mess. Beginning to see the world around him through the lens of the Kingdom of God, McKinley describes a paradigm shift experienced by he and his friends in their ministry to the lost and broken. God worked in their heart to show them a way to bring the gospel to the forgotten: God taught them to be contextual. McKinley writes:
“…no flashy programs. But with God’s help, we were beginning to embark
on a new way of being and seeing the world. A new way like socks and cigarettes for example.
Our group started passing out socks and cigarettes to the street youth of Portland. Hundreds of kids living on the streets were confronted with the kingdom through socks and cigarettes. The socks and cigarettes met needs, spoke their language, announced that someone cared and showed them that in the kingdom of heaven, no one is a throwaway.” (p. 52)
I understand that you are reading this passage out of context (no pun intended) but what is your gut feeling about their approach? Do you feel a little strange about it? What if next Sunday your pastor announced that your church was going to start a ministry to homeless street youth and the tool they were going to use to gain credibility and trust was to hand out cigarettes? Would you feel self-righteous indignation (after all, we know that Jesus doesn’t want us to smoke right?!) or would you see a bigger picture? The bigger picture of the story of God’s redemption that He wants to tell through you in a context that, in McKinley’s words, speaks the language of the culture.
As I sit and write this, I am at a Boys and Girls Club sponsored skate park sitting at a picnic table. Along with my 8-year old son, there are about 50 kids, all seemingly 12 and under, skating the ramps and rails…and as I look around I am the only parent here. Not an adult in sight. I can have two responses—I can shake my head in disgust and curse that my city is falling apart because our youth are lost and have no parental guidance. Or I can use this as an opportunity to be a glimpse of the kingdom, if even to just one of these kids. I won’t hand them a tract, invite them to my church (yet) or take them down the Romans road. No, I will meet them here on their turf and talk about skateboarding. I’ll talk to them about their music. I’ll talk to them about whatever they want to talk about. I can get to know them and their names. I can learn about their families, where they go to school, and what level of Tony Hawk Project 8 they have reached. Maybe it will all lead to nothing (in my eyes at least)…Yet my heart knows that even if none of these kids ever darken the doorway of a church, God loves them and created them. I know that there is a Savior who died and has taken away the sins of the world. Will they ever taste the sweetness of the gospel and be a participant in His kingdom like my son and I have the privilege of doing? I can pray for that. I can pray for God to use me in making that a reality. I can pray for God to show me what my socks and cigarettes will be, not just here at the skate park but wherever I go.
What about you? Take a look around you—the kingdom is happening. Don’t be a bystander and watch it go by. Grab whatever the socks and cigarettes are in your context and start handing them out.
Book Review: This Beautiful Mess January 4, 2007
In his timely book This Beautiful Mess, Rick McKinley, pastor of Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon, clarifies our many misunderstandings of this thing called The Kingdom of God. McKinley hypothesizes that much of the church today has forgotten the true meaning of the gospel message.
According to McKinley, at the center of the gospel message is something not so tidy, not so neat, not so perfect. Building upon Jesus words in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the conclusion is that the kingdom is for those who lack and those who are broken. Unfortunately, most of us are too busy involved in other matters to see the beauty (i.e. The Beautiful Mess) that is the kingdom around us.
Jesus’ teaching of the kingdom being something here and now is something missed by most theologians—and therefore most Christians. In most eyes, the kingdom has been reduced, spiritualized or something future. That combined with the individualist mindset of our American culture empties the power and usefulness of the gospel. Shying away from such things as pain, suffering and poverty, what remains is an impotent shell of what the kingdom is supposed to be: an anchor of hope rooted in Christ’s sacrifice, mercy and grace.
McKinley challenges us to re-imagine our life and our service with the Jesus and His kingdom at the center. Building upon anecdotes of his own journey and experience, McKinley paints a beautiful picture of what the kingdom should be. Laboring side by side with the members of his church, Imago dei Community, they have seen their life and their city changed. He is clear that God is the one building his kingdom and they are only privileged participants—he is not promoting a social gospel.
Selflessly responding to the needs of the broken and suffering in our midst, the gift the church ultimately offers is found in Jesus. Practicing the presence of the kingdom (the books’ subtitle) is not a one-shot deal—it is organic, time consuming, and long-term. The examples McKinley writes about are rich with grace, mercy and unconditional love.
McKinley never claims to be a theologian himself. However, the result of “This Beautiful Mess” is more powerful than any theology textbook can offer. He possesses credibility because he and his church are actually living out their theology. James chapter 2 states “Faith without works is dead.” It is clear that McKinley, Imago dei Community and their friends have faith. Let’s hope that the church at large re-discovers its faith as well. If they do, they will find a beautiful mess waiting for them.
Pastoral Confession
Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, recently wrote an interesting piece about the fall of Ted Haggard. Driscoll, in his usual pull-no-punches style, outlined 6 things we can all learn from his situation. (read the complete piece here).
All 6 points are powerful; however, it is the first point that should intrigue the most:
“Like 1 Timothy 5:24 says, some mens sins are out ahead of them in plain sight while others trail behind them. In this instance, Haggards sin finally caught up with him after his admittedly many years of battling in shame and secrecy. This is a wake-up call for all Christian leaders to be open and honest about sin and temptation before it ends up in a similar scandalous scenario.”
In this day and age, pastors are living increasingly in the fishbowl under the microscope of not only their congregations but, through media, the entire world. Let’s face it—the world loves it when a Christian falls. And, as the old adage says, the bigger they come—the harder they fall. The Haggard story provided great fodder for the late-night talk shows and cable news outlets.
Driscolls’ wake-up call for pastors to be open and honest about sin should be heeded. But how does that happen? What does it look like? The most important question is what accountability structure do we have for our pastors to do that?
Being a pastor has to be a lonely place. Imagine everyone looking at you for spiritual guidance and comfort. Everyone is looking to you for the biblical answers for their problems. Everyone is looking at you to be the example of the perfect Christian. Everyone expects you to be the perfect pastor, the perfect husband, the perfect father.
Do we really want our pastors do be open and honest about their sin? Every unrealistic image of who are pastors are will be shattered. Craig Groeschel, pastor of the mega-church Lifechurch.tv, recently wrote a book called Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real With God. Written before the Haggard scandal, Groeschel writes with sobering honesty about the many struggles he has as a follower of Christ. While the many challenges he faces are serious, they pale in comparison to the severity of Haggard’s fall. Yet, the fact that he is a pastor may be unnerving to some. There may even be some who think that he should not be a pastor. Many find it unnerving to know that their pastor struggles with lust. Some would be shocked to learn that their pastor really doesn’t like prayer meetings. Maybe your pastor doesn’t like some people. Would that upset you? Groeschel’s book gives us great insight into how our pastors are just normal men with all the same struggles, sins and weaknesses that we all have.
Driscoll’s call for pastoral honesty and openness made needs to be heeded by every church. No pastor should stand alone. Every pastor should have a group of men (elders, deacons, leaders) in the church who surround, protect and encourage him. As a normal practice, our pastors should have the liberty to confess their sins with these men. What is needed is not some hokey, Oprah-like appearance of transparency where our pastors get in touch with their “more sensitive side” and cry like babies. But down and dirty confession and repentance with men who will pray with and for their pastor.
In hindsight, maybe that’s what Ted Haggard needed. Let’s hope that all churches will learn this lesson and strive to give their pastor the liberty to be weak. When we do this, maybe the days of the fallen pastor will be a thing of the past.
Book Review: Confessions of a Pastor January 2, 2007
Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real With God is the perfect title for Craig Groeschel’s brutally honest story of his struggles as the founder and pastor of Lifechurch.tv. From the early days as a church plant to its growth into a mega-church, Groeschel chronicles not only the corporate struggles of the church but also his many failings and inadequacies as the pastor. Not for the squeamish, the book candidly explores the spiritual walk of a man through the challenges of planting a church, weathering the storms that come, and emerging on the other side not necessarily victorious-but having a sense of God’s strength despite his own weaknesses. Transparency and honesty are buzzwords that are commonplace in the market of ideas of spiritual discipline and growth. As laymen, we are encouraged to explore these ideas. But do we expect or desire the same from our pastors? Seemingly not. More than ever, the current climate is a distrust and suspicion of the men who are called to be the leaders of the church. Our foolish expectation of these men of God is to be men of strength, unflinching in their steadfastness and perfect examples of integrity. Should we be surprised when they are not?
Some may choose to continue to live in a state of denial. After all, aren’t pastors supposed to be above reproach? Readers of Groeschel’s book will find that they are far from it. Any person who reads this book will see a mirror of himself on each page-and, more importantly, we will see our pastors. This can be either a relief or terrifying-depending on what side of the fence they are on.
Groeschel opens the Pandora’s box of lust and sexual purity dealing with it tastefully with a sense of sobriety without being titillating or shocking. Pride and arrogance also rear their ugly head. Marriage and parenting failures also litter the path of Groeschel’s journey. How refreshing to hear that pastors do not necessarily always love their wives as Christ loved the church. What about raising their kids in the fear of the Lord? Inconsistently. In other words, they are just like you and me. Occasionally victorious-more often than not, falling short.
Written in a quick-paced narrative style, Groeschel riddles his story with the lessons he has learned along the way. Ever the pastor, his lessons resonate with application not just for pastors but anyone seeking to grow in their faith.
Groeschel should be commended for being at the forefront of tearing down the stereotypes and unrealistic expectations we place upon our pastors. With his Confesssions let’s pray that other pastors, and all believers for that matter, will follow his lead and be fearless in admitting their faults and weaknesses. Our churches can only be better as we all learn to “drop the pose and get real with God.”