I have been in Nazarene ministry now for 30 years; I wouldn’t change a thing if I could. I love the Church of the Nazarene more now than I ever have in my life.

But today, I am a concerned Nazarene.

Doctrinal Heritage
I am concerned that our precious Articles of Faith, those 16 grand biblical statements of doctrine based directly on Scripture, and our Wesleyan-Arminian and Holiness Movement history that have guided us well for over a century are under attack. Not from those outside our Christian faith, but from those inside.

These are people who believe we have been and desire us to be again who we never have been—a church in the Fundamentalist/Reformed tradition or at least the spirit and tactics thereof. John Wesley, Phoebe Palmer, H. Orton Wiley, and William Greathouse would blanch in concern today if they knew the insidious theological and ecclesiastical battle going on through the Internet, driven by categorization, guilt-by-association, and “gotcha” tactics that more represent radical politics than anything remotely biblical, Christian, or certainly holiness.

Most of you will be familiar with the scene in the movie the Matrix where Neo has to choose between taking the red pill or the blue pill. If he takes the blue pill he will wake up in his bed and his life will go on the same as it always has. If he takes the blue pill he will wake up with an entirely different world in front of him. He will be free of the bondage he grew up in and he will know the truth. If he takes the red pill, however, and wakes up to the truth there is simply no going back. You can’t untake the pill.

Lately my life has taken on a feeling of having jumped down the rabbit’s hole and into a whole new world. I feel as if I took the red pill and have awoken to a new reality and there is simply no going back. So what is this reality that I have awoken too and how has it changed me?

A major piece of this new reality is in the nature of the mission of the church. When I began my journey down the rabbit hole a decade ago it was because of discontent. I was simply convinced that there had to be more to the church than what I had experienced and been taught. There was a hunger in my soul for more meaning and impact. This journey led me to the Emerging Church and some important conversations. Then it led me to conversations around the Missional Church and incarnational ministry. Now it has finally taken me to our work with 3DM and building a discipling culture. I have no doubt that my journey won’t end here, but I do feel as if I have reached some important moments that have reshaped everything for me.

I look at so many churches out there and I am left to wonder about them. Do the people who are there realize there is a huge piece of the kingdom of God and the gospel itself that is hidden from them? I wonder at pastors I know and pastors I meet. Do they have the same discontents that I did? Are they content in fulfilling expectations and roles defined by a culture that will cease to exist over the next generation? Are they blissful in their ignorance? Are they troubled but too afraid to admit it? Are they simply lost and have no idea of where to look for answers?

I am very aware of my own lack of understanding about the nature of the church. I am aware of my personal shortcomings and the need I have to passionately live my life in pursuit of the holiness of God. But looking around I feel as if I have slowly but surely woken up to a new world that is so much more nuanced, beautiful, and full of hope than the one I knew before. I can never go back to the old way of thinking or doing things, especially in regards to the culture and mission of the church. I can’t submit to systems that are antiquated or worse yet that stand in the way of doing the work of the kingdom of God. Once you take the red pill there is simply no going back.

So as I stand here and look around at the world around me I am thankful. I am thankful for the wonderful people who I continue to meet who have also taken the red pill. It is good to have friends on the journey. I am unbelievably thankful for a wife who is a true partner. Gretchen gets it. I can’t imagine pursuing the life before if she didn’t. I am thankful for guides who are further along the journey than I am. Their words of encouragement and example are life changing every day. I am so thankful for Duneland Community Church, where the kingdom of God is alive and well and our leadership has agreed to take this journey with me. I can’t imagine pastoring another church. What a privilege I have!

My prayer is that my spirit will remain humble and patient with those who are not ready to take the red pill. I want to always only be an encouragement to them.  I want to be a guide for those who wish to follow. For those who don’t I am okay being an enigma. Once you open your eyes to the truth around you, you can simply never go back.

Instead, for the 19th and 20th centuries that role went to the church in the United States. The US became the leader of the spread of Christianity around the world. The explosion of churches, denominations, Christian schools and scholars changed the face of Christianity. But, statistics are showing us that now the church in the US is in a lengthy decline. The youngest generation in our culture is moving away from organize religion in their quest for spiritual awakening. So will our mega-churches one day stand as museums rather than places of worship? Will the church in the US become as much as an afterthought at the church in Western Europe has become?

We are already seeing some evidence of a European like decline, but in the end that the US church will not follow the same path as the church in Europe for a number of reasons. The US Church is seeing similar patterns of socialization, declining cultural impact, and growing liberalism in many of the mainline denominations. That pattern has maintained itself, thus far. But mainline denominations ceded their place at the forefront of growth for the US Church long ago. Instead Evangelicalism has lead the way for most of the last century. (Which is certainly not to say that evangelicalism is entirely removed from main line church, but I am using a wide paint brush for this conversation)

The culture within Evangelicalism has within it certain distinct advantages over the more institutionalized church that beckons towards a different future. Evangelicalism has within it radical diversity, a bent towards cultural adaptation, and often a lack of limiting hierarchical structures that inhibit change. The diverse nature of evangelical churches, the wide range of leadership, and a powerful desire to reach the culture of the day open up the possibility for great spiritual awakening within our country even amidst powerful cultural change.

In our increasingly postmodern culture the evangelical church is already showing its adaptability. Ten years ago as the Emerging Church began there was a whole generation of evangelicals that looked at the church and saw how it had lost its first love. The evangelical church seemed out of date with a limited view of the gospel. But in ten years, which is such a short period of time, there has been tremendous adaptation taking place already within the evangelical church. There has been  a return to a fuller gospel, the birth of radically different churches that are missionally focused, and a new generation of leaders asking the questions that need to be asked.

The structures of the European churches and the culture they inhabited did not allow for such rapid change. They were the stalwarts of tradition in a world of change. Now, however, there seems such hopeful potential for the US Church to move beyond its limitations of the past 100 years and to reshape itself. As a Nazarene I can see these forces at work within our denomination. A decade ago I joked that we Nazarenes were the new Amish. We just decided to hold onto the culture of 1950s in the midwest rather than the 1600s in Germany. But that spirit has changed so quickly. The are so many signs of new growth and openess within our denomination.

Is the US Church in decline? Yes, it is. Is our culture becoming increasingly disinterested in organized religion. Yes it is. Does that mean the US Church is going the way of Europe. No I don’t believe it does. It does mean that the church 50 years from now will look and behave in radically different ways than today, but that is just fine. So long as we are willing to hold onto our mission as the people of God we will experience a new awakening for the church in our country.

Liars and Thieves

8th Commandment yesterday, Thou shall not steal. The fun of this series has been in the pain each commandment has caused me. Fun? Pain? Commandments? Let me explain. The beauty of the Ten Commandments is that most of them are so simple. The are concise, easy to remember and great to live by. The difficulty is that none of them are simple or easy to live by. Thus each week, as I have really let the commandment speak to my life I have realized that I am guilty of breaking pretty much every single one, repeatedly.

That is a hard realization, but one that has brought much renewal to my walk this summer. The Spirit has really spoken to me about the edges of my life where the desires of this world exercise far too much influence in areas where the Spirit should have no competition. So this week that area is stealing.

I asked the congregation yesterday, if we re instituted scarlet letters, or had to wear signs around our necks listing our sins, what would ours say? What if God was filling it out, just in the area of stealing? Here are some great questions to ask yourself?

- Are there areas of my life where a sense of entitlement is causing me to steal what is not mine?

- Is it stealing to use a disproportionate amount of the world’s limited resources?

- Is it stealing to buy products from or invest money into companies that are blatantly stealing from the 3rd world?

- What is on your computer that is stolen? Movies, music, software with no license?

- Is it stealing to hold back in abundance that which others lack? Food? Water? Money?

- Is it stealing to hold back any part of your life that God wants to use for his purposes?

I came to the conclusion this week that I am indeed a thief. I am praying simply that Jesus will have mercy on me as he did a thief on a cross.

Nazarenes and the Emerging Church Follow Up

The Board of General Superintendents of the Church of the Nazarene issued a new official statement on the Emerging Church. Similar to the earlier, slightly less formal statement, it has some very positive aspects to it that are worth highlighting.

First, they acknowledge the diversity within emerging church conversations and place high value on discerning the differences as a church. While the questions for many are the same, the answers are far different in regards to scriptural authority, how we interpret scripture, the nature of the church, etc.. This is where the label of the emerging church has always been a hindrance. It has communicated too much to some and far too little to others.

Second, they emphasize the Christlike nature expected of all of us as we engage in these conversations. They encourage grace, humility, and civility. These should go without saying, but we all know the amount of belligerence and anger that fills the blogosphere.

Third, they acknowledge the missional desires of many Nazarenes (such as myself) that have led us to the emerging church conversations and the good that has come out of having done so.  Here is a quote.

There are others within our denomination, including pastors, superintendents and scholars, who view the concept of an “emerging” church as a positive and hopeful expression of what it means to be the Church. They are seeking to genuinely come to terms with ministry in a complex and rapidly-changing culture. Their goal is to demonstrate the relevance of biblical truth through incarnational and transformational living.

This latter group is deeply committed to the authority and infallibility of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives, communities, and nations. They are often engaged with the brokenness in society through active, compassionate ministries working diligently to bring renewal, conversion, and transformation.

In all it is a well reasoned and fair statement by the BoGS regarding the emerging church. Typically, it is a bit late in the game, as most of us have moved beyond arguments with those who are angry and have simply engaged in the work of the kingdom, that will sort out the truth of what we are pursuing. But I am glad the BoGS issued the statement and thankful that they are indeed leaders of wisdom and patience.

Many of the conversations that originated within the emerging church or are at least connected with the questions of the emerging church, have led people to the idea of being missional. So what does it mean? Well at its core is obviously the idea of having a mission, but that doesn’t really tell us much. In many ways trying to define being missional is a lot like trying to define the kingdom of God. Go ahead and define the kingdom of God, I will give you a minute.

When I try to give a definition of the Kingdom of God I usually say something like, “The rule of God breaking forth all across creation, wherever God’s will is done and his truth is revealed. The Kingdom is already here, but not yet complete until the return of Christ.” That is a pretty good starting place with the Kingdom, but was you read how Jesus talked about the Kingdom you get so many different images and ideas that a concreted definition is somewhat difficult to understand. Jesus compares the Kingdom to mustard plants, yeast, the sowing of seed, a harvest, a party, a banquet, a treasure hidden in a field and more. The Kingdom is central to everything Jesus taught and yet it is hard to fully understand all the nuances and images that Jesus taught about the Kingdom.

Being missional poses similar problems. Often one of the charges against the Emerging Church has been that there isn’t a unified statement of what the church is. Talking about missional ideas may receive similar criticisms, but part of that is simply our enlightened need to have concrete definitions for everything. There is a bit of kingdom mystery attached to being missional and that is okay. So what does being missional look like?

I am going to do a series of post really exploring the idea of being missional. Let me start today by sharing some great ideas from Alan Roxburgh and M. Scott Boren and their great book Introducing the Missional Church. They begin their conversation about being missional by clearly stating what they don’t mean by being missional. Here is their list of definitions that are often applied to being missional, but don’t adequately describe the missional church as they understand it.

1) Missional church is not a label to describe churches that emphasize cross-cultural missions.

2) Missional church is not a label used to describe churches that are using outreach programs to be externally focused.

3) Missional church is not another label for church growth and church effectiveness.

4) Missional church is not a label for churches that are effective at evangelism.

5) Missional church is not a label to describe churches that have developed a clear mission statement with a vision and purpose for their existence.

6) Missional church is not a way of turning around ineffective and outdated church forms so that they can display relevance in the wider culture.

7) Missional church is not a label that points to a primitive or ancient way of being the church.

8) Missional church is not a label to describe new formats of church that reach people who have no interest in traditional churches.

So there is a first take on being missional by eliminating limiting definitions of being missional. Not that a missional church can’t do or have all of the things above, but none of those adequately defines being missional. In my next post we will step into the missional waters and try to understand what being a missional church does mean.

There has been lots of good discussion on this post and on plenty of other blogs regarding the statement released by the Board of General Superintendents on the Emerging Church. Having had some time to really reflect on the statement and to read so many different comments on it, I have just a couple of more thoughts to share.

First, I am more excited than ever to be a Nazarene pastor. There are so many great things happening among the Nazarenes and there are so many changes taking place. There are strong grass roots changes of ecclesiology, missiology, and even our understanding of the fullness of the Gospel that are going to transform lives and lead people to lives of discipleship.

Second, I am glad that the BOGS are just now making a statement on the Emerging Church. This conversation/movement/whatever has needed time to sort itself out and there are some clear pieces to it now. There is a division that is taking place along theological lines even within the emerging church. It is important to realize that 3-5 well known speakers and writers in no way define the work that has been done in the emerging church, nor do they predict the outcomes for those in the conversation. What we are actually seeing is that those particular writers are not at all defining for the movement itself.That makes sense since the power of what has been taking place has always been very open source and grass roots, it would be completely counter intuitive for it to ever be top down and organized.

Third, even with differences becoming very clear within the emerging church, the way that those within the conversation treat each other and talk about each other around these issues is a great lesson to many within the church. One constant for those who have criticized the emerging church has been anger, divisiveness, and frankly a witch hunt like feeling. I will never understand why it has to be that way, but it consistently is. I had a professor in seminary give us a strong piece of advice as young pastors. He said, “I would always be very hesitant to speak critically about another Christian leader.” That has always stuck with me is a good piece of advice for us all. It is not that we shouldn’t be discerning, or that we should disagree with one another. But Jesus, in his prayer for his disciples in John 17 makes our ultimate calling clear – unity. It is through our unity and love of one another in the church that the world will see clearly the truth of Christ. If we can’t find loving ways to disagree or to grapple with differing view of our faith how will the world ever see the truth of Christ in us?

When reading the Bible gets really hard

This week, for the first time since I started on my 60 day journey to read all of scripture, I hit the proverbial wall. I was just finishing up Psalms and moving to Proverbs and I just couldn’t do it. It was tough. I realized that I still had another 7-8 days of OT reading before I got the NT and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I always reach that point during Lent, but usually it comes earlier. Regardless I pressed on and put my spirit to the task of absorbing the wisdom of the proverbs.

Here are some of my favorites.

Prov. 10:10 – Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. (So watch all that winking!)

Prov. 7:22-23 (Words warning against an adulterous woman) All at once he followed her like and ox going to the slaughter like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.

Prov. 16:19 – Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud

Prov. 22:24-25 – Do not make friends with the hot tempered, do not associate with those who are easily angered or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Prov. 23:4-5  – Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glace at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

In Case You are Trying to Find Me This Weekend

The madness begins on Thursday and I can hardly wait! This should be an interesting tournament. It feels really top heavy to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if 1 seeds and 2 seeds make up the whole final four. Not sure if there are any Cinderellas out there this year. But here are some tips for filling out your bracket.

- This was not a great year for mid-majors. Don’t expect to see Davidson or Gonzaga in the Final Four

- MD will win there first round game (Gary’s teams almost always do), but if they face MSU in the second round they will struggle. MSU is a bad matchup for them.

- Don’t sleep on Baylor they are good

- Don’t overvalue Texas they have been terrible since they were #1 in the country

- Trust teams with veteran backcourts like Villanova.

- Trust talent, no matter how old it is. Kentucky’s freshman are the real deal

- Don’t trust any PAC-10 teams, that league was pathetic this year

- The Big East was tough this year, expect their teams to do well

- My  first round upset picks are UTEP over Butler, Minnesota over Xavier and St. Marys over Richmond

The BGS, through Naznet, has posted a new statement that may well be of interest. Here is the text:

The emergent church – From the General Superintendents

We appreciate your concerns regarding the conversations surrounding “the emergent church.” The issues related to this topic are many. Some are helpful and positive; others are problematic and deeply troubling.

“The emergent church” is really somewhat of a misnomer. While there are many attributions which imply that there is a single focus or movement called “the emergent church,” in reality, the conversations range all over the map. Some people believe that there is a monolithic kind of conspiratorial entity that is seeking to undermine the church with heresy and immoral license.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are people who view the whole concept of an emerging church as a positive and hopeful expression of the church seeking to genuinely come to terms with ministry in a complex and rapidly-changing culture, while seeking to make Biblical truth relevant. These people depend heavily on the authority of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to radically change lives, communities, and nations. They are often radically engaged with the brokenness in society through active, compassionate ministries that work hard to bring renewal and conversion.

Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) and some of our universities are engaged in the conversation in order to help correct some of the aberrations that are associated with some of the “emergent” churches.

There are widely-read authors who readily identify themselves as “emergent church leaders.” While some of them are orthodox in their theology and views of Scripture, others embrace positions which we would view as far away from what is orthodox and acceptable. Yet even those authors and pastors who are not orthodox in their views of Scripture and its authority have an awareness of the need to make the church more engaged in society so as to bring about a radical change and improvement.

We do not endorse those “emergent churches” or leaders who are not orthodox in their theology. The involvement of many of our young pastors and students in the conversation is an attempt to embrace the positive dimensions while clearly articulating an orthodox interpretation of Scripture and theology.

By most definitions of what is genuinely meant by “emergent,” John Wesley more than fits the description. He was radically engaged in the social needs around him while clearly calling men and women to a radical commitment to Christ and to the fullness of the Spirit in cleansing and heart purity. That is the objective toward which Nazarenes, engaged in the conversations regarding the emergent church, are committed. It is a vital conversation, but one that also carries with it the risk of being misunderstood or being classified with positions which are not healthy or appropriate.

We hope these thoughts are helpful to you. The issues are complex, and the rhetoric is sometimes shrill and angry. We are hopeful that we can be patient with what is a phase in a conversation that is already beginning to wind down in some areas even while it is just now being engaged in by others. Hopefully, we can move beyond the mischaracterizations and embrace what is legitimate while we readily and without hesitation reject the aberrations.

We pray for you as you work with your people through this issue. We are not at all embracing anything heretical, but we want to engage in conversations with our young Nazarenes who want a vibrant church that is committed to our theology and actively engaged in ministry to the lost and broken people around us.

Jesse C. Middendorf
General Superintendent
Church of the Nazarene

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Received this from the GMC by request of Dr. Porter with the explicit statement: “Feel free to circulate these documents.” I presume this was written in reply to questions and concerns around this topic.

In a later email he wrote: “the BGS endorsed it as a good point of reference regarding this conversation”.

I started blogging on February 14, 2006 and in the almost four years since I have now written 500 blog entries. That equates out to 125 a year or one about every three days. That is more discipline and consistency that my life has usually known, so for that I am celebrating. In honor of this momentous occasion here is a mega post with a massive amount of ramblings to celebrate. If you make it all the way to the end I will be impressed.

When I set out to start writing four years ago my goal was simply to offer thoughts on what it means to serve God and to live a holy life. It has expanded beyond that in humorous and soul stretching ways, but at the core that is still my desire for this blog. I can say that regardless of the impact on anyone else the discipline of writing and the subjects I have worked to write on have certainly taught me about holiness in many ways.

I wonder, however, as to how long this discipline will stay a part of my life. With blogging being such a recent phenomenon I have to stop and think about whether or not I will be doing it five years from now. Who knows, if I am I hope I will still have something to say.

One thing this blog has proven is that the burning questions of people’s lives are, “Who is the greatest lead singer in rock history”, “What is the greatest TV Show ever”, and “What is the greatest rock song ever”. I hope I have helped people find the answers that they are looking for.

LOST Thoughts

After the LOST premier last night I have to say that LOST has almost evened up to The Wire for my vote on the greatest TV show ever.

The smoke monster is that mysterious dude with no name? Jacob is dead? Is Jacob the one who keeps appearing as Christian? Are we onto parallel universes now? Is that what happened? Did any see them adding a whole new layer to the island with another group of mysterious Others? Those dudes are awesome.

The actor who plays Sawyer has really come into his own. The emotional gambit he showed last night was amazing. He is so good, how come I have never seen him in anything else?

They handled Jack so well in that episode. Did you notice how warn down and aged he looked by the end of the show? The time travel, explosions, violence and pressure of their fight for their lives can all be seen as lines in his face.

Did Jacob come back to life as Sayid to battle the smoke monster masquerading as Locke? That would be awesome.

How soon before Sawyer tries to get over Juliet by sleeping with Kate?

These are the questions burning my head now!

Book Recomendations

Here are the books I have read in the last six months I would recommend.

Non-Fiction

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath

The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons

The New Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

Deep Church by Tim Belcher

The Teachings of the Twelve by Tony Jones

Novels

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (Jack Reacher Series)

The Defector by Daniel Silva (Gabriel Allon Series)

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Movie Recommendations

On a five star scale here are some recent views that deserve a consideration

District 9 – 4.5

Avatar – 4

Angels and Demons – 3

Sherlock Holmes – 4

Up in the Air 4.5

Star Trek – 5

Julie and Julia – 3.5

Once – 3.5

Away We Go – 4

For my friends in random countries I have no idea how to find without Google

After blogging for four years I can say that weirdest part is looking at the map of where my site visits come from. In the last six months here are the countries that people have visited me from. So a big shout out to my friend in Djibouti!

How churches answer that question will tell a lot about how they do ministry and where their focus is. In my continuing reflections on The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons, he lays out what he sees as the shift from typical Western ways of doing church to a Third Culture life. Here is the list he offers.

Western                                                                                                       Third Culture

I found the list helpful in understanding the differences between how he perceives the church and how what he believes the church needs to be. The questions are whether or not he is accurate in his list and whether or not the way he is proposing is better. Any thoughts?

In Dave Gibbons’ The Monkey and the Fish he talks extensively about the idea of us being third culture Christians. I have already posted a couple of reflections on what this means for us in the church here and here.

One of the ways Dave tries to communicate the essence of third culture Christianity is in our incarnational living that makes us adaptable to whatever cultures we are sharing the gospel with. He uses this Bruce Lee idea of becoming liquid as a metaphor for our adaptability. In all it seems a pretty helpful metaphor. The liquid, our message, our God, our faith, doesn’t change, it is our method, form, and shape that adapts to bring our message to the places we go.

It is a metaphor and it brakes down on some level, but it’ll preach. What do you think about the idea of moving towards being liquid as the church?