tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22242049791280380892024-03-08T07:26:42.651-08:00Randy's RagWelcome! The picture above is me contemplating the bust of Thomas Chalmers on a visit to Scotland. For the most part these articles were written by me, and so I have to take responsibility for them. I know I am subject to error so if you see where I have been wrong, or misused Scripture especially, please correct me. I only ask that you do so in the same way you wish to be corrected.A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-3858530480491435062019-02-28T09:34:00.001-08:002019-02-28T09:40:27.226-08:00CHURCH PLANTING AND EVANGELISM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> One of the problems of finding qualified
church planters, (and that phrase needs explanation) is that one needs certain
basic things before one can, or should, plant a church.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> A “qualified church planter” is something
that his sending agency determines. That
agency asks the question, “can this person, in our estimation, have a
reasonable chance at success in planting a new church?” They ask this question because to some level
they are going to invest resources into this church planter and into the effort. Will those resources produce a product, i.e.,
a new church? Or, will these resources
be wasted when they could have been used for someone else they expect will
actually succeed? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We believe that God (if he chooses) can use
just about anybody to plant a church, so obviously any agency, or church, or
church organization, can be wrong in estimating potential for success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This does not make them wrong in giving
prayerful consideration as to whether or not they should or should not invest
in a person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men
can be resentful when told “no” by a church planting organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man can feel called but if others don’t
recognize that calling he is left with a few choices; accept the decision of
the agency and do something else, work on changing the conditions that caused
others not to invest in him, decide to go it alone and prove the agency wrong, or,
not accept the decision and simply be angry. There are spiritual factors at
work in men that God calls to plant churches, and there are practical factors
as well, and it takes a lot of wisdom to know when or when not to endorse,
commission, or invest in a man to plant a church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also true that church planting
agencies have cultural and organizational prejudices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they only have experience in certain
economic, cultural and social demographics they may find it difficult to
believe that successful churches could be planted outside of their known experiential
parameters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if cross-cultural
mission demands that they extend themselves outside of their historical
patterns they may be very reluctant to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Missions always take faith, and business investment strategies are not
always compatible with mission efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t mean leaders should be foolish
risk takers to try and make others believe they have faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The combination of stewardship, faith, risk,
and wisdom are always challenging for leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, at the same time it is far too easy to simply always follow
previous patterns and then be frustrated that things don’t change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who seeks to see many more
churches planted among the poor, and churches that are cross-cultural, I know
that many agencies need to examine other models from other traditions that
work, even if they have not been part of their own experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, when examining a man to go out and
plant a church there are some basic things we would hope that a man can do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We certainly want the man to be a Christian,
we certainly want him to know the Bible, we want him to have some record of
living the Christian life, some knowledge of what the church (at least in
general) is supposed to look like, to do, and to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he is called to church planting he ought
to be able, he will have to be able, to gather people together and to hold them
together in worship and community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want the church planter to have the
spiritual fortitude to work against the odds and opposition, to be a man of
faith and prayer, and to endure the hardships of disappointment and frustration when gathering, recruiting, developing, and winnowing leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need him to trust God when the finances
are not sufficient, to trust God when people suddenly leave or turn against
him, and to stay humble when things are a smashing success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also want him to be a great husband and father
while he literally works overtime to get everything done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember being mobilized as a Reservist to
go to war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My unit was sent to an Army
post and while there each soldier was assessed as to whether they could
physically endure an extended time of active duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of those tests was a trip to the dentist,
and if you had bad teeth you would not be allowed to go to war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they could pull those teeth, or fix the
problem, you could go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some were turned
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it ironic that you had
to have good teeth to go and possibly get killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, if you spent all your time in pain, or
asking to go see a dentist while in a combat zone, it just wasn’t going to work
for the Army.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is amazing how many National Guard units
are full of soldiers with bad teeth and sometimes those units cannot be
mobilized. It is amazing how many young Americans are not suitable for military
service because they are obese. Many can’t run a mile or do any of the physical
things that we used to assume any healthy young person should be able to do.
One can’t even get started in certain areas of life without some pre-conditions
being met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One pre-condition for a
church planter is evangelism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A question usually asked potential church
planters is, “have you ever led anyone to Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you presented the Gospel to them, seen
them believe it, and prayed with them to be saved?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far too many of the men graduating from our seminaries
are not able to say “yes” to this question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are lots of ways to do
evangelism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are not very biblical,
some are really scary, some are complicated, some seem offensive and intrusive,
and some don’t seem to give great results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, at a very basic level evangelism has to be done if unbelievers are
going to become believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evangelism
can be inconvenient, and certainly can make us feel foolish and open to
rejection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, to be obedient to Christ
in fulfilling the Great Commission it seems to be necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wouldn’t we all assume if the Bible tells
pastors, “do the work of an evangelist!” (2 Timothy 4.5) that every pastor
would know how to do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wouldn’t we all
assume that pastors could teach the rest of us how to do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality is that many of them don’t know
how, and they can’t teach us what they don’t know themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is far too easy to preach the Gospel
without every sharing it personally with individuals. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is far too easy to give a generalized
public call from the pulpit and not make it personalized, pointed, and call for
a decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question isn’t whether God can or does
save people in a worship service, yes he does, praise him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The questions are; are we really faithful in
sharing the good news, or, are we cowards, lazy, and constantly avoiding
confrontation in some desire to protect ourselves? Are we failing to reap the
harvest because we never go out in the fields to reap the fruit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we failing to see conversions and adult
baptisms because we simply aren’t calling people to faith in Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, do we simply not believe Jesus can save
people by faith?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have we stopped
believing in the power of the Gospel for those who believe?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is at fault in this, why do potential
church planters have no experience in winning people to Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Here are some reasons, and I say these things as generalizations and realize that there are exceptions: </span>First, local church pastors are not modeling
this behavior, not mentoring in evangelism, not going out and doing evangelism
and taking young believers with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Second, local churches are not extending themselves outside of their own
buildings to reach the lost –and this is a failure of pastoral and Elder
leadership to not only call for it and demand it, but to lead in doing so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, youth groups are not training teens to
share their faith to specific individuals and calling on them to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fourth, seminaries give little attention to
this training and fail to work with local churches in evangelistic efforts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fifth, mission agencies do more kinds of
service ministry then they do evangelistic ministry, or failing to use their
service ministry as opportunities to have gospel conversations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sixth, individuals who want to plant
churches stop listening to Jesus and follow institutional church models, hoping
for transfer growth instead of conversion growth, and replace raising Christian
children rather than the evangelism of unchurched children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I want to give just a word of
exhortation and encouragement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
think God might be calling you to be a church planter, go and witness to a non-believer
about the love of God and the cross of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pointedly ask them if they want to become a follower of Christ and to be
saved by him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pray with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep doing it until you hear someone say, “yes,
I want Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do it some more, and
keep doing it, and bring someone with you when you do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might actually be planting a church while
getting ready to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-69691511381711611652019-01-17T09:34:00.000-08:002019-01-17T09:40:03.979-08:00CALLING FOR COMPROMISE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Personal Disclosure</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some personal disclosure
as I write on this subject. One of my
sons is part of the federal work force that is working without pay. So, for me this is personal. My son tries very hard to be apolitical and
he doesn’t like to engage in political discussions. He is a loyal and sacrificing American, a
combat veteran, and has an essential job in security for our nation. These are not his opinions as he is just
trying to do his job, take care of his family, and survive these difficult
times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the things I say will be vehemently
opposed by those who are partisan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They completely
support the president or adamantly oppose him, no matter what he does. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may fail in my attempt to take a neutral position
here, but I am sincere in seeking to honestly discuss and analyze what I think
is going on, and on some possible scenarios for what may happen, or could
happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>It Should Be Possible to Agree</b></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First let me say that I think it is possible
for Americans to agree on two positions, one is that we ought to continue to be
a country that welcomes immigrants, refugees, and try to be a nation that is
not racist or xenophobic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, I
think we can admit we have an overwhelmingly too large population in our
country who have come here illegally, or have stayed here illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think those two positions are mutually
exclusive, although the extremists in political parties seem to oppose one of
those positions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to give some commentary on both of
these items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First I will write about
illegal immigration vs. legal or needed immigration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many Americans remember south of the border
interactions with fondness, not anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There has always been a need for additional farm labor, and much of it was
seasonal and temporary, and some became permanent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of these folks came from Mexico, and
with the South-West once belonging to Mexico and the U.S. having such a long
Latino heritage in the West it was not offensive, except to some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Puerto Rico is part of the United States and
Puerto Ricans are Americans, so we have always had a strong Latino presence in
the northeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cuba has always had a
strong interaction with the U.S., and when it became Communist Cubans who fled from
there were immediately given asylum here due to cold war policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Florida was heavily impacted by this and
Cubans are part of it’s heritage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Immigration Crisis</b></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a huge group of folks from Latin
America began to come without papers, documentation, or permission early in
this (21st) century, and stayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That trend has
grown increasingly from Central America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This flow reached its peak around 2003 but the growth made a significant
demographic, cultural, educational and social service, (and thus political)
impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then the flow has gone
down and this illegal group of immigrants has gone from 4.0% of the population
to 3.4% of the population (around 12.7 million according to the Pew Hispanic
Center).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that but apprehensions
of those crossing illegally went from 71-222,000 per month in the year 2000 to
20-40,000 </span><span style="font-size: large;">by 2018.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">This is an amazing drop.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In addition, when the economy went into
recession there were more “illegals” from Latin American leaving then there
were coming as many jobs disappeared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One might say the “crisis” in border
crossings has largely diminished or that we are far more effective in stopping
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, that is not solving the problem
of the millions who have stayed by breaking the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are two different things and they need
to be differently approached for solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus one might say the “wall” is more of a symbolic political stand on
the reality of illegal crossings rather than a crisis necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is like closing the barn door after the
horse has left, though border security is a real need and has continued
importance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why should we be concerned about illegal
immigration, because many Americans do constitutionally (by character and
allegiance) not like people scoffing at our laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when we are compassionate and care about
the suffering of people from other countries due to oppressive governments, religious
persecution, gang and criminal violence, and grinding poverty it is hard to
turn a blind eye to a process of illegality that starts with getting in without
permission, then forging documents, skirting social security and taxes, or
staying past an expired visa, then working an over-extended system of
immigration courts to extend those stays, and hiding out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I for one do not give much credence to being
afraid of immigrants, legal or illegal, because of some supposed inherent
criminality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are of course too
many stories of crime, but highlighting some cases to scare people for
political purposes is simplistic cynicism by political opportunists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we already have so much home grown
crime and home grown extremism these rather isolated stories seem to pale in
comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since so many immigrants are
hardworking, (legal or illegal) is it hard to make an effective economic
argument against them, except when their economic involvement prevents
business, government, or individuals to look to our own (low skill) legal
population to do the work and incentivize that through education, training, and
higher wages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who works with
inner city folk this is a concern of mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Solutions Suggested</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I want our government to find a
practical process that speeds up the identification of those who are here
without documentation, find compassionate ideas and solutions for those
children who grew up here without choice of their own and are now culturally
American, send back to their country of origin those who have willfully and
illegally overstayed their visa or come without one, and use common sense about border security on
which we are already spending billions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know many of us will differ about what is common sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also want to stop or expose what are simply
racist and xenophobic responses to strangers and people with accents, which has
always been a dark under belly of our collective American experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Observations</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need immigrants and we need them for
several reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One is simply to be
true to our ideals and heritage as Americans, besides Native Americans and
African Americans (as opposed to immigrant Africans) we have always been a
nation of immigrants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another is that we
need them economically, and a third is that we need them for our future and our
seniors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Americans are not replacing
themselves in the rate of births.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must
continue to grow that population in order to have workers to support an aging
population (yours truly included). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we
had not aborted so many of our children we would have an additional 40
something million people, but they are dead and we don’t have them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overwhelmingly immigrants are aspirational,
they work hard, they want to achieve what they think of as the “American Dream.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not losers, parasites, or deadbeats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are in a war against religious extremism
that produces terrorism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is related
to certain immigrant groups but some of it occurs in those who are here legally
as religious passions arise within them. We <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have the same problem with Americans who have
been here for generations when political passions arise within them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where can we ship them, if we could identify
them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vigilance against extremism and
terror are our constant challenge, and right now some of the people we pay to do
that aren’t getting paid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the driving force of President
Trump’s stand on the wall comes from the extreme fringe of his party. He will
find it difficult to compromise his stand because of them as they make the
biggest noise in the primaries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed,
there are extreme fringes on both sides and they are both dangerous to the
Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these people are
simply seditious traitors who don’t believe in government at all and have no problem
shutting any of it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these
folks are those that think people who blow up federal buildings are
patriots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more conservatives are callous in
their approach to people who work for all of us, risk their lives for us at the
border, fighting crime, spies, and terror, risk their lives for us when out at
sea, and control those prisons which are built to isolate the dangerous and corrupt
from the rest of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet they proclaim
themselves to be flag wavers while having little appreciation of what keeps our
lives safe, working, and feasible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are patriots who moan about taxes yet want the Coast Guard to come and rescue
them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is much that could be written about
the culture wars of our political parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Democrats have achieved much through judicial fiat and without majority
approval and this has made conservatives resentful and determined to use the
same politicization of judge selection (i.e., Teddy Kennedy and Borg) to stem
the tide of what they see as a cultural and moral erosion of values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, going back to the Warren
court, civil rights has come about by judicial action and that is and has been a
good thing for our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, Conservatives have seemed to
think that since government is “the problem” they can use heavy handed tactics
to force economic decisions from Congress without majority approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are a democracy, we vote in our
legislators by state, they constitutionally control the purse strings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to get them to agree on things they
must compromise and that is the art of politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today politics is actually hostage taking,
not negotiation or compromise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get my
way or we kill what you want, or if necessary burn our collective house down,
or since we only have one horse and we want to go in two different directions
let me shoot the horse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>We Need A Compromise</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we need a compromise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we need strong border security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the Congress has already voted a
compromise to give the President more than he is asking for right now, but also
with provisions for the “Dreamers” (is that not so?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why can’t that bill be brought back up and
re-worked if necessary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only reason
is to completely defeat one’s political enemies, and that is not politics but
demagoguery leading to dictatorship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a political crisis, not a border one, created by our President
and only he can end it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he wins
because he holds out longer than the Democrats I am afraid there will be some
horrible consequences for all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
will most likely be a speedier path to impeachment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">To
continue to demoralize some of our best Americans, some of the finest people we
could find who are educated, trained, and committed to work for all of us is
not only short sighted but extremely dumb.</span><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">At what point do they stop working, walk away, and go find some way to
feed their families?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">How can we make up
for their present fears and anxiety, the ruin of their credit, and the disgust
they must begin to feel for our present political leaders?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe if we had a national strike and not
only those workers but everyone walked off their job for a day, so the border
was left completely open, no food or drugs inspected, no one could fly or
planes were left to crash, prisoners would be left to walk out of jail, those
at sea left to drown, taxes uncollected and no elected officials allowed to be
paid, what would that be like?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">I hope we
don’t have to find out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, by the way, I pray for our President, I
honor his office, and I pray for our government and our country as a
whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-3125505298065038302019-01-02T14:08:00.000-08:002019-01-02T14:08:48.487-08:00STAYING UNDER THE UMBRELLA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">STAYING UNDER THE UMBRELLA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Amos
3.3<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
have ever tried walking in the rain under an umbrella with another person then
you know that it takes a bit of care and intentionality to actually share
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One has to work at keeping both of
you under the umbrella otherwise someone is hanging out a little too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “guest” who is being included may not
realize that the “host” who is holding the umbrella may be actually sacrificing
themselves while trying to keep the guest under cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closer the two people get to the handle,
and to each other, the more protected each will be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There can be a bit of awkwardness to sharing
an umbrella.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might not be sure about
how close you want to get to the other person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will you be forced to put your arm around them, touch hands, shoulders,
or hips? People are not always the same height, they don’t always walk at the
same pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does this get worked
out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone usually takes the
initiative and does whatever they can to keep the other person covered even at
the cost of their own exposure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutual
cooperation and adjustment seem to be the secret of making it from the car to
the store without getting too wet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
short and I may have to give up the right to hold the umbrella to a taller person,
otherwise he is out in the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Umbrellas and tents have been used as
metaphor to help us visualize bringing people together under one idea, one
purpose, or sense of purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
metaphors lack punch unless one realizes that there is indeed an environment to
which we are exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is always
raining something, whether water or sunshine, and both can reach a point where
we realize we need some cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My point
in this writing is that not only do we need cover, but that to actually get the
covering we have to share it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose
you could say I want a theology of golf umbrellas versus that of the collapsible
one person kind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
understand that no one wants to share an umbrella, or probably anything else,
with someone that they believe to be an enemy or someone they feel will bring
them harm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is exactly what I wish
to examine, i.e., the standards people use to make the choice of exclusion and
the refusal to share a close space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are two areas that are my present
concern, both have to do with the context and history of my ministry and
involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First is the Christian
social justice movement and the second is the area of race and reconciliation
ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The umbrella metaphor is
helpful when we realize that as Christians we are trying to get to some place
together, at least we ought to be mindful of what Jesus demands of us in terms
of love, unity, and reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can preach love but if I don’t want you under my umbrella it might be hard for
others to believe that I actually practice what I preach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I might advocate social justice, but if I am
not very social in my crusade for justice just what am I about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unity is often difficult to achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meaningful and continuing relationships of
cooperation in ministry are hard to sustain, especially when disparate
individuals, groups, ministries, churches actually try to accomplish
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am speaking here of folks
who do have some things in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
confess the same Lord Jesus Christ, they are both aware of a certain hostile
environment opposed to the things they wish to achieve (consider this the rain
or the heat from which we need some shelter), and they essentially agree in the
broader vision of what they want to see brought about; things such as justice,
peace, and love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are “reasonable” difficulties in
maintaining unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The common elements of
human life such as work, daily and weekly schedules, geographical distance, and
normal family complications make almost all partnerships challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When and where will we meet, how will we
communicate, how often, who will be the energy for us to continue in our common
effort, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there are the hidden
obstacles that can suddenly and surprisingly become all too apparent and even
vicious; envy, jealousy, competition, power grabbing, resentment and bitterness
about real or suspected motives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
when we agree to what or who should be included under the same umbrella we can
still be competitive as to who holds the handle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can actually hate the one standing next to
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Agreements don’t eliminate our
innate sinfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May the Lord have
mercy on us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are problems of theology, ideology,
and strategy that are significant and not to be dismissed easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add to these the problems mentioned above
such as ego, personality, and sin, and one is amazed we get to experience unity
at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many churches and
denominations agree on just about everything within themselves so that the
differences about what they believe are so small as to be invisible to the
outside world, yet, still manage to fight like cats and dogs about just those
differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes differences are
invented just so obnoxiousness can have its day, and these people can be as homogeneous as anybody from the School of Church Growth could desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In reference to Christian social justice I
am concerned with the Christian Community Development Association especially,
although the issue is broader than just this one organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CCDA has been a blessed and wonderful
experience for my wife and me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
many friends in the Association, and have learned and been blessed by the
worship and teaching at the conferences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As it has grown and developed it is obvious to me that the umbrella is
getting harder to share, both because some want to push people like myself out,
and because I am not sure others should have ever been asked to share the
shelter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At what point does such an organization
have to define what it means by “Christian?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As “progressives” (which is such a problematic word as a lack of
fidelity to Scripture means one is no longer progressing but regressing), want
to make sure women are treated equitably both as preachers and leaders, that
homosexual practice is no longer seen as sin, or that traditional religions are seen
as equal to God’s revelation in Christ, what happens to those they consider
conservative Evangelicals (even if many of us didn’t vote for Trump)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are still those of us who don’t ordain
women due to biblical conviction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
this the dividing line in terms of ministry involvement or cooperation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we divide over issue advocacy versus
evangelism and church planting among the poor?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will we divide over an Ana-Baptist view of justice versus those who
believe in the just war theory?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The umbrella seems to be getting smaller
and smaller for those who insist on a humble obedience to the Bible and believe
it to be God’s word and authoritative in all things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of my fellow urban workers are no longer
comfortable in CCDA gatherings as they have no sense of safety there in holding
to the biblical foundations that led them to the pursuit of justice and racial
reconciliation in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
one time if somebody said something crazy in the evening meeting it would be
called out by John Perkins the next morning. Where will that authoritative
biblical voice come from in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the racial reconciliation movement there
is a divide that is, not surprisingly, based on race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several issues are involved in keeping people
under the same umbrella or pushing them out of a partnership in the pursuit of
racial reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it
comes down to who will hold the umbrella, a person of color or not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that always the aim or goal of a racially
reconciled church or organization, and can it be assumed that this is the proof
positive of reconciliation? Can we actually walk under the same umbrella if
someone from the majority culture is the pastor or the leader of an
organization? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
terms of leadership in reconciliation churches or ministries, does every person
of color have an innate understanding of what it takes to pursue reconciliation
and are white people automatically disqualified or suspect until they stop
being white?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anyone, whatever our
color or ethnicity, have the right to choose not to pursue reconciliation? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are Christians the answer must be that no
one has the right to step out of God’s commission of the ministry and message
of reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of our discussion
is of course in the historical context of racism and so it must be asked, how are
we taking on the humility of Christ and attempting to make ourselves less in
our service to others if as white men we fight to hold onto dominance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How are we becoming “least of all” if as black
men we insist on leadership for ourselves and are never able to serve under
white leadership or even cooperate with it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is this movement just a temporary or cosmetic movement while in our
ethnicity we are actually striving for supremacy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One realizes that not all talk of
reconciliation and justice is actually that, but more an expression of hurt, bitterness,
anger, and a desire to maintain a wall of separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a difference between heart felt lamentation
and emotional venting and accusation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is a difference between biblically prophetic calls for repentance versus that
of simple antagonistic name calling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
short realized reconciliation has to be the goal of a righteous agenda, no
matter how much necessary truth telling, repenting, forgiving, patience and
seeking to understand each other we have to go through to get there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no legitimate reconciliation without
seeking to lovingly become a slave to others in their cultural context. (I
Corinthians 19.9ff)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are those who struggle with incipient
racism, prejudice and bias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some also
can fall into the trap of being a “racialist;” seeing everything through the
lens of race and justifying all decisions about involvement, cooperation, and
association based on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we
maintain cultural integrity, righteous gratitude and pride for our ethnicity
and legacy while not damning or rejecting other people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we appreciate who and what others are
without giving up who we are by cultural assimilation? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A legitimate reconciliation movement has to
honestly look at history and cannot bury its head in the sand about racial
injustice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no real
reconciliation without a constant effort at repentance for bias and prejudice,
and a rejection of any systematic oppression of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There must always be the acceptance of
responsibility for an active breaking of the yoke of past wickedness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the movement for reconciliation there will
always be a hurting grief over racial injustice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot be honest or healthy via a burial
within ourselves through a suppression of emotional deep hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cannot be papered over with a joint worship
service. However, though anger must be acknowledged, understood, and even
sympathized with, it must not be allowed to define any of us as believers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> If
reconciliation and unity are the will of God, if mutual love and submission are
mandates of Christ, and if these must be exhibited no matter what ethnic
history has been or how it has injured us, then we must attempt to walk
together. Evil is raining on us, and we
all need shelter both from the hatred of racism and its bitterness. Christ is our shelter, and to be linked to
others as we walk toward His kingdom is a blessed thing. It models the kingdom while we seek it. It is what love and peace have always done.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-12363776275556057272018-11-08T13:14:00.000-08:002018-11-08T13:14:04.846-08:00I WANT TO BE FAMOUS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I want to be famous,” he told me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now this was in a prayer session, and he
obviously saw it as a struggle, but nevertheless it was a vivid and naked
confession and I think it is right on target for many young men in ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many times have I sung the hymn, “Father
I Know That All My Life” and in it is the phrase, “content to fill a little
space if Thou be glorified?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sing it
with conviction and passion because that is not a normal part of my desire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I was actually saying, “Lord, I want
this to be true of me but I don’t think I am content to fill a little space.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to be famous too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a firm theological conviction that our
mission is to make Jesus famous, not ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, as with many pastors and church planters, my conviction is not always
as the same or consistent with my emotion, personality, and nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We struggle with ambition, with ego, with
competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our identity is tied up
with our reputation, with whether or not anybody knows our name, and how we
compare with our peers in being given opportunity, or even respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe in humility, and yearn to have
others mention me as an example of it, just as long as I am mentioned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently, in a workshop taught by Mark
Reynolds of City to City, he quoted from a book on leadership a fascinating
phrase, “the suffering of obscurity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
just rang out to me as a common problem among striving church planters and
pastors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really does feel like suffering,
as envy often does, and isolation, and loneliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led me to think and ponder on the
reality of the struggle of ambitious young men in the ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who has been involved in cross
cultural ministry and has sought to recruit and encourage minorities coming into
my denomination I have seen how this very issue of significance play a role in
the attitude men have about their place, or lack of place, in the PCA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Presbyterian Church in America is a great
leveler when it comes to fame and significance in the ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not an easy place to “make your bones”
or a name for yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I get the impression from some of
these young men that the secret to being significant is to know the right
people, to have someone open doors, and if one does know the right people than
success comes a lot sooner than otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are always men who seem to demand to be let in, to positions of
influence, to places on the dais, or committees, or speaking opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the reality is that any man
ordained in the PCA is already a fairly successful and significant person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One has to have finished college, graduate
school, taken arduous theological exams, and be hired by some ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, these men are a dime a
dozen, and the PCA is one place where no one thinks that any other Teaching
Elder is that important, or more important than others, unless he has earned
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is another question, how does one earn
importance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually the common and
mundane answer to that is from successful experience, from building a church or
a ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some think it is through
academics, another degree, maybe writing a book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually for a young man to write a book that
anyone believes is important means they really would be exceptional, like
Calvin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Books are always being written,
and most are forgettable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some men think
the way to importance is in the courts of the Church, to fight battles over
governance and the Book of Church Order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This notoriety is usually seasonal, say at General Assembly, and such
notoriety makes some more infamous than famous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why doesn’t anyone else recognize me as an
expert?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our role as preachers give us a
certain sense of authority, and we begin to expect our opinions should be taken
as profound, yet we keep not being invited to preach at the big churches, at
the big conferences, and we keep not being quoted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many years does it take to get some
traction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the architecture of
significance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some despise our company
because they will never be famous here, so they jump to other Evangelical camps
where the cult of celebrity and charisma is common and strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree, reputation and significance comes faster
in other places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presbyterianism seems
to be as fast changing as the movement of glaciers while young men see
themselves as agents of change, movement, and creativity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have watched men grow old griping about how
no one pays attention to them and I am saddened for their bitterness and
disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to be one
of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the good word about all this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a few thoughts and it starts with this,
if we don’t find our significance in the blood and righteousness of Christ we
are looking in the wrong places. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we
don’t seek the glory of Jesus more than our own than we are glory thieves,
idol worshipers, and ingrates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we
don’t find our identity in being a son of God, seated with Christ in heavenly
places, and a joint-heir with Christ we are settling for cheap change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time if we don’t recognize the
natural and innate need of young men to feel like they are making a difference,
that they are making an essential contribution, then we are mistreating them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are wasting precious resource, energy and
fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we continue to frustrate them
by not being their advocates, champions, mentors, and cheerleaders than we are failing
not only to serve them well, but failing the future of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every pastor needs to open doors for young
men, to praise them, to give them space and a place to make a
contribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to challenge them,
but we also need to hear their voices, and ask them to meetings even before somebody
elects them to such.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One last word, the best way to feel
important in this denomination is to have friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presbytery won’t give it to you, General
Assembly won’t give it to you, even if you enjoy them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You need friends, who love you, who are
loyal, with whom you hang out, go on vacation, and call you up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You need an older man in your life who
believes in you, and I confess sometimes we don’t get that from the Ruling
Elders who make up our Sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would it not be wonderful if we all could
fill little spaces and be satisfied, if we were being faithful to Jesus in that
place?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will take much spiritual work
in our hearts before that restlessness is settled, so may the Lord convince you
that he loves you, and may he convince you that in the end, that is more than
enough!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">END.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-83687765057464668172018-10-16T13:12:00.000-07:002018-10-16T13:12:34.670-07:00RECONCILIATION AND THE LAW OF PRAYER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Lex Talionis versus Lex
Orandi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are Latin phrases standing for the Law of Retaliation versus the
Law of Prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had never really
thought about them in regard to racial reconciliation until I was listening to
a lecture about Cyprian, a Bishop from North Africa, who had to deal with
whether or not the Church should forgive those who had betrayed their faith (lapsi)
during a time of persecution and made sacrifice or burned incense to the
Emperor of Rome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know the Law of Retaliation in terms of “An
eye for an eye.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Law of Prayer is
the one found in Mark 11:25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this
passage Jesus is teaching about prayer. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And
when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so
that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, as when Jesus taught his disciples to
pray what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” he adds, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew 6:14-15.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bishops of North Africa came to a
decision about demanding “penance” for those who had betrayed their faith, but they
also came to the conclusion that eventually they had to forgive them and
receive them back into the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
of the Bishops had lost all their property, some had been in hiding during the
persecution, some had been tortured and had not given in to the demands to deny
their faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had lost family and friends
to the Roman persecution and seen fellow Christians slaughtered for their
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must not have been easy to
forgive these traitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was
another group of Christians (Rigorists) who felt that those who had betrayed
their faith should never be forgiven or brought back in the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I confess that I have a problem with the
teachings of Jesus about forgiving others, especially when I am praying or
before I pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My problem is not with
his authority, or the truth of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
problem is I don’t want to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
are usually simply personal issues of offense; someone who has betrayed me,
slandered me, said something mean to me or about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have hurt me, and I can’t seem to get
over it or shake it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Jesus says, “when
you stand praying…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which of course is
every day for me, every day I come before the Lord to pray, or if you think he
is speaking of formal worship then I have to face the issue every week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how about those who bear the scars of
racism and racist attacks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about
those who have experienced loss due to prejudice and bias, or have been and are
insulted, or who feel the suffering of their people as a minority in a majority
world, read and hear a long history of oppression, see present instances of
ignorant, mean, and harsh hostility based on race?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suppose these people who have experienced suffering
or are sensitive to this suffering are indeed Christians, and suppose some of
the racists also call themselves Christians?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is one thing of course to call sinners to
repentance, no matter what those sins might be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is what believers and the Church of Jesus Christ should be doing
against all sin, racism and injustice included; calling for an end to it,
calling for repentance for it, calling for evil and sin to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens when there are people who do
repent, at least in owning up to their sin, who are sorrowful for it, who
confess it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is exactly I think
where Cyprian found himself, trying hard to believe these people were really
sorry for what they had done, trying to figure out how they could move toward
repairing the damage, prove their loyalty, and make their way back into
fellowship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it reasonable for
those of us who have been racist in our hearts and actions to bring forth fruit
worthy of our repentance, and do the demonstrable work of pursing reconciliation-
and not just ask for a “make me feel better” card. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Cyprian and the other Bishops were
also trying to figure out a way inside themselves to let the bitterness go, to
truly and completely forgive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hurt inside us makes Lex Talionis seem
so reasonable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Justice demands a
payment, a recompense, a pound of flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Forgiveness often seems like a miracle, and it seems that way because it
really is one, a miracle given by God inside our hearts and without which we
can’t really claim to know God, or to love Him, not really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We either forgive or we don’t get forgiven,
and that to me seems really harsh of God and I personally wish he would cut us
some slack about hating people and be more understanding about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose a father who gave his only son to die
for and completely forgive his enemies has a right to expect the same from
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The really good news in the theology
I believe is that not only does he demand it, but he provides miraculous grace
to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord, give us more grace!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-77474130515019977232018-10-01T11:52:00.001-07:002018-10-01T11:52:27.423-07:00THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I feel caught between a rock and a hard place in the conflict between sympathy for the victims of sexual assault or abuse and the rule of law. Many of my friends cast this current conflict at the hearing for the Supreme Court in the light of power versus victims. Many people are simply saying, “believe the victim!” Others are reminding us that a person is considered innocent until “proven” guilty. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> I want to do both. If someone is indeed a victim I want to believe them, love on them, protect them, and even avenge them. Whatever in my feeble and inept ways I can I want to be there for them, try to understand, listen, and weep with those who weep. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> In my own family I have seen someone ripped apart by the abuse they suffered, and I admit that I will never adequately know how that has affected their fears, feelings, self-image, confidence, sense of security, and ability to trust. I have marveled at how they have clung to the grace of God, and by the power of God have been able to give of themselves, have courage, and even speak frankly about the effects of abuse on their life. It is undeniable to me that abuse radically shapes a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Some may say that the hearings are not a trial, so it is okay to bring accusations without proof or corroboration. I have seen this kind of equivocal situation in the context of the church, usually in the case of church member versus pastor, or elder. There too it might be looked at as a victim versus power. When Ruling Elders of a church allow a member to come to a Session meeting and bring accusations against a pastor, or even another member, without witnesses or proof, but solely in the name of keeping the peace by allowing someone who feels aggrieved the opportunity to vent their feelings, it is not only destructive and detrimental to the protection of the church and its authority but simply wrong. Equivocation between parties is not justice, though it might appear to be so by adjudicators thinking they are keeping the peace.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> There is a movement to erase all boundaries of protection for a person's reputation in the name of giving comfort and safety to those who claim to have been abused. Ultimately this is corrupting to the rule of law and is more akin to lynch law where the mob makes decisions on their emotional response to a situation. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> We obviously have a dilemma, as a society, when it comes to such things. How much time should we allow victims to bring forward their stories? Is it ever too late to bring something up from the past, especially if it is some kind of sexual abuse? My answer would tend to be that there should be no time limit, but there should always be the limiting factor of who is told, and the limiting factors of standards by which people are believed. We have to protect children, or those abused as children, and women, and we have to give them a way to bring their story and accusations forward, while at the same time not giving way to a flood of hysteria that takes away all safeguards for people who are innocent of those charges.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> We don't have to look far to see the danger, first in the Bible with the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, then to the stories of black men lynched at the word of white women that were later found to be lying, and even to present day as men are finally let out of prison when DNA proves they could not have done the crime for which they were incarcerated. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> I feel ashamed as an American to see all this played out at the Senate hearings. I am ashamed that the Senate would ever let someone step forward to make an accusation about someone without corroboration, prior to their public appearance. This is equivocation of the worst sort, with political gamesmanship and the weaponizing of public opinion. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> I am ashamed of teen-age drinking parties, where parental supervision seems to get lost or be abandoned. I am ashamed of men who try to rape women, and most especially of those who sexually abuse children. I am past shame and into anger when it comes to and kind of religious authority using their position to sexually abuse children. I am ashamed of myself when I think of where, and how, I learned about sex and what I wanted and tried to do and get away with in my teen years.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> I am grateful for the cross of Christ where I found forgiveness and the power to be delivered from really intense sexual bondage. I am sad that our society seems to know so little about forgiveness, or grace, and can't seem to provide either one to victims or perpetrators. I don't think this reality TV has helped us very much, except to realize that there has to be a better way for the Senate to advise and consent to the President's choice.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-41681160633895387402018-09-18T12:33:00.001-07:002018-09-18T12:38:16.241-07:00ENTANGLING ALLIANCES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Someone has asked my
opinion on local churches cooperating or interacting with other organizations, and
possibly other ministries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
principles should we keep in mind, what practical issues might develop, and
what are some of the perplexing perils in fulfilling our mission?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will try to integrate some of the “perplexing
perils” (PP) as I articulate principles and practical issues. Here is a start to discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">PRINCIPLES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write from the perspective of someone who
was an urban pastor trying to reach and minister to poor people, and in a
cross-cultural context.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know your own identity and mission as the
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is unique, it is essential, and it must not
be compromised as to its Gospel message, call to conversion and discipleship,
and moral and ethical integrity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">(PP-If
you care about the social conditions surrounding you the temptation might be to
think the Church and its message are neither relevant nor practical enough to
really help people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other social
agencies may ridicule your call to faith as proselytizing and reject your
involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must not be intimidated
by the weight of social pathology nor by the social activist-despisers of our religion. Even (many) non-believers expect religious leaders and institutions to be moral and ethical
as a standard of behavior, it is an important reputation to keep.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Remember that
preaching and teaching (Grace, Gospel and Bible truth) are life giving and life
enhancing moments to individuals, families, and thus the whole community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Preaching Biblical sermons that meet real
human needs are not irrelevant to the life of the community but essential to
human flourishing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->No interaction,
collaboration, or cooperation with other institutions or agencies should move
the church from its primary mission of proclaiming the Gospel and its care of
souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This must be consistent
throughout a congregation’s “owned” ministries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The local church must protect its freedom to speak from a religious,
spiritual, and dogmatic perspective within the realm of its own ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The leadership of
a local church must consider the reputation of other institutions, agencies,
and individuals when it considers an agreement or cooperating partnership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some arrangements which are
essentially neutral, and others which are compromising of reputation, and still
others that are enhancing of reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Leadership has to be wise and prayerfully discerning as to which is
which. The attitude of the church should always be love, even when trying to protect
its testimony, and should always have an attitude and practice of loving
kindness even when it must keep distance from some involvements. [I have probably taken more risks than others in such involvement, but tried to be bold in my witness at the same time.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The local church
has to be mindful of the involvement of their pastor with other institutions
and agencies, his reputation, his time commitments, and his freedom to serve
Christ in every situation he formally and professionally places himself
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(PP-when does a pastor represent
only himself, or is representing his congregation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He always represents God, or else shouldn’t
be a pastor.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Local churches
can interact with other ministry, institutions, and agencies in various ways
and for various purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A key
principle for the local church is to know how this particular involvement moves
the mission of the church forward, or is it a diversion of focus and resources?
(PP-most non-profits want money and people from local congregations but not all
of them further the mission of the congregation or enhance the ministry of the
church, and some do not want any spiritual input from Christians.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->While local
church involvement in other institutions can be by way of volunteer hours,
financial support, facility cooperation, etc. the practice of resource investment
(especially that of church member man hours) must be weighed against how it
brings people to Christ and into the membership of the body?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This principle must always be balanced
against any other purpose, no matter how well meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ministries of mercy, helps, kindness, or any
other noble or good thing people can do, as we “do good to all men,” are not a substitute
for being “fishers of men,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> but all can be a means to that end if we are intentional about it.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->It is good for
church leadership to regularly, on some periodic basis, to reevaluate the stewardship
of the resources of the church (especially the volunteer ministry hours of the
membership) as to whether they are effective for…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The name
recognition of the church<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A
proto-evangelism of the community<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Direct evangelism
of the community<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->In conflict with
the functioning of the worship and activities of the church, including the
shepherding of the children of the church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The bringing of
justice and mercy to the community in the name of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Doing what must
be done to help the people of the community survive and thrive as an act of
love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">PRACTICAL ISSUES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]-->The Pastor especially may be called upon to serve on
community boards of various sorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
asked because he is a pastor of a specific church and not usually simply
because he lives in the neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of these activities are neutral, that is they don’t hurt the pastor
or church’s reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, every
involvement takes time and pastors need counsel from church leaders to be
careful about their commitments. He needs to humble himself to ask others to
speak into these decisions so he doesn’t hurt himself, his family, or the
congregation.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.</span></b><!--[endif]-->Taking money from anyone, or any agency, that hinders
the church’s ministry or message has to be rejected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully there are government programs, and
grants from foundations and businesses that don’t prohibit churches from their
message or ministry, but these must be carefully assessed and evaluated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many institutions want to do good, and are
willing to do it through a congregation, and these may coincide with a
congregation’s own vision and mission for ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things such as the feeding of children,
tutoring or after school programs, sports programs, arts and music programs, health
and medical programs, housing, etc are all possible areas of collaboration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A church has to ask what it wants to
accomplish in such programs, and if or when does it feel its primary purpose is
being compromised.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.</span></b><!--[endif]-->Once money is taken from an agency with commitments as
to its use and reporting congregations must be strictly ethical in fulfilling
their commitments and not funnel money into some other use, no matter how
seemingly good or necessary that use may be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">12.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Congregations have to ask themselves if their building
is “holy” and is totally and only committed to their doctrinal identity? Will the church let a public school rent the
building, or use the building for a ceremony?
Will the church let another denomination rent space to worship there,
even if there is not total doctrinal agreement? How about a cult? How about AA or some other 12 step program? Many Evangelical congregations have rented
space from Synagogues and other religious institutions, will we be reciprocal
in their hour of need?</span></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-52486718324070890532018-08-29T13:12:00.000-07:002018-08-29T13:12:51.415-07:00GOD BLESS THE DEACONS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">I like Deacons. I honor the office of Deacon. I love the men and women who serve in the
ministry of mercy throughout our churches.
May the Lord bless them and give them a reward for what they do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastors and Elders need to value the
ministry of Deacons, and they need to be thankful that they have them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastors need to brag on them and give them
honor, encourage the congregation to hold the Deacons up in prayer, and to give
them their cooperation as well as the physical and financial resources to do
effective work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some pastors simply want the Deacons to
protect them from facility surprises, as in maintaining roofs, heating and air
conditioners, grounds keeping, snow removal, clean bathrooms, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some churches want them to make sure there
are ushers, money counting, good budgeting, security, and parking lot
attendants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these things are
important, and the larger and more middle-class the congregation is than the
more important these things are going to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some of our congregations we have CEOs of
major corporations serving as Deacons (really, this is not hyperbole).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They know how to get business done, and the
title is nice on their resume for community involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone appreciates a congregation that
maintains a healthy, safe, and welcoming facility and has a positive sense of
good organization and administration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
appreciate these things too, but I know that they are not enough if our goal is
to be faithful to Jesus and his kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some churches have Deacons and never use
them in ministry to the poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pastor
and church secretary seem to do all of the benevolence, or else simply bar the
door and send strangers asking for help away to other “agencies.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Deacons should strongly discourage any
pastor from being the “Sugar Daddy” in dispensing aid to people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastors should delegate that direct ministry
to the Deacons.) As a former pastor I am very much in favor of having people “wait
on tables” as it were so I can focus on prayer and the Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time I would very much like to
see Deacons mobilize a congregation so that any and every poor person seeking
help from our church would be met with love, compassion, kindness, wisdom,
prayer, and effective help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I yearn to see Deacons organize themselves,
train themselves, and create effective ministry plans so that they are able to
stay motivated, refreshed, and multiplied so they don’t burn out, drop out,
become cynical, or waste their very precious time simply going to meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, in this short article may I make one
plea… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deacons, <u>stay humble enough to
want to learn how to do your ministry in more effective ways.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep asking of yourself, and of your team, “how
can we do this better, how can we do mercy so we actually lead people to Christ
and bring them into discipleship, how can we do this so people actually come out
of poverty?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ask those questions of your team you
will begin to realize you need help, and so you will start praying more, identifying
and recruiting more saints with more of the gifts needed to accomplish the
mission, communicating more with the Pastor and Elders, and encouraging more
financial liberality from the members.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Deacons start seeing the lives of poor
people being truly turned around they will hopefully begin to have a larger
vision for the neighborhood and community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hopefully they will begin to be proactive and create ministries and
programs that help poor people create strategies for themselves that move them
to self-sufficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-10413943928635771042018-07-25T14:05:00.000-07:002018-07-26T06:11:58.219-07:00MALPRACTICE IN CROSS CULTURAL MINISTRY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">FAILING</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">There are ways we can fail
in our pursuit of cross-cultural ministry.
I refer to this as “malpractice.”
I am not speaking simply of not achieving our goals but of going about ministry
in ways that actually hurt people, hurt the reputation of the church, and
possibly bring slander to the name of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cross cultural ministry has to be defined
by the cultures one is trying to cross or bridge. There are ministries that are
multi-ethnic, and that is (merely, or only) what they want to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes these groups think of themselves as
“multi-cultural.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is they don’t
really want to “cross” over into someone else’s culture but they do want to
have a mixture of kinds of people in their group or church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would prefer everybody to be comfortable
in “their own skin” and not force anyone to “walk in someone else’s shoes.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">MISSIONAL VERSUS DOMINANCE</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
settle for this model usually means there is a dominant culture for worship, or
a dominant culture for leadership, or an acceptance of cultural assimilation in
some form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is usually compromise
on some things, for some time, until some particular thing brings the friction
or competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The option is always for
separation into cultural groups. This is not what I mean by cross cultural
ministry, and to insist that this is the only way (i.e., multi-ethnic or
multi-cultural) for people to become part of one body is malpractice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If cross cultural ministry is more
missional, where a person or group intentionally seeks to become like the
other, or give up their personal or cultural rights so as to win others to
Christ, or to become one in unity, there are some things one should bear in
mind to do so with some integrity, honesty, and humility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cross cultural ministry done biblically is
intentional servanthood (slavery) to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore it cannot be done with arrogance or superiority lest it be malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have some powerful spiritual weapons to
help us when it comes to culture but I think all of the various pieces of
ordinance come under one main heading and that would be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of love is
telling the truth, but one can tell the truth without love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A scalpel can heal you or kill you, it
depends on how it gets used, in what circumstances, and with what skill.
Obviously, if a doctor uses a scalpel carelessly he commits malpractice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">SEEING THE LAYERS OF SIN AND SINFUL OPPRESSION</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will use two scenarios with which I am
somewhat familiar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first scenario: If
I as a white man come into the poor black community (and please notice that I
am specifying that there is a “poor” black community as opposed to wealthier
parts of the black community) and want to serve Jesus there by serving the
people there, then how do I approach it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The way we approach things begins with the way we see it, and that very
act of failing to see things properly, or truthfully, can result in
malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take the case of a surgeon
who is losing his eye sight but wants to operate on my nervous system; scary
thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are debates about what created the
poor black community, or the typical inner-city neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I arrive as a preacher and I see
pathology, I see sinful behavior, and think the answer is a prophetic voice to
call people to repentance for their wicked lives I might be seeing an aspect of
the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can pretty much guarantee
you that the people there won’t be feeling much love from me. For me not to
love the people to whom I seek to minister means I am guilty of malpractice. At
the same time, to deprive the people there of inherent dignity by excusing
their sinful choices, of not recognizing individual moral responsibility, and
blaming everything that happens in that community on racial history and present
racial injustice then I would be equally guilty of ministry malpractice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fundamentalists seem to have gone one way
with the blame game, social action folks seem to go to the other extreme of blaming
others who are somewhere else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
someone who grew up in the projects of Newark, NJ I would have to admit that if
I had kept going the way I was going I probably would be dead or in prison, or
living off what I stole from you, (I might have been a success in crime, one
never knows).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was culpable in my own
dysfunctionality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My father abandoned me, so my failures must
be his fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city was corrupt and
the way they administered city housing was corrupt so my failures must be their
fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The schools weren’t that good so
it was the fault of the Board of Education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not reticent to say that some of the blame might belong to them,
but my soul and heart’s condition could not have been changed by them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am white, and would later find that I had
white privilege in other places, but at that time I wasn’t aware of any
privilege except to try and earn the respect of the gang I ran with and stole
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed Christ, I needed a change
of heart, I needed to be born again and converted, I needed to repent of the
way I was living and the way I was headed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did my city need to be fixed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yeah, it needed justice and just
government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It still does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe if my heart was changed by grace I might
actually get to be part of that change, might help to be a conscience to the
forces that make a city what a city should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For the church to neglect my soul’s salvation would have been
malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For them not to have called
me to care for the values of the Kingdom of God, such as justice and mercy,
would have been malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me not
to have compassion on the misery of the people who suffer from economic
injustice (racial and/or simple economic exploitation), or to stay silent about
it when I become aware of how it operates, would be malpractice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My point is that the way we approach things,
the way we see things, has a lot to do with whether or not we are ministering
appropriately. I first have to see the city with compassion, the way Jesus did,
as sheep without a shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God had
compassion on Nineveh, that wicked city, where people did not know their right
hand from their left. The Ninevites were morally responsible for their sins and that is why God sent Jonah to proclaim judgement yet God had compassion on
them and recognized their ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">MORAL AGENCY</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
there immorality in the inner cities of America?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Way too much sexual immorality, pregnancies
without marriage, abortions, drugs, gangs, violence and sexual violence, a
collapse of family, a satisfaction with ignorance, a loss of aspiration and
thus a poor work ethic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too deny these
things and not see the exercise of personal choice at work, or to excuse them
as merely by-products of history or oppression, is to rob human beings of moral
agency. To not preach a redeeming character changing Gospel to people who desperately
need to be born-again is malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
the same time to see these things as if they all just happened overnight by the
choice of the people and that there aren’t historic and systemic forces that
perpetuate it and not seek to change those forces; that would also be malpractice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second scenario: If a white person seeks
to be reconciled with black people, to stop worshiping and living in a
segregated by choice church and community, and seeks friendships and
relationships that are deep, meaningful, and honest then how should that be pursued, and
how is that achieved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this particular
white brother (and let’s begin with the idea that he is saved) comes to a cross
cultural church, or a black church seeking to learn, how is he to be treated?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We go back to what and how one<i> sees</i> as an
approach is made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are the
assumptions we make when someone attempts reconciliation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we see this white person as simply a
victim of his raising or his culture, that he doesn’t know any better about
being a racist because he learned from a racist family, we deprive him of the
responsibility of moral agency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
responsible for what he thinks, says, and does, no matter where he comes from
or how he was raised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">ANGRY VERSUS PIERCING ANALYSIS</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If all we do is bombard people with the
rhetoric of angry racial analysis (and I am an advocate for piercing racial
analysis), hold them off from friendship until they admit to or make some steps
to dismantle white supremacy (or worse not even care if they should make such an
effort but just blow them off), mock them for their white privilege, and ridicule them when they seem confused or disturbed by what they are hearing by referring to their white fragility then we are committing cross cultural malpractice as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">BRIDGES OR BARRIERS?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Racial rhetoric carries emotional
power, but is not always substantive especially when disconnected from biblical foundations, and not usually nuanced enough to help
people know where the bridges to healing might be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Depending on how it is delivered it doesn't always </span>hint at an invitation to relationship
but rather a sad inevitability toward segregation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we allow, and even encourage, people to
come to emotional closure over feelings of racial and social guilt without
repentance, without pragmatic strategies for peace making, and without
commitment to a justice that mends, heals, and restores, then that too is
malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cross cultural ministry
has to face the realities of history, of race, of oppression, or a purposeful racial
economic disparity, and of social science statistics in the various fields of
urban sociology, the criminal justice system, and the role and activity of the
church in that reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is cross cultural ministry malpractice to
simply dwell on the failures of humankind and not to remember that
reconciliation is God’s work, beginning at the tearing of our relationship and alienation
from him in the Garden of Eden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
malpractice to forget the healing of the cross, between God and people, between
Jews and Gentiles (and thus all sub-ethnic groups) and our becoming one new man
in the body of Christ, through the work of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is malpractice to despair of the hope of reconciliation,
as if it is an effort on one group to simply feel better about themselves, and
not to remember it is given to all of God’s people as a message and a ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is malpractice to dismiss the reality that
reconciliation, especially cross cultural reconciliation, takes a conscious choice to be another people’s servant, and requires a death to self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also malpractice to give up the hope
that it is possible, and wonderful, and the future of heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">END.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-32565277705109293442018-07-17T15:27:00.001-07:002018-07-17T15:27:48.306-07:00The Danger of Following an Ideological Line<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> It is hard not to say something about this
latest activity by our President, and I speak of the comments President Trump
made in Finland about Russia.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> I
recently heard a lecture by Professor Peter C. Mancall of the University of
Southern California (Audible –The Teaching Company) in a lecture on the
American Revolution. In it he spoke
about political ideology. He described
it as a road map, a bunch of street signs, which guide our thinking. It explains
and seems to reflect a reality we desire. I picture it as one of those single
line maps someone draws on a table napkin which seems to correspond to reality
but it certainly is not an above the earth view like GPS. Nor is it like a biblical world view which
gives you godly principles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am afraid way too many people are
following line maps drawn on a napkin, and they get angry with anyone saying
there might be other factors to consider before one continues in this direction.
These political line maps seem to compromise virtues such as honesty and honor.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love my country, and I think every
country is important to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe
God is sovereign and he rules the destinies of each nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can use the Chaldeans, the Babylonians,
and the Persians to accomplish his will for Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can use evil men to bring about his will,
like Pharaoh in Egypt for Israel, and then destroy Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can use good and great men in such a way
that they bring their own nation into disaster, even though they were good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time God’s revealed will is actually
what we have to deal with; that’s the stuff that we can obey or disobey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s revealed will of truth, justice, mercy,
and righteousness is our business, not what he plans to do in a hidden way, except
that we must learn to have faith when that hidden plan means our nation comes
to an end, or disaster overtakes us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
want our nation to do right, and be right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I sincerely don’t want it to be destroyed, corrupted, or brought into
shame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conservative political ideology has some
correspondence to truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Liberal
political ideology has some correspondence to truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following their ideology is still only a line
drawing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, adherents seem willing to
sacrifice other things to keep following that ideological line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am afraid this President may be one of the
worst things to ever happen to the Republican Party and the Conservative
movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a desperate desire to
finally have some conservative judges and conservative influence on law and
legislation the Conservatives are selling their soul, and maybe the prestige
and honor of the nation with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The victory may be short lived, unless they
are willing to use the muscle they presently have to be honorable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a sycophant to this President means you
only take your turn waiting to be thrown under the bus, it guarantees you
nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One never knows how a narcissist
will interpret how sincerely you are kissing his posterior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they hold their President, our
President, accountable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or are they so
afraid of losing what little they have that they condemn their (our) future? I
am wondering if our citizens even realize what may be at stake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Political ideology is a map to nowhere if it
is not a map to justice and goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
it is only a map that prevents the opposite party from influence or
participation then it is a map to delusion and confusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their fear of undermining a powerful
leader whose agenda they sometimes like they may choke when it comes to
recognizing and denouncing a Quisling. We don’t just need men and women of
courage in Washington, we need men and women of integrity with enough courage
to tell the truth about their own party, and enough of them to finally get good
things done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Please Lord, help our
nation, and confuse all tyrants! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-10848913708203001032018-07-10T12:04:00.002-07:002018-07-10T12:04:48.139-07:00WHAT IS YOUR POLITICAL POSITION?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Where do I
stand? I don’t think the middle is a
proper understanding of my position. I
am trying to stand on the Rock, on the Word of God, from his “fixed” position. This is opposed to partisans in America,
whose positions shift, though they are often referred to as “being on the
right,” or “being on the left.” “Being
in the middle” is often dismissed as a real position because people think that to
oppose their point of view means you are siding with their opponents, so in an
election you are declared to have hurt the vote if you don’t vote for their
side, even if you can’t in good conscience vote for either side. Most political partisans hate the people in
the middle and seek either to radicalize them or to dismiss their legitimacy. Ideology despises compromise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think
my position is the “middle.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though at
times, for political understanding, it might seem that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to be in the <u>correct</u> position,
God’s position, and I want to know what he thinks and what he wants, and that’s
where I hope you will find my opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is of course a danger to even saying such things, as some might
find it outrageous that anyone could know God’s position on any particular
thing concerning politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, for
those who believe the Bible to be God’s Word it is not outrageous at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is certainly true that those claiming to
believe the Bible have often come out on various sides of an issue, and so
things can get a little tricky in deciding a political opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, I maintain there is a God side of
things, and it is that side to which we must conform no matter what party to
which we belong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As I have tried to ascertain God’s position on things
I have sometimes found myself agreeing with those on the right, and sometimes
agreeing with those on the left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People
on either of those sides tend to assume, if I agree with them on one issue,
that I will therefore accept all of their ideology and all of their venom for
those on the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far too often I
have found fellow believers selling their minds to an ideological drift and
becoming fairly nasty in their partisanship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These people will often tell you they are discerning, that they vote for
the person or the particular issue, but their track records don’t reflect much
independence (in my opinion) especially as I watch them spread “fake news.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I am not always sure about things, not always educated
about issues or personalities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
plenty of ambiguity in the political realm and therefore plenty of room for
humility, though that seems hard to find these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I am wrong in my understanding of
Scripture or of what may be deduced by good and necessary inference from it
when it comes to righteousness (moral and ethical), then I want very much to be
corrected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to be stubborn,
proud, or arrogant before the Scriptures and its truth, and neither do I want
to be those things before people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need
wisdom, knowledge, prudence, and discernment, continually and increasingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Let me be specific about some of my stands on things
so the reader can understand the dilemma of position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am opposed to abortion, so I am declared
therefore to be a conservative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
opposed to the practice of homosexuality and opposed to homosexual consensual relationships
given the title of “marriage.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, now
I am even more conservative, and called other names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am opposed to racism, I am for human and
civil rights, I am for the protection of the poor and the weak, therefore I am
called a liberal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I think having a position on such things is important
because when one fears God they are supposed to “hate” evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some things in our culture are evil and should
be opposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I oppose an evil someone
will remind me that America is not the Kingdom of God and my very opposition to
certain behaviors and political opinions might lose me a hearing for my
preaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree about America, it is
not the Kingdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, I believe
that nations count, they are important to the life of the people who live
there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The government
of any nation is important as to whether or not the people who live under it are
allowed to live in a context of moral and ethical righteousness, and evil will
prevail when good people say and do nothing about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though America is not a “Christian” nation many
people live here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are all made in
the image of God, each one is important and significant, their lives
matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a Christian God’s love compels me to care for the
well-being of all people, and that not just in an individualistic relational
sense, but as a society. The Kingdom of God is active in any society when
justice reigns, when love prevails, and there is peace or shalom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Righteousness is indeed where wisdom walks. These
are marks and aspects of the Kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only that but America is one place where the government takes it
shape from the opinions, consensus, and vote of the people and so Believers are
able to help shape it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an American
Christian I am more responsible for the government of my nation than people
from many other countries simply because I have more of a possibility to change
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So we must pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I must pray for our President, even if I didn’t vote for him or if I don’t
like the way he acts much of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am thankful for him when he does something right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must pray for the next Supreme Court
Justice and I hope he is opposed to Roe vs. Wade, but I don’t want him to hurt
the civil and human rights of people of color or to hurt the poor by allowing
them to be exploited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I support
obedience to law and the rulers over us, but demand they be held to account
when they break the very laws they are sworn to uphold, and I believe that some
laws are in fact unjust and should be changed, and in some cases disobeyed for
conscience sake until those laws are changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am for love and against violence, and deeply thankful for the freedom
I have to advocate, practice, and vote for these things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">END.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-56096493419642332402018-07-02T12:55:00.000-07:002018-07-03T10:37:47.472-07:00MISTER BIG STUFF, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Do you ever get bothered by pictures of young white people surrounded by little black children, whether American or African, as they send out stories and messages of their latest mission trip or urban experience? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I’m all in favor of “best practices” when it comes to community development and ministry. I am in favor of a discerning and growing “cultural intelligence” while working in cross cultural contexts and across economic strata. This sounds a bit stupid but I, in a very simple way, am in favor of justice. That leads me to being against paternalism. Consequently, I am opposed to exploiting the poor for the purpose of fund raising, marketing, and publicity whether it be for the aggrandizement of my personal name or the enrichment of my organization.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> The bottom line in analyzing my behavior is of course <u>love</u>; to be continuously asking the question of myself and my organization, "are we, am I, showing love to the the very people I say I am trying to help." The pertinent question is not simply how I feel about the people whom I serve but, “am I loving <u>in the way</u> I am trying to love?” This question should become intuitive for those of in cross-cultural and trans-social ministry.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Sound confusing? Well, it can get confusing in the world of missions and ministry across ethnic and social lines, in the world of professional or semi-professional “helping” via faith-based non-profits, church mercy and ministry programs, and mission trips, etc. The confusion comes from several different sources.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> It is confusing because I don’t think there is such a thing as “missions” worthy of the Biblical name that isn’t resisted by the Devil. Part of that resistance is often false accusation, and resistance and anger from people with whom we are sharing the Gospel. Do you realize that no matter how well we do things some people still hate the truth, they hate the Gospel message, and therefore they hate us? Some of the resistance is internal, through inner self-doubt as to whether we are doing the right thing, in the right way, and for the right purpose. What makes this complex is the fact that all of us make mistakes and sometimes with the best motives we screw things up.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Another complication is the criticism we are liable to get from others who are doing similar work in community development and urban ministry based on certain principles. Even if an organization or person might theoretically agree with the principles there is discrepancy and variation in their application across the ministry spectrum. Some people are what we might call ‘purists.” Frankly there are some who have developed a new legalism and it comes across in a judgmental attitude when it comes to an evaluation of others, especially novice workers, in the field. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> One of the principles of community development is learning how to listen to the people who live in the community, listening with understanding, and listening with empathy. That principle doesn’t mean we always agree with the people of the community. How could we if they say, “we don’t need your religion or works of mercy or good deeds (done in the name of Jesus) here?” Missions is an invasive experience, an intrusion into the culture of a community so we have to try, and try very hard, to not insult or demean the dignity of the folks to whom we go.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> One of the sources of conflict or misunderstanding comes by way of publicity, prayer letters, and photographs. I learned very early when I was beginning urban ministry in Chattanooga that I needed to be circumspect about having my name and picture in the newspaper. I am a white man, and here I was working in an inner city African American neighborhood. White churches, from whom I needed support, wanted me to tell the story of the good work we were doing, they wanted drama, they wanted testimony, they wanted pictures. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Black churches were trying to figure out if I was just one more “do-good” white boy who was having a transient savior complex, or worse, trying to build a reputation and earn a living on the plight of inner city folk. I often had to check my own motives, and I had to live with the gossip and mean accusations of people who made assumptions about me and the work we were doing. Longevity is sometimes the only defense one can make in ministry.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Really, I sometimes wanted to ask? I live and try to raise my family on inadequate income with few if any benefits, working at three jobs to do it, constantly being libeled and mocked, sometimes in physical danger, suspected by my professional peers as being inadequate to hold a “real church,” while living in a run down apartment in a run down neighborhood to accomplish or gain what? Fame, fortune, power and leverage? Seriously?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> What is ironic is that living like I did does get you a reputation, it does cause people to think of you as a hero, and sometimes it brings about envy and resentment from people who wish they had that reputation. I am no messiah, only the Lord Jesus is that, and anyone in ministry has to constantly take whatever hardships or trials they have been through and lay it at the cross of Jesus and not hold onto it as glory for themselves. Anyone can have such a reputation if they are willing to earn it and live it. What is silly is for any of us in ministry, white or black, is to covet a reputation we haven’t earned yet. Our lives are supposed to make Jesus famous, not ourselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> What is also mean and harsh is to slam people who are well-meaning but sometimes ignorant about how they go about things. There are lots of mistakes made on any battlefield, but if you are not or have not been on it, I would be cautious about acting like you are an expert. Even if you are on the battlefield, are you so arrogant as to despise those God is sending as reinforcements (maybe even your replacement) to help you, but are beginning at a very elementary stage? They don’t know yet (or why) their sincere and sometimes sickly sweet story telling about how much they are loved by the poor people, with whom they are currently taking a selfie, drives you crazy. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Too many people in the field of charity show little charity with folks who don’t get all the principles right. These clumsy novices need correction, yes, but they also need our patience. If all we have to give is criticism about all their wrong motives and their bad of way of doing things we should not be surprised when we call for help and no one comes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Won’t their stupid and clumsy acts of mercy and mission cause harm to the people to whom they are going? I assume that this is true, they will sometimes cause harm. As far as I have seen it isn’t usually the worst harm the kids and people with whom I have worked are going to face, especially if no one comes to tell them about Jesus. We can do better, we must do better, in educating God’s people who sincerely want to serve, but I think we all need to remember how much we needed to learn, and have learned, over the years in doing this type of ministry. Man, I mean, who do we think we are?</span></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-9702214010384155262018-06-18T15:00:00.000-07:002018-06-18T15:08:49.911-07:00IMMIGRATION<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">There are many folks writing and speaking
out against the Trump Administration policy of separating children from their
parents, those who have sought to enter the U.S. without permission, or
illegally. I am sure my voice will not
add much to what is being said, but I do feel it right to say something about
it and not remain silent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every once in a while our government does
something it thinks is necessary to solve a problem and makes a choice to do
something that is immoral, wrong, and/or even a crime against humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are a very “legal” nation so the
government usually takes pains to declare something to be legal, even when it
is morally wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One example was the
policy of torture during the Bush administration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much
of the time the executive branch is responsible for creating a “policy” to
define how laws will be carried out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Legislative branch is supposed to be the branch that makes laws but many people
are affected by how the Executive branch defines and executes those laws, or by
how the Supreme Court interprets them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, torture was a policy, not a law passed by Congress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abortion was allowed due to a SCOTUS
decision, not by a law passed by Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Expediency and politics often are the
driving forces in creating such policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The internment of Japanese citizens was such an expediency, the removal
of Native Americans from their own lands was such an expediency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>History gives us more perspective years after
an event, and after destroyed lives and bodies too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Law enforcement is put into a dilemma as its
personnel have to carry out such “laws” even when some of its members might
have some conscience about enforcing things which cause obvious outrage among
many of our people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Politics becomes a hindrance to moral
considerations because parties don’t like to be criticized by the other side,
and thus political parties attempt to discard moral arguments as mere political
leverage in an argument.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have an obvious problem in our country
when it comes to immigration, both legal and illegal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the legal side is confusing, onerous,
cumbersome, and intimidating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our present
policies bear little resemblance to what is written on the Statute of Liberty
or to the spirit and history of the land of freedom and the beacon of liberty
from those who come from oppression and poverty.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have varying views of how to handle the
flow of immigrants and it has been one that has flipped and flopped, ebbed and
flowed, over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one time America
had pretty wide open borders for some, and absolutely closed for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was wide open for white people who came
with guns and took the lands they wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a border not wanting to be crossed by Africans who were brought
here against their will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a border
already crossed by Spaniards in lands settled by them well before the Americans
got to the West. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a land closed to
the “yellow peril” except for labor to build the railroads and do mining, up
until the 1960’s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People from Asia of
varying countries were not welcome until the second half of the Twentieth
Century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immigration has had an effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea that it is always good and helpful
is certainly debatable. Beside a secular idea of individual freedom what
culture do we already have that is worth protecting and preserving?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has always been some sort of fight
going on between Deism, the Enlightenment, Secular Humanism, and the ideology of
the Protestant Reformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without
religious liberty, without religious morality and ethics, would America be
America?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can our culture, if our culture
is worth maintaining, survive mass influxes of Muslim and Eastern thought and
philosophy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jews and Catholics have been absorbed into
our American culture and have made it richer, while adjusting to the reality of
what was already here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short they
gave up things to survive while America has had to come to grips with
protecting their rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, when our government
policy became more liberal in the openness of immigration to all nations,
religions, and groups some of our people become alarmed at changes perceived to
be taking place around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Job competition, religious competition,
linguistic competition, and the downright mobbing of borders by people refusing
to be slowed by procedure and process has caused a reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of that reaction is xenophobic, and some
of it is sort of a righteous indignation that people are “dishing” the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories and incidents of terrorism and crime
are alarming, and violent foreign ideologies and individual criminals need to
be identified, resisted, and rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> None of us should be blaming people for wanting to come here. We as a nation should be <u>the</u> destination for anyone seeking a better way of life on this planet. Our hope would be that every other nation could have such freedom and prosperity so its people would not want to leave where they are. Unfortunately there are too many places of violence, oppression, and desperation. Immigration has always brought enterprising and risk taking individuals to our shores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again our present Executive branch is
making policy on top of the laws that exist, and some of those policies are
inhumane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are expedient, they are
an attempt to frustrate and discourage people who cross the border without documentation,
but they are not all good policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top
of that the current President sends confusing signals to his own party, blaming
others for what his erratic and ambiguous leadership creates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Attorney General misapplies Scripture to
defend government as he falls into the same trap as the “Divine Right of Kings”
and disconnecting the creation of American law from the source of the greatness
of American history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Americans appealed to a “higher” law to
resist the King who claimed that same Biblical authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abolitionists appealed to a “higher” law to
fight against legal but unjust slavery. Civil rights advocates violated state
laws of racial segregation based on a “higher law” of justice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pro-life people appeal to a “higher” law to
resist abortion policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly some
laws are unjust and don’t deserve to be law, they need to be changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case something weaker than law is
being fiercely defended by the Administration and that is simply expedient
policy to help meet a practical political goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I absolutely believe in obeying Romans 13,
but I see that text in the context of a nation “of the people, by the people,
and for the people.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We the people get
to choose our laws, and we get to choose our leaders, and we desperately in my
opinion need to choose to change the leaders we have unless they get to a
reality of justice, compassion, and wisdom, none of which they are exhibiting
at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we detain families at the border they
should be kept intact and held together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not the
same as arrest for criminal activity where children are taken from parents by the state system<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Detainees don’t even get the rights of people
arrested in criminal cases such as quick hearings, adequate and provided legal
representation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they are not applying
for asylum, if they have no good argument for seeking shelter here then we need
to send them home quickly, as families. If they are seeking asylum they should
not be treated as criminals in any way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this money sought for a wall is nowhere as
needed as money needed for a good system of examination, decision, and
repatriation, with adequate provision for such families who are in that
process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The President is correct that Congress needs
to act, but it obviously has a hard time doing so with such a mercurial
leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> he should stop making suggestions and then changing them, hoping for more political advantage. He needs to paint a picture of justice, one that he really believes in, and sell that to Congress and lead them toward it. </span>Somebody needs to lead, and we
are a country desperately in need of one, a good one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-3352979603764225352018-06-17T17:39:00.002-07:002018-06-17T17:39:40.408-07:00WHITE FRAGILITY AND PASTORAL CARE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> One of the struggles I experience in the
world of racial reconciliation and peacemaking is to hear people say pretty
stupid things.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> Sometimes I get to hear
people express their fears, and sometimes their anger, and sometimes just their
ignorance. In all of these expressions I
am still called on by God to love people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of us are exposed to different spheres
of thought, or activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those of us who
are Christians live, or ought to, in the world (environment) of the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also live in the world of politics, media –
including both news and editorials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
live in our cultures, we live in our families, in our vocations, and our opinions
are formed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes those opinions are
well founded, and sometimes they are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes those opinions are held without pride or arrogance, they are
held loosely, and are open to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes we tie our opinions to our egos and then we entrench ourselves
against all comers, even the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastors are called to shepherd folks, and
part of that shepherding is the pastoral care of people with racial opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been thinking of how to do that, and
how we can do that well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize of
course that even pastors like to choose sides, and sometimes it is necessary
and right to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have decided to
follow Jesus and therefore I am for righteousness, justice, mercy, and
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am against oppression, and evil,
and racism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make no apology for
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, my weapons are not the
weapons of the world, nor am I allowed to become so self-righteous in my causes
that I being to mistreat people with whom I disagree, although at times that is
hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One pastoral issue within racial
discussions is the subject of “white fragility.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, there are other names for this and
varying degrees of it such as…denial, defensiveness, anger, confusion, blaming
the victim, creating false narratives about intents or motives, etc. The phrase
is often used in a pejorative sense especially by People of Color to dismiss
those white people who react negatively to various racial and justice
issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some circles there is little
patience for white folks just coming into awareness about issues, especially
when that awareness results in resistance to change or even in naïve celebration
of their new realizations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I say little patience there is slight
willingness to hear people say dumb things, either as they try to learn and understand,
or actually resist listening to truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is where the phrase becomes pejorative, and speeches are made about
how people should know better, should know by now, and allowance is not going
to be made for very elementary discussions to teach these folk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is exactly where pastors live, in a
world of people being dumb, and saying dumb things, and doing dumb things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is like the world of parents who only
hang on to their children because they are in fact blood relatives, otherwise
they couldn’t continue to put up with such immaturity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can only try to imagine what it must be
like for God to put up with any of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastoral care for folks caught up in “white
fragility” has to begin with a love for sinners and patience with them
especially when their ignorance and racism is exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must be coupled with a determination not
to excuse racism nor its buttressing of injustice, but with a willingness to
begin with people where you find them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It means answering a lot of very simple questions, hearing erroneous
statements made boldly and not being intimidated by them, and gently correcting
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastoral care is always about
not losing the patient while trying to bring them to healing and that can
usually only be done by maintaining the relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why
bother with putting up with such folks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like the bumper sticker I once saw that said, “we don’t make peace
with our friends but with our enemies.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Making peace is hard, and one has to be tenacious to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making peace is safer for everyone in the
long run. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a multi-ethnic society establishing
allies across racial lines is essential for progress, and protection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isolating ourselves and defining our “sides”
and our parties while demonizing our opponents is sort of an American political
tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The triumphalism of gaining ascendancy as our ethnic and ideological groups gather strength is often an
illusion and very often temporary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
reinforce ourselves in our rhetoric as we mock not simply our ideological
opponents but those asking questions, even if they are sincere in their
ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>White fragility is a way of thinking that sees
white people as being set upon, as if gains for POC will mean less freedom for white
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>White fragility is fear because
it finds the tables turned and white privilege (often assumed but not
identified as such) seems at risk, socially, politically, and financially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>White fragility is anger at being made to
feel guilty often before that guilt is specified and understood. We live in a
blame culture and white people especially resist unspecified guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When that guilt is accepted they know it will
cost them something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
one likes to feel guilt, or accept guilt, or be blamed for things that happened
long ago or about which they struggle to see a direct link to their door, or to
their personal decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When assailed
by such blame without an understanding of how they could possibly be at fault
they are like people about to be sued by someone assumed simply trying to make
some money for themselves, without justice, in the legal system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People get ready to fight back in such
circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good pastoral care means helping people see
that repentance for real guilt is actually a doorway to joy, freedom, and
fellowship. Good pastoral care means helping people own up to history, and to
be delivered from illusions about living in a completely merit based society
with everyone beginning at the same starting line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastoral care for people working their way
to racial reconciliation means seeing and hearing sinful things from people,
and from people on both sides of issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It means loving them through it, seeking to maintain relationships, to
keep the discussion going, to reducing the heat in the words and conversation, listening
to the hurt, anger, and panic, and pointing people always to Christ and the
Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means at times repenting
in ourselves as pastors as we feel like giving up, or cutting some folks off,
or just getting to name calling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord
have mercy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-31676591049414061152018-06-05T11:52:00.000-07:002018-06-05T11:56:47.476-07:00ANOMALIES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Anomaly of Social
Justice without faith and of Christianity without Social Justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently I have been listening to one of
the “great courses” from the Teaching Company on “Transcendentalism.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listening to the history of this movement
one realizes how profoundly American culture and philosophy has been impacted by unbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>America is not immune from
the philosophies and religious opinions of the Enlightenment, Deism, and
frankly, unbelief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of our greatest American founders were
Deists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were educated men, they
read the Bible, they just didn’t believe much of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They certainly were culturally influenced by
it, but when it came to accepting miracles they trusted their intellect more
than the word of preachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time
of Jefferson some intellectuals, and religious folks, no longer believed in the
Trinity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not new of course, there had been
struggle over this theological concept back to the time of Arius, writer’s such
as Milton didn’t accept it (though probably with more orthodox belief) and then came the slide of Congregationalists in New England from Trinitarian orthodoxy to an unorthodox Unitarian belief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can see a pattern
of applying skeptical and intellectual judgement, with a sense of human determined
superiority ("free thinkers") in determining what is true or not, to the Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have always been people who have felt
their own reason was superior to an old book, who have tried to be scientific,
and used their best reason to determine if something could be true or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christianity is not one of those things that
can be taken apart by reason, intellect, or science and still be left intact,
especially if all of those things are undertaken by unbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one starts with the proposition that
supernatural things are absolutely not possible then one cannot end up with believing that
the miracles in the Bible are true. Without the supernatural there is no God, and there is no salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Transcendentalists were essentially
Deists with an agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They thought that
human beings could intuitively leap (transcend) to enlightened thought as to
what was moral, just, and best for humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were too unbelieving to stay even in the Unitarian Church, but they
nevertheless borrowed much from the Christian “capital” of justice and
mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What they claimed as “intuitive”
was often simply stuff they learned from Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were champions of abolition from
slavery, equality for women, justice for the worker, and respecters of creation
(nature).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are not out of accord
with concepts in the Bible, or with the character of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course they found it difficult to create Utopian expressions of community with just these concepts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human sinfulness kept getting in the
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless they weren’t wrong
about everything, and they have had a deep and lasting impact on American education,
intellectual thought, and the claim of “free thinkers” thinking they could
think better than believers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the people who opposed their ideas
of justice were orthodox believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though orthodox believers weren’t trying to “transcend” to leaps of
intuition about what was best for humanity they still could easily have read the Bible
more closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Transcendence has never been necessary to notice suffering or to understand justice. </span>In fact the Bible is not
shy in revealing God to be in his essential character a God of justice, the
only God, actually, who is also a God of compassion and mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They could have read the character of Christ
more perspicaciously rather than simply working to create a creedal formula for a confession of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the great tragedies of the
institutional church has often been its protection of the status quo rather
than following its radical founder (Jesus) into a life of full-orbed
righteousness that affects not only personal morality but also public justice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> For those who cannot believe </span>the supernatural power of God means to attempt justice without his gracious help,
to attempt to love one’s neighbor as oneself without spiritual empowerment, to
endure suffering and to be a servant without the hope of eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, justice, mercy, and rights become
causes with only human agency and means and not transcendent realities which
the God of heaven and earth will finally accomplish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They become righteous causes that make us
self-righteous and give us no hope against the continual reality and witness of evil in
humankind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many Americans, and people
around the world, who wish for a better one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They wish for justice, for peace, for equity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately their own unbelief deprives
them of the prospect of joy and hope while the intransigence of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Christians” who are racist, sexist, and
oppressive gives unbelievers little witness of Biblical truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> How strange to hear so-called Christians
speaking against social justice, sometimes because they see it associated with people
who so vociferously tell us they can’t believe in God or the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Righteousness is righteousness, and truth is
truth no matter the mouth of the ass that speaks it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">END.</span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-9933364450041827792018-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:002018-05-04T06:34:17.594-07:00IDEOLOGY AS ETHICS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Some comments about…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ideology as ethics and
mantras posing as reasoned argument; the sad state of American politics and the
zombie zeal of political followers, with the contingent dismissal of biblical
Truth while adhering to Evangelical rhetoric.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Some observations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To criticize Trump is not the same as endorsing
Hillary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Even a bad man can get some good stuff done, and for
that we thank no one but God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can
give Trump his due as having raised some real issues, and even accomplished
some good, while recognizing what is shameful, and dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I respect the office of the President, as such I show
respect to the person who holds it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
pray for whoever might be in that office while at the same time I can
completely disagree, even despise, either their personal behavior or policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot imagine the grace that Daniel needed
to live, and serve, under the narcissistic king Nebuchadnezzar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To believe that the liberal media never says anything true
is about the same as believing that Fox News always tells the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of course is more patently partisan while
the other is consistently condescending.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->For godly people to look over immorality, lying,
slander, and bullying in the hope of a national moral revival is fairly idiotic
and certainly short sighted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is embarrassing
to hear Evangelicals say, in so many words, that the ends justify the means. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To dismantle and resist government regulations sounds
like a good idea for someone’s business interests, until one’s own children eat
contaminated food, use untested and expired drugs, drink leaded water from the
tap, get cheated by the undersized gallon at the gas pump, and have an uninspected
bridge fall on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Cutting taxes always sounds good, until one realizes
that America’s failure to pay its bills results in the collapse of both
physical and social infrastructure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Politicizing infrastructure as “pork” while claiming to be the champion
of “cost cutting” has been the strategy of hucksters and our present
irresponsible government, on both federal and state levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Being a “fiscal” conservative cannot legitimately mean
consistent deficit funding for conservative political love babies, whatever
they happen to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The de-funding of social infrastructure is always the
first victim of an irresponsible government, while the funding of it usually
ends up being forced by the courts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
this end we have an epidemic of mentally ill homeless people, over-crowded
prisons with resultant violence and riots, teachers (even in “right to work”
states) who have to create state wide strikes to get a fair wage, and
inadequate state protection of children, the elderly, and the poor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Church cannot replace the State for the creation
and support of social infrastructure for all of a nation’s citizens, nor can it
create the economic environment for entrepreneurial enterprise to create
wealth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Church must rise up to do more (and it can) for
its own people, the people in and around its locations and outreach, and the
general welfare, with wise and best practices for human flourishing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It is the exercise of democracy that creates the
boundaries for government provision and the taxation it requires for that
provision. It is the exercise of democracy that creates the boundaries and the
incentives for free enterprise by government regulation or government
restraint.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">To create a government of reactionary laws and
policies in order to protect the nation from terrorism and illegal immigration
creates a legacy of torture, false imprisonment, kangaroo courts, and incipient
jingoistic nationalism and creates a too comfortable context for public racism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It is far too easy to use the motive of fear to create
hasty, unreasonable, and potentially illegal recourse to national
concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Demagogues thrive in such
environments while people without power are crushed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Embarrassment and shame will become our internal
national emotion, while inhumanity, meanness, and selfishness our national
reputation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We have real problems and real enemies and it will
take wisdom to solve and resist them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
need rational national discussion and consensus, following our original
democratic and constitutional principles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We cannot abandon the most essential of our moral values to somehow
create a safe and moral future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the
protection of life; unborn, black, students, police officers, and general citizens
collectively we cannot really claim that the right to “life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness” continues to guide us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Life must be a value without qualification, and must be a higher value
than personal choice or unregulated gun sales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Without the welcome to immigrants, and especially the
poor immigrant, we cannot continue to claim to be the beacon of liberty and the
harbor of safety. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Our history has always conflicted with our ideals and
it is our national fight to strive to live up to those ideals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>America cannot simply be about providing freedom
for those who have achieved economic self-sufficiency, it must also mean the
inclusion of others into this land of opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We must find a way to humanely and wisely integrate
the immigrant into a land of welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is no reason, except political intransigence, for us not to come up with an
efficient, legal, honest, humane, and understandable process for all concerned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We are not a nation created by the French
Revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not simply the
product of the enlightenment, nor unbridled and crass capitalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our national motto is not based on Atheism,
but “In God We Trust.” We are not simply a nation of and for personal freedom but
of collective justice and goodness. These two things are the constant American
tension. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We are the child of the Protestant Reformation, and
are still continuing the experiment of the American Revolution, the perfecting of
our American Constitution and the fulfilling of the American Civil War to end
slavery, unite the nation, and constitutionally protect the God given humanity
of all people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We have been too often shamed by racism, imperialism,
and greed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have also been blessed and
applauded for love, kindness, humanity, and the sacrifice to prove it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This must continue to be a land where we seek
to live up to our best lights given to us in the best of our national religious
and moral heritage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Without a constant and honest self-examination of our
behavior and practice in the light of Biblical truth we end up blindly
following political ideology, becoming stubborn, antagonistic, self-righteous,
even mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We must hold our political ideology much more loosely,
much more humbly, than our theological convictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our desire to achieve political objectives
cannot and must not cause us to abandon godly practices and ethical
behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot simply seek strategy
that wins but which is righteous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
must not sacrifice character for victory because it is the quality of our
character that is the essential battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I seek to be sincere in my opinions, and not merely
cynical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I know that I can be sincerely
wrong especially in seeking political solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My earnest hope is to remain humble before
the absolute values of God’s Holy Word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>END.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-38888266653951030242018-04-23T13:32:00.001-07:002018-04-23T13:35:32.333-07:00THE PUBLIC READING OF SCRIPTURE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">I want to share some
thoughts on the importance of the public reading of Scripture. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13, <i>“Until
I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to
teaching.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evidently Paul thought this to be an important
task for Pastors, as it is something to which they should “devote” themselves
to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t necessarily think that
pastors are the only ones who are allowed or authorized to read the Scripture
in a worship service. I do think they are responsible to make sure the
Scripture is read, and read well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
have even been pastors who did not know how to read, or through physical
difficulty could not read, but they were oral learners, they listened, then
learned, and they memorized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you
imagine being a pastor who needed someone to read for you, and then you
preached the Word?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever a pastor’s
capacity or incapacity for reading it is his responsibility to make sure the
Word is read, and read well, so the people – the public- can hear it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in an educated age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literacy is a common expectation, yet the
reality is that there are many who are functionally illiterate and many who are
lazy readers and resist any kind of regular Scripture reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible is not just for the educated, not
just for intellectuals, and not just for those who know how to, or enjoy,
reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every person needs to hear the
Bible, and in that hearing they need to be able to understand it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why the Church has put so much effort
into common language translations for each and every people group and why we
continue to attempt to get the written Word into every spoken tongue upon the
earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would imagine there is an expectation by
Paul in his direction to Timothy that the public reading of Scripture is not
simply meant as a “rote” exercise, where someone is droning on in a monotone
voice and simply saying the words in the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think the force of the direction is that devotion (commitment, focus,
effort, consistency) is needed to make sure the reading is done well. I also think sincerity and intensity are important ingredients in the public reading of Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I received a wonderful compliment the other
day from a pastor, for whose congregation I had just preached.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me that he had never heard the public
reading of Scripture done as I had just done it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very happy to hear his comment as I had
decided to preach (and thus read) the whole chapter of John 9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole chapter is one story about the man
who had been born blind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a
short chapter, but it is certainly entertaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard for modern Christians to sit
through the reading of a long Biblical text and for that reason it must be done
with some attempt to hold the attention of the congregation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever read a text for your sermon,
then preached, and afterward felt you could have just as well sat down after
the Scripture reading because the text was so powerful in and of itself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sure have, and it was not just the reading
of the words but having read it with passion, intonation, and feeling that
brought it alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are people who
seem to have a gift for Scripture reading and I wish we could hear them doing
it more often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now there are people who are overly dramatic
in their reading and some who seem to have no drama at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture is made up of all kinds of styles
of literature such as narrative, poetry, theology, and dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reader has to read according to the
style. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastors have to be aware, and
decide, on how much to read at one time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I usually warn the people before I read, if it is a long text, as a way
of helping them put some effort into paying attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I try to give them no choice about
paying attention by putting myself into it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe in the spiritual nature of the
Biblical text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe God wrote it
through His Holy Spirit and that its words and truth have power when people
hear it (I mean really hear it) and believe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“He who has ears to hear, let him hear…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I believe God uses His Word as a sword to expose the thoughts and
intents of the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Word is
read, listened to with understanding, and heard by faith amazing and wonderful transformation
takes place in people’s lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our Ruling Elders testified, when he
first became a member of our church, that he had come to faith in Christ on the
very first Sunday he attended our congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“How?” we asked him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told us
that the Call to Worship had gripped him, and then as I had read the Scripture
prior to preaching he gave his life to Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage Pastors to take the reading of
their preaching text to be a crucial part of their ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your sermon should certainly help it to come
alive, be understandable, and applicable to the people but the reading in and
of itself is important to worship and to the faith of the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a boring reader, enlist someone
who is gifted to do it for you, especially if it is a long text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever you do don’t you dare take it
lightly, do it perfunctorily, or simply treat is as something to get out of the
way so you can get to giving your own opinions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-53388670127309545152018-03-28T13:54:00.000-07:002018-03-28T13:54:14.002-07:00I DON'T FEEL NO WAYS TIRED - EXCEPT SOMETIMES.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I was speaking with someone recently about “being
woke,” and about trying to deal with folks who ain’t woke yet, and trying to
love on them, and how some folks talk about “being tired” and feeling bitter
about the frustration of not seeing people, or things, change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> My friend quoted me back to myself when he
mentioned at one gathering someone had asked me a question and began it, “I am
so tired of people….” And I had asked him, “how old are you?” The answer was “26.” I said, “26, and tired already?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> This made me think of a few things about
inter-racial dialogue and cross cultural ministry, and POC survival in
inter-racial spaces. Being tired in the
emotional sense doesn’t really have anything to do with the amount of hours one
has put in, or even the amount of years or effort, or the strenuousness of the
labor. Many people work long and hard, (really
hard) each day and they are not emotionally tired. So much has to do with perspective, and faith,
and love, and the patience that can come from it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “why are you not bitter?” Is a question I am sometimes asked, although
I am always surprised by it. Who the
hell do I think I am that I should be bitter?
This is what occurs to me, that it would take an inflated view of myself
to judge others so harshly or myself so important. I certainly have felt anger, frustration, and
sometimes I have surrendered to the closed door or the reality of a mountain
that I seemed unable to climb. I speak
here about calling for justice, or even mercy, at least for understanding about
issues of race, ethnocentrism, poverty, and suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Burn out has more to do with anger than
with exhaustion, more to do with frustration than with a need for rest. Burn out is relieved more with hope than
sleep, more with assistance and fellowship in the struggle than time off. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I have to ask myself some questions, and
maybe you can ask yourself some as well.
Do I believe the world needs changing?
Yes, I do. Do I believe I can
change it? Yes, a little, and no,
probably not a lot right away. Will it
ever be changed? Absolutely, because Jesus
is coming and he will create a new heavens and a new earth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Is
justice delayed truly justice denied?
No, but it sure feels that way sometimes. Only a God perspective can
help us understand that. Do I believe
that Jesus will not rest until he brings justice to the earth? Yes, that is my hope, my constant hope. What kind of perspective does it take to
live in a world full of injustice, with ignorant people who don’t even know
they may be perpetrators of injustice, who don’t know that their defense of the
status quo is an enshrinement of their privilege? What kind of perspective will give me a positive
sense of progress and help me to endure, to keep trying, to keep listening, to
keep teaching? Nothing less or short of
an eternal one, and that is hard for us temporal human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> When we are young we feel change should and
ought to come quickly. Thank God for youth.
When we grow old we realize change does indeed come, but sometimes it has
been and is glacial, incremental, not yet come to full realization. Some people dream dreams, and they work at them
and see them come true, but if the truth be told those dreams are never
universal, never total in scope for all humanity, nor for all time. Human beings celebrate sports heroes and use
the word “immortal,” “unforgettable” and such.
Really? What is a GOAT (Greatest
of all time) today won’t even be recognized in a generation, a century, a millennium. Sports statistics are possibly the most
changeable of things, and all heroes turn to dust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Some will
perish still in prison waiting for a revolution that will never come, still in
the wilderness, still never having seen the city that was promised to them. They will question sometimes, like John the
Baptist did, “Are you the one?” What do you do with your ego when you feel you
should be the one that brings the change and no one listens to you? What do you do when after all your radical
speech, your passionate displays, your marching, and your advocation people act
like they just don’t care?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Will you waste your time to continue to win
over the resistant, will you continue to pour yourself out to institutions that
don’t live up to their own ideals? Will
you come to be patient with one more stupid question (and there are stupid
questions) from someone who should know better?
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> It comes back to the question of who do I
think I am? I am a small man, not of
much significance after all, despite my ambition and ego. I am a man of short time, no matter how long
I may live my life upon the earth. Yet,
with all my frustrations I am a man infinitely loved by the God who fills the
universe, who is its creator and sustainer. I am a sinful broken man, yet
forgiven, forgiven, forgiven again. I am
a purchased man, and I can no longer live for myself but for him who died and
rose again for me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light", sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> This means I have little choice about who I can
choose to love. I have to love my
neighbor, as myself. I have to love even
my enemies, and bless them. I have to
love those who make me feel tired. Seeking
significant change is important, but we can’t stay at that quest if our
importance to the world is what we depend on to give us hope. We have to take our rest in how important we
are to God and in that knowledge we lose all our own self-importance, our
self-righteousness, our need for fame, perfection, and accomplishment. In that importance we find and renew our
passion, energy, and endurance in the fight of love</span></span></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-50401896113301042682018-03-14T11:23:00.002-07:002018-03-14T11:28:54.418-07:00MULTI-ETHNIC CHURCHES ARE NOT ENOUGH!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> As I listen or read about the “white”
Evangelical Church and its relationship to and with African Americans, or about
how African Americans feel about the white Evangelical Church I am concerned,
comforted, and confronted about truly cross-cultural churches and their place
in this discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CONCERNED</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I am concerned because I think the general public
and the average white and black Christian doesn’t really understand the
difference between truly cross-cultural churches and those with some ethnic diversity
within them. Multi-ethnic churches are
not the same as cross-cultural churches, and are in some measure set up for
ethnic misunderstanding and conflict. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I think much of what we hear about these
days is the inevitable frustration and friction that comes within churches
seeking diversity without “missional intentionality.” Usually all it takes is something in the news
or something in politics to create a dilemma.
It’s as if a congregation in the days of the early Church had both
Gentiles and Judiazers in it, and everything is fine until the subject of
circumcision comes up. The Judiazers ask
the Gentiles to assimilate, to give up their “Gentile-ness,” and suddenly the
Gentiles realize there is a price to be paid to be among these type of
Christians. Trouble happens when the
knives come out, in that case literally. <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Judiazers assume their culture is normative,
and can’t understand why others would be offended. It is not until something radical comes
along, like the real Gospel, a Gospel that doesn’t demand uniformity of culture
but instead oneness in Christ while we are at the same time diverse in
culture. In fact the missional
intentionality of the Gospel calls for the sacrificial willingness of the
missionary (older brother, majority Christian culture) to become servant to those
who are different, in fact seeking to “become” like them in order to reach them
(I Corinthians 9:19ff).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> When a multi-ethnic church seeks to demand
everyone be “a-cultural” they are simply but profoundly demanding that
minorities be deracinated. The majority cultural
group is asking the minority to assimilate, and not to complain. This might be fine if all we were discussing
was intentional migration, but when it comes to white and black in America we
are also speaking about becoming a minority in religion as well as being a
minority in society. We are speaking of
assimilating without any sense of history or justice but instead calling for a
denial of a sense of self. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Of course there are always those individual ethnic
minorities who have no problem with assimilation. There are those who think the way to peace is
to discard conversations about issues of injustice or history. Some of these ethnic representatives in a
majority culture church are the strongest champions of silencing racial or
cultural talk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> So, this is why I am concerned about the
recent discussions and that due to the ignorance of what a truly cross-cultural
church is trying to be. A multi-ethnic
church is not automatically a cross-cultural church, not even if they have a
minority representative as a pastor or minorities in leadership. Some congregations assume that if they hire
an African American pastor he is sure to know how to make the church
cross-cultural. Why would someone assume
that any pastor who hasn’t studied, thought about, or been trained in
cross-cultural ministry skills and vision would know what they were doing in that regard? It is a hubris that can create confusion and
chaos and it is an unfair burden to be laid on a pastor simply becomes he is an
ethnic or minority representative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">COMFORTED</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I am comforted about cross-cultural ministry
in these recent discussions because I know that missional intentionality in a church means
congregations will (and must) face the truth and realities of history, injustice, racism,
and culture with Biblical truth and hope.
Though cross-cultural churches also face the tension and stress of
racial and political discussion and difference, through various moments of
crisis, they have a commitment to Christ and to each other to see them through
the episodes. They are not surprised at
the tensions though they sometimes see individuals and families realize,
sometimes suddenly, that there is a price to be paid for love across cultural
boundaries. Some of those people do
leave, but most are tenacious in seeking to live out a community of love that
does not skirt truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> This common commitment to Biblical
reconciliation as an accomplishment of Christ, and this common commitment to “being
built together to become a holy temple to the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21) is accepted as part of their discipleship. They
have rejected church as simply an expression of their preferences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">CONFRONTED</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I feel confronted with the challenge of
trying to make the distinction clear. If
the distinction between missional intentionality and simply a desire for more
color or flavor is not clear then time after time individuals who are the “diversity”
within a majority church face the realization that they feel like “strangers in
a strange land.” Pastors and leaders who
have been hired for “diversity” realize that the commitment and sacrifice is in
one direction only. It only takes one
more episode of injustice, or even misunderstanding, to break hearts and lead
to discouragement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> There
is a Biblical model, and it is built on such Biblical values as honesty, love,
and sacrifice. It is built on a deep and
rich appreciation of the Image of God in each human being. It is built on the Biblical appreciation of
the reality of human cultures and the necessity of becoming a “slave” to others
in order to reach them. It is built on
evangelism, missions, and discipleship and not politics. It is built on solidarity with those we
finally recognize as full partners in the Kingdom of God. </span></span></span></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-58359367619318334302018-03-01T14:03:00.000-08:002018-03-01T14:05:46.145-08:00HELP WANTED!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> Just suppose you wanted to make something of
your life… Suppose you wanted to make a significant difference in the lives of
other people…</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> Suppose you wanted to
impact at least one specific community, one neighborhood… Suppose you had the belief that people coming
to faith in Jesus Christ would actually affect their eternal destiny and that
their faith in and of itself could change their present and future ability to
deal with troubles in this life...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Suppose you were willing to bring about this
impact, this difference, over a long faithfulness, that you would be willing to
be patient, tenacious, and gentle with people but impatient and irritated at
poverty, injustice, and the damage of sin…
Suppose you were willing to live among these people, and not just live
in that place but to live before them with all your own struggles, fears, and
needs, along with your faith… Suppose
you were willing to live as their servant, to use your knowledge of God and His
Word to teach them, through preaching, example and instruction, constantly
pointing them to Christ while trying to be self-effacing and losing your
identity (and thus finding it) in Christ…</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> Suppose you were willing to live as a
pastor without being perfect at it, and willing to suffer the cost of being
misunderstood or being falsely accused.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">
Suppose you were willing to trust God for and with your money, for and
with your marriage, for and with your children, for and with your “name,” your
success, with the reality of your aging, your physical limitations, with the
possibility of obscurity, with your culture…</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Suppose you were willing to be
abandoned to God, to live a life of prayer, repentance, study, and love….Suppose
you were willing to gather a people, to create a new social reality in one
geographic place, and were willing to live in the midst of the social and
political reality of raising up new leaders, listening to them, learning from
them, and being displaced by them…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you think it could happen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you think it would actually make a difference?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you think you could do it with joy, do you
think you could do it without self-righteousness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, could you do it, would you do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will you do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, not necessarily alternatively,
will you pray that someone will do it, that God would send someone to do it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">We are looking for life-long
and lifetime heroes in hard, normal, real life places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are looking for church planters and
pastors, looking for men who are full of God, with an insatiable hunger for
more of Jesus, and more of His Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are looking for those whom God is sending, whose ambition is being fully
realized in saying “yes Lord, yes to your will!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normal human spaces are waiting for real,
godly men, to take their places within them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">God’s “yes” line is always
open, angels are standing by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-79330315468231828672018-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:002018-02-13T08:56:01.019-08:00CRITICISM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I have been thinking
some about the role of Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Post Modern
ideology concerning prevalent ethnic and racial justice and injustice
issues. I have been thinking of the
rhetoric of cultural and social critics, the presumptive attempt to be
“prophetic” in speaking to social problems, and the difficulty of pointing out
hard and unpleasant realities, while at the same time maintaining a Biblical
attitude and behavior. For the Christian
to be prophetic in this day and age must mean that not only he or she has the
courage to speak truth to power, or truth to institutions, but also that both the
truth that is expounded, and the manner in which it is expounded be grounded
and understood from Biblical absolutes.
This means our attempts to speak the truth have to be practiced in the
context of Christ, Gospel, and grace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> We live in a world
of social and cultural criticism. Much
of this criticism is media driven, often through the use of humor and
especially using satire, sarcasm, and mockery.
Some of this criticism arises from pain, from real racial hurt, and from
both the results of oppression as well as current acts and attitudes of racism and
injustice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> To cut off social
criticism from a God’s eye point of view of truth, love, and eternity
inevitably leads to all kinds of errors.
Some of these errors create darkness in our own souls as we can be
crushed by the despair caused by the oppression of societal sin in the
world. We can attempt to face the unjust
realities of the world without faith and that just keeps us angry, traumatized,
and ultimately burned out. We can attempt
to face social and economic realities with some kind of jury-rigged earthly
analysis, and as brilliant as they might seem or as militant as they may make
us feel, they have no hope. Some of that
societal sin is the sin of the unjust or unwise State, some is tribal and
ethnic oppression, some is collective economic exploitation, some might be the
oppression of cultural dominant groups either by design or ignorance, and some
of course is familial and interpersonal, i.e. individual to individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Believers need to
be cultural and societal critics, or at least some leaders in the church have
to be. To be “in the world and not of
it” means that we are called to some discrimination, some discernment, to know
what is happening around us, to us, or to others. We cannot love our neighbors
as ourselves if we have no knowledge, concern, or empathy for them. We cannot adequately preach the Gospel to the
poor if we don’t know who they are. We
cannot throw off the yoke of oppression if we don’t know what oppression is,
who is being oppressed and how, and where. It is not always easy work to be
culturally discerning. The secular
philosophical world can sometimes give us helpful ideas, clues, and even
slogans or phrases to help sum up what has happened in history or culture. Common grace allows all human beings to tell
a bit of the truth, and it certainly allows them to pick up pretty quickly what
they feel to be just and unjust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Evangelicals have
studied, discussed, and written about trends in philosophical culture. They have studied and strategized about
generational culture. Some are beginning
to add an ethnic and racial analysis to culture, which is long overdue in the
American context. Evangelicals have
preferred moral criticism and sometimes divorced it (shamefully and
embarrassingly so) from justice. As I
have read and listened to some of the (Evangelical) modern cultural critics I
have been concerned about the amount of polarization that has taken place. For some polarization seems almost to be an
achievement, and I am concerned, and sad about that. If we give criticism we have to be able to
receive it, and this is often hard for us to hear especially when we feel so
right about our stance on the issues.
Some seem unable to hear criticism about their views or rhetoric, or
have possibly tied their egos to their platforms, and as we should all know, it
is hard to disentangle oneself from a run-away band wagon once we are tied to
it with our pride. This is as true for
the conservative wing of Evangelicals as it is for the more liberal side of
Evangelicals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are some of my concerns, i.e., criticisms, and observations
about recent conversational trends and they are not to be taken as universal,
they are of course generalized but not appropriate for everyone in the
conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Asserting that historic behaviors of past
injustice, responsible for residual effects, must all still be at play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Asserting that racism is an extremely rare
attitude and behavior within specific individuals and is having no significant current
impact on culture, society, or politics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Inserting racial, ethnic, and tribal rationalizations
to explain all inequities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Allowing one’s frustration with seemingly
implacable societal realities to create theories of systemic, systematic, and
intentional conspiracy about those realities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Asserting that anyone who describes society and
culture in terms of group/class antagonism, or attempts to discuss or describe
social injustice must be a Marxist. [There are Marxists, then there are others
who are members of the Communist Party (they are not necessarily the same) and then
there are others who borrow Marxist social criticism terms and phrases in their
speech and writings, but certainly are not consistently Marxist in their
ideology.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Avoiding and denying subject (individual) responsibility
for the creation of cultural and ethnic distortions in equity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Avoiding and resisting group (or group
representative) responsibility for the reality of privilege and the exercise of
power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Interpreting even the “well meaning” (but failed)
solutions to social problems with the most negative and racist explanations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Ignorance of how the radical rhetoric of group
condemnation will motivationally affect the opposition, or giving the results
no concern. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Assuming that even in the midst of pointed and
emotional speech against perceived evils that the speaker is exempt from giving
honor to everyone, especially leaders, love to their neighbors, and especially
to what one may assume is an “enemy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Creating the myth that the language of ethnic
triumphalism can replace individual moral responsibility, or group activism, on
the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Allowing ethnic and racial identity narratives
to harden into tribal narrative competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Failing to see that creating a negative world of
personal bitterness and condemnatory speech with an oppositional isolation is
an inadequate path for survival, and deprives one of a necessary social and
cultural interaction in a multi-cultural world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Failing to realize that the language of love is
a necessary component of love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Creating the false narrative that reconciliation
is only a product of the full realization of guilt, confession, repentance,
restoration, and reparations or leaving the alternative… permanent condemnation
or retribution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Creating the false narrative that reconciliation
is either accomplished or not, thus denying it as a process that has both
emotional and relational beginnings, as well as realizations and actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Creating rhetoric that denies grace to the ignorant
and the transgressor (and failing to define the difference) while removing the
necessity of faith, humility and responsibility in the response of the victim,
thus denying them inherent dignity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Failure to see the power of love and mercy to
cover a multitude of sins and bring healing even without adequate
self-knowledge, self-realization, and personal acceptance of blame and
responsibility from the privileged. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Conflating a Marxist and Post-Modern dialectical
tribal analysis to construct a narrative of conflict and competition that
alienates rather than reconciles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Conflating a conservative political and economic
world view, with its attendant patriotic civil religion, with Biblical
Christianity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A practical rejection of Biblical anthropology
and God’s sovereignty in the historical ordering of mankind to bring about his
eternal and eschatological purposes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->An attempt to convey real and honest history
with an incisive and unapologetic exposure of injustice and oppression without
much hope or Gospel, and without a rhetorical acknowledgement or commitment of
the tenacity of the Church to prevail against the gates of hell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">END.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
</div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-924333882533926242018-02-05T15:06:00.000-08:002018-02-05T15:06:25.283-08:00MAKE PURSES FOR YOURSELVES THAT WON'T WEAR OUT!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve recently had some opportunities to speak about money,
sacrifice, and the poor. I often speak
on poverty but it gets a bit more personal when I speak to “the poor” and to “the
rich.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Over the last
decade or so I have heard preachers and speakers on the radio and other places
mention the fact that the Bible talks a lot about money. After they mention this fact I seem to hear
either a discussion about getting out of debt and achieving sound financial
management, or from another direction I hear a sermon urging me to believe in the “prosperity Gospel.” Usually those sermons don’t use that phrase
but instead encourage me to go after my "money miracle, my breakthrough, my blessing, or
to enlarge my tent." Both sides seem to encourage
me to be pretty self-focused, it is all about how I use, tithe, sow, or save “my”
money. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I don’t
hear from those sources much about the poor, except to encourage me not to be
counted among them. I also don’t hear
much from those preachers concerning a rebuke, command, or charge to the rich,
except that if God was truly blessing me then I would be one of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> One of
the great joys of my preaching ministry has been to sometimes speak to very
poor people, in places where almost everyone in the room, tent, hut, field,
beach, under the stars, or church building was poor. Telling them that God cares about them; that
they are indeed loved in Christ and that they can become fellow heirs with
Christ has filled me with joy. This joy
is sometimes because I see and feel the joy in them, as I hear them sing in
faith, as I see them encouraged that God actually loves them in their poverty,
and notices their condition. I see them
take joy in their exalted position. It is
a joy, but it is sometimes simultaneously heart-breaking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> One of
the great challenges of my ministry is preaching to and relating to the
rich. The challenge is how to love them
while calling them to make purses for themselves that will not wear out, to not
wear themselves out to be and stay rich, to not trust in the temporal nature of
their wealth, to lay up their treasure in heaven where moth and rust don’t
corrupt and thieves don’t break in to steal, to share their bread with the
hungry, to be generous and ready to share, to glory in their low estate, and to
be rich in good works. I have to command
them not to be arrogant and not to put their hope in their money. I have to warn them that they can’t serve God
and money at the same time. I have to do
this while still loving them and not making the false assumption that material
things are bad in themselves or that God doesn’t want any of us to enjoy life and
the things he has given us in this world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> One of the
great tasks of my ministry is to put these two kinds of people in touch with
each other, sometimes personally, and sometimes simply through resources. When it happens I get to see two different
kind of Christians receive a blessing and I see the Gospel at work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> There are
temptations in this kind of work. One is
a subtle kind of coveting, not so much for the stuff of wealth, but for the
power of it. Why doesn’t God just give
me all that money so I can give it directly, which surely I would do? One conclusion is that God doesn’t put any
confidence in my humility; that with the power to decide on distribution would
come an insufferable arrogance. This
would lead to a conviction that I didn’t need to pray, no longer to trust God,
and no need of working at relationships that might be difficult. Having money can give one the illusion that they don't need other people or accountability.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> As the
writer of Proverbs (30:7-9) prayed, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Two things I ask of you, O Lord, do not refuse me
before I die:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me
neither poverty nor riches, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But give me only my daily bread, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and
say, ‘Who is the Lord?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the
name of my god.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Another
kind of temptation is to be afraid of the faces of men. My ministry seems to be dependent on the
generosity of God’s people so maybe I had better be careful not to "bite the
hand that feeds me"? (I have actually
heard that warning from people who didn’t like my social or cultural
application of the Scriptures). What if
the wealthy cut me off, what if they don’t like me, what if they no longer
support me, give me their money to help others, or won’t share some of their
very nice homes, cars, and company? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> You might
notice I used the word “seems” when I talked about depending on the generosity
of God’s people, and there is certainly nothing strange or wrong about receiving support from God's people. As an itinerant
preacher and teacher Jesus received generosity from the wealthy. The Apostle Paul was supported by the gifts
of God’s people. They also sometimes went
without, in danger, exposed to the elements, no place to lay their head,
etc. The truth is that they didn’t
depend on God’s people; they depended on God the Father. So should we all, and to do otherwise will
certainly compromise our courage and our message.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The
standard of my calling is to be true to God’s Word and never use it to
manipulate people. My calling is to be a
man of integrity in how I teach it and live it, and to love everyone as I meet,
preach to, encourage, and live among them.
Part of that standard is to be humble, and that humility is to be both
an inner conviction and an outward appearance. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Another part of my calling is to say like Amos, “the lion has
roared who can but tremble, the Lord has spoken who can but prophesy?” And so like Jeremiah I have to say, “but if I
say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my
heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” And like James I have to
tell people, “show me your faith by your works.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I am called to be both humble and bold. Being prophetic about poverty and wealth might cause some to think of me with annoyance which can then lead to
avoidance, especially when I speak of injustice and the necessity of sacrifice. The reality is that I am no hero, and I have suffered very little abuse in trying to be faithful to the calling God has given me. I consider myself immensely blessed. Yet, I know sometimes I make people nervous.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> To, and for me, the cross calls us to
discipleship, to the cost of it, and to proclaiming and living out the Gospel
of the Kingdom. I have absolutely no ability to carry that cross, no innate spirituality
or moral strength to carry it. I find
myself to be a person who has contradictions; holding powerful convictions and
too little holiness, a powerful message and too much selfish weakness. If Jesus doesn’t help me I won’t make
it. If God’s grace doesn’t empower then the
cross is too heavy. Yet in that cross is
all my help, all my cleansing, all my deliverance from sin and self. The cross begins with justification but it has all these sanctification implications that keeps nailing me to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The conclusion is fairly clear and direct for
all of us, from the poorest to the wealthiest; we can’t continue to be afraid
and let worry make us hold onto material possessions for our security. We have to learn to live in contentment by
faith, and we must learn the amazing and wonderful experience of sharing,
generosity, and sacrifice in caring for the poor and loving our neighbors. All of us can and must do that, as hard and even as
impossible as it seems, as Christ empowers us. It is want He wants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">END.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-89697659032973148312018-01-16T11:28:00.002-08:002018-01-16T11:59:07.459-08:00THE SOCIAL GOSPEL SLANDER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Every once in a while
someone decides to smear those who advocate social righteousness in the
practice of both the church as <u>congregation</u>, and the church as <u>members</u>,
as the “Social Gospel.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> It is perfectly fine with me to have brothers
and sisters debate the extent or parameters of local churches, or the
denomination, to deal with social injustices, oppression, and social moral
evils. However, with both positive and
negative words and actions, public and social sinfulness needs to be confronted
by somebody. Certainly we know this is
part of the role of government as mentioned in Romans 13, where we are taught
that those in authority are to commend those who do right, but hold terror for
those who do wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> How is the government supposed to know what
that is exactly , i.e., what is the difference between those two things, what is
good and what is wrong? Do we leave this
for “common grace,” that we should assume any and all people who might end up
in politics and government know the difference?
Do we as believers feel any responsibility to be a moral and ethical
voice to secular government, based on Biblical and godly values? Do we feel that the realm of government is
none of our business? Do we leave this
for those Christians who get into government to carry that burden, if they are
indeed trying to be “Christian” in their role as politicians and governors? Do we assume that partisan ideologies are the
same as justice and moral righteousness? (God help you if you believe that.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Some of the “smearing” or labeling against
those of us who call for the church, and its members, to live out justice and
morality in society is due to a misunderstanding (ignorance) of historical
theology in regard to the Social Gospel movement. Some of the labeling I suspect comes down to
which social issues are being discussed.
Conservatives tend to have their favorite social issues, which to them
are seen as <u>legitimate</u> moral issues so they tend not to describe them as
social gospel liberalism. These issues are
abortion, human trafficking, homosexuality and the gay rights agenda, and alcoholism
(though we don’t hear so much about temperance these days). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> On a side note it is interesting to me to
observe how “Fundamentalist” moral issues have been superseded by secular
activists in realms of anti-smoking (public health), sobriety (AA and the recovery
“industry”), and sexual constraint (the “me too” movement). These public movements have probably brought
more public “buy in” to concern about behavior than the legalism of
fundamentalism. This would probably make
for some good research in a doctoral program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Debating the role of the local church versus
the involvement of its members is one thing, but to confuse a call for the
social application of justice and moral righteousness to society’s ills with a
theology that abandoned the need for personal redemption and conversion and
replaced it with a passion for societal reform, is to call fellow believers who
are members by confession and vows of an orthodox religion -heretics. It is a lie, it is a slander, and frankly
seems intended to avoid social responsibility as an obedient follower of
Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> People need to be saved, by the blood of
Christ, who died for sinners. The cross was
a legal and redemptive transaction within the Trinity to satisfy the wrath and righteousness
of God. People need to believe in Jesus,
and He transforms them. Inner and
personal transformation is a necessity for a relationship to God, and that can
only happen by grace. At the same time
there is a Kingdom of God, and it is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy
Spirit. We are saved unto good works,
and those good works are for the good of human beings. God, the God of the Bible, is a God of
justice, who hates wickedness, and oppression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Preachers have to preach, teach, and model good works. Not as a means to salvation
or as a substitute for it, but as the end of it. Any preacher who takes his stand that the
local church should not be involved in works of mercy, or should stand against local,
national, or international injustice, better be preaching, stimulating, and
even commanding his people to do good works; or he is simply an obstacle to the
Kingdom of God, if not its enemy. The
preaching of grace does not nullify the teaching or practicing of good works
but empowers them, with liberty and joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Most of the time teaching that the local
church shouldn’t do anything in terms of social mercy or justice is a luxury of
the wealthy, middle and upper class church.
Those people have the money, the education and the social networks to
deal with their problems. When the
church is among the poor then widows often have to be fed by the church itself,
and not given over to their own retirement funds. One’s wealth perspective often deprives us of
an adequate view not only of reality, but of Biblical application.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> There was a theological movement of the
early twentieth century, led by men such as Walter Rauschenbusch, who looked
upon the need for personal redemption as a mistaken view of the teachings of
Jesus. While advocating some of the
teaching of Jesus he separated Jesus from his saving work to focus on a social application
of love and peace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Obviously those are worthy things, but not
good enough for those who wish to be holistically obedient. Men need personal salvation and redemption,
they need their characters changed in order to be able to deal with both their
own sins and their own eternity, and to prevent them from sinning against
others. Love can only really and
radically come from the God who is love within us, and not some moral sentiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> We need social activists who rise up within
and from the church who are saved and blood washed by Jesus, and who become
advocates for love, goodness, and peace within the world. We need activists who preach the cross, while
they feed the hungry, and stand against evil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">END.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-20094224564240697292018-01-09T12:43:00.003-08:002018-01-09T12:43:57.555-08:00ARROGANCE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">THIS TOWER HAS MY NAME ON IT<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">“All who walk in pride He
is able to humble,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Says Nebuchadnezzar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">A proud king, if there was
ever<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">And ever was there a tree<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Quite as tall as me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">As large, as strong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">So high<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Whose top can touch the
sky?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Where beasts find a bed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">And by its fruit the birds
are fed?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">“All who walk in pride He
is able to humble,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Says Nebuchadnezzar,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Who called for
Belteshazzer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">A wise man, clever<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">To discern dreams and
mysteries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">What does it mean, this
dream that was sent,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">About whom or why and what
was meant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">When the messenger said,
“cut it down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">And let it be stripped?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">What does it mean, “live
with the animals?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Imprisoned in an animals
mind?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not a beast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">But of the kingly kind!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">“All who walk in pride He
is able to humble,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Says Nebuchadnezzar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Here is my tower, here is
my wall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">My name in gold letters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Triumphant and all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Has there ever been such
glory to see,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Is this not my kingdom,
the name I have built?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">This was by my doing,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">An empire of me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">“All who walk in pride He
is able to humble,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Says Nebuchadnezzar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">He who makes kings eat
grass like kind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Nebuchadnezzar knew,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">For God took his mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">The King of Heaven does as
He pleases<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Regarding the boastful,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Their claims as a tease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Takes note of neglect<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Those who will not respect<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Nor acknowledge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Most High as Sovereign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">He can give or take
knowledge,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sanity, wealth, life, and
power<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">To the one whom he
pleases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Assigns them their hour,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">And tombs,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Which remain their houses
forever,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Even their dwelling place
for generations;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Though they had named
lands after themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">Randy Nabors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">January, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
</div>
A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224204979128038089.post-85563800426060114782018-01-03T13:21:00.000-08:002018-01-03T13:21:18.721-08:00UGLY RELATIVES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> I have been watching the unfolding
Evangelical internecine squabble, the civil war of social/theological embarrassment. I have been listening to the racial/cultural
commentary of the “woke,’ the sometimes arrogant, condescending, and despising
rhetoric from those seeking distance from the uncool part of Jesus
followers. I too have been embarrassed
by my so-called brethren excusing racial, sexual, and materialistic misbehavior
in the name of political moral achievement.
I was glad for the Christmas break, as people seemed to take some time off
from bashing each other, separating, excluding, mocking, or excusing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I am looking for a cooler tribe. I am seeking authentic, true, and reliable
branding; at least until hypocrisy appears in my new self-identified
group. In the end I suppose I shall have
to run away from myself, sin just seems to keep showing up in this lonely group
of one known as me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Some of the old songs give me tags, though
we have the ability to make hash out of them.
“Lord I want to be a Christian in my heart,” and “I have decided to
follow Jesus!” “I’m gonna treat
everybody right!” Right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Well, how can I tell you that I believe in
Jesus, which means I believe the Bible to be true, but I am educated and
intelligent (self-assessment confessed) and
really like science, and I really want to follow Jesus by loving people, and
think he wants me to pursue justice, and mercy, and love? Part of following Jesus means (for me) to not
practice being a racist, and I see that as a very human condition of
ethno-centrism but gets aggravated and complicated when we have power and
privilege. Following Jesus means for me
to actually hate evil, which puts me in conflict with those who think love
means having no boundaries, standards, or penalties, but only tolerance except
for those who think God draws lines. I
mean, doesn’t he somewhere, eventually?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Following Jesus for me means that I believe
that the God of the Bible is big, Sovereign, King, Lord, boss, planner and
disposer and as such I call myself Reformed and think that God can use even
delusional, paranoid, and narcissistic presidents for his own purposes but has
the ability to make kings eat grass and be diseased in their legs when they
take to themselves the idea that they are a god. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> So, I’m not afraid, but I’m also a
pragmatic American and a believer that the controlling God of destiny looks for
someone to stand in the gap and make a difference. So, I’m an activist and want to struggle and
fight for life, righteousness and social righteousness in the practice of
equitable justice, and peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I want to live my life as if the future
depends on how I live it, but with enough equanimity and humility so I can
enjoy my life built on the assurance that God will work things out no matter if
I fail, or others fail me, or you, or all of us. I also would like to be patient, not think so
much of myself and be kind – at least on a personal level. I keep wishing others were teachable, so I
suppose I need to have that for myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I suppose all of us have relatives that don’t
know how to dress, or even if dressed we can’t take them anywhere because they
don’t know how to act. It is so much fun
to despise them. I am struggling with
just how much distance I can put between myself and them before one of us loses
the family name. I suppose I can always
change the name, it is just the genetics I’m stuck with, and no matter my superiority
to ugly relatives someone unrelated is still sure to claim there is a family
resemblance. I just wish we all looked a
lot more like Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">END.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A. Randy Naborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16582652319512391777noreply@blogger.com0