Charity?

ric feld/AP

FEMA is planning to reimburse churches for opening their doors to Katrina's survivors. I understand a church's perspective that they need reimbursement for the electricty, food, etc. But that should not come from the federal government, nor any outside source.
If the congregation is not willing to support the work that these churches choice to do, then the church needs to alter it's bottom line.
I know the argument is that "God will provide" and it may appear that God is providing through FEMA. However, might God also be asking churches to consider what their function/identity in society truly is.
I would argue that houses of worship primary focus should be that of a "Sanctuary" for the lost, the poor, the homeless, the orphaned, the widowed, and the hopeless.
As families struggle financially, the church could exemplify God's call for self-surrender by restructing budgets, cancelling unnecessary events, equipping church members with a Biblical perspective regarding tithing, serving, and self-sacrificing.

a conversation

"I do not believe in religions?"

Well this comment I have a difficult time understanding. How can you not believe in religions, that is like not believing in the Carolina Panthers? You might not like religions, or you might not wish to allign yourself with a particular religion. But they exist so it is impossible to say you do not believe in religions.

"All religions are man made."

For many professional religious people this statement causes a defense reaction. But actually this is accurate, and anyone who denies this fails to see the human aspect of religion. Religion (using this word in it's broadest form, including the term "spirituality") is humanity's attempt to connect to something larger than themselves.

"Insitutions are corrupt." (implied: individual spiritually is not.)

Now our conversation has gotten to the heart of the matter. People are willing to argue for the corruption of institutions, but fail to place that corruption upon human responsibilties. Instead of admitting the culbality of individuals, which is only magnified in a instutional structure.

"Religions are for weak minded people."

Again, us religious professionals get upset by this statement and try to show how people of our faith, often ignoring that most religious adherents, are willing to take die/suffer for their beliefs. But, again, this statement is accurate, but we disagree in regards to the result. For most Americans, to be called weak is threatening--and for males is an affront to our understanding of masculinity. However, religions, and Christianity in particular, are for weak minded individuals, in the sense that we have to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We have to humble our personal pride and admit that we are incapable of "being good." We seek a balm in Giledad that heals our lives, since we are incapable of healing ourselves.

This is where the conversation end. why because we come at a theological impasse...to be helpless is unacceptable for my friend. To be rely upon myself and be alone is unacceptable to me.

subversive vs. revolutionary

Having returned from my first Cohort adventure, I am perplexed and excited by the tension caused by our discussions. On my stroll home I was tossing around the arguments for whether there needs to occur a missional movement ("emergent") which is revolutionary for the institutional church or subversive.

I would imagine that the arguments for a revolutionary movement would say that the Gospel is revolutionary, that Jesus' ministry was obviously revolutionary (thus his death), that the early church was revolutionary...And I concur with those assessments of the New Testament and early church. However, the current dialogue is not in regards to a deficient religious and political order, but is in regards to the established church, where God has and is continuing to work.
I am not willing to dismiss the 2000 year history of that church, which has undergone numerous revolutions, subversions, transformations and stagnation, as having lost the Spirit of Christ. And since the Kingdom of God broke into the world through the Incarnation-once and for all-and if the Spirit has been at all involved in the church, then I cannot support the revolutionary sentiment I seemed to hear tonight because it suggests that the Spirit is no longer in these outdated models.
While I disagree with a revolutionary model, I whole heartedly agree that a subversive movement needs to occur within the church, and my own story attests to this, so that a fuller/transformed understanding of God's mission may emerge. Granted there is urgency because the Kingdom of God, God's mission, is an urgent matter. Yet there also needs to be faith that the God who has formed and transformed the church in the past is capable of transforming the church again. Therefore, building up pockets of subversion within the established church, whether locally, denominationally, internationally, academically, will take time but allow for a fuller transformation of the entire body of Christ.
I am often disappointed that the resources the institutional church has received are being pitifully used in regards to mission, justice, and seminary education, but I do not see how the Gospel can promote a revolutionary movement against itself.
Again, obviously the initial movement of Jesus Christ was a revolution against the established hierarchical religious and political institutions, but that does not require for more or similar movements to occur. As Christology states, the salvific work of Christ was once and for all; If we believe that the breaking in of God's Kingdom through Christ was sufficient for all of history, then we can claim that "there is nothing new under the sun." Instead we can rearrange, innovate, reform (just not create) the church. Innovative and subversive movements that do not try to overturn but redirect the church's mission, while time consuming, seem to be fuller expressions of the Gospel because they acknowledge that we worship a Risen Lord who has, is and will continue to work through the church.

Or maybe I am just mad that I am undergoing this whole candidacy phase and wish I could just go "Free Agent" after graduation (PS: if someone from my CPM is reading this...J/K).

On purpose?

So the past week, people have been wondering what I think about while running 20 miles:



Oh and here is the map:

obsession?

I realized today that I might obsessed with NFL football.
With only one television, I had TiVo record the AFC game (Steelers vs. Titans) while I watched the Bears take on the Skins and listen to my Panthers lose to the Saints on the internet.

I was also disappointed to learn that the final regular season NASCAR race was held on Saturday night, otherwise I would have needed a second television--perhaps I could convince the spouse to get a Plasma...oh well.

PS: If the Panther-Saints game is any indecation of things to come, the Saints may have a "miracle" season. 3 TD passes to be called back (not saying the refs were wrong, because they made the right call, the difference was a mere 2 inches on all the catches), game winning field goal with 3 seconds left...don't underestimate Deuce, Brooks and Horn this season.

the man behind the pug

art: admist darkness

"Hope starts with a spark of recognition that what you are struggling with has a name..."