A Christian redneck

Appalachian culture is amazingly succinct. It is clear, concise and could care less if folks in the big city agree or not.  In the midst of this wonderful place reminiscent of bygone days when a person spoke, the words were as good as any contract, a stray comment might come out while sitting together over a meal at the local Bob Evans that captures the essence of the meaning of life.  

That happened to me last week, when one of my elders and I were enjoying a meal reflecting on a particularly difficult incident in the life of our church.  We thought of all the ways we would like to have handled it and how we were actually going to handle it.  You see, Christ calls us to a different way of life...a radically different way of life.  As I was taking a sip of my coffee, my elder summed up the whole problem with being a disciple of Jesus Christ...

"Being a Christian requires much more tolerance then being a redneck."

 -Stu Taylor, elder at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Ashland, Kentucky.

God I love my elders!

Stewardship Campaigns

The Estimate of Giving Campaign is coming to end at the congregation I service.  In the middle of this recession, this year’s campaign is the second largest and could be the best campaign ever as late estimates continue to come in.  I have always been overwhelmed at the response from our congregation. 

 One of the purposes of a stewardship campaign is to ensure that we build a responsible budget.  Whether we like it or not, people vote with their checkbooks.  These campaigns not only allow us to plan for the most effective ministries possible, but they ensure we have our finger on the pulse of the congregation. 

I have served in previous congregations that did not do campaigns.  They felt that a better approach was to “trust in the Lord.”  I understand the sentiment, but what it generally led to was an oligarchy, or the running of the church by a few.  Many congregations that do business like that will often overextend themselves and when they find themselves in a position where they can’t make ends meet, they will extend a call to the congregation.  Since funding often requires planning, most people who had a readily available cash flow to meet emergency needs where a select group.  Soon, those families began to feel a sense of entitlement to decision making or worse, abused by the congregation.  Our Estimate of Giving campaign provides an opportunity for everyone to faithfully plan their finances for the coming year, a good idea for givers and non-givers alike.  Building a budget within those parameters then preserves the ideals of congregationalism, where every voice and every member, becomes a part of the planning process.  In short, a stewardship campaign protects the ideals and integrity of the priesthood of all believers.

Our campaign also forces us to think about what it means to be stewards ourselves.  Jesus talks about money and hell more the any other topics and yet, it is those two topics that are most avoided by the modern church.  Personally, I believe every Christian needs to give something.  It is a part of what it means to be a Christian.  In my own life, it has been proven over and over again that if we tithe, God always make sure we have enough.   Tithing reminds me that God is the source of my needs.  It also reminds me to live within my means.  Now for many throughout the world and in our own community, their basic needs outstrip their income.  Many of these folks still give through volunteering or other active ways.  For most, however, it requires us to think twice about eating out or buying items that we may not really need.  The holiday season is an ideal time to take stock of our life.  Am I living beyond my means? Could I give something to someone else whose needs are greater than my own? Can I endeavor to reorient my life and place God first…in everything, even my checkbook? 

As a spiritual leader, I am convinced that members have a right to know how much we give to the life of the congregation we serve.  If we are going to model the Christian life, including stewardship, we have to set the tone for Christian giving.  Our family tithes (10%) on our gross income, including cash gifts and extra money that comes in.  Why?  God demands and deserves our first fruits.  I also know that God will make sure I never miss it.  It is amazing how liberating a properly oriented life can be for the mind and soul.  Now, don’t get upset with me, I’m just trying to tell you the truth as I understand it and have experienced it.  However, I know my congregation understands.  Their generosity is one of the signs.

St. Andrew, the first apostle

Today (November 30) is the feast of St. Andrew, the first disciple of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Liturgically, it is the day that determines when Advent begins, as the first Sunday in Advent is the day closet to St. Andrew's day.

We are first introduced to Andrew in John 1:35-42. "The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to Him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ).  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, as said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (Which means Peter). (Revised Standard Version)

After Pentecost, many believe that Andrew went to Greece to preach the Gospel becoming the leader of the Christians stretching from Greece to what is today Istanbul in Turkey.  He was crucified in Achaia by order of the Roman Governor Aegeas during the reign of Emperor Nero.  He was tied, not nailed, to the "X" shaped cross in order to prolong his sufferings.  Bernard of Clairvaux, in a sermon he preached on this day in the year 1153, recorded Andrew as saying as he was being led to the cross, "O Cross long desired and now offered to my soul's desires! I come to you full of joy and assurance. Receive me then with gladness, for I am the disciple of Him who hung from your arms."  Tradition records that Andrew preached the Gospel for two days straight while on the cross, succumbing to death on the third day.  After his death, he was buried near Byzantium, which became Constantinople and is now Istanbul.

Many stories abound of what happened to his remains, but ultimately, they are reported to have been taken to what is today Scotland.  St. Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland as his "X" shaped cross is prominent on their flag.  Ultimately, his cross was adopted by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to remember the Scottish roots of the founders, Thomas and Alexander Campbell.  St. Andrew is the patron saint of fishermen, as he was a fisherman, and of the laity.  As the Disciples of Christ have a strong practice of ministry for the laity, the reasons to use his cross was further strengthened.


A Prayer for today: Lord, in your kindness hear our prayers.  You called Andrew to preach the Gospel and guide your Church in faith and courage. May his life and witness so empower us to speak the Truth with tender boldness.  Remember the ministry of all the faithful and guide the laity of your Church to claim their baptismal ministry to preach the Gospel, visit the sick and imprisoned and care for the poor.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Race and Faith

The United Kingdom is credited for being the first major world power to outlaw slavery.  With the leadership of William Wilberforce, an evangelical member of the Church of England and student of John Newton (evangelical Anglican clergyman and author of Amazing Grace), Britain’s first legislation in 1807 laid the foundation of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.

In the United States, abolitionists had been active in ending the slave trade for years and began to organize so as to pass legislation as early as 1798.  Since becoming the 15^th State in 1792, Kentucky has had an unusual history with regard to abolition and civil rights.  Complicated as this history might be, it was not complicated for a group of Christians meeting just outside of Paris, Kentucky at Cane Ridge.  The site of the original camp meeting that formed the “Christian Church” portion of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) movement, the Cane Ridge Meeting House, like many houses of worship on the frontier, had a loft/balcony in the long cabin church for slaves.  While the nation and the world continued its relentless march toward civil war and the ultimate end of slavery with the 13^th Amendment in 1865, the Christians gathering at Cane Ridge had removed their balcony in the early 1820’s.

Even so, our past has not always been stellar with regard to abolition and civil rights.  One of our founders, Alexander Campbell, while serving in the House of Burgess in what was then Virginia, argued for a “gradual emancipation” of the African slave so as to prepare both the emancipated slave and the southern economy for this new social order.  Of course, this sounded reasonable to everyone except the slave. Yet, even in moments of uncertainty, by God’s grace, we have reminded ourselves of the radical equality of the Lord’s Table and consequently, the Lord’s Church.

For almost a half century, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has intentionally worked to address the racism of our society and the racism within our own church. We have called this process the Reconciliation Mission.  Over the next two weeks, we will receive our annual free-will offering for Reconciliation.  These funds make it possible to support mission work in urban and rural areas that address not only the cause, but also the effects of racism.  This voluntary annual offering is the only source of funding for this ministry.

With the number of ethnic congregations being added to our Church growing and the increased numbers of African American, Latino/a and Pacific Asian members within our Church, the need for this ministry has become a vital means to ensure the strength and unity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Profession or Confession

In the various congregations I have served, a phrase is used to confirm the one essential ingredient for membership in the Body of Christ: “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that He is Lord and Savior of the world.” What has differed in these congregations is whether or not that phrase was referred to as a “profession” of faith or a “confession” of faith. Dr. Joe R. Jones, Professor Emeritus at Christian Theological Seminary, has compiled his lectures in theology throughout his career in a two-volume book called Grammar of Faith. In it, he articulates that the words we use to describe the faith ultimately influence what we believe, and consequently, how we act. Many have written on this topic. From the venerable Disciple Dr. Jones to Luke Timothy Johnson, a Roman Catholic monk and professor at Emory University, we are now seeing how those two words, “profession” and “confession,” have radically influenced what the Church believes and how it lives into that belief. “Profession” means simply, “I agree with that statement.” “Confession” means, “I not only agree with that statement, but incorporate myself into all the ways that statement will affect my life.” As Christians, we affirm not just that Jesus is the Messiah, but that we are followers of that same Jesus and will conform our lives into what Jesus calls us to be and do. In the Bible in Basic English, a translation done in the 1940’s by Professor S.H. Hooke of the University of London, we read in Mathew 5:48, “Be then complete in righteousness, even as your Father in heaven is complete.”

One of the results of contemporary American Christianity is a rampant freedom of intellectual pursuit in matters of faith. Sunday School classes give considerable time to the discussion of what a particular passage of Scripture “means to me.” The various understandings are typically offered from a personal, experiential perspective. For many, little concern is given to the ultimate results of such a process. Minimal consideration of how the Church has understood the text in its 2,000 year history or a delineation of an orthodox understanding is offered for fear of violating the cultural entitlement to freedom of thought. I’m not so sure that the “yoke of Christ” is synonymous with “my right to believe as I choose to believe.” Does the “profession” mean anything, if there is no change in conduct or practice? Can one believe that Jesus is the Christ but not submit to the lordship of Christ? So you profess the faith. So what? What difference has it made in your life? Have you professed that great statement of faith? Wonderful. Now, let us confess it. In addition to the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship participation, “be complete in righteousness.” Live, love, work and preach as one who is in Christ. Conform to the image of Christ as Christ is the image of the Father.

Reading the Bible in Lent

It was the late 400’s. The Church had been free of persecution for about 150 years. Although the books of the Bible had been a part of various congregations for four centuries, the official books making up the Canon of Scripture was now universally agreed upon by the vast majority of Christendom. As Christianity became all but universally accepted, its influence was unrivaled by any other faith tradition. Something strange begins to happen when those who had been persecuted now found that they held power. This power was not just the power of persuasion, but a power enforced by the Empire. As the old Roman Empire was transforming into the great Byzantine Empire, some in the Church were becoming aware of how easy it is to use Christ message of grace and righteousness as a springboard to law and enforced holiness. One such Christian leader was a man named Mark. Born in Athens in the late fifth century, he moved to the deserts of Egypt, where he memorized the entire Bible and worked to spread the Gospel among the poor. Mark is quoted as saying, “He who is humble in his thoughts and engaged in spiritual work, when he reads the Holy Scriptures, will apply everything to himself and not his neighbor.” Scripture should have a personal application. In our weekly Bible studies, one of the questions we ask is “What does the mean for the original readers?” That question should be followed with, “and what does it mean for me?” Where are you when you read of Adam’s fall, or the murder of Abel by Cain, or Peter, James and John witnessing the Transfiguration of Christ? I am often asked, “Where is God?” But just as in Genesis 3, it is typically God who is forced to ask, “Adam (a Hebrew word that simply means “man”), where are you."
Lent is a perfect time to develop a spiritual discipline. In addition to Sunday worship attendance and various Bible study opportunities offered at your Church, consider a discipline of daily Bible Reading. Remember that you are reading the one Bible in three perspectives. It is first, Church's sacred history. Second, each passage and story in Scripture is God's activity in human history in a specific moment in time. Finally, and for the early Church Fathers, perhaps the most important: Scripture is God's personal word to you as one of his disciples.

History of Sunday School

Over the past century, Sunday School has remained a constant in the life of the Church. Initially, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) believed that it was a parent’s privilege and responsibility to train children in the faith. Our initial distrust of Sunday School was rooted in its history.

Sunday School, as we know it today, began in England when many “high-church” Anglicans noted that children were running the streets on Sunday morning. As the Industrial Revolution had reached full swing in larger towns in England, families had given up farming for work in the new factories that doted the urban landscape. Just as children had worked the farms, they were required to work in factories that proved to be extremely dangerous. Factories shut down on Sunday morning so that workers could attend worship. The Church of England was embroiled in its own debate over clergy who favored a more formal and disciplined expression of the faith versus evangelical clergy who had claimed power and influence in the English Church. As these evangelical clergy, who ironically had gained their influence through their ministry to the poor, attained positions of power within the Church, the evangelical bishops began assigning these “high-church” clergy to poorer congregations as punishment.

In an effort to give the factory children an education, these “high-church” clergy started Sunday Schools, where in addition to Bible, children were taught reading and math. Meanwhile, the Methodist-Episcopal clergy of the United States quickly adopted Sunday School as a way to teach the faith while they were away circuit riding. The movement grew, adopting their own structure, banners and flags. The Christian Flag of today started out as the Methodist Sunday School Flag. These Sunday Schools were instrumental in teaching basic Christian doctrine throughout the frontier. Soon, the Sunday School movement had become a mainstay in all denominations.

Today, Sunday School is an opportunity for children and adults alike to spend devoted time in Bible Study and in learning the basic tenets of the Christian faith. They are small groups where individuals can develop friendships and are a perfect venue to engage one another in matters of everyday life. As one of your pastors, I encourage you and your whole family to attend Sunday School.

A New Racial Tension

Denominationally, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has seen tremendous national growth of African, Asian and Latino/a immigrants. This influx has brought new diversity in worship style and congregational administration. Many of these immigrant congregations are reluctant to embrace the full expression of ministry of women and remain ardent defenders of what they term “biblical sexual ethics” for both clergy and lay leaders. Latino/a congregations in the Northeast have turned the tide of Regional Church elections and policies regarding education, social justice and sexuality. Many predominantly Anglo members who in the past supported the full integration of these populations in General and Regional Church policy making are concerned about the impact these new socially conservative positions will have on an established Disciple ethos. The responses from these communities are that the critiques are racist in that Anglo Disciples are reluctant to welcome the opinions and leadership of people of color. Anglo Disciples respond that their reluctance is philosophical, not cultural or racial differences.

The irony is that white liberals worked to embrace the culture of people of color only to find that this new culture’s philosophical positions stood in stark contrast to their own, especially in areas of women’s roles and sexuality. This really goes deeper then simply establishing a biblical role of any gender or appropriate expressions of sexuality. It seems to me, at the very root, to be an issue of authority and how we integrate authoritative teachings into our life. No doubt, the Bible expresses positions on social and moral issues. This isn’t the first time the Church has struggled with issues of cultural perspectives. Most of the Confessions and Creeds were in an effort to bring clarity to biblical teaching. Unfortunately, our denomination’s neglect and rejection of these Confessions and Creeds have left us in an informational vacuum. Perhaps we would be better served if we discussed how we live together in covenant rather then feeding our racial or philosophical egos. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), with our ethos of unity in diversity, is best suited to moderate this dialogue.