What Church of God leaders are reading

Last week I received a packet of books and materials pertaining to the upcoming Strategic Planning Conference of the Church of God in Nashville, July 23-25. I am a registered delegate representing the Central California Association.

 

Delegates are being asked to prepare themselves by reading two books so that we address "the strategic questions facing the Church of God resulting in how the church carries out its strategic goals". Special study guides have also been prepared.

 

For those of you not attending the conference, here are the two books that we are reading. You may want to get ahold of these yourselves so that this dialogue can extend beyond the conference.

 

The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World, by Ronald J. Sider. Excellent book, from what I've already read. Sider soundly attacks the hypocrisy of American Christianity, and emphasizes sanctification and its practical implications. Strong message that should easily resonate with Church of God readers (although why aren't we writing books like this?).

 

Well Connected: Releasing Power, Restoring Hope Through Kingdom Partnerships, by Phill Butler.

 

 

Are You Sure You're Right? - Education

This post is part of a series based on chapters from the new Church of God book by Jerry Hickson, Are You Sure You're Right? (For more information see my review).

 

I found chapter 5, "Is a Call All That it Takes to Be a Pastor", the most frustrating section of Dr. Hickson' book. While his discussion is valid it is out of place in the book since it has nothing really to do with the relationship between Evangelicals and the Church of God. Instead it reflects one of the author's deepest concerns (as he is a college professor), and I suppose he figured that he should take advantage of his book being published and therefore include this chapter.

 

The point Hickson, is trying to make is that we struggle with the requirements necessary for someone entering into career ministry.

Within the heritage of the Church of God we find a paradox concerning ministerial education. Since the very beginning, leaders in the Church of God have often held ministerial education in low regard. Others established Bible college and liberal-arts colleges with a vision for formal ministerial education. (p. 58)

Apart from the inappropriateness of this chapter within the context of the entire book, Hickson has correctly identified an unresolved tension within our movement. We uphold the ideal of Spirit-directed leadership, and we resist the rigid human structures common to many denominations. But, as a result of our reactionary stances, we hinder ourselves from developing the well-equipped leaders that we desperately require.

 

I, myself, have some very strong opinions about and recommendations for ministry training and preparation, and hope to expand on them someday in a separate blog post. But, for now, I will state that I am somewhat dismayed over the low standards that we have set for those entering career ministry. Unfortunately, we have many pastors that have an inadequate education, minimal leadership skills, and/or a high degree of personal and relational immaturity. Seminary degrees or tougher credentialling standards will not magically make everything better, but these are all components that can contribute to enhancing the process. Ultimately, it may require some new paradigms on how we develop pastors.

 

Are You Sure You're Right? - Women

This post is part of a series based on chapters from the new Church of God book by Jerry Hickson, Are You Sure You're Right? (For more information see my review).

In his book Jerry Hickson highlights numerous examples of how the culture of Evangelicalism has crept into the Church of God. To demonstrate this point he has focused on particular beliefs with which we have conflict, but now in chapter 4 he illustrates an area where our beliefs have not changed as much as our practice. "Might the Best Man for Your Church Be a Woman?" is all about the issue of women in pastoral ministry.

Dr. Hickson points out that, especially in our first fifty years, the Church of God openly accepted women in ministry. This has clearly distinguished ourselves from much of Evangelicalism, and is another example where we actually are more closely aligned with more "liberal" churches. But, "Since 1940, the Church of God has failed to live up to this heritage as the number of women called to serve as pastors has fallen dramatically" (p. 46) mainly because "Church of God people have been influenced by certain evangelical thinking to betray our heritage in this regard" (p. 47). Hickson goes on to provide a Scriptural outline affirming women in ministry.

It is my observation that this shift is not really the product of a clear change in doctrinal position. I think that most people within our movement still believe that women are eligible for ordained ministry, but in practice are very reluctant to call a woman to be their senior pastor. As Hickson points out, this incongruity is often "because long-standing church tradition so strongly argues for male dominance" (p. 52). This provides a perfect illustration of how holding a correct doctrinal position does not necessarily translate into the right actions and practice.

On the one hand, I am very proud of our position regarding women in ministry. But, on the other hand, I am frustrated that we have succumb to the social and religious (i.e. Evangelical) pressure around us, and have made it extremely difficult for women to exercise fully their spiritual gifts and calling within the church.

This must change.

Slow Change?

I received the May-June 2006 issue of Communion this week. Heading the newsletter for the last several months is Jeannette Flynn's series on cultural change and how it affects us as a church. (You can read my previous postings on this series here: Change of Culture, Our Culture (version 1.0), and Transformational Change?)

 

In this latest installment Flynn provides an overview of how cultural change occurs, pointing out the differences between cultural drift, developmental change, transitional change and transformational change. The latter is the most radical, requiring a shift in assumptions and actions.

 

True enough. I am learning through my own personal experience and observation that slow, gradual change is rarely effective. Jesus' own life and teaching reveals, however, that God is in the business of dramatic, radical change. Often our churches have settled into a comfort zone that closes out this possibility.

 

Flynn is a brilliant person and contributes much to the Church of God. But, the SLOW nature of this discussion is not helping us address and deal with change. In fact, the plodding nature of this discussion actually sends the message that change must be cautious and far from urgent. One article every two months doesn't cut it. Sure she's set up a blog, but apart from an introductory post from December there has been silence from Jeannette.

 

If we are serious about change we need to move beyond a casual conversation and toward engaged dialogue and action. This is necessary for true transformational change.

 

Are You Sure You're Right? - Eschatology

This post is part of a series based on chapters from the new Church of God book by Jerry Hickson, Are You Sure You're Right? (For more information see my review).

 

Eschatology is another area where the Church of God differs significantly from mainstream American Evangelicalism. After having just refuted Calvinistic determinism, Jerry Hickson now tackles this doctrine in chapter 3, "Do You Have to Be Right or Get Left Behind?".

 

End times teachings can easily lead to much confusion, so it is no wonder that a large proportion of people within the Church of God are unclear as to what they believe. It should also not be a surprise that many have latched on to the immensely popular and hyped speculations in Left Behind and other premillenial-dispensational teachings. Hickson is right (no pun intended) to raise this matter in his book.

 

The Church of God has always held an amillenial view of eschatology. For the average reader, Dr. Hickson takes the time to explain the various perspectives and even provides an historical overview of the development of apocalyptic interpretation and eschatology within our movement. Initially we held a church-historical approach, whereas now "Church of God thinking has progressively moved to the preterist and/or idealist interpretation" (p. 39). Highlighting the Church of God emphasis on the present day Kingdom of God is also a helpful part of the chapter.

 

What I find intriguing is that an amillenial interpretation of Scripture is typically a more "liberal" position, compared to the much more literal orientation of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. Church of God folk who would abhor the thought of being labeled left-of-center, often ignore the significance of how our views on such matters as eschatology and women in ministry go against the grain of typical conservatism. This is further evidence that our hermeneutic is not as closely aligned with Evangelicals as we would like to believe. Even though Hickson brings attention to the role of hermeneutics (p. 40), I wish he would have developed this further as it would reveal some of our foundational distinctives that further differentiate us from mainstream conservative Christianity.

 

Overall, Hickson's explanations and analyses in this chapter are quite straightforward and on target.

 

Are You Sure You're Right? - Determinism

This post is part of a series based on chapters from the new Church of God book by Jerry Hickson, Are You Sure You're Right? (For more information see my review).

 

Moving from the previous chapter on inerrancy, Jerry Hickson heads into safer territory in chapter 2: "Does the Sovereignty of God Preclude Our Free Will?". Because of our Wesleyan-Arminian roots the battle against Calvinism has been a long standing tradition within the Church of God. We have consistently rejected Calvinistic doctrines of predestination and eternal security, and this has set us apart from a large number of Evangelicals.

 

Hickson is right in simplifying this debate down to the issue of determinism (p. 15), and in reminding us that the "Church of God stands among those who find the answer to theodicy in the reality of human free will" (p. 17). The bulk of this chapter is devoted to explain the differences between the Calvinstic and Arminiam perspectives, and includes a survey of the main biblical teachings including some of the more troublesome ones.

 

There is significant value in what Dr. Hickson is doing here. I am convinced that the vast majority of Church of God constituents do not understand these theological underpinings or their implications. This chapter should enable them to deal with these issues with greater clarity, although there are points where the argument gets a little tedious.

 

In truth, however, Calvinism rarely exists in its full-blown form. While logical, most people have trouble reconciling it with the realities and practice of life. As a result, many Evangelicals are "soft" Calvinists, further blurring the lines of distinction with Arminians. And, it doesn't help that few within the Church of God have articulated a comprehensive free-will theology, often leaving the average person in the pew to pick and choose elements from both schools to fit their own presuppositions and reality.

 

A deterministic worldview can have serious implications for how we understand and live our faith. Unfortunately, though, it tends to creep into our theology and affect the way we treat such basic matters as prayer, understanding pain and suffering, and seeking God's will. I believe we should be addresssing this more in our congregations.

 

Are You Sure You're Right? - Inerrancy

This post is part of a series based on chapters from the new Church of God book by Jerry Hickson, Are You Sure You're Right? (For more information see my review).

 

If Jerry Hickson was wanting to get our attention through his book, he certainly does so in the very first chapter: "Does the Bible Have a Greater Threat than the Thumper?". In keeping with the overall purpose of the book,  revealing the differences between the Church of God and American Evangelicalism, Hickson makes the point that Biblical "Inerrancy is a modern concept foreign to the Bible" (p. 11) and "is a concept that is foreign to Church of God heritage" (p. 12).

 

That ought to go over well.

 

Conservative Christians uphold a high view of Scripture, especially in light of the perceived threat of liberalism. The 70's publication of The Battle for the Bible cemented the concept of inerrancy among evangelicals, and was easily adopted by many within the Church of God as well. On the surface, inerrancy seems to make sense if we accept the inspiration and authority of Scripture. On closer examination, however, there are many problems with this position because of the faulty philosophical and theological foundations on which it is based.

 

In my view, inerrancy is really part of the bigger issues of epistemology and hermeneutics. Dr. Hickson seems to understand this, pointing out correctly that the doctrine of inerrancy is really a product of modern rationalism (pp. 4f). Fundamentalism, and Evangelicalism which developed out of it, have deep roots in the modern worldview, especially as result of their work in defending themselves against liberalism. Since Are You Sure You're Right? is written to a general audience it is difficult to develop this technical discussion without losing most readers. Hickson makes an attempt, but chooses to focus mainly on the symptomatic matter of inerrancy. I'm just not sure everyone will hear him. As I stated in my review, I wish he would have provided more background to the development of the Church of God within broader Christianity prior to entering into this thorny issue.

 

The problem most people will have is that they perceive the questioning of inerrancy as an attack on biblical inspiration and authority. People will mistakenly argue that Hickson must therefore believe that there are "errors" in Scripture with the logical conclusion that Scripture cannot be trusted. This is not the case, unless you require a logical argument to prove the veracity of Scripture, in which case the divine, inspirational nature of Scripture is downplayed and made subservient to the idol of human reason. Hickson makes this bold statement: "We deny the authority of the Bible if we believe inerrancy is the proof of its authority" (p. 3).

 

Without question, the Church of God has typically maintained a high view of Scripture. But, as Hickson points out, early Church of God leaders never really got into the liberal-fundamentalist debates of the early 20th century. Our movement has always held a more dynamic view towards truth, mainly because of our emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. This has tremendous implications for how we understand both inspiration and interpretation, and differs markedly from the more rational preoccupation of evangelicals. The latter place a much higher emphasis on the importance of faith as the intellectual assent to certain doctrines. The holiness perspective tends to rise above this cold rationalism, placing the focus on the life-changing work of the Spirit as the test of faith, rejecting the notion of air-tight creeds and doctrinal statements. Of course, over the years, because of the creeping influence of Evangelicalism within the Church of God, these distinctions have become confused.

 

As I have previously stated, this chapter will likely be highly controversial within our circles. I hope, however, that people will take the time to read this chapter carefully and enter into constructive dialogue. It is a matter worth exploring, especially in light of our holiness orientation.

 

Review: Are You Sure You're Right?

This spring Warner Press is publishing several new books, including a couple that provide self-examination and reflection for the Church of God. My intent is to use this blog as a place to discuss these writings and to provoke dialogue that hopefully will be helpful to us all.

 

When I first heard that Jerry Hickson was writing this book I was excited since it is a topic that has long been on my mind. It's just that I've never had the courage to put my own thoughts down on paper. I'm glad that someone has taken the risk to engage this important, yet potentially controversial, matter.

 

Are You Sure You're Right?: Evangelicals and the Church of God (Warner Press, 2006) may not be the best book to come out of our publishing house in recent years, but it may be one of the most important. Dr. Hickson, assistant professor of Christian ministry at Warner Pacific College, strives to challenge the commonly held notions that the Church of God is part of American Evangelicalism. He identifies and explains some of the differences between current evangelical and Church of God teachings, and does so with doctrinal discussion, historical context, and references to other Church of God authors.

 

Specifically, Hickson addresses eight points where the Church of God takes a divergent position from most evangelicals: the inerrancy of Scripture, Calvinistic determinism, premillenial eschatology, the ordination of women, the place of pastoral education, allegiance to American civil religion, the right to life, and Christian unity. A common theme throughout the book is that "Despite all the ways in which we agree, the Church of God does not fit well in the evangelical stream of Christianity" (p. xii).

 

This message will obviously be unsettling to many people within the Church of God. Because of struggling with our self-identity as movement it has been convenient for us to become closely aligned with this large, popular branch of Christian conservatism. It has got to the point that for many of our leaders and constituents the distinctions are blurred or seemingly non-existent. This book should awaken us to these changes and hopefully spur us on to rediscover our unique heritage and distinctives.

 

Still, Are You Sure You're Right? will generate considerable controversy. Warner Press as much as admits it by statements on the book's cover and in the Publisher's Preface (p. vii). I admire the risk that is being taken in publishing this book as this in itself bodes well for our movement. But, I am afraid that many will misunderstand what Dr. Hickson is saying and probably label him as a "liberal", or just simply ignore his insights.

 

It doesn't help that Hickson begins his discussion with probably the most sensitive issue: The fundamentalist and evangelical position on the inerrancy of Scripture. Since many Church of God folk buy into this tenet, there is an uphill battle right from page one in gaining their ear. A careful look at history and theology confirms what Dr. Hickson is saying, but I suspect many will tune him out at this early stage before reading the entire book with an open and honest mind. I wish, instead, that he would have begun the book by outlining the historical development and context of the Church of God within American Christianity. The fact is most people do not understand our own history, let alone the underlying assumptions and biases within Evangelicalism. He deals with some of these issues in the two appendices, but again it is likely that many will miss these observations due to their defensiveness over what they've already read.

 

There are other important insights that can be gleaned by the open-minded reader. For example, the last chapter, "Can We All Get Along?", is very helpful, as is chapter four on gender. Unfortunately, however, some other chapters (such as the ones on pastoral education and right-to-life) seem out of place or underdeveloped.

 

Despite the obstacles confronting this book, I hope that people will read it as this type of discussion is long overdue within the Church of God. We have been good at looking inward, but for the first time in a long time we have a book that attempts to describe and confront our relationship with the larger church. Again, I commend both Jerry Hickson and Warner Press for providing this opportunity to probe into these issues.

 

In short, this is a must read.

 

Over the next couple of weeks I will devote individual posts to each of the chapters in the book. Hopefully a constructive dialogue can ensue that will better enable us to rediscover our own identity and become a strong, alternative voice within the confused world of modern Christianity.

 

The Stresses of Ministry

I am very grateful for the opportunity I had recently for a vacation. We all need times to get away from our normal routines and experience some refreshment and rejuvenation.

 

Maybe it's just because I was in this altered state, but upon reflection I notice that I've been hearing alot about stressed-out pastors recently. Over the past month I have had numerous opportunities to talk with other ministers first-hand, and also to hear stories of colleagues that are going through difficult times in their personal lives and careers. This includes pastors that are leaving their churches (or even pastoral ministry altogether) because of the overbearing frustrations that they are experiencing; and spouses of pastors who are discouraged and angry because of what is going around them.

 

It's difficult to know exactly what is going in all these situations, and much too easy to make simplistic analyses and prescriptions. But, I am concerned about the health of our pastoral leadership as I know that there are many who are struggling and close to drowning in the churches they are currently in.

 

This all raises questions in my mind about a number of issues:

• How adequate are the support systems available for pastors and families?
• Is our polity and structure part of the problem or the solution?
• Are we doing enough in screening and training those entering into career ministry?
• What really is our theology concerning pastoral leadership?
• What are we doing to help congregations function in healthy ways?
• Why aren't we holding churches more accountable when they mistreat their leaders?
• What can we do to help our churches explore new and better models for pastoral compensation?

We need to pray for those around us who are hurting. We also need to get involved providing support and working proactively to change our structures for the sake of our leaders.

 

Survey of Goals and Values

You probably thought I dropped off the face of the earth! As previously mentioned my personal life has been very hectic lately with moving, and over the past week or so I took a much needed vacation. I hope over the next few weeks to share some of my reflections that emerged during this time.

 

While checking through my bursting inbox I discovered a survey from Chruch of God Ministries on "Goals and Values". While not explicitly stated, it appears that only pastors are being invited to participate in this survey, with the results to be shared at the Strategic Planning Conference in August in Nashville (which I am planning to attend and hopefully provide daily blog updates).

 

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and contribute to the formation of data that can help our movement understand itself. If you have received a survey invitation I encourage you to complete it.

 

My only frustration is that the survey itself is not put together very well (which, unfortunately, is far too common among surveys). Some of the questions are worded in a convoluted manner (e.g. #15 and #19) or provide narrow response choices (e.g. #12), and #17 in the online version isn't setup correctly (i.e. if you accidentally make a choice you can't change it! - so be careful). Also, apart from an open ended response opportunity on the bottom that allows us to share our pet concerns, I think there are many other questions that could have been asked on such topics as movement health, theology, and leadership issues.

 

Nevertheless, I look forward to eventually seeing the results and discussing them on this blog.

Better days at Warner Press

Life has been extremely busy for me the past few weeks. In addition to the extra demands surrounding Easter, our family has been moving to another house. And that has left little room for acitivities like blogging.

 

I came across an article at Christianity Today on "The 40 Best Christian Places to Work". The whole topic seems somewhat goofy and off the mark in terms of what we should be really focusing on. Nevertheless, what caught my attention is the fact that Warner Press is listed as one of the best Christian places to work (actually #2 in the category "Media (100 or fewer employees)").

 

Seeing Warner Press on this list is significant because it may indicate that things may have turned around at our publishing house. If you've been around the Church of God for awhile you are well aware that Warner Press has gone through some very trying times in the last 20 years. There have been critical financial struggles, and major changes in business focus and management. I'm sure that employee morale during much of this time has been less than positive. This new list, which is based on actual surveys taken among employees, gives us some tangible evidence that the new direction at Warner Press may be firmly established and that the staff are onboard. The leaders who have brought the company through this transition need to be commended.

 

Now, if only Warner Press could build on this foundation and take a much more active role in providing important books and resources that will strengthen the church, and avoid getting side-tracked from the more trivial aspects of Christian publishing, despite the allure of greater profit. But, that's another topic for another day...

 

ONEvoice! observations

I recently received the April/May 2006 edition of ONEvoice! the bi-monthly magazine of the Church of God in North America. Here a few observations:

 

1. Ronald Duncan, in his one-page "FRONTline" column, addresses "Change in the Church of God". (Taken alongside Jeannette Flynn's recent ponderings, it sounds like this is a hot issue in the Anderson offices right now). While Duncan covers some predictable territory, there are a few noteworthy thoughts as starting points for honest reflection that hopefully can lead to change:

"Meaningful change happens when present reality is honestly acknowledged"

 

"We have ignored or shunned major problems because of our polity (governance)."

 

"We must address, with divine reflection, a tweaking of our polity in order to nurture the growth and maturation of the church. We have to find ways to confront and overcome corporate dysfunction. Led by the Holy Spirit, we have to find mentor leadership for the future. We have to find ways to carry out worldwide ministries to the dispossessed, disenfranchised, discouraged, and diseased. We have to find ways to work in the kingdom of God with all our brothers and sisters to confront evil."

 

Ronald V. Duncan, "Change in the Church of God", ONEvoice! April/May 2006, p. 6

2. Merle Strege tackles holiness in his heritage column, and correctly tries to get us to move beyond our individualistic, legalistic and moralistic orientation, and towards a mission focus. Strege reminds us that Warner and other pioneers believed that holiness is the prerequisite necessary to bring about unity, which ultimately is "the means by which nonbelievers would come to the knowledge that God had sent Christ into the world." The implications are that "such holiness will identify the church as a catalyst for reconciliation and mercy in the world rather than mark it as a community preoccupied with what Christians do not do." Merle Strege, "The experience of holiness", ONEvoice! April/May 2006, p. 27.

 

3. Obviously, we have some individuals in our movement who are prompting us to re-examine and our thinking and practice. That is encouraging. And, certainly there are congregations moving beyond status quo and engaging in outward focused ministry (for example, read the articles regarding First Church of God in Kokomo, IN, and Sixth Avenue Church of God in Decatur, AL). Exciting! But, notice the church news clips in the EXTRAvoice! insert. In almost every instance, the news being reported is on internal church accomplishments, like building programs, fundraising successes, and programs. Not to undermine these occasions for thanksgiving, but why so few reports of churches ministering in the world? I know that these 17 congregational reports provide a very small sampling of all that goes on in our 2000+ churches, but it makes me wonder if these might be an indication of the general culture within our movement. What do we really value? Have we lost our vision, passion and calling for holiness that can truly impact the world?

 

Pastor's Fellowship

In the past few weeks I received several mailings from "Pastors' Fellowship", a highly conservative segment of our movement that tends to be concentrated in the Midwest. They have been promoting their annual gathering in Winchester, Kentucky, and more recently mailed out their quarterly magazine, the Reformation Witness.

 

Reformation Witness, for those that have never seen it, is a peculiar oddity. Visually, it looks like a bad nightmare from 30 years ago, with atrocious design and amateurish layout. The articles are typically doctrinal proclamations, but rarely insightful.

 

In short, I don't "get" Pastors' Fellowship.

 

My intent is not to unnecessarily criticize Pastors' Fellowship. I'm sure there are many fine individuals among their numbers, and someday I'd love to visit Winchester and observe first-hand what goes on there. (Anyone want to underwrite this fledgling blogger?).

 

I am also a firm believer that diversity should be welcome within the Church of God. There is room for ultra-conservatives, pacifists, African-Americans, Hispanics, emergents, liberals, etc.

 

The real difficulty I have with Pastors' Fellowship (or any other similar faction) is the implied attitude of superiority that is often projected. My observation of this group in particular is that they believe themselves to be the true guardians of the reformation movement, and that "Anderson" does not quite live up to their high conservative standard. Hence the need for separate gatherings, publications, and organization.

 

What is needed in the Church of God is healthy dialogue among all segments of our constituency. What concerns me is that all of our regional, cultural, racial, linguistic and theological divisions have tended to keep us from understanding each other. We have tended to hide in our cloistered corners, afraid of engaging with one another. And Church of God Ministries, conscious of these sensitivities, has often walked with excessive caution in this political minefield, afraid to provide the leadership necessary to move us out of this crippling environment. (A big hint for Jeannette Flynn as she discusses transforming our internal culture).  

 

If we are ever to find meaningful ways to express important teachings (like holiness) and engage in critical mission, we must all come to the Table and table. We must start practicing the unity we so vigorously preach.

 

Holiness Manifesto

Last month the Wesleyan Holiness Study Project, a consortium of leaders from ten holiness denominations (including the Church of God) released a "Holiness Manifesto" as part of a goal to articulate "a contemporary statement of holiness for the future mission of the Church".

 

I encourage you to read the Manifesto, further blog reflections at CHOG Migration, and an article at Christianity Today.

 

There is no need for me to summarize the key points, but I want to make a few observations and comments:

 

1. I am encouraged to see our participation in this project. Not only do we have something to contribute, but also much to learn from others.

2. The Manifesto is one of the finest statements of holiness that I have read. While it may not satisfy those looking for an exhaustive doctrinal treatise, the Manifesto affirms holiness and states it in a fresh manner that is relevant for our time and the issues we face.

3. There is deliberate effort to correct the abuses and misconceptions often associated with holiness. For example: "Holy people are not legalistic or judgmental. The do not pursue an exclusive, private state of being better than others. Holiness is not flawlessness but the fulfillment of God's intention for us."

4. Most impressive for me is the link of holiness with mission and even the stewardship of creation. This truly takes holiness beyond its individualistic and moralistic excesses, and places it in the proper context of Jesus' message.

5. As significant as this Manifesto is, how will this impact our broader constituency within the Church of God? If this is just another lofty statement created by theologians and administrators it will die a death along with many other ideals. I would hope that it would provide a springboard for discussion within our own movement, especially at the level of local congregations. Are we prepared to enter into a new dialogue concerning holiness and its meaning for our world, or we will be content to simply regurgitate previously stated abstractions?

 

Pastor raises controversy

Brent Waldemarsen, Pastor of Harvest Community Church (of God), in Willmar, Minnesota is in the middle of a state-wide controversy.

 

While I do not know the individuals involved or situation first-hand there are a number of news reports that give us a good indication of what's going on. Apparently, Waldemarsen attended a meeting of a local ministerial association (of which he is not a member) and secretly taped the state Senate Majority Leader, Dean Johnson, who was speaking. Johnson made some comments regarding gay marriage that inappropriately implied a close relationship with Minnesota Supreme Court judges. Waldemarsen's tape quickly got into the hands of Minnesota for Marriage, an activist organization. Various media have picked up the audio and transcripts of the speech and expanded it into a full-blown controversy.

 

The whole gay marriage issue is a hot potato to begin with, but now with this development the various sides on this issue have become even more inflamed than ever. Advocates of traditional marriage are upset with the senator and his comments. Those supporting gay marriage believe that Waldemarsen's tactics were immoral, if not illegal.

 

Without getting into the whole gay marriage issue, this problem illustrates a much deeper dilemma: To what extent do we get involved in political issues around us? I know that these issues touch people at their deepest convictions, and that many well-intentioned Christians and church leaders believe that their involvement is necessary for the sake of society.

 

I wonder, however, if in getting involved in the politics around us in the name of the church there is a real danger of our proclamation of the Good News of Jesus being hampered and thwarted? Instead of witness and mission based on Jesus-modeled servanthood, we can easily sell out to the power games and systems of the world and in the process confirm to the world the spiritual bankruptcy of the church.

 

This is a discussion that rarely happens in our circles, at least in a thorough and constructive manner. I hope that we will not shy away from struggling with an understanding and practice that reflects our holiness-oriented faith and practice.

 

Some web links covering and commenting on this story:

http://www.kstp.com/article/pstories/s14909.html

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22868

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_076074439.html

http://www.burtonhanson.com/

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/14161973.htm

 

Transformational Change?

I was excited to see the latest copy of Communion arrive in my mailbox. In particular, I wanted to read the second installment of Jeannette Flynn's discussion on "How do you change a culture?". Upon closer examination, however, my enthusiasm turned to disappointment. (My previous postings related to this discussion can be found here: "Change of Culture", and "Our Culture (version 1.0)"

Don't get me wrong. I respect Jeannette, she has profound things to say, and I believe that this is a valuable discussion. But, the process is driving me crazy.

First, this discussion is taking an extremely long time. One article every two months is hardly sufficient. Healthy discussion cannot be protracted like this.

Yes, Jeannette has started a blog (http://transformationalchange.chog.org), which could provide some valuable interchange. But, even here is only one post going back to December. I hope she contributes on a regular basis. (By the way, this marks the first RSS feed on the Church of God Ministries website - a welcome advancement. But, there's still some bugs to work out, as the feed doesn't appear to be working properly).

I affirm Flynn's assertion that "the issues are critical and the time is paramount". Let's get the discussion going and work for transformational change!

Raise the flag?

I may be treading on sacred ground here, but ...

 

Like most pastors I recently received my 2006 Resource Catalog from Warner Press. As a "good" Church of God minister I dutifully flipped through to check out what is new. I was especially interested to see some of the new books that will be published in coming months, including Are You Sure You're Right? by Jerry Hickson, What's Right with the Church of God by Thomas Pelt, and Preaching the Story by fellow Central Californian, Jeffrey Frymire. (I will review these books on this blog once they are available and I have read them).

 

So far so good. But, moving a little further along in the catalog my enthusiasm quickly waned. On page 14 staring me in the face is the Church of God flag. I don't know if this is a new item for sale, but it's the first time I've noticed it. And it just seemed to stand out like a sore thumb, complete with our dated and tired logo, albeit modified. The flag is available in handsewn cloth for $135.00, or nylon for only $55.00. (Shipping and sales tax extra. Call now - operators are standing by ...)

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against a Church of God visual identity (although a new logo would be welcome!) or even a flag, I suppose (although I couldn't imagine buying one). What troubles me, however, is how it seems that our identity often is limited to such shallow representations. More than not our self-understanding tends to be wrapped up in clichés, nostalgic sentimentality and even trinkets. Buying and flying a flag is not going to strengthen our identity.

 

If salvation, unity and holiness are our "core truths" (as the catalog description states), how do we really express these meaningfully in our collective proclamations and expressions? What difference are they making in our mission within the world? I would hope that we would become devoted to struggling with these issues, as this will have the greatest impact on our movement and ministry.

 

Getting People to Serve

From time to time I have highlighted the increased awareness among many of us concerning the mission of the church as it relates to service. This has become a more prevelant topic in the Church of God especially since last year's North American Convention.

 

One of the greatest challenges that our congregations face in transitioning emphasis to mission and service is finding practical ways to implement it within their settings. I just came across an excellent report published by Leadership Network. On their website they have a summary article, "Transforming Volunteers into Kingdom Laborers", but more importantly download and read the  full report at no cost.

 

Definitely worth reading and acting upon.

 

Troubles in Cuba

A story has appeared in Compass Direct (News of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith) about a former (?) Church of God leader in Cuba who was arrested by authorities. While I have no way of knowing all the details of the accusations or what's behind some of the strife in the church there, it is a matter that deserves our prayers. Ministering in a country like Cuba must be difficult enough then to have to deal with some of the internal and external politics facing the church.

 

LINK

 

The confusion over holiness

While I am not a big George Barna fan, I was intrigued to read his recent findings of Americans' understanding of holiness. In his summary, "The Concept of Holiness Baffles Most Americans", Barna observed that many Christians "do not understand the concept or significance of holiness, do not personally desire to be holy, and therefore do little, if anything to pursue it."

 

Of course, we in the Church of God sit back smugly in our chairs because holiness is one of our key tenets. There is no confusion in our camps over holiness. Or is there?

 

While I do not have Barna's resources to conduct a comprehensive survey within our own movement, my observation is that most of the people in our congregations are not clear on the topic. We claim to preach it, but there has been so much moralistic and legalistic baggage attached to our practice of it that I am convinced we are also baffled.

 

Holiness is an important teaching and practice, and we who believe in its significance should be working hard to restate it to a church community and world that do not seem to fully understand it. To do so we must be willing to move beyond the simplistic descriptions that we have previously provided and present fresh interpretations that speak directly to the hearts and minds of people today, all the while capturing the intent of Scripture. For example, there is much to be said about framing holiness within the context of our participation in God's mission.

 

What is your take on the confusion over holiness?