p a s s i o n + r e a s o n

I got this in my SojoMail today. Note: Dr. Vernon Grounds was Dean and President at Denver Seminary in the 1950s until late 1970s.

Strategies for soldiers of shalom by Vernon Grounds

1. Pray daily!
2. Keep informed regarding the development of international and national affairs: Be concerned about the world, not just the church.
3. Unambiguously denounce and renounce war.
4. Study and ponder biblical ethics.
5. Critically examine traditional and prevalent viewpoints and doctrines with respect to military policy - e.g., the just war theory, pre-emptive strike, the pacifist and non-resistant options.
6. Recognize that Christians, while grateful citizens of a particular country, belong to a kingdom that is global. Refuse to be an uncritical nationalist or an idolatrous American.
7. Support the historic right to dissent.
8. Take seriously the New Testament demand for Christian nonconformity.
9. Recognize that obedience to our Lord Jesus is the master-criterion of discipleship, not political effectiveness nor pragmatic success.
10. Use whatever political and propaganda resources are available to oppose those forces, ideologies, and institutions that foster an anti-peace mindset and a pro-war mentality.
11. Stress the interconnectedness of justice and peace. Battle injustice insofar as that is possible.
12. Collaborate with all peace-lovers in peacemaking regardless of theological and ideological differences but within the limits imposed by conscience.
13. Seek to be an agent of shalom in all personal relationships.

From "Transformed by Love: The Vernon Grounds Story," by Bruce L. Shelley. Discovery House Publishers.

Posted by at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back issues of course handouts:
Week 1: Walk the Talk: what is this all about?
Week 2: Good News: God's story (through our stories)
Week 3: What is the Good News?
Week 4: Social Consciousness of the Old Testament
Week 5: Social Conscience of the New Testament
Week 6: First World Ideals
Week 7: Consumerism and the Media
Week 8: The Hero
Week 9: The Alternative Voice of the Media
Week 10: World Conflict
Week 11: Environmental Stewardship

Last class, it seemed - for a moment anyways - that it would be difficult to wrap up the class. There were so many environmentalism success stories to talk about. For myself, I find it incredible that there are so many people and organizations already working innovative on ways to reduce and reuse our levels consumption. The next level, which has been the common thread throughout our course, is to carefully examine our lifestyles, as they dictate our habits of consumption.

Here's my confession: I'm always interested in hearing about innovative uses of technology to solve problems, but I find it difficult not to be driven by convenience. It is a constant exercise to watch my consumerism. I liken this exercise to "being transformed by the renewing of my mind" (Romans 12:2). I think feasible and sustainable solutions to reducing our ecological impact need to include reducing our "need" for convenience. I think our society understands this implicitly through its reaction to the loss of jobs - for example jobs moving away from skilled trades towards IT and even desk-based sweatshops (code monkeys and pencil pushers, respectively). We've begun to forget about the arts (I don't mean just the fine-arts) and the concept of craftsmanship. Supply and demand dictates that convenience-as-god will continue to move our society and economies towards this dystopian view. I digress; on the bright side, we are definitely more aware of our practices and are more actively engaged in being stewards of the earth (for example in our municipal recycling programs).

It's long overdue for the church to take leadership on these issues. We've lost so much credibility, simply because we never bothered to even be concerned about caring outside our own limited definition of caring. But we are the church. So it starts with us. Let's choose to live as disciples living out: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," bringing redemption - Shalom - to all aspects of our lives.

Posted by at 2:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Weekly "homework": As you read this, which ads, commercials, radio spots, etc. come to your mind immediately? Why? Tell us what's impressed you on the website and then continue reading.

Download the handout, if you don't have it.

Our church is talking about "Taking the Gospel Global". On the other hand, how are these products being taken global? Any idea on how we can learn from the marketing giants? After all, we do envy the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons for their dedication in winning converts. Or do we? Should we be learning from ad giants on how to "market our gospel"? John 13:35 states: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

We are already marketing our gospel. Our lifestyles are a broadcast of our gospel. By now, you probably have an inkling that our lifestyles (and our fondness for it broadcast by our wearing of labels such as "Tommy", "MEC", "Triple Five Soul", "American Eagle", etc.) are quite contrary to the gospel message as presented in the Bible. Of course, the problem is not with owning things with such labels (heck, I have several articles of clothing with those labels), but it's with the whole lifestyle. "Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'" (Luke 12:15)

If you have taken courses in Peace and Conflict Studies, International Development, or even economics or in the social sciences, you can draw solid links from our lifestyles to its costs on the developing world to social unrest to terrorists to 9-11 to our insecurity today. Many Christians believe that the Luke passage implicitly warns us about 9-11 and its negative ripple effects. It seems that all men know that we are, instead, disciples of greed, because we take from one another in a social-Darwinian fashion; and 9-11 is just the tip of the iceberg (more about that in two weeks). But I believe, more importantly, that the Gospel message is about living a win-win proposition! What a concept. And with such living, the marketing will take care of itself. (see Matthew 5:14-16)

By now you might be uncomfortable, may have stopped reading, or, hopefully, you're asking, "What difference do I make anyways?" I'm glad you asked. This week we'll be talking about this. These last couple of weeks, we have read and discovered (probably re-discovered for most of us) what God is calling us to do (and to be). The radical call of the Gospels is not to be taken lightly - we know that. But if you're wondering "how the heck do I even begin to start living right?" you're in good company. (May I suggest engaging in prayer, in the word, and in a good chat with a good friend as a weekly habit to start?)

So then, living in the light needs to start with us, right now. Early on, Brenda rightly reminded us that it needs to start small. Pick something you want to develop into a habit. Share with us and encourage others to join you (it's so much more enjoyable having people to journey seriously and to grow with).

Let our light shine forth.

"Always do the right thing. It'll gratify some and astonish the rest."
- Mark Twain

Posted by at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After what has seemed to be a sabbatical, the class email has returned.

Some administrative stuff first. If you missed the last couple of classes (or handouts), get 'em here. Download Week 4: Social Consciousness of the Old Testament, Week 5: Social Conscience of the New Testament, and Week 6: First World Ideals.

The discussion threads that we've started have been pretty good, for a start. Keep it up... actually I hope we'll start rolling some more! During the past couple of weeks or so, I have been thinking about how Jubilee can be a real and tangible part of our lives. I'm imagining how life would be like - not only for us, personally, but for those around the world - if those who call themselves Christians were really committed (in actions) to concepts of Jubilee, peace, advocacy, righteousness, holiness...Shalom. When I read the papers, read websites (like the excellent blog of Jordon Cooper), it can be easy to get jaded about the world - and the idea that our faith can even be a vibrant and transforming agent.

But, as I said in class, deconstructing these ideas, is just a start and should not be the only thing we do. To keep on lamenting and pointing out these problems would simply be insulting your intelligence, I think, besides we're not really doing a study of Jeremiah, the master lamenter in the Bible (although that would be a good idea learning about it, eh? It would be good to disabuse ourselves of the notion that we should be "happy-clappy" and "happy shining" Christians. Would someone sign up to teach that class, please!)

So, we move on - to reconstructing a vibrant faith for this new millenium. (And I think Jordon Cooper's blog gives challenging snippets on how that may look like. He's a Saskatoon pastor, a thinker, a sarcastically funny and down-to-earth guy, and a voice which I really respect.)

It is not only about a social gospel, which is a "social care"-oriented "making the world a better place" message, highlighted in Week 5's Tommy Douglas mini-biography. The other end of the spectrum is the "soul care" message. And of course, that is one of the fundamentals of our church's (practiced) theology - and likely yours, too, if you took some time to investigate what doctrines you've been raised up to believe. But, it is not right to be solely at one end or the other - well not solely at the soul-care end, I think. What do you think? Do you think I'm getting adventurous and inviting rebuke?

Well, WWJD? That's the million dollar question (or really, multi-billion or trillion dollar question since we're addressing how much we consume - as it's our own lifestyles under the microscope these next couple of classes). This last class we checked out the story of the Rich Young Man. Question is: what is your idol? What can't you let go of? Why can't you let go of it? Why can't we let go of our consumerism? If you trace back your unfettered desire for cool things, the latest threads, etc. it amounts to no less than rape of our planet, and figuratively speaking, also of the workers up and down the chain.

That might've been blunt, but we'd better start shaping up. Our Christian witness of our lifestyles to Africa, Asia, South America - the developing world - seem to them (and to the perceptive souls here) to be about chasing pipe dreams at their expense.

This week's assignment (do you remember?) is to identify one commercial or advertisement that catches your eye or ear or your senses. Tell us: how does it make us want to chase it?

I have the Malibu Rum commercial (Man on bicycle, with heavy Jamaican accent: "This is total gridlock!") running through my head. Answer to question posed: Maybe we really don't want a life filled with stuff, running around, stuck in traffic jams, but one of tranquility.

Your thoughts now... and remember, we're on the journey towards God, the highest prize, expessing and reflecting His glory and love as he moves us towards him. This is good news, isn't it?

Posted by at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I forgot to include the Week 3 handout in the last update. Click on it and it's yours.

Posted by at 2:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

So, how have you been finding God's story this week? How have your consumption habits been? Integrity? Forgiveness? Grace to others (who aren't deserving of it)? Have we been good news this week? To others? To God's creation?

Well, I hope you'll continue to reflect and "preach in actions" this week.

It's interesting the comments we've been coming up with in class. For example: "Being Christian doesn't give people licence to be mean." If you're worried we're going to rip into what it means to be Christian, and how evangelical Christians are living, don't worry (at least for much longer). We've been doing a lot of "deconstructing" so far. Although these first couple of weeks are Scriptural Foundations (which implies building), we're tearing down a lot of assumptions and baggage that hold us back from moving on. So in "po-mo" (postmodern)-speak, we're deconstructing a bunch of ideas. However, we'll also be constructing a fresh picture of faith in this age. Like my friend Brian Lim's comment last week on my blog, these ideas seem new to us, but in fact are deeply rooted and developed in many of the Christian traditions. So, it's not "new" and crazy ideas we're after! We hope it's fresh and challenging.

So let us give you a tentative schedule and outline.

Keeping this week's email short, here's a translation of Matthew 6 (from The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard) to inspire you:

Make it your top priority to be part of what God is doing and to have the kind of goodness he has. Everything else you need will be provided.

Posted by at 3:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This past Sunday we left off discussing the quote from Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. I apologize that we didn't have enough time to spend more time digging through that quotation, we will start next week by looking at the quote again. I wonder if Grace's comment is shared by more of you - perhaps you didn't have time to offer up that opinion. I agree that this quote challenges my assumptions and long-held beliefs on what it means to be a Christian - especially in a post-Christian time.

If you care, I've finished that book and am reading its sequel. These books are highly engaging and I think it's got an enormous amount of food-for-thought for many Christians. I know a good friend of mine has been criticized for echoing these ideas. Well, it's because our faith is not a cake-walk. There's much struggle, as in running a race. I'm hoping our class will raise similar questions and searching as this book is doing for my friend.

The core question that we want to visit throughout our class is "What is the Good News?" We will be addressing this question head on this Sunday. Take a look at Tom Sine's 4th quote from previous week's handout. I hope that will inspire us to think outside our box.

(Download this past week's handout if you're missing it. Tsk, tsk if you've lost it already!)

This past Sunday evening I went to a church called Freedomize. Besides it being a very welcome breath of fresh air to my weary soul, the pastor's message resounded with me. Our lives are like a book. For many of our friends and peers, our lives may be the only Christian book they will ever read. It doesn't matter if they have a knee-jerk reaction against the church, that they think Christians are quacks (but except for you), that they just can't wake up early on Sunday, that it's just "not for me right now, but maybe later", or that they are interested, they will be reading your story to see if they want a similar story.

I'm suggesting that a good read will definitely have the fruits of the Spirit. As we strive to be a New Kind of Christian (or simply renewed), those fruits will be evidence of deep personal change and will grow to become fruit to bless people around the world. Then the world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord, no?

So, don't be shy, we want to hear what you think...

And don't forget:

• Share with three friends/co-workers your story. Journal what you experienced, their response.
  
• Fellowship with others. Read God's Word. Pray.
  

Posted by at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Welcome to the Walk the Talk class for the LifeLongLearning (LLL) June-August 2003 term at MCBC.

You'll find on this web site a collection of all the weekly handouts, discussions for the week, and discussions started by you. This web site is just a tool to keep us connected throughout the week as we explore the ideas presented in the class and through your discussions, as we learn to be Shalom. Rebecca, Brenda, and myself encourage you to make the most of what's here.

This week's handout is here. Your task this week is to reread this handout and journal your thoughts about “inhabiting the Biblical story”. Come prepared to share briefly next week (it’s a story, isn’t it?)

Have a blessed week.

Walk the Talk: what is this all about
Do you wonder what these words or phrases mean? Have you tried to dig deep into your Bible to understand the importance of these concepts to the people in the Bible, the church fathers, and those who we consider spiritual giants?

• Shalom,
  
• Incarnation,
  
• Kingdom of God,
  
• “Taking the Gospel Global”,
  
• Jubilee,
  
• Social justice,
  
• Vocation,
  
• Social care,
  
• Soul care?
  

Writing letters, introducing recycling to MCBC, and visiting the homeless are just few of the practical ways we will seek to honour and obey Jesus’ greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).

Objectives

• We will explore God’s purposes for Creation, for us as God’s image bearers, according to the biblical narrative.
  
• We will seek to answer the question “What is the good news of the Kingdom?” and explore what sharing the good news AND incarnating the good news means for every area of life – school, work, relationships, entertainment, what we buy and eat and drive.
  
• To engage our faith purposefully in the public sphere, through deeds and works: i.e. writing letters, visitng shelters, exploring food and water sources and quality, introducing recycling to MCBC, getting people involved and serving in local policy making (either in our neighbourhood, cities, province, or even in MCBC).
  
• To inhabit the Biblical narrative.
  
• To be transformed through the working out of our faith through deeds, actions, and words.
  

Posted by at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)