What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Spiritual formation can only be sustained if we have a compelling vision of the kind of person we want to become. I suggested this morning that Jesus creates that vision for us when he invites us to be his disciples. His apprentices. People who are learning to do what he did and live life His way.

The nature of discipleship is both critical and progressive. It requires that I count the cost and decide to be Jesus' disciple. But that decision is the on-ramp into a lifelong journey of spiritual formation that will actually turn me into the best disciple I can be.

Marriage provides a good analogy. I made a decision to be a husband on my wedding day. But that was the beginning, not the end. Because I want to be the best husband I can, I am engaged in a lifelong process of trying and failing, learning and being shaped. I chose to be a husband. And I am learning to be one every day.

Jesus calls us to choose to be his disciples. But that choice is not the end. It is the beginning. Spiritual formation is the process of becoming the best disciples we can be. So a disciple is something I am, and it is something I am becoming.

The cost is great; and then again, it isn't. Dallas Willard has a masterful way of making it plain:

Imagine that you discovered gold or oil in a certain property and no one else knew about it. Can you see yourself being sad and feeling deprived for having to gather all your resources and 'sacrifice' them in order to buy that property? Hardly! Now you know what it is like to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.

Some pain is included, no doubt, because the old attachments are still there in our hearts and lives... But the progress of spiritual formation will soon take care of that. Self-denial... is always the surrender of a lesser, dying self for a greater eternal one - the person God intended in creating you... Jesus does not deny us personal fulfillment, but shows us the only true way to it. In him we 'find our life.'

Catch-22

I was talking with a friend in Coram Deo this week who struggles with doubt and a critical spirit. When it comes to grace, he's in a catch-22 cycle. I wonder if you can relate:

Doesn't live in grace (critical, doubtful, hard on himself)

Therefore...

Can't offer grace to others (critical and doubtful of others)

Therefore...

Can't trust a community (won't give them grace to fail)

Therefore...

Can't learn grace from others

Therefore... the cycle repeats.

The answer is that he needs to learn how to live in grace. He insightfully noted that this is most easily learned in community, by watching others live in grace. But when you don't trust a community and are critical and doubtful toward them... well, you see the connection.

Have any of you been here before? Can you offer some insight? He wants to break the cycle, and I want to help him. But I must admit, at this point we are both frustrated.

The Kind of Pastor I Am

Recently an anonymous poster on this blog began his comment: “While respecting the Pastor’s decision…”

The capitalization may have been an oversight, or an honest gesture of respect. But it made me a little nervous. You see, there are two dominant paradigms of what it means to be a Pastor/pastor.

The first paradigm is what I call “Pastor as Spiritual Expert.” In this model, the pastor is the guy who knows everything. The man who does everything right. The man whose family is in perfect order. The man who never sins, at least not the same way you do. The man who has mastered the sacred Scripture and is never confused or challenged by its complexity. The man who leads five people to Christ each week - while he’s on family vacation. The man who has expert knowledge of everything from advanced Hebrew exegesis to sociological interpretations of 1 and 2 Corinthians among current form-critical scholars. You should definitely capitalize this man’s title. I am not this man.

In fact, if you find this man, let me know ‘cause I’d like to hire him. (Then again, he might be kind of hard to work with.)

The second paradigm is what I call “Pastor as Repentant Leader.” A pastor is certainly to be a leader – that is the point of the requirements for eldership given in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. I had better be leading by example, modeling a godly life, setting the ethical and spiritual and missional pace for the rest of our community. But a pastor is also to be the “Chief Repenter.” The one who messes up frequently, in public. The one who shows the rest of you why grace matters and why your identity in Christ is foundational and why redemption is a messy process. That’s who I am. And that’s the only kind of leader I really want to be.

I’m telling you, not everyone shares this paradigm. Perhaps not even all of you share it. Maybe you’re more partial to the “Pastor as Expert” idea (even though it’s not biblical). I really tend to frustrate people who like that model. Some of them have even called me a heretic. But that’s OK. They called Paul that, too. It didn’t stop him from rejoicing that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst” (1 Tim. 1:15).

So, Coram Deo: I’m thankful for your respect, for your affirmation, for your willingness to follow me. I hope you honor my leadership and respect my authority and follow my example, because the Bible says all of those things are good (1 Tim. 5:17, Heb. 13:17, Heb. 13:7). Just don’t go capitalizing my title and calling me “Pastor Bob” and stuff like that. It makes me uncomfortable. And please, please, don’t expect me not to sin, or not to hurt your feelings, or not to bow down and worship my heart idols from time to time. I am a broken man in the process of redemption, just like you.

I’m glad we had this conversation. Plan on giving me lots of grace to fail, and I’ll do the same for you… and in the process we’ll live out the dance of redemption. I’ll do my best to be the first to repent.

What Does It Mean to Live in Grace?

Grace is:

1) God's attitude of favor toward his elect people (Romans 5:2);
2) God's action that enables our activity (1 Cor. 15:10).

"We consume the most grace by leading a holy life, in which we must be constantly upheld by grace, not by continuing to sin and being repeatedly forgiven... The greatest saints are not those who need less grace, but those who consume the most grace, who indeed are most in need of grace - those who are saturated by grace in every dimension of their being. Grace to them is like breath." - Dallas Willard

I like Willard's angle here. We usually think of grace as "God accepting me anyway, even when I mess up" (leaning heavily on definition 1 above). But Willard here helps us understand that grace is also what enables holy living (leaning more on definition 2). The greatest saints don't need less grace, but more...

This should remind you of our "gospel diagram": the cross gets BIGGER the further I grow in Christ, because I am more aware of my sinfulness and more aware of God's holiness. So I lean on Christ even more now than I did when I first believed.

Is this angle on grace a new realization for you? Or does it reinforce stuff you're already thinking?

A Really Long Post on Education

This post is a follow-up to the one below, which generated some really healthy discussion in the comment thread. It’s good to see you guys getting fired up about something!! When people in CD are posting blog comments complete with research footnotes, we’ve hit a whole new level of dialogue. Nice work.

The common problem in debates of this nature is that emotions get stirred up and egos get involved, and then the main thread of discussion can get lost in a flurry of subpoints. So it’s worth another post to 1) bring us back to the original question, 2) summarize the salient points made by commenters, and 3) set the stage for another round of discussion.

In the original post, I asked two questions: 1) what is the role of Christians in bringing reform to a failing public school system, and 2) does public education have anything to offer Christian parents who desire their kids to be taught well so they can make an impact for the kingdom of God?

Comments surfaced multiple answers to these questions, notwithstanding some tangential rants along the way.

In answer to question 1, we all agree that godly teachers, working from within the current system, can do much to bring reform and to really teach kids well in spite of the limitations of the system. And may I add: if it weren’t for the valiant efforts of missional Christian teachers, public education would be much worse off than it is. Those of you who give your lives each day for the education of kids deserve utmost thanks, respect, and affirmation. You are doing kingdom work!

In answer to question 2, it was pointed out by some commenters that public education can offer at least one thing to Christian parents: opportunity for mission. By educating our kids in the public schools, by being involved in the classroom, by interacting with families at school, we have a tremendous opportunity to be salt and light. With this point I absolutely agree, and I hope that all parents in Coram Deo who are pursuing public education are doing so from this motivation! It has been noted and even footnoted that kids’ success in education is directly tied to the home. So the primary responsibility for education falls on the shoulders of Christian parents, regardless of which educational method we choose. It’s pretty clear that a kid with a good and godly home can get a decent education almost anywhere.

Having said all that, we used to say when I worked in politics that “the numbers don’t lie.” The truths above don’t erase the fact that one-third of publicly educated students don’t graduate high school. The Titanic is sinking, folks! I got the sense from some commenters that the only way to really care about poor kids is to work within the system. I am suggesting, however, that this might be the very thing we must not do. The system is what’s broken. The system is the thing that’s not working. That’s not my opinion. That’s research data and graduation statistics and Time Magazine.

And if I may be so bold as to go a little further: the system isn’t broken because rich kids do better than poor kids. The system isn’t broken because Christian parents are pulling their kids out and choosing other options. And the system isn’t broken because Millard kids are better off than downtown kids. The system is broken because it’s a bad system. It’s a valueless system. It pretends that education can be pursued separately from God and morality. In the same schools where we teach kids that 2+2=4, we are teaching them that God may or may not exist and morals may or may not be absolute and that they have a right to do whatever they want.

I am not so simplistic as to lay the blame at the door of the school system. Most of these kids aren’t getting taught any values at home, either. So it’s a bigger problem, and you commenters who noted that are to be commended for your insight. But those of you who are quick to defend the current public school system might be wise to consider how strongly you want to defend a system that is attempting to educate kids apart from a knowledge of their Creator. Education is not value-less. It is holistic. And when Truth is removed, failure is to be expected.

Some commenters spoke passionately about being advocates for minority and low-income children. And that’s exactly what’s driving my questions regarding this issue. If we really care to educate underprivileged kids, it might be time to consider starting a holistic charter school for inner-city kids. Or an after-school program to supplement their classroom learning. Or a host of other initiatives. I am asking: for the good of the underprivileged and for the glory of God and for the passionate pursuit of mission, are public schools the best we can do? Or could we dream of a better way – not for the sake of separating ourselves from the neediest kids, but for the sake of serving them? Let’s not make this a public vs. private or public vs. homeschool debate. Let’s simply ask: how can we give kids – ours or someone else’s – the best education possible?

Finally, may I urge a note of humility in the whole conversation. Some of the responses seemed overly sharp, and others seemed to exude a sort of ‘missional righteousness’ unbecoming of Christ-centered people. It would do well for all of us to remember that our first and most important responsibility in mission is to our own children. If we are not teaching them to love the Lord their God with all their heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and to love their neighbor as themselves, then it doesn’t matter how we might be succeeding in other aspects of mission. Those of us who are parents must be driven by that calling first and foremost. This certainly means exposing them to all sorts of poverty and messiness and tension; but it does not necessarily mean exposing them to those things in math class.

Failing Grade

Quite a few members of the Coram Deo community are educators: teachers and administrators and such. So any debate about education is bound to be... well... interesting. Honoring the faithful, Christ-glorifying efforts of our teachers while condemning the systematic weaknesses of American public education is a daunting challenge. But hey, what are blogs for?

In a recent editorial in World Magazine, Joel Belz asks the question: "What other institution can fail one-third of the time and survive?" That's the failure rate of American high schools. Only two out of three students who enter high school in America graduate. A recent Time magazine cover story called that statistic "astonishing." And it begs the question: what is our role as Christians in bringing reform? Certainly we need teachers and administrators who care to improve the state of education in America. But at some point, in a free-market system, shouldn't we also be pushing for vouchers and tax incentives to allow parents to vote with their dollars for better educational options? My wife and I have chosen to homeschool our kids, not out of some isolationist desire to "protect them from the world," but simply from a conviction that we can provide a better education than our local public school.

In no way do I wish to denigrate the excellent work of teachers. I simply wish to raise the question: with many of the young families in Coram Deo facing school decisions, what do our public schools have to offer? In a system with a one-third failure rate, can we really hope that our kids will be trained to read and write and think so they can make an impact in the world?

Educators, read the World article and then weigh in. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Easter, Coram Deo

Easter is significant for any church. It is the most distinctly Christ-centered holiday. It focuses on the life and death of Christ which purchased the church as His bride. It is a celebration of Jesus' triumph over sin and death - the decisive victory in the great battle between good and evil. "D-Day has occurred; V-Day is assured," wrote Oscar Cullman.

This was our first Easter together. 114 people gathered for worship. Many of them were friends and family, for whom we've been praying. The most memorable part for me was Tyler's story: from a place of spiritual death a year ago to spiritual life and union with Christ this year. That's why we exist. That's what the mission of God is about.

It was great to worship and celebrate and feast on Christ together. May this be the first of many. Happy Easter, Coram Deo!

Tolerance

You probably heard the news stories last week about Abdul Rahman, the man who was sentenced to death in Afghanistan for converting to Christianity. He fled the country and eventually found asylum in Italy.

What you might not have heard was the response of Abdul Raoulf, a senior Muslim cleric who had been branded by many as a 'moderate':

"...A man who converts has to be killed. Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be insulted... They should cut off [Rahman's] head, and pull him to pieces so there's nothing left."

Which is less tolerant: a Christian who pleads with people to turn to Christ as the only way to eternal salvation, or a Muslim who advocates beheading and torturing Christians to help God save face?

Upside Down Kingdom

Food for thought about the Upside-down Kingdom:

The Christian Church, while it holds within itself the best life of the Kingdom, is not the kingdom of God. The Kingdom is absolute, the Church is relative - relative to something beyond itself, the Kingdom. The Kingdom judges and redeems the Church, and the Church is potent to the degree that it obeys the Kingdom and embodies the life and spirit of the Kingdom. The Church is not an end in itself, the Kingdom is the end. Jesus never said, "May thy church come on earth as it is in heaven." He did say, "Thy kingdom come... on earth."

- E. Stanley Jones

The Kingdom of God holds the church accountable. It is the greater reality to which the church attests. Notice what Jones says: "The Church is not an end in itself, the Kingdom is the end."

Or, as I wrote in The Kingdom of Couches: The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of Jesus in the hearts of people. It is spiritual. Churches, on the other hand, are 'outposts of the Kingdom'... They are communities of apprentices who are learning how to follow the King and speak the language of the kingdom. But churches are not the Kingdom.

In what ways do you think Coram Deo is doing well at embodying the life and spirit of the kingdom? Or, where do we need to be rebuked and called back to kingdom values?

Could We Abolish Poverty?

Two classes think too much about money - those who have too much and those who have too little. I want just enough money so I can forget about it and think about the Kingdom... Every person has a right to as much of the material things as will make him mentally and spiritually and physically fit for the purposes of the kingdom of God. The rest belongs to the needs of others...

Good news to the poor would mean that poverty should be abolished, that there should be no poor. We could abolish poverty in one generation if we had the will to do it. We have the means and the pressing necessity. What we lack is the will.

- E. Stanley Jones, The Unshakable Kingdom and The Unchanging Person

God's Heart for the Poor

Thank you, Matthew Smith and the others at Mosaic Community Development, for helping us think more deeply today about poverty and what a Christian response to it might look like.

Here are a few of the Scriptures Matthew pointed us to:

Jeremiah 22:16: "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 16:49: Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Matthew 11:4-5: Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor."

Also, check out the Word Made Flesh website for some very thoughtful writings concerning poverty and the kingdom of God.

I said in closing this morning that the Fall is complex, and so we shouldn't expect redemption to be any less complex. Should we work and pray to eradicate poverty? Yes. Will we always have the poor with us? Yes (Matthew 26:11). It all makes for a messy world. And that's the world God sends us into as His ambassadors.

What tensions are you feeling, what thoughts are you having, what heart idols are you confronting as a result of this morning's message?