Here's an interesting article about Willimon talking about mainline decline:
http://www.salisburypost.com/Opinion/031112-edit-cook-willimon-qcd
Want my opinion? Well, here it is: I recently watched a documentary on Sears, how it became America's leading retailer, peaked around 1970, didn't realize it was in decline until Kmart and Walmart had a model that checkmated them, and how they radically restructured a couple of times to stop the bleeding and maintain market share. Now they're fourth behind Target and they're owned by Kmart.
First thought: No one is so dumb as to think Sears will ever be #1 again. We Methodists better get used to the idea that we will never be the UMC of 1968. Can we stop the bleeding and maintain our religious "market share"? I don't think so, because we can't hire a CEO to give us marching orders and fire everyone who doesn't go along (it looks to me like the "Call to Action" won't even be ratified). People in UM congregations, pastors and lay alike, better get used to the idea that this isn't getting any better. The UMC gives us a decent system for accountability, the best theological basis of any denomination, resources for training great leaders, and networks for shared ministry. That won't change for a long time. But unless the Spirit moves and the wind shifts for the whole denomination, we are not going to stop losing "market share" in our culture.
I just read the Wisconsin Annual Conference's critique of Call to Action, which basically says, "We know we need to do something, but we need to study it and pray about it a whole bunch more instead of doing this." The Confessing Movement people are against it because it gives too much power to bishops--Who else has the capacity to give some focus and identity to our work and keep us from inaction and infighting? Bishops may not be a good bet, but they're the only bet we have! Of course, the whole liberal side of our denomination is against it because it seems "corporate" (meaning, it attempts to actually get something done instead of complaining about what someone else is doing) and because it undercuts the boards, which are the last bastion of liberal influence in the denomination. Anyway, my point isn't about the Call to Action. My point is that we have no mechanism to compel corporate unified change. So things will stay the same.
That's OK, as far as I'm concerned. Once upon a time I thought I'd be part of renewing the denomination and seeing it serve as a catalyst for revival. I still hope so. But I'd be surprised. Sears is still there and it's still the place to go to get a toolbox or a washing machine, but the days when I thumbed through the catalog as a kid are long gone. But Sears will never be number one again. I was driving down the road the other day and it just occurred to me, "There is no one who can fix this and the UMC is never turning around. And that's OK."
The UMC gives me a wonderful community to do really important ministry. For people who want to invest their lives in serving God's people and giving their lives away for the Gospel, the UMC is still a pretty good option. YWAM might be a better option if you don't have a decade or two of your life to spare, but it's still a pretty good option. It's much better to put your energy into making a difference where you are instead of worrying about whether we can all beat Target someday.
I hope I'm wrong. But let's get together again in 15 years and see.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
I'm Pro-life, but I'm Against this Bill
I foolishly and quickly posted my signature to a petition against Alabama's new bill requiring trans-vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions. It created, as my sister put it, a "Facebook firestorm" of confused pro-life friends. I pulled the post, but promised an explanation. Here it is.
I have a consistent ethic of life. I'm pro-life where abortion is concerned. I'm also pro-life on lots of other issues related to people who have already been born. I'd like to see a world in which life is seen as a gift from God which we all protect from womb to death.
I believe, however, that there is a wrong way to approach a good thing. Jesus showed this when he saved the world by taking up the cross and telling Peter to put away his sword. For Christians, the way we build the kingdom is not only an important thing. It's the only thing. We cannot build a beloved community in unloving ways.
I've worked with people who have had abortions. My wife has worked with lots of people who have had abortions. The trauma they experience, both because of the abortion and because of the causes of the abortion, have occupied many evening conversations about "How was your day?".
An abortion is a traumatic event. Even when it is for the wrong reasons. There is never, in my opinion, a good reason to use abortion as a form of birth control. This is the stance of the Social Principals of our church.
For many women, especially in Alabama, the often excluded cases--rape, incest, extreme birth defects, and pregnancies that put the mother's life at risk--are not rarities. Lots of women are raped and become pregnant. Lots of women, often very, very young women, become pregnant from their fathers, brothers, uncles, and other family members. Though my wife and I would never terminate a pregnancy due to extreme birth defects, this is an extremely painful and heartrending decision that couples occasionally make and I would not judge them for this choice. My heart is overcome with gratitude and awe for the courage of women who bear children conceived through rape. But I could never judge a woman who was unable to carry a child because the trauma of rape was compounded by bearing a child of rape.
In all these cases, a forced trans-vaginal ultrasound would compound one trauma with another. This is the aim of the legislation. The whole point is that the trauma of seeing the child as well as the trauma of the trans-vaginal ultrasound itself, would seem so horrible that the woman would forgo the abortion rather than go through the ultrasound.
These efforts are led by people who have religious reasons to oppose abortion. That's fine. So do I. But when the culture sees that Christians force their beliefs on the culture at large to this extent, then the name of Christ is damaged and the compassion of Christ is obscured.
We should labor everyday to see abortion become a thing of the past. But we should do it by celebrating life, healing the brokenness in people's lives that creates unwanted pregnancies, and blessing our world through self-sacrificial service.
The first Church created a culture of life in the Roman Empire in this way. They had no power to change laws. But the Roman custom for dealing with unwanted children was to expose them--to leave them in the street to be eaten by animals. So Christians took these children into their homes and raised them as their own. Christian population grew. And Roman culture was shamed and the custom abandoned.
What would a cruciform approach to ending abortion look like?
I have a consistent ethic of life. I'm pro-life where abortion is concerned. I'm also pro-life on lots of other issues related to people who have already been born. I'd like to see a world in which life is seen as a gift from God which we all protect from womb to death.
I believe, however, that there is a wrong way to approach a good thing. Jesus showed this when he saved the world by taking up the cross and telling Peter to put away his sword. For Christians, the way we build the kingdom is not only an important thing. It's the only thing. We cannot build a beloved community in unloving ways.
I've worked with people who have had abortions. My wife has worked with lots of people who have had abortions. The trauma they experience, both because of the abortion and because of the causes of the abortion, have occupied many evening conversations about "How was your day?".
An abortion is a traumatic event. Even when it is for the wrong reasons. There is never, in my opinion, a good reason to use abortion as a form of birth control. This is the stance of the Social Principals of our church.
For many women, especially in Alabama, the often excluded cases--rape, incest, extreme birth defects, and pregnancies that put the mother's life at risk--are not rarities. Lots of women are raped and become pregnant. Lots of women, often very, very young women, become pregnant from their fathers, brothers, uncles, and other family members. Though my wife and I would never terminate a pregnancy due to extreme birth defects, this is an extremely painful and heartrending decision that couples occasionally make and I would not judge them for this choice. My heart is overcome with gratitude and awe for the courage of women who bear children conceived through rape. But I could never judge a woman who was unable to carry a child because the trauma of rape was compounded by bearing a child of rape.
In all these cases, a forced trans-vaginal ultrasound would compound one trauma with another. This is the aim of the legislation. The whole point is that the trauma of seeing the child as well as the trauma of the trans-vaginal ultrasound itself, would seem so horrible that the woman would forgo the abortion rather than go through the ultrasound.
These efforts are led by people who have religious reasons to oppose abortion. That's fine. So do I. But when the culture sees that Christians force their beliefs on the culture at large to this extent, then the name of Christ is damaged and the compassion of Christ is obscured.
We should labor everyday to see abortion become a thing of the past. But we should do it by celebrating life, healing the brokenness in people's lives that creates unwanted pregnancies, and blessing our world through self-sacrificial service.
The first Church created a culture of life in the Roman Empire in this way. They had no power to change laws. But the Roman custom for dealing with unwanted children was to expose them--to leave them in the street to be eaten by animals. So Christians took these children into their homes and raised them as their own. Christian population grew. And Roman culture was shamed and the custom abandoned.
What would a cruciform approach to ending abortion look like?
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Book Review of Quiet by Susan Cain
Susan Cain's research on introversion is incredibly expansive. She worked on this book for more than five years and gathered to fruits of scores of scientific studies on personality. Many of them demonstrate that introversion is a matter of the way brains process stimuli, that introverts become overwhelmed and tired because they are more sensitive to stimuli, especially in social situations. Introverts therefore find a nice balance of stimulation in focused settings such as reading, working alone, or connecting to one or few others at a time. The science is worthy of psychologists but written in a way that a layperson like myself could get a basic idea of the material.
The gift of the book, however, is its nuanced understanding of culture and the dynamics of introversion. Cain doesn't believe that introversion is superior or inferior to extroversion. She argues that both personality types are necessary for a balanced and rich world. Her concern is that American culture is so oriented toward extroversion that the gifts of introverts are often suppressed, and many introverts live their lives exhausted because they have to pretend to be extroverted.
Cain demonstrates how introverts and extroverts may embrace each others' gifts in relational dynamics, the workplace, and many other settings. She argues that the financial meltdown of 2008 was partly due to a culture of extroversion that always rewarded risk and silenced the voices of those who tended to be more cautious or quiet. She demonstrates how academia and business have a lot to learn from cultures that value introversion, such as Japan and Korea.
I am naturally introverted but have an extroverted profession (clergy at a large church). I'm also married to a very strong extrovert. Cain's book helped me to overcome being frustrated by so much that feels to me to be a limitation. I don't work a room well, but I do connect closely with a few people at a time. I don't do well with an open door and I'm exhausted by constant meetings. There's nothing wrong with closing my door to get some things done. I like taking a day off to read, write, and have no noise around. I'm not crazy or misanthropic. I have to live in an extroverted world. But that world needs much that I have to offer. And I can only offer it by being who I am. So, I found this book to be affirming, practical, and a great grace.
The gift of the book, however, is its nuanced understanding of culture and the dynamics of introversion. Cain doesn't believe that introversion is superior or inferior to extroversion. She argues that both personality types are necessary for a balanced and rich world. Her concern is that American culture is so oriented toward extroversion that the gifts of introverts are often suppressed, and many introverts live their lives exhausted because they have to pretend to be extroverted.
Cain demonstrates how introverts and extroverts may embrace each others' gifts in relational dynamics, the workplace, and many other settings. She argues that the financial meltdown of 2008 was partly due to a culture of extroversion that always rewarded risk and silenced the voices of those who tended to be more cautious or quiet. She demonstrates how academia and business have a lot to learn from cultures that value introversion, such as Japan and Korea.
I am naturally introverted but have an extroverted profession (clergy at a large church). I'm also married to a very strong extrovert. Cain's book helped me to overcome being frustrated by so much that feels to me to be a limitation. I don't work a room well, but I do connect closely with a few people at a time. I don't do well with an open door and I'm exhausted by constant meetings. There's nothing wrong with closing my door to get some things done. I like taking a day off to read, write, and have no noise around. I'm not crazy or misanthropic. I have to live in an extroverted world. But that world needs much that I have to offer. And I can only offer it by being who I am. So, I found this book to be affirming, practical, and a great grace.
The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss
Everyone knows Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat and the Hat. My favorite Dr. Seuss stories are a little less known. On the birthday of Dr. Seuss, lots of folks are celebrating his work, and I was blessed to read my very favorite Dr. Seuss story to several classes of elementary schoolkids. I've had the chance to re-read several stories and think about how profound and beautiful their messages are. Here are a few that might help our country if everyone sat down together to hear them like schoolkids.
My favorite of all time is the Sneetches. Some of the Sneetches have stars on their bellies and others don't. The Star-Bellied Sneetches feel superior to the non-Star Bellied Sneetches. They exclude them from frankfurter roasts on the beach and won't let their children play together. A man named Sylvester McMonkey McBean shows up with a machine that puts stars on the excluded Sneetches. The Star-Bellied Sneetches are aghast that they no longer have a mark of superiority. Sylvester McMonkey McBean has another machine that takes the stars off. Each time Sneetches run through the machines, the price goes up, and everyone gets more confused and broke. When all the money is gone, McBean leaves town laughing at the foolishness of the Sneetches and how impossible it is for them to learn.
The Sneetches are us, of course. We have all kinds of ways that we label each other and group ourselves against each other. Tremendous energy is wasted and tremendous harm is caused, and the Sylvester McMonkey McBeans of the world figure out how to take advantage of the stupidity. The book was published in 1953 and surely was about the struggle for racial equality. In my own denomination, and often think that the very minute differences between the approach of "liberal" (there are no real liberals in Methodism in our area) and "conservatives" (there aren't many of the kind that I grew up with, either), grouping up according to what school we went to, and the new and very stupid distinction between "institutional" and "missional" as so much Star and not Star-Bellied Sneetching. I certainly think much of this grouping is driven by the Sylvester McMonkey McBeans of the world who use division as a means to get elected (to Congress, or General Conference, or whatever), to get Twitter followers, to get ratings, to get into fights about nothing. McBean says we Sneetches never learn. After Annual Conference, I always think he's right. Maybe not. There's always the Gospel, which Paul says gives us a new identity in Christ, who loves every person on the face of the earth enough to die for each one.
My other favorite is the Zax. The north-going Zax only goes north, the south-going Zax only goes south, and when come face-to-face neither can step out of the way to let the other one pass. They are stuck. When a highway is built through the area, it has to be built over them. when a city grows, it grows around them. The world moves on, but there they are, toe-to-toe and eyeball to eyeball. Consistent Conservative to Progressive, as stuck as Congress, like a conversation between Rachel Maddow and Bill O'Reilly. Thank God the world goes on without them. How often does the Bible teach us how to prefer each other, hear each other, and give way to another?
Of course, there's Yertle the Turtle, king of all he sees, who climbs over more and more turtles to see more and more because he is "king of all that he sees." Eventually the stack falls and Yertle is king of the mud. Anyone who understand the difference between the kind of King we serve and the kings of this world will see the Gospel clearly the message of Yertle.
Dr. Seuss never had explicitly religious themes. He was a Lutheran, though many thought he was Jewish and he experienced mis-directed anti-Semitism. When I was a child, his messages were seen as well-told moral and character building tales. Now, lots of people see them as liberal, which, to me, shows how much good conservativism has been co-opted by an ugly and unprincipled heartlessness and mindlessness.
Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss. Your words are good medicine for our time and for our souls. It's time to read your wonderful lines with new and knowing eyes.
My favorite of all time is the Sneetches. Some of the Sneetches have stars on their bellies and others don't. The Star-Bellied Sneetches feel superior to the non-Star Bellied Sneetches. They exclude them from frankfurter roasts on the beach and won't let their children play together. A man named Sylvester McMonkey McBean shows up with a machine that puts stars on the excluded Sneetches. The Star-Bellied Sneetches are aghast that they no longer have a mark of superiority. Sylvester McMonkey McBean has another machine that takes the stars off. Each time Sneetches run through the machines, the price goes up, and everyone gets more confused and broke. When all the money is gone, McBean leaves town laughing at the foolishness of the Sneetches and how impossible it is for them to learn.
The Sneetches are us, of course. We have all kinds of ways that we label each other and group ourselves against each other. Tremendous energy is wasted and tremendous harm is caused, and the Sylvester McMonkey McBeans of the world figure out how to take advantage of the stupidity. The book was published in 1953 and surely was about the struggle for racial equality. In my own denomination, and often think that the very minute differences between the approach of "liberal" (there are no real liberals in Methodism in our area) and "conservatives" (there aren't many of the kind that I grew up with, either), grouping up according to what school we went to, and the new and very stupid distinction between "institutional" and "missional" as so much Star and not Star-Bellied Sneetching. I certainly think much of this grouping is driven by the Sylvester McMonkey McBeans of the world who use division as a means to get elected (to Congress, or General Conference, or whatever), to get Twitter followers, to get ratings, to get into fights about nothing. McBean says we Sneetches never learn. After Annual Conference, I always think he's right. Maybe not. There's always the Gospel, which Paul says gives us a new identity in Christ, who loves every person on the face of the earth enough to die for each one.
My other favorite is the Zax. The north-going Zax only goes north, the south-going Zax only goes south, and when come face-to-face neither can step out of the way to let the other one pass. They are stuck. When a highway is built through the area, it has to be built over them. when a city grows, it grows around them. The world moves on, but there they are, toe-to-toe and eyeball to eyeball. Consistent Conservative to Progressive, as stuck as Congress, like a conversation between Rachel Maddow and Bill O'Reilly. Thank God the world goes on without them. How often does the Bible teach us how to prefer each other, hear each other, and give way to another?
Of course, there's Yertle the Turtle, king of all he sees, who climbs over more and more turtles to see more and more because he is "king of all that he sees." Eventually the stack falls and Yertle is king of the mud. Anyone who understand the difference between the kind of King we serve and the kings of this world will see the Gospel clearly the message of Yertle.
Dr. Seuss never had explicitly religious themes. He was a Lutheran, though many thought he was Jewish and he experienced mis-directed anti-Semitism. When I was a child, his messages were seen as well-told moral and character building tales. Now, lots of people see them as liberal, which, to me, shows how much good conservativism has been co-opted by an ugly and unprincipled heartlessness and mindlessness.
Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss. Your words are good medicine for our time and for our souls. It's time to read your wonderful lines with new and knowing eyes.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
A Conversation about HB 56 at Montgomery First UMC
The State of Alabama has become deeply polarized over the issue of illegal immigration. The Work Area on Church and Society has determined to create opportunities and events that will help the culture learn from the church how to disagree on difficult issues in a Christian manner.
Because so much is at stake in the conversation about HB 56, each side has explained the contents of the law from a particular point of view. Lawyers and Work Area members Will Parker and Craig Baab have worked together to develop a presentation on what the law actually says. Will and Craig are on opposite sides of the legal fight in their professional lives. Will works for the Attorney General's office on the case to defend the law. Craig works for the Appleseed Foundation, which has participated in the suit against the law. Will will offer the presentation, but as a member of the Work Area and not representing the views or perspectives of Attorney General's office. This may be the only opportunity you will have to hear what the law actually says from a truly fair and balanced perspective.
I will talk about the Social Principles and General Conference Resolutions related to illegal immigration. I will also share some thoughts on the very public opposition to the law that came from our bishops (particularly the one from North Alabama). I will share something about the religious issues related to the law.
Martha Rovira, Director of Hispanic Ministries for the Alabama West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, will share her experience of the impact of HB 56 on the ministries of the United Methodist Church.
With so much noise in the culture on such a contentious topic, the church has become one of the few places that a conversation can be held with open heart and open mind. Please consider joining us.
Because so much is at stake in the conversation about HB 56, each side has explained the contents of the law from a particular point of view. Lawyers and Work Area members Will Parker and Craig Baab have worked together to develop a presentation on what the law actually says. Will and Craig are on opposite sides of the legal fight in their professional lives. Will works for the Attorney General's office on the case to defend the law. Craig works for the Appleseed Foundation, which has participated in the suit against the law. Will will offer the presentation, but as a member of the Work Area and not representing the views or perspectives of Attorney General's office. This may be the only opportunity you will have to hear what the law actually says from a truly fair and balanced perspective.
I will talk about the Social Principles and General Conference Resolutions related to illegal immigration. I will also share some thoughts on the very public opposition to the law that came from our bishops (particularly the one from North Alabama). I will share something about the religious issues related to the law.
Martha Rovira, Director of Hispanic Ministries for the Alabama West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, will share her experience of the impact of HB 56 on the ministries of the United Methodist Church.
With so much noise in the culture on such a contentious topic, the church has become one of the few places that a conversation can be held with open heart and open mind. Please consider joining us.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
There is only today
I meet weekly with our interns to talk about ministry and what we're learning together, and to support each other and pray together. The interns at the church are really remarkable ministers of the Gospel and they will be making a difference for the Kingdom for a long time. I'm privileged to work with them.
Today, we were talking about how some people think about youth ministry as a stepping stone to pastoral ministry. We talked about how important it is that really gifted people see any type of ministry as a life long calling.
That prompted a conversation about the impact interns make. I asked them if they remembered all the interns who had worked in their youth groups and children's ministries when they were growing up. Of course they did. I remember the young people I grew up with, too. I remember my dear friend David Farley who taught me so much about music ministry and the joy of arts and creativity in ministry. I remember my dear friend Robert Brown who taught me so much about pastoral care and what kind of a person a ministry ought to be. Both of those guys impacted my life deeply and shaped the kind of Christian and the kind of minister I am. There were lots of others, many of them volunteers or college kids.
So, even if you're an intern and even if you are a volunteer, and even if you are a teenager helping out with Bible School: Your ministry is not something that happens someday in the future. Someone is being shaped by your ministry right now. And lots of people will remember you and what you invested in their lives forever.
This is important, and I think we all need to keep it in mind. So many times, especially when we are young and starting out, we get the idea that we are really just learning and helping out and preparing for the real thing that comes later. It's just not true--whatever you do matters more than you know and someone will remember it forever. The danger in this thinking is that we might never shake it. We might get to thinking that the church we serve while we are in seminary is just a student appointment, or think that we're getting ready to "get our own church" when we work as an associate pastor, or suppose that our time as a pastor in a small church is preparing us for when we get to the big church.
It's true that each thing we do teaches us things that help us later on. But that doesn't diminish anything in the meantime. Whatever we are doing is the now of our call, and God uses it for eternity. There is only today.
Today, we were talking about how some people think about youth ministry as a stepping stone to pastoral ministry. We talked about how important it is that really gifted people see any type of ministry as a life long calling.
That prompted a conversation about the impact interns make. I asked them if they remembered all the interns who had worked in their youth groups and children's ministries when they were growing up. Of course they did. I remember the young people I grew up with, too. I remember my dear friend David Farley who taught me so much about music ministry and the joy of arts and creativity in ministry. I remember my dear friend Robert Brown who taught me so much about pastoral care and what kind of a person a ministry ought to be. Both of those guys impacted my life deeply and shaped the kind of Christian and the kind of minister I am. There were lots of others, many of them volunteers or college kids.
So, even if you're an intern and even if you are a volunteer, and even if you are a teenager helping out with Bible School: Your ministry is not something that happens someday in the future. Someone is being shaped by your ministry right now. And lots of people will remember you and what you invested in their lives forever.
This is important, and I think we all need to keep it in mind. So many times, especially when we are young and starting out, we get the idea that we are really just learning and helping out and preparing for the real thing that comes later. It's just not true--whatever you do matters more than you know and someone will remember it forever. The danger in this thinking is that we might never shake it. We might get to thinking that the church we serve while we are in seminary is just a student appointment, or think that we're getting ready to "get our own church" when we work as an associate pastor, or suppose that our time as a pastor in a small church is preparing us for when we get to the big church.
It's true that each thing we do teaches us things that help us later on. But that doesn't diminish anything in the meantime. Whatever we are doing is the now of our call, and God uses it for eternity. There is only today.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Invocation for Emerge Torchbearer Young Professional of the Year Award Luncheon
Gracious God:
We give thanks and praise on this day in which we celebrate young professionals committed to excellence and committed to community.
We thank you for those who have passion and a sense of vocation that transcends ambition.
We thank you for creative leaders who refuse to wait their turn to fulfill the dreams you've placed in their hearts.
We thank you for those who commit not only to improve the lives of their own families, but also the lives of all Montgomerians.
Bless those we celebrate today, and let their work inspire us all to fulfill your larger dream of a community that approximates your righteous Kingdom, a beloved community that blesses all its citizens.
In Your Name we pray, Amen.
We give thanks and praise on this day in which we celebrate young professionals committed to excellence and committed to community.
We thank you for those who have passion and a sense of vocation that transcends ambition.
We thank you for creative leaders who refuse to wait their turn to fulfill the dreams you've placed in their hearts.
We thank you for those who commit not only to improve the lives of their own families, but also the lives of all Montgomerians.
Bless those we celebrate today, and let their work inspire us all to fulfill your larger dream of a community that approximates your righteous Kingdom, a beloved community that blesses all its citizens.
In Your Name we pray, Amen.
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