Podcast Episode 10- The Authority Question

The latest episode of The Truth As Best I Know It Podcast is up.

Jessica and I are continuing with our discussion of Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith. Here we focus on question 2- the Authority Question.

You can listen or download the episode from Podbean, subscribe on iTunes, or listen on the player below.

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As always, comments and questions are always welcome. If you're reading through the book right now and have specific issues or questions you'd like us to address, please let us know!

More Ways to Speak Up

In yesterday's post I encouraged folks to speak out against all forms of hatred and bigotry, specifically when it is against our Islamic brothers and sisters, and I mentioned a church in Florida that is planning a "Burn a Koran" day on September 11. My dear friend and colleague Dave McIntyre shared with me some ways that you can speak out on this particular issue:

To whom it may concern, to all people of faith:


On Sept. 11, Terry Jones’ Dove World Outreach Center plans to hold the first “International Burn a Koran Day” ceremony on the steps of his church in Gainesville, Fla. (cf. the announcement from the church’s website above). We must not “silently consent” to Pastor (Associate Pastor) Wayne Sapp’s call.


This vicious call to desecrate and burn a revered book of scripture is tantamount to a hate crime and should be vigorously opposed by all legal means possible. Below are some steps you can take:


1. Reporting his Facebook page to the page administrators:


a. Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Burn-A-Koran-Day/134718123226530#!/pages/International-Burn-A-Koran-Day/134718123226530?v=info and press the “REPORT PAGE” link at the bottom left corner of the page; followed by ‘Racist / Hate Speech’ Reason.


2. Report his You Tube video to the page administrators by ‘flagging it as inappropriate:


a. Visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tf9M9HRMWk
b. Please click the "Flag" link under the video
c. Select “Hateful or Abusive Comment”
d. Select “Promotes Hatred of Violence”


3. Call or write to the FBI/Hate Crime Division nearest office to call their attention and to report this matter:


E-Mail: info@doveworld.org
Postal Address: 5805 NW 37th St.; Gainesville, FL 32653
Phone Number: 352-371-2487
Fax Number: 352-371-6511


** NOTE: Please remember to always be polite and respectful in conveying any message you may choose to convey.

Let me second that last point. Be polite. Don't let this kind of hatred, as disgusting as it is, make you hate in return. If we do that, then they win. Let's speak the truth in love. That means we have to speak. Make your voice heard.

... then the terrorists win

If Americans continue in their fear and hatred of Islam, then the terrorists win.

I realize this might be a provocative statement. Hear me out.

I realize using "then the terrorists win" as the predicate to any statement makes it quite logically suspect since it's highly pejorative and almost entirely devoid of context. So let me explain what I mean.

Americans who have lived through the past decade generally associate the term "terrorists" with Osama bin Laden, al Qeda, and others who advocate and practice indiscriminate violence against others in the name of Islam. For the moment, this is what I mean as well.

The thing is, though, that "the terrorists" do not truly represent Islam. As one of the three great monotheistic religions that follow the God of Abraham, true Islam is a beautiful, peaceful religion that has been twisted and used as a front by those whose core values have nothing to do with the God they claim to worship. "The terrorists" are a very small minority, and it is a tragedy that people who should know better group all Muslims in with them.

In fact, the real tragedy is that most of those who judge Islam by its worst examples claim to be Christians. And it's not like Christianity hasn't had more than its share of worst examples. We have a Christian terrorist group that started in my home state of Tennessee: it's called the Ku Klux Klan. Christianity has its own shameful history of indiscriminate violence that blasphemes everything that Jesus stood for and died for: the Crusades.

The essential message of "the terrorists", people like Osama bin Laden, is this: this world isn't big enough for the both of us. We can't all live together in peace. One of us has to go. It's either you or us.

That's what "the terrorists" believe. And sadly, it's what a growing number of Americans believe. Our country is beginning to come to the same conclusion as those for whom death for their enemies is the only justice. Those who believe this ignore the teachings of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, which tell us that to love our enemies and to live in peace with all of God's children is the true will of God.

With all that said, I'll say it again: if Americans continue in their fear and hatred of Islam, then the terrorists win.

If communities in New York City and Middle Tennessee reject the building of mosques for no reason other than fear and misunderstanding, then the terrorists win.

If a church in Florida holds an "International Burn the Koran Day" on September 11, then the terrorists win.

I don't want "the terrorists" to win. I don't want to live in a world where we believe that we can't all live together as one great human family. I don't want to live in a world where hatred gets the last word, and someone has to lose for us to "win". Do you?

If you don't, please take a stand with me. One way you can take a stand is to sign this petition saying that you support freedom for all religions in the USA. America is a country for whom freedom of religion is a core value, and at this moment we stand in very real danger of tossing this value out the window.

Take a stand. Speak up. Don't let "the terrorists" win.

Parenting Changes Everything

While I don't usually blog about family stuff (Jessica's blog is the usual destination for that, which, incidentally, is why she gets more readers than I do), I had an experience today that reminded me that being a parent changes everything.

I rarely go to movies in theaters. It's too expensive, and ever since I spent a summer working in a movie theater and saw the horrors that go on there, I can't go near the concession stand without having flashbacks. (The upside was free movies and getting to work with my best friend, Lisa.)

I made an exception today to go see Inception. I love Christopher Nolan's movies, plus I'd promised my friend Will that I'd write a movie study for YMToday.

A little more than halfway through the movie, when the crew is just starting the "big job" that drives the plot, I got a phone call. I ignored it at first because I didn't recognize the number, and let it go to voicemail, but when the same number called me a few minutes later, I knew it must be urgent.

It turned out that Kate was being sent home from daycare, along with half her class, with a very high fever. I had to walk away from the film I'd paid $8 to see so I could go sit in the waiting room at the pediatrician.

Sounds annoying, right? Two years ago I would have thought so. But since Kate had a fever and was feeling sleepy, she clung to me the whole time and pretty much just buried her head in my shoulder, even as other kids were screaming and running around.

It's going to cost me $8 more to find out how Inception ends, but those kind of tender moments with my little girl are priceless.

"I've Been There"

Anyone who knows my dad knows he's a golf nut. For his 60th birthday, his present to himself was a trip to St. Andrew's, Scotland, to play where the game was invented. This week the (British) Open Championship is being played at the Old Course at St. Andrew's, and my dad has been getting up before dawn to watch every moment.

Talking to him today, he remarked that although St. Andrew's is one of the courses that the Open rotates around every few years, his experience of watching the tournament is completely different because he's been there. He knows how hard it is to alter one's tee shot based on the strong, shifting winds. He knows how awful some of the bunkers are. He's been in awe of the history and tradition of the place. In some ways, having played at St. Andrew's makes him an active participant in watching the Open.
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Something about having physically experienced a certain place deepens our appreciation of it. You notice more things in friends' vacation photos if you've been to the same place. If you hear a story about something that happened there, you can imagine the scene much more vividly. You realize how little pictures, even amazingly high-resolution digital photos, really can capture the beauty of actually being there.

I hear many people of faith say the same thing about going to the Holy Land. A friend of mine and her husband are leading a trip there in December. People who have been there describe reading and experiencing the stories of the Bible in a whole new way after they get back. I hope to get to go someday.

In an age where we have more access to information and images than ever before, there is still not substitute for having physically been somewhere.

Great Event You Should Check Out

Later this month in Pacific Grove, California, the Alliance of Baptists will be having their annual convocation, focusing on being "Born of Wind and Water". The event goes from July 29 to August 1.

This promises to be a great gathering for Christians of all stripes, particularly for progressive evangelicals that find themselves agreeing with many of the stands the Alliance takes (I find myself in this camp).

One of the highlights of the convocation will be presentations by Mark Yaconelli, an amazing thinker and speaker whose book, Contemplative Youth Ministry, is a must read. In fact, if you use the word "yacpack" in the comments section of the registration page, you'll receive a copy of Mark's newest book.

Also, if you happen to register for the event after learning of it through my blog, I'd appreciate a shout-out in the comments section on the registration page.

The Continuing Adventures of Shameless Self Promotion

I wrote the current round of Sermon Starters for Circuit Rider magazine. If you're a lectionary preacher, these may help jump-start your thinking as you sermonize.

You can view a PDF of them here.

Also, The Truth As Best I Know It Podcast will return later this week, as our technical difficulties have been resolved.

As always, any comments or questions are always appreciated.

An Apt Metaphor for the Church

I've been on vacation this past week, and I've had quite a bit of time to reflect on a lot of things. One thing I've bee pondering is what we're really devoting our energy to in the church. I'm talking about local churches, regional and denominational bodies, and the whole church universal.

Sometimes I think we're no better than the members of a society portrayed in my favorite Monty Python sketch:



I sometimes wonder if we're so focused on pandering to the values of our society so we can pad our numbers by getting some shallow "decisions" that we've lost sight of the lifelong journey of discipleship. We're too busy trying to cram people into one mold or another to embrace the possibility of God doing just about anything. In other words, we're too obsessed with the tangibility of "putting one thing on top of another thing" to realize that the whole thing is rather silly!

A Much Needed Word

I read a story today about a pastor named Matt Chandler, of whom I have unfortunately been unaware until today, giving an address at the Southern Baptist Pastor's Convention a few days ago. In his talk, he didn't hold back on calling out the hypocracy he sees in many clergy.

One quote literally made me stand up and cheer, causing my toddler to give me a strange look. "I, unfortunately, with a great deal of sorrow have walked away from the idea that all of you are men and women of the Word. I've just come to find that a lot of you are really good at cliches and really bad a tying in the Word."

Chandler articulates well my own frustration with many of my fellow clergy, and often times, myself.

While I probably have some significant hermenutical differences with Chandler (for example, I'd couch the issue in terms of the Kingdom of God rather than "The Word", but ultimately that's not that big of a deal), his critique of clergy is spot on. We often pretend that we have everything figured out and are afraid to admit that we are human beings on a journey like everyone else.

What makes us do this? Part of it is pressure we put on ourselves that is rooted in a genuine desire to please God, but it's twisted by a lack of real trust in God's grace. Part of it is the (either real or presumed) pressure that comes from the people in our congregations. On some level they want a "perfect" (whatever that means) person to lead them. Or it might just be the result of their experiences with other clergy who do a darn good job pretending they don't have any flaws. If folks are buying what they're selling, then they expect us to sell them the same bill of goods, too.

While Chandler's talk was directed at Southern Baptist pastors, his challenge transcends denominational and, dare I say it, lay/clerical divides. We all need the kind of reality check Matt Chandler is offering. I for one am thankful he had the courage to say it.

The Best Father's Day Present Ever...

... is the love of these two beatiful women.

Books and other trinkets are nice, but it's the relationships that make me a dad that make Father's Day so special.

I love you girls!

Podcast Episode 9- A New Kind of Christianity Part 2

The latest episode of The Truth As Best I Know It Podcast is up! Well, actually, it's been out there for almost a week. Less than 24 hours after recording and publishing the episode, the hard drive on my computer crashed, and it is currently in the shop. The good news is that sometime in the middle of next week everything will be fixed and we'll be able to record a new episode.

In this episode, we continue our look at Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that are Transforming the Faith. Jessica and I discuss the first question, "The Narrative Question".

You can listen on Podbean, or download the episode on iTunes.

We invite you to read along with us and interact with us in the comments section. You can pick up a copy of the book at your local book store or by clicking on the link above.

Podcast Episode 8- A New Kind of Christianity part 1

The Truth As Best I Know It podcast is back!

After nearly a year, we're relaunching the podcast, and Jessica and I are spending the summer podcasting our way through Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that are Transforming the Faith.

In this episode, Jessica and I discuss the opening chapters of the book and preview the sections we'll be reading through this summer.

You can listen to this episode on the player below, on Podbean (the fine folks who host our show), or you can download it on iTunes.

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We invite you to read along with us. You can pick up a copy of the book at your local bookstore or click on the link above.

McLaren recently teamed up with Spencer Burke of theooze.com and TheOozeTV, making videos where they discuss each of the ten questions. Jessica and I are intentionally avoiding these videos for the time being so we don't just parrot what they say, but you should check them out if you're interested in further interaction with the material.

Thanks for listening! Your comments and questions are always welcome. Look for the next episode, where we discuss "The Narrative Question" in about a week.

Guaranteed Appointments

Lately there has been a lot of talk about ending guaranteed appointments for ordained elders in the United Methodist Church.

I haven't yet decided where I stand or how I would (theoretically) vote on the issue. I can see both sides of the argument. There's no question that there are lots of ineffective elders who get shuffled around from church to church, creating chaos wherever they go. These are people who, if they were part of a congregational polity, wouldn't be able to find a job. In theory, the system would naturally weed them out.

On the other hand, I share the concern of many female and ethnic minority clergy who already have a hard enough time being accepted by many churches. A lot of good has come from bishops appointing a female or a person of an ethnic group that the congregation might not necessarily feel "ready" for.

I am currently a Provisional Elder, so while I have not yet been fully ordained in full connection with my conference, in practice I fulfill the same function as a Full Elder. I agree to serve where I am sent. Three years ago the Clarksville District Superintendent called me up and said that the Bishop was appointing me to Bethlehem UMC, and I said OK.

In an article I read recently, the Commission on the Study of Ministry has recommended that the Book of Discipline be changed to to remove the guarantee of employment for Ordained Elders, but that bishops would still have the power of appointment.

I'm not sure how you can have one without the other. Elders make the sacrifice of going where sent because they have the assurance of a steady job with a minimum salary. The article claims that "iteneracy was never meant as a bartering system", but the guarantee is crucial in light of the sacrifices pastors make.

What happens when an Elder gets on the Bishop's bad side and the bishop decides to punish them? (and don't think it doesn't already happen)

If this person has been faithfully serving where they have been sent for a long time, and if each of these appointments has included a parsonage, what happens when the bishop decides not to appoint them anywhere? They haven't built up any equity to buy a home. They might have a spouse who has made a lot of sacrifices or even given up on their career to support them in ministry, to say nothing of their children!

I'll be very interested to see the final report of the Commission, because it seems like there are a lot of crucial questions that need to be addressed before such a drastic change is made. I agree that some fundamental changes need to be made in our system, but I'm not sure this recommendation as it currently exists is the way to go.

Seeing the Floods Firsthand

We've all seen a lot in the last week. Some of it on TV and the internet, and some in person. Here's a sampling of what I and some of my friends and family have witnessed.

Saturday afternoon: up until this point we were annoyed that the weather coverage was pre-empting the Kentucky Derby (as a Louisville native, the Derby is a high-holy day for Jessica) and preventing all but one of our guests from attending our Derby Party. Once we saw these images on our TV, we realized that the rain was no mere annoyance.

You can't see it here, but the lowest point of Dunbar Cave Rd. (very close to our house) was under several feet of water.

Here are several photos Jessica took on Tuesday when she took a brief walk from her office on 8th Avenue in downtown Nashville:

A submerged SUV on 2nd avenue.

A view from the Shelby Street pedestrian bridge of LP Field, where the Tennessee Titans play. The thing that looks like roller coaster track is allegedly a work of art.

Joe's Crab Shack.

On Thursday I went to a house in Hendersonville with my friend, Gavin Richardson, to do some cleanup work.

This woman hadn't thrown anything away in decades. The smells gave new meaning to gross.

One corner of her garage.

Just a few of the literally thousands of people who have some from all over the region and all over the country to help. The three people in the foreground were all from different states!

Please keep praying for our state. There are many areas that were hit very hard and will take a long time to recover. If you're so inclined, you can donate to the Red Cross or UMCOR, and if you live near Nashville and want to volunteer, you can connect with needs at Hands on Nashville.

Middle TN Flooding

OK, the last post was obviously a joke. But there is serious suffering going on in the Nashville area right now. Here are some ways you can help.

You can donate money to the Red Cross, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), or the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. These are all very reputable organizations, and you can be sure every cent of your donation will go to relief.

If you live in the area and can volunteer some time and energy, Hands on Nashville is doing a great job of coordinating volunteers.

If your church group or family can spare an hour or so, you can put together a Cleaning Bucket to help those whose homes have been flooded begin the recovery process. The page contains all the necessary items, and your local United Methodist congregation can help get it to the right place.

If nothing else, please take a moment to pray for all those who have been affected by the floods. If you're not the praying sort, radiate some good thoughts. Those are appreciated, too. We're in for a very long road to recovery here, one that will keep going long after the national media spotlight has moved on.

Who is Pat going to blame?

As the flood waters begin to recede here in the Middle TN area, we are beginning to survey the damage, asses how we did in the response, and what sort of things we can do differently next time so much rain comes in a short amount of time.

For help on this last question, we can always ask our old buddy Pat Robertson. Pat always helps us understand how the victims are to blame in any tragedy, whether it be Haitians after the earthquake, American society after 9/11, or Ariel Sharon after he had a massive stroke.

Who exactly will Pat Robertson blame for angering God so badly that He (remember, Pat's god is an abusive, insecure male deity with a very short fuse) would drown the city of Nashville, a place that is often referred to as "the buckle of the Bible belt".

I posed this question to my Facebook friends earlier today, and they had a couple of ideas. One culprit could be that enclave of theological liberalism, Vanderbilt Divinity School. Did you know they let a Jewish person teach New Testament there? For shame...

Another person suggested that God is angry with the Southern Baptist Convention, headquartered in Nashville, for not allowing missionaries to pray or speak in "angelic tongues".

Still another suggested that the Christian Music industry is to blame, since one of its biggest stars, Jennifer Knapp, recently came out of the closet as a lesbian.

A friend who is also a Methodist pastor suggested that I am to blame. Draw your own conclusions on that one!

What do you think, dear readers? Who will Pat Robertson point his finger of judgment at? Best submission (judged by Jessica and myself) gets an honorable mention on the blog and the respect of your peers.

Fox News on Mr. Rogers

I'm part of the generation that was "ruined" by Mr. Rogers, and I'm proud of it.



According to the fine folks at Fox News, "this evil man" has messed up a generation of kids by telling them that they are special for being just who they are, instead of telling them they have to work hard to be special.

First of all, I think Fox is playing with fire here. Many of their core audience are hardcore Calvinists, and Mr. Rogers was a Presbyterian minister. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, guys.

Second, Mr. Rogers was right. You and I and every single individual on this earth are special and wonderful for being exactly who we are. As someone trained in theology, Fred Rogers understood that this message wasn't just a cute saying on a poster, it is one of the core truths that the whole narrative of scripture is based on.

Genesis 1:26 says that God created human beings in God's image. If we are God's image bearers, then we are very special indeed. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:26, to be specific), Jesus tells his hearers that God takes good care of the flowers in the field and the birds in the air, and since we are much more valuable to God, we should not worry (easier said than done, of course). Mr. Rogers was right: we are very special.

This doesn't mean we deserve an "A" on every test, as the Fox News anchors claim. That's silly, and Mr. Rogers, Big Bird, and all the other characters I loved as a child never told me that. American kids who have a gross sense of entitlement can't blame that on children's TV. Come to think of it, isn't blaming our problems on others one of the things conservatives rail against? Hmmm...

Mr. Rogers was right. And I am proud to be part of the generation that he "ruined".

Jennifer Knapp on Larry King

Larry King had Jennifer Knapp on his show recently to talk about the interaction of her faith and her sexuality (I'm imbedding Part 1, there are 3 more parts you should check out)



Here are some of Jennifer's best quotes from the interview:

"I've had experience with denominations that openly accept the rich diversity of the types of believers     within their communities"

"We are somewhat at the handicap of our interpretations of a sacred text"

"Any time we read a book or we read any kind of word that it becomes the interpretation of our life's experience"

"It doesn't make the truth any less truth or love any less love"

"I recognize that love is a choice; my sexuality I'm not so sure about"

"I feel blessed to be able to be fully who I am"

"Do not use my name as a substitute for the word 'homosexuality'"

At one point, when conversing with pastor Bob Botsford, who (not maliciously, but very smugly) condemns Knapp to her face, she asks why, if her being gay is a sin, and no sin is worse than any other, are they sitting there having this conversation? Why is she not in the other chair condemning him for some "equal" sin? (Jennifer was so gracious and respectful, and yet didn't back off in telling him to leave her alone. We could all learn a lot from her reaction.)

Larry ended by having Ted Haggard on, and I was really blown away at how gracious Haggard was toward both Jennifer Knapp and Bob Botsford. Haggard is clearly still steeped in the Evangelical community, but his perspective seems so much broader than when he was the pastor of a mega-church. He seems much more comfortable with the messiness of life while following Jesus.

In the split screen, Botsford seemed extremely uncomfortable with what Haggard said. The depth of God's grace often makes us uncomfortable, and Botsford seems to be very uncomfortable with people who are OK with not knowing the answer to every question because they trust in grace.

Many thanks to Larry King for providing such an engaging and insightful hour of conversation!

Restoring Stephen Baldwin

There's been a lot of buzz in the blogosphere regarding the Restore Stephen Baldwin website, with folks disagreeing over whether it is real or an elaborate hoax. Bloggers have used the site's mention on South Park as proof for both sides of the argument.

I think this is for real. Without going into too much detail (because I don't want to be mean), I got to know Stephen a bit when he was in a music video that was shot at our church in September of 2008. He seems like the sort of person who would believe that he needs millions of dollars so that he can effectively witness to the Hollywood community.

I won't offer much commentary (again, I don't want to kick a guy when he's down), but let me say that this sort of get-rich-quick scheme was much funnier back when it was done on In Living Color.

What Liberty University Really Stands For

Liberty University, the evangelical Christian college in Virginia founded by Jerry Falwell (and currently run by his son, Jerry Jr.), has invited Glen Beck to give this year's commencement address.

This is more than a little ironic, because as a Mormon, Beck would normally be shunned by most Evangelicals. Jerry Falwell called Mormonism a "cult" on numerous occasions during his lifetime. Beck was even dis-invited to an interview by Focus on the Family after people protested them having a "non-Christian" on their program.

So why would Liberty invite someone to practices what they believe to be a "false religion" to give such a prestigious address to their students?

Clearly Beck has been invited because he hates the same people Liberty hates: namely President Obama. Falwell Jr. claims that inviting Beck is part of "Liberty's long tradition of commencement speakers who are making a positive impact on society in all walks of life."

Don't equate "positive impact on society" with "social justice", though. Beck has told people to leave their churches if they preach social justice, since it's apparently a code word for socialism.

By inviting Glen Beck, Liberty University is proving once again that they value their identity as Americans (at least, their definition of what a "real" American is) more than their identity as Christians. The fact that Beck shares their political orientation trumps the fact that they think he is going to hell because of his religion. But this orientation is probably what led Falwell to name the school "Liberty" in the first place, rather than something more distinctly Christian like "Grace" or "Something Bible College".

Say what you want about them, but at least they're being clear on what is most important to them. The neo-conservative vision of America comes first. Evangelical Christianity comes second.