When an Irresistible Voice Meets an Immovable Objection

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us  keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:22-26)

Dr. Alistair Begg, renowned senior pastor at Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, has been an irresistible voice of the gospel to many people for decades. Thousands of congregants gather to hear Pastor Begg’s sermons every Sunday. Millions more have heard him preach on radio broadcasts or through the internet.

The first church I pastored lay within driving distance of Parkside Church. On rare occasions, I created an excuse to visit Parkside Church for one event or another. I can testify that Pastor Begg’s preaching is golden. His fidelity, clarity, charity, and Scottish accent all combine to make his voice irresistible. His ministry and influence grew over decades.

Then quite suddenly last month, something Pastor Begg had spoken months earlier on a radio broadcast resurfaced and sparked a firestorm of social media criticism. It arose from a Q&A session with a grandmother who was deeply torn about whether or not she should attend her grandchild’s transgender wedding, a struggle of conscience.

For the purpose of this blog post, the counsel Pastor Begg offered to the grandmother–the conditions, the caveats, the clarifications, and the corollaries are all irrelevant. That information, along with ad nauseum analysis, is available in minute detail on a hundred websites.

The response from vast, black hole of social media, nearly all of it, objected to Pastor Begg’s advice to the grandmother and called for him to repent of his egregious error and sin. More than a few of Begg’s critics “canceled” him, announcing they would no longer listen to his preaching or support his ministry. Some detractors called him “woke” or “weak.” When Begg refused to recant or repent, one major right-wing Christian network promptly dropped his radio program.

A few commenters contended that Pastor Begg’s long record of faithfulness had earned him a benefit of the doubt. They left open the possibility that Begg might be displaying a wisdom beyond their maturity and understanding. I came across only one ministry website which aggressively defended Begg’s advice to the grandmother. Perhaps the reason for such paucity is that those who might concur with Begg about the question in dispute generally don’t traffic in, interact with, or respond to social media controversies.

I doubt that the echo chamber of conservative social media accurately reflects the nuanced perspectives of many wise pastors and theologians. In the narrow rigidity of right-wing Christian media, any view contrary to the party line would be summarily discarded, if not openly ridiculed. To many followers of Jesus, the consequent tempest negates any reason for engagement.

Pastor Begg himself referred to this controversy as “a storm in a teacup.” True to form, the gale may be abating. As clouds clear from the sky, Alistair Begg has not admitted error or repented. Nor have his critics retreated. As near as I can discern from online posts, nobody has moved so much as an inch in this contest. Begg’s unstoppable voice still sings out the same song of divine compassion. The immovable objection remains entrenched in a myriad of grandiose arguments.

I learned long ago from painful experience that when an irresistible voice meets an immovable objection, the voice is resisted and the objection is unmoved. My voice is far from irresistible, but on a few occasions I have placed my pastoral influence, limited as it is, on the line. In one collision decades ago, my voice was rejected and the immovable objection remained in place. Within weeks, I was forced to resign as pastor of that church. Another episode in in a different church led to immediate calls for my repentance or resignation.

If the irresistible voice of the esteemed Alistair Begg is uniformly and summarily dismissed by thousands of fundamentalist Christians, the rest of us don’t have a chance against such immovable objections. The objection always wins such a contest.

Immovable objections aren’t swayed by an irresistible voice. Strongholds, like massive rocks, are broken down slowly through a relentless perseverance of love and good will over a very long time. Tiny droplets of grace upon grace, more than mighty hammer-blows of truth,  break down immovable objections. Even the irresistible voice of Jesus, a force immeasurably greater than Alistair Begg, was resisted by an immovable opponents. Jesus himself was canceled, all the way to the cross.

Jesus’ crucifixion wasn’t the end of the story, of course. His resurrection, his ascension, his present intercession, his second advent, and his future rule in the fullness of the Kingdom will carry our Savior’s story to its joyful conclusion. In the end, nobody will resist the voice of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Ultimately, there will be no immovable objections.

In the meantime, Alistair Begg’s irresistible voice has not, and will not, overcome the immovable objections of his critics. Continuous argument will prove to be fruitless. God has a better plan, the way modeled by Jesus. Moment by moment and day by day, incessant love and grace, not hammer blows of truth, will diminish the stronghold of immovable objections.

Our fallacy is the illusion that we must be right and land inside predetermined boundaries. Being right is an impossible standard for anyone who sees dimly as in a mirror. We all stumble in many ways, especially with our tongue. We all need to repent daily. Being faithful is about looking intently into the face of our Savior, not about arriving at the right answers to difficult questions. Being right is not included among the fruit of the Spirit. Love is first in that list. The fruit of the Spirit should be sufficient to navigate this storm.

The grand narrative is about Jesus. It’s not about Alistair Begg or his critics. It’s not about you and it’s not about me. God is not gazing over heaven’s balcony with a red pen in hand, ready to record whatever errors we have committed. Rather, the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (cf. 2 Chronicles 16:9). The abiding strength from the everlasting arms isn’t given because we’re right. It’s given because we’re His. I’ll wager that God quietly strengthens the hearts of his servants through many storms such as this.

Tempest in a teacup, indeed!

Providence

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I often teach that there are three great works of God. The first two works, creation and redemption, usually gain most of our attention. We can easily overlook the third great work of God, but we depend on it every day. It is God’s providential care for all his creation, especially his covenant people. Jesus high­lighted God’s work of providence when he observed that God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

The life application Jesus gave us regarding God’s providence is nothing short of stunning. Most of us couldn’t name it if we had 20 guesses. Our Savior stated it clearly in the previous verse (Matthew 5:44). And just to make sure we don’t miss it, he doubled down on it in the follow­ing verse (Matthew 5:46). If we ever become good at this one thing, we will be on mission as a church. (No, I didn’t give away the answer. You’ll have to look it up!)

We can’t take a single breath of air or eat a single bite of food apart from God’s providence; he supplies all the air we breathe and provides all the food we eat. A farmer can plant, water, and weed, but God provides the increase.The clothes we wear and the houses in which we shelter are all provisions of our loving, heavenly Father.

As we age, our capacity for self-reliance wanes and our dependence on God’s provi­dence becomes more apparent. We can deny our need for his providence, but we can’t escape it, regardless of our age or abilities.

When God reminded captive Israel that, in his provi­dence, he had good plans for their future (Jeremiah 29:11), their hope was revived. Exiled Israel wasn’t a victim nation, after all. They could go about their daily life in Babylon – planting gardens, building homes, getting married and having children – all with purpose and hope. Even more, they could seek prosperity, not judgment, for their captors. Did you look up the life application Jesus gave regarding God’s providence? It fits here as well.

 

Similarly, the Apostle Paul encouraged the church in Philippi with the providence of God when he wrote that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 1:6). He wrote those words of hope with joy from a prison cell, illustrating that the good news of Jesus was not—is not, and cannot be— confined by chains.

 

The words Jeremiah penned to the remnant of Israel applies to the New Testament church, which God has grafted in to participate in Israel’s redemptive blessings. My assurance to followers of Jesus is that God has plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. And I know that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

What Does God Want to Do in Your Community?

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” (James, the brother of Jesus)  Acts 15:19

Several weeks ago Mark Thomas, our district’s Associate Superintendent for Church Revitalization, challenged me to ask God what he wants to do in Clarkfield. I readily agreed to do so, but this is a different kind of prayer for me. I’m not accustomed to praying open ended questions. My first several attempts at this prayer were hesitant and awkward. As a result, I’ve experienced a few uncertain moments in prayer. As time has passed, this prayer has become a bit more familiar. Almost from the beginning, I lengthened the pre­­scribed prayer about what God wants to do in Clarkfield by adding, “What is my role in it?”

I have no idea how God might answer such a prayer. He’s not obligated to answer at all, much less with definitive statements. By nature and by training, I don’t traffic much in the murky, mystical world of direct revelation. I’m not about to assert, “I’ve heard from God!” I don’t trust my motive or my maturity nearly enough for that. If I were to announce, “God has told me we are to do such and such in Clarkfield,” it would place the congregation in a difficult position. They would have no way to prove God spoke to me. And they would have no way to prove God didn’t speak to me unless I came out with something plainly out of order. A divine whisper is impervious to both falsification or verification by those who didn’t hear it. The Apostle John warned his readers not to believe everything they hear, but instead to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1).

A couple weeks ago, I asked the C&MA prayer area pastors how God might answer such a prayer. Micah Siebert, the pastor at Redwood Alliance Church in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, responded, “I would expect that you would hear things that are universally true.” He quickly added that the answer must be hinged to Scripture.

That interests me because an answer to my question has begun to form in my mind, based on a single Bible verse which is cemented in my mind. “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.“ (Acts 15:19)

I believe God wants to make it as easy as possible for lost people in Clarkfield to turn to Jesus. Again, I certainly don’t claim God has been speaking to me with those words. But there is universal truth in this powerful verse (and its context) which keeps returning to my thoughts. To be fair, this verse has been on my mind much longer than I’ve been praying the prayer Mark Thomas asked me to pray. It’s a judgment from the lips of the Apostle James. It articulated the conclusion of the first council of the church, which was called to address false teaching which had circulated in the early church. This definitive statement reduced the complexities confronting the early church in Acts 15 to their lowest common denominator. This verse has been forefront in my mind ever since I read Andy Stanley’s account of how Acts 15:19 has impacted his life and ministry. Here’s what he wrote:

I love that [Acts 15:19].

Imagine where the church would be today if we had kept that simple idea front and center. Years ago, I printed that verse and hung it in my office. Before long it started showing up on walls and plaques in all our churches. I look at it every day. Perhaps James’ statement should be the benchmark by which all decisions are made in the local church. The brother of Jesus said we shouldn’t do anything that makes it unnecessarily difficult for people who are turning to God….” (Andy Stanley, Irresistible, p. 124)

In recent years I’ve become more aware of how the American evangelical church often makes it unnecessarily difficult for those far from God to come to Christ. Some of these observations have become recurring themes in my leadership: politicizing the gospel, verbal abuse of out­siders, legalism, judgmentalism…. We can add to that list a failure in the church to discern truth from lies in the age of social media and disunity within the body of Christ. Ugly church fights make it difficult for outsiders who are turning to God, especially when true believers embrace false conspiracy theories (cf. Acts 15:1-6). When the gospel is garbled inside the church, it’s very difficult for those outside the church to turn to God.

So I have to ask myself:

What am I doing that is making it unnecessarily difficult for lost people who could be turning to God?”

“What can I do that will make it easier for them?

We need programs, but programs alone won’t remove the unnecessary obstacles outsiders face. The challenge facing our local church (and many other churches) is deeper than a need for more programming. For example, beyond the culture gap, there is a pronounced generation gap between our church and the community of Clarkfield.

I often think of Clarkfield as an old community of senior citizens. But the data says there are many others, too. A high number of children live in Clarkfield, well above the national average. I often think of Clarkfield as a poor area of high unemployment or low wages. But the data says otherwise.

We could add another twist to this exercise. Even if I’m running properly with Acts 15:19, that may be just a slice of the complete picture. What if God wants to do some­thing in Clarkfield that has escaped my radar? What if I have a blind spot? For example, how might our brothers and sisters in the Hispanic church across town answer the same question about what God wants to do in Clarkfield? What they hear from God might be very different from what I hear from God, even if it’s universally true and based on Scripture. I believe more voices, including diverse voices, are helpful, even necessary, for the church to discern what God wants to do in Clarkfield.

I invite you to participate in the prayer challenge from Mark Thomas.

What does God want to do in your community?

How can you be a part of it?

End of an Era

My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. (Psalm 31:15-16)

My dad died about two months ago. God graciously gave us a little time with him at the end. Dad was ready for death. When the big day arrived, it marked the end of an era for me. Now I’m part of the “elder” generation. We certainly are not orphans, for God is our loving and present heavenly Father. But we are next in line to walk by sight rather than faith.

With dad’s passing, Carol and I have experienced eight significant deaths in less than five years: Carol’s parents, my parents, my brother Darrell, Carol’s sister Ann, my Uncle Bob and my closest childhood friend Tom. (I blogged about most of them, if anyone cares to look back.) Two losses which have impacted me the hardest are Tom’s death and Dad’s death. Tom’s death hits hard because we were the same age. Dad’s death hits home, I think, because it’s the end of an era. We talked often by phone. I asked his advice as recently as this year. Dad even helped us with the down payment when we bought our house last year. It is indeed the end of an era. My childhood home is being sold. It will no longer be there for us as a holiday destination, a resting place, or even for a simple family visit.

This summer marks the end of an era for me in two other ways, too. First, our nation is bouncing back from COVID-19. The pandemic shaped and dominated my private world and my personal ministry for over a year. It was in the forefront of my planning as a pastor. That season is fading. What comes next will be different. The church will never be the same, even though the immediate risk for our congregation has passed. It’s the end of an era. (Unfortunately, the pandemic is still a threat in many other places, especially in the impoverished third world. So let’s distribute the vaccine as widely as possible!)

Second, I’m recovering from a fall on the ice in the driveway last fall. It has taken a long time for the full injury to manifest, but the effects have impacted my exercise routine. Physical therapy, not the stationery bicycle, has become my priority. I’m trying a balancing act to accomplish as much as possible, but the “easy” season of exercise and weight management has ended. It’s the end of an era for me. As my shoulder improves, perhaps with surgery ahead, I hope it will not turn into the end of my life-style diet and exercise. But these disciplines have struggled recently, especially with two road trips to Ohio.

The triple punch – Dad’s death, the fading pandemic and my stubborn shoulder injury – add up to a special challenge for me. Generally, I can state my personal mission statement and picture personal goals for the church in an instant (although only one person actually asks). Right now, however, I’m not sure about what’s next for the church. Since I’m the pastor, that’s unsettling. I’m in a bit of a leadership fog.

That makes today a really good moment to remember that my times are in God’s hands. His love is unfailing. I hope you can say the same.

The Divine Romance

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Proverbs 18:22 was one my primary memory verses when I was a college student. I often would kneel in a private place of prayer and recite: He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. I often added, “I don’t want a harem, Lord. Just one wife.”

At the time, finding a wife seemed unlikely. I was extremely shy and physically small. I thought I was ugly. I rarely invited a girl out for any dates. But I wanted to get married and I kept praying. God eventually answered that prayer by drawing Carol into my life, which is a story well worth telling and worth telling well. But most of that story will have to wait, even though it’s Valentine’s Day. The bottom line is I was seeking a good thing and I obtained favor from the Lord. I can truthfully report I’ve experienced Proverbs 18:22 firsthand.

My seeking a wife was a dim, but authentic, reflection of God seeking worshipers. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that God seeks worshipers like her. This broken woman recognized she was unworthy, but God wanted her anyway.

One of the great New Testament word pictures is the description of the church as the bride of Christ. God seeks those for whom he can demonstrate his sacrificial love. Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, recorded in John 4:1-42, is a genuine love story. The woman was seeking God, expecting him to remain far out of her reach, only to discover God actually was seeking her first. What romance!

Perhaps no one has expressed this imagery better than Gene Edwards in his classic treatise, The Divine Rom­ance. One book reviewer describes it like this:

Rarely has a piece of Christian literature combined the simplicity of storytelling art with the profound depths of the Christian faith. In this sweeping saga, spanning from eternity to eternity, you will discover some of the deepest riches afforded the believer. Like some mighty sym­phony, here is a majestic rendition of the love of God. Behold the story of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection as it has never before been presented…from the view of angels! Be there when, rising from the dead, the Lord brings forth his beautiful bride. The story concludes at the consum­ma­tion of the ages, when a victorious Lord takes his bride to himself. Truly the greatest love story ever told. Link here. 

Gene Edwards helps his reader anticipate the love story in his preface to the prologue:

It has been my fondest hope that we might meet again. When last we met it was a drama that we viewed together. On this occasion it is a love story. Of all love stories I find this one unequaled. I trust at story’s end you might share that view with me. The places reserved for us are box seats. We shall have what I hope will be the best possible view of this unfolding saga. Let us hasten in as I see the ushers are about to close the doors. This is not a thing we would want to miss. Link here.

Indeed, this is not a thing we would want to miss: God still seeks a bride!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

 

Because the Truth Matters, pt. 1

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

In the aftermath of the national election last month, most people around Clarkfield have removed the political signs which dotted their lawns. One exception is a woman who lives on the main highway in our town. Her presidential campaign sign remains on proud display and she has added a smaller broadside beside it. The multi-colored, multi-font, home-made poster boldly proclaims, Because the Truth Matters.

The juxtaposition of her two signs is intriguing. She obviously believes one candidate was more truthful than the other candidate. And she believes it makes a difference. So what difference does the truth make in politics and public policy?

A few days ago a close friend asked me if I had read an article by Jay Bhattacharya in Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College. The author is calling for an end to all government-imposed lockdowns and a complete reopening of all schools, based largely on the premise that the COVID-19 mortality rate is much lower than commonly believed. The death rate of COVID-19 often has been reported as 1% or more. Bhattacharya believes the mortality rate is much lower, around .2%. That’s one fifth of a percent or two deaths in a thousand infections. His presentation is entitled “A Sensible and Compassionate Anti-COVID Strategy” and I happened to have read it. So my friend asked what I thought of it.

“He didn’t convince me,” I responded. This was cognitive dissonance to my friend. It wasn’t what he had hoped to hear, although I don’t think he was surprised when I demurred.

“Why?” he asked. It was a logical and appropriate question.

“Because the math doesn’t work,” I answered. By dividing 280,000 confirmed U.S. COVID deaths by the author’s assumed mortality rate of .2 percent, we arrive at 140,000,000 as the number of Americans who already would have been infected by the virus. That’s over 40% of the entire population. There’s a lot of uncertainty and debate about COVID numbers, but I haven’t heard anyone even hint that 40% of the U.S. population has already been infected with COVID-19. The Imprimis author’s anti-COVID strategy is based on mortality math which doesn’t seem to fit reality. That leaves a lot of question marks.

Public policy is larger than ideology, religious identity, political affiliation or personal preferences. Reality can deliver a vicious punch. Public behaviors impact people’s lives and their livelihoods. If we build public policy on faulty information, genuine harm can result.

Because the truth matters.

COVID-19 deaths continue to skyrocket. It is devastating parts of rural America which refused to mask up or close down. I see no reason to embrace Bhattacharya’s policy proposals when his data is suspect. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a scientist. I’m not a politician. I’m not even a mathematician. Jay Bhattacharya has a significant group of followers. But if you try to convince me about anything – faith, politics, science or art – and you begin with a faulty premise which can be exposed by simple, junior high math, you’ve made the task of persuasion much harder.

Because the truth matters.

This principle has far-reaching application for the American church and our anemic evangelistic outreach into the world. But that discussion will have to wait until another day.

 

Listening Exercise #1 – The Grieving Pastor

“As a black man, a pastor of an inner-city church, and the father of two highly accomplished black children, I find myself in ‘abysmal pain.’ I’m bleeding spiritually and emotionally from the stinging lash of indifference. And yet, of all organizations on the planet, it is ours, the Church, that has been given the instructions and the responsibility to address and correct the wounds of society.” Michael Phillips

Tony Evans was a doctoral student and an instructor of pastoral ministries when I started my studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. As a student, I attended over two hundred chapel services. Many of the speakers were outstanding communicators. But nobody made us laugh harder than Tony Evans. Our Presbyterian orderly silence was shattered as he retold the story of “Shadrach, Meshach and a bad Negro” from Daniel chapter 3. It’s one of my most vivid chapel memories from DTS.

Not much earlier, the seminary didn’t even admit black students. In fact, Tony Evans was only the fourth African American student to attend the school and the first to earn a doctorate of theology degree. The story on campus was that the esteemed Dr. Howard Hendricks, who served on the admissions committee, threatened to resign if they wouldn’t admit students of color. They yielded and Hendricks stayed.

As a student from the majority culture–nearly a homogeneous white culture on campus–I did not understand or appreciate the difficulties Tony Evans and other black students endured as they broke through the racial barriers. I did not understand the pain of systemic racial profiling, even though I sought to befriend some of the few black students on campus. They adapted to my white world, but I didn’t even recognize anything about their black world.

Such racial naivety was the norm on campus among white students. Tony Evans went on to become a church statesman of international prominence by learning to excel in a white majority culture while challenging the evangelical church to address the complexities of racial injustice. He still pins his hope on the church to lead the way toward racial healing in our nation:

“The racial problem is an unresolved dilemma of America. Racial problems have gone on since America’s inception because their root has not been addressed by the people who are most qualified to address it: the church.” Tony Evans

Tony Evans is a master of metaphor and humor. His sermons are downloaded 20 million times each year. He has eloquently addressed racial issues around the world. When George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer this past Memorial Day, Tony Evans set aside his classic humor and posted a video expressing the pain in his heart. In less than three months, it already has been viewed nearly half a million times on YouTube.

Now it’s our turn. We need to do more than merely view the video. We must listen for understanding. To do that, we’ll have to enter Dr. Evan’s world as he tells his story. Will you listen with me? Here’s the link:

Dr. Tony Evans speaks from his heart about social injustice

 

Righteousness and Justice: The Foundation of God’s Throne

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. (Psalm 89:14)

C&MA President John Stumbo today released a video blog projecting a path forward for The Christian and Missionary Alliance to address issues of racism and injustice. I endorse this vision and I seek to walk a path of righteousness and justice in my life and in the church. Will you join me?

https://www.cmalliance.org/video/watch/46023/

Help Me Breathe

“Change happens at the speed of relationship,” Ronald Morrison.

My heart has been broken recently as racial injustice in our nation once again has been exposed in all its ugliness and putrefying stench. Kelvin L. Walker, District Superintendent of the Metro District of the C&MA, wrote a passionate and eloquent poem last week lamenting the injustice. In addition, yesterday he co-hosted a panel discussion with C&MA President John Stumbo about Race, Justice, and the Church’s Response.

Kelvin L. Walker

May 26 at 8:17 PM

I…
Can’t…
Breathe…

It’s a simple phrase
It’s just three words
Yet, the power of them
Said over and over again
Should have been enough
To alert those
Who were constraining him
That the force they were using
Was beyond unnecessary
It was cruel and excessive
And they should have backed off
To let him catch his breath
Instead, he now he’s now dead…silent
But we wouldn’t know what happened
Without the video speaking for him
Because, obviously, he can’t speak for himself anymore

I…
Can’t…
Breathe…

Birdwatching while Black
And, then comes the attack
Simply because he asked her
To put her dog on a leash
And though SHE came at HIM
She calls the police ON him
Screaming that she’s being threatened BY him
While he calmly films the incident
It was for his own protection
But he shouldn’t have to live that way
Nobody should
Videoing every movement that you make
All because, without it, your life could be at stake
Well, truthfully, even with the video
You’re not guaranteed you’ll go free
But one thing is sure to me
Something needs to change because
I’m at the point where, personally
I’m tired of hearing the words…

I…
Can’t…
Breathe…

She worked her shift and came home
Simply sleeping in the bed that was her own
And numerous bullets later, she’s gone
But life goes on as if hers didn’t matter BECAUSE…
We’re told to “Wait for all of the facts.”
I don’t know much
But what I do know is this
While we “wait for the facts”
I am now wrestling inside
Because, wherever I go
I feel like MY camera must be on
Ready to video my surroundings
So that, from beginning to end
The evidence will not be questioned

Dramatic, you might say
However, I see no other way
That I can make it today
Or my beautiful Black daughters and sons
Or my grandbabies that are yet to come
In this day and age
I shouldn’t have worry or dismay
Over whether or not they’ll make it home safely
Or if, even with video evidence, they’ll be believed
But this is reality in the nation in which we live

And, I’m at the point where I say almost daily
Dear Lord Jesus, please come quickly
You are the Only One who can bring true justice
But until You return
Move Your Church to reject this
Move Your people speak out against this violence
Without questioning or putting the VICTIMS on trial
Move Your people stop living in denial
We must face, without hesitation
That injustice is imbedded in the core of this nation
And Your Church can’t stay silent about racism and discrimination
May we rise up and say, “We will tolerate it no more.”
May this make us sick to our very core
And, I beg of you, People of God, speak up now
For, it’s just too much and I no longer know how
I can explain, yet again, why we must begin
To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him

So Church, HELP ME BREATHE
Stand up and say, “No more!”
Reject injustice at its very core
Brothers and sisters, HELP ME BREATHE
Weep, wail, and lament
Over lives senselessly taken by evil intent
People of God, HELP ME BREATHE
Root out injustice at its core
Let that which God abhors
Be abhorred by you and me
Until the day we all stand free
And see the Imago Dei in all humanity
Then, and only then
Will we put a stop to the craziness
That fuels racism and injustice
But, until then, I’ll pray for you
And you pray for me because, right now…

I…
Can’t…
Breathe…

#GeorgeFloyd
#ChristianCooper
#BreyonnaTaylor

Race, Justice, and the Church’s Response

(Don’t) Pass It On

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

When I was coming of age in the 1970s, Pass It On was a popular youth campfire song. Some teens learned to play guitar because of that song. The first YouTube version which popped up in my search even has a fire burning in the background. If any Christian song can date my generation, this one might be it:

It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around will warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it,
You spread His love to ev’ryone; You want to pass it on.

In the five decades since Kurt Kaiser wrote those iconic lyrics (in just 20 minutes), the preeminent goal of my life has been to pass on the love of Jesus Christ. Seeds which flourished in my pastoral ministry were planted in the commitment of that song and the experience of singing it at camp. The song bore fruit even though the guitar playing was often terrible. I still want to pass it on.

What do we do at New Life Church? We pass it on. Our mission is to help people know Jesus.

During the coronavirus pandemic crisis, our mission has not changed. But how we carry out our mission has changed. As we prepare for the reopening stage of the coronavirus pandemic, health concerns are a very high priority. We seek a COVID-free environment at church. At least, as much as possible.

The process is not easy. It begins with valuing others above ourselves, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians. My private mantra has become that every person has the right and the responsibility to determine his or her own level of risk. But nobody has the right to carelessly or presumptuously pass the virus on to others. Everyone must establish their personal risk tolerance, based on their age, their health, their job, their environment and their fears. But no one benefits when we transmit the virus to others. The result could be devastating, especially in a community of older and vulnerable people.

There is tension between our mission and our method. What do we do at New Life Church? We pass it on while we don’t pass it on. That’s why we have been meeting remotely for the past several weeks. Now that the world has begun to relax, a few people have asked for my criteria about reopening the church. I have three thoughts:

1) We should reopen the church when we can carry out our mission more effectively than meeting remotely. In a perfect world, we would always meet face to face. Personal contact is at the heart of the gospel. Jesus came from heaven to meet humanity face to face. I was taught in Greek class that being “with” God or “with” one another literally means “face to face.” Nothing can substitute for personal contact.

COVID-19 has changed the way we do personal contact. Surprisingly, we have discovered some new strengths. At New Life Church, people have joined us from four states in our Zoom virtual worship meetings. We will lose some of those connections when we reopen the church. We found there’s a price to pay for meeting remotely. We’ll find there’s a price to pay when we reopen, too. For a season, the best way to love our neighbor has been to stay home and not get sick. As that window closes, we must evaluate about how opening the church would affect our witness in the community. If we lose more in community good will than we gain in physical fellowship, the price of reopening is still too high. My top concern is not our constitutional right to meet or our familiar desire to gather as a church body; it’s the welfare of our neighbors. Moving to the next stage of the coronavirus crisis does not override our mandated priority of putting others first.

Furthermore, when we do open, some members may not return to church because of the inherent health risks in group settings. Maybe a new form of ministry will evolve in which the church can meet physically and remotely at the same time. Many churches have been doing that effectively for years. Perhaps it’s our turn now.

2) We should reopen the church when we can meet the CDC’s guidelines for safety. Specifically, that would require two weeks of decline in new positive virus cases along with the capacity of the medical community to test everyone for tracking purposes. These standards are necessary for containment in the event of a new wave of COVID cases.

In addition, the governor is providing criteria for reopening churches. I will listen carefully and observe any restrictions and guidelines which apply to us.

As I write, Minnesota has experienced a small surge in cases after a brief downturn, including our area. Today’s death toll was the highest yet. Testing has increased, but it’s still not as widespread as will be necessary to contain a new outbreak. Many places are reopening despite not meeting CDC guidelines. Nationally, behavioral norms have shifted away from social distancing in the past few weeks. Therefore, the CDC guidelines may become goals to achieve after reopening instead of being a prerequisite to fulfill before reopening.

3) We should reopen the church only after the leadership team has planned and executed appropriate safety measures and ministry adjustments. The national office of the C&MA recently released a relaunch planning guide with excellent questions for church leaders. Of the several dozen questions, I circled thirteen items of special interest to me. Our leadership team may not be able to discuss all of them, but we should hit the critical ones, at least. It’s not enough to want to return to normal. We need patience planning, not impatient pouting. Here are my top five questions in the order in which they appear on the list:

#8 – When will we allow the relaunch of small groups meeting in person, and what precautionary steps will they need to take?

#12 – How will we suggest that people greet one another? Should handshakes and hugs be avoided for the initial season of relaunch?

#14 – What surfaces will need extra cleaning during this time to help ensure people’s safety? How will we accommodate this need?

#20 – Is our website and social media presence adequate for the times in which we live? What did we learn about this during the crisis that has ongoing application?

#22 – Would it be wise to continue providing the Sunday worship experience in some sort of online fashion (livestream or recorded) for the vulnerable, for those who may not be ready to be in a group of people, and as an outreach tool?