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Treat Them Like a Tax Collector: Reflections on Matthew 18, Church Discipline, and Andrew

January 26, 2012 in Church Ministry, Community, Culture, Early Church, Tim Geddert with 71 Comments

© 2010 | Ibai | Flickr | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Jesus offers a model for reconciliation in Matthew 18.15-17.  Often, these three verses are used for the opposite of this: alienation.  These words operate as a law in some settings, when in fact they are meant to give guidance toward restoring relationship.

Over the past few days, Matthew Paul Turner hosted a series of blogs (#1 & #2) about a guy named Andrew.  It was found out that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior and he was placed on church discipline.  After reading part 1 of the series, although I thought the rigidity of creating a church discipline contract was over-the-top, I didn’t know that the actions of the Mars Hill elders were worth fussing about.  After all, when a leader in the church acts in a way that is inappropriate, the way to restore them back to good standing is to raise the bar – so to speak.  We ought to invite people to repent and put their lives back on a good track – good for the people involved and good for the community of faith.

But, after hearing the second part of the story, I knew it was time for me to engage in the conversation.  This is what happened when it was all said and done: Continue Reading…

The Real Face of Christian Community

December 26, 2011 in Community, Guest Contributors with 2 Comments

Source: Todd Nappen | 2006 | Flickr

*The following is a guest post

Community … community … community. Everywhere you turn, inside and outside of the church, people are obsessed with talking about community.  This is a good thing insofar as it combats the individualistic tendencies of our society. When we stop thinking about the world as millions of autonomous selves and more as related parts, we are headed in the right direction.

However, the manner in which people discuss community consistently disappoints me. It is commonly left at a superficial level. You know, the sort of community that lasts the few hours of a weeknight gathering, endures for a weekend-long retreat or exists within online communities where people know little about one another’s everyday lives. The word community is used, but the reality being discussed lacks true depth.

More pointedly, I am coming to terms with the fact that community is not about people like me. It’s easy to be in community, or at least on congenial terms, with people who are similar to me: similar musical tastes, similar clothing tastes, similar discussion interests, similar stages of life, similar political leanings, similar biting critiques of other people. Continue Reading…

Dear Internet, Thanks For Ordaining Me For the Low Low Price of $47: Reflections on Community

September 12, 2011 in Blogging, Church Ministry, Community with 23 Comments

Source: dudeism.com

In June, my pastoral residency came to an end.  For the past two years, my pastoral license found its validity in the denomination of that church.  But upon leaving, my license expired.  Certainly there are worst things in life, but my issue was that I had already committed to two weddings!  I began to panic when the legal dots connected.

But then the rescue I needed came forth: the Internet.  The World Wide Web fixes all fixable situations when a problem presents. All one has to do is simply “Google it” and everything typically works out fine.  What’s the name of that actor from “One Tree Hill?”  How do you clean a pan when boiled grease is stuck to its surface?”  Who sang that song from the late nineties that wont pop out of my head?  You know… that one tune: “I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world.” For all these answers and more, Google.

So I Googled to my hearts content.  Get ordained for free!  Ordinations for all 50 states.  Perform weddings. These headlines kept me disappointed until I found what might be the only somewhat professional looking evangelical organization* that ordains.  Something within me refused to get certified by either: a) an organization that had “American” in the title, b) an organization that conflicted with core Christian values.

When my online transaction finished processing, I began to wait eagerly for my ordination pack to show up in my P.O. Box.  And let me tell you… what a glorious pack it was!  Not only did I get a full-size certificate of ordination and a pocket version, but the organization also sent a “letter of good standing!” Continue Reading…

Coming Out of the Theological Closet

August 8, 2011 in Community, Faith Journey, Groans From Within, Spirituality, Theology with 57 Comments

'Hell is the Closet I'm Stuck inside.' photo (c) 2008, Tim Notari - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/I’m told that coming out of the closet involves risk on the part of someone who identifies with the LGBTIQ community.  How will my family and friends respond?  Will I be labeled as an outsider? When people choose to love these folks, no matter one’s convictions about sexuality, I believe that God is honored.  The center of Jesus’ teaching was love of God and love of neighbor.  To love one’s neighbor is to foster safety.  When our actions, words, or cultural setting forces people into hiding, something needs to be overhauled by love.

I’ve blogged now for about 3 years (off and on) and for about 1.5 years with a bit of intentionality.  My first site, Groans From Within, began the writing journey.

An early post I wrote raised concerns.  I provocatively titled it: My Evolution Towards Theistic Evolution.*  When a couple friends read this, I was accused of being an atheist.  Someone then forwarded that article to my senior pastor at the time, attempting to get me fired from my youth pastor position.  Luckily, my leader had an open mind on this particular issue.  Yet, this incident drove me into theological hiding, with a determination to prevent this from happening again.

Then, about a year later, I left that church and moved to a new community.  Up to that point, my site only displayed my first name out of fear that I would create “church problems.”  I did everything in my power to keep my online life completely separate from my ministry.  Essentially, I hid. Continue Reading…

New Worship Songs for Progressive Christian Faith Communities (Brian Brandsmeier)

July 29, 2011 in Brian McLaren, Church Ministry, Community, Guest Contributors, Worship Music with 3 Comments

Progressive Christianity has a lot of things in its favor: thoughtful theology, rich tradition, social engagement, etc. But too often it’s missing one important factor: passion. Some people probably gravitate to more conservative churches because, frankly, they’re bored and uninspired by worship at progressive churches. But it’s possible to be progressive and passionate.

One important aspect of being a more rousing church is music. There’s something about music that goes deeper than words alone. Music naturally facilitates passion, energy, and depth. Not only does music provide energy, but it also helps us learn and explore theology. It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of music. But progressive Christian music is rare. And progressive Christian music done well is even more uncommon.

I can testify to the need for such music. After serving a progressive congregation for a few months, I realized that many people didn’t seem very inspired by the hymns. They just weren’t connecting. No wonder. The lyrics had traditional theology, old-school metaphors, outdated wording, etc. Plus the music itself wasn’t the kind of music that people actually listen to in their car or on their iPod. The same hymns that may have made people misty with emotion in the 1950s or 1850s just weren’t having the same effect today. Continue Reading…

Calling All Blogger Friends – Help Me Create a New Blogroll

July 12, 2011 in Around the Web, Community with 81 Comments

The Journalist's Blogrollphoto © 2007 Martin Stabe | more info (via: Wylio)

 

As I announced and you probably noticed, I moved my website from Dreamhost to Patheos last week. This move has already been quite fun for me. If you found my site as a result of my affiliation with Patheos, welcome!

One thing that we weren’t able to bring over to the new site was my blogroll.  This is where I list many of the friends who read my site and of whom I try and read theirs.  So, this is my casting call for anyone who would like to be on my blogroll!

Here’s what I need ya to do: Continue Reading…

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