{"id":1117,"date":"2013-10-28T09:26:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-28T09:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/10\/the-murky-matrix-of-contemporary-ministry-piety-privilege-and-the-preachersofl-a-pt-1.html"},"modified":"2013-10-28T09:26:00","modified_gmt":"2013-10-28T09:26:00","slug":"the-murky-matrix-of-contemporary-ministry-piety-privilege-and-the-preachersofl-a-pt-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/10\/the-murky-matrix-of-contemporary-ministry-piety-privilege-and-the-preachersofl-a-pt-1.html","title":{"rendered":"The Murky Matrix of Contemporary Ministry: Piety, Privilege and the #PreachersofL.A.-Pt.1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
by Earle Fisher<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
R3 Contributor<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Earlier this week a pastor was being interviewed by a student who was intrigued by the pastor\u2019s ministerial authenticity and perspective.\u00a0 Throughout the interview the student expressed a disdain and disgust towards the traditional, dominant (mainstream) ministerial expressions\/productions and was somewhat taken aback by the pastor\u2019s affirmation of her disgust and disdain.\u00a0 To add to the enchanting exchange, the student expressed a desire to visit the pastor\u2019s house of worship, at least in part, because (although she didn\u2019t currently attend worship regularly anywhere as a byproduct of her disgust and disdain) she wanted her \u201cat risk\u201d son to have an encounter and relationship with God.\u00a0 \u201cIronic\u201d would be a blasphemous understatement.\u00a0 Strangely, this is the same relationship that she presumed was accessible through traditional methods (i.e. Sunday worship in a Christian context) but yet had not been persuaded to seek this same God out for herself through the same means (at least not in the last decade or so, to her recollection).\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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The tenor of her inquiry was more so one of parental control and even pious conceit on behalf of one who took the liberty and privilege to abort the traditional access route to divine encounter but still affirmed it enough to use it as a means of advancing her own desires.\u00a0 This theological transaction is consistent with what my mother would call, \u201ctrying to have your [Christological] cake and eat it too!\u201d\u00a0 And I want to suggest that this awkward and ironic moment is descriptive of the murky matrix of contemporary ministry.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
In this age of post-modernity and religious reformation we are now thrust into a system of both spiritual skepticism and religious refuge.\u00a0 This inspirational irony is where a new \u201cTheology of Convenience\u201d has been injected in the veins of most people who would dare to still claim that there is a God somewhere that is in relationship with human beings.\u00a0 Gone are the days of religious absolutism or doctrinal dogma as the dominant platforms of faith.\u00a0 There has been far too many developments in theological study as well as political reality for the church to continue to do \u201cbusiness as usual.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s sacred suicide to think that the people the Church is called to serve will forever be blind sheep and indefinitely ignore the critical questions people have about church ministry and church methodology.\u00a0 The \u201cemergent church\u201d as some have labeled it or the new contemporary ministerial reality is one of anything but\u2026.. (wait for it)\u2026.. CERTAINTY!\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I do not believe there is anything inherently wrong with a faith that exists in the midst of oscillation.\u00a0 In fact, I would suggest, certainty is the enemy of faith and a hermeneutic of suspicion is a theologian\u2019s (or person of faith\u2019s) best friend.\u00a0 Nevertheless, some of our skepticism, in-deed, is a byproduct of the bed we have been making ourselves to sleep in for the past few decades.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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We have longed for a religious reality TV faith that superstar like spiritual leaders have provided through books, radio and television programs.\u00a0 We like microwave solutions to humanity\u2019s crockpot problems.\u00a0 These technological expressions of eternal enlightenment intrigue us to the point of consumption; even as we recognize what we are watching is a train wreck that has the black church and its constituents residing in the conductor\u2019s caboose of the train as it is headed towards the collision. (PREACHERS OF <\/span>L.A.<\/span>ANYBODY?).\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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I have heretofore refrained from commentating on this show because a) there are enough perspectives being offered in response to it and b) most of the responses are opportunistic and\/or hypo-anti-critical so I said I would wait until the entire \u201cbuzz\u201d died down (which sadly still has not).\u00a0 Nevertheless, my fortuitous take on the show is the same as my take on the current condition of people who seek to honor and claim relationship with a loving and liberating God but yet feel that this relationship comes through a cross-less Christ and a death-less resurrection.\u00a0 We have become both vicarious and voyeuristic!\u00a0 Most of us have seen the presumed \u201cprogress and advancement\u201d of the people that have acquired material prosperity through their \u201cfaith.\u201d\u00a0 It looks appealing. We want to be like and live vicariously through \u201cthem.\u201d Even if this means to worship in a way that is inconsistent with our socio-political and religious reality (pun intended) we are willing to ignore our experience for social and spiritual affirmation.\u00a0 On the other hand we are voyeuristically \u201cgetting off\u201d on the craziness and calamity of it all.\u00a0 We want to use other people\u2019s seemingly unethical methods of personal \u201cimprovement\u201d as justification for our disdain and distrust of the ministerial system that we support directly or indirectly.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Follow Earle on twitter @pastor_earle<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Earle Fisher R3 Contributor Earlier this week a pastor was being interviewed by a student who was intrigued by the pastor\u2019s ministerial authenticity and perspective.\u00a0 Throughout the interview the student expressed a disdain and disgust towards the traditional, dominant (mainstream) ministerial expressions\/productions and was somewhat taken aback by the pastor\u2019s affirmation of her disgust […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Murky Matrix of Contemporary Ministry: Piety, Privilege and the #PreachersofL.A.-Pt.1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"by Earle FisherR3 ContributorEarlier this week a pastor was being interviewed by a student who was intrigued by 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