Paradoxology

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                           Welcome to paradoxology

                                      the official blog of desertpastor.com.  

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How Comfortable Are You With Theological Tensions?

• Salvation as both an event and a journey.

• Faith as both a private as well as a communal endeavor.

• Apocalyptic literature as both eschatological and political in nature.

• The promise of prosperity and the discipline of simplicity.

• Freedom and responsibility.

These are just a few of the many theological tensions espoused in the ancient scriptures.  Paradoxical? Yes.  Enigmatic? Yes. Contradictory? Definitely not.  And yet, I wonder...how comfortable are people really with such tensions?  Is life somehow easier in a world where everything is good-bad,either-or, yes-no?

Are you comfortable with theological tensions? If not, why?  If so, then share any thoughts or insights you might have as to what role these tensions play in your life and faith.

Thinking With Me About Convergence Worship

Many people (if not most) have never even heard the word "convergence" used in relation to worship before, and yet convergence worship continues to be one of the most fascinating phenomenons within the realm of worship renewal.

A starting point might be to understand convergence worship as part of the Convergence Movement:

The Convergence Movement refers to a move among evangelical and charismatic churches in the United States to blend charismatic worship with liturgies from the Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical sources. The Movement was inspired by the spiritual pilgrimages of modern Evangelical writers like Thomas Howard, Robert E. Webber, Peter E. Gillquist and the ancient Christian writers and their communities. These men, along with theologians, scripture scholars, and pastors in a number of traditions, were calling Christians back to their roots in the primitive church (cited from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergence_Movement).

In Appendix 1 of his Signs of Wonder, Robert E. Webber posits the following principles as "The Be-Attitudes of Convergence" (restated):

1. Be exposed to traditions of worship other than your own.
2. Be open to the active presence of the supernatural.
3. Be focused upon the celebration of an event.
4. Be sure to set aside time exclusively for worship.
5. Be participatory in order to experience worship.
6. Be aware that the rule of prayer is the rule of faith (faith comes by doing worship).
7. Be careful to include the opportunity to experience divine action and human response within the four-fold order (gathering, ministry of the word, Eucharist, sending).
8. Be aware of the role your style plays in relation to the contribution of other sytles.
9. Be insistent to use the arts as a vehicle for worship.
10. Be aware that space communicates.
11. Be inclusive of many musical styles.
12. Be aware of the power of drama.
13. Be free enough to use the body in worship.
14. Be committed to the evangelical possibilities that lie within the Christian Year.
15. Be convinced of the power of sign and symbol.
16. Be attentive to the symbolism of baptism.
17. Be hungry to recover the presence and power of Christ through the symbols of bread and wine at the table.
18. Be in a spirit of celebration and thanksgiving when participating in the Eucharist.
19. Be open to the recovery of the practice of laying on of hands for healing.
20. Be sensitive to the way in which authentic worship relates to all areas of the church's ministry.

Although Webber's understanding of convergence worship developed from a uniquely evangelical perspective, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts and dialoging with you regarding any of above-stated principles whether or not your faith and practice has been influenced by modern evangelicalism.




Image credit: © John Cave, istockphoto.com

Rejecting Ancient Ways

“Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.””
(Jeremiah 6:16 NRSV)

Why refuse? Why say no? What are the underlying reasons or factors behind why people want nothing to do with "the ancient paths?"  Is it the modernist belief that humanity is always advancing itself, always improving itself, and that returning to ancient mindsets and ways would constitute regression rather than progression?  Or is it simply the overvaluing of the "new" -- leading to a sort of "been-there-done-that" attitude? Then again, maybe the reason for rejecting any notion of re-embracing the ancient is rooted in much deeper matters: pride and fear.

Image Credit: source unknown

It's Holy Wednesday...

It's Holy Wednesday, and I REALLY want to ask Judas Iscariot: 

"What advise would you have for today's consumer-oriented disciples?"

Would Your Church Leave a Hole in the Community?

Over the past several months I have repeatedly heard church leaders, it seems, talking about how important it is for the future of the church to move past our preoccupation with the numbers (i.e. people and offerings), and seriously start asking ourselves an important question:

How big of a difference are we making in our community, and if our congregation were to suddenly disappear, what size hole would we leave?

In part, as a result of our consumer-driven culture, most communities are filled with LOTS of churches. But how many of them are considered indispensible by the majority of citizens who live there?  It's a notion most church leaders, I fear, have not given much thought to before, myself included.  But since the beginning of this year, the idea surrounding how indispensible our congregation might be to our community has stopped being a question and has now become a challenge.

So where is your congregation in all of this?  Where are you?  Would you consider the question this post suggests to be valid? And if so, how might you suggest we measure this theoretical "hole?"  To get you thinking, here are three possibilities:

• How easy/difficult would it be for your community to replace your church's work among the poor and unemployed?
• If your church were to stop doing for the community what it's been doing, would it make the front page? the back page? Any page?
• Do the other congregations in your community look to your church for resources of any kind?

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Photo credit: © iStockphoto.com

Off and Running at IWS

It has begun. This new journey, that is, toward my doctorate in worship studies.  My first on-campus session concluded today, and my emotions are all over the place.  I'm thrilled about the program I'm in, the cohort I'm part of, and the amazing faculty who will become my new mentors.  Yet I am also a little nervous (mostly excited-type nervous) about the incredible amount of reading and research that I'll be doing and that I need to dive into right away. In addition, I'm still a little speechless over the intensely spiritual and moving chapel services I have been experiencing for the past week-and-a-half. Last night's Healing Eucharist Service left me humbled, grateful, and very tearful.  This morning's service was so moving at times, and I was so choked up, that I couldn't sing -- no matter how hard I tried. Only tears and praise and deep, deep gratitude were flowing.  I honestly don't cry hardly ever, so this definitely caught me off-guard.

IWS places great emphasis on the importance of learning-in-community.  Sharing all our meals together in addition to classes and chapels is a powerful thing.  By the end of this January session, I suppose that my heart had been reshaped far more than I realized. The Lord had been doing a number on me.  Bottom line, it was all good. Very good.

The next 5 months will be extremely busy as I pour myself in the reading, research, and writing of my first "project,"  but the next on-campus session in early June will undoubtedly be here before I know it.

Braving the Weather... to Pray.

Winter storms bring snow to the high desert of Southern California roughly once every 3 years.  Today's snowstorm came early in the day rather than late at night.  The streets were icy and there were a number of fender-benders in town, but that didn't keep DesertPastor from braving the elements to pray at today's City Council meeting.

Anyway...
I thought I'd post the prayer that I offered:

Amazing God,

Thank you for the snow today,
For the reminder that life is mysterious and beautiful
And that Your workings in our lives are sometimes full of surprises.

Thank you for this Christmas season…
For the reminder that you are the God who comes.
Even as you came on that night so long ago,
Come this day into our lives, our agendas, our choices
And into our City.

Thank you for the wisdom you make available to all who ask,
To the rich and to the poor,
To the strong and to the weak,
To the employee and to the employer,
To the young, and to the old,
To the parent, and to the child,
To the teacher, and to the student,
To elected officials and to citizens.


And finally, O Lord, thank you for our City Council members & the leaders of our city.
Guide them in their research,
Help them in their deliberation,
Unify them in their decisions,
And encourage them in the process.

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.  
Amen.

How Can We Tell the Difference?

There are many things related to our faith and practice which are a challenge to fully grasp (reductionists and simpletons may disagree).  It is my personal belief that pondering such things is always beneficial.  Here are some of the questions I have recently been thinking about.

How can we tell the difference:

• Between the consumerization of our faith and it being expressed missionally?

• Between deadness in the liturgy and deadness in the worshiper?

• Between our liberty in Christ and our abuse of the same?

• Between performance oriented worship and art-as-worship?

• Between religious legalism and personal accountability?

• Between social holiness and humanitarianism?

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Of course, I would love hearing your thoughts on any of these.

Photo credit: © Stanislav Pobytof, iStockphoto.com

DesertPastor Update...

Much has been happening in my life over the past few months -- which is part of the reason I haven't been blogging as regularly as in the past.  Here are a few highlights:

My wife, Ingrid, and I celebrated our 30th anniversary!

Two weeks ago, I was accepted into the doctoral degree program at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies -- a life-goal that has now begun coming into fruition.  Since the Institute's campus is in Orange Park, Florida, I'll have to "suffer" a couple of times each year in order to attend course intensives and enjoy all that "ancient-future" worship with new friends!

My son and I have taken on an exciting project -- restoring a classic Hammond organ, complete with tone and Leslie cabinets.

Advent has begun, and our congregation's celebration of the season has been richer than ever. Our community of faith is growing deeper and larger and increasingly diverse.  God is good.

And when it comes to blogging... well, a few years ago, when I was finishing my M.Div., it was my most prolific blogging season ever.  I expect that doctoral studies will definitely reignite those writing/posting fires again.

Blessings,

Chris

When Church Services Leave People Still Needing Church

During a recent conversation, friends were telling me about their journey back into the life of the Church, and of their experiences visiting various congregations.  One of these experiences easily stood out from the others:

It was a Sunday morning, and after loading their kids into the car they drove out to one of the larger, and fairly well known churches in their town. Once inside they felt overwhelmed by the performance-oriented "praise band", the constant use of the "big screen", and rally-like "feel" of the entire service.  As my friend put it, "I got out of there feeling like I needed to go to church!"

The point, of course, is that much of what is marketed and portrayed as "church" ends up being something less than that. And today's postmodern population is figuring that out.

Yes, my friend was raised in the church, and was exposed to worship styles both liturgical and contemporary.  But like so many -- young adults in particular -- he finds solace and comfort and strength from participating in liturgical worship and especially appreciates the ancient-future blend that characterizes the worship gatherings where I serve.

We evangelicals in particular have done violence to many of the ancient traditions of our faith, handed down to us through the centuries.  In their place, we have appealed to business and marketing models for doing church, and have used pop-psychology and political correctness as a measuring stick.  And although many of us are probably sick and tired of hearing how the Church's effectiveness and witness has been compromised by consumerism, materialism, and radical individualism -- the story of my friend's experience is a painful reminder that we certainly have done violence to the Church, and to her reputation.  How sad, that people would come desiring to worship God along with His people, only to leave feeling like what they just experienced wasn't even worship! 

Have we slipped THAT far?  Are we THAT blind? Are church leaders even open to the idea that we've got it wrong, or is it just easier to blame everything on consumer-oriented congregants?

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Photo credit: © iStockphoto.com