Paradox -- the emerging community of faith that Benjy and I and a small group of young adults began three years ago -- has quietly slipped away -- R.I.P.

It has been an amazing three years, and we all have learned SO much (e.g. discovering that the "church-within-a-church" model is very difficult to pull off). Some outside observers were prone to merely consider Paradox an 'experiment' in exploring different ways of being the church, but Benjy and I always considered it to be much more than that.

Though the community never really demonstrated financial viability (i.e. independence), it was successful in ways we all considered more important --not the least of which being all the people who had finally found a place where they felt comfortable exploring their relationship with God. Friendships were forged, new ways of learning were explored, openness and honesty prevailed, growth resulted, and people were baptized into Christ.

And although "Paradox" will no longer exist, per se, all is not lost.  Benjy, his wife, and a core group of leaders, are already meeting and planning the birthing (or is it 're-birthing'?) of a new community of faith here in town.  I'm not going to spill the beans too much here -- that's something I'm sure Benjy himself will be doing sometime soon.  I'm excited for Benjy and for this next chapter in ministry he's stepping into.  I'm also excited that they are remaining part of our Free Methodist Conference here in Southern California, and will even be remaining here in Barstow (which means we'll still be able to enjoy Mexican food lunches and breaks at Starbucks together).

I am equally excited about what God will unfold within the mothering congregation I pastor over the next year.  Our community of faith is growing and becoming increasingly supportive of the changes we're making in order to reach today's postmodern, post-Christian culture. Despite our postmodern sensibilities, and the growing number of 20/30-somethings who are attending, there remains tons of folks who don't trust churches -- any churches.  And when I think of this, I'm grateful that God has brought Benjy to our city (along with others) to reach them.

Please be praying for Benjy and the team he's leading.  And if you would, also remember me and Barstow Free Methodist Church in your prayers as we launch our search for a new associate pastor and work through the transition that is ahead.

The Church will succeed despite itself. This is what came to mind this morning as I read the following:

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Where would we have been without this Church?  Who would have handed down to us, across twenty centuries, the teachings of our dear Lord Jesus?  Who would have encouraged us in the truth, reassured us in the path we had undertaken?

The Church already was founded before we appeared on the scene, and had we not come on the scene would have gone on being saints and sinners, capable of high ideals and base enormities, the dwelling place of peace and a jungle of violence.

But one thing is sure: if we should fail, overwhelmed by our sins and faithlessness, the Church will not have failed.  The 'little remnant' will have arrived none the less.  God Himself is the guarantor.

- from I, Francis, by Carlo Carretto

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Any thoughts or reactions?

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My lunch with George Barna consisted of turkey, provolone, and lettuce on a croissant, with a dill pickle spear and some fruit.  For dessert, we had....  j/k

Seriously though, as things worked out at the Holiness conference, George ended up sitting next to me for lunch and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him a little better, AND... ask him a few questions about the changes he foresees for Christianity and the Church in the coming decades.

By way of background, I mentioned to him that I had participated at the first three Emergent Conventions in San Diego.  I was hoping to establish a little bit of common ground, but Barna quickly interjected that the entire Emergent movement in the U.S. was simply a 'reaction' -- stemming primarily from conservative fundamentalist groups.  And although some proponents such as McLaren were getting a lot of press, the emergent movement (when compared with the "revolutionaries" he had been studying) was rather insignificant.

Frankly, I was floored.  I would have thought Barna to have been quick in resonating with many of the observations and convictions coming from the emerging church camp, but apparently that was not the case.  When we spoke about the "Generation 'O'" phenomenon, and how increasing numbers of former evangelicals are pursuing more ancient expressions of our faith -- again, Barna retorted by writing the whole thing off as an isolated agenda that Robert Webber had created and was pushing.  But when I pushed the issue further, citing the rise in neo-monasticism (something he himself had mentioned during his talk), he acknowledged that, yes, it was on the rise, and that some of the most promising models were located in the greater Washington D.C. area. 

At this point, I chose to change the subject and asked a question about 'revolutionaries' returning to local churches after their life-changing experiences.  I told Barna that it all reminded me of many years ago when I was on the pastoral team of a mega-church here in Southern California.  Many of our young adults had been going off to attend DTS's (i.e. Discipleship Training Schools) conducted by YWAM (Youth With A Mission), followed by at least one short-term mission. These were spiritually intense experiences (to say the least), and when these young adults returned to their home congregations, they often found it frustrating and difficult to blend back in.  The lack of spiritual passion and concern for the lost repulsed many of them. Unlike today, there were not very many alternative expressions of church for them to hook up with back then (the 80's).  Rather than encourage their passion and vision for ministry, we tended just to tell them to get on board with what WE were doing.  The result: they either left the Church or re-entered YWAM permanently.  Barna very much resonated with my experience as indicative of how institutional churches have responded to spiritual revolutionaries in the past. Hopefully, he added, we will learn from our mistakes.  I agreed.

Despite the rather shocking things he shared with me about the emergent movement and the ancient-future phenomenon, I nonetheless enjoyed my lunch with George and was grateful for the opportunity to talk with him.

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photo credits -- above right: Google image; above left: (taken by me at Emergent '05 w/ a little help from Doug Pagitt)

This gathering represented the third and concluding year for the "Wesleyan Holiness Study Project" -- a cooperative effort that brought together theologians, pastors, and leaders from ten denominations which stand in the Wesleyan tradition.

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Our afternoon (keynote) speaker was George Barna --

He began by emphasizing that his research has convinced him that by-and-large:

• Americans do not understand holiness.
• Americans do not desire holiness.
• Americans do not pursue holiness.
• There is a "remnant" who gets it, wants it, and seeks it.
• Together, we can foster a hunger for holiness.

This is the current spiritual environment in America, despite the witness of scriptures such as Lev. 19:2, "Be holy because I am holy."

When first asked to contribute to the holiness project, the following grabbed his attention:

"...the essence of holiness is Christ--likeness" (Holiness Manifesto draft).

Surprizingly, there was virtually NO research out there on the topic of holiness.  From a statistician's perspective, this usually indicates that no one gives a rip about the topic.

Despite this prior lack of interest,  a 1000-person samply (i.e. survey) was conducted by Barna of average American adults. The findings:

• 50% know somebody they believe to be "holy."
• 21% believe that they are holy.
• 73% say it is possible for someone to become holy (regardless of their past).
• 35% believe God expects them to become holy.

Barna then went on to share the...

10 Top Reasons why Americans are NOT obsessed with holiness:

This gathering represented the third and concluding year for the “Wesleyan Holiness Study Project” – a cooperative effort that brought together theologians, pastors, and leaders from ten denominations which stand in the Wesleyan tradition.

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The opening message was brought by Dr. Kevin Mannoia:

Flowing from Mark 3:13-15, Kevin expounded on…

The Call to Holiness:

1. It all begins with an “invitation” to come into contact with, into the presence of, into the fellowship with God.” (not a reprimand, not a judgment)

2. This invitation is no good unless we, by an act of our will, unwrap it and appropriate it as a gift.

3. The purpose of the invitation is simply to BE WITH HIM. This is not an agenda or a point-by-point endeavor.

Jesus invites us – not to action – but to inaction.  “We tend to become like the people we most spend time with.”

As you spend time tarrying in the presence of God – who is Holy – you will become holy yourself.

This is all about our being transformed into the likeness of his holy nature.

4. It results in being sent out to proclaim his message!

We are NOT to separate ourselves from the culture and world as if we are somehow better than they are. 

Conclusion:

Our nature and priorities are now re-written and re-ordered! (having spent time WITH God and leaving different than when we came).  We are thus charged to “GO”.

The holiness we carry forth flows from our transformative encounter with God rather than from any sense of legalism.

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Your thoughts?

I had a fascinating discussion with George Barna, Jr. yesterday over lunch.  He was the keynote speaker at the conference on Holiness I attended, and we ended up sitting together come lunchtime. Wait 'til you hear what we talked about!

Stay tuned.

Today's Conference on Holiness was fascinating.  Dr. Kevin Mannoia and Dr. George Barna, Jr. both gave compelling presentations.  But before I get to those, I wanted to first post the Manifesto which is a result of the 3-year, 10-denomination strong "holiness" panel.  I'll eventually share my own feedback concerning this document, but wanted to first hear and interact with any impressions, thoughts and/or critiques that you might have.

Download holiness_manifesto.doc

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picture credit: google images

"Holiness in the 21st Century" - that's the name of the all-day workshop I'll be attending tommorrow with approximately 200 other pastors and denominational leaders here in Southern California.  George Barna will be our keynote speaker, but the bulk of the day will be spent rolling up our sleeves and working together at re-articulating our understanding and common commitment to the transformative power of holiness in the mission of the Church.

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Sponsored by the Regional leaders of:

The Salvation Army

Church of the Nazarene

Free Methodist Church

International Pentecostal Holiness

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

Shield of Faith

Brethren in Christ

Church of God

Church of God in Christ

Missionary Alliance

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I'm looking forward, not only to attending and contributing to this particular conversation -- but to blogging as much of it as I can (who'd have guessed!).

So stay tuned!

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picture credit: google images

This post begins a new series of posts here at Paradoxology -- posts which strike at the very heart of my blog and my fascination with the tensions and paradoxes of our faith. It's difficult to know exactly where I should begin, and so I'll post them in no particular order of importance or priority.

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Corporate-Individual Salvation

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Do the ancient scriptures present salvation as purely a "personal" matter or as one impacted/influenced/determined by the relational and/or spiritual ties with ones family or community?

In Acts 16:31, Luke seems to articulate the matter in a clear, straightforward manner:

They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (NRSV)

And yet Paul, in his letter to the Philippians (2:12) puts an entirely different spin on the work of salvation:   

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (NRSV)

So which soteriological understanding is correct?  Is salvation a purely individualistic undertaking? Or is there a corporate connection to our being saved?

I have already somewhat revealed my position on this by even suggesting that a paradox even exists here (a point, I am sure, that some will take issue with). And I'm not really looking for anyone to simply respond with "both are true" -- that's already implied by labeling this subject as paradoxical.

But I AM interested in hearing your thoughts as to:

1. why it is important to understand salvation as both personal and corporate in nature (or not!), as well as...
2. how we should understand these two concepts as intersecting each other?

I certainly understand that this is not the only paradox connected with soteriology.  Perhaps a more significant one lies in the tension between personal choice and divine initiative, or between the importance of faith and works.  But I'll leave both of those for another day.

Ours is undisputably an overly individualistic age -- a fact that has undoubtedly left its mark on popular views concerning salvation in recent centuries.  But how much of a mark has it left? How far have we moderns deviated from the early church's understanding of salvation?  Is our highly individualistic understanding of salvation still defendable?

I look forward to your thoughts and insights concerning this fascinating paradox.

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image credit: © avisualplanet.com

We're home!

{S I G H . . .}

Glad to be home, but even more glad for the awesome time we had away in beautiful Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas).

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Our group (family and friends) enjoyed seven delightful days and nights filled with:

lots fresh ocean air and eating,

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fantastic live jazz and eating,

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long afternoon naps and eating,

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wonderful shore excursions (in the cities and countrysides) and eating,

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dining room entertainment (some of which we helped to provide) and eating!

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Click here to see our waiter dancing!

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I'll post some more vacation pics this coming week.

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