Wesley James Cramer

Our son, Wesley James, was born last Wednesday. He's a 7lb. 4oz., 20 3/4 inches ball of love.

Marriage, Singleness and the Family (sermon)

Below is the sermon I preached last week at Keller Park Church. Enjoy.

Introduction

These past couple weeks, Professor John Dendiu has given those of us who are married invaluable wisdom about the marriage relationship drawn from his own marriage of many years as well as his long-time study of the topic. And though his comments were directed to those of us who are married, we were continually reminded that many of the principles are applicable to other relationships as well. For example, who of us, regardless of our relationship status, didn’t benefit from being reminded of James’s exhortation to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”?

Nevertheless, I suspect that some in our congregation who are not married may have been thinking, “Hey, what about me? Is the goal of the Christian life simply to have a healthy marriage? And if so, what does that say about those of us who have never been married or are now widowed or divorced? Can I experience a fulfilling Christian life in my current life situation? Or must I seek out marriage or remarriage in order to live up to the Christian ideal? Can I at least discount my tithe to 5% this week since the messages were only halfway for me?”

Now I know as a fact that it was not the intention of our marriage series to convey the message that marriage is the only—or even the ideal—form of Christian existence. In fact, in talking with John this week, he mentioned to me that if he were to preach another message in his series, he would have directed it specifically to single people. Still, the perception in our evangelical church culture persists that one of our primary goals as a church is to create good, healthy, safe, heterosexual Christian families. Sure, we might have singles’ ministries in our churches, but even those are usually designed to help singles meet each other! It is no small secret that the ultimate goal of singles’ ministries leaders is to work themselves out of a job.

Consider this note that I received this week from a friend after discussing this topic with him:

This is a very interesting topic for me as many of my closest friends are single. My best friend and I talk about this a lot because he desires to find a life partner and wonders why he has not found anybody yet. He also feels at the age that he is that a majority of people look at him as if he is “less responsible” or “more selfish” because of his singleness. As you know, the current church culture promotes marriage, which makes it extremely difficult to be single as Christian (unless you have extremely thick skin and are okay with comments people are making about you at times). My question is: how does the church (our church) counter this view of marriage and make singles know that they are important, gifted, and even needed in the body of Christ? Personally, what can I do to help my friend and others know and feel like they have abilities and responsibilities that married couples don’t or can’t do and help singleness be seen as not a temporary thing but a very valuable and fulfilling thing?

This morning I want to address these questions regarding singleness. Now, you may be thinking: “What can a happily married husband with a nine-months pregnant wife possibly know about singleness?” All I have to say in response to that is: touché. I am probably not the most qualified to speak to this topic, which is why this week I spoke with a number of people from all different life situations and why I want us to spend time discussing this issue as a church body rather than me simply talking at you. But first I want us to look at the New Testament together to see what it has to say to this matter. Happily, we find that it is not silent on this topic. And, moreover, much of the New Testament instructions on this topic come from single people! In looking over the New Testament materials this week, I came to three insights regarding marriage and singleness that I want to share this morning before we begin our discussion.

New Testament Teaching on Marriage and Singleness

So first, let’s look to Paul’s instructions about marriage and singleness from 1 Corinthians 7:

¹Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. . . . ⁶I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

⁸Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

We might be aghast as we read Paul’s instructions here. Is he really saying that the purpose of getting married might be to curb our own sexual immorality? Where is the romance, Paul? Aren’t you the one who penned the “love” passage just six chapters later in 1 Corinthians 13—one of the most famous wedding texts there is? I doubt many of us have heard 1 Corinthians 7 read at a wedding ceremony! But here it is as plain as day: Paul instructing us to stay single unless doing so would cause us to be sexually immoral. A little later in this passage, Paul gives us further rationale for his recommendation:

³²I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

In other words, Paul’s instructions about marriage and singleness do not stem from a restrictive, prudish, anti-sex attitude. Rather, his view of marriage and singleness is fundamentally Christ-focused: He instructs us to adopt whatever life vocation that will offer us the best opportunities to serve Christ.

Oftentimes we think of our “vocation” in terms of career, but that simply highlights our tendency to compartmentalize our lives. For Paul, vocation includes not only career but even our relational status. Paul says that we each have our own gift from God, some to singleness and others to marriage; some to education, others to tent-making. No one vocation is to be idealized or expected of all Christians; rather, we are to be fully devoted to Christ in whatever vocation we have been called. For some, we may be called to the vocation of singleness, to others the vocation of marriage. For still others, we might be called to the vocation of singleness for a period of our lives and marriage at a later period.

So, the first principle we might glean from the New Testament regarding singleness and marriage is this: The ideal Christian existence is not a fulfilling marriage but is fully committed discipleship to Christ.

My sister is a perfect example of this principle. She never felt particularly “called” to singleness, but she did feel called to missions. So, instead of putting her life on hold until she found a husband, she simply spent the majority of her twenties doing missions work. Of course, my family and church and even many of her friends often expressed “concern” for her. Why wasn’t she more actively seeking out a spouse? If she doesn’t find someone soon, her opportunity to start a family may pass her by. After all, she’s already in her upper twenties! But even though my sister would have liked to find a husband, she knew that her primary calling was to serve Christ. So she traveled to India, Thailand, the Mediterranean, and Latin America, all on various mission trips. Then at the age of 27 she made the decision—much to the consternation of my parents—to commit a whole year to a missions training school in Mexico. How was she supposed to find a husband doing all this missions work? Well, as it turned out, God had a sense of humor, and she did meet a guy at the missionary training school in Mexico, and they got married less than a year later. But the moral of the story certainly isn’t: serve God and you’ll find a spouse! Rather, it is that faithfulness to Christ is more important than finding a spouse.

Jesus makes this abundantly clear in his call to discipleship. In Luke 14 Jesus states:

²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even life itself—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Jesus is teaching that discipleship to him requires a radical reorientation of perspective regarding your family relations. If you are not willing to suffer and to allow your family to suffer for the sake of Christ, then you are not his disciple.

Earlier in that same chapter Jesus instructs his disciples:

¹²“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In other words, even our social priorities must be restructured when we commit to Christ. Instead of showing favoritism toward our families, we favor those who will never have the opportunity to repay us.

When we begin to view discipleship to Christ as the chief aim of the Christian life rather than happy families, a couple other insights regarding singleness and marriage emerge. To draw out these points, I want us to turn to a passage of scripture that you have probably never heard anyone preach from before: Paul’s final greetings to the church in Rome found in Romans 16. But listen carefully to the way Paul describes the men and women whom he greets.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she many need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send greetings.

Well, now you know why no one preaches from this passage—the names are impossible to pronounce! Oftentimes when we come to this passage, we are tempted to skip straight over it, or maybe to at best stop long enough to speculate what Paul means by a “holy kiss.” (Was that on the lips or what?) But this passage is actually extremely instructive regarding the biblical perspective of marriage and singleness. For in this passage Paul not only greets married couples and entire households who serve the Lord together, but he more often greets individual men and women who are serving the Lord alongside him. He commends the woman Phoebe, as a deacon and benefactor. He greets the man Adronicus and the woman Junia, both of whom he calls “outstanding among the apostles.” He greets Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis, all presumably single women who Paul states have “worked hard in the Lord.” He even greets the mother of Rufus, presumably a widow, since Paul does not also greet her husband as well. In short, along with the households and married couples, Paul greets a number of single women and men as his fellow co-workers in the Lord.

A professor friend of mine recently recounted to me a conversation she had with one of her female students. This student explained that she felt a strong call from the Lord to serve Christ as a nurse in Africa. But she knew that she couldn’t act on that call unless and until her future husband received the same calling. The only problem was that this student wasn’t even dating anyone at the time of this conversation! But she had been taught that good Christian girls find good Christian husbands, and good Christian wives submit their own calling to that of their good Christian husbands.

In contrast, Romans 16 offers us a second and quite radical principle about singleness and marriage, namely this: Discipleship to Christ is more fundamental than marital status or even gender identity.

This is not to say that we erase or blur all gender distinctions, but it is to say that we must check all of our gender stereotypes against Christ’s own view of men and women. This point is important for both single men and women, but I think it may be particularly important for single women to hear, so I want to spend a moment addressing women specifically.

In the familiar story of Mary and Martha recounted in Luke 10:38-42, we are given a glimpse of Jesus’s view of gender stereotypes. In Luke 10 we read:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

New Testament scholar, N. T. Wright, explains this passage as follows:

Most of us grew up with the line that Mar­tha was the active type and Mary the passive or contemplative type, and that Jesus is simply affirming the importance of both and even the priority of devotion to him. That devotion is un­doubtedly part of the importance of the story, but far more obvi­ous to any first-century reader, and to many readers in Turkey, the Middle East, and many other parts of the world to this day, would be the fact that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet within the male part of the house rather than being kept in the back rooms with the other women. This was probably what really bothered Martha; no doubt she was cross at being left to do all the work, but the real problem behind that was that Mary had cut clean across one of the most basic social conventions. And Jesus declares that she is right to do so. She is “sitting at his feet”; a phrase that doesn’t mean what it would mean today, the adoring student gazing up in admiration and love at the wonderful teacher.

As is clear from the use of the phrase elsewhere in the New Testament . . . to sit at the teacher’s feet is a way of saying you are being a student, picking up the teacher’s wisdom and learning; and in that very practical world you wouldn’t do this just for the sake of informing your own mind and heart, but in order to be a teacher, a rabbi, yourself.

In fact, when we look at Jesus’s ministry, we see that he was constantly surrounded by women disciples. Sure, they were not part of his inner twelve, but that doesn’t diminish their importance to his ministry. In Luke 8:3, for example, we read that a number of women “were helping to support [Jesus and the disciples] out of their own means.” These wealthy business women were not derided by Jesus for not staying in the home. Instead, Jesus allowed them to contribute their gifts to his ministry.

So ladies, whether you are single, dating, married, a mother, divorced, or widowed, let me make this biblical principle clear: Your worth and value to the body of Christ is not limited to your ability to find a husband, have a happy marriage, to have children, or to keep up a house. You are valuable as the individual God made you to be, and your individual gifts are vital to the life of the church, whatever those gifts may be. As we learned these past couple weeks from John, women often have unique gifts and insights that men often lack. Without your gifts, leadership, and service, our church will implode.

Now that I’ve addressed the ladies, let me also say a word to the men: whether you are single, dating, married, a father, divorced, or a widower, let me make this biblical principle clear: Your worth and value to the body of Christ is not limited to your ability to find a wife, have a happy marriage, to make babies, or to provide for a family. You are valuable as the individual God made you to be, and your individual gifts are vital to the life of the church, whatever those gifts may be. As we learned these past couple weeks from John, men often have unique gifts and insights that women often lack. Without your gifts, leadership, and service, our church would implode.

So to restate our second principle: Discipleship to Christ is more fundamental than marital status or even gender identity. Paul sums this up well with his statement in Galatians 3:26-29:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

This passage in Galatians not only speaks to the fact that our fundamental identity is in Christ rather than our gender or nationality, but by calling those in Christ children of God and fellow heirs, it also points to our third New Testament principle regarding singleness and marriage, namely, that the most fundamental social unit for Christians is not the family but the Church—the family of God.

In Paul’s greetings in Romans 16, Paul says of Rufus’s mother that she “has been a mother to me, too.” And he often refers to the recipients of his letters as brothers and sisters. Such language is not mere window dressing for his letters, but actually points to a foundational theological point: the Church family is more fundamental than the biological family. This may sound extremely unusual to our modern ears, as we go about “church shopping” until we find the right kind of “seeker sensitive” church that will “meet the needs of our families.” But Jesus confirms this view in his own ministry. When his family comes to visit him and Jesus is told that his “mother and brothers” are there, Jesus responds: “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice” (Luke 8:21).

This new family identity is poignantly illustrated by Jesus on the cross, when he addresses his mother, Mary, and his beloved disciple, John, saying to Mary, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to John, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27). Jesus wasn’t merely looking out for the well-being of his widowed mother, but he was declaring a truth about the fundamental identity of the church. The church is not an institution that requires family ties for membership and care. In fact, the church does not require families to maintain its existence. Entrance into the church is not by birth after all, but by conversion. The only healthy family that the church is called to maintain is the family of God.

In Acts, this vision of the church as a new family structure becomes a lived reality. Acts describes how in the early church “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:44-45). These are the kinds of sacrifices that people only make for their families, which, of course, is precisely the point. And because of these sacrifices, Acts states that “there were no needy persons among them” (4:34). Indeed, the church even went to great lengths to take care of the many widows who were among them, as recorded in Acts 6. As Paul states in 1 Timothy 5:1-2: “Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”

Application / Discussion

So in light of these passages from the New Testament, let’s open it up for some discussion.

(1) Can we as a church see singleness as a calling or vocation on par with marriage? Can this vocation be satisfying and fulfilling? If so, how?

(2) How can those who sense the call to singleness resist the cultural pressures to marry and be made to feel like they are weird (or worse) if they don’t pursue marriage? How can we as a church counter the social pressures for our singles to get married?

(3)Can people who want to get married embrace a season of singleness with joy, purpose, and fulfillment even as they hope for a spouse some day?

(4) How has the church or society caused you to view your own identity? What might it mean to find your identity first and foremost in Christ rather than in your marital status or gender?

(5) What might it look like to view the church as the primary social unit rather than the family? How might our priorities need to change in light of this shift in perspective?

Conclusion

In closing, I want to do something incredibly hokey. At my church growing up we had a Sunday night service that was often referred to as “family night.” It was a smaller, more intimate setting than the Sunday morning service, and oftentimes we even had a meal together after the service. But interestingly, at “family night” we rarely sat together as families. The youth would sit in the middle section of the sanctuary together, while our parents would sit in the outer sections. And even at the family style potlucks afterward, people would sit with their church friends rather than in family units. I’ve since come to realize that family night at church was about the church being a family together, not about the church recognizing our individual family units. This image of the church as a family was firmly etched into my brain by an old, campy, corny song that we often sang on Sunday nights. In fact, I often ended up requesting that we sing this song, especially once our church became too hip to sing it anymore. So this morning, if you’ll indulge me, I want us to sing the old song, “Family of God,” and as we do so, I want you to grab on to the hand next to you, and if you’re on an isle, to reach across the isle to the person next to you, so that we’re all connected as one family unit. Let’s sing this song together:

I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God

I’ve been washed in the fountain

Cleansed by his blood

Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod

For I’m part of the family

The family of God.

Brother Tim

My former Bethel prof. and good friend, Brother Tim Erdel, recently won the Bethel College Alumni Association Distinguished Professor of the Year award. I had the pleasure of writing an appreciation of Brother Tim in Bethel Magazine. As you can read in the article, he was very influential on my theology and practice. (You might also note the irony of the juxtaposition of this article with some of the other feature stories in the magazine.)

Update

To my two or three faithful readers, an update may be in order. Here's what I'm up to:

(1) Began teaching three courses at Bethel College (IN): Exploring the Christian Faith (freshman), Exploring the Christian Faith (adults), and New Testament Literature (traditional students). It's been great meeting so many new students and diving into the material, but it has also been somewhat time consuming. For ECF, we're using N.T. Wright's Simply Christian, Gonzalez and Perez's Introduction to Christian Theology, and John Roth's Choosing Against War. All great books worth looking into. For NT, we're using Yarbrough and Elwell's Encountering the New Testament. Though I don't agree with their perspective on a number of issues (e.g., women in ministry), this text is pretty solid. Last I spoke with Yarbrough, he mention that a revised edition may be in the works soon.

(2) Andrea is now 9 months pregnant! The baby is due Oct. 5, but we're in the window where he might come any day now.

(3) At Keller Park Church we started a Pastoral Leadership Team, which meets about once a week to discuss the direction of the church, especially regarding the teaching ministry.

(4) I took the GRE! What a relief to have that behind me. (And I'm even pretty happy with my scores.)

(5) My buddy, Matt Erdel, and I have been working out three days a week. I'm trying to get in shape, so I can keep up with the new addition to the family coming soon.

(6) This Friday afternoon, I am leading a discussion on pacifism at Elkhart Christian Acadamy (high school; formerly known as Elkhart Baptist Christian School). I'm anticipating being the only pacifist in the building, so it should be a good discussion.

(7) This Friday late afternoon, I'm giving a report on my experience at the Christians for Biblical Equality Conference to the newly formed Bethel Women's Leadership Network. Looking forward to encouraging our ladies at Bethel in their giftedness.

(8) The last couple weeks at Keller Park Church we've been doing a series on marriage. So this Sunday I might be speaking on singleness to offer some balance to the series.

(9) This Thursday I'm looking forward to hearing Nicholas Wolterstorff give the 11th annual John Howard Yoder Dialogues on Nonviolence, Religion & Peace on the topic "Why Does Justice Matter?" at Notre Dame.

(10) Some books I've been reading lately: Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Stanley Hauerwas's Unleashing the Scripture: Freeing the Bible from Captivity to America, and a great little book I found in Bethel's library, Mission and the Peace Witness: The Gospel and Christian Discipleship, ed. Robert Ramseyer, including articles by Sider and John Howard Yoder, among others.

New David Bazan CD out soon

One of my favorite musicians of all time, David Bazan (former frontman of Pedro the Lion), is set to release his long-awaited full-length album early next month. I've been listening to Bazan's music since I was in eighth grade and have seen him perform a number of times. Though some concerts are more memorable than others, they're always entertaining. I even once wrote a paper about Bazan's music in seminary (for Kevin Vanhoozer's Cultural Hermeneutics class).

If you've never listened to any of Bazan's stuff, I recommend starting with an early Pedro the Lion album, "It's hard to find a friend," or the e.p. released around the same time, "The only reason I feel secure (is that I am validated by my peers)," and working your way from there. Be prepared for a large dose of cynicism, especially directed toward evangelical Christianity. But be prepared also for some thought-provoking lyrics and unforgetable melodies.

Read more at my friend Martin's blog. Enjoy.

CBE Conference Recap

Andrea and I just returned from St. Louis, where I presented my paper, "Creating a Culture of Equality as Witness to the Truth: A Philosophical Response to Gender Difference," at the 2009 Christians for Biblical Equality International Conference. It was a great weekend hearing presentations on a wide variety of topics related to the theme of gender and culture. By far the highlight, though was meeting the great people associated with Christians for Biblical Equality. Whatever one's position on questions regarding women in ministry and husband/wife roles, it is difficult to deny what an outstanding organization CBE truly is. Their conception of biblical equality includes not only gender equality but also racial, ethnic, and social-economic equality. I was truly blessed by this conference. Here are some pictures that highlight the weekend.

Saturday Andrea and I drove into downtown to see the arch and the St. Louis Cardinals' stadium. We grabbed some St. Louis style pizza at Imo's on the way back to the hotel.

Here I am presenting my paper.

After my presentation, a very gracious lady approached me to tell me that she appreciated my paper and asked if I had any Mennonite affiliation (since I referenced John Howard Yoder in my talk). After having a very pleasant conversation, I asked what her name was, and she told me it was Arbutus Sider. I told her that I only knew a few Siders, and she replied that the only one she knew was her husband, Ronald! Here I am giving an E.A.R. shirt to Arbutus to deliver to Ron Sider, the well-known evangelical Anabaptist theologian and social critic. The Siders' son, Ted, is also a well-known philosopher at NYU.

Sunday morning we heard a powerful sermon by Dr. Cheryl Sanders, pastor of Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C. Speaking from Mary's poem in Luke, Sanders proclaimed the empowering message that the gospel has for African American women.

Afterward, we had a time of communion, offered by CBE Scroll bloggers, Liz and Trevor, as well as CBE president, Mimi, and her husband. A great way to end a great weekend!

Books Worth Reading

This summer I've had the chance to read some pretty good books, both for work and pleasure. I hope to offer fuller reviews of one or more of the following (though I probably won't get around to it), but in the meantime I'd like to give a brief word of recommendation for the following:

(1) John D. Roth, Practices: Mennonite Worship and Witness (Herald

Press, 2009).

This book begins as though it will be another spiritual disciplines book, along the lines of Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. And while it certainly incorporates elements of

spiritual disciplines, it also discusses corporate practices of the church, including some that are particular to Mennonite groups, including foot washing and the kiss of peace! This book stays readable and practical, while still covering some theological territory, such as a theology of the sacraments. Well worth the read for those of any church

background.

(2) Andrew Marin, Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community (InterVarsity, 2009).

Marin is an evangelical Christian whose three closest friends revealed to him that they are gay. After coming to terms with these revelations, Marin moved to Boystown, the gay community of Chicago, to begin ministry among the LBGT community. Marin still holds to traditional views of marriage, etc., but has been challenged to rethink the way the evangelical community and the LBGT community relate. This is a MUST READ, especially for evangelicals.

(3) John Hick, The New Frontier of Religion and Science: Religious Experience, Neuroscience, and the Transcendent (Palgrave, 2006).

For those interested in a good philosophical read, Hick

has you covered. In this book Hick argues that, contrary to common belief, neuroscience has not (and cannot) disprove religious experiences. Rather, Hick argues against current naturalistic views of the person, including mind/brain identity and epiphenomenalism. According to Hick, religious experience can supervene on natural experiences, such that brain activity can correlate with mental activity without being reduced to the former. Hick then discusses how religious experience is best understood through the lens of critical realism in which the experience can be veridical, while still being shaped to a certain extent by cultural concepts and categories. Hick thus concludes with a restatement of his pluralistic view of religions. This book is a good addition to Hick's corpus as well as a good place to get introduced to Hick's thought for those who have never read him before.

Missionary Church Core Affirmations

With the 2009 General Conference now behind us, the Missionary Church has two years to discuss our "Core Affirmations" before the 2011 General Conference in Dallas. My friend, Pastor Sam Ochstein of Pandora Missionary Church, weighs in with his suggested Core Affirmations. His are quite a bit slimmer than the proposed "Partnership in the Gospel." See what you think.

MC General Conference, Fri. Morning

10:40: I missed the morning devotional in order to take my wife, Andrea, to her seventh month doctor's check-up. The business meeting just got started though, beginning with a recognition of those who have served in the MC for 20, 30, or 40 years. Now we're going to begin some prayer led by Pastor Gary Auperlee.

10:56: Good time of prayer now complete. Constitutional Committee back on stage. Three proposals from the denomination brought to the Constitutional Committee: (1) A recommendation to raise the percentage from 50% +1 to a 75% majority in order to charter a new Missionary Church. Just voted on and passed.

(2) Disassociation / Asset Protection bylaws proposed, but recommendation to take discussion and defer a decision until, presumably, 2011.

(3) A revision to the statement about the purpose of the Position Papers in the Constitution. The new statement broadens the purpose of the Position Papers to more accurately represent what they have historically been used for. New statement begins, "Position papers serve various purposes," and continues by listing the various purposes they serve.

11:07: More discussion on disassociation than I would have thought. Right now they are speaking on why the minimum number of members for a church is 15. A motion made to defer these sections back to the Constitution Commission for further work. Voted and approved.

11:10: Now speaking to the purposes of position papers. Dennis Engbrecht speaking from the floor about the wording of the statement. Concerned about the term "culturally pressing problem." Thinks that "culture" connotes demographics rather than society at large. Making a recommendation to change wording to "socially pressing issue."

11:14: Vote to approve Dennis' recommendation carries. Vote to approve amendment on position papers as a whole carries as well. Applause for the Constitution Committee.

11:17: Resolutions Committee representative making a wordy resolution that in essence is thanking Bethel College for hosting the conference as well as all the volunteers and leadership who have helped pull off the the conference. A lot of "Whereas so and so did such and such, therefore be it resolved that we thank them in such and such way." I kind of like this old-school language.

11:24: Resolutions rep. still giving resolution. Right now making a resolution about chaplains serving in the military. Wonder what denomination leaders from the early years would think. Resolutions now complete. Hossler thanking resolutions committee. Motion to adopt resolutions. Voted on and carried.

11:27: Woman from the prayer team speaking now. I think it's the first woman to speak from the stage, though one woman spoke from the floor yesterday.

11:30: Elli (spelling?) from the prayer team just led us in the Doxology, which my KPC friends know is one of my favorite hymns.

11:31: I think we're wrapping up. Hossler is making some final statements, and Dave Engbrecht will be reading the minutes shortly. Dr. Steve Cramer making a statement of thanks from the floor. Minutes being read. Overall, it's been a fun and interesting first conference for me. Thanks for following along on my blog!

MC General Conference, Thus. Morning

8:54: After morning worship with the Bethel College Chapel Band, Jim Cymbala, author of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, is giving the morning devotional. He's preaching to pastors and doing a great job. Given the flavor of his books, I'm surprised how down-to-earth he is as a speaker. As he confessed, he used to try to preach with a preaching voice, but finally he realized that he had to be himself, not a caricature of who he thinks a preacher should be. So he preaches in a conversational voice. Talking about being truthful as pastors—true to who we are, not who we think we should be.

"God's not going to share his glory with some denomination, I can assure you of that. He's not going to share his glory with some preacher."

9:15: Cymbala is sharing from John 15 about "abiding in Christ," as branch abides in the vine. He's getting more passionate and fired up.

9:25: "Jesus didn't say, 'Become a branch.' He said, 'I am the vine; you are the branches.'" Cymbala teaching about accepting Jesus' love, rather than trying to earn it. We trust God for our salvation, but then try to produce our own sanctification.

9:46: Cymbala done. Had us dismiss by hugging 12 brothers around us. (I only hugged 1, Ryan Flemming, though that's one more than Pastor Joe Focht, who darted for the door!) Morning break until 10:15.

10:16: My homeboy, Dr. Chad Meister, is speaking on evangelism and discipleship. Speaking on the essence of the Great Commission as a call to evangelism and discipleship.

Three points:

(1) What are we called to do?

(2) How are we to do it?

(3) God is on the move!

(1) What are we called to do? The Bible speaks of making disciples, not converts. The word "disciple" is used 269 times in the New Testament. "You can't change the world with converts; you can with disciples."

The Greek word pistis is often translated as "faith," but it is better translated as "trust." In our day faith often means believing without or in spite of evidence. But the author of Hebrews does not mean blind faith. Abraham's faith was a trust. Abraham could trust God because he had seen God in his life. He had the evidence, the reality, to substantiate his trust. Notice the difference between Abraham and Andrea Yates, who drown her children in the bathtub. Yates said that God told her to do this. Abraham's action was rooted in reality, while Yates' was not.

10:26: Meister talking about how "trust" and "obey" go together. "There is no contradiction between 'trust' and 'doing good works.'" Told a story about going to the dentist and the necessity of trusting the dentist. Now telling a story about his atheist friend, who gave up the faith because there is a contradiction in the New Testament between faith and works. For Meister, there is no contradiction when one understands "faith" in terms of "trust."

10:30: (2) How are we to do it? Find the heart of God, and abide there. We make disciples by casting the vision of God and his Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the rule of God. It is dwelling in this Kingdom that we receive the fruit of the Kingdom. Casting the vision of life in the Kingdom of God is enough to capture the hearts of the people of the world. Jesus lived the Kingdom life in such a way that his vision exuded from him.

In order to make disciples, we need to structure our lives in such a way that we become disciples more and more. Jesus himself practiced spiritual exercises: fasting, prayer, scripture memory, simplicity, meditation, etc. If Jesus needs to do these things, how much more do we?

"Without Jesus, we can do nothing. But if we do nothing, it will be without Jesus." We have a responsibility to be intentional about growing in our faith. God gives us means of grace by which we can abide in him. In the history of Christian thought, there has been a misunderstanding about this business of doing. We confuse "doing" with "earning." "Doing" and "earning" are not the same thing.

10:36: Have you ever asked yourself what you plan is for growing spiritually? "Like everything else in life, if you don't have a plan for accomplishing it; you have a perfect plan for not accomplishing it.

We need to learn to love people and love God. Let's not get hung up on "converting" them. Meister is now telling his classic story about Marti Gras. He had a sign asking, "What is truth?" Dozens of people circled around to ask spiritual questions. One night, Meister got separated from his group and walked down a dark alley to meet up with his group. A large man walked up to Meister and said: "I'm gay, what are you going to do about it?" Meister prayed desperately and heard God say, "Tell him God loves you and I love you too." Meister did so, and they started a conversation about faith. The man told his story of hurt from the church, and then said, "You know, there are a lot of Christians here pointing their fingers and judging me. I've never once had a Christian listen to my story." As they were leaving, the man said, "You know what, tomorrow I'm going to find a Bible and start reading it."

Love is the essence of Christianity. The best way to tell if we're growing as a disciple of Christ is to ask whether we are growing in love of God and other people.

10:47: (3) God is on the move! Jesus showed up just before a global population boom. God is working mightily today. The growth of Christianity is taking place in surprising places. The Kingdom is expanding.

10:55: Quick break before business session begins.

11:02: Motion to skip Dave Engbrecht's reading of the minutes for the sake of time. Motion passed (Dave doesn't seem too upset).

11:07: Report from the MC Investment Foundation "We have never had a loss of principle on a loan." MCIF is strong, though not many people know what it is.

11:07: MCIF report over. Nominating committee presenting ballot for an Interim General Oversight Council. Names include: Steve Cramer, Joel DeSelm, Brian Habeggar, Jeff Kephart, Darrell Schlabach, Steve Severance, Ted Ummel, Tim Valentino, Joe Wenger, and Phil Whetstone. I'm guessing everyone will be approved.

11:38: Report from the MC Publications.

11:43: Report over. Now the Constitutional Committee is up. The statement on sanctification is up for discussion. Bill McPhail is speaking from the floor about the importance of the second crisis experience. He also spoke a couple months ago at the district conference on this topic. He is not happy about the proposed changes.

11:51: McPhail proposed adding "subsequent" to the phrase "decisive experience." Motion made and passed. Statement for vote now reads "subsequent decisive experience."

11:53: Discussion about a command to "deny self" versus command to "die to self." Committee intentionally used the former.

11:57: Now discussion about the difference between "crisis" and "decisive." Committee believes the latter word captures the "punctiliar" nature of the experience.

12:01: A gentleman is discussing his consternation with the new statement. He mentioned Reflections and the article by my good friend, Sam Ochstein, by name!

12:02: Now a lady, Connie, is arguing against the necessity of the second work of grace. She told a story of her brother, Cliff, who was saved later in life. When he was told later that he needed to become sanctified and to devote himself wholly to the Lord, he said, I already did that! I think I like this Connie lady. She is talking some sense into all of us!

12:08: Vote on amendment made. Passed. Now someone asking for a revote. It will pass again.

12:10: Everyone is hungry for lunch and just wants to get out of here!

MC General Conference, Wed. Afternoon

2:14: We're back from lunch. More discussion on the restructuring taking place. Bethel President Steve Cramer is asking for clarifying on the intention and function of the restructuring. Asking whether the document will accommodate different leadership styles.

2:39: We just had an impassioned speech to approve the restructuring. We are now having an equally impassioned speech to reject the restructuring.

2:44: Just voted on the restructuring document "in principle." As far as I can tell, that means allowing this discussion to continue for two more years until the 2011 General Conference.

2:49: Now we're talking about our "five pillars": Evangelize, Plant, Pray, Recruit, Strengthen. Someone mentioned earlier that "five pillars" evokes a different religion. Hopefully they'll rethink the name. At any rate, Chris Garner is giving a testimony about his church.

By the way, if you want to look over the documents I keep discussing, click the links below:

(1) Proposed Constitutional Changes

(2) Core Affirmations: "Our Partnership in the Gospel"

(3) Reorganization Proposal

3:00: We're hearing about disciple-making from the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI).

3:16: More presentations on U.S. Ministries. Currently a call for ministry to cities.

3:26: U.S. Ministries Team finished presentation. Now we're voting on Appendix D of the reorganization document, which allows the reorganization committee to proceed at variance from the Constitution from now until 2011.

The earlier vote on restructuring (see 2:44) passed by 78% majority. My guess is this vote will pass as well.

3:32: We're taking a break. I'm heading out to see my family (sister and brother-in-law in town from Mexico). Will return tomorrow morning.

MC General Conference, Wed. Morning

10:15 AM: The bar is set, and we're beginning with prayer. Our prayer leader joked about being the "ass" that God spoke through. Good way to start the morning.

10:42: Prayer time over. Dr. Hossler is giving his address before we vote to reaffirm him as president. Just finished (short and sweet).

Here we are:

Here are my boys: Ryan Flemming representing Gary, Ryan Yazel representing the S.B., John Dendiu representing the house churches, and Dan Hamrick representing Michigan.

10:53: Vote on Hossler done (results not in). Discussion on restructuring now underway.

11:10: Some lively discussion on the restructuring still going on. Dr. Hossler is fielding many questions, though some on the restructuring committee are answering questions as well. Questions include: Does the focus on urban ministries mean that we are advocating a homogeneous unit principle (i.e., targeting specific cultures)? How are we going to help future leaders so that we have pastors down the road? Does the structure fit with our vision? Etc.

A question on why the acceptance of the restructuring is optional for districts. If there is unanimous agreement, why make it optional? Response: Some of the older districts might find it more palpable if they have the option to restructure when they are ready.

11:24: Now discussion on how the denomination is to relate to the overseas missionary wing, World Partners. World Partners will not be interfered with by the denomination but will be allowed to grow and flourish.

Dr. Hossler: Is not missions the heart of the Missionary Church? We need to work together on this.

11:27: How will restructuring impact the current district camps? Response: Camp meetings are near and dear to many of us, but they are just one strategy for ministry. This restructuring calls for a "ruthless evaluation of all ministries." Hossler: Multiple districts could come together for one camp. Why does camp meeting have to be for only on district? This should enhance our camps, not hinder them.

11:30: Ryan Flemming asking a question about urban districts. What is meant by cultural demographics in determining districts? Response: What if we had Korean churches spread over three districts? Should we not allow them to have their own district? Flemming counter-response: Is this not the homogeneous unit principle? How is an urban district, such as Ryan's in Gary, going to organize their leadership? How will they pay for leadership?

11:39: Standing ovation for restructuring committee. Election results returned: yes votes: 350; no votes 100. Hossler reelected. Another standing ovation.

11:41: Constitutional Commission back on stage. Motion that "Our Partnership in the Gospel" document be approved "in principle" and sent back to the districts for further discussion and revisions.

Good questions about referring this document. Are we accepting the concept of signing off on a document? If there's something we are uncomfortable with, we will lose our credentials. It is wise for districts to take a good, hard look at this.

11:53: Still discussion on the document. Seems to be some confusion on what voting to refer this document entails.

12:14: After much good discussion, motion passed to refer document to 2011 Conference.

MC General Conference, Tues. afternoon

2:45: Pastor Dave Engbrecht is presenting the background of the Commission for Denominational Reorganization. It appears that there is an identity crisis within the MC over whether we are "a gathering of a cooperative group of semi-independent churches," an "affiliation of semi-autonomous districts," or a "historical central authority body where the decision-making rests at the top level." This restructuring model is thus designed to help us more effectively do ministry as a denomination and to better understand who we are.

3:27: Discussion on the restructing model is still going on. Talking about the many recommendations that the commission has provided.

3:34: We were supposed to have a "cold drink" break at 3:30, but we're still talking about restructuring.

Here's what I plan to say later this afternoon when the Core Affirmations document comes back up. Any thoughts?

I appreciate the efforts of the Constitutional Committee to help us define better who we are and to distill our core theological affirmations. Moreover, I find that, with few minor quibbles, I agree with the core theological tenets listed here.

However, I find it deeply troubling that this theological document has been couched in the language of “the gospel.” By equating our theological distinctives with “the gospel,” I believe that we inadvertently reduce the gospel message to our particular theological distinctives. Where, for example, is the gospel affirmation of the Kingdom of God found so readily in the gospels? Where is Jesus’ gospel message that he has come to “preach the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, release the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4)? In short, core aspects of the gospel are left out.

Moreover, aspects of faith and practice that are arguably NOT a part of the gospel message are included. It is not part of the gospel that, for example, the Bible is inerrant, that Open Theism is wrong, that we should affirm monogamous heterosexual marriage, or that we should affirm two ordinances, the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, as “signs and seals.” These may be important theological distinctives of the Missionary Church, but they are not core essentials of the gospel proclamation.

By equating our theological distinctives with “the gospel,” we are stating that anyone who has variance on these issues are not only unable to join the Missionary Church, but cannot be included as Christians. I’m not an Open Theist or a Paedo-baptist, but I have a hard time excluding them as Christians!

The gospel is by its very nature inclusive. Jesus proclaimed the gospel to prostitutes and tax collectors. Theological distinctives are inherently exclusive, defining who is orthodox and who is not. Thus, the gospel and our theological distinctives cannot be equated in one document.

In short, with this document I am left in the awkward position of agreeing with the theology but unable to “wholeheartedly embrace and annually reaffirm” it. Is that reason for me to lose my credentials?

4:11: The floor is now open for the discussion on the Core Affirmations. Here we go!

4:23: I made my spiel. Was received well, I think. (At least, I wasn't asked to leave.)

4:25: Jim Smith raised some similar concerns. Brought up the question of the statements of sanctity of life and gay marriage, as well as question about grace and the inclusion of the Christus Victor view.

4:27: Now Matthew Yoder is speaking on the sanctity of human life. Asking about the practicality of the statement. Is it ruling out the death penalty? War? All abortion? Bringing up the question of the Position Papers. Are they non-negotiables?

4:32: Questions on Arminianism! Must we be Arminian to be in the Missionary Church? Would not kick out a Calvinist who is already in. But may become a tighter screen in the future.

4:35: Great question about the universal church being manifest in the local church. What about in countries where there is no freedom to gather?

Response: One person cannot be the church, but two or three can be. Not identifying the universal church, but discussing the importance of community.

4:38: Statement that this document could describe who we are to outsiders as well. However, before we declare Jesus as Lord, we have included two hot-button topics (abortion and homosexuality). Asks whether we should begin with supremacy of Christ before addressing these issues.

4:40: Jason Nicholls remarks that it is startling that at this time in the life of our denomination we are choosing to state that we are Arminian. If this is supposed to be an essential statement of our denomination, why are we excluding people already in the church? This statement is "boarderline Pelagian." There is so much emphasis on human agency that there is a downplaying of the divine agency and the grace component. Let's rewrite this document in ways that are based on the New Testament rather than specific theology.

Response: It was not intended to make a statement about perseverance of the saints. Not all Reformed people would be troubled with this statement as written, though there may be some.

4:45: Ryan Yazel (my pastor) addresses the question of having unbalanced convictions. We bring them up because we see them as non-negotiable issues, we tell others that other sins are negotiable, whether we intend to or not. Where neighbors wouldn't have a problem with us sharing our convictions, if we share them in an unbalanced way, they will find the problematic. If we raise these as a response to the liberal agenda, then we will have to continually rework or statement as a response to the liberal agenda, rather than on scripture itself.

4:48: Paul Woods also raises the concern that framing this in terms of the "gospel" is awkward. Suggests that we use traditional headings: What we believe about God. What we believe about the Bible. Etc. Simplify the extra statements and boil it down to bullet points. Make it as succinct, clear, and understandable as can be.

Concluding Response: The commission is not interested in pushing this through. They understand that this is an important document. Desire to come back in 2011 with final draft, based on all the feedback received today and in future discussions. Would be interested in motion to have it accepted in principle as a working draft.

4:52: Transition to recognition of district superintendents and wives. I need to leave to administer a test to a student. Be back tomorrow.

Missionary Church General Conference

This week my denomination, the Missionary Church, is holding its General Conference at Bethel College. As long as I have some power, I'll do a bit of live blogging during the conference. It might not be of any interest to the majority of my readers, but for those within the MC, I'll post some thoughts and updates as I have time.

10:35 AM: President Bill Hossler, Vice President Joel DeSelm, and Secretary Dave Engbrecht are at the head table. We're going over reports from all the various offices.

10:40 AM: We're getting a financial report from our treasurer, Darrell Schlabach. It sounds like our denomination might be okay. But it sounds like our missionaries are screwed by the value of the US dollar. They have to come home to raise extra support. Ouch, our money for the U.S. Ministries also "took a nose dive" last year. World Partners has financial reserves, but the U.S. Ministries' reserves are "all dried up."

Our pention assets will "adequately" provide both short-term and long-term for our retirees. This should provide "a measure of comfort." I wonder what the nature of our investments are. What stocks, bonds, etc., do we have our money in? Is there any discussion or discernment regarding what corporations our money is invested in? Is our denomination's financial situation dependant on corporate America? I do not know the answers to these questions.

10:50: Report from the Nominating Committee. Talking about the presidential vote. Hossler needs 2/3 majority vote to continue as President. If he doesn't get it, another candidate will need to receive 50% +1 majority in order to be elected. This is a special action, breaking from "Robert's Rule of Order." It sounds like we're going to have to vote on having a vote before we can vote.

10:52: Vote to vote passed.

10:55: Report from the Consistitution Committee. This might create some fireworks. Article IV.A.4.d. on Sanctification up for some changes. The words "crisis experience" are proposed to be changed to "decisive experience."

Article XII.E.3 is proposed to be added on "Core Affirmations." This statement will be called "Our Partnership in the Gospel." Will be a requirement for ministers on what we believe. In 2005 in Kansas City there was a resolution to identify and recommend those "non-negotiable documents" in a summary statement that all ministers (including myself) must affirm in order to retain credentials.

There are some problematic elements in this "Core Affirmations" document, and some of us younger folk have discussed these and will likely raise them at the conference before the vote. As it stands, I will vote against this document.

Some of the wording from the document is from the Evangelical Free Church. Other wording is from the Articles of Faith of the Missionary Church.

The document explicitly rejects Open Theism and has statements about the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. While I agree with these statements theoretically, I am against the idea that they are direct aspects of "the gospel." It seems instead that they are responses to contemporary church politics.

11:45: We're receiving a rally cry for church planting in Spanish (with translation) from Rev. Jimmy Santiago. Good stuff.

Top Philosophers of Religion

The blog Common Sense Atheism has recently posted a list of the 100+ Top Living Philosophers of Religion and Their Best Work. Interestingly, many of these philosophers are committed Christians, some even orthodox ones. . . . Only noticed one Anabaptist on the list, Nancey Murphy, but there could be more. The list might be a great place for young philosophers or those interested in philosophy of religion to get a handle on the field. One of my thesis readers and former professors, Keith Yandell, was listed as an "uber-philosopher." I put a word in for two other former profs, Harold Netland and Chad Meister. We'll see if they make it.

While you're at the CSA site, check out the list of 400+ Atheism vs. Theism Debates. Includes audio and text files of many of the debates. Wow!