Graham’s life show us so much about the changes in our society and the church: from newspapers, TV, civil rights, evangelicals, politics, media, and so much more.
I was moving into my new office and purging some old files. I found a magazine (Promise Keepers) from 1997 that had Graham on the cover.
Here are some of my thoughts in this short video.
A fascinating part of my last 2 years is the amazing number of evangelical and charismatic pastors that I have been able to talk to who feel trapped by the whole ‘open & affirming’ conversation [or same-sex marriage issue for some].
I hear, on a fairly regular basis, that they wish they could be ‘open but not affirming’ or that the whole conversation would just go away and they could just get on with the business of preaching the gospel or making disciples without this cultural pressure to conform to something they are uncomfortable with or even see as wrong.
On the other hand, I have heard from so many gay and lesbian friends about the sheer frustration and agitation at churches saying that everyone is welcome (come as your are) but it really being code for ‘anyone can come and attend but to be fully accepted or empowered will require you to change and conform to be like us.’
The church that I am now pastoring is not just ‘open & affirming’ but it actually a reconciling congregation that advocates for LGBTQ inclusion at every level of church life, ministry, and ordination. You can probably imagine how amazing it feels to be able to say with complete integrity that “everyone is welcome here” and know that it is totally true in this place !
This morning I wrote the following post in prep for the weekend:
You may have seen that Vermont Hills UMC’s tagline is ‘a spiritual oasis’. It has been both fascinating and encouraging to find out how accurate of a description this tagline is.
I’ll be honest: we live in a cynical age and if you are not an accepting and welcoming church, people will grow skeptical of taglines and slogans. You have to be open and affirming of people’s journey and their uniqueness or it will not pass the ‘smell test‘.
It was with great joy that I discovered that VHUMC really is a safe and accepting place – that it lived up to the tagline of being ‘a spiritual oasis’.
Now, no one wants to define themselves by what they are not or what they are against – as tempting as it may be. So we don’t want to state this in the negative or only in contrast to others. We want to be as constructive and as hopeful as possible.
That is why it gives me great joy to be able to say that you are welcome here.
In fact, you are more than welcome – you are wanted!
Part of our transition toward being a conversational community is that we need people of:
I am delighted to be able to say this about VHUMC and I look forward to exploring this topic together this coming Sunday.
IF you are a conversational pastor (as I am) THEN you actually want to hear from people of different genders, stages of life, races, religious backgrounds, and sexualities. It is not something to be addressed or overcome … it IS the point and the joy of being in dialogue.
If people just repeat back to you what you already believe – that is called ‘an echo chamber’.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of being a conversational church is accepting that we are not all going to agree about everything … and that is not just ‘OK’ but is a good thing!
Tomorrow I will post part 2 of this idea and ask: ” what would our energy go to if this debate was settled?”
11 months ago I left my church, left LA, and left social media to come to Portland for a year-long appointment as the visiting professor of theology at the same seminary I had studied at 7 short years before.
It has been an eye-opening year. The seminary has changed a lot in 7 years. Education (higher ed in general and theological ed specifically) has changed a lot in 7 years. I have changed a lot in 7 years.
I had an epiphany of sorts this spring and I reached out to my denominational friends in the Portland area. I let them know that I was interested in getting back in to pastoral ministry and that I would be transferring my ordination to their Methodist denomination. The reception was so warm and so welcoming that I took it as confirmation. The Spirit of God is up to something. I can feel it.
Fast forward 3 months and I am just weeks away from being appointed to a church in SW Portland. I am beyond excited. The church is small and in need of revitalization, but the thing that it has going for it is that the congregation cares about things that matter and they serve their community. That is an exciting point to build on.
The two issues that occupy my imagination right now (before I start) are:
So I am inheriting this wonderful older congregation, a cool but outdated building, the wisdom from my experience in LA, and a mandate for change & growth from my denominational leadership. That is an electric combination.
Add that to a year of reflection and rest and I am just about busting at the seems to get started.
Thank you for your support this past year and for your prayers in the months to come. I get appointed June 20th and then officially begin in July. I can’t wait to partner with this congregation to reach out to our neighborhood and see what God might do with us.
Dualism offers us binary options that must be challenged. Evolution & Creation, Male & Female, Church & World, Jihad & McWorld, East & West, Think & Do etc.
This short video is in response to requests for alternatives to the either/or frame work that we have inherited.
In this short video I speculate about some trends of the N. American church. I would love to hear your feedback and if you want any of the concepts expanded upon.
This is a summary of a multi-day presentation.
Religion is a tricky subject. Many assume that they know what it means while others have decided to reduce religion to fantasy in order to dismiss it.
The hope is to move from an either-or model of ‘true’ or ‘false’ to a “web of meaning”.
My theory is that at least 5 elements contribute the web of meaning. This moves us away from an either/or model of ‘antiquated myth’ or ‘divine revelation’.
5 elements are:
This last one is always the most difficult. Those who are sure (fundamentalist, foundational) dislike the ‘potential’ qualifier. Those who dismiss religion are suspicious of the potential of something ‘real’.
Once we get rid of the false either/or choices we are free to think about what is going on in religion.
I look forward to your comments, questions and concerns.
Here is a fun (weird) conversation I had the other day.
My friend and I are from very similar backgrounds. We both come from a type of church that would classified as charismatic – even if it is mildly so. In our circles there is a very popular preacher on the west coast that tons of people listen to and quote religiously.
I was out for drinks with my friend and we were comparing notes on all that we were learning and he brought up a quote that I have heard the preacher say many times (when I used to listen to the podcast every week) – a quote that is used over and over again by those who run in these circles.
My friend said “what do you think of the quote “Jesus is perfect theology” ?” Continue reading “Perfect Theology?”
Bo Sanders: Public Theology 