Hold this baby. I think I see a leak.

Over the course of many conversations I have had with people who either do not know, do not understand, have an oversimplificational view or people who refuse to hear about the post-modern world view. Some of these conversations have been easier to have than others, but all of the conversations have been fun and fruitful for my development at a Christian. Of the many things that come up in conversation regardless of the type of person I am able to engage a conversation with, one objection stands out in particular.

While it comes in many forms, typically it is expressed that post-moderns/deconstructionalists are throwing the baby out with the bath water. Perhaps this is because of my lacking ability to communicate things that I am struggling with (such as Universal truth claims). Perhaps it is something else, but, for instance, when calling into question universal truth claims I am often met with a degree of astonishment and dismay that I could even make such a question. It is as though the very thought of discrediting universal truth claims under minds the entire society by which we stand. Thus, I hear that I am throwing the baby out with the bath water. By calling into question universal truth claims I am calling into question the ability for anyone to make any truth claim at all!

This is silly.

Of course we all make truth claims. Of course there are things that are universal (for instance, there are certain biological factors that must happen in order for a person to be able to stay alive on their own accord). I am not calling into question so much the act of making universal truth claims, but I am calling into question the truth claims which are seen by many as common sense or foundational for Christianity.

I do not think I am trying to throw the baby out with the bath water, rather I think I am setting the baby aside and emptying the water and examining the tub.

Does the bathtub hold water? Does it leak? Do we need a bigger or smaller tub? Has the baby outgrown this tub? Are there more than one babies we need to bathe?

It could very well be that the post modern experiment will return to all of the answers that we already have. And post moderns will be the first to admit the failure of the post modern quest. We will be the first people to say, "You know what, the tub is great and it will continue to work perfectly. Now where is that baby?"

Why some threatened by or concerned for those who want to examine the integrity of the bathtub?

The practice of Lent - learning from spiders

A couple of days ago, a friend from Seminary came into town for a job he had in Addison. In the short time he was at AHUMC with Robin Stout (the new youth minister) and I, he shared with me a metaphor that I am holding onto for Lent.

A spider weaves a web. The web comes forth from the spider and is an extension of the spider herself. She moves back and forth working to create a web structure and it is beautiful. It is not enough to just create the web but she goes back over the web a second time, strengthening and augmenting the original web. At the end of this work, she has created an incredibly strong web that has the potential to be life giving for her. But in the moment, just after completion, it is not life giving. Creating the web is exhausting, but it is all she can do.

With the web completed, the only thing left for her to do is to wait. She does not ring bells or flash lights. There is no sign or banner. The only thing the spider can do, ever after all this exhausting work, is to wait and hope. She waits on that which gives her life and hopes it comes her way.

This is the spiders life.

And for the lent season, I will try to embody the posture of the spider. Create something out of my soul, an extension of my own self until exhausted.

And then I will wait on God.

Who owns the car?

Recently I was encouraged by a dear friend of mine who not only reads this babble I post, but also gives me much hope for the direction of Church and the future leadership. Currently he is discerning if he should obtain his PhD in order to teach preaching for the next generation of church preachers. To him, I say, we need you. (Read his blog here).

In a conversation we had a metaphor was shared and it spoke to my heart in regards to leadership and the 'way the church runs'. One of driving.

When you were learning how to drive, no matter how safe a driver you were, you could not drive the way you wanted to drive. We all had to drive the way our parents wanted us to drive (both their good and bad driving habits) because they owned the car. They put their hard earned money and sweat equity into that car and they wanted to make sure the car remained as they desired it to be.

My friend's metaphor lead me to think, "Yes, I can see this happening in the church in many ways. The people who have put their lives into the creation and upkeep of the church want to make sure the church is safe, looks good, and operates. Which means we (new leadership) have to learn to drive the church the way those older than us want us to drive the church, not the way we feel called to drive."

But the thing is, this mentality may work for a car, but the Church is not a car. In fact we do not own the church. The Church belongs to God.

It is my prayer that I never forget that I do not own the Church. It is my prayer that I remember always, especially when I am one of the older church leaders, there are many ways to drive a car, and I cannot monopolize driving techniques on a car that, for all of us, is a rental.