Suppose we just leave out that three-letter word!

 “A common-sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature.” - Alistar McGrath

            One of the curious realities of Canadian life early in the 21^st century is the increasing number of people who affirm some variety of belief in a Higher Power, Supreme Being, Intelligent Designer or Super Intellect, yet retain no firm conviction about regularly visiting a place of worship.

            The explanations for this actuality are numerous and I hear many of them in the course of regularly interacting with Canadians who tell me they “don’t do church.” I’m fascinated by the commonalities I hear when people confide that, apart from perhaps Easter or Christmas, regular attendance at a church, synagogue or mosque doesn’t rank very high on their “to do” lists.

            Hypocrisy, irrelevant, too busy, guilt-trips, kids’ schedules, boring, judgemental people, dull monologues … are among the favorite themes I encounter.  All of these explanations have some degree of merit, to be sure, and chances are good I can best any story that specifically elaborates on any one of them.

            I too get frustrated with church-people. I too regret my own frequent failings. I, likewise, lament that church-goers often can be more of a “Nosy Nellie” than a “Compassionate Carl.” I fully understand the sentiments of that bumper sticker I periodically see: “Jesus: Save Me from Your Followers!”

            The disparity between the truth represented in the quotation above and what many Canadians have experienced in church life is instructive. Many choose to become what I call “closet theists.” They readily grasp that the concept of this ordered world developing and functioning as the result of mere happenstance requires a greater faith than they possess. Yet, the nonsense they’ve encountered in organizations that ostensibly serve as conduit to the relevant Higher Power, Supreme, Intelligent Designer, Super Intellect, ultimately proved unbearable. Accordingly, they are wary of that three-letter word and anything or anyone that purportedly represents it - God.

 

           Unfortunate, that!

            I was recently privileged to spend some time with a friend who is a professional folk-rock musician on the club circuit. One of his latest songs is titled: “Not a Good Time for God” in which he laments mankind’s expertise at corrupting the “G” word.

 

           In our visit together, like Alistar McGrath, we recommitted to positively representing the Mastermind we’ve experienced as Friend.

What makes cyber-opinions "Christian?"

The eminent American preacher, William H. Willimon, tells of being approached by an eager reporter for a student newspaper who was looking for a juicy quote.

"Dawk-tuh Will-uh-mawn," the writer drawled, "whawt's yo' view of ho-mo-segs-u-al-i-tuh?"

"I believe everything Jesus said about it," the former Dean of the Chapel at Duke Divinity School replied.

Confident they had something of substance, the reporter proceeded to publish the quote verbatim.

The humorous point of, of course, is that contrary to what that reporter assumed, Jesus never made any overt comments or judgments regarding homosexuality.

WARNING: The primary topic of this post is not homosexuality so seekers of juicy table scraps may wish to click on...

Willimon's anecdote lends itself to several important points but one will suffice for the purpose of this post.

Amidst the scores of "Christian" perspectives, views, blogs, tweets, et al, that daily soar through cyberspace, we do well to periodically inquire regarding what makes an opinion essentially "Christian."

Is it the merely the reputation/legacy of the blogger, poster, or opinion-writer? Is it the opinion's theological proximity to what any particular denomination/tradition considers orthodox? Is it the necessary evidence required to ensure the source will not risk losing that contract with that publisher or that invitation to be keynote speaker at that next big conference?

It's long past time we started applying serious scrutiny to the origins of the thinking that fuels the myriad of messages that encumber cyberspace.

Some of them are far more closely aligned with Churchianity than Christianity - "Christ" being the operative dynamic in that observation.

Some of us are convinced there is a BIG difference between Churchianity and Christianity. Accordingly, it would be appreciated if more communicators would consider such before hitting SEND.

Interpreting the inexplicable horrors of life

             If there’s one thing I’m intolerant of in a day when tolerance is a prerequisite for contributing to discussions in the public square, it is simplistic answers to complex questions. Since preachers are ostensibly about truth-telling, try this on for size: some of the most simplistic explanations I hear regarding complex matters originate in the church/religious world.

            This reality exists for a number of curious reasons. Sufficient for my purposes here is to merely submit that when I hear church/religious people tender simplistic answers for complex realities, more often than not I suggest it’s time they re-read the ancient book of Job. Simple answers didn’t cut it thousands of years ago and they don’t cut it today.

            What, in the name of all that is truthful, are we to make of the senseless and brutal murders of five Calgary college students by someone they considered a friend? And what light does ancient wisdom shed on our efforts to responsibly engage that question?

            For those unfamiliar with the storyline in the biblical book Job, here’s a précis. Readers are introduced to Job, a wealthy businessman whose reputation is a jaw-dropper: blameless, of complete integrity, continually fearing God and turning away from evil. If you’re perceptive, you’ll grasp why my parents didn’t name me Job.

            “Health and wealth theology” being a staple today, you’d think Deity would be inclined to honor Job’s devotion. Yet just two chapters in, this honorable gentleman’s wealth, business, children and health are AWOL and we find him taunted by his cynical wife to “curse God and die.” Oh, did I mention this sudden change in fortunes was all God’s idea in the first place? Were he among us today, Job could be excused for stomping out of worship gatherings that proclaim such platitudes as “God is good, all the time, God is good!”

            Curiously, the balance of Job – some forty chapters – is largely unread which, in my estimation, largely accounts for the proclivity among believers to spout simplistic solutions to complex matters. The essence of this lengthy treatise gets right in the face of E-Z Answers Inc. = shut up, already!

            The message of ancient wisdom that contemporary society does well to note? Bad stuff happens! Bad stuff happens to good and godly people! Being spiritually devout doesn’t guarantee immunity to bad stuff!  And the real kicker: Deity uses bad stuff for purposes we will not fully comprehend in this life!  

(Trigger warning): Contents may offend some!

“I am going to prepare a trigger warning for myself and recite it before every shift at the hospital. ‘Warning: death, puke, poop, phlegm, bile, pus, sweat, family discord, malingering, violence, belligerence, fear, withdrawal…’”    – nurse at a Kingston, ON, hospital

            If you’re unfamiliar with the expression ‘trigger warning,’ you need to engage it. It’s the modern equivalent of the old TV show disclaimer advising that contents of the following program may offend some viewers.

            Taking the crusade of political correctness to its next predictable level, certain voices among us today are calling for ‘trigger warnings’ to now intrude the worlds of literature and academia. A recent article in The Globe and Mail - that included the quotation above - succinctly elaborated: “In February, a Rutgers sophomore writing in the New Jersey university’s student newspaper called for a trigger warning on, among other works, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, because the book contains “suicide, domestic abuse, and graphic violence.””

            This discussion seizes my attention because, as most readers know, the Christian faith recently celebrated Holy Week which included Good Friday, a recollection of Jesus Christ’s bloody crucifixion on a Roman execution pole. I’m such a fossil that twenty years ago - when the V-chip television was the latest technology enabling parents to pre-program their TV sets to protect Johnie and Suzie from tuning in any graphic violence – I wrote in a national publication during Holy Week that there was some violence we should consider sacred and from which responsible parents should not shield our offspring.

            I was recently reminded of those days when a young mother in our congregation asked if I would have a look at a new version of a children’s Bible she’d obtained that she thought was somewhat inappropriate. I reminded her that the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, is a fairly graphic portrayal of humanity and our competing inclinations to pursue both the good AND the ugly. It’s indeed very difficult to sugar-coat the murders, muggings, messes and assorted mayhem revealed therein!  

Instructively, that’s one of the reasons the Bible has retained its popularity over the years – it is disturbingly realistic about the human condition. Perhaps the day is not far off when someone will advocate slapping a trigger warning on its contents.

            So, a word to the wise is in order here. If you’re one of the numerous Canadians who hasn't been to church in a while - be duly warned: neither the V-chip nor trigger warnings are in use there. Yet!

The comparative impotence of cash

“After pausing in December, Albertans came rushing back to malls, shops and car dealerships,” said Todd Hirsch, chief economist with ATB Financial. “Alberta’s record-setting sales are yet another indicator of an extremely strong economy.”  - Calgary Herald, March 21, 2014

            There’s one tidbit of advice the Beatles dispensed that I wish my generation would grasp: “I don't care too much for money; 'Cause money can't buy me love.”

            Wise, that! Nevertheless, here we are some fifty years later - still captivated by the notion that cents is equivalent to sense, that money and its accordant power to purchase is pretty much the cure for everything. Except that it isn’t.

            Not that I wish to rain on anybody’s parade merely for the sake of raining on anybody’s parade, please understand. I’m as appreciative as the next dude for the numerous benefits that accrue due to living in one of the most fabulous economies on earth. I, too, like to see people prosper. I, too, enjoy the positive vibes a flourishing economy creates. Share the wealth, baby!

I refuse, nonetheless, to (ahem) buy into the non-cents implicitly trumpeted by many who would have us believe affluence is equivalent to utopia.  Don’t be fooled, friend; it’s as true today as when John, Paul, George and Ringo sang it half-a-century ago: money can’t buy me ________ (you fill in the blank).

Such, of course, was one of the primary messages articulated centuries ago by Jesus. To hear some modern religionists tell it, you would think Jesus spent most of his time talking about matters like homosexuality and abortion. Not true! Jesus did spend a large portion of his abbreviated career modeling and uttering perplexing ideas like “it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The implications of that statement are immense and ultimately challenge the myopic thinking that fuels much of the capitalistic rationale so pervasive in Alberta. Homes in Bearspaw can burn down just as quickly as homes in Forest Lawn. A BMW may get you to the next red light faster, but still ends up in the junkyard. There is no provincial or federal bylaw that prohibits a woman from wearing the same evening gown to two events in the same season.

“Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools,” the Bible says regarding the Romans. There are days I can’t help but wonder if history is repeating itself in Alberta.

On sexual abuse allegations at Prairie Bible Institute, Three Hills, Alberta

 
as published in Calgary City Light News, January 2012 - Tim W. Callaway, columnist

“From my experience, a child who is being abused has to tell – on average – seven people before their story is taken seriously. Seven. That is completely unacceptable.” – sexual abuse survivor and former NHL player, Sheldon Kennedy, testifying before a U.S. Senate committee, December 13, 2011

Given the international controversy generated by recent Facebook allegations of long-past and recent incidents of sexual abuse at Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, I find myself reflecting much on the matter of truth. Again. Since I spent seventeen years of my youth growing up at PBI, you might appreciate why.

While researching and writing a doctoral dissertation (completed 2010) entitled “Training Disciplined Soldiers for Christ: The influence of American fundamentalism on Prairie Bible Institute during the L.E. Maxwell era (1922-1989), I heard from numerous former “staff kids” like myself with interesting and often, hilarious, stories to relate of happy memories stemming from their years at PBI. 
Regrettably, some of the stories I heard were not funny and revealed sordid secrets of sexual abuse experienced at Prairie. Such trauma resulted in years of emotional suffering, costly therapy and, of course, inevitable spiritual upheaval for victims. Since the stories involved friends I’d loved and adults I’d respected for years, I was and remain deeply saddened.

I was not surprised, however. In 1984 while a seminary student I conducted research on sexual abuse in evangelical circles as part of acquiring a master’s degree. In those days virtually no one was talking about the hidden monster. Indeed, visits to numerous university libraries in greater Chicago yielded little by way of information. The horrors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests had yet to become regular fodder for the nightly news. Distressing reports in this regard from schools for children whose parents had served with evangelical missionary organizations like Gospel Missionary Union, the Christian and Missionary Alliance or New Tribes Mission had yet to cross our radar. The cesspool now readily accessible via the internet was an unknown factor.

Nevertheless, I was stunned by my findings on a sadistic reality I’d decided to research upon reading a news story in the Chicago Tribune that claimed authorities estimated statistics concerning sexual abuse of children within religious communities were as bad as if not worse than those for the population in general. I initially refused to believe the claim. A survey of several hundred evangelical churches pierced my soul. Over 90% of pastors who responded acknowledged having encountered the evil during the course of their evangelical ministry. Closer to 95% admitted they’d had no idea what to do about it and were still uncertain as to what their proper course of action should be.

I have no interest whatsoever in “dissing” Prairie Bible Institute or any other evangelical entity for what has come to light in the almost thirty years since I stumbled on this horror. All I know is that twenty-five plus years pastoring three different evangelical churches in western Canada has introduced me to dozens of faces and names raised in such circles who have tearfully related heart-breaking stories that helped instill a passion I will never lose.

Considering that Christ-followers have just celebrated Advent wherein we again proclaimed the life-altering news concerning the birth of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, the Life, perhaps you’ll concur that my reflection on truth is timely.

Truth is often hideous – even as it relates to reality among God’s people. If you need verification of my claim, you might consult early portions of Scripture such as Genesis 38 and 2 Samuel 13. The Bible makes no attempt to conceal this harsh reality. It’s one of the reasons I maintain that, as the story of Balaam demonstrates, God has consistently been limited to using jackasses in attempting to accomplish his work on earth. We need to stop pretending that this truth surprises us. Deny this and there’s no telling what other truths we will deny.

As an avid student of history, I would lack integrity if I didn’t point out there’s been no shortage of skeletons in the closet of Judeo-Christian endeavor over thousands of years. Or, as perceptive pastor, Frederick Buechner, aptly states: “There is perhaps no better proof for the existence of God than the way year after year he survives the way his professional friends promote him.”

In a college course I recently taught on Christian History I asked students to engage such inquires as: “Identify some of the factors regarding how and why the Church evolved from the status of persecuted (e.g. under Nero) to persecutor (Crusades)?” Several students remarked they’d never previously given much thought to the matter. “Millions have,” I responded, “and that’s partly why they want nothing to do with god, religion or church. If you want to be relevant to the way many Canadians think in the 21st century, you’re well advised to tackle the tough questions of which there are many.”

The anecdote serves to establish my conviction that as truth-seekers, contemporary Christ-followers are to be pace-setters in seeking, identifying and even divulging truth wherever the evidence leads. The historical record of too frequent a failure to do so partially explains why today’s Church is viewed by many Canadians as a discredited relic of days gone by. This is merely one reason why organizations like Prairie Bible Institute need to make haste to allow an independent third-party to investigate such claims. This is simply a proper acknowledgement of the implications behind the principle that when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer with it.

Some of us have enough professional respect to call a spade a spade, even if it turns up dirt. Dirt isn’t welcome in some Christian settings which is precisely why truth often takes a beating. Transparency is far more than a pious concept to be articulated in the interests of a politically-correct “sound bite.” The rampant nepotism, narcissism and attendant arrogance that abound in religious circles today needs to be repented of and immediately jettisoned.

Many Canadians I encounter in the course of daily ministry in one of this nation’s fasting growing bedroom-communities roll their eyes when I tell them I’m a church leader. Why? Part of the reason is because they’ve lost patience with and respect for executives of Christian organizations who are demonstrably more committed to acting like politicians or behaving in accordance with The Gospel According to Bay Street than with anything remotely resembling the integrity of the Christ we proclaim.

With all due respect to many dear family members and friends – past and present - at Prairie Bible Institute or, for that matter, any other Christian entity, it’s long past time for the Christian Church and related organizations to “man up,” as they say today, and unreservedly engage truth.

Either that or we should exhibit the decency to seriously reconsider our claim to be following, never mind representing, Jesus, “the Truth.”