Category — Church

I invite you to join me and others at The Next Big Idea conference at Baylor from Feb. 9 to 11. 

This conference is shaping up to be a unique attempt to translate Big Ideas into Action, to assist the church in how live out the gospel in a radical manner, and to create understand how to be faithful in our fragmented world.  Speakers and workshop leaders include Kay Warren, Eric Swanson, Rick Rusaw, Rick McKinley, Lynne Hybels, Walter Bradley, Diana Garland, Dennis Tucker, Mack McCarter, Alan Nelson, Dennis Myers, Amy Sherman, Heidi Unruh, Gaynor Yancey, and myself.  Topics include human trafficking, church renewal, AIDS, poverty, disease, new technologies, world Christianity, youth, family, community ministry, volunteers, and new ideas about the church’s outreach.  In sum, the conversation is about how the church becomes externally focused.  Come to Waco and join us for this conversation. 

Early Bird registration runs until Dec. 31st.  To learn more about details of the program and register, click here.

Grading is the hard but necessary part of my job.  However, it does give me opportunity to read through some great stuff from students.  The following is excerpted from a student’s statement of her personal mission theology.

The collective blessed ones, the people of God, are known as the church. The mission cannot be separated from the identity of God’s people.  Mission is who the church is, not what the church does. It is God’s mission, however, and not the church’s mission. The mission of church is to actively and faithfully bear witness to who they are and to their God.  God has a church for his mission, and not a mission for the church.  Through the participation in God’s redemptive and restorative mission, both the church and the world are changed.

Well said, Ashley!

In preparation for a conference in February, I am reading about World Christianity.  I invite you to think with me via some key quotes. 

Sociologist Paul Freston characterizes Christianity as both declining and expanding.  It is losing ground in its more traditional heartland and yet expanding in non-Western regions. 

[Christianity] was 81 percent white (i.e., European and North American) in 1900; but by 2000 that figure was down to 40 [citing Barrett and Johnson, IBMR, 23/1, Jan. 1999, pp. 24-25]. … The result is that Christianity has become a predominantly non-Western religion and indeed probably the leading non-Western religion (only Islam could possibly rival it). …  For the first time since the seventh century, the majority of Christians are not of European origin; Christianity is finally breaking out of the “Western” mold imposed on it by Islam. (”Globalization, Religion, and Evangelical Christianity: A Sociological Meditation from the Third World” in Interpreting Contemporary Christianity: Global Processes and Local Identities, Eerdmans, 2008, pp. 29-30)

The same trend has been chronicled by Andrew Walls (The Missionary Movement in Christian History, Orbis, 1996), Lamin Sanneh (Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel beyond the West, Eerdmans, 2003), Dana Robert (”Shifting Southward: Global Christianity Since 1945,” IBMR, 24/2, April 2000), and Philip Jenkins (The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, Oxford, 2002).  The common refrain among these writers is that the strength and vitality of the Christian movement has relocated.  And yet, the shift has been more than an adjustment in numerical strength or geographical locus.  The character and constitution of the faith, that which gives meaning to its forms and expressions, have changed as well.  While Andrew Walls characterizes this as “a seismic shift in Christianity,” Dana Robert nuances the change as “the seismic shift in Christian identity” (Robert, “Shifting Southward,” p. 50).

The gospel has moved beyond accommodated forms, rituals, and customs to penetrate and even renew peoples’ mentality or psyche with Christ-meaning and purpose.  Turning to Jesus, as Lamin Sanneh points out, has become “a refocusing of the mental life and its cultural/social underpinnings and of our feelings, affections, and instincts, in the light of what God has done in Jesus” (Sanneh, Whose Religion, pp. 43-44).  In other words, the faith is no longer a foreign guest in a strange land.  Rather, it is native to the soil, at home in locales throughout the world, and in touch with the deepest needs.  Thus, while Christianity may appear to be the world’s largest religion, it is in fact, as Dana Robert explains, “the ultimate local religion” (Robert, “Shifting Southward, p. 56).

And thus, the faith expands as it takes the form and shape of local societies.  Why?  Because Christianity finds a home in these places.  According to Walls, “The faith of Christ is infinitely translatable; it creates ‘a place to feel at home’” (Missionary Movement, p. 25).

Christianity is unique in its translatability; its ability to be at home in a myriad of languages, forms, mental frameworks (worldviews), histories, personal and national aspirations, etc.  This, of course, assaults the tendencies of some Western missionaries and church leaders to ‘internationalize’ their particular brand of Christianity.  And yet, the Christian faith was never intended to be captured or realized in one particular cultural form.

No primal form is prescribed that is to be introduced worldwide.  Indeed, it can be said that the church is infinitely translatable or adaptable.  The church can be established in every language and culture, taking the form that is appropriate to each particular cultural-linguistic group.  (Wilbert R. Shenk, “New Wineskins for New Wine: Toward a Post-Christendom Ecclesiology,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 29/2, April 2005, p. 74)

Christianity is translatable, and so the church in a particular society, cultural setting, and mentality must be translated as well.  For Christianity to be vibrant and authentic, a church in Ghana must be different than a church in Chicago.  Shenk concludes that

When we turn to examples from history where churches have shown authentic spiritual vitality, we observe that such churches have been marked by a strong sense of their identity as the body of Christ engaged in faithful witness to the world. To carry out this witness has invariably required new structures and forms appropriate to the cultural context. Old wineskins cannot handle new wine. (Ibid., p. 79)

Lamin Sanneh takes the discussion a step further to distinguish how new wineskins exist alongside older, more established ones.

“World Christianity” is the movement of Christianity as it takes form and shape in societies that previously were not Christian, societies that had no bureaucratic tradition with which to domesticate the gospel.  In these societies Christianity was received and expressed through the cultures, customs, and traditions of the people affected.  World Christianity is not one thing, but a variety of indigenous responses through more or less effective idioms, but in any case without necessarily the European Enlightenment frame.  “Global Christianity,” on the other hand, is the faithful replication of Christian forms and patterns developed in Europe. … It is, in fact, religious establishment and the cultural captivity of the faith.  (Sanneh, Whose Religion, p. 22)

Sanneh draws a sharp distinction between Christian faith that springs from the soil and that which is imported from a far.  The language of ‘world’ and ‘global’ distinguishes the two.  World denotes the new and emerging phenomenon, while global is representative of the period of colonial expansion and is now associated with globalization, McDonaldization, internationalism, etc. 

Ogbu U. Kalu develops the concept of globalism …

There has been a shift, however, from the global village concept to one of rather bewildering disintegration and flux.  One aspect is the pace and direction of change.  The other is that, at the core, globalism is a power concept, bearing the seeds of asymmetrical power relations.  There is no guarantee of equality or benefit for all.  Globalism is akin to the New Testament concpet of kosmos, the world order, controlled by an inexplicable, compulsive power, dazzling with allurements or kosmetikos. (”Changing Tides: Some Currents in World Christianity at the Opening of the Twenty-first Century,” in Interpreting Contemporary Christianity: Global Processes and Local Identities, Eerdmans, 2008, p. 7)

Thus, Global Christianity is to be viewed negatively as power religion accomplished via homogeneity or sameness.  Whatever the motivation (fear of syncretism, reinforcement of doctrinal orthodoxy, or naive and uncritical cultural imperialism), the result is the same - an “asymmetical power relation.”  And usually it is the one with the money which dominates in the relation. 

Some would argue that globalization has forever changed the world, and thus there are few place that exist in a cultural vacuum.  They contend that technologies and ideas run wild via television, radio, Internet, print mediums, movies, travel, etc., so talk of translation, indigenization, or contextualization is no longer relevant to the reality on the ground.  And yet, others argue that while secularization is taking place and plurality exists, it is “optionless plurality” (Freston, p. 31).  There are real and substantial barriers to conversion to a foreign (American) faith, and thus, if Christianity is to expand and thrive there must be “new structures and forms appropriate to the cultural context.”  Data indicates that the more vigorous expansion of Christianity is not occurring in places where traditional mainline denominations reign but where the faith has successfully delinked or disengaged from European and American influence and money. 

There is much more that could be cited and discussed, but this is enough for now.  The discussion is important for the North American Church as it contemplates its missionary program, its relationship to the surrounding culture, and how it relates to brothers and sisters half a world away.  Is the North American church really in a new position in its relationship to Christianity around the world?  If so, then in what new ways must it relate, participate, and contribute?

“Missionary work must be either the relation of the Church to the world, or a fad of a few.” 
 -Roland Allen, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church, p. 98.

In 1792 William Carey wrote a short pamphlet entitled An Enquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.  In just a few pages, he highlights the state of the world, reasons with his Baptist brethren about their obligation to obey Christ’s commission, and issues a call for them to take radical steps in order to “spread the knowledge of [the Lord's] name.” 

During this past week I was in a workshop on the training of church members to give cross-cultural witness to Christ.  I noticed that the lady sitting next to me was reading Carey’s Enquiry.  After some time of reading, she turned to me and pointed out a passage toward the end of the pamphlet.  It reads …

We must not be contented however with praying, without exerting ourselves in the use of means for the obtaining of those things we pray for.  Were the children of light but as wise in their generation as the children of this world they would stretch every nerve to gain so glorious a prize, nor ever imagine that it was to be obtained in any other way. 

She remarked that these words reminded her of the Olympic games and the quest of so many for prizes of gold, silver, and bronze and for the honor of country.  No more had to be said.  Her remark and the look on face said it all.  She was asking, does the mission of church even come close to the significance of the Olympics and might this mission require the same level of pursuit?

A total of 10,500 athletes have traveled to Beijing to compete in the XXIX Olympiad.  Of course, tens of thousands trained in the hopes of competing in Beijing but did not qualify.  All of these men and women have expended their best efforts, sacrificed their youth, laid aside other hopes and dreams … just to compete.  Only a minority will compete, and an even smaller group will win the prize.  Millions of us sit transfixed at the dedication and valor of these athletes.

Carey, along with the apostle Paul, calls the children of light of his generation to the same kind of dedication and valor - “to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).  Carey says stretching every nerve is not an extra obligation, but it is the only manner in which the prize can be obtained.  With the intensity of a swimmer reaching for every inch in his quest to reach the wall first, or the sprinter exploding from the blocks with every ounce of energy she possesses, or the gymnast straining to hold his body steady suspended between rings … with the same stretch of every nerve, I am to labor, live, and love in my calling to make Jesus Christ known. 

I have to admit that I do not stretch every nerve in this calling.  And this is simply because I do not regard this prize as worthy of my best effort, sacrifice, and dreams.  Nevertheless, I am told that this prize will not rust but is imperishable, will not fade but is eternal, will not become old news but remains fresh.  This is because the prize is not an award, fame, or news clippings but Jesus himself - to know him and be found in him.  When I clearly see that the prize is not self-righteousness, church growth, or even ministry and missions but Jesus, then I find myself desiring to turn my whole being toward this quest.  The questions for me are …

• Is Jesus enough? - Is he the gold that I will sacrifice everything to obtain?
• Will I discipline and train my appetites, desires, and hopes so that loving and serving Jesus and others consumes and possesses me? 
• What will disqualify me from running this race to end of my life?

This is the race I want to run - the prize I hope to gain.

For almost a year, Global Connection Partnership Network has been developing training that is church-based and deliverable online.  The training consists of forty lessons under the broad categories of Foundations, Character, Community, Competency, Church, Connection, and Covenant.  These lessons cover such topics as cross-cultural living, approaching people of other faiths, partnerships, and conflict resolution.  The launch of this new form of training will take place on August 14-15, 2008 in Arlington, TX.  Once a person is trained and certified to faciliate a learning group, he or she will be able to access the lessons and begin training people in the context of their local church.  To learn more about how to be part of this initial workshop, go to http://www.gcpn.org/missional_formation.html . 

The church - what a great place to be formed for cross-cultural witness.

All kinds of issues fill the pages of our newspapers and figure prominently in the evening news - the war, oil prices, the upcoming election, etc.  And yet, some of the more pressing world problems seem to be completely absent.  For example, what do we read or hear about malaria?  AIDS gets some press - not near enough - but malaria is hardly on the radar for any of us, especially me.  While reading The End of Poverty, I came across a sentence that caused me to stop reading and put the book down …

Malaria is utterly treatable, yet, incredibly, it still claims up to three million lives per year, mostly young children, about 90 percent of whom live in Africa  (Jeffrey D. Sachs, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, 196).

Three million lives per year … mostly young children … 90 percent live in Africa … and yet … utterly treatable!  That would be like one half of all the children 18 years and younger in Texas dying in one year!  As I have turned this sentence over and over in my mind, I have wanted somehow to insert the word church somewhere into the middle of it.  Could the church in some way intervene in the lives of three million human beings dying of malaria every year?  Isn’t such intervention part of the mission of God to which we are called?  And yet, more than empathy or concern, we must know what to do about malaria, how best to act in its prevention, and where to put our efforts.  Zeal and rhetoric without knowledge and know how is empty. 

Malaria alone is not the problem - it causes poverty and poverty causes malaria.  Jeffrey Sachs points out that with five billion clinical cases of malaria per year, the disease causes poverty through absentism, anemia, poor school attendance, and reduction of the labor force (pp. 196-200).  And on the other hand, poor households cannot take the simple measures necessary to prevent the disease - netting, sprays, or screens.  And so malaria and poverty progress hand-in-hand. 

A group of people are getting together October 23-25, 2008 to consider a response to the causes of global poverty.  “Bottom-up Approaches to Global Poverty: Appropriate Technology, Social Entrepreneurship and the Church” is sponsored by the Baylor school of engineering, business school, and Truett Seminary.  These three perspectives on the world issues contributing to poverty will converge for a unique conversation.  I am extremely encouraged that the church, the most grassroot organization in the world, will be in the conversation.  The church must be part of the response to malaria and poverty.  I encourage you to come and be a part of the conversation.  Whether the conference produces definitive answers or not, I feel it will at least call the church to take up these issues and become a full participant in offering hope to mothers who watch their children die. 

Three million a year …