Lex Talionis versus Lex Orandi. Say what? These are Latin phrases standing for the Law of Retaliation versus the Law of Prayer. I had never really thought about them in regard to racial reconciliation until I was listening to a lecture about Cyprian, a Bishop from North Africa, who had to deal with whether or not the Church should forgive those who had betrayed their faith (lapsi) during a time of persecution and made sacrifice or burned incense to the Emperor of Rome. We know the Law of Retaliation in terms of “An eye for an eye.” The Law of Prayer is the one found in Mark 11:25. In this passage Jesus is teaching about prayer. “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Or, as when Jesus taught his disciples to pray what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” he adds, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father …
Core Values
THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS…
I feel caught between a rock and a hard place in the conflict between sympathy for the victims of sexual assault or abuse and the rule of law. Many of my friends cast this current conflict at the hearing for the Supreme Court in the light of power versus victims. Many people are simply saying, “believe the victim!” Others are reminding us that a person is considered innocent until “proven” guilty. I want to do both. If someone is indeed a victim I want to believe them, love on them, protect them, and even avenge them. Whatever in my feeble and inept ways I can I want to be there for them, try to understand, listen, and weep with those who weep. In my own family I have seen someone ripped apart by the abuse they suffered, and I admit that I will never adequately know how that has affected their fears, feelings, self-image, confidence, sense of security, and ability to trust. I have marveled at how …
ENTANGLING ALLIANCES
Someone has asked my opinion on local churches cooperating or interacting with other organizations, and possibly other ministries. What principles should we keep in mind, what practical issues might develop, and what are some of the perplexing perils in fulfilling our mission? I will try to integrate some of the “perplexing perils” (PP) as I articulate principles and practical issues. Here is a start to discussion.PRINCIPLES I write from the perspective of someone who was an urban pastor trying to reach and minister to poor people, and in a cross-cultural context.1. Know your own identity and mission as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is unique, it is essential, and it must not be compromised as to its Gospel message, call to conversion and discipleship, and moral and ethical integrity. (PP-If you care about the social conditions surrounding you the temptation might be to think the Church and its message are neither relevant …
GOD BLESS THE DEACONS!
I like Deacons. I honor the office of Deacon. I love the men and women who serve in the ministry of mercy throughout our churches. May the Lord bless them and give them a reward for what they do. Pastors and Elders need to value the ministry of Deacons, and they need to be thankful that they have them. Pastors need to brag on them and give them honor, encourage the congregation to hold the Deacons up in prayer, and to give them their cooperation as well as the physical and financial resources to do effective work. Some pastors simply want the Deacons to protect them from facility surprises, as in maintaining roofs, heating and air conditioners, grounds keeping, snow removal, clean bathrooms, etc. Some churches want them to make sure there are ushers, money counting, good budgeting, security, and parking lot attendants. All of these things are important, and the larger and more middle-class the congregation is than …
MALPRACTICE IN CROSS CULTURAL MINISTRY
FAILINGThere are ways we can fail in our pursuit of cross-cultural ministry. I refer to this as “malpractice.” I am not speaking simply of not achieving our goals but of going about ministry in ways that actually hurt people, hurt the reputation of the church, and possibly bring slander to the name of Christ. Cross cultural ministry has to be defined by the cultures one is trying to cross or bridge. There are ministries that are multi-ethnic, and that is (merely, or only) what they want to be. Sometimes these groups think of themselves as “multi-cultural.” That is they don’t really want to “cross” over into someone else’s culture but they do want to have a mixture of kinds of people in their group or church. They would prefer everybody to be comfortable in “their own skin” and not force anyone to “walk in someone else’s shoes.” MISSIONAL VERSUS DOMINANCE To settle for this model usually …
The Danger of Following an Ideological Line
It is hard not to say something about this latest activity by our President, and I speak of the comments President Trump made in Finland about Russia. I recently heard a lecture by Professor Peter C. Mancall of the University of Southern California (Audible –The Teaching Company) in a lecture on the American Revolution. In it he spoke about political ideology. He described it as a road map, a bunch of street signs, which guide our thinking. It explains and seems to reflect a reality we desire. I picture it as one of those single line maps someone draws on a table napkin which seems to correspond to reality but it certainly is not an above the earth view like GPS. Nor is it like a biblical world view which gives you godly principles. I am afraid way too many people are following line maps drawn on a napkin, and they get angry with anyone saying there might be other factors to consider before one continues in this …
WHAT IS YOUR POLITICAL POSITION?
Where do I stand? I don’t think the middle is a proper understanding of my position. I am trying to stand on the Rock, on the Word of God, from his “fixed” position. This is opposed to partisans in America, whose positions shift, though they are often referred to as “being on the right,” or “being on the left.” “Being in the middle” is often dismissed as a real position because people think that to oppose their point of view means you are siding with their opponents, so in an election you are declared to have hurt the vote if you don’t vote for their side, even if you can’t in good conscience vote for either side. Most political partisans hate the people in the middle and seek either to radicalize them or to dismiss their legitimacy. Ideology despises compromise. I don’t think my position is the “middle.” Though at times, for political understanding, it might seem that way. I want to be in the correct …
MISTER BIG STUFF, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Do you ever get bothered by pictures of young white people surrounded by little black children, whether American or African, as they send out stories and messages of their latest mission trip or urban experience? I’m all in favor of “best practices” when it comes to community development and ministry. I am in favor of a discerning and growing “cultural intelligence” while working in cross cultural contexts and across economic strata. This sounds a bit stupid but I, in a very simple way, am in favor of justice. That leads me to being against paternalism. Consequently, I am opposed to exploiting the poor for the purpose of fund raising, marketing, and publicity whether it be for the aggrandizement of my personal name or the enrichment of my organization. The bottom line in analyzing my behavior is of course love; to be continuously asking the question of myself and my organization, "are we, am I, showing love to the the very people I …
IMMIGRATION
There are many folks writing and speaking out against the Trump Administration policy of separating children from their parents, those who have sought to enter the U.S. without permission, or illegally. I am sure my voice will not add much to what is being said, but I do feel it right to say something about it and not remain silent. Every once in a while our government does something it thinks is necessary to solve a problem and makes a choice to do something that is immoral, wrong, and/or even a crime against humanity. We are a very “legal” nation so the government usually takes pains to declare something to be legal, even when it is morally wrong. One example was the policy of torture during the Bush administration. Much of the time the executive branch is responsible for creating a “policy” to define how laws will be carried out. The Legislative branch is supposed to be the branch that makes laws but many …
WHITE FRAGILITY AND PASTORAL CARE
One of the struggles I experience in the world of racial reconciliation and peacemaking is to hear people say pretty stupid things. Sometimes I get to hear people express their fears, and sometimes their anger, and sometimes just their ignorance. In all of these expressions I am still called on by God to love people. Most of us are exposed to different spheres of thought, or activity. Those of us who are Christians live, or ought to, in the world (environment) of the Church. We also live in the world of politics, media – including both news and editorials. We live in our cultures, we live in our families, in our vocations, and our opinions are formed. Sometimes those opinions are well founded, and sometimes they are not. Sometimes those opinions are held without pride or arrogance, they are held loosely, and are open to change. Sometimes we tie our opinions to our egos and then we entrench ourselves against …