Category: DOC Thoughts
Parables Can Connect Us . . .
I serve in Christian ministry. Many that read this blog know that. This post is specifically for people that claim Christian faith, but I think it is applicable to all humans no matter one’s religious faith or no faith. Given the new overt nationalism that is sweeping across Europe, and now in the United States, it seems to me more important than ever that people of good will find connections at a root level so that early 20th century history doesn’t repeat itself. Nuclear weapons exist now. Those seeking the rapture, no matter the term for the apocalypse in their religion, are embedded in government institutions in our Republic, in Western liberal democracies, and in secular governments that tolerate the practice of religion inside their borders. Apocalyptic nihilism, and those that would profit from it, is alive and well no matter your class, caste, religion, or race. Buyer beware.
This year we meet Jesus through the experiences of Matthew. He probably used a few of the letters of Paul and the Gospel of Mark as his source material filling in the details that Mark leaves out. Yes, the author of Matthew may have embellished a bit based on his experiences and the time he lived. All the gospels and epistles do it. You may think that n
ever happens today, but well, you know different. A couple of weeks ago we met the first disciples (Matthew 4:18-23) that Jesus called: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. It was the beginning of their disciple story. Have you ever thought about how your disciple story begins?
Did it begin with a parable? Try this to begin remembering. “Look in a mirror and see if you can see yourself without seeing your eyes seeing yourself.”(1)
The parables that Jesus told flip our thinking and our vision. New Testament scholar John Dominic Crossan notes, “First, parable is story, that is, a tensive sequence of beginning, middle, and end in a narrative that lures you into its plotted micro world to participate as an outsider-insider in its ongoing adventure.”(2) The parables describe the world, relationships, and community as the way it could be, should be, would be, might be were those that believe in the God that Jesus proclaimed experiencing good news; and being living good news. Often, it takes walking around in another person’s shoes to see the world through another lens. Yes, that takes a lot of work. My guess is your disciple story begins with you seeing or experiencing God differently, and that there is something more to your story than accepting Christ as your savior and being baptized.
Maybe one or two of the parables can connect us as followers of Jesus. Which one or two of the parables best frame the good news of God or describe the kindom of God? Which parable provides connections to community and to practicing the way of Jesus which, in our current context, might be different than what is called Christianity.
I think the parables have the power to connect us, we disciples of Jesus, because they work on us and help us be better people. Many of the people I know, non-Christian and Christian alike, work a parable or two every day. Most often without any thought. So, I’ll be thinking about the parables this spring, with a few colleagues and friends, trying to choose one or two that connect us and our discipleship following Jesus, whom we call Christ. I look forward to the journey. Join us. I’ll be posting the conversations here.
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Note
1. John Dominic Crossan, The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction About Jesus (New York: HarperOne, 2012), 243.
2. Crossan, The Power of Parable, 243.
Is Your Congregation Blending In?
A few years ago Dr. Peter Gomes address my denomination’s General Assembly. GA is a gathering of congregational representatives, our clergy, our General Ministry staff that represent our denomination within ecumenical Christendom and work on a variety of program and presence ministries that help congregations and all humanity. Some view the General Assembly and our General Ministry staff in a similar way many in our Nation view our Congress: leaders or representatives out of touch with ‘regular’ people. Sometimes we use the rural v. urban excuse during conversations and dialogue about living a pragmatic Christian theology that focuses on how Jesus lived, rather than a theology based in Apostolic doctrines and right belief. Dr. Gomes urged my denomination to continue to scratch the theological itch, to ask questions, and to be unique instead of blend in to the safe Christian landscape as a way to continue to exist a little longer. My short hand of his remarks: stop trying to look like, be like, or worship like the church down the street. The last time my denomination went through reformation was a period from 1968-1972. We called it restructure and from that time emerged what looks like historic episcopacy denominations without any of the hard hierarchical authority.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), what I call our little frontier movement, began with people deciding not to blend in, not to go along with the pragmatic theology of the day. It began with the idea that it is wrong to keep someone not baptized in your congregation from participating in the Lord’s Supper [communion, the Great Thanksgiving Feast, the eucharist]. Again, my interpretation of their struggle of that idea, denying a person from receiving communion because she or he was not baptized in your congregation, is that it is not consistent with the example of Jesus of Nazareth nor is it theologically consistent about the meaning of baptism or a confession of faith. That is a post for another day.
We don’t like to think about ‘marketing’ a congregation or our brand of Christian witness. I remember once arguing that too much Christian evangelism was like selling door to door. I don’t think converting all humanity to Christian faith is what practicing Christianity or the way of Jesus is all about. There is plenty of that kind of Christian theology already out there in the world. Some who believe that kind of theology work with broad communities to help bend the arc of history toward justice while actively evangelizing people to their religious worldview. That kind of authenticity I respect. It is not a bait and switch. My denomination is in a place where some are mimicking the worship style of other denominations as a way to attract the people who those styles attract. Sometimes we adopt music, songs, and hymns because it brings people in over there. Maybe it will bring people in over here. Is that how our frontier movement wants to exist?
Pattern matching as a shortcut to growth
Seth Godin, August 19, 2016Human beings are pattern-matching machines. Changing our beliefs, though, is something we rarely do. It’s far easier to sell someone on a new kind of fruit than it is to get them to eat crickets, regardless of the data you bring to the table.
Ron Osborn describes what he calls, ‘the Disciples mind.” I think we are finding a way to be an example of unity, an example of community, in our polarized culture again.
What do we mean by the Disciples mind? It is a way of approaching the Scriptures with a reverent intelligence. This style of professing Christian faith has accepted the reproach of advocating a “head religion” hurled by those who profess a “heart religion.” Emphasizing faith with understanding, the Disciples mind puts the highest premium on rationality and faithfulness in action.
Ronald E. Osborn, “The Disciples Mind.” Chalice Hymnal (Chalice Press: St. Louis) 1995. #553.