i
RETHNK SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS
MONTHLY
TWILIGHT | FICTION FAMILY | DIRTY GIRLS | HOMELESS CONNECT
RETHINKING GOD IN TODAY’S CULTURE. FREE MARCH/APRIL 2009
Shane Claiborne on life as an ordinary radical, how we can take steps toward community, and recovering rednecks.
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CONTENTS MAR/APR 2009
26 30
34
AFFECTLESS FAITH | pg6 DIRTY GIRLS | pg8 RID THE YARD OF STICKS | pg10 NINE THINGS TO DO DURING A RECESSION | pg12 THE ORIGINAL HAPPY MEAL | pg14 FICTION FAMILY | pg30 BEARING THE FAMILY NAME | pg36 SELLING JESUS | pg38
EDITORIAL BY BO AND MELISSA LANE
4:15 a.m. is way too early to wake up, but that’s the time I had set on my alarm this morning. After a few taps on the snooze button, I finally struggled out of bed – fighting with that inner desire to sleep another hour or two … or three. I’m not used to waking up that early and especially not used to grabbing my guitar and heading out the door before the sun rises (a.k.a. the crack of dawn). But there I was, scrambling to get ready so I wouldn’t be late. I pulled up to the back entrance and, through the darkness of the morning, I found myself standing in the middle of an empty parking lot, staring up at a little neon “Open” sign on the second story of an old building in downtown Salem. Yes, my actions were voluntary. And “Yes,” I thought to myself, “This was something I should’ve done a long time ago.” It was dark. I was alone. But as I gazed up toward that little neon sign, I knew that soon I would be joining in on something much bigger than me – something a lot greater than my own desires and expectations. I would be setting foot into a place where a war was taking place – an upper room, if you will, where people prayed endlessly for the move of God in their city. I’d be entering a place called the Salem House of Prayer. Eric met me at the door. He’s a tall kid. He wore blackframed glasses and his bandanna covered most of his head. He sported black jeans. His shoes slid across the floor as he walked. But those were not the things that I noticed first about Eric. He was tired. You could tell in his eyes and in his voice. An hour later I would find out that he’d been there for most of the late night – four, five, maybe even six hours. Praying. Singing. Fighting. He led me and another guy up the flight of stairs into the prayer room. A pleasant spiritual aroma was in the air and the beat of Eric’s melancholy-ish rhythms hit quietly in the background. I had been here before but it was for reasons other than this. Eric walked back to the microphone and continued his set. I took my guitar out of its case and waited for my friend Ryan to show up. We would be assisting each other in what would soon set the tone for our day – maybe even our week. Eric finished. He was drained: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Exhausted. Ryan and I walked to the small stage, took a seat, and strummed our guitars. “Consuming fire, fan into flames … a passion for your name. Spirit of 4_RETHINK MONTHLY
God, fall in this place … Lord have your way, Lord have your way … in us.” For the next hour, Ryan and I sang and prayed. Eric sat in the back. Another young man sat in one of the rows of chairs: praying, reading, believing. And another fellow sat quietly on a couch nearby. We sang our hearts out. And when our set came to a close, another brother came and took his position. He was, just like Ryan and I – just like Eric and the guy on the couch, gearing up for a fight – taking up his part in this spiritual battle. And then it was over. That was it. We walked off the stage and Eric thanked us for coming as I placed my guitar back in its case. For a moment I felt as though, albeit small, I had done my part. I had stood in the gap for a lost and dying community. And then, as I stared at the empty chairs in that small upper room, I said to myself, “We filled one of the 24 one-hour slots that the Salem House of Prayer needs to fill every day. It was only one hour of the 168 hours in a week – one of only 720 hours in a month.” I took a deep breath. “What else can I do?” I put my guitar in my car and drove off. Later that day, I headed toward downtown. Passing the back entrance to the Salem House of Prayer, I looked for that little neon sign. Even in the light of the day, I could see that glowing four letter word. It burns just as bright, I noticed, during the day as it does in the middle of the night. Maybe it’s God’s way of telling us that He’s ready – that His upper room is available. Maybe it’s His way of telling you and me that He needs us to burn brightly in our community, in our neighborhoods, in our families, and in our nation. Maybe it’s your invitation to join the battle. I knew it was mine. That’s why I’ll be back there next Monday morning. But maybe this time I’ll bring Eric a tall cup of coffee.
RETHINK
MONTHLY MAGAZINE
You’re not alone in the storms of Life
rethinking God in today’s culture .............................. MARCH/APRIL 2009 - ISSUE 6 ...............................
EDITORS/PUBLISHERS > Bo Lane > bo@rethinkmonthly.com Melissa Lane > melissa@rethinkmonthly.com
MANAGING EDITOR >
Shawnee Randolph > shawnee@rethinkmonthly.com
SALES MANAGER >
LeAnn Lane > leann@rethinkmonthly.com
ART DIRECTOR >
Vin Thomas > vin@rethinkmonthly.com
CREDITS >
Cover image by Erik Stenbakken. Additional images by Johanna Lessing. All images used by permission. We’d like to specifically thank Connie Andresen for her dictation, editing and editorial advice.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS >
Travis Klassen, Anne Jackson, David Crowder, Anthony Trask, John Fehlen, John Piper, Shawnee Randolph, Michael Yoder, and Joshua Sholander
Wendy Bruton, MA Karen VanDerWerff, MA Individual and Couples counseling
Oak Springs counseling & evaluation
“Offering hope and understanding”
503-363-0048
Salem, Oregon www.oakspringscounseling.com
Photography by: kenlinphotography.com
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© 2009 Rethink, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any renewal retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. RETHINK Monthly® is a registered trademark of Rethink, Inc and published monthly. RETHINK Monthly® accepts no responsibility for unsolicited articles, reviews, features, graphics, or otherwise. The publisher reserves the rights to edit, rewrite, or refuse editorial material and assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or accuracy. RETHINK Monthly® cannot accept responsibility for claims made by its advertisers. Advertisers who place ads in RETHINK Monthly® do so with the understanding that RETHINK Monthly® will not accept responsibility for claims made by such in their ads, nor will the publisher be held financially accountable for errors in advertising (regardless of fault), beyond the partial or full cost of the ad themselves. Opinions expressed in RETHINK Monthly® are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the management, staff, advertisers or publisher. RETHINK Monthly® is a free publication and can be picked up locally within Salem, Keizer and the mid-Willamette valley.
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AFFECTLESS FAITH BYTRAVIS KLASSEN
I was thinking about how much my faith cost to obtain, and how much it’s worth today. Like any product, I suppose it’s affected by the current market conditions, deflation, depreciation, etc. It doesn’t cost me much in maintenance, and I can’t even remember the initial investment. I’m not even sure how much my faith is worth anymore. It’s one of the only things in life where the value drops the more it is unused. Faith – new in the box and in mint condition – is worth next to nothing. Whereas, a used model, scarred with years of wear and tear, is almost priceless!
catchphrase, put the box down and get in the game! Better yet, break open the box (its cheap plastic sides will come apart easily) and use that shiny, new Faith! Let it get dented and worn with use. Use it or lose it. Or you’ll forget where you left it, or how to use it.
We forget that our faith cost us next to nothing. But it cost Jesus everything to purchase for us. The only thing of any cost to us is the box we bought to put our faith into; close the lid and keep it (and us) safe. We wouldn’t want to let it out and start causing trouble, would we?
Sure, your fellow side-liners are going to look at you differently. Sure they’ll probably talk about you behind your back, but as you begin to use your un-boxed faith, living your life with integrity, you’ll convince them to un-box their own faith. Together you can begin to influence a culture, and freely share the gift you’ve been given. You’ll be surprised that as you give it out yours will only grow more.
If I take a moment to reflect on the things I have said and done, the majority of my artistic expression, whether it be music, drama or other pursuits, all have one common denominator: they were targeted towards Christians. All my life, up to a recent time, I avoided mingling with those from the world. I wouldn’t drink wine. I wouldn’t see movies unless they’d received a positive rating from one of the Christian movie review sites. Stuff like that. Then, I came to this realization: our faith isn’t affecting culture. Neither is it affecting us. We live in a completely separate culture. When we say we are “in the world but not of it,” we are misleading ourselves. We aren’t in it at all. We’re so focused on “living by the book,” we miss the reason why it was written. Our faith is worth nothing more than mere pennies if we are so worried about taking it out of the box, and using it. Are we worried it will get scratched, bent or damaged if we take it into the world and use it for the reason it was given to us? That’s the only way it will have any value at all! If we believe in the Truth, like we say we do, then what are we afraid of? That the world might somehow convince us otherwise? I think we are in much greater danger disconnecting ourselves into a separate culture, than when we enter the culture that is all around us. Get out into the world, experience its culture, revel in the goodness where you find it, and let your faith infiltrate and change the dark areas you encounter. Instead of being a bunch of observers, standing on the sidelines of the world, carrying our faith in boxes engraved with the letters WWJD or some other Christian
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In the end, the value of your experienced, world-traveled faith in God will be greater than gold. And we’ll all be richer for it.
DIG A LITTLE DEEPER James 5:7-8 Isaiah 41:13-14 Philippians 4:11-13 Romans 8:24-25
FURTHER READING Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis Crazy Love by Francis Chan Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell The Shack by William P. Young The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne Death by Love by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
HURTS HABITS HANGUPS Celebrate Recovery
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Is there a stumbling block in your life that is hindering your relationship with God and others? You don’t have to walk the path alone. You can be free from your hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
Welcome to an amazing spiritual adventure.
Bud Austin // Ministry Director
Salem First Church of the Nazarene 1550 Market St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-581-3680 // www.oasiswestsalem.com
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DIRTY GIRLS BY ANNE JACKSON
The last place you’d expect to see a porno would be the living room of a pastor. But in between my family’s Christmas portrait and a broken, dot matrix printer sat a computer screen. Little did I know the place where I typed up book reports or instant messaged my friends would also become the doorway to an endless amount of forbidden fruit—and an endless amount of guilt. Growing up the daughter of a Baptist preacher-man, I was the 16-year-old poster child for naiveté. My family had just moved from a small, secluded west Texas town to Dallas, and within a matter of days in my new residence, I was bombarded by the prevalent sexual culture of a big city. Strip clubs and billboards lined the highways. There was a giant sex store just a few miles from our house. Ignited teenage hormones and the temptation to give in to my curiosity proved to be a dangerous combination. My parents and brother were fast asleep as I connected to the internet one night. I searched for the word “sex” and within seconds had access to a sea of well endowed platinum blondes doing things with guys (and girls) that I’d never seen before. Because I lived at home and the only computer was in the living room, there weren’t many opportunities to do my “sexual education research,” but whenever I was alone, I’d quickly satisfy my interest. I graduated from high school my junior year and moved out when I was only 17 years old. I had my own space with my own computer, and all the free time in the world. I’d go to work (at a local Christian bookstore), come home, and look at porn almost every night. I frequented erotic chat rooms, watched movies and browsed through hundreds and hundreds of pictures. Soon my porn binges started affecting my performance at work and my relationships. Of course I never mentioned my struggle to anyone. Looking at porn was typical, even expected, for guys but a girl? A girl who likes porn? I often questioned my sexual orientation. Why did I like looking at naked women? Was I gay? Bisexual? A pervert? I hated what I was doing so much. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop. The cycle continued for years. Binging, feeling guilty and swearing I’d never do it again, only to give in a few days later. I prayed for God to take the desires away. That’s when I realized it was more than just looking at pictures. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I had more than enough pictures saved in my memory to reflect back on, 8_RETHINK MONTHLY
even if I was able to stay off the computer for a while. So, why do women struggle with this? Although stereotypically we’re not as visually stimulated as our male counterparts, we’re not blind either. There is something about a woman’s body that is beautiful and mysterious and even forbidden, and that toys with our psyche and tempts us. At least for me, viewing these outwardly flawless women fed a huge emotional need. I was able to put myself in the role of what I was seeing, and by doing that, it made me feel beautiful and accepted. I was transformed into a perfect, sexy body, and I was desired and wanted. I was able to escape my own flawed physical appearance and be transformed, in my mind, to this perfect woman. My online activities also played out in my daily life. I was engaged for about a year and cheated on my fiancée. After that, I “dated” several new guys a month, getting physically involved with them in some regard. According to everything I had seen, to be accepted and loved meant a sexual relationship, and what girl doesn’t need to be accepted and loved? I gave so many pieces of my body and my heart away during those years. When I was 21, I was in a serious car accident that caused me to reevaluate how I was living my life. At the time, I was pretending like there was no God, except for when I needed His forgiveness, and only then would I come running back to Him. After the wreck, something finally clicked, and I realized that love does not equal sex. It was at that moment when I decided to turn around—to change my thinking—and then my actions would eventually (and hopefully) follow. I had to say goodbye to my online habits, and to my offline ones as well. It’s been close to 10 years since my first encounter with online porn, and I’d like to admit I’ve had a perfect run at purity. I wish I could say I’ve always lingered on the right thoughts or shut down the computer when the temptation got to be too much, but the truth is, I haven’t. I’m still a girl who struggles. I’m still a girl who lives one day at a time, depending on a God whose design for sex and love is so far beyond what I could even imagine. So each and every day, I pray for God to first direct my thinking and then redirect it as necessary. And I’m grateful that He is faithful to meet me somewhere between the mouse and the computer screen.
Rid the Yard of Sticks By D av i D C r o w D e r
It is a Saturday afternoon in Waco, Texas and I am at home sitting on the couch with my wife. The television is on and it is displaying a golf tournament and we are observing this through half opened heavy eyelids. It’s rather lovely.
I’m trying to anticipate his next move and I’m forming fantastic pieces of discussion that will totally make John get a real job and stop living on the street and asking me if he can pick up my sticks. I respond, “uh, thanks.”
I feel the need to point out that I live in one of the more economically depressed sections of town, as in, seriously, two of our neighbors call themselves The Rockstars because, they sell “rock,” (as in crack cocaine) – they do a brisk business. So, again, this time with context, my wife and I are sitting on our couch on a Saturday afternoon watching the “sport” of golf with lots and lots of Fidelity and Buick commercials.
“Yep. You’re gonna do it. We’ve all talked and we know you’re gonna bring ‘em home. Just like last time. Yep, congratulations. We’re all pulling for you.”
Abruptly, I am jarred from this, my privileged slumber, as, “David! David!” is yelled at loud volume from somewhere behind me. I now feel the need to point out that we do not have any curtains on our windows. We’ve been in our house 6 years and curtains have held only occasional importance, like now, with, “David! David!” being shouted from the street at the window located directly behind my head, which is again causing me to think, “seriously, we’ve been here 6 years? We need some curtains.” I turn and peek over the couch. It’s John. I say this to my wife, “oh man. It’s John.”
“Uh, OK. Now what might this be regarding?” “Those Dove awards. You’re gonna win ‘em! We all prayed and we know you’re gonna do it, you’re gonna bring ‘em home you hear me?” I pause. I have no idea where to put this. John has basically told me that the homeless population near my house is 1) aware that there are such things as “Dove Awards” and 2) that my band and I have been nominated for some, and, 3) seriously? (!) The homeless had some type of meeting, or assembly, or whatever, and are praying we win? What on earth! That is the most ridiculous thing ever, and – what, seriously? Thoughts like this are in my head: David, you make assumptions that are wrong. You need to repent. You are evil.
John is an elderly black man who has no home. He is one of Waco’s homeless. He is my neighbor. He comes around and wants to pick up the sticks in my yard. He says, “David, I’ll just get these sticks out of your yard if you can spare a few dollars.” We do this often, rid the yard of sticks. It’s really helpful – you can imagine – the ability to move about your yard without the obstruction of sticks. So, here is John, standing in the street outside of my window, watching us watch golf, when he decides he needs to tell me something. Peering over the couch, my eyes meet with John’s and I am left with no choice outside of meeting John at my back door.
Social or civil justice issues are incredibly difficult objects to get my head around. It is a given that most of us desire to live in a just society; the awkwardness lies in agreeing upon just how exactly we arrive there. It’s easy to become pessimistic and passive even when attempting to effect change, i.e. after hearing Red Campaign marketing costs, or reports that mosquito nets I sent contributed to a water shortage crisis due to the nets actually working and people surviving malaria. Thus, obviously, it resulted in a rising population and a rise in water consumption, thus resulting in a water shortage, which now those same people are dying from.
“Hey John”
To carry the story of God in a way that makes a real, tangible difference to those we live among can be really frustrating at times. I think the only way to not become paralyzed by the task, is, to get close enough to these issues for them to turn into names and faces that walk up to your fence on a Saturday; who lean in and yell your name and give you something that leaves you smiling and tearful and repentant and a little more in love with the people God has made.
“Now, David. I don’t mean to disturb you. I see you and your wife in there just relaxing, watching the TV, the golf I see, my apologies.” “That’s quite alright. What’s going on John?” “Well, like I said, I don’t mean to disturb you, I just wanted to say congratulations.” I pause. I’m not sure what my line is supposed to be. I had all of my lines ready. I had formulated them on my walk from the couch to the door. I have no idea what he’s talking about. I think to myself, John is genius. This is a new angle.
David Crowder recently won 4 2008 Dove Awards, including Worship Album of the Year for REMEDY, and Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for “Everything Glorious.” David co-founded University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, where he lives with his wife Toni.
Article originally published in the Catalyst Groupzine 2008 (www.catalystspace.com). Catalyst approved use for this publication.
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And while I could be writing an article explaining the spiritual and sub sequential theological reasoning for our current recession, or writing an article to give people who are faced with gut-wrenching financial decisions encouragement and hope, I instead will take this time to draw your attention to other things. With wise spending, even on a limited budget, there are things you can be doing during these tough economic times right here in the heart of the Mid Willamette Valley.
NINE THINGS TO DO DURING A RECESSION BYANTHONYTRASK
So, the economy is not in the best shape. Ok, maybe that’s a major understatement. As far as money goes, things are bad. Most economists believe that this is the worst shape the economy has been in since the Great Depression.Words like stimulus, recovery, and bailout have taken on new meanings and have made their way to the forefront of our collective consciousness.
nine.
Looking to get away to your favorite Disney theme park this summer, but your finances simply won’t allow it? No need to worry, there is a local-cheaper alternative: The Enchanted Forest. It’s only a few miles South of Salem on I-5 so there’s no need to book an expensive plane ticket or hotel room. And for only about $100, you and your entire family can have a great time! At the Enchanted Forest, in only one day, you can visit the Snow White’s Seven Dwarves’ Mine, plummet down a log plume, catch a hilariously cheesy play, and witness one of the most spell-binding water shows this side of Vegas. Plus much more! For more information, visit www.enchantedforest.com.
eight.
Love going out to dinner with your significant other to that special place where the waiter with the fake accent knows you by name? If you can’t afford to go anymore, don’t stress. There is a costeffective alternative. Taco Bell. Offering nearly ten local locations to serve you, wonderfully delicious fast food, an extraordinarily low priced menu, and a tacky-early-nineties Southwestern motif, there’s never been a better time to cross the border! Not romantic enough for you? Bring your own candle and a vase filled with stolen … I mean handpicked flowers to add to the table and you’ll have your lady swooning in no time at all! www.tacobell.com
seven.
Using your phone for texting is fun and convenient, but in these hard times, it can become an unnecessary luxury with expensive charges from $.05 - $.10 per message. There is, however, a revolutionary cost-effective alternative to constant texting. Talking. Who knew that you could use your voice to communicate with someone face to face. You’ll find that using this old fashioned form of communication is fun, intimate, and exciting. Seeing someone’s eyes while ‘talking’ with them is fascinating. They actually have to focus on you. This vantage way of expressing yourself really brings people together!
six.
Internet fees getting too expensive to keep up your MySpace and Facebook habits? That’s ok, I have a new idea for you. Neighbors. Those cars that you see pulling into garages every evening around 6:00 PM? Well, they actually have people in them. And if you can get up the nerve to walk out your front door and over to the house next to yours, then knock on their front door. You may actually have someone open that door and speak to you. It’s a foreign concept, I know, but this is actually a great alternative way for making new friends.
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five.
Obsessed with the Twilight series? Love going to Borders to drop some serious change on Oprah’s latest pick, but after groceries you’ve got no green left? Here’s an idea. The Library. Who knew that with the flash of a free membership card that you could have access to tens of thousands of books for free? Simply pick the book you want to read, read it, and then take it back! What a phenomenal idea!
four.
For years you’ve enjoyed riding your fancy prize-bred horse with all of your country club friends, but ever since you were laid off from your job you simply can’t afford to keep Clipper any longer. So how can you get your horse riding fix without the expenses of owning a horse? Salem’s Riverfront Carousel. For only $1.50, you can hop on a beautiful hand carved wooden horse and ride it up and down around a beautiful track of many colors. My favorite horse? Cloud Walker, who strangely has a skinned cat for a saddle. www.salemcarousel.org.
three.
Starbucks is probably the most common guilty pleasure here in the great Pacific Northwest. But the four-plus, dollar-a-cup price tag can really be a drag when the creditors come-a-calling. Solution? It’s Juan Valdez. Aaaah … store bought coffee! The joy of looking at the mustachioed Columbian coffee farmer and his mule Conchita every morning! Four dollars a cup … how about four dollars a can? Instead of waiting in a long line at the local drive through before work, you can wake up ten minutes early every morning and brew your own coffee straight out of the can. You can reminisce to the days of your parents, where there were only two choices for your coffee: black or with cream and sugar? www.juamvaldez.com.
two.
Get kicked out of your apartment because you couldn’t pay rent? That’s ok because Moving In With Your Parents is the new Buying an Exclusive Downtown Loft. How cool would it be to have your old room back? How great would it be to have Mom do your laundry again? Think you’d be imposing? Pssht! They’re your Mom and Dad! You’re not imposing! And I know that some of you may be thinking,” But I have a spouse and kids!” That’s ok! The more the merrier! Right Mom and Dad?
one.
Tired of paying high heating bills? Who isn’t? Well just in time for the recession, possibly one the greatest products ever made available for purchase has been released! Now you can flip channels with your TV remote, type on your laptop, or even read a book all while staying warm (even though your thermostat is turned down low). Thanks to. The Snuggie. Yes friends, I am talking about the “blanket with sleeves.” The Snuggie has all the warmth and comfort of a blanket, with the convenient functionality of a coat! Ok, so it’s just a robe worn backwards, but you still want to be styl’n when your cash flow has been cut off right? And getting two Snuggies for $19.95 (plus shipping and handling), you can’t go wrong! www.freesnuggie.com.
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The dinner table is set. The food is hot and plentiful. Family and friends have gathered to enjoy not only the food but also the warmth of fellowship, whereby affirming love and admiration for one another around the backdrop of a common meal. The setting is glorious and poised with possibility, and yet unforeseen to the naked eye, lurks the enemy to both food and fellowship: division. Nothing can make a morsel taste more bland and cause fellowship to fall flatter than animosity and general disdain for one another. Unresolved issues, bitterness, neglect, and the like will often steal the joy from a gathering and leave the attendees with a gaping void even though food was consumed. The situation was similar when the Apostle Paul stuck his theological and pastoral nose into the church of Corinth. What he found was a group of people that were “coming together” but not truly “being together.” That condition still largely exists within the church of today. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:20, “When the church come[s] together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else.” The words of Ben Witherington capture the scenario perfectly: “the meal had become a mess.” When there is a mess in the church, the tendency is to eradicate the potential of future unsightliness, whereby avoiding subsequent messes altogether. This has been the case in many sectors of the church in regards to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the same possibility exists in regards to the Lord’s Supper. From a denominational standpoint, the sacrament is open for such a wide variety of interpretation, and unfortunately it would seem simpler (less messy) for the Lord’s Supper to be done away with as a whole. But that was not the intention of Paul in his writings found in 1 Corinthians – he wanted to inspire reform and renewal to communion and foster greater and deeper community within the church of Jesus Christ. He was contending that the mess become a meal again. This can be accomplished by exploring the connection between the Lord’s Supper and the ancient Love Feast. Over time, even the best of traditions, habits, or rituals can get stale and lifeless, desperately in need of an infusion of new passion and purpose. Often the best source of renewal can be discovered in that which gave the tradition life and vitality in the first place. In the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, it is the conviction that vitality can be found in the Love Feast.
History Of The Happy Meal
At the center of the debate regarding the Lord’s Supper is the relationship it may have had to the Passover. There is absolutely no consensus on this matter. Much of the confusion involves differences in the synoptic gospel accounts to that of the Fourth Gospel. The Johannine account placed the Last Supper
“before the feast of the Passover” (John 13:1, 2, 21-30) whereas the synoptic gospel writers claim it grew out of the Passover Meal. However, the appropriate focus should be upon the meal itself and not discrepancies regarding the timing of the meal. As an example, a family will tend to eat supper around the “dinner hour” –which could be from 5 pm to 7 pm, or perhaps later depending upon circumstances. Yet, it is still supper. The Passover, regardless of when it was commemorated, was a meal of remembrance and celebration for the handiwork of the Lord in taking the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Whether or not the template for the Passover meal was carried over into what would be known as The Lord’s Supper (or Communion, or Eucharist) is unclear. What is apparent is that the words and actions of Jesus at that final meal with his disciples (regardless of what day it happened on) seems to follow the liturgy of the Passover to some degree. Bread was broken, drink was shared, and a commemoration ensued, notably for that of the Passover lamb that was slain so that mankind might live eternally. This remembrance and celebration revolved around a common meal – a happy meal that clearly marked the early church.
Breaking Of Bread
The two men that walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus certainly got an eye full. Luke 24:30 writes that “[Jesus] was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” This post-resurrection encounter undoubtedly reminded them of their final meal with the Messiah. This relational model of eating and sharing together carried over to the first church in the Book of Acts. The burgeoning church was committed to learning from the apostles, to fellowship, to praying, and to the breaking of bread. As the church moved beyond Jerusalem, and the Jewish influence was less of a dominant role in its development, it is possible that a combination of sorts took place with the annual Passover celebration and the regular “breaking of bread.” Corporate worship would happen not only in the temple but also in homes, therefore an extension of ordinary early Jewish worship context would be the Jewish meal, also known as the Love Feast (Jude 12). Within this framework, the gathered congregation would often commemorate the communal Lord’s Supper. A congregation, incidentally, that was increas-
ingly growing in number with those that were being saved. New Christians, then and now, will often bring with them many of their former habits, dysfunctions, and immoral behaviors. Thus was the case at the Love Feasts in Corinth.
Cleaning Up After Dinner
Throughout the first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul dealt aggressively with abuses, excess, and divisions. He was on a corrective warpath in an effort to bring the church back to the truth of the Gospel, and away from their Greco-Roman leanings. In no uncertain terms, he forbid them from partaking in their drinking parties at the pagan temples. He argued, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21). The Corinthian Christians were definitely a work in progress, and understanding this reality helps one grasp the nature of the abuses at their Love Feasts that were “do[ing] more harm than good.”
The term “Lord’s Supper” only occurs once in Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:20. Notably, the reference is sandwiched within a strong rebuke from Paul. Thankfully, had there not been a mess to clean up in Corinth, there would be considerably less to draw from for our understanding of the Lord’s Supper. It is possible that had there been no “disorder,” then there might have never been a need for Paul’s rebuke and teaching. The primary abuse at the Corinthian Love Feast involved neglect of the poor, the slaves, the less fortunate, and those on the fringe of the community. Simply put, the “haves” had forgotten the “have-nots.” It is in this context that one of the most widely recognized passages of Scripture is introduced. 1 Corinthians 11:23 begins with “For I received from the Lord what I also passed onto you….” Many within Christianity would have some point of recognition with this passage. The Corinthian church had been eating and drinking “without recognizing the body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:29). The “body” in this verse is the church. Paul’s strong challenge to Corinth was to honor the Body – Jesus’ church. The Lord’s Supper was originally intended to be a meal that would de-stratify the hierarchy and invite equality among its participants. Remarkably, the Last Supper had a man named Judas seated at the table with Jesus (not to mention Peter who denied the Master and all the other disciples that ran after his arrest!). The Love Feast was intentioned as a gathering point for all that would … “go out into the highways and hedges…come in so that my house may be filled” such as referenced in Jesus’ parable in Luke 14:23. Over time, the Lord’s Supper had gotten to be a mess that was characterized by exclusion and a pecking order. Could this be what Paul was imploring the Corinthians to “examine” before eating and drinking? Had they stopped “recognizing the body of RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_15
the Lord” and thereby grown weak and sick within their fellowship? Paul wanted to bring correction to their mealtime, not eradication. He implored them to wait for others and share with others. The entire context of the familiar 1 Corinthians 11 passage is clearly about others. Communion and Community. Paul finished the rebuke in chapter 11 the same way he began it, by asking the church to wait for one another and share the meal together. The Love Feast and the corresponding Lord’s Supper were to be a point of rejoicing for all and by all. Yes, it was messy. But rather than do away with the meal entirely because of the mess, Paul restored order, direction, passion, and purpose. The same cannot be said across the landscape of organized religion in the years to follow.
This Is My Body Packaged For You
In the years that followed Paul’s admonishing words to Corinth, a progressive shift went into motion. The meal became something exclusive in which only the baptized could be allowed to partake. Rules that simply do not exist within Scripture would soon regulate the meal. Soon the meal would not function in its original form whatsoever. The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), dated at the end of the 1st Century, declared that the Lord’s Supper was for baptized Christians, particularly those who repented of their sins. This document also regulated when
the Lord’s Supper should take place and by whom, specifically that it should be governed by and prayed over by the cleric. By A.D. 110 Ignatius wrote, “It is not permitted either to baptize or to hold a Love Feast without the bishop, but whatever he approves is acceptable to God, so that everything you do should be secure and valid.” As the years elapsed, so did the value and validity of the Love Feast. By the 4th Century, at the Council of Laodicea, the Love Feast was banned by the church. This was reaffirmed at the Council of Trullian in A.D. 692. In conjunction with the abolition of the Love Feast, there was a move towards reductionism in regards to the Lord’s Supper. The elements (bread and drink) would become more regulated, disposable, and self-contained to the point that Bishop Will Willimon humorously (yet perhaps appropriately) asserts: “this is my body packaged for you.” Certainly it is not difficult to hear the tone of sarcasm in these comments, and yet in Protestant circles there is a propensity for the Lord’s Supper to become stale, lifeless, and void of community – no longer a meal – now a mess of another kind. Perhaps the Apostle Paul’s words to Corinth carry weight for the church yet today. Can the meal be recovered? Can communion and community be reconnected again?
What’s For Supper?
There was a time when Christianity was new, and the relatively few Christians on the planet could fit into a few homes and share everything in common. Those days are gone. The
tiny upstart rag-tag band in the Book of Acts is now a full-fledged movement with 60-minute services on multi-site campuses. How do we reclaim the Love Feast in the McChurch era? How does community become a central part of communion again? For some churches, that adjustment may be minor. Perhaps they could give more focus to the Lord’s Supper within the service instead of it being an afterthought or addendum. Perhaps small groups could become the epicenter of community life in which there is “breaking of bread” in homes, and true fellowship is shared within the context of communion. For other congregations, the shift may need to be more radical. If the worship has been consistently lifeless and cold, and community life is non-existent, then true reform may be appropriate. Could reform be paramount in today’s church? Have we made a mess out of what was supposed to be a meal? There are so many practical implications to consider. Does the church move back into homes? Should a full meal be offered during every worship service? Should smaller sanctuaries be built to make room for larger fellowship halls? The answers are not immediate, but what remains is a desire for koinonia – that the church may truly celebrate “until He comes.” And when He does come again, all meals will be superseded by the great messianic banquet! Yet another Meal awaits us!
EMPTY? There is a God-shaped void in the heart of every person and often we try to fill it with things that leave us dissatisfied, restless and empty. Join us at West Salem Foursquare Church to discover more about the only one that can fill that space. His name is Jesus. He died and rose again and his tomb is empty so that your heart doesn't have to be.
EASTER WEEKEND SERVICE TIMES
Saturday @ 5 & 7 pm • Sunday @ 9 am, 11 am & 1 pm www.wsfc.org // 503.391.4346
community homeless connect March 26, 2009 // 9AM to 4PM Salem First Baptist Church Community Homeless Connect is a one day resource fair focused to connect our homeless neighbors, and those at risk of becoming homeless, with as many sources of direct support as possible. Community Homeless Connect will bring County, Government, and Community groups together whose mission is to help our homeless neighbors and provide information, services and resources that help to bring hope and respect one person at a time.
We all have a story. The story of our homeless neighbors is one where we have an opportunity to help write the next chapter. Last year on January 29th, one of the coldest days of the year in Oregon, with snow on the ground throughout Marion and Polk Counties, more than 2,600 homeless people were counted in our community.
So what is the story about the homeless? • Children under the age of 18 account for 39 percent of the homeless population. 42 percent of these are under the age of 5. • 43 percent of the homeless population are women; 40 percent of these women are unaccompanied. 22 percent of homeless women claim domestic abuse as reason for homelessness. 25 percent of these claim to have been abused within the past year. • Families with children comprise 33 percent of the homeless population. •Military Veterans constitute 40 percent of the homeless population. •1 in every 5 homeless persons has a severe or persistent mental illness. •25 percent of the homeless nationwide are employed. •The majority of homeless families are homeless due to illness and lack of medical insurance and lack of quality free medical care.
If you can reach a homeless person within the first two years on the streets, you can help get them off the streets.
On March 26, 2009 from 9:00AM to 4:00PM, Marion and Polk Counties will hold the first Community Homeless Connect at Salem First Baptist in Downtown Salem. The Community Homeless Connect brings into one location many providers of resources for our homeless neighbors. The goals of this event are to provide options; to provide access to desired support and to offer a means for those in need to connect with those who are able to help them. The Community Homeless Connect will have groups representing medical, mental health, vision, dental, social services, food, clothing, pet care, bike repair, friendship cafĂŠ, housing, insurance, and other services.
We need your help to help write the next chapter in the life of our homeless neighbors.
We are asking for you to volunteer. We are asking for your financial support. We are asking for your encouragement.
We are asking local churches and individuals to adopt an item or items needed to accomplish this mission. We are asking local churches and individuals to come and volunteer. We are asking local churches with programs that help those at risk of being homeless and those who are homeless to come have a booth/table and either provide services and/or offer products.
These are the items we need to collect: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Changing lives one person at a time.
Socks Hygiene Kits Soap Shampoo Tooth Paste Tooth Brushes Shaving Razors Feminine Hygiene Products Combs Deodorant Granola Bars Pet Food Pet Supplies Dog Collars Leashes Bike Locks Bike Lights Bottle Water Coats Backpacks Hats Gloves Sleeping Bags Tarps Tents Gift Cards for McDonalds Burger King or Carl’s JR Phone Calling Cards
The Community Homeless Connect is an opportunity for the faith community to work together demonstrating our hearts desire to live the example that Christ set, and to work together with government to change lives, one person at a time.
As I’m sure you realize, this is a wonderful chance to build some bridges that will impact lives and our community.
Here are the area’s where you can support and volunteer: • Guest Services • Friendship Cafe’ *sit down and order cafe* • Need Restaurants, waiters/ waitresses/kitchen help/clean up • Event Companions *guides for our guest* • Hair Washing and Cutting • Foot Cleaning and Care • Coat/Personal Item Check In • Clothing • Pet Care • Veterinarian • Grooming • Pet Supplies. Leash, Collar, Flee Collar, Food, Coats • Bike Check-in
• Bike Repair • Supplies *Helmet, Locks, Lights, Tires, Tubes, Tire Repair Kit* • Set Up & Tear Down • Clean Up • Outreach • Communicating to shelters, Homeless Camps • Transportation/Transit *Free Bus Pass, Church Bus* • Healthcare • Primary and Preventative • Mental • Dental • Vision
Service Providers from: State City Church County Community Non-Profit Legal Aid Veterans Affairs Employment
I am your brother sister father son mother daughter friend neighber I am Contact Info: Homeless Guest: Craig Oviatt 503.560.7063, craig@wsfc.org Providers: Rachel Washburn 503.585.6232, washburnr@mwvcaa.org Community Homeless Connect Office 2475 Center St NE Salem OR 97301 Please make all cash donations to the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency or “MWVCAA� at Community Action Agency 2475 Center St NE Salem, OR 97301 or call 503-585-6232 and contact Rachel Washburn, Executive Assistant - washburnr@mwvcaa.org.
community homeless connect March 26, 2009 // 9AM to 4PM Salem First Baptist Church
get involved. be the solution. call today.
ACQUIRE THE FIRE 2008-09 I ONE WEEKEND COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING
HERE COMES TROUBLE What if Jesus walked the Earth today?
April 24-25 | Portland | Rose Quarter
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BY BO LANE
“We are trying to raise up an army, not simply of street activists, but of lovers — a community of people who have fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people, and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them." - Shane Claiborne A few years ago, my friend Pete Lessing said he had a gift for me. It was a book he wanted me to read. I love to read. I love getting new things; however, as he handed it to me, I couldn’t help but notice my new gift was used. It was as if he pulled it right off the shelf of some old used bookstore, dusted it off, and called it good. The edges sported a slight curl and the pages wore thin. The cover showed obvious signs of wear and tear, and even the smell of freshly printed ink had long faded away. But soon the state of the book would mean nothing to me – the edges, the pages, and the cover would just become the things that held it together. I could tell, by the passion with which my friend Pete described it, that these words would come to life. Pete said this book radically wrecked his life. Three hundred, fifty-eight pages later, I was saying the same thing. Since I’ve read Shane Claiborne’s book, The Irresistible Revolution, my whole perspective on community has drastically changed. A new hope of participating in an early Acts-like church touched sweetly on my lips, and I felt as though community was within arm’s reach. But with any new idea or any change in thinking comes so many new questions – so many voids you never knew needed to be filled. I wanted to be the first to jump up and say, “But where do I go from here?” Well, a few weeks ago, I got my chance. I grabbed my friend Pete and we, along with our beautiful wives, ran off to meet up with Shane after a speaking engagement in Newberg, Ore. We asked. And this is what he had to say.
Rethink monthly: You’ve been labeled Ordinary Radical. In your book though you say you’d like “radical” to mean “root.” Is that the first step in getting to a community setting? Shane Claiborne: Yeah, I like root – like a radish. I think that’s where the word radical comes from … “radix” in the Latin … or so I hear. I think that really what we’re talking about is getting at the root of what’s unhealthy in the world. Getting at the root of what it means to be Christian. How to live in the way God intended us to live. So in that sense, radical doesn’t mean extreme or wild and crazy, you know, but really anchoring ourselves in that. And it isn’t just reserved for saints and prophets but for ordinary folks … so I like that coupling. Dorothy Day said, “Don’t call us saints. We don’t want to be dismissed that easily.” And I think that part of what we’re talking about is folks who are rethinking the way we live, and reimaging the world we live in. So really we’re saying we’re growing roots with the people in a neighborhood, and it’s with that longevity where we really see fruit that lasts. RM: Getting to the root of being a Christian, but also preparing yourself for a long road? SC: I remember when we brought John Perkins, who’s like an 80-year-old dude, a hero of mine, into our neighborhood. I was telling him that we hadn’t seen much happen yet, and we’d been there for a few years already. And he was like, “Oh you just wait. You’ll see some stuff in about 10, maybe 12 years.” I’ll never forget that. It was just the winsomeness with which he said it – “10 or 12 years.” But I think what it takes is that kind of longevity. RM: So, has that process been difficult? SC: We are finally at a point where we’re seeing progress. I have neighbors where I can borrow their cars. I have neighbors who invite me over to dinner. There is a sense of community and a real trust that is growing. And finally having kids that we’ll able to see go to college. It’s great to be a part of that.
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RM: The word “radical” must seem scary to a large percentage of those within the church – just this idea that people are living in community, meeting each other’s need – must seem foreign to some. We know that it’s biblical, but do you often get opposition from the Christian community? SC: One of the things that is really funny is the fact that what we’re doing looks radical is only an indictment on the kind of Christianity that we’ve become accustom to – which is just marked by a set of beliefs but not really as a way of life. That’s exactly how it was in the early church. It was called The Way, and it was about a new way of living. So in some ways, we’re doing just what Mary and Martha did. We’re opening our homes up. One of the things that I’m amazed about is that folks across the board are finding the American dream wanting – like it’s sort of this phantom dream. We’re the wealthiest country in the world, but we’re also the lonely and the most medicated and depressed. Maybe we’re made not for independence but for interdependence and community. I think there are tons of people that are aware of it. That’s why even mega-churches have small groups. And the irony coming out of these mega-churches is that their curriculum is how to get people into small groups. (laughs). It’s so funny. But everyone’s hungry for community. That’s what we’re made for. And it’s not surprising to me – but I think what is surprising in some way is how countercultural it seems that even living outside of the biological family, living with people you’re not related to, having community with other families, raising your kids together, living in a neighborhood that’s economically poor – those should not be counter-cultural values for Christians. It’s the very heart of the incarnation – that God entered into suffering, was born in the middle of a genocide, wandered the world but had no place to lay his head, was born in a manger because there was no room in the inn – that’s all a part of the story of God entering into our struggles. The call to follow Jesus is a call to grow close to suffering and to grow closer to the margins. RM: Some would call that crazy. SC: When folks say we’re crazy or whatever, I often quote Peter Moran of the Catholic Worker movement, who spent a lot of his life on the streets, and he would say, “If I’m crazy it’s because I refuse to be crazy in the same way the world’s gone crazy.” It’s a great line. And I think that’s really where a lot of people asking – “What’s crazy?” Is it crazy to say that we’re going to share stuff, or it is crazy within the pattern of Wallstreet, where CEO’s make five hundred times their workers? …Is it crazy to say we should help provide water access for the 1.2 billion people that need it, or is it crazy, like in our churches, we’re debated whether or not we should get a heater for the baptismal while people don’t have water? RM: So we’ve lost what it means to raise up disciples? Do you think that has a large part to do with it, how we’ve turned a “blind eye” if you will, against social justice and poverty? We think we’ll just start another program and that will solve it. Do you think that’s kind of the mindset that we have now?
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SC: I don’t know that it was intentional or even malicious or anything like that. It’s more that we became so obsessed, I think, or so infatuated with evangelism that we’ve produced a generation of believers in the church, but not disciples. You know, that’s been our whole language, “Is your mom a believer?” Then you read the scriptures and we’re not sent into the world to make believers, but disciples. That’s about living in ways that resemble Christ. I think that the early Christianity was much more holistic about creating people who were marked by the things Jesus was marked by, things like enemy love and good news to the poor. James says that the true religion that God honors is caring for the widow and the orphan, and keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. That’s true religion! That’s what we are to produce and cultivate, people who remind the world of Jesus, who are marked by the same grace and the same selflessness. RM: Is this something that we’re called to do forever? You know, generation after generation, does this form of community evolve or change? SC: I think there’s tons of different forms of community, you know. Some of them are really ugly, but I think inside all of us is this longing to love and to be loved. It’s what we are made for, we are made in the image of a God that is a plurality of oneness, and Jesus models it; he sends the disciples out in pairs, he does community with a group of people, so if Jesus didn’t do it alone, I don’t know why we think we can. I think that is part of the great myth of America, it’s that you don’t need other people, and its part of why people end up so lonely. There’s so much more to say on that. One story that does come to mind is the story of the rich man and Lazarus, where Jesus tells this beautiful story where the rich man locks the poor man out of his life, so he has a gated neighborhood, a gated life where he locked the poor man outside, and so the story goes that the poor man was longing for the droppings that came from the rich man’s table, where the dogs are there licking his wounds. Come to find out that not only did the rich man lock the poor man out of his life, but he had locked himself in to a life of utter loneliness. In the end, it says that they both die and that Lazarus was brought next to God. And the rich man is separated from God, and he is begging the beggar for a drop of water. He finds out that this chasm he has built between himself and his neighbor is not only a division between another human being, but it’s also a division between him and God. I think that should raise a lot of questions for us as people who have a lot of picket fences, gates, and walls culturally. They socially build walls around nations to keep people out. All of these things are a direct contradiction to this promise that the gates will not prevail against the church, and this tearing down of the things that divide us and getting to know people. I take a lot of courage from that call to community and communion to know the people outside of our gate. Jesus isn’t saying to the poor “Come find the church,” but He is saying to the church “Go into the world, get out!” “Go into the prisons, go into the streets, go and find me where I’m thirsty, find me where I’m hungry, so it’s our invitation to find Jesus. RM: So what can we, the people of our community, do to take steps toward community? SC: Some of it, I think, is surrounding ourselves with people who remind us of the person we want to become. We see God’s love
in them and so we rub off on each other, but then again I think a community can exist for its own sake, like ultimately the community of scripture, whether it’s the Israelite community or it’s the church, it’s not to exist for itself, but it’s to exist as an instrument of grace and redemption for the world. A part of what we really have to do is get outside of ourselves and go after living for something together, you know. I think that includes things like praying together, working together, helping kids with homework, planting urban gardens, and all those sorts of things. When the community exists for its own sake, it begins to sort of implode on itself. We gotta keep doing it because there are so many great forms of ways to connect. There are so many different forms that it has, but ultimately it begins with starting small, with one person. Mother Teresa said so well, after they said “How did you manage to lift 50,000 people out of the streets of Calcutta?” and she said, “I started with one.” It begins with one person that we have the eyes to see and to notice, and that begins to bubble up. The invisible children and the sex trafficking, and all those things to try to figure out how to interrupt injustice as it happens in the world, and the “make poverty history” campaign – all of those are great. But just as important as making poverty history, is making poverty personal. Maybe that’s the challenge of the Northwest, too. You can live a life of integrity in and of itself, and yet, if we still don’t have relationship with the folks that are suffering in the world, I think it falls short of touching the groaning of God. RM: So in this journey toward community we should start with small steps, right? SC: Any step is a step that we should celebrate, and hopefully all of us are moving closer to the poor, and closer to Jesus in some capacity, but for one person that may be bringing a homeless person to dinner, for someone else, it might be just talking to a homeless person for the first time, and either of those are fantastic. Like steps to celebrate and encourage each other to risk a little bit more, and to take one more step towards our neighbor and towards the poor. I think that is one reason that people kind of identify with our own journey, and that for me it’s been a real process. I could have been born and died in East Tennessee, and not encountered anything outside of the bubble that I grew up in. And yet, I have been on this continual quest, largely being pushed by friends that kept challenging my own life, like politics and theologies and stuff. I met a guy the other day that said “I’m a textbook redneck.” “I’m a gun-totin’, pickup truck driving redneck.” RM: Was he talking about you? SC: Oh, no no, it was him. Basically he said, “I’m a redneck, but I’ve been reading your book, and it got me reading my Bible, and it messed me up.” Then he goes, “I’m a recovering redneck.” And I think it’s fantastic.
eple life. His vision for a mov Shane Claiborne leads a sim t wha is love of acts nary ordi g ment of ordinary radicals, doin be can nge cha for e ard. His voic continually pushes him forw Irresistible Revolution, Jesus heard through his books, The Answer to Our Prayers. the ng for President, and Becomi
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FICTION FAMILY In a scene dominated by the gentle, hypersensitive sounds of Sufjan Stevens, The Welcome Wagon and Fleet Foxes, Jon Foreman and Sean Watkins finally inject some manliness back into the acoustic guitar. BY CJ CASCIOTTA LABEL: ATO RECORDS // RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 20, 2009 // RATING: 4.5 OUT OF 5 30_RETHINK MONTHLY
OTHER GOOD MUSIC COMING SOON Fiction Family, the culmination of two of our generation’s most prolific and respected songwriters, debuts as a masterful collection of tales about murder, adventure, lost love, and war that highlight each contributor’s strengths and personalities while managing to defy perceived expectations. There’s a beautiful carelessness to this project—a work birthed out of rest, friendship, and unabashed innovation. With no immediate deadlines, rules, or formats to follow, Foreman and Watkins embark on a musical journey of the purist, most unadulterated kind. The album keeps one foot in the folk door (a familiar home for both artists) while audaciously messing with everything from techno beats to ‘60s pop choirs to fisher price instruments. While the acoustic guitar remains fixed in the foreground, a symphonic cast of unlikely characters join the conversation. Chamber stings, tympanis, accordions and electric fuzz tones somehow manage to play nicely together. A few of the most arresting tracks replace traditional bass lines with resonate piano timbres, dark pounding drones that duel eloquently against intricate finger-picking patterns. There’s an idea that the farther one departs from the traditional pop format, the less tangible their work becomes to the average listener. Not so with Fiction Family. Wildly inventive and spontaneous (track two entitled “Out of Order” sounds exactly how it reads) the work stands in victorious defiance against a crumbling conventional music industry. Hooks and phrases linger long after their first introduction, and are sure to induce an involuntary foot-tapping episode or two.
It’s the stories, however, that give the project a sense of timelessness. In the spirit of his Season EPs, Foreman channels cultural staples like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, even various Motown voices, conveying raw acoustic narratives like “Betrayal” and “War in My Blood” that read straight out of a great American novel. Watkins attaches his expertise for the hauntingly sorrowful love song that, in his case, always seems to relay more familiar truth than angsty longing. “Elements Combined” sketches the complexities of a woman, an intoxicating mixture of “earth, air, fire, and wine.” But it’s not all love and war for the Family. Both Watkins and Foreman wrestle with the spiritual complexities of human nature. On “Closer Than You Think” the two critique the widely held notion of heaven as a distant and out of reach destination and suggest it may be “right under your feet.” In traditional Foreman lyrical style, “Prove Me Wrong” is laden with tender screams for affirmation and acceptance as it contemplates every man’s darkest struggles and fears through a solitary voice. Those who have eased into a level of comfortable enjoyment of Jon Foreman’s solo projects and Watkins’ bluegrass repertoire may be caught off guard by the duo’s progressive departure from the predictable. Those looking for Switchfoot meets Nickel Creek will be disappointed. This is truly a profound exploration deep into the creative wells of two tremendously inventive and forward-thinking songwriters. Fiction Family is genius. It’s progressive without being high-brow, laid-back but fearless.
THE POWER OF ONE Israel Houghton & New Breed // Praise & Worship // Releases March 24, 2009 GRAMMY and Dove Award winning artist Israel Houghton returns to his roots with The Power Of One. The album features the youthful and musically masterful energy that has made Israel among the most highly influential tastemakers across a variety of musical genres. The album also features guest vocals from such genre-leading artists as tobyMac, Martin Smith, Mary Mary and Chevelle Franklin.
FANGS Falling Up // Rock // Releases March 24, 2009 Falling Up returns with their 4th full length album, Fangs, a mystical concept record telling a story of hope. Years in the works, Falling Up has brought to life a lush musical journey that began as story penned by lead singer Jessy Ribordy. Heros & villains, good and evil, trials and tribulation. The band teamed up with critically acclaimed producer Casey Crescenzo to create a beautiful guitar driven soundscape, accompanied by Falling Up's trademark experimental keys/synths and loops. RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_31
FAITH
THEPRESIDENT,THEPASSENGERS
ANDTHEPATIENCEOFGOD BY JOHN PIPER
SOMETIMES WE ARE SO OVERWHELMED AT BEING TREATED BETTER THAN WE DESERVE THAT WE MUST EXULT IN THE ALLSOVEREIGN GOD—THE GOD OF BIRDS’ FLIGHT AND OBAMA’S RISE. WHEN KING DAVID PONDERED HOW MANY WERE GOD’S “WONDROUS DEEDS,” HE SAID, “I WILL PROCLAIM AND TELL OF THEM, YET THEY ARE MORE THAN CAN BE TOLD” (PSALM 40:5). THAT’S THE WAY I FEEL WATCHING GOD’S PUBLIC MERCIES IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. Have you considered how unlikely was the crash of USAir flight 1549 in the Hudson River on January 15—not just the rescue but the crash itself? Picture this: The Airbus A320 is taking off at an angle—maybe 30 degrees. It’s not flying horizontal with the earth. Not only that, it is flying fast—not full speed yet, but perhaps four times as fast as your car would go at top highway speeds. The geese are flying horizontally with the ground, more or less. They are not flying in a cloud like a swarm of bees. 32_RETHINK MONTHLY
They fly level with the ground, often shaped like a V. In view of all that, what are the odds that, traveling at this speed and at this angle, this airplane would intersect with the flight of those geese at that very millisecond which would put a bird not just in one of those engines, but both of them? Two laser-guided missiles would not have been as amazingly effective as were those geese. It is incredible, statistically speaking. If God governs nature down to the fall (and the flight) of every bird, as Jesus says (Matthew 10:29),
then the crash of flight 1549 was designed by God. Which leads to the landing in the Hudson River—which is just as unlikely. The airbus now has no thrust in either engine. The flight attendants said it was as quiet as a library in the plane without the sound of engines. The plane is now a 77-ton glider with its belly full of fuel. Captain Sullenberger decides to land in the river. Anywhere else would mean one big fireball. He banks and misses the George Washington Bridge by 900 feet and glides the plane
into a perfect belly landing. A few degrees tilt to the front or back or the right or left and the plane would have done cartwheels down the river and broken up. On the water, the flight attendant does not let passengers open the rear door. That would have flooded the cabin too fast. The emergency doors and front doors provide exits for everyone and the plane floats long enough for all of them to climb out. Ferry boats are there almost instantly. The captain walks the aisle twice to make sure everyone is off. Then he leaves. Later the plane sinks.
If God guides geese so precisely, he also guides the captain’s hands. God knew that when he took the plane down, he would also give a spectacular deliverance. So why would he do that? If he means for all to live, why not just skip the crash? Because he meant to give our nation a parable of his power and mercy the week before a new President takes office. God can take down a plane any time he pleases—and if he does, he wrongs no one. Apart from Christ, none of us deserves anything from God but judgment. We have belittled him so consistently that he would be perfectly just to take any of us any time in any way he chooses. But God is longsuffering. He is slow to anger. He withholds wrath every day. This is what we saw in the parable. The crash of Flight 1549 illustrates God’s right and power to judge. The landing of the plane represents God’s mercy. It was God’s call to all the passengers and all their families and all who heard the story to repent and turn to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and receive forgiveness for sin. I am writing these thoughts on the evening after the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States. I cried twice today. There were two points when I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. Once was when I prayed with some brothers after Obama’s speech and was overcome
with the sinfulness of my own racist background. The other was in trying to express my emotion to an African-American brother about what this must mean for him.
ABOUT THE
As much as I reject Obama’s stance on abortion, I am thankful to the bottom of my soul that an African-American can be President of United States. The enormity of it all is unspeakable. This is God’s doing. The geese were God’s doing. The landing of Flight 1549 was God’s doing. And the Obama presidency is God’s doing. “He removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21).
John Fehlen serves as the Lead Pastor of West Salem Foursquare Church. He digs his wife Denise and their four kids. John can be found sipping an Iced Grande Triple Espresso with two pumps sugar-free vanilla. Check out his blog at www.johnfehlen.com.
And I pray that President Obama has eyes to see. The “miracle on the Hudson” and the “miracle in the White House” are not unrelated. God has been merciful to us as a nation. Our racial sins deserved judgment a thousand times over. God does not owe America anything. We owe him everything. And instead of destruction, he has given us another soft landing. We are not dead at the bottom of the Hudson. O that Barack Obama would see the mercies of God and look to the One whose blood bought everlasting life for all who trust him. The parables of God’s mercy are everywhere. The point of them is this: God is a just and patient Ruler, and Jesus Christ is a great Savior. Turn. Turn. Turn, O President of the United States and passengers of this planet.
CONTRIBUTORS Shawnee Randolph is a freelance journalist who lives with her husband near Salem, Ore. She graduated in May 2008 from Corban College with a Bachelor of Science in EnglishJournalism. She currently works as the Office Administrator at her church. Shawnee has been working along side her husband in youth ministry for four and a half years. CJ is an artist, writer, and cultural commentator with a passion for raising a new generation of innovative artists and forward thinkers. Michael Yoder is a married father of three. He has been involved in local youth ministry for over 20 years and currently oversees the Youth Program at Bible Center Fellowship in Salem, OR. His current position as the Assistant Superintendent of Transitional Services at the Oregon State Penitentiary puts food on the table and a roof over his family’s head. Anne Jackson serves on staff at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, and is the author of Mad Church Disease. She likes you. Check out her blog at www.flowerdust.net. Joshua Sholander is a twenty-something Worship Pastor at a church in Saint Simons Island, Georgia. He loves most things theological and all things narrative. He finds it incredibly encouraging that the people of God are finally begging to put flesh and blood on the person of Jesus and the historical situations of the Bible. Check him out at www.sholander.com. Anthony Trask is the husband of one wife and the father of two children. He currently spends his time with over 50 international high school boys as a dean at an international boarding school in Southern Oregon. Check out his blog and listen to some of his teachings at www.anthonytrask.com. Travis Klassen spends his life surrounded by beautiful women - his soulmate Brandee and their two daughters, Topanga and Tehillah. He is a writer, singer/songwriter and business owner, home-based near Vancouver, BC, Canada. You can check out his blog at www.earthtourist.org.
WRITE FOR RETHINK? Feeling like Madonna and want to express yourself? Consider submitting your articles, stories, ideas to us. Check out our writer’s guidlines on our website. We can always use your help. http://write.rethinkmonthly.com
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BOOK REVIEW
TWILIGHT VS.
HARRY POTTER BY SHAWNEE RANDOLPH
IT’S THE SERIES THAT HAS MEDIA BLOGS AND ENTERTAINMENT WEBSITES DEBATING, “IS ‘TWILIGHT’ THE NEXT HARRY POTTER?” HOLLYWOOD.COM CALLED IT, “THE MOST EPIC ROMANCE SINCE TITANIC.” IT’S THE “POP CULTURE PHENOMENON” KNOWN AS “TWILIGHT.” The supernatural series written by Stephanie Meyer includes, “Twilight,” “New Moon,” “Eclipse,” and “Breaking Dawn,” with future books in the works. The story is written in the first person view of Bella Swan, a 17-year-old, who after her mother remarried, moved from Phoenix, Ariz. to Forks, Wash. to live with her father. Bella’s new, wet and dreary hometown located on the Olympic Peninsula is not only the place of her childhood home, but it is also the residence of an ancient family of vampires. Bella Swan’s first encounter 34_RETHINK MONTHLY
with one of the beautiful bloodsuckers takes place on her very first day at Forks High School. While all the other boys drool over fresh meat, one young man seems completely turned off by Bella: Edward Cullen, who she describes as a model or a god. This intrigues her. The Cullen family seems normal enough to Bella. That is, if five teenagers (of which two sets of the teens are dating each other) living with a couple in their early 30s is normal. But Bella is able to push past the whispers of gossip in the school hallways and the local tribal legends, and accept the
Cullen family for who they really are – a covenant of the undead. Or so she finds out after Edward saves her from a near death experience involving a truck.
may find the 300 plus pages of teenage romance squished in between a couple action scenes in the first book hard to swallow, this is what draws in the teens and preteens.
As the first book progresses, so does the relationship between Edward and Bella. The two fall intensely and passionately in love. Edward finds he is strong enough to put aside his desire to taste Bella’s blood (a metaphor for abstinence). The rest of the Cullen family have also given up their fleshly desires, and are able to exist peacefully in a human society because they have given up their way of life – praying on innocent humans – and instead have taken up “vegetarianism,” or feasting on the blood of animals. The Cullens also made a peace treaty with the local Quileute (Native American) tribe: as long as the Cullens maintain their vegetarian status and do not “turn” a human into one of them, they can remain in the area. The majority of the first book, “Twilight,” is made up of the strong emotions of longing and yearning that Bella and Edward feel for each other. While many people out of high school
According to 12-year-old Morgan McMillan, “Most people think that vampires are evil and they want to kill you, but the Twilight series shows that they have a deep sensitive side to them besides just killing.” It’s the deep sensitive side of Edward Cullen and his I-woulddie-for-you attitude toward Bella that has the girls swooning and putting themselves in Bella’s skin. “Edward is just so romantic,” said 14-year-old Janie Naylor. “I love how he would put Bella before himself and how he feels like he can’t live with out her – how he is willing to kill himself if she ever died.” While Meyer relies heavily on the blossoming love relationship between Edward and Bella in order to develop the characters in the first book, she does add in other elements that help appeal to a broader audience. Kim Ecker, a high school
senior, said, “As soon as I read the first book, I was hooked. I love how the author combines romance and adventure.” After hints of fantasy and action in the first book, Meyer allows the fantasy world to melt with real life. She mixes in other ancient covens, evil vampires and even werewolves. By adding to the story more of the vampire-werewolf mythology, Meyer is able to hook in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy buffs, as well as the hopeless romantics. By the end of the third book, “Eclipse,” Meyer adds another ingredient to keep her readers interested: Jacob Black’s point of view. Jacob Black is Bella’s best friend. However, Jacob feelings for Bella intensify; creating a love triangle, in which Bella must eventually choose between Edward and Jacob. Black is a complex character. Some “Twilight” fans find it hard to decide which male character they like best. “Choosing between Edward and Jacob is an impossible task for me. Edward is so romantic and protecting, but Jacob has the ‘fall in love with your best friend’ thing going for him that I really like a lot,” said Ecker. However, others either love Jacob or hate him. “I just want to say go team Edward,” McMillan said, while Naylor shows off her “Team Edward” bracelet. Just type in “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob” into “Google” and you’ll come across pages and pages of the big debate. It’s a pop culture controversy much like the great, “Is professor Snape good or evil?” argument of the Harry Potter series.
While the “Twilight” series has generated a fan base nearly just as large as Harry Potter has, the content differs significantly. While both Meyer and J.K Rowling were able to create a story in the fantasy realm, and mold characters that readers could fall in love with, “Twilight” knocks Potter off the bookshelf in one department: its mature content. Throughout the first three books, Edward wishes to remain abstinent. The theme of waiting until marriage is paired with the metaphor of Edward resisting Bella’s blood. Meyer’s aspiration of promoting abstinence is well intended, but perhaps was not thought out well enough. Bella and Edward constantly find themselves in steamy-risky situations, in which temptations (and hormones) run high – situations most teens could not resist. Edward is constantly “sleeping over,” or watching Bella sleep (without Bella’s father’s approval). And during these night watches, Bella persistently pushes Edward to give in. Ecker said, “Although their relationship is perceived to be more mature than a typical high school fling, some of the turns that Edward and Bella's relationship takes could send some red flags to parents of young readers.” While Ecker is old enough and mature enough in her Christian faith to point out these “red flags,” some of the younger teens and teens that do not have a Christian upbringing, may perceive these mature situations of the norm.
Fortunately, Meyer does hold Edward to his no sex before marriage standard. Unfortunately, in the forth book, “Breaking Dawn” (caution: minor spoiler), Bella marries Edward right out of high school. This young betrothal may cause some love-struck teenagers to be blinded by visions of sparkly vampires. Also Meyer does give a PG-13 rated look at the newlywed’s Honeymoon night. “I would recommend the series to anyone over the age of 15 due to the mature content,” said Ecker. “Younger teenagers should not read this book. The relationship that Edward and Bella have could convince young readers that all relationships are that perfect, causing hurt for them in the future. Also, the mature content dealing with sex is something to look out for with younger readers.” If, parents, you do decide to let your preteens and younger high-schoolers read this series, it is important that you discuss with your children what a truegodly relationship looks like. Also, talk with them about their desires for a career or to continue their education after high school. Getting them to think about the future may hold back any impulses they just might have to elope after graduating. So is “Twilight” the next Harry Potter? Perhaps, if you’re counting fans and loveable characters. But, Meyer has created a series in the fantasy realm of its own. Comparing the two would be like comparing vampires to wizards.
Action Point Parents, if you would like to generate discussion with your teens, read this series with them. Meyer has many underlying themes throughout her book that will get teens talking. One theme is the afterlife. Edward believes that vampires are destined for Hell because of their monster-like nature. But Bella wonders what kind of a God would send a goodloving person like Edward to Hell, when he didn’t have a choice in what he would become. If your kids don’t open up, at least they’ll think you’re cool for reading a book they’re really into. Author Stephenie Meyer Genres Young adult, Fantasy, Romance Pages 544 Twilight is the first book of the Twilight series, and is followed by New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn. Twilight is now a major motion picture and releases on DVD on March 24, 2009.
RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_35
LIFE
BEARING THE FAMILYNAME BY MICHAELYODER
THIS WEEK IS MY FATHER’S BIRTHDAY. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 84. AS IT WAS, HE PASSED AWAY SHORTLY AFTER HIS 62ND BIRTHDAY. IT’S HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE IT’S BEEN SO LONG AGO. HAVING BEEN ONE OF THE GREATEST FATHERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN, IT’S HARD NOT TO SPEND TIME THINKING ABOUT HIM AROUND THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. Born into a small farm town bearing his family’s name, my father’s parents were older when he was born. An only child, he inherited the family farms when he was in his early twenties. Not wanting to be a farmer for the rest of his life, he sold the farms to his uncles and headed off to see the world. Joining the military, he was spared battle when the war ended before he finished training. After his stint in the military, he spent some time as the owner of an airplane mechanic shop (he 36_RETHINK MONTHLY
told me the pressure was too great knowing if he made a mistake someone would crash and die). He also owned a log truck company; all of two trucks. He sold out when his logging partner wanted to expand. Yes, I could have been the son of a trucking magnate. Eventually, he settled into what has now become the family business: prison work. As a young man, he fell in love, married and his wife became pregnant. Unfortunately, shortly after giving birth
to my oldest sister, his wife died of complications from the delivery. I often wondered how he could have dealt with such a tragedy. He had no parents. He walked out of the hospital with a child, but no bride. For some, this would have been too much to endure. Fortunately, my sister’s grandparents took them in and helped raise the baby. If he had emotional scars from the experience, he never showed it. Maybe he didn’t feel like he had the luxury of wallowing in self pity.
I learned a lot from my Father. He taught me to take care of my family. He showed me how to be husband and a father. To be fair, he wasn’t perfect at either, but he was close. He taught me about integrity and character. And, he taught me about responsibilities and work ethics. He was respected by everyone who knew him, including the inmates he worked with. Many of them have told me so. I always say, if I could be half the man he was, I would be satisfied.
Eventually, he met, fell in love and married my mom. They stayed that way until his death. In a world where most of my friend’s parents were split up or they had a step-parent, I lived in a non-traditional home with both my parents. That was then. Today, of course, in-tact families are even rarer. Seven years or so later, our family was complete with four kids. We grew up without wanting much. Not that we had much. Our memories were filled with camping, boat races, and barbeques in the back yard. What we lacked in stuff, my parent’s made up in experiences.
Over the years, I have had hundreds of conversations with teenagers at church, and in my work in juvenile corrections. One topic of conversation I seem to always end up on is fathers and father figures. When asked about the subject, many of those I speak with share that they either have no father, or their relationship with their father is severely broken. As I talk with them, I ask about other men in their lives that may provide a fatherly influence. Believe it or not, many of them don’t even have that. As I talk with them, I share how important it is for them to have a father
influence in their life. I offer ways that they can connect, and I encourage them to actively seek out and develop such a relationship. In fact, I tell them it is absolutely necessary to have a father influence in order to have a successful life. Why so important? I use an analogy of someone being tasked with drawing an elephant when they have never seen one before – difficult enough for someone like me to draw one, but utterly impossible for someone who has never seen an elephant before. Without an example of a father to observe, a boy can never become one. Why is it so important? What if we just didn’t have a father figure in our life? The problem is our earthly fathers are the example we have of our Heavenly Father. Their purpose is not simply to assemble Christmas presents, put a roof over our head and food on the table, teach us how to throw a football and make French toast. We need them to help us understand our Father God. Otherwise, we just can’t have the complete understanding we need Him. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said it best when he said, “Whoever does not have a good father should procure one.” It’s probably the only thing I ever read of his that made any sense. So, it must be good. What kind of Father is God? He’s the kind of Father who loves us unconditionally. Most of us in the world only
think we know what unconditional means. He’s the kind of God who is patient with His children. I only wish I had the patience my dad had. He’s the kind of Father who rejoices when His son returns home after squandering his inheritance on sex, drugs, and rock and roll (ok, that’s a bit of a paraphrase). Ultimately, He is the kind of Father who wants the best for His children, but respects them enough to let them choose the path they will take. One of my favorite pictures of me and my dad is a photo of us when I was probably five or six. He’s holding me in his arms. I have booth my arms around his neck and, you can tell, I am squeezing tight. I’m kind of surprised I didn’t choke him. What I like about the picture is that it reminds me just how close I was to him at that moment. So close; I was not going to let go. So close nothing could hurt me when I was in his arms. I realize that is how close I want to be to my Father God. That’s my example. As I miss my own earthly father this week, I realize how grateful I am to him for being such a great example. As I stumble with my own children, I always make sure to hug them. Even though they are considerably older than six, and I could never actually pick them up. I make sure I am not stingy with my love and affection. Of all the lessons my father taught me, that one I’m sure, was the most important of all. Thanks dad.
JESUS OR OBAMA WHO’S YOUR HERO?
President Barack Obama’s popularity overwhelms that of Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa, according to a new poll that shows Obama as the person Americans named as their hero. American adults (age 18 and over) spontaneously named President Obama as the person they admire enough to call their hero in a Harris Poll that did not provide a list for respondents to choose from. The Harris Poll, released on Thursday, was conducted on 2,634 U.S. adults between Jan. 12 to 19, 2009 – just ahead of President Obama’s inauguration. “The fact that President Obama is mentioned more often than Jesus Christ should not be misinterpreted,” The Harris Poll clarified in its report. “No list was used and nobody was asked to choose between them.” Following Barack Obama, the next most popular personal heroes are Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Ken-
nedy, Chesley Sullenberger, and Mother Teresa, respectively, to round out the top 10 people Americans say they admire and would call their hero. In the top 20 list, God held the No. 11 spot while evangelist Billy Graham tied with former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the 13th slot. Respondents gave multiple reasons for their choice of heroes, including: doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences (89 percent); not giving up until the goal is accomplished (83 percent); doing more than what other people expect of them (82 percent); overcoming adversity (81 percent); and staying level-headed in a crisis (81 percent). Only 14 percent of Americans said they admire either their mother or father enough to call them their hero. In contrast, nearly half (49 percent) said a public figure is someone they admire and consider a personal hero. By Michelle A. Vu Christian Post Reporter
RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_37
OPINION
SELLING
JESUS BY JOSHUA SHOLANDER
I RAN ACROSS A RATHER HELPFUL WEBSITE WHICH OUTLINED “MARKETING THEORY.” ACCORDING TO THIS SITE, THE FOUR MOST BASIC RULES OF MARKETING ARE: 1. GET YOUR CUSTOMER’S ATTENTION 2. MOTIVATE THEM TO BUY 3. GET THEM TO ACTUALLY BUY 4. GET THEM TO BUY AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN Marketing strategy breaks people up into strata (demographics) and organizes its campaign around the 20-30% of people who will influence the rest of a demographic. It is an inexact and arduous science, constantly reevaluating and reformulating new approaches to reach a target audience. And Jesus sucks at it. 38_RETHINK MONTHLY
Sure, he passed rule number 1 with flying colors: Get your customer’s attention. He drew large crowds and astounded them with his teaching. He healed all those who were sick among them. He preached that the “Kingdom of Heaven was at hand” – that God would soon restore His people Israel.
But 2? Motivate them to buy? As soon as he has their attention, he calls them children of their father – the Devil. He tells strange stories about God’s people being like thieves, like corn, like virgins. He insults the powerful among them and confuses the rest. And those that were actually motivated by all of this he sends away. When it comes time for people to actually “buy” what Jesus is teaching – he sends them away sad. Jesus fails rule number 3 – he can’t close the deal. And rule number 4 is almost insulting. Those few followers of Jesus, who follow him right up to the cross and, bleary-eyed and blubbering, witness his resurrection; these are tortured, ostracized, beaten and killed by Romans (who’d beat you as soon as look at you anyways) and by Jews (for whom the message of Jesus was all about). On a simple pass/fail assessment of the most basic rules of Marketing 101, Jesus scores 25% and fails. Why then didn’t he fail? Why is it that the earliest Jesus
movement drew thousands of people into repentance and life “in Christ?” Why is it that the church still exists today, preaching the exact same message of Jesus – the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand? Maybe this message Jesus was teaching (selling, if you like) was more powerful than even the most basic rules of Marketing. Maybe this message was so mind-bending, so counter-intuitive, so truly humanizing as to make zealots conform, murderers submit, and Caesars convert. Are you trying to “market” your belief in Jesus Christ? Are you expressing your beliefs through cleverly placed bumperstickers, jewelry, trite answers to difficult problems? Are you tired of churches advertising their beliefs to you? Are you tired of the billboards, the radio spots, and the mailers to “current resident?” Listen to this simple message of Jesus – God has come to your aid. God has come to your rescue. Put down the adcampaign. Pick up the gardening tools.
salemhouse fprayer The Salem House of Prayer is a city-wide, multi-denominational 24-hour worship and intercessory ministry to the body of Christ in Salem and the surrounding areas. Our goal is to build a “corporate altar” of night and day prayer where we may stand before Jesus, unified and strengthened in our unyielding love for the worthy Son of Man. It’s a place where the first commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, is put into practice. We believe, as many of you do, that Salem must have a “corporate altar” of unceasing prayer if we are to truly expect to have a habitation of the Lords presence. That alone will transform our cities. We believe it so much they are laying down our lives for it. This is a call for help. Our troops are thin. They are tired and weary, but they are more determined than ever. We are asking you to come and sign up for daily or weekly prayer: specifically between the hours of 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. We need pray-ers. We appreciate all the wonderful e-mails. We greatly value all the words of encouragement and the pats on the back that have over and over kept us going. But now we need you. We need your human body in the prayer room, coming and praying on a predictable schedule. We need you to literally sign up for prayer. We love you. We need you. We appeal to you. Please come.
open24/7 // salemhouse fprayer.org Prayer Room: 260 Liberty St NE • Salem, OR • 97301 • 503-589-9176 MailingAdress: PO Box 13502 • Salem, OR • 97309
Building Bridges. Building Bridges. www.salemlf.org
Building Bridges. www.salemlf.org
www.salemlf.org sam@salemlf.org