Insurrection

Several weeks ago I got an e-mail from Mike Morrell who heads up the SpeakEasy book blogging program. The e-mail was about the latest offering from Peter Rollins called Insurrection and the opportunity to review the book. As one who loves to read books, I jumped at the chance to read Peter Rollins, as I have heard some of his stuff but have never read any of his writings. I got the book and dove right in, but life got crazy around December and January and it took longer for me to finish the book, and even longer to sit down and write this review. One of the reason that it took longer to finish the book (besides the busyness of life) was the fact that I'm really not sure what the ultimate point Rollins was trying to make with this book. I mean I know what the back cover of the book says, "Rollins proclaims that the Christian Faith is not primarily concerned with questions regarding life after death but with the possibility of life before death." but I really struggled seeing that played out in the book itself.

Sometimes as I was reading the book I found myself wondering if Rollins wanted to be "controversial" for "controversies" sake. Take for instance the discussion early on revolving around the idea of atheism and Jesus. A quote from Page 21 bears this out, "What we witness here is a form of atheism, not intellectual- Christ directly addresses God as he dies- but a felt loss of God. In the Gospels according to Matthew, and Mark we read of Christ crying out in agony, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' This is a profoundly personal, painful, and existential atheism. Not an atheism that arises from some rational reflection upon the absence of divinity but rather one that wells up from the trauma of personally experiencing that absence." I looked up the word atheism and found it to mean, "the doctrine or belief that there is no God." So I struggle to put together the definition of atheism with Rollins idea that Jesus, on the cross, was in some way, an atheist, because he experienced the loss of that connection he had with God.

There was some things in the last half of the book that I strongly agreed with, and resonated with, mostly revolving around the idea that to believe in the Resurrection shouldn't just be a existential belief system, but an embodied lived-out reality. Or put differently, in Rollins own words from his blog, "Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think…

I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.

However there are moments when I affirm that resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed."

Here are some quotes from the book that I resonate strongly with.

"The one who commits themselves to the task of helping people really enter into doubt, unknowing, and ambiguity needs to be ten, twenty, even a hundred times better than those who sell certainty." (I'm not saying it's wrong to have strong beliefs, but I truly believe the church needs to be a safe place to ask questions, to struggle together, and to be open about our doubts and not pretend to have it all figured out)

"In order to participate in the Crucifixion, we must find leaders who openly experience doubt, unknowing, and a deep mystery, leaders who see these as a part of the Christian faith and important in our ongoing development of a healthy and properly Christian spirituality."

"Eternal life is thus fundamentally a transformation in the very way that we exist in the present."

"The incarnation tells us that if we want to be like God, then we must be courageous enough to fully and unreservedly embrace our humanity."

"If we were to cut open the body of Jesus, we would not find two hearts or some unique cellular structure."

"The claim I believe in God is nothing but a lie if it is not manifest in our lives, because one only believes in God insofar as one loves."

"So for the Christian, a new range of answers to the question, Do you believe in God? arises. Answers such as, I aspire to, ask my friends or more importantly, talk to my enemies."

"Resurrection houses a deep violence, an ethical violence. It is not a violence directed against individuals, but rather a violence directed against those systems that would oppress, destroy, and bring death."

I could go on with some more quotes but I want to end with a story that Rollins shares that probably impacted me on a personal level the most as well as share a video of Rollins being interviewed by Rob Bell unpacking some of the themes that would become the catalyst for the book.

"There was once a young man called Caleb who was obsessed with gathering up possessions and gaining status. He was so driven by the desire to succeed that, from an early age, he managed to become one of the most prominent and influential figures in the city. Yet he was not happy with his lot. He worked long hours, rarely saw his children, and often became irritable at the slightest problem. But more than this, he knew that his lifestyle met with his father's disapproval.

His father had himself been a wealthy and influential man in his youth, but he had found such a life shallow and unsatisfactory. As a result, he had turned away from it in an endeavor to embrace a life of simplicity, fellowship, and meditation.

Caleb's father had taught him from an early age about the problems that come from seeking material and political influence, and he warned Caleb in the strongest possible way to embrace a life that delves deeply into the beauty of creation, the warmth of friendship, and the inspiration derived from deep and sustained reflection.

Caleb's father was an inspiring man, well loved by all, and Caleb could see that his father, while living a modest way, was at peace with himself and the world in a manner that his friends and colleagues were not. Because of this, Caleb often looked with longing at his father's lifestyle and frequently detested the path that he had personally chosen. Yet despite this, he was still driven to pursue wealth and power.

It was true that his father was a happy and contented man, but he was also concerned about his son, and on any occasion when they spent time together, he would criticize Caleb for the life he had chosen.

But one day while Caleb's father was reflecting on his son's life, a voice from heaven interrupted him saying, 'Caleb is also my son, and I love him just the way he is.'

Caleb's father began to weep as he realized that all these years he had been hurting his son through his disapproval and criticism. So he immediately visited his son's house and offered a heartfelt apology saying, 'Please never feel taht you have to change what you do or who you are. I love you without limit and condition just as you are.'

After that day, the father began to take an interest in his son's life again, asking questions about what he was doing and how his work was progressing. But increasingly, Caleb found that he was no longer so interested in working the long hours. Soon he started to skip work in order to spend time with his family and began to take less interest in what others thought about him.

Eventually, Caleb gave up his work entirely and followed in his father's footsteps, realizing that it was only after his father had accepted him unconditionally for who he was that he was able to change and become who he always wanted to be."

And here is a link to the interview of Peter Rollins by Rob Bell: Insurrection Video

Widening the Circle: Experiments in Christian Discipleship

A few months ago I attended a book discussion at Lancaster Mennonite High School that revolved around the book "Widening the Circle: Experiments in Christian Discipleship" which was put out by Herald Press and edited by Joanna Shenk. The topic of the book revolving around discipleship and new forms of being church intrigued me and so I took my friend Jeff and we went, even though I am not Mennonite.

A few weeks later I got the chance to receive a copy of the book from Herald Press to review it and blog about it. It didn't take long for me to read it but it has taken me some time to digest it and also have time to write about it.

The first thing that I will say about this book (and it is in jest) is that they didn't widen the circle enough to include other experiments in Christian discipleship from an Anabaptist perspective. I say that in jest because I know Herald Press is a Mennonite Book Publishing House and so I should not be surprised that all the of the experiments mentioned are all from the Mennonite perspective. I would have liked to seen other experiments that are thoroughly Anabaptist but not necessarily Mennonite. Maybe some day someone could compile some stories from communities who are planting new faith communities and are experimenting in Christian Discipleship and are part of the wider Anabaptist movement (Brethren in Christ, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, etc...)

So being a part of the Church of the Brethren (I couldn't bring myself to call myself Brethren) I was interested to read this book from an "outsiders' perspective. The thing about that "outsider" perspective is that it only lasted a few pages, as I could thoroughly identify my experience in the Church of the Brethren with what I was reading. I realized again that Mennonites and Church of the Brethren are so closely related. The things that were shared, struggled with, embraced, "fought over" and the values that underlined each chapter are the same regardless of being Mennonite or Brethren.

I would have to say that the chapter that has stuck with me the longest and had the most profound impact we me was Chapter 15 called 'ThirdWay Community: From MegaChurch to Mennonite" written by Seth McCoy. The reason that it struck me the most was because the similarity in my journey with the journey that Seth is on (though I have never worked in a Mega Church). Seth was a Youth Pastor, so was I. He began reading "Anabaptist" books from the likes of N.T. Wright, John Howard Yoder, and also Greg Boyd (who he then went to work for at Woodland Hills). I came into Anabaptist thought and theology much the same way, but also had the benefit of being part of a Youth Group and a Community which embodied the values and theology so that it became the air I breathed and I became Anabaptist almost by osmosis.

The quote that resonated the strongest with me and was almost like Seth got into my head and into my thoughts is this quote from Page 178: "Three churches have been planted in our neighborhood in the last year, all using 'seeker sensitive' models. Honestly, I am a bit jealous. After all, it would not be difficult for ThirdWay to do the same thing. But since most of us have experience with rapidly growing churches, we recognize that the Sunday morning service can easily become the main focus. This still leaves folks feeling lonely and making discipleship difficult."

I also loved that Seth got to answer questions like "What has been hard about planting a new faith community?" and "What has been joyful about planting a new faith community?" I loved his answers and his openness and authenticity behind them. We are in much the same place as Veritas, and it helped to know that there are other people planting new faith communities from an anabaptist and missional perspective out there and that we aren't alone in this journey. (So thanks Seth)

The other two chapters that spoke to me the most was Chapter 13 entitled "Letting Go of the American Dream" by Mark Van Steenwyk and also Chapter 16 about the Little Flowers Community written by Jamie Arpin-Ricci. The one quote, which stood out to me and hit me square in face, from Chapter 13 was, "To turn toward God, one must turn from Empire. The Kingdom of God and the American Dream are essentially incompatible." OUCH!!! That is a hard pill to swallow, but I believe it is true.

And the one quote from Chapter 16 that struck me, revolves around the idea that we seek to play out in Veritas, is in relation to the importance of Scripture and Community. "The historical and practical foundations of Anabaptism, where community is the central place to interpret Scripture, have been critical to our continued formation as Little Flowers Community."

The one issue that I struggled with a great deal, not only in this book but also in my dealings within the Church of the Brethren, and also in wider dealings with those in the Anabaptist circle is best summed up by a quote from Chapter 14. In this chapter the author says, "The Mennonite Church taught me to pursue justice." Now at first glance, it looks great. We are definitely supposed to be about justice and making the word a more just place. But when we look deeper, this, to me, is a sad statement. That justice has replaced Jesus as the primary focus of a faith community. If something replaces Jesus, no matter how good, right, and worthy it is, it is still idolatry. If the author would have said, "taught me to pursue Jesus who led me to pursue justice". (which I believe He does) than all is right. But unfortunately justice has, in my opinion, taken the central place where Jesus should be. This issue, I believe, is common not only in the Mennonite Church, but in other Anabapstist communities, as well as the wider Christian community.

Overall, I was appreciative of the chance to read and review "Widening the Circle: Experiments in Christian Discipleship" and want to thank Herald Press for the review copy of the book. It was good to read about new faith communities exploring discipleship from an Anabaptist perspective and it was good to know that we aren't alone in this experiment in Christian Discipleship. (I should also thank Joanna Shenk for the hard work she did in compiling all the stories in the book.)

Lancaster Newspaper article about Denison Witmer Concert

Lately it seems like the things that Veritas has been involved with (whether directly or indirectly) has gotten a good deal of press. Below is an article that was published in the Sunday January 22 edition of the Lancaster Newspaper talking about the upcoming Denison Witmer concert scheduled for Saturday night. Wanted to put it here for people to read. Caught up in the music of life Native singer-songwriter Denison Witmer will play free show in city

Originally Published Jan 22, 2012 00:06 By MICHAEL SCHWARTZ Correspondent

For a guy with a new studio, new record, new label, new North American tour — and a new baby — Denison Witmer has an unabashed, downright sentimental fondness for the old.

On stage, the 35-year-old singer/songwriter still plays a generous helping of songs he wrote when he was 19, and he's outfitted his recording studio with vintage hardware such as a Trident mixing console and reel-to-reel tape machine to lend pristine digital tracks a bit of the warm, analog grit of classic records from Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello.

Witmer's two-month tour will crisscross the United States and Canada starting in early February, but local fans can see him play an intimate warm-up gig for free at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Community Room on Prince, above Prince Street Cafe in downtown Lancaster.

A self-described writer of "straight-out-of-my-journal-type songs," the Lancaster County native is a prolific composer of deeply personal songs that, while uniquely Witmer's, evoke artists such as Leonard Cohen, Neil Young (sans Crazy Horse) and contemporaries Iron & Wine.

Witmer, whom AllMusic once described as "an almost awkwardly honest lyricist," likened his performance approach to "covering my own songs."

"There is no real, definitive version of a song," he said. "What's on the record are just the sounds and harmonies I was interested in at the time."

A common thread runs through all great art, Witmer said, be it music or any other creative endeavor. The artist has to "allow space for individual interpretation."

"It's not my job to say what's true and what's false," he said. "My job is to create a space where something true can reveal itself, and with my music, I'm really on a journey to reveal something to myself."

Witmer's new album, "The Ones Who Wait," comes out March 6. This is his ninth record, but his first release with the Asthmatic Kitty label. Witmer said his process making this record differed from every other project he's done, in that it began as a relatively modest idea, but tragedy, blessings and life's tumult in general morphed it into something much bigger.

"This started as an EP," Witmer said, "but my dad got sick, and I came back to Lancaster. … He passed in February 2010 and I needed time to grieve and regroup, and then I came back into the studio and just kept writing and recording."

Witmer, who lives and records in Brooklyn, N.Y., built his studio in what had been unused warehouse space until a friend stumbled upon it and recognized its potential for recording. It needed a lot of work, though, so Witmer and his fellow musicians would only get out the guitars after a full day's work installing drywall.

During this period, Witmer's wife became pregnant, and their first child was born earlier this month. This all made for a heady two years, Witmer said, and it in turn helped him record his most ambitious project yet.

"There were all these big life events," Witmer said, "and I felt myself being swept into something, rather than the usual going into the studio and just laying something down."

Witmer doesn't claim to have made the greatest record in history, nor does he think that was the point. "Some songs are always going to be better than others, but that doesn't matter," he said. "What's important is to keep going forward and doing things that you find creatively fulfilling."

Denison Witmer will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Community Room on Prince, above Prince Street Cafe, 15 N. Prince St. For more information, visit denisonwitmer.com or asthmatickitty.com/the-ones-who-wait.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/571837_Caught-up-in-the-music-of-life.html#ixzz1kdHDIUAv

Merchandiser article about upcoming Denison Witmer show (with a shout out to Veritas)

Below is a copy of an article that came out in our local free paper called The Merchandiser about our upcoming concert with Denison Witmer. Concert Debut To Feature Denison Witmer

By Dayna M. Reidenouer

“What would our neighborhoods look like if we were more intentional with our relationships with our neighbors?”

That is the challenge put forth by the collective of friends, organizations, and artisans who formed the community initiative, “#iheartlancity.” (The “pound sign” is also called a hashtag; it is used by the interactive Internet site, Twitter, to group comments by topic.) The association is dedicated to drawing people together to form connections, share resources, and prepare for hard times, said founder and spokesman Jeff McClain.

As its debut event, #iheartlancity will host a free, intimate concert with international performer Lancaster native Denison Witmer on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room on Prince, located on the third floor above Prince Street Café, 19 N. Prince St., Lancaster. The doors will open at 6:45 p.m. Singer-songwriter Matt Wheeler of Mount Joy will also perform. He will be accompanied by a violinist and a cellist.

“Matt Wheeler is a great local performer, (with) unique songwriting (abilities), and (he is) witty on stage,” McClain explained. “He and Ryan Braught (of Veritas Church) are part of the planners, dreamers, and visionaries (who first thought) of doing concerts together in this space and inspiring ways to reach out to our city neighbors.”

Hosting a concert featuring Witmer has been a long-standing dream of McClain’s. Witmer’s music could be classified as “neo-folk,” a style McClain says is perfect for the venue.

Witmer grew up in Lancaster County and graduated from Lancaster Mennonite High School. According to Witmer’s publicist, he has been recording and performing for almost a decade since being discovered by Don Peris, producer and guitarist for Innocence Mission. Although Witmer, his wife, and their newborn son live in Philadelphia, he still retains ties to the county; his mother and one of his three brothers still reside in the area. His father’s death in 2008 is much of the subject matter of Witmer’s new album, “The Ones Who Wait,” which will be released in February on Asthmatic Kitty Records.

“I love Lancaster,” Witmer commented. “I've always been excited about the creative arts scene in Lancaster, and I enjoy being able to dive back into it from time to time.”

While not overt, Witmer’s Mennonite roots have had an impact on his songwriting.

“Growing up Mennonite, I grew up with a lot of beautiful hymn-singing. I don't specifically write hymns, but I think the sacred space that (hymns) create is something I've always strived to re-create in my own songs,” Witmer explained. “I like things with a sense of awe, mystery, and simplistic depth... For me, the most complex things are easier to reach through the simplest of measures.”

At the concert, Witmer plans to perform a variety of songs from all of his albums, but he will likely focus on a few of his newest songs. He will also take requests from fans.

There is no charge to attend the concert, but donations toward the production costs will be accepted.

“It's a free show because music is something that brings people together, and offering high-quality live music free of charge breaks down any monetary barriers and gives the audience a chance to share a powerful moment together,” Wheeler explained.

For more information about the concert, readers may visit www.iheartlancity.com. The artists’ websites may be accessed at www.denisonwitmer.com and www.sonicbids.com/mattwheeler.

Millersville Advertiser - 01/18/2012

Willow Street Advertiser - 01/18/2012

Hempfield-Mountville Merchandiser - 01/18/2012

Manheim Township Merchandiser - 01/18/2012

A faith community makes a space for the arts

The below article appeared in the Friday January 6 edition of the Entertainment section of the Lancaster newspaper. I thought I'd copy it to my blog for people to read. Enjoy the article. Veritas features exhibits, performances at Prince Street space

By JANE HOLAHAN Staff Writer

About two years ago, Ryan and Kimberly Braught decided to start a new faith community.

He was a youth minister when they left their old church and opened a center for worship above the Prince Street Cafe and the Julia Swartz gallery.

"I felt a call," he says. "We wanted to aid and serve people."

Part of Church of the Brethren faith in the Anabaptist tradition, it was certainly unorthodox to open a church above a coffee shop, but they wanted to have a different kind of church.

"We wanted to be really intentional about being a blessing," says Braught. "We believe in the idea of 'See a need, meet a need.' "

Veritas means truth. (The group is not related to the Veritas Academy, a Christian school.)

As that first year progressed, the Braughts began noticing a need within their faith community.

"We were connecting with a lot of artists and musicians; it was a growing network," Braught says.

"Musicians were looking for a place to play and artists were looking for a place to display their work," he says.

Emerging artists often have a tough time getting space, even in the culturally rich world of downtown Lancaster.

Why not do it at Veritas?

And so, last May, they began featuring an art show on First Friday and participating in Third Friday's music concerts.

"We figured it was a perfect space because it was right on Gallery Row," Braught says.

The space has a lot of purposes.

"Our faith community uses it on Sunday mornings and we often rent it out for parties or baby showers, things like that," Braught says.

While the work stays up on the walls after First Friday, the gallery is open by appointment only.

So far, Braught says, they've been getting a good crowd.

For some time now, Veritas has joined forces with Taste of the World, a group of people who've relocated to Lancaster from all over the world who are eager to share their cultural foods.

"We are in the front room with the art and they are in the back room with food from places like Egypt, Iraq and Syria."

But the group is taking a break this month and next, so there won't any exotic fare.

This First Friday will feature Candace Bergerson, who works in a variety of mediums, including painting and ceramics.

Much of her work has a bright pop quality to it, an explosion of colors. Even her ceramic pieces, which often have faces and a quirky quality to them, are cheerful.

Braught put out a call to artists on Craigslist and she responded.

"I looked at her work and liked it," he says. "We want to give newer artists a chance to build their resume, get their foot in the door."

On Jan. 28, acoustic singer/song writer Denison Witmer will perform. While he has been working more in Philadelphia these days, he is from Lancaster. He's been compared to Cat Stevens and Nick Drake and is known for complex finger picking.

And on Friday, Jan. 20, Veritas will open its doors for the Poet's Loft.

Like other Veritas events, it came out of a need for friends to express themselves.

Musician and worship leader Matt Wheeler met poet Miguel Rivera when they were both expecting children.

"They talked about bringing their music and poetry together and we thought, why not host them?" Braught says.

The evening, which runs from 7 to 9 p.m., will feature an open mic and poets and poetry lovers are welcome to read their own work or a favorite poem.

Veritas Arts Collective Art Show

Artist Candace Bergerson

Reception Fri. from 6-9. Free

Community Room on Prince

19 N. Prince St. (3rd floor)

Above Prince Street Cafe

285-1984. www.veritaspa.org

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/563033_A-faith-community-makes-a-space-for-the-arts.html#ixzz1ipPQufh2

Free Concert with Denison Witmer & Matt Wheeler.

We’re Excited.

Denison Witmer, a Philadelphia-based international recording artist is renown for his definitive and talented neo-folk singer/songwriter style. He returns to his hometown of Lancaster Pennsylvania to perform a rare, free and intimate concert, with local artist Matt Wheeler on January 28. Many people have compared Denison to the likes of Cat Stevens and James Taylor. The concert will start at 7pm in the ‘Community Room on Prince‘ which is above Prince St Cafe, located at 19 N. Prince St Lancaster, PA 17603.

Information at www.iheartlancity.com

When Sacrilege is a good thing

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Mike Morrell, who runs the Speak Easy blog program that I am a part of. This e-mail was letting me know that Speak Easy had a book that I could review. The book? Sacrilege: Finding Life in the Unorthodox Ways of Jesus by Hugh Halter. As soon as I read the e-mail I went right to the form and filled it out hoping that I wasn't too late. I hit submit, held my breath, and waited for the confirmation that I indeed got a copy to review for Speak Easy. Seconds later I received that confirmation that i was hoping for, a chance to read the newest book by Hugh.

You see Hugh and his normal writing and ministry partner Matt Smay have influenced me in profound ways in their books The Tangible Kingdom and AND:The Gathered and Scattered Church. And Veritas has used their Tangible Kingdom Primer in developing missional communities (and plan to do so again in the coming year). So I was excited to see what Hugh had to say about following Jesus. And of course the title Sacrilege, which normally is seen as a bad thing in Christian circles, grabbed my attention right away.

The first thing that Halter does in the book's first chapter is to define what he means by the word sacrilege. He says, "To commit sacrilege is to de-sacredize what is deemed to be sacred....In the Christian sense, to commit sacrilege means to disregard, disrespect, or be irreverent toward those things that have traditionally been considered holy, venerated, or dedicated as sacred. It's tipping holy cows" At first reading how can sacrilege be a good thing, according to Halter. Just about the time when you are wondering if Halter is trying to just be controversial or provocative, we says this, which sums up what the book is all about, "In actuality, as I'll show, de-sacredizing what should be de-sacredized is not only good, it begins to move us toward the undercurrent of the real person and Good News of Jesus. Sacrilege is about removing religion from our faith. It's about securing the integrity of what is most important. It's about chipping away at people's false assumptions about who Jesus is and what following him is all about."

As an Anabaptist I was totally on board where Halter went to show his readers the sacrilegious nature of Jesus, right to the Sermon on the Mount, and more specifically the beatitudes. Halter takes the remainder of the book unpacking the beatitudes and how they flip everything upside down and how following Jesus and living out the beatitudes will fulfill what Jesus wants of his disciples (or apprentices as Halter wants to call those who live for Jesus). Halter says that Jesus, "wanted people to become like him; sacrilegious, incarnational people who lived a contagiously countercultural, kingdom-centered life. (I believe Jesus wanted that when he walked the face of this earth and he also wants that now as well.)

I appreciated the book and what Halter was seeking to do, unpacking Jesus from the religious confines that He has been wrapped up in for 2,000 years and to truly see Jesus as "the ultimate sacrilegious leader." I resonated with his use of the beatitudes to show the sacrilegious nature of Jesus and how if we follow Jesus, by living out the beatitudes, we'll be committing sacrilege as well and becoming sacrilegious apprentices.

Here are some quotes from the book that I found helpful or that resonated with me:

"Jesus and the early faith communities lived an intentionally countercultural life without any sense of consumer-oriented fluff- and people still chose to take the leap!" (This is my desire for not only Veritas but for my life as well)

"Biblical apprenticeship is about three things: 1. Becoming just like Jesus. 2. Doing what Jesus did, and 3. doing the above with the types of people Jesus liked spending time with."

"Jesus messed with people's paradigms."

"Jesus utterly jacked up everything people thought about religion and God. And he's still at it."

"Jesus loved the Scriptures as they witnessed to him, but his biggest fights were with those who knew the most Scripture."

"Jesus really doesn't care how much we know if our knowledge amounts to no change in our lifestyle."

"Jesus, however, is trying to take people from a small box of religion to the place where they can open up their lives to a huge new world called the kingdom."

"Although Westernized Christianity pulls us away from risk, confrontation, and getting gritty with real issues, Christ is going to lead us into places that will capture our emotions and reorient our entire perspective about life and why we live it."

"Being a Christian is about being like Jesus, and sometimes that means taking risks to reach out."

"Jesus came to expand your life, not keep it the same. His life is fuller than the American Dream, but it's not as safe."

"The wall of assumptions will only come down as entire communities band together in unity to live like Christ before the world. This may mean turning from idols of materialism, individualism, consumerism, and religion."

I'm sure I could go on with various thoughts and quotes that stuck out to me and resonated with me and our journey in planting Veritas as a missional community. But I thought I'd end this blog with a final thought from Hugh that is a deep hope and longing of mine for our community. Hugh says, "Jesus never called people to follow him by themselves. He knew that life in the Kingdom was and still is only available for those committed to community with other apprentices."

I'm thankful for Mike Morrell and Speak Easy for the opportunity to read and review Sacrilege. Hopefully reading this book can help and remind me to flip some tables and follow the subversive, countercultural, and sacrilegious leader Jesus of Nazareth.

Chasing a Lion

Several years ago while my wife and I were exploring the idea and the possibility of being called to plant a church a good friend of mine recommended a book by Mark Batterson called "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars" He thought that it would be good reading and applicable to our situation at the time. I never got around to reading the book until now when I got the chance to review the book for the Blogging for Books program that I am a part of. I can honestly say that I wish I would have read it when my friend recommended it to me. I think it would have spurred me on in our church planting journey even more. Not to say that I didn't need it now...in the midst of the church planting journey, in the midst of the struggles, doubts, wondering if I heard God right, the ups and the downs, the joys and the pain, and everything in between. I certainly can relate to the book and I am appreciative of the words contained within this book that helped me to refocus on that original burning in my gut that I felt those years ago when thinking, dreaming, and praying about leaving an established church to plant a new faith community without the security of knowing whether we would make it or not, whether I would have a salary or not, and whether or not this dream would become a reality or a nightmare.

The book is based around a pretty obscure passage of Scripture found in 2 Samuel 23:20-21 which says, "Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear." Batterson then proceeds to get behind the Scripture to the human drama underneath. He spends some time drawing out the human emotions associated with chasing a lion into a pit on a snowy day. He tries to get into the head of Benaiah and he unpacks the risk, challenges, uncertainty, and "craziness" of actually running towards the lion instead of away from the lion.

There are 9 chapters in the book in which he expounds upon the story of Benaiah and how Benaiah lived a life of risk, adventure, uncertainty, trust in Yahweh, and dependance that resulted in a lion skin on his wall, and becoming one of the main body guards to King David.

Here are some quotes that stood out to me in the book:

"The biggest risks are the greatest opportunities"

"Lion Chasers are proactive. They know that playing it safe is risky."

"I have a simple definition of success: Do the best you can with what you have where you are. In essence, success is making the most of every opportunity."

Probably (for me) one of the best quotes from this book is this one, "I wish I could tell you that every lion chase ends with a lion skin hanging on the wall, but it doesn’t. The dot-com dreamer is successful beyond his wildest dreams, but the guy with political aspirations lost the election. However, both of them are lion chasers in my book.What sets lion chasers apart isn’t the outcome. It’s the courage to chase God-sized dreams. Lion chasers don’t let their fears or doubts keep them from doing what God has called them to do."

“Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Our impossible odds are a way to way to experience a new dimension of God´s glory.”

"Maybe it's time to stop placing four-dimensional limits on God. Maybe it's time to stop putting God in a box the size of what our brains can figure out and contain. Maybe it's time to stop creating God in your image and let Him create you in His! The more we grow, the bigger God should get. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions will become."

"Lion chasers defy the odds – and make their Father proud!"

"Don't let 'mental lions' keep you from experiencing everything God has to offer. The greatest breakthroughs in your life will happen when you push through the fear. The defining moments will double as the scariest decisions. But you've got to face those fears and begin the process of unlearning them."

"If you study the teachings of Christ, you’ll realize that learning wasn’t his primary goal. His primary goal was unlearning. He was reverse engineering religious minds.”

"Lion Chasers experience the same fear as everyone else. I bet Benaiah was afraid of the boogeyman as a kid. But Lion Chasers have learned to face those fears. They have unlearned the fear of uncertainty, the fear of risk, the fear of looking foolish, and the countless other fears that hold them back. Their faith has been defragmented. They don't necessarily know more than other people. But they have unlearned the fears that kept them captive. And they all did it the same way: by chasing their fears instead of running away from them. They exposed themselves to the very thing they were afraid of."

"The cure for the fear of failure is not success. It's failure. The cure for the fear of rejection is not acceptance. It's rejection. You've got to be exposed to small quantities of whatever you are afraid of. That's how you build up immunity."

"If you take a second to reflect on your life, you'll discover that the greatest experiences are often the scariest, and the scariest experiences are often the greatest."

"Maybe it is time to quit running and start chasing. Try something new. Take some risks. Start doing somethings that are worth recounting in jaw-dropping detail."

“Truth be told, the alternative to fear is boredom. And boredom isn´t just boring, it´s inexcusable!”

Boredom is the root of all evil. – Soren Kierkegaard

“Are you living your life in ways worth telling stories about?”

"Opportunities often look like insurmountable obstacles. So if we want to take advantage of these opportunities, we have to learn to see problems in a new way- God's way. Then our biggest problems may just start looking like our greatest opportunities."

“Maybe prayer is less about changing our circumstances than it is about changing our perspective… Maybe we need to quit praying safe prayers.”

“Lion chasers challenge the status quo. They climb cliffs, move to foreign countries, and build boats in the desert. Lion chasers are often considered crazy, but they are able to do these things because they aren’t afraid of uncertainty. They don’t need to know what is coming next because they know that God knows. They don’t need explanations for every disappointment because they know God has a plan. Lion chasers refuse to settle down because they want to experience every divine twist and turn that God has in store for them.”

I'm sure I could continue with more and more quotes that resonated with my soul, my experience and especially our journey over the last 2 years of planting Veritas. But I wanted to end this blog with two more quotes. These two quotes I had heard several years ago while reading through various books related to Church Planting, missional church and missional communties. The first quote is from D.H. Lawrence which says, "‘the adventure has gone out of the Christian venture’" And the other one is from Paul Coelho which says, "the ship is safest when it’s in port. But that’s not what ships were made for." These quotes plus reading this book from Mark Batterson has renewed my commitment to living a missional life in our neighborhood, to taking risks as a family and as a community of faith, and to chasing our lion of planting Veritas and realizing the vision of being "A Missional Community of Authentic Worshippers."

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

Veritas Leadership Structure

Last week I wrote a blog about the Monthly Rhythm of Veritas based on the OUT, UP, IN Triangle from 3DM and their lifeshape material. As I wrote about it last week, I also began to realize that the OUT, UP, IN Triangle not only gives us handles on how our community gathers but also the possibility on how we structure our leadership. So I set out to work on a Leadership Structure proposal that I wanted to post here and see what kind of thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc... I might get from people who read the blog. Below you will find the document that I put together as a 1st Draft. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, thoughts on revisions, things that I missed, etc.....

“Job Descriptions” of Elder Roles

Administrative Elder: 1. Develop Community Room as a consistent revenue stream 2. Serve as Treasurer to collect and deposit offering (work with supportive church book keeper). Eventually overseeing an “in-house” financial team responsible for keeping the books, and all financial matters. Develops Budget in conversation with other elders. 3. Offer strategic step by step details to implement ideas. 4. Partner with Pastor Ryan on funding initiatives. 5. Meet monthly with other elders

UP Elder: 1. Partner with Pastor Ryan on planning the Corporate UP Gatherings (2x a month), the sermon series planning, and what each Missional Community is “studying” during their UP Gatherings. 2. Train, meet, resource, and network with the Missional Communities UP leaders. 3. Develop in Partnership with Pastor Ryan a discipleship process for Veritas. 4. Creating, Overseeing, and working on teams that help the Corporate UP Gatherings come together. (Musical team, Children’s Ministry Team, Multimedia Team) 5. Meet monthly with other elders.

OUT Elder: 1. Partner with Pastor Ryan on planning OUT events, activities, and gatherings. (Getting Artists for 1st Friday, Musicians for 3rd Friday, connecting with Non-Profits to serve with, etc…) 2. Plan (with Pastor Ryan) the monthly OUT Sunday (currently 1x a month) 3. Train, meet, resource, and network with the Missional Communities OUT Leaders. 4. Develop ways, ideas, and dreams of getting OUT into the world and blessing it and means of getting the word out about Veritas. 5. Meet monthly with other elders.

IN Elder: 1. Partner with Pastor Ryan on planning IN events, activities and gatherings that strength the relational community. 2. Train, meet, resource and network with the Missional Communities IN Leaders. 3. Create, Oversee and work on a Hospitality Team for our Corporate UP Gatherings. 4. Plan (with Pastor Ryan) the monthly IN Sunday (currently 1x a Month) 5. Meet monthly with other elders.

Elders meet at least monthly. The monthly meeting will include prayer, sharing from each Elder about what is going on in their area of responsibility (UP efforts, IN efforts, OUT efforts, and Administrative details- financial report, etc…), vision plans, dreaming together, and strategic planning for the future. Elders are responsible for the day to day, month to month work of the church. The Church Planter/Pastor is accountable to the Elder Team. The Elder Team is also responsible for the yearly church budget.

Community Gathering- The Elders convene a Community Gathering twice a year with the entire community to share vision for the future, reports from each Elder about progress in their areas of responsibilities, and the Admin. Elder presents the Budget for the Community to vote on. These twice a year Community Gatherings happen in April and October (right now during the IN Sunday Gathering.)

Veritas Monthly Rhythm

Over the last few months at Veritas we have been sharing the diagram that is above during our worship gathering time. We had started just with sharing stories of how we had been a blessing in the world, how we had lived out the kingdom in word and deed in the past week, and where God was leading us to live missionary lives. Then I realized we needed more than just the stories of being missional, and then I added how we were growing in our Christian journey. We shared stories of what God was teaching us through our times of individual and corporate prayer, worship, bible study, life in the world, and experiencing God in places where we didn't expect him to be.

Not too long after starting these discussions during our worship gathering I saw this triangle in material put out by 3DM called Lifeshapes. The idea is that "we are created to be three-dimensional beings; when one dimension is missing or suppressed, the other two do not work as they should. If we do not have all three elements of the Triangle- the Up, the In, and the Out- we are out of balance and we will wobble through life." (Taken from "Building a Discipling Culture" by Mike Breen and Steve Cockram) I realized that we were sharing stories and instances of living OUT, and UP lives, but were neglecting the IN part. So we began taking 10-15 minutes each worship gathering to hear and tell stories of our UP, IN, and OUT lives.

As I have been looking at the triangle, I have also realized that it fits our 3 Core Values very well..Safe, Spiritual Search (IN), Missional Kingdom Life (OUT), and Authentic Worship Expression (UP). I also began to wonder what it would look like if not only individuals lived out the OUT, UP, IN in their lives, but what it would look like for a community to live this out together in a corporate fashion. So for the past month to a month and a half we have been living out as a community this rhythm taken from the triangle.

So our monthly rhythm looks like this (most of the time)

1st Sunday of the month is our OUT Sunday. We take our time that Sunday to serve the community of Lancaster in some way as well as missionally engage with people. Last week we were asked by Occupy Lancaster to lead a Bible Study.

2nd and 4th Sunday of the month is our UP Sunday. We take time those two Sundays to engage in musical worship, prayer, discussion, Scriptural reflection, and dialogue. (not that we don't "worship" during the other two Sundays of the month...since everything is worship.)

3rd Sunday of the month is our IN Sunday. We take this Sunday to focus on our community and developing the relationships within the Community. This might take the form of a Brunch, a discussion related to what is happening within the life of our community, a time to talk about the direction/future of Veritas, or some other community gathering. (Not that we don't build community when we serve together and worship together)

Since this is really new to us, I am waiting to see how we grow, develop, and live out the mission God has called us to by using this missional rhythm of OUT, UP, and IN. I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, ideas, suggestions, and questions about our Monthly Rhythm.

Leading by Listening

The other night during my prayer and Scripture reflection time before going to bed I came upon a Scripture that struck me as super relevant to Veritas and this church planting journey. The funny thing is that it struck me as almost counter-intuitive to so much of our modern church planting leadership ideas, The scripture is James 1:19 and this is what it says in The Message "Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear." I know this passage isn't talking about leadership but what caught my eye is the phrase Lead with your ears. In this text it basically means listen before you speak. Or the old adage you have two ears and one mouth so that you can listen twice as much as you speak. But in the context of planting a church it is an interesting thought. That, as leaders of a church plant, one of the main things that we should be doing is leading by listening. First of all we need to listen to God and see what he is saying through his word, through others, through worship, through prayer, through silence, and through his creation. Secondly we need to listen to the world around us and hear what is going around us and how the gospel can be brought to bear on various situations that we encounter. It's like what Steve Taylor said in the book "The Out of Bounds Church."...."I sit on the fault lines of a cultural shift. In my right hand, I hold a video remote. In my left hand, I hold the gospel of Jesus."

Around the same time that I read the Scripture I also became familiar with the process of starting a Fresh Expression (A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church), which in many ways connects with how we should be going about planting churches in our post-Christendom, postmodern world. This process starts not with a demographic study, a church planting prospectus, a vision statement or anything that many modern church plants start with. The Fresh Expressions process starts with listening and following God's call. Below is the process in diagram form.

So what does this mean for me and for Veritas? It means that I need to spend more time in prayer. Something that I have been trying to do at least once a week for the past few weeks is to spend some time prayer walking in the city, around the F&M Campus, and around my neighborhood. I need to make it a priority to spend time in prayer and listening. It means that we need to take things one step at a time and trust God that he is working already and we just need to figure out (by listening) where he is working, what he is doing, and what he wants to do and then join him in what he is doing, and dream together on ideas to accomplish what he wants to do.

My prayer is that I will lead Veritas by being a listener.

Benefit Concert

On Friday night Veritas had the privilege of hosting a benefit concert to raise money for a safe house and after care program for those who have been trafficked domestically. All the funds went to North Start Initiative, a non-profit here in Lancaster County that is fighting Human Trafficking and an organization that Veritas is looking at getting more involved with. Here is a copy of a news release about the event: A fundraiser will be held Friday for an organization working to create a safe house for human trafficking victims.

North Star Initiative has a house under lease, but co-founder Jen Sensenig estimated it needs at least $250,000 in renovations.

The group is targeting a late 2013 opening.

Human trafficking can include women forced to work in the sex industry or in other jobs for little or no pay, said Sensenig, 40, of Paradise.

She envisions the house serving a half-dozen young victims of domestic human trafficking.

It would provide shelter, counseling and life-skills training to help reintegrate them into society.

Millersville University junior and musician Christina Berg is behind the fundraiser. She did a benefit concert and auction for Tim Bradley, a North Star Initiative co-founder.

Bradley went on a four-month mission trip earlier this year to trafficking centers in Southeast Asia and Atlanta.

Bradley will discuss his experience at the fundraiser scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at The Community Room on Prince, above the Prince Street Cafe, 19 N. Prince St.

The event will include musicians, a dance performance and refreshments.

Admission is by donation.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/459108_Benefit-for-victims-of-trafficking-set-for-Friday.html#ixzz1YP7x6bzE

So after it was all said and done we probably had close to 75 people come to the event and where able to raise over 800 dollars for North Star. It was definitely a realization of our dream as Veritas and our reason for renting the Community Room. We are excited about future possibilities of using the Community Room for events that connect two of our passions: art and justice issues. In fact the next benefit concert we will be doing is November 18 with Matt Haller, a student at F&M whose music, CD's and concerts go to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Tuscaloosa, AL that was destroyed in a tornado in April.

Continue to dream about further means of using the arts and music to bless, serve and raise money for various justice issues in our world. Any ideas, would love to hear them.

Planting Missionary Churches Part 3

So the last 2 posts that I have written have focused on Planting Missionary Churches and specifically looking at the text in Acts 17:16-34 where Paul goes to Athens and shares the good news of Jesus on Mars Hill. The first post related to a back story that happened 500 years before Paul came to Athens which opened up the text in a new way for me. The second post was about Paul's missionary strategy in Athens. Today I will share about missionary strategy that we can apply from Acts 17 into our context here in the US. And I'll share a little bit about the way that I am seeking to live this missionary strategy out in Lancaster, PA while planting Veritas, a missional/missionary church plant. 1. The first thing that we had noticed in the Acts 17 text is that Paul when coming to Athens went to the Synagogue and reasoned with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks. He started with a place of openness, or with low hanging fruit. As a missionary in the west probably the first place we could start with is people who are dechurched and not the unchurched. People who are also going through significant life change, be it new college students, new parents, someone who just experienced loss of some type or with people who are struggling. I think of those who have been recently affected with flooding in our area and how a missionary and a missionary community can come alongside these families and help them clean, dispose of, rebuild, and just be a blessing.

2. The second thing we noticed is that Paul also went into the marketplace as well as the synagogue and then was invited to go and share the good news at the Areopagus. We need to spend more time outside the "church" building relationships, networking, and serving others. I was at a meeting this morning about 1st Friday in downtown Lancaster and a lot was said negatively about those who proselytize (handing out tracts, yelling, using a bullhorn). Or I think about people who go onto college campuses with their agenda and not just to be a blessing to students and the community. I went to the meeting to see how we as Veritas can be a blessing to the community and not force our way in, but be invited into the conversations that are happening on a city level. This is also one of the reasons that I spend much of my time in coffeehouses doing my work is to be out and among people and seek to develop relationships with people.

3. The third thing in the text that I noticed is that before Paul said anything, he observed the culture by walking around. So often Christians just go into a situation and open their mouths before listening with their eyes and ears. One thing that I want to try to do more often is to prayer walk both in the city and also around the F&M Campus where several of our Veritas community are students. JR Briggs has a series of great posts about prayer walking called "Creative ways to pray with your feet" which can be found on his blog (http://www.jrbriggs.com/)

4. Lastly Paul uses the poets of the culture in which he is sharing and not the OT. When he was in the synagogue, he used the OT to share but when he was on Mars Hill he used 2 Poets from the Athenian Culture and ones that were authoritative in the lives of his listeners. Who are our poets? Who are the people that people in our culture give authority to? I believe, especially in the younger generations, it is the musicians and filmmakers who are making and sharing theology and we need to listen to and walk and keep up on what is happening in pop culture. This is why when we gather we try to have some pop culture as part of our worship gathering, be it a movie clip, pop music playing when people are hanging out, or actually having a pop song played by our musicians during our gathering time.

These are some of the missionary strategies that I've gotten from Paul's missionary strategy in Athens and on Mars Hill. Maybe you found some other strategies in this text that I missed. Would love to hear your insights on this text, Paul's missionary strategy, and how these guide how we go about being missionaries in our culture.

Planting Missionary Churches Part 2

So on Monday I talked about listening to a podcast from Chris Backert given at a Ecclesia church planting gathering called Planting Missionary Churches and what stood out to me, especially in relation to the text in Acts 17 when Paul goes to Mars Hill in Athens and I also gave a historical back story that happened 500 years before Paul's trip to Athens. I want to take this post and look at the same text and draw out some of Paul's missionary strategy for how he shared the gospel at Mars Hill. Then in my next post on Planting Missionary Churches I want to draw out some steps for planting a missionary church in our world, or you could call it our missionary strategy in the west.

So here is the text again from Acts 17:16-34:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

So what is Paul's missionary strategy while in Athens? Here is what I believe made up his missionary strategy.

1. The first thing you notice is that when he arrives in Athens is that he goes to the Synagogue and reasons with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks. He starts in the place where there would be some common "language" (so to speak) and where there would probably be what is called "Low Hanging Fruit".

2. While he reasoned in the synagogue day by day with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks, he also went into the marketplace where he would rub shoulders with those who had a different worldview than those he would encounter in the synagogue. And while there he met some philosophers who took me with them to the meeting at the Areopagus. He didn't go straight away and force himself into the meeting at the Areopagus where the center of learning, philosophy, and culture was taking place. He went based on an invitation to go and present his message of Jesus and the resurrection.

3. Paul walks around Athens and looks at their objects of worship. He learns about their culture by what they worship. He doesn't just go to Athens and begins to speak to people. He uses his eyes and ears first before his mouth and tongue. He does his cultural exegesis, his cultural research on what makes people in Athens tick.

4. He uses whatever is authoritative in the lives of his listeners. In the synagogue I am sure that when he was reasoning with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks he used the Old Testament scriptures. When he was in the Areopagus I'm sure he didn't start out by quoting the Old Testament because they weren't authoritative in the lives of his hearers. Instead he used the poets of their culture. In verse 28 we read, "‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’" The first quote- For in him we live and move and have our being is from the Cretan poet Epimenides and the other quote, "We are his offspring." is from the Cilician poet Aratus. In fact this isn't the only place where Paul quotes Greek poets (see 1 Corinthians 15:33 and Titus 1:12).

My next post will be taking the four things that I mention above and applying it to our western culture. Our postmodern, post-Christendom culture. And how we go about following Paul's missionary strategy and how we come up with a missionary strategy that also works in our world today. And I'll also share some thoughts on how I am going about this as we are continuing to plant Veritas, a Missional or Missionary Church in Lancaster, as well as how Veritas is seeking to go about this as a missional/missionary community.

Planting Missionary Churches

Yesterday I was out mowing the lawn and while mowing the lawn I always listen to my iPod. Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I listen to various podcasts, most of them dealing with church planting. Yesterday I started out listening to some music and then started listening to a podcast from the Ecclesia Church planting gathering from the other year. I was listening to Chris Backert talk about Planting Missionary Churches, which has been a very helpful podcast for me. (Audio from that session the 2011 conference that I attended can be found here... http://ecclesia.343mp3.com/2011/Aggelos/2%20-%20Planting%20Missionary%20Churches%20-%20Chris%20Backert.mp3"

Over the next few days I want to share some thoughts from this podcast, what stood out to me, what is helpful to me, and some concrete steps that I plan to take because of this very helpful podcast and session by my friend Chris Backert.

One of the first thing that struck me was a back story to the story of Paul in Athens found in Acts 16:16-34. Acts 17 is one of my favorite bible texts as I love the way Paul interacts with the Athenian Culture. I find that we can learn a great deal about how we need to go into our culture with the gospel based on how Paul went to Athens. I'll share a few thoughts on what Paul did in Athens and how we can go into our culture in my next blog post.

The back story that opened up Acts 17 for me is the story of someone who came to Athens 500 years before Paul came to Athens. Here is the back story along with the story of Paul in Athens.

Sometime in the Sixth Century B.C. a man named Nicias stood before the Athenian council on Mars Hill. He reported back from a trip that he had just taken to the Pithian Oracle, a desperate trip because Athens had been plagued with disease for some time. Nicias reported: "Our city is under a curse. The priest has revealed that a certain god is punishing us for the heinous crimes of our former king." And even as he spoke, the dirges from thousands of people rose up from the city behind him, lamenting the dying there below.

One council member spoke up and said, "What god could this be? We've offered atoning sacrifices to every god. I can't imagine what other god there could be."

Nicias replied, "I don't know either, nor did the priest at the oracle know." With his words a cold wind swept through the marble columns as if to affirm the terror settling on all their hearts. Nicias continued, "We must send a ship to Crete to fetch a man named Epimenides. The oracle assures me that he will know how to appease this god."

And so after much debate, the humbled council agreed to seek the help of this foreigner. Very soon, in the time it took to sail from Athens to Crete and back, Epimenides Inisious stepped off the ship in the town of Piraeus, the harbor town. He and his traveling party began to walk up the road to Athens, and as they journeyed, signs of the plague surrounded them. Rather than being surprised or shocked by the travesties of an epidemic, Epimenides was surprised by something else. He said, "Never before have I seen so many gods. In fact, it's probably easier to find a god here than a man."

At that Nicias laughed and replied, "Yes, but for the life of me, I can't figure out who this other god could be. We worship every possible god we can imagine."

Epimenides returned, "Well, maybe that's your problem." The next morning Epimenides stood before the council on Mars Hill, along with a flock of choice, hungry sheep that he had requested the night before. As the foreigner stood there in front of the council, hundreds and hundreds of Athenians gathered there desperately looking on and hoping for some glimmer of truth, some hope of relief.

Epimenides addressed the council: "I'm going to offer a sacrifice based on three assumptions. The first one is that there's a god out there and we don't know his name. But, he's somehow connected to our plague. The second assumption is this -that if we invoke the help of this god, he is great enough and good enough that he will come to our aid."

At that one of the young men in the crowd yelled out, "How can we invoke the name of a god when we don't even know his name?"

Epimenides replied, "That's my third assumption: that this god is so great and so good that if we call upon his name, he will smile on our ignorance as long as we acknowledge that ignorance before him."

And so they all looked to the sky and Epimenides cried out, "Unknown God, look down upon this city. Forgive this city. Deliver this city. And now, if you would choose the sheep that You desire, if You would cause them to lie down upon the grass, we'll sacrifice them to You." With that they released the hungry sheep to wander around the grassy hill. Miraculously, several of the sheep began to lie down rather than graze with the rest of the flock. Artisans immediately began to mark the spot and collect the sheep for a sacrifice. Epimenides instructed them to build an altar on the spot and inscribe it to Agnos Theo, the Unknown God. They did as he instructed and sacrificed the sacred sheep.

That very day, the plague began to lift; within a week, the people of Athens were well again. Naturally, they glorified and worshipped this unknown God, leaving flowers and garlands on the newly built altar. But after a time, they began to forget. They made a statue in honor of Epimenides and put it in the city. Eventually, however, they forgot about him as well. The Athenians gradually slipped back into the worship of their old gods. The altar to the Unknown God fell into disrepair and finally into ruins. However, one day two of the city elders were walking among those ruins when one of them stopped and tore away a bit of moss to reveal the words Agnos Theo. He said to the other elder, "Demis, remember this? Remember what happened so long ago when we were just young men?"

Demis answered, "Of course! How could I forget? I was the one who cried out 'How can we offer a sacrifice to a god when we don't even know his name?'" His friend replied, "Don't think me sacrilegious, but if this god would somehow reveal himself, I imagine that we could do away with all these other gods."

Demis thought for a moment and said, "Yes, maybe so. But how will we remember? How will the people of our city remember that this god is not a foreign god to us, but one who has visited our city and saved us from the horrible plague?"

Shortly thereafter, the two men resolved to go before the city council and pass a motion that would preserve and maintain the uncovered altar to the Unknown God for all posterity.{1}

Half a millennium passed until another foreigner with a spiritual mission stepped foot in Piraeus. Not a Cretan but a Jew, Paul found himself, like Epimenides, much more amazed at all the idols than at the sites of Athens. We read about his encounter in Acts 17:16-34. It seems Paul had not planned on going to Athens but because he ran into some trouble in Berea (they ran him out of town), he fled on a ship and ended up waiting in Athens for his friends Silas and Timothy.

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace everyday with those who chanced to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also met him there. Some said, "What would this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities." They said this because he preaches Jesus and this resurrection. And they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus [Mars Hill], saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you present to us? For you bring some strange things to our ears and we wish to know therefore what these things mean." (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.)

So Paul standing in the middle of the Areopagus said, "Men of Athens! I perceive that in every way you are a very religious people. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: To An Unknown God. What therefore you worship as unknown this I proclaim to you that the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man. Nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation; that they should seek God in the hope that they might feel after him and find him, yet he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and we move and we have our being. As even some of your poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone -a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all men raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:16-31)

I'll post some thoughts later this week about Paul's missionary strategy in Athens and what we can learn about what our missionary strategy should be like here in the 21st century based on Acts 17.