Healing Malchus

When Heaven and Earth Collide

2007-06-20T11:18:00.000-06:00

My birthday is Thursday, but I received the present from my wife over a month ago.

As backstory, I built a band with many of my friends when I was in high school. It lasted through college, and even into my adult years. It stands as one of the most important times in my life. It was a time when I got together with other men my age. We spent time praying, sharing our struggles with faith, sex, and the world around us. We rehearsed regularly and played as often as three or four times a week in bars, clubs and churches around Colorado.

The brotherhood created through that band is one of the true treasures of my life. I have a few photographs from our time together on the walls of my office. They are reminders to me of so many things. Things I could express like friendship and pleasure, and things I can’t express but are hinted at by words like joy, thankfulness, regret.

The last show I played with TMJ didn’t end as it should have. I had been in a fight with one of my best friends about how things were being handled in our band. I was transitioning into grad school and marriage, and as the show concluded it suddenly felt like something I had worked to build--had enjoyed for seven years--simply evaporated before me. My best reasonings said it was just time to grow up. But my heart has been saying that things ought to have been different ever since.

Even in regret life moves on. I still saw many of my bandmates regularly, but not in musical settings. As my birthday approached I had some conversations with a few them about old times. On a recent occasion, one of them slipped me a tape from a show we did in 1998. I happened to be going on a retreat that weekend and had 10 hours to fill. Driving there and back I must have listened to that tape 20 times, singing our songs at the top of my lungs and just reliving a show that at the time was just another weekend gig.

Around midnight, as I drove home, I recall praying in my car and briefly asking that when God raised me to life again--when all things were restored and made whole--I would just like to play with my band again. There is very little else in the world I would treasure as much.

I suppose, the ache of joy once experienced, discarded, and now placed in a future hopes is the story that the Bible tells from cover to cover.

As is frequently the case with God, he had begun answering my prayers months before hand, and in the middle of May my beautiful bride assembled all the players from the later days of my band. She drew together people from around the country back into one of our favorite little venues and invited all our closest friends to participate in one last trumpmotherjones show.

Before we began our show, we stopped to pray, and it all struck me. I saw that my prayer had been answered. That my last show was not the one six years earlier that ended so poorly, it was this one which was surrounded by a spirit of joy and togetherness. I stood, there with my brothers, and heaven was engulf all the space around us. We were standing in the presence of our savior, with our friends, with our family. I was experiencing now, what it would be like then. “May your will be done on earth at it is in heaven.”

It was a profound illustration to me of God’s dream for our broken world. One day we will be raised to life, the everlasting life to come, and then all the hints and experiences of fleeting joy will culminate. We will see that we were always in heaven seeing the shadows and the edges breaking into our backstory.

I suppose I won’t have to proposition Jesus for the opportunity to gig with my band again. I have already seen and experienced now, what things will be like then, when all things are restored, even Colorado funk bands. A TMJ reunion is a given even if we don't play again in my lifetime.

The question now is whether or not we get to play for the company of Heaven (which is a whole new request). But the most enjoyable setting I can think to play won't be in that grand arena. It will be in a small practice room somewhere, and in it will seven guys sharing life, reminding each other of times from long ago, just being together.

Creedal Christianity

2007-06-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

I'm just pompous enough to think this is a good idea.

This is an attempt to begin a contemporary creed. By no means do I think I could (or should) be the only author of such a statement. Nor do I think it would have much impact if I were. This is more of an experiment. I want to see theologians today draw a map of Christianity. I want to see where we put our own emphases. Where we sketch the lines. The best thing that could happen is that it would go out and folks would begin altering it wikipedia style. Perhaps this will serves as an adequate skeleton.

This initial offering focuses on trinitarian orthodoxy, ecclesiastic unity, and communal redemption. As a beginning point, these seem to me three points of Christianity which are non-negotiable.

The philosophy behind this statement is to affirm Christianity in its most fundamental form. There are many topics worthy of inclusion, but which do not strike me as essential to one being a Christian. I desire this creed to articulate the raw Christian worldview, and allow freedom and openness for exploration in other matters. Theology is an alive science: these are the borders as I see them:

"We are united in these essentials; gracious and tolerant toward other non-essentials, and in all things charitable toward our brothers and sisters who are pursuing God and his wondrous love.

God is real and utterly in love with you and I.

God can be known and enjoyed. God has been known and enjoyed through out history. God can be known and enjoyed through our reason, our experiences, and the experiences of other God-followers. We know God best through the life and teaching of Jesus.

Jesus is God. The Father to whom Jesus prays is God. The Love--the Spirit--that exists between the Father and Jesus is God. God is three, three personalities who each are God. God is one, one divine essence. God is a diversity of persons: three members; God is a unity of substance: one divine being. Threeness is the way the One God actually is. There is no God but the Father, Son, and Spirit, bound together in community, devotion, and love throughout eternity.

The universe and all humanity are the creation of God. The universe was made for no other reason than to create a family of loving personalities with God himself as the architect, sustainer, and most glorious inhabitant. We are made to imitate God. In reflecting God, we meet the purpose for our creation: being in community with God and with each other and with God's creation. This community of love, fellowship, and joy will last forever.

Something has gone wrong. Humanity is born into a cycle of failure that has characterized human existence from the beginning. Created by God, we are good. But humanity--initially, as a whole, and individually--has chosen to reject the community God offers with himself and with each other. We are made to reflect God's love and goodness, but the most essential aspects of ourselves reject this. Our failure to reflect God is known as sin. Sin is essentially that which destroys the community we share with God and with one another. Sin has found lodging within all human beings. We all sin and desire to continue sinning, and are each aware of our personal participation in sin as an outworking of our choices, attitudes and actions.

Because of sin, we have been alienated from God, from real intimacy with one another, from harmony and joy within the creation as a whole, and from the purpose for which God created us. Because of sin, we have been enslaved. Our hearts are dark and our wills are corrupt. Because of sin, we have become depraved, and we are unable to remedy our dire situation. The problem of sin extends to the core of our being and cannot be solved by any effort we might muster.

God desires deeply to free us and set all things right again because, despite our state, each person matters to God. God--the Son--became a human being to free us from sin and its consequences. Jesus' death has restored the relationship we were made to share with God; He bears the cost of transforming us from God's enemies to his friends. Jesus' teaching show us how we may walk in that relationship with God and each other as we are meant to. And Jesus life is the supreme example of a human living in the image of God. By the power of God's Spirit, we are each being made more like Jesus that we may love each other and enjoy the community of God.

Jesus reveals God's essence and his design for human life; He discloses God's intention for humanity: life-in-community; and in calling His hearers to enter the kingdom of God by repenting and believing the Gospel, Jesus established the foundation for participation in the community of God. Jesus' entire life, death, and resurrection mark his work in originating the eternal community of God. Until the day he returns, Jesus continues to unite and lead the community of God through his ongoing presence, and the Spirit of God living in each follower.

Our best response is to give our whole self to Jesus, to love one another, and to live our lives as a wholistic community dedicated to one another, the good of the world, and the God who makes us alive. In doing so, we will fulfill--as best we can--the intention God had in creating us, loving us, and dying that we might live."

Please contribute by posting, or bet yet take it and post your additions somewhere else.

Inspiring Humor

2006-11-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

This was an article run by The Onion recently. Its humorous. It plays on Christians, and thank God the thing we are being made fun of is not controlling people, scaring people into hell, telling people, "This world is not my home I'm looking forward to being sucked out of it. " No, here it is a group of young men going beyond to make their world beautiful and bless someone else. Thank God.

Christian Rock Band Cleans Up Hotel Room

October 16, 2006 | Issue 42•42

WAYCROSS, GA—Hotel staff at the Highway 82 Best Western found the suite occupied over the weekend by members of the Christian rock band Ruggid Krøss swept, dusted, scrubbed, and readied for immediate occupancy. "Bands have come through here before, but I've never seen anything like this," said housekeeping supervisor Maria Konieczna, who was called to the scene after maids expressed alarm at the carefully mended furniture, retouched bathroom-wall paint, and hospital corners the five-member evangelical group inflicted on the hotel's property. "The television was lifted up, dusted under, Windexed, and placed carefully back in the cabinet. Plus they apparently had our towels professionally laundered at their own expense. There's nothing in the manual about dealing with this type of propriety." Hotel staff are attempting to contact Ruggid Krøss' manager to return the six extra Gideon's Bibles they left in the suite's nightstands.

Click here for Link

Mere Wright

2006-10-16T10:07:00.000-06:00

(A Review of "Simply Christian" by N.T. Wright)

You know you are reading a good book when you look back and every other line is highlighted. Though I didn't enjoy this book as much as I have other books by Wright, it is certainly a welcome edition to his works.

The comparisons to C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" are over exaggerated. This is not that book, nor should it be. Expecting Wright to be Lewis is like expecting Spielberg to be Shakespeare. Spielberg is a bad ass of a different sort than Shakespeare, even though they both tell good tales. "Mere Christianity" is C.S. Lewis's Magnum Opus. This is not Wright's. See his "Christian Origins and the Question of God" for that.

This book serves as a wonderful introduction to the thoughts of Wright. He emphasizes those places where contemporary Christians need to think again, while laying out his amazing view of what Christianity is. He re-affirms what we ought to emphasize in our thoughts about Jesus, his Jewish roots, and the Church now. His chapter on Israel is worth the price of the book.

Though this is far more common today in Jesus scholarship, Wright is the king of placing Jesus in historic Jewish, faithful context. Jesus is not a modern or a medieval man. He is a first century peasant who loved the story of Yahweh and found his identity therein.

The most valuable material here is Wright's future perspective. He knows that the Bible does not teach that Christ Followers will be sucked up into some ethereal heaven when they die. He instead makes case for the resurrection of believers and their work now between the resurrection and return of Christ. This is one of the top 3 books I would offer for someone interested in knowing what Christianity is. Read it! It will give you a beautifully grounded perspective that is not just about me and my salvation.

Home Show Article

2006-10-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

(From the UNC Mirror 10.11.06)

Church invites community to submit art for charity

Atlas Church, 829 16th St., will host an art show and auction for charity on Friday. The church will donate the proceeds of the auction to a homeless family in Greeley. Event coordinators invite all artists to submit art to auction and the community to attend the show.

by Christina Romero

October 11, 2006

A Greeley church has invited all artists to get their work into the public, join a supportive art community and help the homeless through an art show and auction on Friday.

The Atlas Church, 829 16th St., will hold the art show, donating the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity.

“It’s a chance for artists to make a difference in the world through their works,” Chris Mclean, the director of the art show, said.

The theme for the show is “Home,” and all the money made from the art will go to a homeless family in Greeley. The church invites everyone who can submit art and view the show to participate.

Atlas church pastor Jeff Cook talked about what he wants the students of the University of Northern Colorado to understand about the homeless.

“The biggest thing we would like the student body to know is that there are poor, hurting families less than two or three minutes from UNC who have real needs,” he said. “Each of us have skills that if we are simply available can meet those needs. We long for artists, musicians, dancers, writers to give what they have, not only so we can build an art scene in Greeley, but so we can build a home for the poorest families in our area.”

The art show is set up as an auction where anyone can purchase a piece of art. Anyone who wants to submit art must register with the director of the show, Chris Mclean. There is no registration fee, but tickets will be available for reservation for any potential auctioneers. All artists or spectators must call Chris Mclean at 970-405-2238 or e-mail him at mosaicartshow@gmail.com to participate.

Atlas will also host a food drive at 6 p.m. on Nov. 17. The community is invited to bring canned food and non-perishables to donate to the Weld County Food Bank. The church also invites people to help Greeley’s homeless by donating mittens and coats for children at 6 p.m. on Jan. 5.

In the News

2006-07-10T12:41:00.000-06:00

Not that I care much about publicity, nor do I think many of the folks who would get into Atlas read the Greeley Tribune, but our local paper ran an article on a series of concerts we promote in our building. It was unsolicited and very complementary.

The last paragraph is a quote from one of the girls who came to a show, and it expressed precisely what we are seeking to do with the space. She said, "Lots of different kids are drawn because of the music, but it's more than just the music. You get to know people that you may never have known otherwise. It sounds sort of unrealistic, but because of that common ground, I've met some people that have become very close friends."

I found out later that this girl is a Christian, but what if the folks she is interacting with aren't yet. What if the relationships created are meaningful and real commonalities are discovered. What if the Holy Spirit has a chance to work in those relationships because a church simply opens up its doors and created events meaningful to those who are not yet in Christ.

We ought to ask ourselves constantly if the space we take up with our church buildings is good news, no news, or bad news for those in the surrounding area. I have often felt like when Atlas moved into the old Beetle Beanery (one of Greeley's most beloved buildings) that there was a collective groan. It feels like we are just now slowy breaking out of that. I hope for nothing less than a future where the people in and around the university look at our building and the people who occupy it and say, "I am so glad those people are there. They bring so much life, and service, and energy, and blessing to our area."

A Yellow Argument for God's existence

2006-06-14T22:37:00.000-06:00

Click Here

2006-06-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

"All are welcome to come to Jesus and his community as they are. The church should be a hospital for sick sinners, not a museum for saints. But no one is welcome to stay as they are, whatever their particular sins. Nor should they expect the church to baptize their sins and call them good. "

- Ben Witherington

Diamonds and a lot of rough

2006-06-08T09:16:00.000-06:00

(I am going to begin doing book reviews at least once a month. This is the first of that series. I realize some of the stuff I read won't be relevant to everyone, but I hope to get a solid mix going.)

Book Review: Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll

This book isn’t for everybody, but it is for some. It deserves a medium recommendation because despite the many places this book fails, occasionally Driscoll hits gem insights.

Focusing heavily on the good aspects first, Driscoll’s structure (chapters which focus on different stages of growth: 0-45 people, 45-75, 75-150, etc.) combined with the story of personally wrestling with growth issues make the book enjoyable and highly readable. I finished it very quickly, and I am not a quick reader.

Structurally, the introduction stands alone proposing a series of distinctions in Christian ministry today: some of them are helpful (“Will your church be attractional, missional or both?”), some of them are a step backward (IE – “Will your church be an emergent liberal church or an emerging evangelical church?”). Driscoll is highly gifted in systematic thinking which makes his ability to draw distinctions over and again a common feature of the book. This both helps and hinders his cause. Seeing that one can be both attractional and missional is an original insight which flies in the face of much thinking in emerging circles. On the other hand, his knee-jerk tendency to over-emphasize second tier issues and throw sledgehammers at Christians who do not hold to a boldly conservative hermeneutic destroy his credibility as a first tier leader of emerging churches.

Driscoll’s self-analysis is quite helpful when he deconstructs the role of a senior pastor and redefines how he sees the vocation, for example, “I have accepted that I am not much of a pastor but rather a missiologist studying the city who leads a church filled with missionaries who reach the city with pastors who care for converts” (52).

His analysis of where churches focus their energies—dreaming, managing, justifying failures, and dying—is keen stuff. Driscoll encourages church leaders to never settle in the management comfort zone, but to consistently push the bar higher. If we do not, he rightly asserts, we are inviting stagnation or death.

On the downside, Driscoll is obsessed with his sexuality (a misplaced theme through out this book). He often comes across as the fundamentalist who annoys you most on CNN or Fox News: not because he is wrong, but because he has no tact. His tendency to demean people who have beliefs or behaviors he objects to often leads to dangerous overstatements. An example from the intro was that one’s belief in hell actually has salvific ramifications (“I am particularly concerned with…the questioning of a literal eternal torment in hell, which is a denial that holds up until, in an ironic bummer, you die and find yourself in hell” (22).) I assume Driscoll doesn't think believing in hell gets you into heaven, but if read "literally" his statements leaves that impression. (Who, by the way, doesn't long deeply that hell doesn't exist? It seems that one of the marks of a compassionate individual would be questioning "eternal torment" even if at the end of the day your views look more like Dante than CS Lewis.)

But the book hits its lows when Driscoll starts swinging prescriptive ethics like a club, demeaning people caught in a cycle of sin or theological confusion. He thinks his banter is humorous; it is actually base and cruel. Ironically in the last few pages he feels compelled to put forward all his own struggles asking for sympathy. It seems to be the mark of a particular sort of bad man who fragrantly insults those wrapped in moral failure, then turns and asks for pity for their own sin. I hope I miss read him on this front.

Thankfully, most of the readers of this book will be mature believers, primarily pastors who will easily slide over Driscoll’s over-exaggerations, self absorption, and straight out mean-spiritedness. If you buy it, cherish the good when you find it cause there is much to be discarded.

If I Could Make a Movie

2006-05-26T10:01:00.000-06:00

The situation is ripe to make a new movie about Jesus in the style of Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. If you remember, Luhrmann took the story with its Shakespearean dialogue and simply placed it in a contemporary European setting. The effect was quite beautiful, and many of the details we might have missed if it were placed in the year 1600 were revealed quite powerfully in the film.

If I had the cash and skills and time and know how, I would make a movie in the same style about Jesus with the setting in Iraq. Though I am not very passionate about the war in Iraq, there are some very interesting parallels that would display the socio-political realities of Jesus own day very well.

Iraq is a country with a rich but broken religious tradition. It is occupied by the world's lone empire. The question on the minds of Iraqis seems to be how do we react to this occupying force. There is a zealot element using violence to promote its end. The religious order is torn between differing responses to the problems. There is a complex relationship between the leaders of Iraq and the ambassadors from the US. Most look and just see a disparaging situation. The backdrop in many ways is amazingly similar.

Imagine a film in which a charasmatic personality from the Muslim community began to speak of a new way of being human, a new way of loving God. Imagine that he spoke of a new Kingdom where bombs and tanks and sabers were irrelevant. Where power was illusory for the world is God's. Imagine that he began to draw people to hear him in the market square, but that he had to hide because of the violent nature of those who opposed him. He in fact had to speak in parable so that he would be understood, but vaguely. We might imagine him saving a woman caught in adultry waiting to be stoned (as is still common). We might imagine him healing those who have been wounded by a dysfunctional world and dysfunctional rulers. Imagine that he went about the streets of Baghdad simply doing good and proclaiming a better way. Perhaps he tells a story of the "Good Jew" who stopped to heal a man on the side of the road who had been beaten and left for dead. Perhaps he stands in the mosques of his day to call Muslims back to the God who is real.

Passion week might be difficult to orchestrate because the US doesn't govern the way Rome did. Handing a man over to the US to be executed would be hard to realistically pull off, but there could be some bad guys in the story. Allowing the zealots to cut Jesus' head off may be too easy. Hanging his body from the highway bridges (as some Americans were in Fallujah) would be more in line with the idea of the cross, surrounded by the mobs, on the traveled road of the day for all to see.

Though my movie may never be made, the long and short is that both the US and the Muslim community need a man of peace to step into their midst to reveal a better way. He will have to be a man of courage for he will be immidiately opposed, but just maybe he will gather followers to his side, and over time his reflection of Jesus will bring new insite and a pattern to follow into that broken region.

Worship as a Means

2006-05-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

(Originally written for purposedriven.com)

The last few messages I have heard on worship have discussed the similarity between our praise of God and the union of husband and wife in sexual intercourse. In both activities, the lover is giving all of one's self to the other in passionate devotion. The self-giving of both sex and authentic worship result in a unique happiness we experience no where else. Aristotle rightly saw such happiness as an end in itself. Such experiences are valuable for their own sake.

As a pastor, I have responded to this idea by gearing my teachings to culminate with an entrance into worship. Most of my teachings end with a release of our people to praise God through song, confession, or communion. The worship experience is the goal of all we do on Sundays.

Recently, however, I have found a place for worship not just as an end, but as a means. That is worship also has utility. It is valuable in accomplishing other things of high worth.

Perhaps we could bring back the sex metaphor again. Though there is inherent value in a husband and wife coming together in sexual union, in some instances that union produces a child. That is, the act of sex is both an end (an expression of joy between husband and wife) and a means (an activity which births a human soul). Worship too is valuable for its own sake, but I wonder deeply whether it may in fact be useful in overcoming some of the difficulties we experience as Christ followers.

In my opinion, the most troublesome characteristic of the church today, and through history, has been its infighting and division. Some times this has lead to differing church buildings on the same block. Some times it has lead to gunfire.

Because we have such different lives and such different experiences of the God who is real, it is no wonder that what we hold as primary in our theologies are different. God interacts with us where we are, with our specific baggage, predispositions, and struggles. Often this affects what we see as important in our theologies, what we see as problematic, and what we conclude is most worthy of our time and focus. Aside from irrelevant power structures, it seems that these differences, more than anything else, are what separate Christians of good faith. It is not that one side is wrong and the other is right. It is that God is working on us in deeply relevant ways which effect how we think about him and his activity in the world.

As an example, some of my favorite books recently are those published by Zondervan in which scholars from differing denominational backgrounds debate theological topics (Sanctification, Hell, Law and Gospel, Women in Ministry, etc.). The amazing thing is that all the scholars are absolutely committed to the authority of the Bible. All of their arguments proceed from its pages. In the end, however, these scholars come to differing, some times opposite conclusions about what God affirms.

How is this possible? How is it that we can be united to a common savior, a common history, a common text, common creeds and still find such divisions? Certainly such divisions hurt the very God we love, especially when such differences lead to schisms between Christ followers. How can we resolve this problem?

It seems to me that it is in shared worship that we will unite in ways that are beyond words and ideas. We can, despite our difference, encounter the same God together and find ourselves united in ways that mere concepts cannot provide. Through worship, we can experience God together in ways that are fresh, that transcend many of the places we find ourselves at odds.

NT Wright and Marcus Borg begin their wonderful book "The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions" by taking communion with one another. Despite their deep differences in their historic understanding of Jesus, theology, and practice, they still could share the same table in common devotion to the Jesus who is real. Many large church conferences offer similar opportunities when laity and clergy from quite different perspectives and theological commitments can sing the same song and worship the same God, even though their theologies may be for the moment incompatible.

It is because we do not worship an Idea--do not worship a systematic theology--that this is possible. We worship a Person: three in fact. The Trinity is alive and active, shrouded in mystery yet vibrantly present to all. Because God is personal and not ideological it is no offense to him if we worship with those who have different thoughts. In the end, our doctrines are simply maps or pictures by which to guide us toward God, but at the end of the day, we must--along side Thomas Aquinas--see them as "just so much straw." It is the actual living God that is important and our shared participation in his life.

May we take more opportunities to receive Communion with our brothers and sisters from different denominations and backgrounds. May we find places to sing together, serve together, and love a broken world together. They will know we are Christians, not because of our unified thought. They will know we are Christians because we love one another. Through out the New Testament, the shared meal--the Jesus meal--is the symbol of love. It is easy to love those who are like us. The real test of our transformation as Christ followers is whether we love those who are different.

As we move into a post-denominational world, it is through worship that Christ followers will find their shared identity.

Pictures by seminary student Mike G here.

Ranting on Things I Know Nothing About...

2006-05-11T03:32:00.000-06:00

So I used to listened to political commentary 24/7, but I have been thankfully nauseated by most of American politics recently and it has allowed me to get on with my life. However, the immigration issue--of which I have little knowledge or experience--has come up in a few conversations recently with my good friends and my family.

The polarity between people who's opinions I normally respect has really challenged me here. I hear good folks on each sides speaking with fervor. On the one hand, there seems to be a lot of fear: both in terms of someone from another country taking my job, or someone from another country blowing up my city. I suppose there is the added fear of people who are different changing our culture, sapping governmental resources, and perhaps adding to the crime burden.

On the other side, there are the obvious compassion issues. Those crossing the border are the face of the poor and desperate in our midst. They are the targets of racist angst. If anyone is needy and oppressed in America, certainly it is these people.

My wife was scouring a website for bumper stickers--a new obsession--and it was unreal the amount of shameless hate (exemplified in the mustached picture on the left) making its way into the propaganda on both sides. The website had at least 300 different reactions to this issue. It is worth going there simply to see the energy and passion of both the thoughtful and the perverse. (The American Indian response was some times humorous and can be boiled down to: Illegal immigration began in 1492.)

Because this is such a difficult issue, it is important to self-consciously decide where we begin when addressing it. Where do we start: with the protection of my culture, with the needs of the citizen, with my own needs, with the protection of the poor, where?

Mark Driscoll--who's stuff I normally find bland--actually gets it right on this issue (here) by simply pointing to some key Old Testament passages about how one ought to treat aliens in your country. As it stands, these are some of the best golden rule style passages in the Bible and they are worth digesting.

*Leviticus 19:33-34 says, "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself."

*God cares for and defends those immigrating to a new nation because He loves them. In Exodus 22:21, 23-24 God says, "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him. ... If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused."

*Immigrants should be given economic opportunity including fair wages. Deuteronomy 24:14 says, "Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns."

*Deuteronomy 24:17 says, "Do not deprive the alien ... of justice."

But Driscoll also says that God commands strangers immigrating into a nation from other lands to abide by the customs and laws of their new nation. Romans 13:1-7 says that God works through governments to bring justice and social order.

These issues are much more complicated than this, but these are worthy observations with which to begin our thinking on this matter.

Beyond this particular debate, we ought to be aware that the restoration of our world is best showcased when people of different cultures love one another and worship at the same table (see the entirity of Acts). He has choosen the Church to be the great unifer of humanity, with our common language--not English--but faith in the risen Jesus.

May we be faithful in being the people of God for the good of the world.

McLaren on Da Vinci

2006-05-09T11:11:00.000-06:00

This recent interview with Brian McLaren conveyed some sobering and worthwhile insights into how Christ followers might engage the Da Vinci Code.

Church without Walls

2006-05-09T09:55:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to an article written by Tim Coons (a worship/ teaching pastor at Atlas) on breaking down barriers that have traditionally stood between churches. Good Stuff.

If you go to UNC

2006-05-04T09:07:00.000-06:00

Here is the Department of Philosophy course listing. I will be teaching Phil 110, and would welcome any friends to join us.

I may also teach Phil 260--Ancient Philosophy--but the chances are slim.

Jeff

Audio!

2006-04-28T11:06:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are obsessed with audio files (like me), the talks from Atlas this year have finally been uploaded and are all linked below.

Let me know if there are errors, but I think they will all role.

I will try and get each week uploaded as they are created (look for them on Tuesday or so). There is now a link to all the Atlas talks on the right hand side of the screen (IE - "Download Atlas Talks") .

Talks

2006-04-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

All material below is available only for use as subversive propaganda for the restoration of the world. All other uses are strictly forbidden.

Click on the link below to listen on your computer, or right click and hit "save as target" to download the file.

Creeds

(Summer 2006)

The Father Almighty (Jeff)

The Son of God (Jeff) 6.18

The Word Made Flesh (Jeff) 6.25

For My Sake (Tim) 7.2

The Resurrection (Tim) 7.9

Judgment and Power (Tim) 7.16

The Holy Spirit and the Scriptures (Jeff) 7.23

The Church (Tim) 7.30

The Renewal of All Things (Jeff) 8.6

Questions: Our Journey, Honesty, and the Da Vinci Code

(Jeff: Spring 2006)

Was the Creation of the New Testament Arbitrary or a Power Play?

Was Jesus Married; Why Should We Think Jesus is God
Pentecost (Tim)

Elements

(Tim: Spring 2006)

Earth

Wind

Water

Fire (unavailable)

.....

New: Reflections on John

(Jeff: Spring 2006)

John 9 - Ostracized

John 10 - The Shepherd Lays Down His Life

John 11 - Lazarus (Robyn)

John 12 - Power and the Passion

John 13 and 14 - The Great Commission Redefined

John 15 and 16 - The World and the Spirit (Robyn)

John 17 - The Glory of God

John 18 and 19 - Light Enters the Darkness

John 20 and 21 - The Resurrection of Jesus

Seven

(Spring 2006)

Seven: Pride and the Poor in Spirit (Not available)

Seven: Envy and Blessed Mourning (Jeff)

Seven: Sloth and the Hunger for Righteousness (Jeff)

Seven: Greed and Giving Mercy (Tim)

Seven: Lust and Purity of Heart (Jeff)

Seven: Wrath and the Meek Peacemaker (Tim)

Seven: Gluttony and the Courageous under Persecution (Tim)

Paintings are those of Corinne Vonaesch and can be found here.

John 20-21

2006-04-20T17:38:00.000-06:00

Here's the talk at Atlas from Easter.

(Right click and hit "Save Target as..." to download.)

Paintings are those of Corinne Vonaesch and can be found here.

Toward a Postmodern Response to the Da Vinci Code

2006-04-12T10:09:00.001-06:00

Though many of us know that the working subtitle to the Da Vinci Code film--"So Dark the Con of Man"--is appropriately directed at the book and (presumably) the film, it is another thing to actually articulate that truth to those we care for.

The Christian community around the world has been wrestling for about a year on how to respond to the coming Da Vinci Code movie. Not only did the book sell two zillion copies, but the new film brings together some of the most talented, well-liked film makers in the world.

I went to a simulcast at a local church recently. It was broadcast for Church leaders to essentially prepare them to go to war. "We need to arm ourselves" was a common phrase used, as the scholars pointed out the vast number of historic fallacies in the book.

Leave aside the fact that our Christian leaders can't seem to get away from military language when describing evangelism, and the invitation to another human soul to have an encounter with the Prince of Peace: Is this the best way to go about responding to the Da Vinci Code?

The immediate thing that stands out to me is the fear of our community. Our reaction seems to be universally one asking, "How ought we hit back?" Unfortunately this is often how apologetics is conducted in America. We get our debate style from Fox News and conservative radio, and we move into conversations with the same intellectual pride displayed in those genres. If we are lucky, we will escape without our friends saying to themselves, "Gee I won't bring that topic up again. Perhaps I won't speak with him about anything religious in nature again."

It seems to me that being filled with fear or being reactionary are not very attractive faces to display to our friends. It is unreal that some think handing out tracts at the movie theaters or assaulting Dan Brown's character in their sermons is effective. On the contrary, it is a sure way to be marginalized and ridiculed.

I take seriously the idea that the messenger is the message, and that language and film are often used, not to display things as they are, but as power plays to control others. We need to be serious about how we respond because we have not been called to control others (the sin of the Christian antagonists in this book, by the way). We have been called to set others free!

So what might that entail? First, it seems to me that this is an excellent opportunity to show the world that we are open minded. Let's go see the film, and if it is good, let's enjoy it. Let's tell people we enjoyed it. Like being sensitive to race, may we be hyper-sensitive to what we say about this film, because it will say more about our faith than any critique we offer.

Secondly, there are going to be lots of questions brought up by the film. Instead of having eight reasons at hand for why Jesus didn't have an affair with Mary Magdalene, why don't we direct them a different way: Let them tell us what they think about Jesus. Seriously, put aside some of the truth claims of the film. Simply talk about Jesus. Hopefully we have already created credibility with our friends to were their opinions can be said openly and honestly. If the conversation hits that depth, then perhaps we can offer why Jesus is so incredible in our eyes, what attracts us to him over and again, and why we want to live like he did. And perhaps this won't be the last conversation we'll have, but will be open-ended enough to invite further dialogue.

Thirdly, I have found only two words worth using if a critique is at all necessary for the Da Vinci Code: "Conspiracy Theory." Lump it in (as it has already lumped itself in) with the grassy knoll, Roswell, and those who think the moon landings were shot in a sound studio. Say, "I thought that was a better conspiracy film than JFK." It is a complement (with a dose of reality). It may also invite your friends to ask why you thought it was a conspiracy theory film: and then the conversation is about history and not a defensive diatribe about your faith.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Apologetics seldom if ever brings someone to faith in Jesus. It certainly does not without a real, authentic Christian care beside it. As Christians, we need to ask the questions raised in the Da Vinci Code much LOUDER than our brothers and sisters who are ensnared by gnosticism. We need to confess boldly where we, as Trinitarian believers, have screwed up in the past two thousand years, and have tragically rejected our God on the cross for a god of power and control.

We need to ask boldly: "How did the New Testament Canon come together?", "What is the appropriate place of political power in our world?" and "Why should we think that Jesus is divine?" (and let's think up some better answers than 'because the Bible says so.')

We need to be honest with the honest questions we all have about our faith. Apologetics is much more valuable for believers than unbelievers. It not only should confirm that the Jesus-way of life is the best possible way to live. It should also showcase the God we experience in prayer, worship and suffering in our own lives, is likewise at work in all the world at all times, and especially in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I trust NT Wright more than any other scholar today, and here is his treatment of the book: only to be read if you are NOT arming yourself to shot your friends in the head after you see the movie with them.

(NT Wright and CS Lewis are my personal favorites on that front, and these links are great places to begin. For CS Lewis, my favorite book is the Great Divorce and it would serve as a solid starting point. If you are looking for reasons to believe in God's existence, the resurrection of Jesus, etc: here is a worthy site of essays.)

On the Gospel of Judas

2006-04-11T07:28:00.000-06:00

I had a friend send me this Denver Post article on the discovery of an ancient document which has been called the Gospel of Judas. Here are the reflections I sent him:

Many articles have appeared recently talking through this discovery. The author of the Denver Post piece, along with many other I read recently, does his best to build up the scandalous nature of the document. He seems to insist that there is no difference in the historic reliability between this book and the four Gospels. However, as the article progresses he begins to let out some of the more important details. For example, that it is a Gnostic document and that it is a product of the second century.

The Gnostic Gospels (Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Peter, etc) discovered over the last century are all quite fictious. In one scene of the Gospel of Thomas (the one Gnostic scholars regard as the most reliable), Jesus turns one of his childhood friends into a toad. He also insists that to be a disciple women must become men. It is rather goofy stuff.

These Gnostic writings are products of the 2nd century, as the writer notes, "The 26-page Judas text is said to be a copy in Coptic, made around A.D. 300, of the original Gospel of Judas, written in Greek the century before."

Unlike the four gospels which were written by friends, followers, and first century historians, these Gnostic Gospels don't have much credibility historically.

We might imagine waking up tomorrow and reading in the newspaper: "New Discovery: Historic Documents reveal the intimate conversations of Abraham Lincoln, saying he really hated slaves and secretly hoped the South would win." But as we read on, we come to find out the historic document was written in 1987.

That is the same time frame between Jesus life and the writing of this work.

The first paragraph in the Judas Gospel says, "The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week three days before he celebrated Passover."

It is tough to record accurate history about what was said in a secret conversation between two friends one hundred and fifty years after the fact, but it is nearly impossible when both Jesus and Judas died within the next four days. If Judas survived, maybe it could be argued that this was a memoir, or that he passed his story on to the early gnostic Christians--but the record is real clear that Judas lost all his friends, and committed suicide the same week Jesus was crucified. It doesn't seem he was very interested in leaving a legacy.

In my quick over view of the first 7 pages, the Judas Gospel tries to be like the other gospels: having Jesus say cryptic things that his disciples do not understand. But it also suggests that Jesus changed his bodily form to become a young boy, and it seems to suggest that Jesus traveled through time to other places where the people were more "holy."

Again, these Gnostic Documents are just weird.

You can read the first 7 pages here. The National Geographic Society has created a detailed site here on the document, which they may own.

Gnosticism (as we will see again with all the Da Vinci Code stuff coming soon) has no historic footing. It died early in Christian history, and today it thrives on conspiracy, pushing a "discover yourself" theology, and a little PT Barnum thrown in to capture the attention of Newsweek and Time.

Left Behind Part II

2006-04-04T16:43:00.000-06:00

So it is easy to say Left Behind is left behind without offering anything to fill the void. Check out this talk by Rob Bell on Revelation. Huge Stuff. (Click on "watch" next to Rob's name.")

The Video

2006-03-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Donald Miller was using this video as part of a lecture he gave relating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the Gospel.

I find it immensely powerful. Please take 3 minutes to watch it if you haven't yet. It is a small, dark screen, but you will get the idea. The song which plays over it is Derek Webb's "Wedding Dress."

Left Behind

2006-03-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

It may be inappropriate, but I seem to have a secret passion to want to undermine the Left Behind series when ever possible.

I heard a recent comment on Jesus' healing on the Sabbath that blew my mind, and pushed this enveloped.

Jesus often intentionally healed people on the day set apart for rest. And often we read this as a spit in the face to the religous order of the day, or perhaps an undermining of the Jewish law given through Moses.

But Jesus' healings on the sabbath may have been--if possible--even more subversive than that. They proclaimed a new kind of future for the Jewish people. The assumption of the day, we might assume, was similiar to that held by many Jews today: God will vindicate us some day, some day God will show up, put down the foriegn nations, and we will enter our sabbath rest as a people.

Jesus' actions show that he is completely antagonistic to that perspective. The future is not about rest. When the Kingdom of God comes it will be a time of restoration when the blind are healed, the lame can walk, and the whole world is set to right. By healing on the Sabbath, Jesus is proclaiming what the future of God's people will look like. It is no longer about us putting up mirrors to gaze on our own fair beauty. It is about letting our light shine forth into a dark world.

The end times for Jesus are not about his return. The end of the world for Jesus comes when all the world's systems are put down by his own victory over sin and death, and he stands in the garden on Sunday: the first day of the new creation.

It is Christian mythology to think that we as Christians need to bunker down and protect ourselves from the elements until Jesus comes to snatch away his faithful. Rather, the call of Jesus is to go into the world where it hurts, to be salt and light, to be for the world what Jesus was and is for us.

Again the Left Behind series lives up to its name.

New Promise

2006-03-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

So for the two of you who still come to Healing Malchus, I want to make a promise. I have been swamped recently with the amount of teaching I do on Sundays now, but I will make it a renewed point to atleast post at the beginning of the month.

Many thanks for all your support!!
Jeff

The Great Commission Revised

2006-03-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

As we have been reading John at Atlas, we know Jesus is going to be executed, but we don't know what he will tell his best friends before he leaves.

He has assembled twelve men. He has spent three years teaching them. He is going to die, but what is it he wants them to do after he is gone. For us as readers, these two chapters are essential. If we wanted to boil down the revolution Jesus wants to start to its core: this would be the place to look.

Now, this section of John is the beginning of what is known as "the farewell discourse," (chs. 13-17).

This is a large chunk of John's story which tells all the things Jesus wants to say on the night before he died.

So the setting here is Thursday night of passion week. It is the night before Jesus is crucified.So let me give some quick background on what Jesus has done here in the last week of his life.

On Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem to great fanfare--we covered this last week--and literally the whole city turns out calling him King and Lord. The masses believe he is the Messiah--the Returning King--come to over throw the Romans.

On Monday, Jesus returns to the Temple, the central location in all of Judaism, and he goes to the place in the temple reserved for non-Jews to worship, and he finds it overrun with profiteers selling stinky, noisy animals. The temple authorities have obviously allowed the sale of animals in this spot. And Jesus is outraged. Israel was to be a light for all nations, a blessing to the world. But instead of reaching out to gentiles, they have crowded their worship space with salesmen. So he begins turning over tables and reciting scripture. Now Jesus action is highly symbolic, for only the King can judge the conduct in the Temple. So by throwing out the merchants, Jesus is reaffirming his status as Messiah before all the religious leaders. But at the same time his actions are deeply insulting to the authorities. And it is this event, more than any other, that leads the priests to seek Jesus execution.

On Tuesday, the temple authorities come to question Jesus: does he really have the authority to judge them. They want to show the people listening that Jesus is not trustworthy, so they ask him where he gets his authority. They ask him whether--as the coming King--it is right to pay taxes to Caesar (a different king). They ask what Commands are most important to follow.But Jesus uses the opportunity to challenge their entire tradition. He tells them their Temple--the place they consider God's home--will soon be destroyed, but that he will rebuild the temple: and his temple will be his followers.

On Wednesday, Jesus returns to Bethany about 2-3 miles away, where Lazarus, Martha, and Mary live and this is the day Mary comes and pours the jar of costly perfume on his feet (as we read last week). Now, Mark tells us that it is this event that sends Judas Iscariot over the edge, and Judas leaves Bethany to speak with those plotting to kill Jesus. He will be the one who will hand Jesus over to his enemies when no one is looking. He will show the authorities where Jesus sneaks off to after he teaches. He will betray Jesus into their hands.

On Thursday, in John's story, we find Jesus and his followers have walked about three miles in sandals down a hill from the home of Lazarus into Jerusalem. And John implies that these sweaty men have all walked into town, walked up some stairs into the upper room of a home and they have plopped down to eat what will be known as the Last Supper. Now in ancient Jewish culture hygiene was very important. You have to wash your hands before all meals. You have to wash all your body parts before worshipping God on certain days. But also, it was a social custom to have your feet washed--especially after travel or a long days at work--by the lower members of the household. Some have pointed out that most Jewish servants wouldn’t do it, but that it was reserved for the gentile-foreigners.

Now, in this story, no one washed the disciples' feet at the door. The disciples are upstairs waiting for dinner. They would have been sitting on the floor, which was the custom of those being served. And they are awkwardly sitting around. It would be like hiking all day through the woods and coming home to your nice carpet, sitting on the floor, and not taking off your boots.

Of course, seeking higher office in the administration of "Jesus the Messiah" meant none of the Disciples would volunteer to wash feet: that would be to present yourself as the lowest person there. If you want to be next to the King, you talk about policy. You talk about your skill-set and what you bring to his administration. You jockey for position. You don't show off by doing menial tasks. So the guy who washes feet in this culture is like the manager of a football team who collects towels and jock straps. Or it is like the guy who works in a high rise office building late cleaning bathrooms. Or he is the bus boy at a nice restaurant. These are all places where the lowly find a place in the social structure. The quarterback doesn’t put down his play book to help pile laundry.

The CEO doesn’t take Saturdays to wash the toilets on floor 30. The master chef doesn't help shove nasty plates into the dishwasher. Jesus kneeling to clean his disciples feet is akin to these awkward pictures. And John implies that the disciples do not speak. It seems they do not have the categories to understand what is happening.

Here's a question for you, who washes feet in our day? The picture that comes to my mind is pedicurists, and these are most often administered by Asian woman who are first generation immigrants trying to enter our culture.

My wife has tried to get me to go in and get a pedicure for the experience alone, but even though my feet could use the work, I won’t do it. The activity strikes me as uncomfortably intimate. It would make me feel helpless: in that I could not help do some pretty nasty work. It is absolute service.

And this is exactly the picture Jesus wants his disciples to receive and remember. He wants them to know love is intimate and tangible. He wants them to know that they are to serve in places that may be considered humiliating. He wants them to showcase their care for people, by lowering themselves. Washing feet is Jesus showing us what dying to yourself looks like. And Jesus unpacks it in V. 13 "You call me teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you and example that you should do as I have done for you…" Some translations say, "I have set for you a pattern that you should follow."

Now this is huge! It's as though Jesus has given us the blueprint of a master building we are to build, or he was written out a grand symphony for us to play, or he has designed a great feast for us to enjoy with all the recipes and details prepared." I have set for you a pattern (an example) that you should follow." Why? Because it will make your life music. It will construct the world into what it ought to be. It will bring the joy and delight of God to the masses.

NT Wright says, "For us as for Jesus, we should be looking away from ourselves, and at the world we are supposed to be serving. Where the world's needs and our vocation meet is where we ought to be ready to take on insignificant roles if that's what God wants, or to be publicly visible if that is our calling. And as with Jesus, the picture of foot washing is meant to serve not only as a picture of all sorts of menial tasks that we may be called to perform....It also points towards the much larger challenge, the challenge that Jesus issues to Peter in the last chapter of the book, the challenge to follow Jesus all the way to the cross, to lay down life itself in the service of God and the world he came to save" (49).

The pattern of Jesus is one of laying down his life for those he loves. And then Jesus says this (v.34), "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples."

It is not that his listeners had not heard that they ought to love each other.The revolutionary aspect of Jesus is that he redefined, symbolized, and acted out in dramatic and clear fashion what love really is.

Now notice this, it is after showing his followers how to love that he gives one of his hardest teaching of all: (ch 14:6) "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."How many of you have heard this, and struggled with it when you think of good people you know, who don’t believe in Jesus?

This is one of the most difficult positions for Christians to affirm, especially in a pluralistic culture like ours (and actually that of Jesus' day). "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through him." This is not a message of domination: My religion is better than yours. Jesus is affirming how things are at their deepest levels. And here is the crux--by placing it after his command to love one another, he is saying that the love between Christians will be the evidence that that is true.

Jesus isn’t sending his follower out as lawyers to argue the case for Christianity. He doesn't put together a list of reasons he is so much cooler than Buddha. And he certainly doesn’t give his followers swords: physical, verbal or otherwise-- to go defend Christianity: as though Jesus needs to be defended.

Jesus sends his followers out to love: and says everything else will follow. That is what evangelism looks like for Jesus. That is how lives will be transformed. That is how the Kingdom of God comes to those chained to sin. This is what the Jesus revolution is.

Now, in 20th century America we could get away with just standing on a pulpit and inviting people to get right with God. For most of that time, Christians were still seen as good people who had your best intentions at heart.

That time has passed. Christians are seen more and more by the secular mind as ignorant, control addicts. Watch the news on Comedy Central some night from 9-10. Read the Onion. Look at the output of Hollywood and see who is easily mocked as the bigoted, hate-filled, ignorant hoards out to subjugate the masses. I have heard that the Wachowski brothers new movie V for Vendetta is case and point.

And if you think there is no reason for this fear from secular society consider the Terri Shivo incident, consider the Christian rights obsession with gay sex, consider the frequent use of people on tv calling the US a "Christian Nation": which is another way of saying, we've been in control for a long time and we should remain in control. Those who call themselves Christians in America have lost their credibility because they have failed to love first, and have put other issues at the fore. I am convinced that today the workers are many but the harvest is nearly non-existent because few people desire to be Christians. They do not see Christians as attractive people.

Let me confess, this is the place I am most depressed--seeing my brothers and sisters in Christ on TV pursue power for their organizations, or their political agenda, or their point of view. The issues at heart here are often about control.

I recall one very well known Christian on MSNBC recently saying his dream job is chief justice of the supreme court. That was his highest ambition. Think of that. Not eliminator of AIDS, not Peace bringer to war torn countries, I want to make decisions for everyone else about how they ought to live their lives. Control. It is a lust for power.

And how effective is this strategy? By some estimates evangelical Christians make up 1 in 5 Americans. But as one writer notes, a cup of salt in a pound of meat should taste different.

This is exactly what is going on in John's story. When Peter objects to Jesus washing his feet, he desires a figure head of power, not one of love. When Judas rebukes Mary for pouring perfume on Jesus feet, he desires a messiah who solves problems with monetary power verses one who dies for the poor, as well as wealthy. If you read the gospels closely, you will see that Judas (the betrayer) and Peter (the Rock) are often at exactly the same spot. If you look at John 13:18-30 it is about Judas's betrayal. Verse 31-38 is about Peter's denial. Both object to Jesus embracing a cross. Both voice strong opinions about who Jesus ought to be. And as with the Palm Sunday Crowd (last week), both worship power and leave Jesus to die alone.

The worship of Power is the rejection of Jesus.

Now, Chapter 14 ends with the question of Thaddeus (called Judas here): v.22 "Lord why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" In other words, 'Why don’t you exercise your power, and demonstrate convincingly that you are God?' Have you ever wondered why Jesus doesn’t show himself to your family? Have you ever wondered why Jesus doesn't show himself to your friends? 'Why Jesus don't you let people know who you are in a more glorious, a more vibrant, a more POWERFUL way?'

And Jesus answer is amazingly cryptic (v. 23), "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." That is, my Father and I will be revealed in the lives of those who obey my teaching to love. And that is how I am showing myself to the world.

I have often pointed out that Colorado University--which is the heart of secularism in our state--honors only two men's birthdays as holidays. It is not Lincoln or Washington or Jefferson or Columbus or Ford or Marx (as some might assume). It is Jesus Christ and a Christian minister from the south named Martin King.

Think of the most powerful Christian people in the world now, and I guarantee you their names don't make it into the minds of the person on the street when they ask themselves what the good life look like. But I tell you, without fail, every ethics class I have taken has mentioned Mother Teresa as the epitome of a life of beauty and ethical virtue.

"I have set a pattern for you to follow."

GK Chesterton rightly said "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has instead been found difficult and left untried." The truth is, the closer we get to Jesus, the more revolutionary his prescriptions will look. It will expose selfishness in us; it will strike us as odd and overly idealistic. We will fight back with excuses: certainly if everyone did THAT society would fall apart The Taliban or the nazis would rule the world. I would have nothing to eat, or car, or clothes. I would be a door mat for thieves and bullies.

And it all boils down to this: if I followed the things Jesus actually says, my life would no longer be mine.

"Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." What if there were small communities around the world that stopped making excuses for the hard sayings of Jesus, and actually began embracing their difficulty. What if there were small communities of Christ followers who made each other's needs, each other's priorities. They served one another so that together they could serve the world. What if they identified real places of want, neglect, and destruction in their society and they lovingly, gently, passionately entered those place of pain and brought with them just love. Just love. How can I wash your feet?

There are people in the Atlas community who make it their absolute ambition to go build homes for families in desperate want. Here, let me wash your feet. We spend the first 15% of all money given to Atlas on serving, teaching, even saving the lives of kids, so that they can be Jesus to others in their world. When you give to Atlas you wash the feet of desperately needy kids some of whom have AIDS, most of whom have lost one or both parents. Here, let me wash your feet. We have a few folks here who simply go and wash the feet of teenage moms in our city by baby sitting their kids for a couple hours, so they can go and be regular teenagers. Giving them a little freedom. Giving them the chance to rely on the church and know Jesus. Giving them the chance to possibly meet a spouse who they can depend on. And they're saying, 'Here, let me wash your feet.'

When we moved into our building last November a lot of us heard a collective groan from people in this area. We took a space that was well loved for its atmosphere and service and the good things it brought to the college area, and we replaced it with a building that sits empty for 6 days a week, and where weird singing and sermons that are way too long are presented on Sundays. I long for the day when the people at the Mirror and Mellow Yellow and UNC say, "I am so glad those people took over the Beanery. They bring so much to this area.

What would it look like for the church to simply dedicate all its resources and energies to washing the feet of the people close to them?

I wonder deeply whether it would not be the most effective evangelistic strategy ever devised. There seems to be good authority behind it.