A Reader Writes: Forming a New Faith Community
A reader writes:
Good morning, Brian,I hope this finds you doing incredibly well. I just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for all your work over the years. Your New Kind of Christian series was a key resource that helped me work through some early turbulence on my journey into pastoral ministry. I have benefited from your work since, reading everything I have been able to get my hands on.After serving as a pastor in a couple different churches for over a decade, I now find myself working on forming a new faith community. We are intentionally focused on ministering to those falling through the cracks of traditional expressions of the church. With regards to form, we are seeking to be a network of house churches - gathering small weekly, and coming together as a larger network for story telling and celebration once a month. This year we have chosen to utilize We Make the Road by Walking in our gatherings as a springboard for conversation and connection.I am excited for the participatory learning/reflection environment that will be possible out of this journey together.
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Catching Churches Doing Good
Churches and church leaders have been up to some despicable activity in recent days (and years and decades and centuries, as I've written about in my books and social media).
But for every despicable act, there are so many of acts of goodness, generosity, and justice that go unreported. The latter doesn't undo the former, and the former doesn't undo the latter. Here are a few examples of churches - Baptist churches - doing good ... (courtesy of Fellowship Southwest)
Immigrants tell their stories at Fort Worth prayer meeting
Racial Reconciliation with Austin Heights Baptist Church
Austin Heights Baptist Church and Zion Hill First Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, have enjoyed a partnership more than 48 years. They have worked hard at growing this partnership and friendship. They participate in joint worship services in December and March/April. They also have done joint vacation Bible schools, mission projects, Habitat for Humanity builds, barbecue fundraisers for their local African-American Heritage Project, as well as other projects.
This past Friday night Sept. 21, the two congregations came together to co-sponsor a panel discussion and dialogue on telling stories of life during segregation in Nacogdoches. Other sponsors were the East Texas Historical Association, based at nearby Stephen F. Austin State University, and the African-American Heritage Project. A packed crowd gathered to hear three African-American panelists who grew up in Nacogdoches and who told stories of the everyday reminders of racism--separate water fountains, the difficulty of traveling long distances when bathroom facilities were not available to people who were black, etc.--to more violent experiences of police brutality and harassment, to lynching and white economic pressures on successful and independent black farmers. Dialogue followed with stories about the 1970 Civil Rights marches occurring in downtown Nacogdoches and on the nearby Stephen F. Austin State University campus. After the panel and dialogue, participants were invited to stay for barbecue and sides all cooked by members of Austin Heights and Zion Hill.
On Saturday, Sept. 22, an all-day event was held at Austin Heights and was co-sponsored by the Region VII Anti-Racism Network of the Episcopal Church, USA. The keynote speaker was Catherine Meeks, director of the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta. About 80 participants listened to workshop leaders and broke into small groups for story-telling and dialogue. The day ended with a worship service with preacher Nancy Frausto, the associate rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Long Beach, Calif. and a Dreamer-DACA recipient.
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Q & R: When is violence justified?
Here's the Q:
Just finished reading your book. When, where or is violence ever justified? To protect others from grave harm or death? If you have the time to do so I would like to discuss this with you. Thank you.
Here's the R:
Good question. Anything I say briefly will be subject to misconstrual, but let me risk offering something I hope will be both honest and brief.
For starters, let me define violence like this: a forceful action intended to cause pain, harm, or death.
With that definition, my answer to your question would be never.
But that would raise a related question using a different word: when, where, or is nonviolent force ever justified?
And I would say it is appropriate to use nonviolent force to impede injustice and harm. That's what I believe Jesus meant by "turn the other cheek." Here's the late Walter Wink explaining:
In other words, for me, force and violence aren't the same thing. I would use nonviolent force to protect vulnerable people, but my goal would be to protect the victims and stop the oppressor.
One other thing. Peacemaking doesn't start when an attacker is coming. Peacemaking addresses the conditions that turn people into potential attackers.
Those are a few super-quick thoughts ... again, easily misunderstood because of their brevity ... that I hope will be useful.
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Q & R: A Bloody Mess for Eternity?
Here's the Q:
Hi Brian,
I know that you were raised in the brethren church like I was and my 82 year old father just came for a visit the other day and he's still staunchly in the old theology, he blurts out phrases and old remembrances thinking to comfort me, but they only seem to make me saddened for him.
He went on and on this time about the blood, how it's all about the blood and how the blood is the focus of everything important. It has stayed with me as I remember those sermons, hymns and tropes from my days in the pews and I just can't seem to shake the feeling that they (and he) have got to be wrong.
In the evolution of my faith I have come to know a god of love, not one of violence, who needs violence, who achieves the plan with violence. Can you please help me think this through? There has to be something either wrongly translated or wrongly understood, or intentionally screwtaped for the distortion of the future. It can't be that God intended everything to be a bloody mess for eternity, can it?
If you've written on this I must have missed it and would so appreciate anything you could point me to that might help me unwrap this in my head. You've been such a great guide for me out of the darkness, I am truly grateful. Thanks again.
Here's the R:
Two places I think you'll get some help from me - three, actually:
- Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? In the chapters on original sin and eucharist, I give a summary of some of Rene Girard's seminal work that I think you'll find helpful.
- The Great Spiritual Migration: The middle section, especially.
- A New Kind of Christianity: One of the sections addresses the question: Is God Violent?
Obviously, I think you're on the right track, and I hope these resources will be helpful. I'd encourage you to also see work by Brian Zahnd and Derek Flood, who are doing such good work in this regard, among many others.
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A dream while napping in church …
In my book The Great Spiritual Migration, I talk about the church as school of love.
This post reflects a similar perspective - well worth reading!
http://ptstulsa.edu/DeeperRepair
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