Notes on the Anglican Communion

I have been meaning to write up my notes from when Lord George Carey, the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury from 1990-2002, came to speak at Duke Divinity School last year. The title of his talk was "The Anglican Communion: Past Blessings, Present Challenges, Future Hopes." I found his perspective very interesting, especially as he deliniated the many reasons why the worldwide Anglican Communion could not support the American election of Bishop Robinson. Here are my notes from the day.

The Anglican Communion: Past Blessings, Present Challenges, Future Hopes
Lord George Carey

Past Blessings

The Lambeth Conference of 1867 was gathered to deal with a crisis in the church over the uneasy growth of the Church of England. It was called by the colonies, and it eventually led to reformation in the Church of England. There were 76 bishops present with only one black bishop, and the Bishops of London and York were abstaining. The 16th century church was profoundly broken by the break with Rome, and the 17th century had seen excessive violence. By the 19th century, the church was debating theology. By the 1920 conference, women were included on the platform.

Present Challenges

The juridicial structure has been resisted, leading to the increasing independence of the various communions which had only to follow the Book of Common Prayer. The Bishops meet together for various functions such as overseeing liturgical development, but there are many strong leaders and indiginous pastors now which have often abandoned the Book of Common Prayer and a common ministry.

There are serious threats to the unity of the Communion. The move to ordain women was so gradual and so discussed that schism was avoided. The Church of England still does not recognize women bishops in England, for example, and there is still great discussion over the ordination of women versus the ordination of women as bishops; however, the church still remains in communion.

Fast footwork and close communion are needed to prevent schism in the current emergency, the debate over homosexuality. This debate has been quick. The debate has been going on since before 1990 when Lord Carey became Archbishop, and he was a controversial figure in the debate. At the 1998 Lambeth Conference, Resolution 110 clarified the position of the Anglican Communion stating that practicing homosexuality was incompatible with Holy Scripture. Five years later, the United States' decision to accept an openly gay priest threw the church into debate (August 2003). There have been many meetings in the Anglican Communion for discussions with homosexuals, but unfortunately, the discussion with the General Synod in the U.S. was "dead in the water."

The debate over homosexuality is an emergency and causing division because it is a bigger issue than just the acceptance of homosexual priests. There are five major theological and ecclesial reasons why the Anglican Communion could not agree with the U.S.'s decision. 1)The acceptance of homosexuals was a departure from the ordinal and theological teaching of ministry that priests have to be either celibate or married. 2)It was a departure from the orthodox interpretation of the Bible which is universal in its condemnation of homosexuality. Every group, even those supporting homosexual ordination, with which the Anglican Communion has been in communication agrees that Scripture speaks against homosexuality. 3)It was a departure from the Anglican understanding of the sacramentality of marriage. 4)It was a departure from the understanding of unity. By choosing to forsake the discussions and accept an openly homosexual priest, the United States was proclaiming that they had no need of the rest of the Anglican Communion. 5)It was a departure from the Anglican understanding of authority because the United States church ignored the Communion's decisions.

Hope for the Future

Pray for resolution that does not involve schism. The leaders and parishioners need to engage with the conflict and with the problems of the world to avoid the worst possibility, that the minority leaves. Once churches divide, union is rare, and the split between the Church of England and the Methodists is an example. Hope can be sustained if groups stop threatening to leave and realize that the conservative voice is not always heeded and that some behavior done in disagreement is un-Christian.

Unfortunately, increasing schism seems to be the reality, so Lord Carey's fears about division in the Anglican Communion are more and more real. He is correct that once churches divide, they tend to remain divided, even when the churches eventually come to align closely in their theology. Issues such as the validity of ordination and leadership tend to keep them separated. While the Wesleyan Methodists, Free Methodists, and Nazarenes divided from the Methodist Episcopal (current United Methodist Church) for different reasons, none of them have united with each other or reunited with the UMC. Attempts at reconciliation between the Wesleyans and Free Methodists were hindered by different positions on the ordination of women. Attempts at reconciliation between the Free Methodists and United Methodists would be greatly hindered by the pluralism and hesitancy to follow Biblical discipline by some leaders in the United Methodist Church as well as the historic theological "conservativism" (for lack of a better term) by the Free Methodists. While I do not fault the founders of Free Methodism for their actions following the removal of their ordination credentials by the Methodist Episcopal Church when the Free Methodists spoke out against slavery and discrimination against Blacks and the poor, our division is still a hindrance to our witness to the Kingdom of God and to a Savior who has come to reconcile us with God and one another. All of our prayers should be with the Anglican Communion and for reconciliation within our divided churches.

1 Cor 12:5-30 Spiritual Gifts

“Just do it.” “Look out for number one.” “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” L’Oreal “Because I’m worth it.” Army “Be all you can be.” “Be yourself.” AT&T “It’s all within your reach.” “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” All of these are either advertising slogans or common sayings. Our entire lives, we seem to be hearing one constant message: “The world is yours to conquer. Do what you need to get ahead, and don’t worry because you are the only person that matters.” We are encouraged to act like the toddlers who are not yet aware that their actions affect others because they have barely figured out that their actions affect themselves.

The problem with this message is that we are not solitary creatures. Our actions affect both ourselves and those around us. Even if media and advertising tempt us sto forget that lesson as adults, we learned as children that the people around us matter. If you stand on a playground and one child hits another, the wounded child begins to cry. Actions affect others. If one teenager decides to date his friend’s girlfriend, his friendship is destroyed by the betrayal. Actions affect others. If one person at work doesn’t fulfill her responsibilities, the contract cannot be fulfilled and the whole company pays. Actions affect others.

We can tell what is important in our society by the way we spend our money and the way we pay our workers. We drive by billboards and flip open magazines all showing men and women with the “perfect” bodies urging us on to success. We pay our professional athletes and television or movie actors salaries into the millions of dollars every year. Then we drive a little further, or we close the magazine and walk into our front yards, and we see the teachers, substance abuse counselors, and police officers struggling to make ends meet. Human lives are broken down into the important and the unimportant, the famous and the normal. Actors, musicians, and politicians can receive special treatment. They sit in first class on airplanes, are members of exclusive country clubs, and are invited to private parties hosted by the rich and famous.

On the streets we walk or drive every day, we are normal. Most of us will never be noticed by the famous people who live and work only miles away from this church, yet the good news of the Kingdom of God is that the normal are noticed, and the last shall be first. Paul reminds us that we all serve the same God, and we have all been redeemed by the same Christ.

^12:4 There are varieties of grace-gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, ⁶ sand there are varieties of actions but the same God is working in everything and everyone. ⁷ But to each he gives the manifestation of the Spirit for the common goods. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Once again Paul’s instructions teach us not to listen to many of the messages that we hear every day. Christians live in the Kingdom of God present now, although not in its fullness. When we follow Christ and are baptized into Christ’s church, we die to ourselves and to the world around us, and we are raised into new life and the new kingdom. Peter tells us that Christians live as foreigners in the lands where they once lived as citizens because Christians are citizens of a new kingdom. As members of God’s Kingdom, our lives are governed by freedom and grace instead of competition and struggles for power. In God’s Kingdom, all who allow the Holy Spirit to draw them up onto the life of Christ are accepted around the table, and all who enter into God’s Kingdom are given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit.

In today’s passage, Paul provides us with a partial list of spiritual gifts which are given to each Christian to support the whole church. Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift to share with the body, and no single person has all of the gifts. I encourage you to explore what spiritual gifts you have been given, so you can share them with the church. If you don’t know, there are tests online that you can take or you can meet with a pastor who will walk you through one.

Knowing what our gifts are is essential for us to be able to share them with the rest of the church, but Paul’s list of gifts is less important than his desire for each of the gifts to be recognized and honored in the church. You see, the church is the body of Christ, and like a human body, there are many members but only one body. Each individual part is necessary and important. We might survive if we are missing limbs or organs, but our bodies were not designed to have missing pieces. I had a friend who injured her shoulder. While it was healing, she was unable to drive, write, or lift any objects. No one would have said that she was less than a person, but she was obviously injured. The church is the same way. We may survive if only a few people run everything and no one else participates, but we cannot flourish without every member using the gifts which the Spirit has given to him or her. Every person and every gift is necessary in the body of Christ, and when some members don’t share their gifts, the body is visibly wounded.

It can be hard to hear that we are needed and important. We live our entire lives based on our status and power level. It is easy to believe the messages that only the famous and “important” people can make a difference or are really needed. We see news stories about the work that Al Gore or Bono in the fights against global warming and AIDS, and they are recognized around the world by their faces and names. We can be tricked into thinking “Surely I’m not important, and no one misses me. I’m not famous like those people.” The problem is that one of the organs in our bodies is no more important than the others. It doesn’t matter whether our liver, kidneys, heart, or arteries stop working, they can all kill us. If even the smallest blood vessels in our bodies become blocked, the cells around that blood vessel die. We truly need every part of our bodies to be working properly. The same is true of the Body of Christ. We need those people who are not known by the world if we are going to be able to reach out to our neighbors who are hurting right next door.

But the Body of Christ does not just need every single member, it also reverses the power structures of the world. Paul tells us, “Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” We know that God cares for the outcast and ignored people of the world. We saw that he provided instructs to Israel so that the poor would have food to eat. Jesus tells us to “Let the little children come to him” and that “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” God exalts those who seem unimportant or unworthy of his attention.

Too often, we determine the worth of those in the church based on the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to people, without realizing that those gifts are necessary to the church. Too often, we pay more attention to the work of our teachers and preachers, to those with the flashy and visible gifts. We sound like the Corinthians who were much the same way. They were determining which gifts were most important and causing chaos in the church because everyone was trying to exercise the same gifts at the same time. The Corinthians all wanted the visible gifts; gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy, and performing miracles. That is why Paul writes this long discussion on spiritual gifts and the body. The Corinthians don’t understand why the Spirit is giving them spiritual gifts. We need to hear this message from Paul when we base someone’s worth or importance on whether they have the visible and “flashy” gifts of the Spirit. And we need to remember that God has given more honor to the parts of the body that lacked it.

No one spiritual gift is more important that the others. When I think about the ways that we determine a person’s importance, it reminds me of the many concerts and speeches I have seen. Too often, the speaker or singer ignores or abuses the people running the sound or lighting boards. They have become consumed with their own importance and forget that without those people who work hard behind the scenes, no one would even know there was a person on stage. They would have no chairs to sit in, no lights to see the stage, and no microphones or speakers. It may seem like the person on stage is more important; he or she is the person who drew the crowd after all. But the person on stage doesn’t matter if no one can here what they are saying. Those gifts which seem less important, gifts like service, mercy, and helping, are necessary if the preachers and teachers are going to do their jobs.

So what are your gifts? We each have a place in God’s body, and we each have gifts to give to others. Since no one person can have all of the gifts, we need each other to be able to share our gifts. We can only have all of the gifts when we come together. This is why it doesn’t work to be a Christian who isolates himself from the church.

A Foretaste of the Kingdom

May 27, 2007. Pentecost Sunday. Global Day of Prayer. Glimpse of the Kingdom of God.

Pentecost was a reversal of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The people built a tower to the heavens to make a name for themselves, and God confused their language. Then he scattered them throughout the whole earth.

We too have been so scattered. Tribes fight against tribes (Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia); nations fight against nations (USA, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan). We have let the slightest differences divide us in radical ways, so we kill each other instead of living in unity. Unfortunately this is true of the church as well. We refuse to recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, so my sister Thera cannot partake of the Eucharist with her Catholic students. My Orthodox brother Chris cannot celebrate Easter with his classmates. (And yes, my decision to use the words "sister" and "brother" was intentional.)

In the midst of daily division, the Global Day of Prayer was a brief sign and foretaste of the Kingdom of God. This event began as a result of a vision given to a man in South Africa. Beginning in his hometown, flaming arrows spread out into the rest of South Africa. From South Africa, flaming arrows spread to all of Africa, and from Africa, the arrows spread to the entire world. He gathered Christians in his city to pray, and the season of prayer and blessing, spread throughout the globe. On Pentecost Sunday, Christians gather to pray, in 205 countries and many languages. This is not just one more gathering of Christians who already think alike. It pushes our boundaries.

In Santa Barbara, CA, the Evangelical Prayer Breakfast organizes the logistics, and we are pushed to greater unity. As the pastors discuss which churches to invite, they are asked to view other denominations in full unity. Calvary Chapel is asked to accept the Catholic churches as Christians; a difficult task in view of their history. The United Methodists are asked to limit the service to those who confess Christ; a position contrary to their commitment to "open doors." The Catholics and Orthodox are asked to view the Protestants as members of the one body of Christ, a position difficult for those who believe that Protestants are in broken communion with the one true church. The Free Methodists are asked to be patient with their brothers and sisters who have difficulty recognizing the faith of the other groups. Somehow, though, the Global Day of Prayer service happens every year. The various churches commit their time, their people, and their buildings. They open their doors for Christians from all over the city to come and pray 24/7 for the week before Pentecost. Finally, they gather at the Sunken Gardens to praise God and pray.

This global gathering is a visible sign of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is a foretaste of what we will experience when Christ returns. By now the saying has become almost cliche: "When we arrive in heaven, we will find many we did not expect, and we will be missing some of those whom we did expect." The Global Day of Prayer enacts this saying; we would not expect our brothers and sisters from Calvary Chapel and the Catholic Church to have a part in the same service, "non-Christians" from their position. Their very presence in the service indicates an acceptance of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christianity by all involved, an acceptance that those whom we think are outside of God's grace may in fact be a part of his body.

Likewise, the divisions between tribes and languages becomes a mark of unity instead of one of division. When we break into small groups to pray, the circles include latinos, Asians, Caucasians, Africans, and Middle Easterners together, praying in their native languages. No one tells us to break into "diverse" groups; it is natural. Everyone is present to pray, and we are all praying to the one God with a united heart. Pastors from different ethnic churches lead us in prayer or translate for others. Languages and cultures are too weak to break the bond of Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst overcomes our divisions because we are all obedient to the same One who has called us to follow our Savior alone.

Global Day of Prayer is true Pentecost, a time when those of all tribes, tongues, and nations gather together, pray the same prayer, and work as one body to seek God's face. We seek not as in Babel, to make a name for ourselves, but as the body of Christ, servants of the God who as taught us to seek him and to live as the Church. We are a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the kingdom of God.

The Broken Women Among Us

Yesterday, the senior pastor and I went out to the Westside Pregnancy Resource Center in Santa Monica. Talitha Phillips, the Executive Director, gave us a tour of the facilities and then the three of us sat down to hear about the work the center does. This is an amazing organization. Not only do they do pregnancy care, crisis counseling, abortion alternatives counseling, single mother support groups, and ultrasounds, but they also provide supplies for new moms, help them find jobs and housing, work with pregnant women to tell their parents or boyfriends/husbands, and do abstinence/healthy dating instruction for youth groups and schools. As Talitha recounted stories of the women who come back to the center, broken and distraught after having an abortion, I was broken again for these women.

One of the most common groups of people who come in after having an abortion are Christians. "It is easier to come to the church with an abortion that to come to the church with an unplanned pregnancy." Talitha said that this quote epitomizes so much of the work they do. What is wrong with our churches that we tell our women that God will forgive them whatever they decide? God will, but why are we sending our women into pain, regret, and emotional turmoil? These women are so broken, and we send them from one sin straight into another, from one mistake into another. At what point do we truly partner with the organizations like Westside? When do we stop to spend time with them? To learn from them how we can love and support the women in our midst who are dealing with the turmoil of an unplanned pregnancy or the heartbreak of a past abortion? When will we start providing the resources and assistance that these women need so that abortion doesn't become their only option?

Then there are so many stories on the other side. Time and time again I hear the pain and anguish of the couples in my churches who have tried and tried to have children. These couples have been told that they are not able to have children, or they have grieved miscarriage after miscarriage. They are broken by their pain, and we are too often insensitive. I think about groups like MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). They gather to give support to other moms in their situations, which is exactly what we should do: share wisdom and encouragement. Then these women plan events like women's dinners or trips to special stores, and they exclude women who do not have children. So my sisters who have lost baby after baby are excluded from fellowship in the church because they have not been blessed with children of their own. They serve as Sunday School teachers or youth group leaders, working with the children of these other women, but they are not able to share fellowship with the women themselves. I think about the Father's Day sermon I sat through on Sunday, where we celebrated the men in the congregation who are fathers and prayed for a young boy in the congregation who's father died. Again, these were good things to do, but I wondered about the men sitting next to me that are unable to have children of their own. These men and women tell me that they really do rejoice with their brothers and sisters who have children. They pray for them, and they help raise the children up in the faith, just like they committed to do when the children were baptized/dedicated. We support our families, but when will we start supporting the other brothers and sisters in our congregations? When will we surround them with prayer and love, and welcome them into our lives without excluding them because of their own pain? When will we hear the pain of these couples among us?

James 3:1-12 The Power of Words

I want to start this morning by playing a clip from an episode of the Andy Griffith Show. In this episode, Andy has come into the drug store to purchase sulfur powder because Barney had cut his finger while he was cleaning his gun. Aunt Bee, Emma, and Clara Lindsey were in the drug store talking, and that’s where we’ll pick it up.

[View Andy Griffith, Those Gossipin’ Men Clip here.]

In Mayberry, Andy and Barney saw the results of the women’s gossip when the town thinks Barney has been killed. Unfortunately, the men of Mayberry are no less prone to gossip when Aunt Bee tests them. A shoe salesman comes into town, and Aunt Bee plants suspicions in Andy and Barney’s minds that the man is not what he claims. Before long, the men think that the salesman is a talent scout for a tv show and they arrive at his door to display their talents. The town’s actions are directly related to the words they have been speaking. Words have power.

We experience the power of words in our own lives. A friend calls and tells us she’s in trouble, and we tell her that we don’t have time for her. We have just told her that we don’t really care about her. We tell a bitter parent that we love them and watch them break down into tears and ask for forgiveness. Our words have power to heal or destroy. Throughout Scripture we see the power of the words we speak. In Genesis 1, we read, “And God said ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” “‘Let the earth be separated from the waters,’ and it was so.” “‘Let the earth be filled with living creatures,’ and it was so.” God’s word has creative power. He speaks and the universe is created. He speaks and plants and animals are created. He speaks and humans are created. But this was not a one-time act. Gabriel appears before Mary and says, “Behold the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…And you will conceive and bear a son.” And Mary responds, “Let it be with me according to your word.” And it is. Mary has a baby and names him Jesus. God’s word is creative and powerful.

We continue to see the power of words throughout the rest of the Bible. Elijah tells king Ahab that it will not rain in Israel for 3 years, and it doesn’t. Jonah goes to Ninevah and prophesies that God is going to judge the city and destroy it. The whole city repents. Jesus and his disciples pass a fig tree that is not bearing fruit; Jesus curses it and it withers. When Mary Magdalene comes to Jesus, she receives forgiveness for her many sins at his word. The apostles meet a lame beggar, Peter says, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” The beggar does.

We like to think that our words are meaningless. You don’t have to stand on a playground long before you hear a child chant, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” The truth is, though, that words do hurt us. Our words have the power to heal or condemn, to bless or curse. We have been trained well to use words instead of actions, but our words are no less of an indication of what’s in our hearts. We use our voices to tear others down and to hurt those we care about most.

James 3:3-6 “the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

Last summer I worked as the director of Cliff Drive Care Center’s summer camp. This is a program for elementary school age children to learn through directed and free play and to learn to follow God while they interact. We had one boy who struggled constantly with anger. I spent a lot of time with Nick teaching him to use words when he was angry instead of hitting or kicking. He learned to go get his journal when he was mad and to write his anger instead of using violence. It was better for Nick to write than punch, but his words still displayed his angry and violent spirit; his words were a reflection of his heart.

James tells us that “All kinds of beasts, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being subdued and have been subdued by human beings, but no one can subdue the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” This is quite an amazing statement! All kinds of beasts are being subdued. Israel was not a place where the wilderness was friendly. If you ventured away from cities and roads, you were likely to be attacked by the wild beasts, lions, ostriches, wolves, and the like, and you did not necessarily expect to survive. The wilderness is not really any more friendly today. If I travel away from home in Nevada, I’m liable to run into a rattlesnake or grizzly bear. I don’t think that I would be much of a threat to either of them. But James is right, human kind is subduing these animals. The bears that show up in town are tranquilized and taken back into the mountains before they can hurt anyone. Doctors have used the rattlesnakes’ own venom to create an anecdote for their bite. Biologists used sounds to get the whales Delta and Dawn to turn back into the Pacific Ocean when they swam up the Sacramento Delta.

For James, subduing these animals is easy. All kinds of beasts are being subdued and have been subdued by human beings. There is no discussion of how humans fail to subdue wild animals. James just states that we do. We know better. We know that these wild animals are never fully tame. In 2003, Roy Horn was attacked by one of his own tigers at the Mirage in Las Vegas. He had worked with these animals every day for years, and he knew how to interact with them. He knew the personality of each tiger, and they followed his commands. This relationship did not prevent the tiger from attacking. Just this year we watched as the crocodile hunter was skilled by a sting ray. He probably knew more about these wild animals than almost anyone on the planet; he spent his life with these creatures, but in the end, the wild animals were not really controllable. The wild beasts were still wild.

If our experience teaches us that wild animals are not completely subdued by humans, how can James tell us that all kinds of beasts are being subdued? If we look around and see that wild animals are untamable, why does James use this as his example? He sets up quite a contrast for us: humans subdue wild animals but they cannot subdue their own tongues. If subduing animals is truly out of our grasp, then how much more impossible is it for us to tame our own tongues?

Our anger comes out in our words, someone cuts us off on the freeway and normally peaceful people start yelling at other drivers. We laugh with our friends, but then we spread deceitful gossip about them. We let minor differences divide us from those around us, and we spitefully attack the other side. And these things happen in churches and families where we care about each other and know each other. In spite of all of our desires to show those around us how much we love them, our tongues are unpredictable, and we too often find ourselves saying things that we later regret and for which we have to ask forgiveness. But again, our actions are no surprise to James. Look at verse 9. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brethren, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brethren, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

What then, do we do with our tongues? If it is impossible for us to subdue and master our own tongues since we cannot even subdue the wild animals, how can we follow James’ instruction to be consistent in our praise? How can we subdue our tongues to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ?

James is clear that we cannot subdue our own tongues, but he is also clear that God’s power is great. Just a little bit later in chapter 4, James writes, “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” We are unable to transform our tongues, but God is more than able to sanctify us and make us holy. The Holy Spirit transforms us as he changes our spirits and draws us up into the life of Christ. The Bible tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” We were creatures who were consumed with ourselves. We were broken and unstable, and we were unable to conquer the sin that reigned in our lives. But in Christ the power of sin is broken and we are brought into the new creation where Christ rules in power. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, was comforted by the knowledge that although sin remained in his life, it did not reign over his life. He was victorious over sin because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

If you are anything like me, you rejoice that Christ has brought a new creation, but you still wrestle with sin in your own life. It seems that we can never escape it. The moment we have been set free from one sin, we begin to see that there is a different one waiting below the surface. This is part of the process of sanctification. The Holy Spirit begins to transform us little by little until we become the clear reflections of Jesus. The characteristics of our sinful natures begin to fall away. Paul lists them in Galatians 5: “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” In their place, the Spirit gives us good fruit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” And we are comforted by the knowledge that we are being transformed, but praying for transformation doesn’t seem to be quite enough. After all, James repeatedly tells us to change our actions.

This is where our tradition is our greatest resource. We are Methodist Christians after all. The early church was given the name Christians – little Christs. They were imitating the life of their Savior. The early Methodists were given that name because they lived their lives according to the method laid out in Scripture. They met together every night and devoted their entire lives to studying the Bible and serving their neighbors. They relied upon the grace of God to transform their lives, but they participated in the “means of grace,” the practices God uses to transform us, to allow the Spirit to transform them.

This is also our path to transformation. This is our path to subduing our tongues and bringing our words to conform to the example of Christ. We participate in the means of grace. The first is to gather together to worship the Lord. You are here; you are seeking God’s presence in this place and opening your lives to be transformed as the Spirit speaks to you, to be transformed as you allow your hearts to be convicted by the Word of God as it is read, to be transformed as you bow your head and speak with the Living God.

We receive communion every month. God has promised that he will be present as we partake of the bread and cup, and we trust that he will continue to teach us as we come together, as one body. Together we pray for forgiveness, and any divisions that separate us are submitted to Jesus. Communion is a means of grace.

We read the Bible to learn what God has to say to us and to learn who God is. We read to grow closer to the Lord who is revealed in Scripture’s pages. Reading the Bible is also a means of grace; the Word begins to soak into our minds and hearts. We begin to think of our neighbors and enemies as children of God because the Bible tells us that God loves them. We begin to pray for peace because the Bible teaches us that Jesus came to bring reconciliation. We stop yelling at others because our hearts are transformed into love instead of bitterness.

Finally, we gather together in small groups; and this too is a means of grace. In small groups, we ask each other how we are growing in our faith. We ask if we are following God faithfully or if we are struggling. We pray for each other and help each other when we are struggling to be faithful. God gives us grace by giving us each other to love us and support us and to grow with us. In these small groups, we have the opportunity to tell each other when our tongues are controlling us instead of God controlling our tongues. We tell each other when the words we have spoken have caused pain instead of love. We learn to speak words of repentance and forgiveness, following Jesus who spoke forgiveness to the sinners who gathered at his feet. And as we receive grace, God transforms our bodies and our tongues.

So, as we follow James’ command to subdue our tongues, we trust God to transform us, knowing that we will never be able to subdue our tongues ourselves. But we don’t stop seeking transformation. We pray for the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and make us holy. We pray for the Spirit to transform us and change us into the image of Christ. And we participate in the practices of the church, the means of grace, which God has provided for us. We worship together, pray together, read Scripture together, and participate in small groups together. As we live our lives in the pattern of worship, we trust the Spirit to transform our tongues to match the praise we give to God. This is good news. Will you join me in praising God for his transforming power.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? Complicated Science

Environmentalism seems to be the popular cause these days, and it is not a poor cause to fight. The commercials on TV in Los Angeles right now are showing American stars, whether athletes or actors, who have taken up the cause and have "gone green." Their dedication to the earth is admirable, but I wonder what theology or philosophy is guiding their decisions.

Genesis teaches us that God entrusted the earth to humans, and we are to be stewards of God's creation. God placed humans upon the earth and told them to care for and work in the garden (Gen 2:15), and he instructed Adam to name the animals (Gen 2:19-20). Those of us in the Western world live in a pattern of consumption instead of stewardship, but I doubt that many people disagree with that claim.

I have lost track of the number of times my Divinity School professors, classmates, and fellow church workers have named particular environmental or social evils. They are abundant: deforestation of Africa, North Carolina pork industry, nuclear weapons, fossil fuels, automobiles, television. Most recently it was the FMCSC superintendent who told the staff that the US could have powered the entire country through solar power with the amount of money that we have spent on the Iraq War, and using solar power would solve a lot of our issues. Setting aside all arguments for and against the war, this answer frustrated me by its simplicity. Thanks to friends, I knew enough science to know that solar power is a more complex issue, and I wonder if the other problems are also more complex.

Environmental issues are scientifically and ethically complex, and it takes the research and expertise of our brothers and sisters in the sciences to begin to reach solutions. This past weekend, I received the blessing of being taught by a friend at UC Berkeley. He told me how solar panels are constructed and that solar energy cannot produce the needed energy to create a new solar panel. He taught me that a solar panel takes as much energy to produce as it will put out during its entire "lifespan." Scientists continue to work to improve the efficiency of solar energy and may soon produce solar panels that produce more energy than they require to make; however, I also learned that there is a limit to the efficiency of chemical processes. At some point, scientists will have reached the maximum efficiency of that process. A car can only achieve a limited efficiency of miles per gallon. In his words, "saying 'let's go solar!' or 'let's put all our money into wind to solve all our problems' is too simple. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to improve energy sources; it does mean that we should have a firm grasp of feasibility and reality as we go about it." My world was complicated; these issues include the ratio of energy put into and produced by reactions, environmental impact, chemical compositions and reactions. Above all my friend taught me how much the church needs scientists.

Unfortunately, the modern church tended to cast away or blindly accept science. Far too many fundamentalists and evangelicals viewed science as an enemy to be fought; science "destroyed faith" and "contradicted scripture." The gospel "required" that they reject science in favor of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, far too many mainline protestants looked at only the popular science presented in the media or accepted science at the expense of Biblical Christianity. They viewed science as true and cast away 1800 years of church tradition. Both sides failed to truly understand the science. We cannot solve the problems of our environment without actually understanding the causes. Solar power sounds wonderful before you know how much energy from fossil fuels it requires to make the panels. A first step is reducing our energy consumption, not changing energy forms. Recycling paper is a necessity before you learn that it takes huge amounts of resources to recycle an object that is both biodegradable and easily reproducible. It should be reused but not recycled. Recycling cans may be optional until you learn how much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly it is; aluminum should always be recycled to reduce our need to extract more. These problems are complicated, and faithful responses require an understanding of the science involved. The popular solutions may not be the correct solutions, and our lack of scientific knowledge may result in our creation of different problems instead of our solution of existing ones.

Our pastors spend years in school before they are ordained, and there are good reasons for doing so. They have to indwell the tradition before they can teach it. They will have to preach on 66 books of Scripture, teach church history and theology, and shepherd people in Christian discipleship. There is a wealth of information that pastors learn in school, and the same is true of those in the sciences. These men and women spend years in classes and research to learn their traditions, and they have a wealth of information to teach the church. Christians are to be stewards of the earth, but we need science to tell us how our lifestyles affect the planet. We need science to help us find solutions.

How can the church join with the scientific community to be faithful stewards of the earth? Be willing to listen. Invite the local scientists into the church as members of your community. Sit in Bible studies and discipleship groups with them, and learn together how to faithfully follow Christ. Have conversations with these men and women and learn the science behind the headlines. Choose to keep expanding your knowledge and be a life-long learner. In between the novels and theology books, pick up a chemistry textbook, or a biology, math, or computer science book. Learn the introductory basics, so you can engage scientific journals. Then visit your local college library and read the journals. At first you may only understand small parts of the articles, but as you read more, you will understand more. As stewards of the earth who understand the problems and solutions, the church will be equipped to come up with creative ways to live faithfully and to take care of God's creation.

*Many thanks to my friends in the sciences who patiently endure my lack on knowledge and understanding but who remain willing to engage in conversations with me.

Who we are or what we do?

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a cultural diversity class with a friend at Azusa Pacific University. As the two of us talked afterwards, she asked if I got the sense that her classmates thought of culture as the things people do rather than who people are or how they think. So which is it? Is culture what you do, who you are, or how you think about the world?
The answer is "yes." We have a tendency to divide who we are from what we do, but they are not so easily separated. We act in certain ways because we have particular beliefs, but our beliefs and thoughts are also shaped by our actions. Thinking is itself an action. We give labels to describe who we are, but those same labels define what we do. We are creative, introverted, a thinker, a musician, etc. We cannot divide who we are from the way we think or the way we act.
When it comes to culture, the being-act-thought divisions are just as misguided. Culture is what we do. I would be hard-pressed to explain any of my Irish-English-Navajo-Mexian roots without turning to the traditions that define us. I spent evenings at tribal dances as a child, so the culture of my ancestors would not be lost. My grandfather spoke Spanish, and I attended years of Spanish classes, so our language would not be lost. The same is true of the Christian tradition. Our "culture" involves worship, taking the Eucharist, being baptized, and studying Scripture. Our cultures are what we do.
At the beginning of this post, I argued that our cultures could not be divided into the being-act-thought categories, so why affirm that culture is defined by our actions? Culture cannot be defined solely by actions, but actions are important. Our actions are not autonomous. We perpetuate particular traditions because of how we think about the world, and those same actions shape who we are.
Participation in traditions forms our faith. As our churches gather for prayer, we learn to speak to and listen for God, but we also pray because we trust that God hears us and answers our prayers. We partake of the Eucharist because Christ commanded us, and we know that it is a means by which God pours his grace into our lives. As we continue to come to the table, we are formed as a community who shares a common table and lives a common life; we become a community which is unmistakably marked by the death of Christ. When our churches celebrate Passover, we are taught that the church lives in continuity with Israel, and then we begin to read the story of Israel as our own story. We obey the sabbath out of obedience, and we are formed in the rest of redemption and formed out of the ceaseless work of slavery (Deut. 5:12-14).
As Christians, we believe certain claims about God and the church and our lives are shaped by those beliefs. We are a redeemed people who knows that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the third day, that God is creator, sustainer, and redeemer, that the church is the body of Christ, and that Jesus will come again. But we are like Israel in the wilderness. We know who has brought us out of slavery but we are quick to return to our old masters or give our allegiance to new ones. Our participation in the daily, weekly, and yearly patterns and rituals habituate our trust and faithfulness to the God who redeems us. Without the practices, our beliefs lack the grounding and formation to be sustained, but without the beliefs and obedience, we have no purpose for our practices. Who we are shapes how we think which shapes our practices which in turn transforms who we are. Our practices, beliefs, and identity are indivisible.