At first glance, the rows of folding chairs set up in the nether regions of the San Jose Mercury Convention Center look like they might actually be comfortable. Let me assure you, they are not. The nearly three and a half inches of what I thought was foam padding actually projects a gravitonic force field, quadrupling the tush-pain quotient. It’s either a testimony to the commitment of the folks who sit all around me that they stay seated for these long debates or to the self padding capacity of Presbyterians. I’m choosing not to investigate which it is.
My “at first glance” tendencies are coming into play right now. We’ve arrived at the GA session that includes consideration of the standards of ordination. The commissioners are discussing whether or not to undo the decisions made by Assemblies since 1978. I admit that my “at first glance” response is to frame this debate as a win-lose proposition. I want biblical authority to be upheld. Others want inclusiveness to champion the day. In just a few moments, adherents to one of these two positions will not get their way. The commissioners are voting as I type, and I feel this pressure in my chest. I pray, sharing my desire for the vote to turn out in accordance not only with the Bible (which I believe is authoritative in all it says about life and faith), but also with our church confessions and heritage. I know there are others hoping and praying for a change in our denomination’s standards and an embrace of culturally celebrated values. One way or the other, nearly half the gathered body will be unhappy. There will be winners and losers—at least that is the way I’m feeling right now.
The vote was just announced. The commissioners chose to undo the existing authoritative interpretation, which takes effect immediately, and to send to presbyteries for their ratification an amendment to our constitution that will change the current standards for ordination. Bottom line is that inclusivity won, and biblical authority lost.
Once again, my “at first glance” response kicked in. I felt the agony of defeat. When I exited the building a little bit ago, some of the “winners” were standing outside celebrating and singing, “We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord.” My mind briefly went to some dark places.
I’m tired of my “at first glance” response. I’m guessing God is too. Jesus didn’t tell his disciples that he had come to win. He told them that he had come to serve and to die. He didn’t hand out trophies and medals. He gave out towels and wash basins and pointed people to the cross.
It seems that a Jesus-centered first response is more of a serve-serve proposition. Nothing happened today to change any first-level priorities. God is still God. Jesus is still Lord. The Spirit is still at work. The Bible is still the written word of God. I’m still forgiven, loved, and empowered. Is my witness to the world diminished by GA’s actions? Maybe. I believe, however, that how I choose to respond today, tomorrow, and into the future will be the greater portion of my personal witness to the world. Winning a theological point and upholding a standard—while important—doesn’t seem to carry as much weight with others as when we choose to show them tangible expressions of God’s love.
So you are welcome to hold me accountable to serving others in the name of Christ—to creating a serve-serve environment in which Jesus gets the glory. I’ll work with you and others to return the PC(USA) to a more biblically faithful position, and I pledge to proceed in a manner that treats even those who disagree with me as women and men for whom our Lord gave his life. Hopefully in your first, second, and umpteenth glances at my efforts, you’ll see someone faithfully serving in the manner of Christ. But please, when glancing—avoid commenting on my capacity to provide self-padding of my hind side.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Catching a Glimpse of Me
Sometimes the people around us have the ability to show us who we are—if we’re willing to open our eyes. This phenomenon was at work on a mission trip I took about 20 years ago. I traveled with a group of progressive thinking Christians halfway around the world to South Africa. Apartheid was still in full swing, though the world was exerting pressure for it to be dismantled. I confess that prior to the trip, I didn’t know much about the situation, except that the minority white people were supposedly oppressing the majority non-white people.
We discovered on our venture that Apartheid was a system of laws that segregated people according to their skin color. People were required by the government to stay with their own race. White people could come and go as they pleased and had the greatest access to land, wealth, and power. The rest of the people were assigned to specific townships. There were areas set aside for Indian (or Asian) people, colored people (people of mixed race), and black people. We met and stayed with men and women of all backgrounds and heard their stories and the general story of Apartheid itself. We learned how the Europeans had arrived and conquered the native people in the name of manifest destiny. We also found out that leaders in the church had participated in and even led the construction of the inherently evil system of segregation and oppression.
There were two experiences in particular, however, that revealed me to me. One occurred as we met with the elders of a relatively good size white Afrikaner, Dutch Reformed church. They were nice folks who sat down with us in their handsomely decorated sanctuary. Someone on our team asked them how they felt about the conditions that people in the local black township suffered. The elders responded by describing how the church had sent the youth on mission trips to the townships to help people.
The other experience occurred in the city of Durban. Actually it occurred just outside the city. In Durbin, you’ll find world class hotels lined up along the Indian Ocean. It’s the kind of place I would like to go for a vacation. Just outside Durban, however, lived 2 million people of color in squatter camps. They were only a few miles from the fancy hotels, but their tin shacks and lack of every conceivable resource caused them to be worlds away.
I saw myself in the church leaders whose stand against injustice amounted to a once or twice a year youth program, and I saw myself as one of the people who could easily drive past the suffering of millions in order to catch a little “R” and “R” in a high rise hotel. In both situations I didn’t like what I saw.
I caught an unsettling glimpse of myself again last night at General Assembly. The commissioners were voting on a motion to establish various relations with the Muslim community. One of the motions that was approved, states:
I couldn’t believe what happened. I’m not even sure the commissioners know what they approved. The statement passed with a vote of 547 to 149. Didn’t they know that the God we worship and the god the Muslims worship are not the same? The Christian God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Islam specifically states that God has no son. The Christian God is the God of grace. The Muslim god is a god of works. It’s not a matter of God being revealed differently, as if a god chose to show up as two different gods.
I felt depressed. How could this be? The commissioners should have known better—a notion that got me thinking about me. I began to wonder how many people in my own congregation could articulate the differences between the God of the Bible and the god of the Karan. I thought back on what we’ve been teaching and how we’ve been teaching it. I’d like to think that the majority of ZPC’ers could explain to anyone inside or outside the church who their God is and how he differs from the claimed deities of other religions. I’m sure a number of our flock can, but how many? It would be one thing if Christians only had to know what separates their God from all would be gods if and only if they attended one of the biannual meetings of our denomination’s General Assembly. We could then pick a couple really informed ZPC’ers and send them. However, the people who live all around us—including at least 547 people in our denomination—desperately need each of us to know why our God is the only God. The world awaits followers of Christ to reveal with amazing clarity the identity and nature of the one, true God.
This morning, it happened again. This time it was at a breakfast full of people interested in Evangelism. A friend of mine gave a very nice talk on the subject to the 100 or so gathered conventioneers, and we enjoyed some discussion around our tables. However, it was clear that there is a poverty of faith sharing in the PC(USA). That’s when my V8 moment happened. How can I hold our denomination accountable for faith sharing if we’re not holding ourselves accountable on the same subject at home? It’s like I have these platitudes and values that I hold up for others, but assume for myself.
If you’re a ZPC’er, let’s get to work. Let’s make sure each of us knows the difference between the God of Abraham and the god of Mohammad. Let’s equip each other to speak effectively about Jesus with our friends, coworkers, fellow students, and even those in our own denomination who do not know who he is. Then let’s share our God with everyone and anyone who will listen.
If you’re not a ZPC’er, please pray for us. Don’t let us speak one way and act another. Demand of us that we know our God and that we also know who isn’t. Insist that we talk about Jesus with you in ways that you welcome and allow you to hear.
Things are broken at GA, but things are also broken at home. The God of Abraham and Moses—the God who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our God—is capable of working wonders in both places. With the grace of Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, I look forward to seeing a new me in and through the ministry of the new us.
We discovered on our venture that Apartheid was a system of laws that segregated people according to their skin color. People were required by the government to stay with their own race. White people could come and go as they pleased and had the greatest access to land, wealth, and power. The rest of the people were assigned to specific townships. There were areas set aside for Indian (or Asian) people, colored people (people of mixed race), and black people. We met and stayed with men and women of all backgrounds and heard their stories and the general story of Apartheid itself. We learned how the Europeans had arrived and conquered the native people in the name of manifest destiny. We also found out that leaders in the church had participated in and even led the construction of the inherently evil system of segregation and oppression.
There were two experiences in particular, however, that revealed me to me. One occurred as we met with the elders of a relatively good size white Afrikaner, Dutch Reformed church. They were nice folks who sat down with us in their handsomely decorated sanctuary. Someone on our team asked them how they felt about the conditions that people in the local black township suffered. The elders responded by describing how the church had sent the youth on mission trips to the townships to help people.
The other experience occurred in the city of Durban. Actually it occurred just outside the city. In Durbin, you’ll find world class hotels lined up along the Indian Ocean. It’s the kind of place I would like to go for a vacation. Just outside Durban, however, lived 2 million people of color in squatter camps. They were only a few miles from the fancy hotels, but their tin shacks and lack of every conceivable resource caused them to be worlds away.
I saw myself in the church leaders whose stand against injustice amounted to a once or twice a year youth program, and I saw myself as one of the people who could easily drive past the suffering of millions in order to catch a little “R” and “R” in a high rise hotel. In both situations I didn’t like what I saw.
I caught an unsettling glimpse of myself again last night at General Assembly. The commissioners were voting on a motion to establish various relations with the Muslim community. One of the motions that was approved, states:
though we hold differing understandings of how God has been revealed to humankind, the PC(USA) affirms that, as children of this loving God, we share the commandments of love for God and neighbor, the requirement to care for the poor; and acknowledge Abraham as an expression of our common
commitment to one God. (GA218-07-01)
I couldn’t believe what happened. I’m not even sure the commissioners know what they approved. The statement passed with a vote of 547 to 149. Didn’t they know that the God we worship and the god the Muslims worship are not the same? The Christian God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Islam specifically states that God has no son. The Christian God is the God of grace. The Muslim god is a god of works. It’s not a matter of God being revealed differently, as if a god chose to show up as two different gods.
I felt depressed. How could this be? The commissioners should have known better—a notion that got me thinking about me. I began to wonder how many people in my own congregation could articulate the differences between the God of the Bible and the god of the Karan. I thought back on what we’ve been teaching and how we’ve been teaching it. I’d like to think that the majority of ZPC’ers could explain to anyone inside or outside the church who their God is and how he differs from the claimed deities of other religions. I’m sure a number of our flock can, but how many? It would be one thing if Christians only had to know what separates their God from all would be gods if and only if they attended one of the biannual meetings of our denomination’s General Assembly. We could then pick a couple really informed ZPC’ers and send them. However, the people who live all around us—including at least 547 people in our denomination—desperately need each of us to know why our God is the only God. The world awaits followers of Christ to reveal with amazing clarity the identity and nature of the one, true God.
This morning, it happened again. This time it was at a breakfast full of people interested in Evangelism. A friend of mine gave a very nice talk on the subject to the 100 or so gathered conventioneers, and we enjoyed some discussion around our tables. However, it was clear that there is a poverty of faith sharing in the PC(USA). That’s when my V8 moment happened. How can I hold our denomination accountable for faith sharing if we’re not holding ourselves accountable on the same subject at home? It’s like I have these platitudes and values that I hold up for others, but assume for myself.
If you’re a ZPC’er, let’s get to work. Let’s make sure each of us knows the difference between the God of Abraham and the god of Mohammad. Let’s equip each other to speak effectively about Jesus with our friends, coworkers, fellow students, and even those in our own denomination who do not know who he is. Then let’s share our God with everyone and anyone who will listen.
If you’re not a ZPC’er, please pray for us. Don’t let us speak one way and act another. Demand of us that we know our God and that we also know who isn’t. Insist that we talk about Jesus with you in ways that you welcome and allow you to hear.
Things are broken at GA, but things are also broken at home. The God of Abraham and Moses—the God who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our God—is capable of working wonders in both places. With the grace of Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, I look forward to seeing a new me in and through the ministry of the new us.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Beyond Repair
Vicky and I recently had to replace our dishwasher. The one we replaced was only five years old, but in those five years we had to repair it multiple times. We had a guy out early on to fix a bang-ga-di-bang noise. It was interfering with our ability to converse in certain places of our house—like our kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, entryway, and living room. Other than that, it was fine. Later the tips on all the little spiky things wore off, and rust spots started showing up on our blue-light-special dinnerware. Those breakages were nothing compared to the wheels that kept falling off the bottom rack. No matter where you happened to be in our house, you knew when the wheels failed to glide properly. It sounded something like, “THIS STUPID DISWASHER!” The final blow was when the unit had an identity crisis and began functioning as a retention basin. It was as though the manufacturer built flaws into the appliance simply to infuriate us. Though we could never find the closed circuit camera that allowed the GE employees to get a good laugh, we knew it was there.
Over the course of the past several days, I’ve had the opportunity to see our denomination move through its biannual conference known as General Assembly, or GA. Yesterday, I attended my first committee meeting. The way this machine is suppose to work is that presbyters write overtures and take them to their presbyteries. (I’m aware I’ve just used three scary words in one sentence. A presbyter is someone who is either an elder or a minister at a Presbyterian church—don’t ask what that is. An overture is like a bill of legislation—you know, a motion with an attached rationale. Presbyteries are judicatories (you’re on your own) that consist of pastors and elders in a particular geographical area.) These presbyteries then vote whether or not to send the overtures to GA for adoption by the whole denomination. GA receives the overtures and assigns them to a committee. (feel free to scan this part of the blog) The committee considers whether or not to send the overtures to the floor of GA. (pause for a breath) The commissioners then consider the approved and amended overtures and decide if they will become official stances of the PC(USA).
So yesterday, I went to the committee on Church Orders and Ministries, the one focused on ordination standards. The moderator had a really nice way about him. He was kind and seemed sincere in his desire to help the commissioners. The committee itself appeared to be quite large, with 50 to 60 members. As the afternoon got underway, it was clear that not everyone was on the same page. Someone moved something that required a two thirds majority. After no small about of discussion, committee members finally figured out what was actually being moved. The committee then voted to stop working as a committee of the whole. That’s when the committee got on with its work. Huh?
A series of motions, seconds, discussions, calls for the question, and votes took place. I could only watch from the back of the crowded room. More than a few times, however, committee members were asking the moderator to explain what was going on and what the various motions and overtures meant. The moderator was constrained by parliamentary procedure not to interpret. The conversation went pro, con, pro, con. Things like understanding and listening to the Spirit appeared to take a back seat to the rational progression of a debate facilitated by mechanisms of a bygone era. It was clear that those who had been pumping parliamentary iron in preparation for GA used their muscle to turn the process down particular avenues. Lightweights were there for the ride.
I thought that maybe it was just me—after all I’m staying at a regular Holiday Inn. If only I had stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. Later in the day, however, I met up with a group of folks who had participated as commissioners in various committees. They were telling similar stories and sharing similar frustrations. Our conversation had nothing to do with any liberal or conservative biases. No matter what committee we talked about, people felt like the system was broken. One committee is focusing on the war in Iraq, the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, and among other things the ratification of the free trade agreement between the U.S. and the nation of Columbia. Thank goodness they have two days to get their work done. On each of these issues the committee’s work is to recommend a particular stance for the PC(USA). Another committee was charged with addressing a smattering of social issues including such diverse topics as global warming, treatment of prisoners, and the use of non disposable food service items. It would be one thing if the committees were comprised of people who have spent their lives in and around these particular topics. The way our system is designed, however, the committee assignments are randomly generated in order to prevent bias.
It’s common courtesy to offer a solution whenever you identify a problem. I wish I could. When it came to my dishwasher suffering from fluid retention, I had no idea how to fix that problem either. I knew what the problem was: Yucky water remained after each wash. What I didn’t know was if the solution involved replacing a valve, a switch or a tube. To me the machine was simply beyond repair.
How about General Assembly? Is it beyond repair? If the repairs are left to me alone, I dare say it is. Furthermore, I have no real solution to recommend. Smarter people than me might know how to unite a diverse people, who hold diametrically opposed, strongly held positions. Maybe there’s someone out there who can undo centuries of tradition and empower the Assembly to value godly discernment and consensus over expedience and fairness. If these people exist, I’d love to have their number. I’ll place the call and schedule the repairs.
If the GA machine is beyond repair, however, does that mean our denomination is too? Could be. More than likely some of us will come to that conclusion based on the final outcomes of this week. If ordination standards change or if they stay the same, there will be people who will be ready to throw the whole denomination into the junk heap.
I’m not as worried about whether or not the denomination is beyond repair. When our congregation voted last year to stay and make a difference in the PC(USA), I never took it to suggest that ZPC or its pastors had what it took to repair all the brokenness in our denomination. The work we’re called to goes well beyond repair work. Staying and making a difference calls us to be witnesses. I’m in San Jose first and foremost to represent Jesus. I’ll tell everyone and anyone who will listen that Jesus Christ is alive and that he's the king of kings; the way, the truth, and the life; the forgiver of my sins; the hope of the world; the one and only path to the Father. Not only am I here to speak this truth with others, I’m here to show them. It’s no different than why you’re wherever you are.
What’s at stake? At home, it was a question of not having to wash the dishes by hand. With our denomination, it’s a bit more significant. The whole world is watching—Christian and non Christian. In our own denomination, people who follow Jesus in a manner we might not agree with—they too are watching. Heck, Jesus is watching.
I might be able, by the grace of God, to effect some positive changes here and there in our denomination. After all, I did replace the caps on the spiky things in the dishwasher. ZPC brings its tool box of Christ centered discipleship, mission, and grace. I trust that God will continue to use us to his glory within the PC(USA)
I remind myself that no one is making me believe anything other than what I know the Bible teaches. No one is making me act in a way that contradicts what I know Jesus to command. (I can do that all by myself.) I believe, however, that Jesus is calling me—and ZPC—to represent. We don’t have to be anxious about today, because our God isn’t anxious. We don’t have to control the outcome of today, because our God is in control. We don’t have to be fearful, because our God is bigger than any denominational decision or GA action. I might be sad, disappointed, frustrated, and even angry. That’s how I often react to a broken world.
I guess we could always go to the church store and get a new denomination, but most of them are well worn and have problems of their own. If something's not going bang-ga-di-bang, it’s probably making a whoop-da-di-whoop noise. For whatever reason, God has us here—broken people in a broken denomination. Let’s show each other Jesus.
Over the course of the past several days, I’ve had the opportunity to see our denomination move through its biannual conference known as General Assembly, or GA. Yesterday, I attended my first committee meeting. The way this machine is suppose to work is that presbyters write overtures and take them to their presbyteries. (I’m aware I’ve just used three scary words in one sentence. A presbyter is someone who is either an elder or a minister at a Presbyterian church—don’t ask what that is. An overture is like a bill of legislation—you know, a motion with an attached rationale. Presbyteries are judicatories (you’re on your own) that consist of pastors and elders in a particular geographical area.) These presbyteries then vote whether or not to send the overtures to GA for adoption by the whole denomination. GA receives the overtures and assigns them to a committee. (feel free to scan this part of the blog) The committee considers whether or not to send the overtures to the floor of GA. (pause for a breath) The commissioners then consider the approved and amended overtures and decide if they will become official stances of the PC(USA).
So yesterday, I went to the committee on Church Orders and Ministries, the one focused on ordination standards. The moderator had a really nice way about him. He was kind and seemed sincere in his desire to help the commissioners. The committee itself appeared to be quite large, with 50 to 60 members. As the afternoon got underway, it was clear that not everyone was on the same page. Someone moved something that required a two thirds majority. After no small about of discussion, committee members finally figured out what was actually being moved. The committee then voted to stop working as a committee of the whole. That’s when the committee got on with its work. Huh?
A series of motions, seconds, discussions, calls for the question, and votes took place. I could only watch from the back of the crowded room. More than a few times, however, committee members were asking the moderator to explain what was going on and what the various motions and overtures meant. The moderator was constrained by parliamentary procedure not to interpret. The conversation went pro, con, pro, con. Things like understanding and listening to the Spirit appeared to take a back seat to the rational progression of a debate facilitated by mechanisms of a bygone era. It was clear that those who had been pumping parliamentary iron in preparation for GA used their muscle to turn the process down particular avenues. Lightweights were there for the ride.
I thought that maybe it was just me—after all I’m staying at a regular Holiday Inn. If only I had stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. Later in the day, however, I met up with a group of folks who had participated as commissioners in various committees. They were telling similar stories and sharing similar frustrations. Our conversation had nothing to do with any liberal or conservative biases. No matter what committee we talked about, people felt like the system was broken. One committee is focusing on the war in Iraq, the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, and among other things the ratification of the free trade agreement between the U.S. and the nation of Columbia. Thank goodness they have two days to get their work done. On each of these issues the committee’s work is to recommend a particular stance for the PC(USA). Another committee was charged with addressing a smattering of social issues including such diverse topics as global warming, treatment of prisoners, and the use of non disposable food service items. It would be one thing if the committees were comprised of people who have spent their lives in and around these particular topics. The way our system is designed, however, the committee assignments are randomly generated in order to prevent bias.
It’s common courtesy to offer a solution whenever you identify a problem. I wish I could. When it came to my dishwasher suffering from fluid retention, I had no idea how to fix that problem either. I knew what the problem was: Yucky water remained after each wash. What I didn’t know was if the solution involved replacing a valve, a switch or a tube. To me the machine was simply beyond repair.
How about General Assembly? Is it beyond repair? If the repairs are left to me alone, I dare say it is. Furthermore, I have no real solution to recommend. Smarter people than me might know how to unite a diverse people, who hold diametrically opposed, strongly held positions. Maybe there’s someone out there who can undo centuries of tradition and empower the Assembly to value godly discernment and consensus over expedience and fairness. If these people exist, I’d love to have their number. I’ll place the call and schedule the repairs.
If the GA machine is beyond repair, however, does that mean our denomination is too? Could be. More than likely some of us will come to that conclusion based on the final outcomes of this week. If ordination standards change or if they stay the same, there will be people who will be ready to throw the whole denomination into the junk heap.
I’m not as worried about whether or not the denomination is beyond repair. When our congregation voted last year to stay and make a difference in the PC(USA), I never took it to suggest that ZPC or its pastors had what it took to repair all the brokenness in our denomination. The work we’re called to goes well beyond repair work. Staying and making a difference calls us to be witnesses. I’m in San Jose first and foremost to represent Jesus. I’ll tell everyone and anyone who will listen that Jesus Christ is alive and that he's the king of kings; the way, the truth, and the life; the forgiver of my sins; the hope of the world; the one and only path to the Father. Not only am I here to speak this truth with others, I’m here to show them. It’s no different than why you’re wherever you are.
What’s at stake? At home, it was a question of not having to wash the dishes by hand. With our denomination, it’s a bit more significant. The whole world is watching—Christian and non Christian. In our own denomination, people who follow Jesus in a manner we might not agree with—they too are watching. Heck, Jesus is watching.
I might be able, by the grace of God, to effect some positive changes here and there in our denomination. After all, I did replace the caps on the spiky things in the dishwasher. ZPC brings its tool box of Christ centered discipleship, mission, and grace. I trust that God will continue to use us to his glory within the PC(USA)
I remind myself that no one is making me believe anything other than what I know the Bible teaches. No one is making me act in a way that contradicts what I know Jesus to command. (I can do that all by myself.) I believe, however, that Jesus is calling me—and ZPC—to represent. We don’t have to be anxious about today, because our God isn’t anxious. We don’t have to control the outcome of today, because our God is in control. We don’t have to be fearful, because our God is bigger than any denominational decision or GA action. I might be sad, disappointed, frustrated, and even angry. That’s how I often react to a broken world.
I guess we could always go to the church store and get a new denomination, but most of them are well worn and have problems of their own. If something's not going bang-ga-di-bang, it’s probably making a whoop-da-di-whoop noise. For whatever reason, God has us here—broken people in a broken denomination. Let’s show each other Jesus.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Political Correctness with a Side of Ambiguity
San Jose has some great, little restaurants. My job doesn’t usually take me too far from home, so my eating out regime typically consists of the No. 9 lunch special at El Rodeo or two chicken enchiladas at Bajio. There are the occasional mission trips to Romania with Dave Gall. Everyone there seems to know that when Dave’s in town, it’s time to serve up some sarmale—which is a fancy name for cabbage wrapped meat pods. In additon, we typically get served a challenging dose of the traditional Romanian staple marmaliga, an all too generous bowl of boiled corn meal. But here in the multicultural hot bead of techno geeks and sunshine, there is a real commitment to freshness and taste.
The main reason I’ve traveled two thousand miles west, however, is to represent ZPC at our denomination’s biannual national conference known as General Assembly, or GA (acronyms are big around here). The food is simply a bonus. It has also come to provide a metric. A single skewer of grilled ahi tuna on a bed of spinach leaves (an outstanding value for under $9) not only looked and tasted good, but it was good for me. I was hoping for similar outcomes from Saturday evening’s election for the Moderator of General Assembly.
There were four candidates running for the office—a job that empowers the individual to facilitate the agenda of GA for the coming week and to represent the denomination for the coming two years. The early book narrowed the election down to two individuals, Bruce Reyes-Chow and Bill Teng. The election process allowed the candidates to speak for five minutes to the gathered assembly. The place was packed. Bruce, a 39-year-old pastor of a 150 member, emergent church in San Francisco, represents a left of center theological position. Bill is 50-plus, evangelical, and a positive, calming presence. I was pulling for Bill, whom I first met in April when I joined a covenant group in which he participates.
Bruce had the freshest approach. He openly addressed the “elephant” in the room. Without couching his words, he talked about the issues that have divided our denomination. I appreciated the honesty. He went on, however, to declare his position to be in favor of all people having access to ordination, including practicing homosexuals. Bill, on the other hand, served up the healthiest understandings. He spoke of the importance of keeping Jesus at the center of everything and focusing on mission and evangelism.
Bruce won the night—by a significant margin. I’m not sure if his victory was due to his relative youth, his ideas, his charisma, the fact that he’s from San Francisco and had a sizable and vocal group of supporters, or his let’s-not-mince-words approach. Bruce seems like a nice guy, but his theology is troubling.
The same troubling theology showed up in the worship service the next morning. We were served a mixed salad of good-for-you principles and non biblical affirmations. The style was much more liturgical than what we experience at ZPC (that’s a fancy way of saying that there was a lot more standing up and sitting down and speaking in religious jargon). The Moderator from the last GA, Joan Gray, gave a wonderful sermon that called all of us to love one another. The various readings, prayers, and hymns also emphasized loving one another and others outside the church. The problem wasn’t that we were speaking about love. It’s that we weren’t speaking about purity.
Our denomination has been using a three word mantra: Peace, Unity, and Purity. The service on Sunday highlighted the first “P” and the “U,” but ignored purity. There were calls for social justice and declarations of our commonalities. We sang a hymn called O For a World, sung to the tune of O For a Thousand Tongues. It began, “O for a world where everyone respects each others ways.” It left me asking, “How about a world where everyone respects the ways of Christ?”
Peace and unity are wonderful goals. I’m grateful that we share these goals in common with the rest of our denomination. When ZPC made the commitment last year to stay and make a difference, we demonstrated a desire to work for denominational peace and unity. The difference I believe we can make, however, is to help our denomination understand and embrace the purity to which God calls us—the total alignment of our lives to the ways of Christ. ZPC’s commitment to Christ and to discipleship is the value meal our denomination needs.
I’m not sure what I’ll be served at the two meals I’m attending today, just as I’m not sure what decisions and positions this assembly will adopt by week’s end. I do know, however, that Christ will win the day, and Christ will be victorious. He is the freshest and the healthiest. O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise! Sing praise to Christ today. It’s by far the best thing on the menu.
The main reason I’ve traveled two thousand miles west, however, is to represent ZPC at our denomination’s biannual national conference known as General Assembly, or GA (acronyms are big around here). The food is simply a bonus. It has also come to provide a metric. A single skewer of grilled ahi tuna on a bed of spinach leaves (an outstanding value for under $9) not only looked and tasted good, but it was good for me. I was hoping for similar outcomes from Saturday evening’s election for the Moderator of General Assembly.
There were four candidates running for the office—a job that empowers the individual to facilitate the agenda of GA for the coming week and to represent the denomination for the coming two years. The early book narrowed the election down to two individuals, Bruce Reyes-Chow and Bill Teng. The election process allowed the candidates to speak for five minutes to the gathered assembly. The place was packed. Bruce, a 39-year-old pastor of a 150 member, emergent church in San Francisco, represents a left of center theological position. Bill is 50-plus, evangelical, and a positive, calming presence. I was pulling for Bill, whom I first met in April when I joined a covenant group in which he participates.
Bruce had the freshest approach. He openly addressed the “elephant” in the room. Without couching his words, he talked about the issues that have divided our denomination. I appreciated the honesty. He went on, however, to declare his position to be in favor of all people having access to ordination, including practicing homosexuals. Bill, on the other hand, served up the healthiest understandings. He spoke of the importance of keeping Jesus at the center of everything and focusing on mission and evangelism.
Bruce won the night—by a significant margin. I’m not sure if his victory was due to his relative youth, his ideas, his charisma, the fact that he’s from San Francisco and had a sizable and vocal group of supporters, or his let’s-not-mince-words approach. Bruce seems like a nice guy, but his theology is troubling.
The same troubling theology showed up in the worship service the next morning. We were served a mixed salad of good-for-you principles and non biblical affirmations. The style was much more liturgical than what we experience at ZPC (that’s a fancy way of saying that there was a lot more standing up and sitting down and speaking in religious jargon). The Moderator from the last GA, Joan Gray, gave a wonderful sermon that called all of us to love one another. The various readings, prayers, and hymns also emphasized loving one another and others outside the church. The problem wasn’t that we were speaking about love. It’s that we weren’t speaking about purity.
Our denomination has been using a three word mantra: Peace, Unity, and Purity. The service on Sunday highlighted the first “P” and the “U,” but ignored purity. There were calls for social justice and declarations of our commonalities. We sang a hymn called O For a World, sung to the tune of O For a Thousand Tongues. It began, “O for a world where everyone respects each others ways.” It left me asking, “How about a world where everyone respects the ways of Christ?”
Peace and unity are wonderful goals. I’m grateful that we share these goals in common with the rest of our denomination. When ZPC made the commitment last year to stay and make a difference, we demonstrated a desire to work for denominational peace and unity. The difference I believe we can make, however, is to help our denomination understand and embrace the purity to which God calls us—the total alignment of our lives to the ways of Christ. ZPC’s commitment to Christ and to discipleship is the value meal our denomination needs.
I’m not sure what I’ll be served at the two meals I’m attending today, just as I’m not sure what decisions and positions this assembly will adopt by week’s end. I do know, however, that Christ will win the day, and Christ will be victorious. He is the freshest and the healthiest. O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise! Sing praise to Christ today. It’s by far the best thing on the menu.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Day One Report
Connections
I’m writing this blog—my first ever—from the back row of seats in a room that could fit a Costco, a Sam’s Club, and a strip mall of video rental stores. I’m assuming that the speakers I see on the screen are actually speaking from the front of the room, but I can’t be sure.
I’m one of a couple thousand people who have gathered in San Jose for the 218th meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. In the front of the room sit the commissioners, those individuals elected by each presbytery (entities consisting of geographically related congregations). They are the ones who have the power to vote and make decisions. Then come the advisory delegates, who don’t have a vote but still have cool name badges with zippered pockets on the back of them. Next are the specially seated folks, like denominational big wigs. Then comes the fence. Outside the fence are the rest of us. We’re distinguished by our non-cool, vinyl name badges. Mine reads Observer. I wear it with pride.
Flying out of Indianapolis yesterday, I had little or no idea of what to expect at General Assembly (GA). My only experience of the event in the past was one short afternoon a number of years ago when it was held in Cincinnati. I’m here this year for the entire week—a strategic tactic in ZPC’s commitment to remain in the Presbyterian Church (USA) stay and make a difference for Christ.
Walking into the Mercury Convention Center yesterday to register, it was easy to spot a familiar name, Bill Teng. He’s a fellow pastor and a brother to me in the covenant group I joined this past year. His name was on a large poster, prominently displayed across from the registration booths. Bill is running for the Moderator of the General Assembly, and it’s been fun standing with him at his booth, introducing commissioners to him and to his platform. I pray and hope that the election tonight will place him in office.
I was actually surprised by how well things went yesterday. After signing in, I got my own tote bag with a really neat logo! By far the best thing, however, was connecting with friends and getting to know others and their stories in our denomination:
There was Jodi Schmidt. She had come to Bill’s campaign table to meet him. While she was waiting for Bill to finish up a conversation, I introduced myself and offered her a brochure. She saw “Zionsville” on my nametag and asked if I happened to know Elizabeth Bail. Jodi mentioned what a huge, positive impact Elizabeth had on her life at a previous church before Elizabeth joined the ZPC staff as our Director of Children’s Ministries.
Mark Hunt pastors a small church in South Carolina, where under his leadership the congregation is experiencing God-honoring transformation. He empowers his members to gather routinely in groups of two to three to confess sins, read and study the Bible without relying on study guides, and to pray for those who don’t yet know Christ.
I schmoozed with a senior denominational executive, who admitted that this meeting of GA doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things. He acknowledged that the significant work happens in and through congregations.
Jack Sharpe is an attorney in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, who cares so much about the unborn that he serves on the board of Presbyterians Pro Life and is currently helping churches demonstratively show the forgiveness and restoration found in Christ to women who have aborted children in the past.
I sipped a tasty punch while meeting an elder from a church outside of Seattle, who is hear because, in his words, he “opened his big mouth at presbytery” when he spoke in favor of Christ and Scripture. His church recently opened a community center for the homeless.
The list goes on. It was a good day. Fellow followers are following our Lord well. I’m encouraged.
Tonight’s the big vote for Moderator. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
Connections
I’m writing this blog—my first ever—from the back row of seats in a room that could fit a Costco, a Sam’s Club, and a strip mall of video rental stores. I’m assuming that the speakers I see on the screen are actually speaking from the front of the room, but I can’t be sure.
I’m one of a couple thousand people who have gathered in San Jose for the 218th meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. In the front of the room sit the commissioners, those individuals elected by each presbytery (entities consisting of geographically related congregations). They are the ones who have the power to vote and make decisions. Then come the advisory delegates, who don’t have a vote but still have cool name badges with zippered pockets on the back of them. Next are the specially seated folks, like denominational big wigs. Then comes the fence. Outside the fence are the rest of us. We’re distinguished by our non-cool, vinyl name badges. Mine reads Observer. I wear it with pride.
Flying out of Indianapolis yesterday, I had little or no idea of what to expect at General Assembly (GA). My only experience of the event in the past was one short afternoon a number of years ago when it was held in Cincinnati. I’m here this year for the entire week—a strategic tactic in ZPC’s commitment to remain in the Presbyterian Church (USA) stay and make a difference for Christ.
Walking into the Mercury Convention Center yesterday to register, it was easy to spot a familiar name, Bill Teng. He’s a fellow pastor and a brother to me in the covenant group I joined this past year. His name was on a large poster, prominently displayed across from the registration booths. Bill is running for the Moderator of the General Assembly, and it’s been fun standing with him at his booth, introducing commissioners to him and to his platform. I pray and hope that the election tonight will place him in office.
I was actually surprised by how well things went yesterday. After signing in, I got my own tote bag with a really neat logo! By far the best thing, however, was connecting with friends and getting to know others and their stories in our denomination:
There was Jodi Schmidt. She had come to Bill’s campaign table to meet him. While she was waiting for Bill to finish up a conversation, I introduced myself and offered her a brochure. She saw “Zionsville” on my nametag and asked if I happened to know Elizabeth Bail. Jodi mentioned what a huge, positive impact Elizabeth had on her life at a previous church before Elizabeth joined the ZPC staff as our Director of Children’s Ministries.
Mark Hunt pastors a small church in South Carolina, where under his leadership the congregation is experiencing God-honoring transformation. He empowers his members to gather routinely in groups of two to three to confess sins, read and study the Bible without relying on study guides, and to pray for those who don’t yet know Christ.
I schmoozed with a senior denominational executive, who admitted that this meeting of GA doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things. He acknowledged that the significant work happens in and through congregations.
Jack Sharpe is an attorney in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, who cares so much about the unborn that he serves on the board of Presbyterians Pro Life and is currently helping churches demonstratively show the forgiveness and restoration found in Christ to women who have aborted children in the past.
I sipped a tasty punch while meeting an elder from a church outside of Seattle, who is hear because, in his words, he “opened his big mouth at presbytery” when he spoke in favor of Christ and Scripture. His church recently opened a community center for the homeless.
The list goes on. It was a good day. Fellow followers are following our Lord well. I’m encouraged.
Tonight’s the big vote for Moderator. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
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