CST’s Kerfuffle

I am deeply concerned about the direction that the Claremont School of Theology (CST) recently announced. If you haven't heard, stop reading this blog and go to http://bit.ly/aH2eMb to read up on the move (but then come back!).

To be honest, I've not been a big fan of CST for some time. In fact, when I decided to enter the ordained ministry, I chose to attend Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. in large part because I did not like the vision of CST (STC, back then) of training academics instead of clerics. I was called to ecclesia, not academia. Little has happened in the intervening 32 years to change my mind. And I suppose this latest move to incorporate other religions into the seminary community was to be expected, given the seminary's liberal slant and falling enrollment.

They call it the "University Project" but it is misnamed. It should be called the "Universalist Project" because that is exactly what it is, and the seminary should at least be honest about it. Liberal United Methodists (and CST is on the vanguard of liberal Protestantism) have been drifting steadily toward Universalism (the belief that all will be saved) for many years. Even while I was in seminary, the joke was that U.M.C. stood for "Universalists Mentioning Christ." However, it isn't funny and I fear for the denomination in which I currently serve.

Don't get me wrong. I believe that we all need to "get along!" That all religions need to work toward understanding of each other and in finding ways to live peaceably within this diverse world. But I also believe that Jesus Christ is unique, that He is the incarnate, divine Son of God, and that salvation is found only in Him (Acts 4:12). When it comes to training clergy to serve the Church, there needs to be a focus on what Jesus taught and what His followers have believed for centuries. It is important to know what other religions teach, but it is most important that Christian pastors know what Christianity teaches!

I was a Religious Studies major in college (San Diego State). I studied all of the world's major faith traditions and came to a pretty good understanding of them. But when I went to seminary to be trained as a Christian pastor, the smorgasbord approach had to give way to an intensely focused curriculum. The basic graduate degree for pastors is a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.), which is a three-year degree. Three years is a very short period of time and one doesn't have a lot of extra time to be studying other religions. But beyond this practical matter, I believe what CST is doing is giving expression to its underlying Universalist theology. The danger in this is that once we deny the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, the Gospel becomes a nice story among other nice stories. If one can be saved by practicing Taoism, then Jesus' death on the cross was a waste of Divine blood.

If this is the direction that the United Methodist Church as a whole begins to take, I will have no choice but to leave the denomination and serve God elsewhere. Thankfully, most of the UMC is not like CST. In fact, the UMC has withdrawn support for CST, pending review. I hope and pray that either CST changes direction back to the orthodox faith, or the UMC cuts all ties and all support to the school.

Thursday Thoughts

The contrast between last week and this week is significant. Last week I was at St. Andrew's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the high desert. This week I've been at home. Trying to maintain a sabbatical discipline was much easier at the monastery. I suppose that should not surprise me.

This week has been more like a series of days off, which is a good thing. Usually, when I'm working, I only get one day off a week. I find that having just one day off a week really challenges me to rest, especially when there are things that need to get done around the house. But this week is going by quickly, and I have felt more fatigued this week than last.

My reading today focused on the Prodigal Son, and how he missed out on his father's love when he lived at home. The lack of that love came to fruition for him during his wild and crazy times out on his own. He was, in the words of the old country song, "Looking for love in all the wrong places!" The parable teaches us that there are really two ways that we act out when we have not experienced a father's love: in wild, usually immoral, living (the prodigal) and in extreme obedience, often religiously (the other son). Seeds for contemplation. I ordered Henri Nouwen's book on the Prodigal, because the book I'm reading quotes him a lot, and because I have a weekend seminar in August on Nouwen. It should be an interesting study, since I love Nouwen and because it deals with the main focus of my sabbatical study.

I also ordered Abraham Joshua Heschel's book, The Sabbath, as a follow-up to my study of Mark Buchanan's The Rest of God.

Yesterday I started some work in music. I'm not sure if I will take up the trumpet or not, but practicing the guitar and learning some new skills on it is definitely a "go!" Also working on Spanish, which is going ok. I'm not using Rosetta Stone as I had planned because of the extreme cost, so I'm using another program called Byki, which is ok. The main thing I need to do is start practicing with native Spanish speakers, but that will come.

Sabbatical Day… - I lost Count

Ok, so I haven't really lost count (it is day eight), but I'm tired of that as a headline, so moving on…

Subjectifying God

I am reading the book by Ed Piorek (Vineyard pastor and conference speaker) entitled The Father Loves You: An invitation to perfect love. One of the main purposes of my sabbatical is to reignite a passionate connection to God the Father, Whom I like to call Abba, which is the Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) for the familiar form of father, more akin to our Daddy. As I walk each day in the morning, I am also listening to the book Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross. A fascinating mix of Christian spirituality, to say the least. Here is Piorek, a pastor in one of the most modern expressions of the Church, along with St. John of the Cross, a 16^th century Spanish Catholic monk and mystical poet, talking about some of the very same spiritual truths. Piorek in terms of connecting with the Father in intimate ways, and St. John in terms of connecting with God in perfect union.

I need that.

I really need that.

So call me a mystic; call me a hopeless charismatic. But my spirit cries out for a more intimate communion with God.

Why are most Christians afraid of intimacy with God? Oh, they won't call it fear, but that is what it is. Most will call it being uncomfortable with a spirituality that speaks in terms of intimacy with the Creator. And yet, Christian spirituality is full of such imagery. The more serious one becomes in one's spiritual journey, the more intimacy with God becomes important. But most Christians are content to talk ABOUT God and to sing ABOUT God and to pray in terms that keep God at a distance.

Bette Midler sang a song back in the 80's that echoes the spirituality of many Christians today: "God is watching us, God is watching us, God is watching us from a distance…"

It seems that many in the Church are content to objectify God, to make Him the object of worship. But you can't get very close to an object (at least, you shouldn't!). It seems to me that if Jesus taught us anything, He taught us that God desires to be in a subjective relationship with His children. He called God Abba, and invited His followers to do the same. Not that we are to abandon speaking of and worshipping God as The Almighty, but that we are to establish and nurture an intimate relationship with Daddy.

For most Christians, it is more comfortable to sing "Praise to the LORD, the Almighty, the King of Creation!" than to sing "I will be Yours, You will be mine, together in Eternity…" And yet, there must be room for both, not only in the Church, but in each Christian's spirituality. The nature of worship these days seems to be one or the other: "traditional worship" being the more objectified approach, and "contemporary worship" being the more subjectified one. The Church should be comfortable with both, but by and large, it is not. Christians should be comfortable with both.

"Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." (Song 2:10) God beckons us into a deeper, more intimate and personal relationship.

I really need that.

Day Seven – More Sunday Reflections

I attended the worship service yesterday at a church where a friend is the pastor. I hope to visit several churches in the area where the pastors have become friends as we meet every Wednesday morning to pray together for Chino and for each of our churches. Yesterday was wonderful because it was the first Sunday in a very long time that I have awakened in Chino and had to option of going to church or not! Even more so, I felt NONE of the pressure I that I have grown to not notice on Sunday mornings. The saying, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" is true for pressure and anxiety as well as paradise paved.

It was so good just to worship and not to have to worry about the service (what comes next, is so-and-so prepared for the reading, is the PowerPoint working, etc.). As I sat down and waited for the service to begin, I prayed for God's presence and power and got my heart ready to worship.

The pastor shared his vision for the church, and I heard the angels of heaven rejoicing! God has poured into this pastor and this church a growing sense of faithful anticipation for what He is going to accomplish in the coming years. My heart was cheered by the renewal that I saw happening in that church. It is awesome to see God at work, renewing and in-filling a congregation with new life! They have a well thought out vision for the future, and a game plan to live into that vision; something that every church ought to have. It was thrilling to see.

We had out of town guests visit us yesterday. Andrew and Joy were interns at Tujunga UMC that I pastored for 16 years. I performed their wedding five years ago, and they have a 15 month-old daughter now. "Wallowing in relationship" is how I termed it in my tweet this morning, and it really felt like that. God is so good in allowing us to develop close friendships that last over the years! And it is always good to reconnect with friends with whom you have had significant experiences. Terisa, half of our best-friends couple of Scott and Terisa, is also in the area visiting from Pennsylvania and we got to spend some time with her and our friend Janet and her daughter Leslie. Visiting with friends is a good Sabbath activity which God blesses and encourages. We had Sabbath yesterday!

Beginning the Flow

Today is the first full week day of the sabbatical in which I get to sample the disciplines that I have planned. I spent a good hour this morning in communion with Abba, went for a walk (man! I am out of shape!), and am now writing this before I begin a time of reading. The next book I am reading is The Father Loves You: An invitation to perfect love by Ed Piorek. Also today, I want to begin working on music (guitar and trumpet) and Spanish. With a trip to the bank and some other errands, it is going to be a full day! Bring it on, Lord. I'm ready!

Thanks for joining me on this sabbatical journey!

Sunday Reflections

This is the first Sunday of my sabbatical and it gives rise to some thoughts.

I've shared in many other settings that one of the things I was looking forward to in my sabbatical was NOT preaching. Now, don't get me wrong, I love preaching! I couldn't do what I do if I didn't. But you have to understand, when one is a preacher who preaches every week, one's life becomes a continuous search for sermonic material. Whenever I read something, hear something, remember something, see something, I'm always thinking how I might use that in a sermon! Every new insight, I file away for later use (as I get older, the ability to recall those things becomes more and more a challenge!). So I am looking forward to letting that go and just receiving. I get to hear other preachers preach, which doesn't happen that often in a live setting. I hope I am as receptive to other's preaching as I want others to be of mine (sort of the Preachers Golden Rule).

But old habits die hard. I am resisting the temptation to keep a list of "sermon possibilities" during my sabbatical. Although I need to have some plans in place when I return to active pastoring in September, I am going to put off thinking in those terms until the middle of August.

As I sit here in my living room at a time when I would normally already be at church preparing for the service and other events in the day, I am amazed at how much of a load has been released from me. It isn't just the preaching, while that is significant. It is also the mechanics of the service (who is doing what, whom I need to talk to in preparation, etc.)… all the "little things" as well. I suppose it is related to nervousness, although I haven't identified it as such for a long time. I am so used to it that it just felt like a subtle pressure to "perform" well for those who will be attending worship.

Since the fire we had in the Sanctuary we have added a lot of technology to the service. And since the burglary of all of that equipment a few weeks ago, I have been stressed by replacing it all before I left on sabbatical. Even now, I am wondering if the lens for the projector came in and got installed, and whether the media team will be ok after Steve leaves for his new ministry. I asked people not to contact me about this things, so I supposed I should just let it go. But it isn't easy when you are used to being engaged with all of it. Hmmmm. Maybe I need not be so engaged?

Sabbatical Day Five

First full day at home, and it felt like a normal day off. With the exception that I didn't have "Sunday" looming over me. No sermon to finish, no PowerPoint to do, nothing! It was amazing! Although, I'm sure I'm going to feel weird in the morning! Cyndy is going to church at Chino UMC because she has to lead a meeting afterward. Me? I'm going to surprise one of my pastor friends!

Except for some time in prayer and devotional reading early this morning, I spent most of the day working in the yard. Also had lunch with friends, and watched some baseball (Angels won, Dodgers lost). Bought tickets for the Angels/Dodgers game next Saturday night, so it should be fun to go to Dodger Stadium wearing Angels red!

That's it for today. Sorry, nothing profound! Have a blessed Sunday!

Sabbatical Day Four; Last at St. Andrew’s

This time has gone by quickly! But my four days and three nights at St. Andrew's Abbey (a Benedictine monastery in Valyermo, California) has been a rich time of reflection, reading, worship, listening and breathing (slowly, in… now, out…). I am looking forward to my journey here once again at the end of my sabbatical.

I finished reading The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan (for the second time), and have been doubly blessed. In fact, I want to study this topic more, so I'm going to order some other books on the subject and read them during my sabbatical. There is much for me to learn and, even more importantly, to practice! I knew this going in, but it has crystallized for me in these four days of retreat.

I have also decided that I am going to read some books on the Civil War. One thing that Buchanan taught me is that we too often choose things based on their utilitarian value. So I was thinking that I would study something that has absolutely no relevance to my "work". And the Civil War has always fascinated me (my father and mother came from Virginia and Michigan, respectively; what that has to do with it, I don't know!). So, anyway, that's what I want to do.

My "plan" (subject to change) is to arise early (that's the part I'm not sure of) and devote myself to God, then go for a brisk walk (taking my son along if I can pry him out of his room), then eat a healthy (and sparse) breakfast. After breakfast, to engage in some reading, and then the rest of the day is not so clear. I want to study Spanish, work on my music (guitar and trumpet), do more reading, watch (or go to) baseball games, etc. etc. etc! Wish me luck!

Actually, pray for me. I want to be disciplined, but not to the point of being straight-jacketed. I want to "accomplish" enough to make this time fruitful, but at the same time, I need to rest and be refreshed.

One thing I am realizing is that this sabbatical will not "fix" me. In other words, I cannot believe that I will come out of this three-month sabbatical all perfect, disciplined, tanned, slim and ready to take on the world! Right now my biggest hope is that I will develop some good habits, catch up on some rest and re-creation, enrich my life a little, and learn to practice Sabbath, so that I won't get into this condition again!

Like I said, pray for me!

Fasting and Feasting

In my reading of The Rest of God, Buchanan makes the point that we don't know how to feast anymore, because we feast all the time! That is so true for me. I indulge myself daily (speaking mostly of food, but other things, too) so that when "feast days" come (holidays, Sabbath, family gatherings, celebrations) they aren't much different from our other days. In the ancient world, that was not so. Mostly because people were poor and could not feast every day, but also because they understood that if you feast every day, the real feast days will mean nothing. That's what has happened in our culture. So I am going to make a major effort to eat (etc.) more frugally on "normal" days and reserve my feasting to Sabbath (and other feast days). That way, the feast will be more meaningful and special, and I'll lose some weight!

Sabbatical Hopes

Speaking of his need for sabbatical, Buchanan has a paragraph (on p. 154) that reads as if I wrote it (although he says it much better, of course):

Somewhere I got dull. The child got old, the warrior timid. Again, I think I know how this happened—a combination of growing responsibility and increased privilege—but so what? Somewhere, I started to play things safe. I started to fall back on tried, tired methods of doing things and stopped asking God each day whether I should fight or not fight, go up or go down. I got formulaic in my thinking. I got hidebound in my routines. In the spring, when kings go out to war, I started to stay home, wander bored and restless on the palace roof, looking for something to make me feel young again.

Then, speaking of his desired result of the sabbatical (he wrote the book while on sabbatical), he writes (again, this could be me if I were a gifted writer) on p. 153:

I want to return to my work slow to speak, quick to listen, slow to become angry. I want to hide more things in my heart and ponder them there. I want to return with a sharper instinct to pray, to want a stronger conviction that, though God welcomes my honest efforts, he manages quite fine without my Peter-like outbursts of ill-conceived enthusiasm and then sudden loss of nerve, my opinion swapping and bully tactics, my reckless volunteerism to fix things for God and then desperate evacuation when things go wrong.

Like Samuel, I can be very busy for God, doing God-things, and still not know Him. Doing God-things is good; doing them without knowing God is foolhardy. "Seek FIRST the kingdom…" I knew that! But NOW I remember.

Thanks be unto God!

Now, where are those tablets? It's time to head down the mountain…