J.R. Briggs
Attempting to behold the miracle long enough without falling asleep
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Thoughts on the mosque at Ground Zero
There have been many headlines the past several days regarding the construction of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York City. It’s kicked up quite a dust storm of controversy. And it’s caused me to reflect quite a bit.
The past few days I’ve wondered what a wise response might be to the situation. I’ve tried to listen well, read up on all the information and think critically – and Christianly – regarding the issue at hand. I’ve wondered what a proper response would be – not as an American, not as a American Christian, not as a Republican or Democrat, not as a liberal or a conservative, but as a follower of Jesus who reads the Scriptures, listens to the Holy Spirit and seeks to honor Christ in the way I live and think and act and speak.
The issue is such an emotional issue that if we’re not careful we can allow our passion to get the most of us. But attempting to use my brain more than my heart on this, I’d like to share a few opinions (and they are just that – opinions) as clearly as I possibly can regarding the situation:
What has caused the most controversy are the comments of President Obama three days ago at a White House Ramadan dinner, where he said:
“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.” Some Christians (among many others) have been critical of the President’s stance to support the efforts to have a mosque/Muslim community center build at Ground Zero. Some have asked, ‘How could our president be so cold-hearted to support Islam in such a way when the mosque would be in the shadow of a gravesite of 3,000 dead Americans?’
This may surprise some, but unlike many other Christians, I don’t expect the President – any president regardless of who they are for that matter – to act Christianly. Instead, I expect the President to act patriotically. It’s not to say that presidents past or present can’t be – or aren’t – Christians, but the position of President of the United States of America is to uphold the laws and values of America. He’s upholding the laws of the Constitution, which is what he promised when he took an oath when he was sworn in. Simply put, we cannot expect a President charged with enforcing and instilling the values and laws of the American Empire to live out or honor the values of the Kingdom – especially when many of those values are in direct conflict. When you mix politics and religion, you always get politics.
Regardless if you are for or against our current President, Obama’s job is to primarily uphold American rights (not kingdom values) – which includes freedom of speech and religious expression “in accordance with local laws and ordinances.” We should not be so surprised he has taken such a stance, as he is simply doing what he pledged to do by taking the role as the Commander in Chief.
Someone else pointed out that if we don’t allow people to build because of their track record of killing thousands of Americans, then as a nation we shouldn’t allow the construction of another type of building at Ground Zero either: McDonald’s.
Secondly, many who have spoken in support of the mosque being built speak of the importance of “tolerance.” (Tolerance is such a misconstrued term; it’s probably worth an entire blog post at some point in the future).
Is building a mosque at Ground Zero illegal or inherently wrong? No.
But is it wise? I don’t think so.
I wish the Islamic community in New York City would also be “tolerant” of the situation, realizing how volatile, symbolic and emotional this area of the U.S. is and what it means to Americans. It’s a lightning rod of American ideology. Our lives changed forever on that fateful day. And quite frankly, not enough time has gone by for
the American people to truly heal from such a horrendous experience of September 11, 2001. It might be different if this happened 40 years from now. But its been less than nine years.Could a compromise be struck? Could the mosque be built in Manhattan 20 or 25 blocks away from Ground Zero, rather than just two? Wouldn’t it be an act of tolerance by the Islamic community to voluntarily choose to back away from this situation with some perspective and be willing to move it a further distance away?
Most Americans know (and if they don’t, they should) that the Islamic jihadists who ran planes into buildings on 9/11 do not accurately represent the beliefs of Islam. Study Islam and you will realize it’s a peaceful religion. A misguided religion, but one that is most certainly rooted in peace. I have Muslim friends at the mosque in our community. When I think about a mosque at Ground Zero I don’t think in terms of theory or politics. I envision the faces of my Muslim friends here in Lansdale such as Imam Mohammed, Shahad, Amhed and Shakir who are kind, compassionate and peaceful human beings. Many areas (though certainly not all) of their lives are worthy of emulation. Let’s make sure that we are not clumping hateful Islamic terrorists in the same category with all Muslims. And if Muslim/American relations are to be improved (as I think they should be) it would be best if we befriended Muslims first. This doesn’t happen through policy in Washington, but by action in your – in my – local community.
For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, we’re called to love our neighbor as ourself. But it gets more specific than that. Our call is care for the Triad close to the heart of God: the alien, the orphan and the widow. What does it mean for us to care for those who are foreigners, immigrants, those non-citizens in the U.S and abroad? I believe this includes Muslims, yes even Muslims at Ground Zero in mosques. For those Christians saying, writing, gossiping, blogging, protesting and shouting hateful things towards Muslims, those behind the mosque at Ground Zero or at our President and other politicians, stop it. Right. Now. You are not being helpful. You are not being accurate. You are not representing our Founder well. Jesus said to love your Muslim as yourself.
No doubt, the situation is quite complex. I’ve not tried to over-simplify the issue at hand, but simply force us to look at the situation critically – as much with our heads as with our hearts.
In closing, its important to keep this in mind: As Americans, the question is not: “Is this right or wrong?” Instead, it is: “what is most wise in this situation?” As followers of Jesus, the question is not, “How do we fight for religious rights and freedoms?” Instead, it is “How do we love well?”
What are you thoughts?
How are you processing the events of the last few days yourself?
Almost done…
It’s hard to believe that I will be graduating with my Masters in Missional Theology in the spring from Biblical Seminary.
Five more classes to go… I’m almost done (I’ve been working on this for almost eight years!)
I’m excited as I lean into the fall. I’ll be taking a class with Dr. John Franke called Theology, Ethnicity and Gender. Should be a mind- and soul-stretching class. For as much as Franke has brought to the seminary, I’ve never had a class with him until now.
Biblical is also developing a few new programs – the one I’m most excited about is a Certificate in Missional Church Planting. I’m very excited that Biblical is unrolling this program this fall which combines both online and intensive week-long on-campus residency courses. Courses include Dynamics of Healthy Missional Community, The Church Planting Process, Funding the Vision, Leading the Missional Community, Understanding and Engaging Ministry Context and Coaching for Leadership and Cultural Development. These courses look good enough that I may actually audit a class or two…
If you’re a church planter – or thinking about planting a church – you should check out this program.
Chasing Wisdom
Last week I was invited to speak at Elmbrook Church in Milwaukee with Impact, their 20-somethings ministry led by my friend Jim Vining. I spoke on the topic of Chasing Wisdom. I am no expert, but I am becoming more and more aware of just how valuable it is to attain it. During the evening we explored the significance of wisdom and how we could pursue wisdom intentionally as young adults. How can we chase wisdom?The Proverbs are pretty blunt about wisdom and its preciousness. But our culture finds little value in wisdom. Don’t believe me? Name five well-recognized wise women and men in our culture who are role models for young adults (No, Gandalf does not count – and neither does Dr. Phil). But we can immediately name people in the media who are known for their foolishness (isn’t that what TMZ’s business model is based upon? Jersey Shore, anyone?)
Proverbs 3 and 4 says this:
“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” (3:13-15)
“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” (4:5-9)
Do you believe that? Really believe that?
I struggle to believe this at times. Why? Because my life would look a lot different if I did.
But there are a lot of misconceptions around wisdom: It’s the same thing as knowledge. The older you get the wiser you automatically become. You either have it or you don’t. I really can get by with my education and experience and street smarts.
But wisdom is knowledge aptly applied. Doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason.
But what does it mean to orient my life in such a way that the pursuit of wisdom is a high priority? What can I do about it? The premise of what I shared was this: wisdom is revealed in how we handle five primary areas of our lives: our finances, our sexuality, our friendships, our time and our tongue.
When I read the Proverbs I find that most of its content addresses these five areas of our lives.
- If you showed me your checkbook and credit card statements would they reveal a life prioritized around gaining wisdom or getting stuff?
- Do the decisions you make regarding your sexuality lead to wholeness or to damaging the image of God stamped indelibly on your soul?
- If you showed me your friends, would I be able to say that you have a hopeful future?
- Is your time devoted to things that truly matter?
- Are you using your tongue to bless people or tear them down?
May we chase wisdom today. It is more precious than rubies.
Books I’m reading and re-reading
Here are the list of books I’m currently reading or re-reading (with links):Untamed (Alan Hirsch)
The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis)
Mere Morality (Lewis Smedes)
Exclusion and Embrace (Miroslav Volf)
Free of Charge (Volf)
I’d like to read Volf’s other book The End of Memory some time in the near future…
I’m curious to hear… what are you reading lately? Anything you’d recommend?
Andy Crouch: The Creative Edge
Several weeks ago I blogged about Andy Crouch’s talk he gave on the use and misuse of power, which he delivered at Biblical Seminary. Andy discussed the beautiful painting entitled “The Banjo Lesson” as a backdrop to our discussion on leadership and power.Biblical recently posted the video of his talk on their site. I highly recommend you listen to the section entitled “The Creative Image” (part 2) on this page. It’s worth your time.
Leadership lessons from my computer keys
A few days ago I was reflecting on what healthy leadership looks like. In mid-thought, I happened to look down at the left side of the keyboard on my MacBook and I saw these keys:
control
shift
option
command
caps lock
the space bar
The thought hit me instantly: these keys are often the posture, style and/or response of most leaders:
control: controlling the situation (people, outcomes, programs, results, information, etc). When the leaders control, they believe they are leading well.
shift: wrestling with the status quo leaders realize it is vital to shift (i.e. their mindsets, paradigms, approach, vision, style, role and/or responsibilities, etc) in order to see the great mission accomplished, even at their own expense.
option: keeping options open (i.e. listen to all sides, brainstorm different outcomes, ask lots of courageous questions, consider different action steps, etc) in order to come to a decision.
command: command that people listen to them and respond to their orders as the leader see fit.
caps lock: SHOUT AT OTHERS, MAKING SURE THE LEADER’S OPINION IS VOICED SO FOLLOWS KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE. AS A RESULT, MORALE IS LOWERED AND PEOPLE FEEL LOCKED IN BY FEAR AND WORRY THAT THEY MIGHT MAKE THE LEADER MAD.
the space bar: step back – either out of wisdom or fear – and assess the situation before acting. (This could be either positive or negative, depending upon the situation).
Leaders: which key do you use most often in your leadership?
Baptism: we need more cowbell
Yesterday we held our Renew baptism celebration.
Wow.
Now, that was a baptism celebration. By far, the most meaningful baptism service I’ve ever been a part of. Nobody walked away without noting that the Spirit was actively at work that morning. There were many things that made the morning unforgettable.
First, we decided to have our baptism celebration outdoors. We believe that if its a public declaration of yielding to God’s work in our lives let’s do it in public. We held the service at a public park that contained a portion of the Perkiomen Creek that’s calm enough and deep enough for baptisms. My wife pointed out that a river is a perfect metaphor: the water is moving. It’s not stagnant water. It’s flowing water is fresh and its not the same river for each person being baptized. It is renewed each moment.
We set up our camp chairs and towels nibbling on donuts as we sat on the bank of the creek.
But the forecast called for rain straight through from early Sunday morning through Monday night. I worried and fretted about the forecast Saturday night and early Sunday morning wondering what we should do with the rain (hold it anyway? reschedule? if so, when? and if we did reschedule what would we do Sunday morning?) None of that was necessary as the rain held off until 1:30pm and we actually had some sun poke through the clouds for a beautiful morning.
Second, it was a time of celebration. I’m a big believer that what you celebrate is what you care about. I must admit: one thing that bugs me about baptism services I’ve attended in my lifetime is how the formality of the event eroded any sort of permission to celebrate. I mean, really celebrate. Let loose. Go nuts. Belt it out. Angels are doing back flips in great joy because of what’s expressed in baptism…and we all we can muster is a polite golf clap?
It just doesn’t seem right.
The truth about baptisms in our churches is this: we need more cowbell.
Sometimes I get some men who come up to me and say, “You know, I’m just not into expressing emotion.”
Nonsense. I’ve seen those same men sit on their couch on Sunday afternoon and watch television where men wearing helmets and tight white pants carry a ball across a white line and scream and yell and jump around the room like a middle school slumber party… We all know how to celebrate. It just depends on what’s important to us.
So I told our community we only have one rule at baptisms: no golf claps allowed. (Okay, maybe we have another rule as well: no guys in speedos). Celebrate how you wish, but we will not be silent. We will not be polite and quiet. We don’t need to manipulate emotion or do anything unnatural in our celebration, but we are a people called to lives marked by celebration. I told them that I didn’t care if they joined people in the water, gave high-fives, whistled, cheered, jumped up and down or blew a vuvuleza – we just needed to celebrate new life that is being made public.
And we did.
People brought air horns and shofars (ram’s horns) and drums. When those being baptized were brought up out of the water you should have heard the holy commotion. I loved it. And so did everyone else. The matter at hand was worthy of its celebration.
Third, we were slated to baptize two people yesterday morning. Each of the two participants wrote out their faith story ahead of time – not ancient history, but what God was doing recently, in this season of their lives, and why they believed that this was the time to be baptized. I read both of these stories ahead of time – stories of life change and evident marks of grace in their lives. Saturday night as I read their stories I was crying like a baby. Each participant picked out who they wanted to baptize them and how they wanted to read their story as they were getting into the water. After their stories were read, their house church (and anyone else who’s walked with them closely) was given permission to speak into their lives. The stuff was powerful.
“Karrie, I have seen so much growth in you this past year…”
“Brian, I’m so grateful for the way you are honest about your faith. It inspires me.”
“Karrie, I remember how fearful you were when I first met you and how you’re moved to experience freedom as a follower of Jesus.”
“Brian: I remember when you weren’t a Christian. You’ve changed so much. I pray you lead others to Christ.”
Many were wiping tears from their cheeks. It was hard to take it all in: the beauty of having our community speak gracefully into the lives of people who are growing to be more like Jesus on a day they officially declare they belong to Him. I tried to say something about Brian’s journey of faith before I baptized him. I couldn’t hardly get the words out of my mouth. I was a cryin’ fool.
And then, each of them were dunked. When they came back to the surface the place erupted into celebratory noise.
Oh, the awesome noise…
Before we ended our time, I said: “The Spirit sometimes works is ways that aren’t scripted. I want to give you all the opportunity to respond if the Spirit is nudging you this morning. Is there anybody else that wants to be baptized?”
After a moment of awkward silence, I was about to open my mouth and say, “Okay, well, let’s close in prayer” when a couple spoke up and said, “My wife would like to be baptized.” And with a sense of appropriateness, our community encouraged them into the water where the husband declared that they both needed to be baptized and commit together to a conversion in their very own marriage. They were both baptized at the same time – baptized into the reality that God desires to redeem and renew their marriage in addition to them as individuals.
And there was another individual: Herb. Herb, a 39 year old highly functioning mentally handicapped gentleman who has been a part of our community for over a year, has been badgering us for six months that he wants to be baptized. He asks almost every week. So with his tennis shoes and sweat pants on, he walked down into the water for his turn. He shared his story in only the way Herb could. And others spoke into Herb’s life from the banks of the creek.
Five people baptized – three more than we originally expected – making a public statement of voluntarily dying to themselves and yielding to the work of the Spirit in their lives. Their stories shared, their lives spoken into, their act celebrated, their bodies drenched and their souls renewed to the work of the life, death and resurrection of Christ. I remember thinking to myself as I’m in the water: now this is what baptism is supposed to be!
I’m so grateful for our little community. And I’m so grateful for the ways the Spirit of God showed up yesterday morning to show his work evidently among us. I hope we can celebrate the work of Christ in our lives like this again.
What a morning.
“So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.”
-Romans 6, The Message
Yearning to be the church God wants us to become
This was a prayer that was read in a recent gathering at our church. It was so poignant and right on that I thought it was worth sharing:God,
We yearn to be the church you want us to become.
Shape us into something beautiful
We recognize that you are the Potter and we are the clay
Please continue to mold us into the image of Christ
We want to join in what you are already doing in the world.
In our worship and life together, in our ministry and service to others,
we want to give people a glimpse of your intentions for the whole world.
Help us to welcome the outcasts, love our enemies, and form a Community
that is visibly different from the culture around us
as a sign of what you are doing in the world.
Help us experience your love and grace, grow in our relationship with Jesus,
and experience the power of your Spirit,
as we offer your good news to others.
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen.
Lifeguards who love their whistles a bit too much
A little over a week ago my family went to a community pool/water park.
We had a fantastic day. Carter (our three-and-a-half year old) had a great time and, as a dad, it was a great joy to see him having so much fun. But one thing I noticed: the lifeguards love their whistles. These teenagers use them often.
I know deep down that the job of a life guard is a noble one: to protect and save people’s lives who are in danger in the water. Water can be dangerous. People drown every year. Safety is their number one objective. I get that. But what I didn’t sense was that the lifeguards’ job description included this line: make sure people have a good experience. Here’s what we experienced in our first time at the pool:
-There were whistles every couple of minutes followed by shouts of “No running!” It’s a perfectly good rule, but its hard for little kids to hold back their excitement at a water park.
-Later in the day, I did a backflip off the diving board. When I reached the surface of the water the lifeguard blew the whistle at me and said loudly, “No flips off the diving board!” (What? What kind of pool is this? No flips on a diving board? This is crazy!) His tone and body language was demeaning, as if he were saying “You should know this already.” The problem is I didn’t. I was a first timer.
-After a few hours Carter worked up enough courage to want to jump off the diving board and into my arms. When it was his turn, I went down the ladder, positioned myself under the board, treaded water, held my hands up and encouraged Carter to jump. And right before he jumped another lifeguard whistled me and said, “He’s too young. He hasn’t passed a swimming test. He’s not allowed to jump off the diving board!” Sheesh… I felt stupid once again being a first timer.
-One shallow section of one of the kiddie pools had pipes that shot water into the air. An older gentleman innocently stuck his foot over the pipe to see it spray in a different direction. Another whistle: “No touching the water pipes!” Unbelievable…
By the end of the day I wanted to call them the “NoFunGuards.”
But it made me wonder: we’re called into a God-initiated adventurous life of great excitement…and then we set up a bunch of rules for people to follow that are intended to keep people safe.
I’m beginning to believe that an unbelieving world thinks that Christians, Christian leaders and/or pastors are nothing more than a bunch of lifeguards at the water park.
Agree or disagree?
How do we make sure that we don’t become lifeguards who love our whistles just a bit too much?
What are your thoughts?
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