Category: community

What Is Church? A Country Club? A Social Organization?

Published by mhelbert on March 7, 2024

Some medical providers say that it’s not healthy to stuff emotions. Holding feelings deep within us causes all sorts of issues, both mental and physical. So, I’m gonna blame my venting in recent posts on maintaining my own mental health. There.
Now that that’s done, I can move on to a similar topic from a different angle. I have spent a lot of time writing and talking about the shortcomings of the Church. It’s really easy to point out the negatives. And, the Church has quite a list of outstanding needs. I mentioned only a few in these posts. Today, however, I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about what I think the Church can look like. In the mind of Mike, what would the ideal Church be? So, let’s have a look, shall we?
First and foremost, the Church must be wholly devoted to God. Without that devotion, frankly, there is no such thing AS Church. Without it the Church is nothing more than a social justice organization. Or, worse, a clique of angry people who have no clue what it is that they are doing.
Messiah Jesus made it possible for the world to experience the fruit of the defeat of sin and death. He, alone, has made the Way for the world to know God. Jesus did provide an example of how humans can, (should?), live together, that was not His primary goal. His primary goal was to reveal to us the Reign of God in the world. In Biblical terms that’s called the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus ushered in a new age where humanity may be restored to the true Image Bearers of God in the world. To be stewards of the world. To work in partnership with God to be a blessing to what God said in the beginning, was the Tov Me’od creation. That is, the Very Good creation. What that may look like deserves a series of blog posts of its own. Let’s just say, God thinks the world is very good. The Church has an obligation to care for it.
Second, the Church is a community like no other. The Apostle Paul used the image of a human body to describe it. We are all different, re. Diverse, yet members of One body. He wrote that a toe can’t say that it’s not part of the body. I think we’ve all experienced that. Stub a toe and the whole body is acutely aware of it. The Church as body is one organism that is made of many parts that are completely dependent on one another. Only Messiah Jesus is the head. I am certainly not. What would this look like in real life? Well, competition among various members would need to go away. Trying to cut off or remove another member would result, at best, despoil Messiah’s Body. At worst? Well, just take a look around at all of the divisions and fighting that goes on among those who consider themselves “Us” as they flip the bird at “Them.” This can only change if we are all devoted to God alone.
Third, the Church is by definition a Welcoming Community. Now, I don’t mean that we’re nice to people. Nor, when someone new steps into our church we nod our heads and smile at them. It’s not even going up to them and shaking their hand. It is those things, to be sure. But, it is far more than that. Being a Welcoming Community means that we are proactive and take our Welcome to where it is most needed. The Bible gives us a very basic outline of who that is. They are the widows, the orphans, and the foreigner who dwells among us. The outcast; the leper; the Other…whoever is NOT welcomed by those outside of the Welcoming Community. In the early centuries of the Church when plague ravaged the countryside, it was the Church who entered into harms way to offer comfort and care to those who were sick and dying. St. Francis is known for his entering into the leper colonies to cleanse the sores and to comfort those who were the most forgotten. Jesus went to those who were considered less than human by the powers that be in order to heal and to share the Good News that God loved them and cared for them and WELCOMED them. That’s what Welcoming Community looks like.
I could go on and on about how the Church is a sacrificing body. That it is the Temple where the Holy Spirit lives. How it has an obligation to speak prophetically to the world by speaking truth to power. These are only a few of the attributes that I think would go a long way toward defining the Church.
What are some of your thoughts?
Can you add to this list?
Are you a part of this?

Leave a Comment

What Makes a Good Leader? Maybe Not What You Think.

Published by mhelbert on November 16, 2022

This weekend is a pretty special one for the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. We will join together for our annual Diocesan Convention.
Yeah, sounds exciting, right? Kinda like watching paint dry.
But, it is important. We will set the agenda for the coming year as well as elect officers for various committees and such. It is truly like a big corporate meeting of stockholders.

This year, however, we will also be electing a new Bishop. Our current Bishop, The Right Reverend Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., is retiring in 2023. We will be choosing the person who will lead our diocese into the next chapter of our life together. And, in a way, we will also be actually choosing the direction of that next chapter. The person chosen will imprint her own life and character on who we are and where we go as a diocesan community.

Oh, did I mention that there are three candidates? And, they’re all women?

Not that it should matter, but in a highly patriarchal culture, electing women to the highest authority is both noteworthy and long overdue.

But, that’s not what I wanted to write about today. There are lots of others who are carrying that load.

This morning in prayer, I reflected on the choice we will make this Saturday. We’re fortunate in that all of the candidates are eminently qualified. So, in a way, we cannot lose. Whomever is elected will do an outstanding job as we move forward together.
We’re also fortunate that we have clear choices. We will not be simply choosing who our favorite is out of 3 clones. They each have different character, temperament, strengths, and opinions.

So, who to choose? If all three are great choices, does it really matter who gets the nod?

Yeah, I kinda think it does.
Let me explain…

Throughout my life following Jesus, I have been lead by men, (it’s always men, amirite?), who were alpha males and authoritarian control-freaks. They ran our church(es) with iron hands and would not entertain any questions to their decisions. After all, wasn’t Jesus the Lord over His disciples? Didn’t Paul and Peter and James hold the early church to strict adherence to their rule? These men made sure that their idea of what being a christian was enforced as the ‘Only Way to be a True Christian.’ Any deviation was met with swift rebuke.

However, for the last few years I’ve experienced a different sort of leadership. I’ve been blessed to work with a person who seems to trust God with much of what we do. He has been a pastor and shepherd, to be sure. But, he hasn’t told us how we sheep should chew our grass. For the first time in my life in Jesus, I think that I’m experiencing what some call Servant Leadership. While he knows clearly and accepts his position and responsibility, he also seems to understand, when the people are doing well and are happy, so is the church. And, so is his job, I’m sure.

The reason I mention this at all is because that is the choice we have this weekend. While all three candidates are good ones, only one has revealed a Servant’s heart. The other two will certainly be good. Much will get done in the diocese. Many very good things.
But, only one, I think, will bring life to the position. Life that she will share with all of us who live and work in our churches.

I, for one, know where my choice lies.

Leave a Comment

Should the Church Worry that People Don’t Study the Scriptures?

Published by mhelbert on September 5, 2022

The simple answer is, “Duh, yeah!” After all, isn’t the Church pretty much founded on what is read in the Scriptures?

However, in my experience nothing is ever simple. Especially when it comes to what people hold on to as “deep and personal belief.”

Back when I was a part of the Evangelical community, we considered things like Bible study, prayer, and worship the most sacred and necessary things that anyone could do. Actually, it wasn’t a matter of what ‘could’ be done. These things MUST be practiced daily. There is a little ditty that we used to sing about
“Read your Bible, pray everyday and you’ll grow, grow, grow.
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.”

Catchy, right?

We got together at least once a week, (sometimes we had one night per week Off!), to study the “Word” and pray. On Sunday morning there would be adult Sunday school. Nearly every member attended these.
Beside these pretty much mandatory meetings we were expected to spend substantial time in private study and prayer during the week.
We were told that if we weren’t spending at least a half-hour in prayer and that much in Bible reading or devotions we were failing in our commitment to God.
For many, (most?), this resulted in shame and guilt that could become emotionally overwhelming.
And, I think that the leaders knew this and encouraged it. Shame and guilt are incredibly strong motivators. They rank right up there with fear.
We all know that the Church has historically operated with a large dose of fear to keep the masses in line.

I say all this because since I ran from the Evangelical fold a decade ago I think that I’ve learned a couple things that those folks could never understand.

I lead a Bible study at my church. I joined the good folks at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church about four years ago and I’ve been the Bible guy for a bit over three of those years. During this time the church has grown a lot. We have more than tripled in size. The outreach of the church has grown equally. It’s a lot of fun watching so many people joining in the work of running a church.

Great!

Awesome!

Huzzah!

With all of these cool things happening you’d think that folks would be flocking to learn about what’s in the Bible. They would be knocking down the doors of their prayer closets to meet God in prayer and meditation.

Right?

Well, not so much, really.

Let’s say, out of a hundred and twenty or so people less than 10 attend Bible study.
I’d guestimate that maybe another dozen or so consistently follow any kind of Spiritual formation practices.
So, for the sake of discussion, about 80% of the church are involved in things that are considered shame-worthy in most Evangelical communities.

Ok. So what?

I mentioned above that I have learned a few things since my escape from Evangelicalism. One of those things is that people are gonna ‘people.’

And that’s OK.

I see the zeal and joy of those people as they serve one another and the church and it makes my heart glad.
I listen to the stories that they have to tell about their kids and grandkids and I have to smile.
These are people who love.
They love their families.
They love their friends.
They love their church family.
And, they love God!

We are not all made the same. We all have different personalities, talents, and gifts that we bring to the table. Not all are going to be so-called “Spiritual Giants” or biblical scholars.
It’s enough that we all agree that love is the greatest common practice that we all share.
I am more than content with the way things are at St. B’s.
We are a family that is growing in faith and love.
When we love, we grow, grow, grow……

Leave a Comment

Part of Something Bigger Than Myself

Published by mhelbert on November 17, 2020

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to be a delegate to the 204th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Basically, it’s the business meeting for our little corner of the Episcopal universe.

I agreed to be a delegate because I’m really a newbie in this Church. I really want to see how it functions. Since I am kind of a student of the Church and all things Jesusie, my participation allowed me to see how things work in an organization that is supposed to be Christ’s hands and feet in this life.
And, I gotta tell ya, it was everything that I imagined it would be.
The convention was organized according to that Old Man Roberts and his Rules of Order.
Presiding over the affair was the Bishop of our Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. He had a gavel and everything!

I had received a booklet that contained everything that I could possibly want to know about what the order of business would be. There were the financial reports and the blurbs with information about all of the folks who were running for the various offices of the Diocese. We got to vote on possible changes to our Constitution and Canons. (That’s Church-speak for the rules that govern how we do, well, pretty much everything.)
And, best of all, we got to do all of this Virtually!
Yes, that’s right! More Zoom meetings!

Ok, in all seriousness, I want to extend my gratitude to the folks who work so hard to make something like this virtual convention happen. Our Diocese contains about 90 different parishes across the Northern half of our state. So kudos to all of you who made this convention happen.
I also want to shout out to Bishop Hollingsworth and the Diocesan staff for all that they do to assist all of these disparate parishes. Our Church is not a monolith. It is comprised of regular people doing regular stuff everyday. We are politically and culturally diverse. We are rural and urban. We are mixed racially and by class. The Church must balance the various needs and desires of all of the people who choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus with our Episcopal tradition.
As the convention began, we the opportunity to hear a brief address from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S., the Most Rev. Michael Curry. Some of you may recognize that name. He delivered a message at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a while back. As he spoke a smile broke out across my face. In his presence with us, and in his words, I realized how big this Church really is. There are thousands of people who worship with us. I want to emphasize that:
There are thousands of people who Worship With Us.
And, in that moment when I listened to Bishop Curry speak, I realized that I am a part of that!
I’m not an outlier in some strange, self-serving organization with no roots or history.
No!
I am a part of something much bigger than I am.
Something that is alive and breathing.
Something that has deep roots in a tradition that ultimately goes back to the first century and the singular voice of an itinerate, Palestinian Rabbi who said,
“Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength,”
and
“Love your Neighbor as yourself.”

These words still anchor us today in the bedrock of Christian faith that the very first disciples of Jesus passed on to their next generation.
Who passed them on to the next.
Eventually, these words have come to rest in our care.

Through the Church to the Diocese to the Parish these word are now ours to pass on to the next.

I am thankful to the Episcopal Church for her faithfulness in carrying this tradition and proclaiming it to all who would hear.

Leave a Comment

The Virus in Our Midst

Published by mhelbert on July 30, 2020

Yesterday I read a piece by Andrew Sullivan over at “The Weekly Dish.” In it he offered thoughtful consideration on the Corona virus and the effects Covid-19 is having on society. He particularly developed how the pandemic is contributing to the political chaos that we experience every day in the U.S. It is an interesting read for people who don’t think that overly simplistic answers are sufficient about wearing a mask or not. Or, social distancing and all of the complications that this virus has caused.
One of his points struck me.
He wrote how pandemics do cause effects on culture much as they do on individuals. Granted, not all pandemics are the result of viruses. The most famous ‘plague’ was the Black Death in Europe in the 14th century. That outbreak killed millions and was the result of a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. Not a virus. But, a nasty bug none the less.
In our world today the virus called SARS-CoV-2 is what is wreaking havoc. This virus is that causes the infection we know as” novel corona virus-2019”, or Covid-19.
Viruses are called by many “submicroscopic infectious agents.” They aren’t really a viable living organism because they require a host in which to grow and thrive. In this way they appear parasitic. They infect a host where the virus works its way into the machinery of the host at a cellular level. Once inside the cell, a virus will “highjack” various parts of the cell in order to replicate itself.
Over and over and over again.
Viruses may then produce toxins that overpower a host and cause serious illness or death.
As I considered Sullivan’s piece and looked around at much of what’s going on in the U.S. and the world, I began to see similarities between how a virus infects a living host and how it also “infects” society.
We are witnessing upticks in violence and unrest that are becoming epidemic. Shootings and other violent behavior have escalated to the point that local governments and law enforcement are requesting outside assistance. The lawlessness that we see as people disregard mandates designed to protect people from exposure to the corona virus is rampant as people are tired of being told what to do. They are like sick children who refuse the very medication that may cure their illness. The political turbulence is rising like foam on a polluted river. It is sure evidence that there is something desperately sick happening beneath the surface. We are a culture that has contracted a deadly pathogen that is unaware that it is killing its host. And, the pathogen doesn’t care.
It can only replicate itself.
That is its sole purpose.
Make more of ‘Me.’
It’s no surprise, then, that the most insidious symptom of this virus on culture is that it cares only for itself. It does not care on whit about anyone else.
“It’s all about ME!” has become the outward manifestation of this virus.
“You can’t tell ME what to do!”
“I have RIGHTS!”
Yeah, maybe true.
Our culture is the host for this virus.
Life together is how we maintain our own lives and livelihoods.
If this virus is successful, well, the culture dies.
That’s not a very positive prognosis. But, it is the direction that we may be headed.
Corona virus has revealed our vulnerabilities and weakness as a culture. It has caused us to retract into shells that purport protection. This protection is false.
It is only when, or ‘If,’ we can come together and unite in order to fight the effects of this Cultural Contagion that we may see its cure.
We surely must not remain silent as barriers that the culture have meticulously been raised against selfishness, hate, violence, and destruction are ripped down by the toxins that this virus has released on us.
Yet, we must remain vigilant to speak and act and be proactive in ways that encourage dialog and healing and mutual respect.
So, do we accept the treatment?
Or, do we watch our breath slowly ebb away until there is nothing on the mirror but dust?

Leave a Comment

1 Corinthians_Unity pt. 3

Published by mhelbert on June 24, 2020

Oy, will those kids ever stop arguing????

When I go to weddings the first thing I do is look at the program for the ceremony. In almost every case there is one passage from Scripture that appears that is one of the most misused passages, (and, there are Many!), of any. This passage is 1 Corinthians 13.
The “Love” chapter.
I cringe when I see that listed as a reading. Usually, it will be read by one of the bride’s friends from childhood. You know the one, she stayed up late with the bride doing each others’ hair and joking about the length of the quarterback’s, well, you know.
The reason I find this particular passage so distasteful is because it was NEVER meant to be read only at weddings. In fact, the content alone is not about the love found in some fairy tale of wedded bliss.
This passage was placed in this particular spot between chapters 12 & 14 for a specific reason by St. Paul.
As we are learning in our Bible study at St. Barnabas, the Corinthian church had a serious identity problem. They were all excited about the personalities who came to visit them.
Paul, Apollos, the M&Ms Guys…whoever. They were totally enamored by the kinds of Spiritual gifts that they could flaunt at one another. People took pleasure in standing up in the midst of their gatherings and saying something wise, or at least esoteric sounding enough to make people applaud them.
They were all about what each of them thought of themselves.
So, right in the middle of trying to straighten out their thinking on gifts and order and stuff, Paul tossed in “a more excellent way.”
He wrote:

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Co 13:1–13). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Read that carefully.
Note that what Paul was saying that Love is Hard.
He wasn’t talking about some warm and fuzzy feeling in my chest. There are many people who follow Jesus who Do think about love that way.
No. Paul talked about sacrificing his body and experiencing ecstatic plateaus of spirituality. He wrote of all knowing and understanding.
All things that the church at Corinth prized as the highest reward for their troubles.
These are also things that many in today’s church cultures most value.
“I have the correct doctrine!”
“I understand the hidden things of the Bible and prophecy!”
“I am an enlightened progressive who really gets inclusiveness!”

But, there is a more excellent way.

John the Elder wrote:

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (1 Jn 4:8). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Jesus revealed what he considered the two greatest commandments.
The second one,

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mt 22:39). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

That’s enough to make my point, I think.

I find that I can sit and spend meaningful time with those I disagree with. There are usually areas of common concern that we can talk about. Perhaps, we can disagree amicably. Even though it’s unlikely either of us will be swayed to think differently.
There still is that part of us that shares faith in the One God who has called us to faith in Christ.

Can I sit down with someone whom I think is a bigoted, hateful Christian and share a meal?
I would hope that I could.
Would I let that person off the hook for their bigotry and hatred?
Not on your life!!!
They would get an earful from me.
I would do my best to paint them into a corner where they would either need to repent or get up and leave.

There is NO ROOM in the Body of Christ for Hatred or Exclusion!!

Yet, as far as it depended on me, I would hope that I could extend the Unity of the Spirit toward such a person. For I am called to Love them.
I may not succeed well. (Or, at all!)
But, I would be compelled to try.

I am not responsible for siblings with whom I disagree.
I can pray for them.
For sure, I can rebuke them and encourage them to join me on a better path.

At the end of the day we are each responsible for our own thoughts and actions. As I lay my head down at night and take a time of Examen to consider the day, I can only take credit or blame for myself.

Is it hard?
Damn straight it is!

Can I go to a church where I know that I will be triggered with anxiety?
No. I know my limitations.
Can I see Jesus in people who DO go to those churches?
I hope that I can.
I pray that I can.
And, I try to enact that love and acceptance as best I can.

That’s all we can do.

It is a more excellent way.

Leave a Comment

1 Corinthians_Unity pt. 2

Published by mhelbert on June 23, 2020

The last time I shared I wrote that the answer to my reader’s question about whether we should strive for unity with people whose faith is in opposition to ours. How can we achieve unity with people who are simply so far afield from us?

That leads us to what the real question is:
Are those others even Real True Christians?

If we answer in the negative, we are essentially off the hook. “They aren’t part of the Church, so I don’t need to strive for unity with them. Hell, I don’t even need to talk to them!”

When we try to do this we commit the logical fallacy known as the “No True Scotsman” fallacy.
This tack seems to let us proclaim that our brand of (fill in the blank) is what a true (same fill in the blank) looks like. Therefore, any deviation from what we think is (blank again) cannot be a True (fill in the blank).

This reader could then say, “Christians love others. That person doesn’t love everyone. Therefore, that person is not a Real True Christian.”

The argument is a fallacy because one changes the subject without any logical reason to do so. There is no, as some say, a falsifiable fact involved. It’s simply a subjective statement to try and create a false dichotomy.

The fact is, Falwell Jr., Franklin Graham, Bob Jeffress, et al are IN FACT CHRISTIANS!!
We don’t get to make judgments about their faith any more than they get to do that about us.
In fact, these people would come out and say that All Progressive Christians are NOT Real True Christians.

So, what do we do about the seeming disparity in what we believe about God and Jesus?
It appears that the chasm is great and there is no way to bridge it.

Taking Jesus as our Exemplar once again, perhaps we can begin to see a way forward.

Those of us who have read the stories about Jesus, the Gospels, understand that Jesus was not a simple, monochrome person. He was solid as a rock about some things. A little more colorful or even ambivalent about others.
One of the things that he was solid about was that many people who claimed to be leaders of Israel were behaving in ways that God simply was opposed to.
Many of these people tried to confront Jesus and trip him up.
One time when Jesus was eating with so-called “tax collectors and sinners,” those people questioned his judgment about the company he kept.
Jesus said, “It’s the sick who need a physician.”
In the 23rd chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus pronounce ‘8 Woes’ upon those same people. He called out their hypocrisy, hate, and bigotry. His language was hard as he pointed out how they erred from the Way of God.
Jesus used Judgment language to denounce cities where the people did not accept the miracles he performed as proof of God’s Presence among them.
These were powerful and hard words.

Yet, at no time did Jesus say that they were not Real True Israelites.

In fact, I think that he was able to use that kind of language with them precisely because they were family.

Jesus example provides us with a way to engage others with whom we disagree. It’s not to point fingers at them and pronounce them “Unclean!”
But, we may engage them and try to show them that there is another way to walk in Faith.
We don’t need to be exclusive and build walls to keep out the “Other.”
In fact, it’s closer to our job description to be demolition experts who tear down walls!

What if those others refuse to listen and rebuff us?
Can we wipe the dust off of our sandals and walk away?

I really wish that I could say, “Yes!!! Just walk away!!!”

I’m not sure that I can say that, though.

Because, I think that there may be a “still more excellent way.”

But, that will need to wait til next time.

For now, perhaps we can reflect on what it means to be members of a dysfunctional family. We have no control over who our siblings are or what they will do.
But, in the end, we ARE still Sisters and Brothers.

2 Comments

What Did Paul Really Say?

Published by mhelbert on June 16, 2020

As many of you know, (by many, I mean all 3 of you!), I have been helping out at St. Barnabas by facilitating a Bible study for the last year or so. We have followed the texts that were selected for each week in the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer. It has been a good time to take a closer look at the texts that were read during worship every week.
But, now I have decided to change things up a bit.
I have wanted to look closely at Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth for about 6 months. In my own reading and devotional time I recognized similarities between the folks living in that ancient place and our own post-modern Western culture.
Granted that social constructs and cultural mores and practices were vastly different and foreign to anything we know today. But, as I continue studying these ancient texts and read the work of sociologists and anthropologists who write about those times, the more I realize that “people is people is people” regardless of time and place.

So, this past Sunday we began at the beginning of 1 Corinthians.

The first thing that we had to realize is that we were truly reading someone else’s mail. Contrary to what many may think about this text, it was not written to us. It was written by Paul for a specific group of people for a specific reason. Understanding that fact goes a long way to getting even a small handle on the text’s purpose and meaning.
What this means in practical terms for interpretation is that we CANNOT take the words Paul wrote out of their contexts and simply plop them down into 21st century U.S. and apply them like some kind of rulebook or users’ manual.
Note that I wrote “contexts,” plural. There is the obvious context of the letter itself. All of the words written in this particular missive. However, there are cultural and social contexts that bear on ALL of the words written. These contexts are foreign to us. They must be considered along with the text itself if we have any hope of understanding Paul’s purpose in writing.
Too many in Fundagelical circles do just that and completely miss what the text is really attempting to say.

With that in mind we look for hints that can provide us with a better understanding of what an inspired Paul may have been attempting to communicate. Once we discover that, then, perhaps, we can glean something that can help guide us in our own pilgrimage through this life together.

As we began the study we saw that Paul was very much a product of his era. The form and content of the letter conform nicely to the epistolary forms of the day. He began with a greeting that introduced himself, his credentials, and the person who was with him, presumable as a helper.
After the greeting he offered a Thanksgiving for those to whom he wrote. In typical Graeco-Roman style, the Thanksgiving hints at issues or topics that will be addressed at length later in the letter. He praised the Corinthians for their wisdom and spiritual awareness. Nothing unusual at all about this. For, in fact, these are issues that Paul will deal with quite forcefully later in the letter.

Then, Paul wrote what many believe was his Thesis. The over-arching concern that will drive the letter forward.
He wrote,

“Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (1 Co 1:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Apparently, there were, in fact, divisions within the young Church at Corinth. Paul will go on to speak to these divisions. And, he will condemn them.
In fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that in ALL of Paul’s writings his main concern is for the Unity of the Faithful in their communities.
He doesn’t advocate for ‘sameness,’ as some people tend to think. But, his goal and primary concern is for Unity in Diversity.

This takes work…Hard. Work.

In the above quote the words translated, “United in the same mind and the same purpose,” could be better translated, “United in the same Mindset and the same Consent.”
Paul desired for the folks at Corinth to be focused on the same goal as followers of Jesus. As he continues through the letter we see that the people in the nascent Church really didn’t understand the power of their calling. They seemed more enamored by the Cult of Personality that they could attach themselves to. “I belong to Paul! I am on Team Apollos!
No, Cephas is the Best! Yeah, you’re all wrong, I belong to Christ!”
Just like today, people are hooking their wagons to personalities and causes that do nothing more than stir up strife, mistrust, and hatred.
“MAGA!” “I follow Joe!” “My heart is in Dixie!”

However, the second part of that clause states that Paul desired the Corinthians to have the same “consent.”
The wording may seem strange to us. But, the gist of it is clear.
While we affirm the diversity that exists, we must also Consent to live within the Unity of who we are as people.
That requires me laying aside some of my ideas and prejudices for the sake of Unity.
If I am going to truly Love Others, I cannot demand all of my own rights and privileges at their expense.
It’s hard work.
No one ever said that living together is easy. I mean, for those of us who have been married, we get that.

Paul began this letter with a call for Unity in the fledgling Community of Faith at Corinth.

Paul’s words beckon us still toward that goal.

Leave a Comment

The Third Option

Published by mhelbert on June 15, 2020

I hope you all had a great weekend!
It’s Monday and time to get back at it.

Today I’m going to add a final piece to my thoughts on “Third Options” as regards the current political activity surrounding Black Lives Matter.
To be clear, I fully support this movement. For, a movement it is. People from all walks of life have seen enough injustice and pain. Those of us who have retained remnants of the Civil Rights Movement and other movements led by activists seeking systemic change to our culture are happy to be a part of this.
But, alas, we are also saddened and frustrated that these issues still need to be addressed.
Baby steps, I guess.

Last week a wrote about how our culture tends to view all issues of morality, culture, politics, and society through binary lenses. Our worldview sees everything in black/white; right/wrong; us/them.
This is not only counter productive to a healthy culture, it is simply wrong.
Our entire universe and existence is made up of not only black and white. But, it contains all of the millions and millions of colors that live between those extremes.
Our reality is not either/or. But, in almost all cases it is both/and.
Please understand that.
We exist in a paradox.
Even if our tiny gray cells can’t seem to grasp that entirely, it is the truth.

So, what does that have to do with so-called ‘Third Options’?

I recently saw an interview with a guy named Miles McPherson. He is the pastor of a large church in San Diego as well as a motivational speaker.
He published a book in 2018 entitled, “The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation.”
I have not read the book, but here is a link to a YouTube presentation in which McPherson discusses its contents.
What struck me was how he changed the idea of having ‘Conversations’ about race to having ‘Race Consultations.’ This may seem like splitting semantic hairs, but there is something new about the approach.
And, it is an approach that I think is inherently aligned with what should be the position of anyone who claims to follow Christ.

Let me explain.

I usually don’t go in for wide generalizations, but bear with me for a minute as I muse about a couple things.

I wrote last week that I have spent most of my adult life informally studying religion. I am by no means expert on the subject. But, there are a couple observations that I would like to make. Please don’t hesitate to call me out in the comments if something I write is glaringly inaccurate! You won’t hurt my feelings. And, I might even learn something new!

Form where I stand, I see most of the world’s great religions focused on what the practice can do for me.
For instance, Buddhism was developed by a guy named Siddartha Gautama after he witnessed human suffering. He desired to help people move beyond suffering toward a higher, (better?), existence in the world. It is primarily a way for people to live peacefully in this life. The hope that is eventually, the individual will be caught up into a universal nirvana where individuality merges with the Cosmos.
Other religions also look to enabling adherents to reap some kind of eternal reward for following certain rules or principles.
Even many indigenous religions seek to perform rituals in order to please the spirits of ancestors or deities that can help with crops and weather and fertility. All of these are in one way or another, self-seeking.
Not self-seeking in a selfish way. But, the deity or spirits or disciplines are sought and practiced for ‘My Benefit’ in this life or the next.

I know that I’m painting with a really broad brush here. But, this is, after all, only a blog post and not a doctoral dissertation.

I want to preface this next part by saying that I am aware that people who claim to follow Jesus are fallible humans who, by and large, get it wrong. As I wrote in earlier posts, we are programmed by evolution to watch out for ourselves and our tribes. That is why what I am going to write is so counter-intuitive, yet so bloody important to understand.

As I read and study the Christian Bible, particularly the Gospels, I am struck by something that seems unusual.
The person, Jesus, doesn’t seem to behave like a normal person. The words he speaks and the actions that he performs all tend toward the ‘Other.’
He “sees” lepers. He “looks intently” into the eyes of those who are possessed by evil spirits. He has compassion and weeps over someone else’s loss.
In Jesus I see empathy in action.
Jesus modeled what McPherson might call “Consultation with the Other.”

Now, please don’t get me wrong. I am in No Way saying that someone must believe in or follow Jesus in order to live a life that looks outward. That’s just not true. There are many people of various beliefs or no belief who live this type of virtuous life.
What I am trying, however successfully or not, to say is that religion is a major factor that mitigates or controls(?) the actions of people. Not saying that’s good or bad. It’s just a fact.
So, if there is a religious example that may be helpful as we move forward toward what I hope is a brighter and more inclusive future, Jesus is not the worst example that we can have.

I don’t think that I can overstate the importance of empathy in our lives together. We absolutely must learn, not just to live together harmoniously, but to look deeply into the eyes of others and see the spark of common humanity that resides there. Then, use what ever means we can to flame that spark into a fire that consumes the hatred, fear, and distrust that lives and festers within.

Leave a Comment

But, The Greatest of These…

Published by mhelbert on April 28, 2020

For most of us, this moment in time is a bit, well, unsettled. There is more uncertainty swirling around in the world than there usually is.
Coronavirus;
Politics;
Economy;
Find Waldo, er, Kim Jung Un.

You get the point.

We are frustrated and, if we’re honest, a bit afraid.
Not necessarily afraid of Covid-19.
We’re afraid of the uncertainty.

This is completely understandable.
Especially, in a society that prides itself on being in control and self-sufficient.
A culture where the idea of the Individual is elevated to near god-like stature.
It is disconcerting to feel alone and, perhaps more importantly, not in control.
So, yeah, I get it.

People need to vent their frustrations.
We see this in the protests over stay at home orders.
We see it in people ignoring those orders to open businesses and churches.
There is a wave of ‘righteous indignation’ flowing over us.

None of us can see the ramifications of these actions.

That’s the problem, though, isn’t it?
None of us can see…….

We can, however, see how all of this is affecting us.
I look around at the way that business and industry have stepped up to provide necessary equipment for those who put themselves in harms way to care for the rest of us.
I see the food pantries and volunteers doing whatever they must in order to help those who have suddenly found themselves in dire need of basic necessities.
Those of us who are daily putting our own needs and desires aside and staying home and practicing Personal Distancing so that those who are on the ‘front lines’ may have a chance to do their jobs, well, “Good Job!”

There are people who say that there is little to no hope for our species. Or, the world, for that matter. They say that unless drastic measures are taken immediately we will go the way of the Dodo…soon.

There are others among us who say that this is just the beginning of judgement. Soon God will appear and the whole Cosmos will roll up like a scroll and burn.

I want to take issue with both of these outcomes and any others that would follow this kind of Doomsday script.

We all have choices.

We can choose to be Human.
We can choose to let Empathy, rather than selfishness and fear, rule in our hearts and minds.
There is Hope.
If we can have Faith.
And, more importantly, if we can extend Love.

Leave a Comment