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Category: Following Jesus

My Perspective on the World Christian Movement Pt. 2

Published by mhelbert on March 22, 2013

As promised, here is part 2 of my musings on missions.

Randy Woodley, a Cherokee himself, in his book Shalom and the Community of Creation, observed that a large majority of native Americans understand that there is “some sort of primal power in the words of oral tradition.”[1] The transmission of ontological truth was trusted to be passed orally. They heard the words spoken “from the heart” and accepted them as truth. Yet, we in the West find it necessary to dispense with that and teach these people to read. We teach them to read the scripture, that’s good…right? In our arrogance we fail to discern that many of these people view our sacred text with suspicion. The reason? Woodley answers in a response of some native Americans: “We know that the white man translated the Bible and he could have removed things he didn’t want us to hear or he could have added things that are not true.”[2]Hmmm….
What if we had, rather, taken the time to listen to those who lived in the land? In a previous blog I wrote that maybe the Europeans were lead by God to visit other lands. But, not to conquer. And, certainly not to force their particular brand of Christianity upon the native population. Rather, what if they were lead to these lands to learn from others, to humbly listen to the stories that the indigenous people had to tell. But, Euro-Americans have a tendency to talk first and listen, well, never. (This, too, is arrogance. To think that what we have to say is more important than what anyone else on the planet has to say.) Had we listened we could have learned about the land and the people, about their special relationship to the cosmos. In dialog we could have then, maybe, shared our story. We could have had an opportunity to see where our different cultures merged and, just maybe, we could have found connecting points that would have allowed the open sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not to make others change to be like us.
But, to let our story and theirs join as equally viable realities. We could have let go of the need to control the story and let the people of the land take and assimilate it as they felt best.
Now, of course this raises the question of syncretism. And, as I’ve read about missions, this seems to be at the crux of much errant thinking. Let me digress a bit…The two major ancient churches both consider themselves the one true Church. Both the Roman and Orthodox confessions claim to be able to trace their origins back to the Apostles. Both claim to have the only accurate traditions. And, both hold tenaciously to what they perceive to be that one, true, apostolic tradition. All other claims to faith are, at best, considered heterodox. At worst, they are considered heretical. Now, I’m not a math major, but I can see pretty quickly that both cannot be right. And, to add to the confusion, along came the reformers in 16th century who also claimed to have the only true faith. What I want to point out by this is that we in the West have a long history of trying to prove that we are correct and everyone else is wrong. We have developed an unsustainable dualism that has allowed abuses that would make Hannibal Lecter blush. Now, how would things have looked had we actually built our faith on the teaching of Jesus? We would have been compelled to accept others as created equal to us. We would have had to learn to listen. Yeah, there’s a lot of red text in the gospels, but Jesus really listened to people. How many times did he ask someone, “What would you like me to do for you?” How often did he “look at,” really “look at,” others with respect and compassion? He did not, like we have in the West, simply assume that he knew what the other needed. Even today we assume that we in America know what is best for people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We do not take the time to listen to what theymight think that they really need.
So, back to the problem of syncretism. Who said that we need to control the Gospel? Who said that ours is the only true expression of Christian faith? No one has. We seem to think that the Church and the Gospel belong to us. Therefore, we have some right to control how the story is told and how it should properly be understood. I think that there is Someone far more qualified to do that than we. Jesus told his disciples that he was going to send a Teacher. This Teacher would be Someone who would walk beside them and show them how to live in God’s new realm. Paul wrote about the work of the Holy Spirit. He wrote that it was the Spirit who provided gifts and direction for the Church. Now, it is true that these gifts are realized as people cooperate with the Spirit. But, it is God the Holy Spirit who is the director. I think that trusting in God trumps our fear of syncretism.
We Euro-Americans would do well to hear what we have actually done to indigenous people with our White, male, hegemonic, arrogant approach. What we have thought of as Good News about redemption in Christ has not had the effect that we may have thought it would. Again, I turn to Randy Woodley:
The gospel, as it has most often been preached to Native Americans, does not promise us restored balance or harmony. Actually, too often, the gospel preached to Native Americans and other indigenous peoples around the world was quite the contrary to good news. We have mostly heard the gospel as “bad news.”
The “bad news” of Jesus Christ requires people to forsake their own ethnic identity for the identity of the dominant culture. The “bad news” of Jesus Christ means trading in shared communal values for economic systems based on greed and the success of the individual over the group. The “bad news” of Jesus Christ requires indigenous peoples to accept their status as those meant to be colonized and to cooperate with their own demise. The “bad news” of Jesus Christ askes us to draw our theology, values, and meaning as people from a culture that wishes to make us self-haters.[3]
What to do? I don’t want to come across as having the answer. I don’t. No one person, or group of people does. However, a good place to begin searching for one would be to humble ourselves before Yahweh and pray for forgiveness. Forgiveness for our arrogant disregard for the wonderful diversity that Yahweh has built into humanity and the Good Creation. Forgiveness for twisting Yahweh’s Word to fit our own perceptions. Forgiveness for trampling on our sisters and brothers in God’s name. Forgiveness for not listening to the people of the land, thereby trampling on the Good Natural resources that these Others were called by Creator to be stewards of. Richard Twiss said that the Native American community does not need missionaries. It does not need us to just send money. It needs us to join in real relationship as full partners.[4] I think that maybe it’s not too late to repent and embody the love that Jesus Christ, the God who walked among us, revealed is at the heart of God.

[1]Woodly, Randy S., Shalom and the Community of Creation, An Indigenous Vision, William B. Eerdmans,
  Grand Rapids,  2012, p. 140.
[2]Woodley, 2012, 141.
[3]Woodley, 2012, 150.
[4]Richard Twiss: Hope For the American Church, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHKtDoKoD80, last accessed Mar. 20, 2013.
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My Perspective on the World Christian Movement Pt. 1

Published by mhelbert on March 21, 2013


I have been interested in Christian missions, as in cross-cultural missions, since I was a young follower of Christ. I read the books about famous missionaries and went to missions conferences. I listened to stories of selfless heroism and noble sacrifice. Early on, I thought that my part of the task of world evangelization would be to support it from home. I never really saw myself actually ‘in the field.’ At least, not until I went on a short-term trip to Australia. Ok, not a really huge cultural shift from the U.S. to Australia. But, it created a new yearning to be more involved.
I have friends who have gone to the mission field. These folks dedicated their lives to spreading the gospel, as we understood it. They work to establish churches and to help the local population grow in our understanding of the gospel. But, as I have grown and reflected on how we have pursued missions, I’ve been compelled to rethink some things.
Our understanding of missions has been deeply rooted in a Western patristic reading of scripture. It grew out of a desire to spread the good news of forgiveness of sin through faith in God alone. This was coupled with the concept of sola scriptura, which meant that the only way to salvation was a strict adherence to how we understood the scriptures. As missionaries accompanied explorers they went out to conquer the world for Christ. In essence, this was a mandate to spread the gospel by spreading the culture. What this meant for indigenous populations was the end of their way of life. They were taught that, as the late Richard Twiss said, “You can’t be a Christian until you reject your culture and your spirituality and your ceremonies.”[1]And, when the native people would not willingly do that, they were brutally ‘converted.’ Thousands of people were systematically raped and murdered…all in the name of the Church.
I began to ask, ‘why?’ Why would the God that I saw revealed in Jesus desire this kind of wanton destruction of human beings? Did God really desire that nations and people groups become assimilated or destroyed in Christ’s name? Weren’t these the nations and tongues and people that the scripture said would one day bring praise and glory to God? Something just didn’t compute.
What really got me thinking that maybe we were pursuing missions in a manner that may not be in accord with the Jesus Way, was when I wrote a paper on Jim Elliot for a missions class in seminary. Now, I am not going to disparage Elliot and the other men who gave their lives for God. Everything they did was faithful to their understanding of the Gospel and evangelization. What I am questioning is the model that they were given to use. This model, presented here very simply, was to go into a native community and begin to educate the indigenous people. They did this by learning the language of the people, translating the scriptures into that language, then teaching the local people how to read their own language so that they could read the scripture. Ok, it sounds kind of convoluted, and, actually it is. What happens with this model is that the indigenes must adopt a Western approach to education and spirituality. Their own culture and spirituality was, and still is, deemed less important than having a “saving” knowledge of scripture. In a nutshell, as Richard Twiss observed, “You have to chuck all that stuff and just become White.”[2]
Why? What makes our Western understanding of the gospel the be-all and end-all? As I continued to pursue clarity on this, I found that there is more than one way to understand the scriptural text and the Gospel itself. I began to immerse myself in the ‘story’ of the Bible. I recognized that the text that we have has its roots in oral tradition. This tradition employs narrative and poetry and forensics and history and apocryphal stories. The biblical text is NOT a user’s manual of how to get into heaven when you die. It is a love story about Yahweh’s furious love for the cosmos. From Genesis 1 to the end of Revelation, it is God’s story given to humanity so that we can know and relate to the Divine. Story. That word has kept returning to the front of my brain. Story. The telling of events and tales and fables and myth that prick our human hearts. We find God and ourselves in stories. I began to see that my story was not necessarily yours, or anyone else’s story. Or, the story of the Auca, or the Lakota, or the Cherokee, or the Maori. God had given them a different story.
Tomorrow…Part 2

[1]“Invitation to Reconcile Clip”, Richard Twiss, CCDA, September 26 2012,
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRtATZkpAJI&feature=player_embedded,  last accessed Mar. 20,2013.
[2]“To Live in a Good Way”, Richard Twiss, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PJ0CCCVZNk, last accessed Mar. 20, 2013.
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Happy St. Patrick’s day!!

Published by mhelbert on March 16, 2013

 Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s day. While the celebration may have originated on the Emerald Isle, the party has been embraced and thoroughly Americanized. Little is actually known about this person. What is accepted is that he was born a Roman citizen in Briton sometime in the 4th century. He was captured and taken to Ireland where he was enslaved as a shepherd for about 6 years. During this time he developed a strong spirituality. He wrote, “My spirit was moved so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers.” He reported that God told him that he would return to his homeland, which he eventually did. After that very little is known.
There is a story that says that many years later, he heard in a vision the voice of Ireland asking him to return to them. (The story is strangely reminiscent of the voice that Paul heard asking him to come to Macedonia, (Acts 16:9.)) As the story goes, Patrick did return to Ireland. Upon his return he was met with resistance from the Druids. His new faith in God was apparently seen as a frontal assault on their religious hegemony in Ireland. That is the background for what has become known as Patrick’s Lorica, or Breastplate. One source explains:

“Saint Patrick and his companion missionaries were to travel to the court of King Laoghhaire. Along the way, waiting in ambush, were druid or druid henchmen who intended to attack and kill Saint Patrick and all his followers.
As Patrick and his companions walked, they chanted the Lorica. When they passed the would-be attackers, they appeared as a doe and twenty fawns.”

Whether you believe that this actually took place isn‘t important. What is important is that this humble man dedicated his life to his God first, then to his enemy. He trusted in Yahweh as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I blogged awhile ago on the lorica. Here is a link to that post.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5067338810724188678#editor/target=post;postID=9143587280916013320

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Questions that Haunt: Reprint

Published by mhelbert on March 9, 2013

My journey from conservative, fundagelical to a freeing of my inner liberal has led me to many thought-provoking sources. One of them is the blog of Tony Jones, “Theoblogy.” I have appreciated Tony’s ability to stretch me…in a good way. I have also appreciated the times that I simply don’t agree with him.
He has been on vacation that last week and has had several other individuals pinch hit. One of them is a guy named Richard Beck. Now, until yesterday, I had never heard of this person. But, I read his response to Tony’s “Questions that Haunt” series. This week Beck explained his take on loving God. His conclusion is that “To Love God is to Love Flesh and Blood.” For a blog post, this is one of the best expression of what it means to be a Progressive Christian in today’s culture. I encourage you to read it with an open heart. Allow Ruach Elohim to touch the very core of you with the love that is central to Beck’s piece.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tonyjones/2013/03/08/8214/

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Curds are curds are curds

Published by mhelbert on March 2, 2013

Christ followers have a tendency to curdle into small lumps. These lumps have affection, or at least a modest tolerance, for others in their lump. Now, some of these lumps think that they are the one and only true curd. All others are some kind of fraudulent curd. They may look like the real curd, smell like the real curd, maybe even taste like the real curd. But, they cannot be the real curd. Problems tend to arise when there is a whole bowl full of curds stating that they are the only true curd. They are forced to rub their curdy little elbows because they’re all in the same bowl. This makes them extremely uncomfortable. They wish that they could have their own bowls. In fact, many of the curds believe that as long as they can keep from being polluted by the other pseudo-curds, they will when a special time comes be transported to their own bowls in some kind of glorified curdled curd. The truth is, however, that curds are curds. They are all formed out of the same curd-making stuff. The little curd battles that they fight do nothing but deform themselves.
This is kind of the way that I feel about a lot of what I read from various sources. There are the self-proclaimed gatekeepers of evangelicalism, Albert Mohler, Owen Strachan, and others. These people are convinced that their understanding of Jesus and the Church is the only possible understanding. Any who would differ with them are on one slippery slope or another that inevitably leads to some disastrous outcome. They lead through fear and manipulation.
There are others, like Fred Clark and Tony Jones who are more than willing to point out the deficiencies of Mohler and company. But, they are also willing to point out their own deficiencies. That’s kind of refreshing, but it’s still one curd calling another curd a curd.
There are still others who simply refuse to get involved. They ignore the other curds in the bowl. I think of much of the Orthodox faith. They are content to play by themselves.
Then there are folks like Brian McLaren and Justin Lee. These people can see the distinctions between people and their beliefs. They use their experience as a guide to what they think and believe. Both, but especially Lee, are gracious toward others. Even when that other really deserves to get smacked up-side the head. People like these give me some hope for us as a species.
One of the things that we tend to miss in all of the posturing and arguing is how much we really need each other. In the so-called ‘bigger picture,’ we are all still fellow travelers on this big ol’ marble in space. According to the Bible, we have are co-workers in the field of Yahweh. So, we can be different and still united. I think they call that diversity.
Anyway, all that to get to this. I was reading a poem by Walt Whitman this morning. He was by no means a devout follower of Christ. Yet, he seemed to understand our need for one another better  than most of us who do claim to follow Yeshua. His poem, “Stronger Lessons”…

Have you learn’d lessons only of those who admired you,
        and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?
Have you not learn’d great lessons from those who reject
        you, and brace themselves against you? or who treat you
        with contempt, or dispute the passage with you?

Maybe we do need to stop and take a closer look at those other curds. We may find ourselves in the process.

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Walt Whitman and…the Bible?

Published by mhelbert on February 3, 2013

This morning I was reading through the book of Hebrews in the Second Testament. Chapter 11 in that book contains some enlightening stories of faithful people in First Testament history. At the end of the chapter the following was recorded, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” This was written to show that we are interconnected with those who have gone before us. In a real way, we are people who share in the lives and faiths of all of humanity. Walt Whitman, a poet that I have only recently come to admire and appreciate, wrote the following:

On the beach at night alone,
As the old mother sways her to and fro singing her husky song,
As I watch the bright stars shining, I think a thought of the clef of the universes and of the future,
A vast similitude interlocks all,
All spheres, grown, ungrown, small, large, suns, moons, planets,
All distances of place however wide,
All distances of time, all inanimate forms,
All souls, all living bodies thought they be ever so different, or in different worlds,
All gaseous, watery, vegetable, mineral processed, the fishes, the brutes,
All nations, colors, barbarisms, civilizations, languages,
All identities that have existed or may exist on this globe, or any globe,
All lives and deaths, all of the past, present, future,
This vast similitude spans them, and always has spann’d,
And shall forever span them and compactly hold and  enclose them.

“A vast similitude interlocks all…” How true. We are all interrelated by virtue of a common heritage. Whether one believes in a single creative act of Yahweh Elohim, or the natural progression of evolution, we all share a common Source. Perhaps, it would do all of creation a great service if we humans started to live like parts,  siblings, of the Whole rather than the masters.

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God’s gift of Creative Reflection

Published by mhelbert on January 13, 2013

Most of my opinions and thoughts on things are most likely incorrect. Or, at least ‘half baked.’ I know this, so I try not to cling too tightly to them. In fact, it takes very little effort for someone to question me and send me off to reconsider my positions. Many times this reflection forces me to make modifications. I find that the added input from these other folks is good and deserves a place in my thoughts. Other times, my position is vindicated and I am content to hang on to my position. At least until someone else comes along to question it again. I think that this is a fairly good way to develop opinions and beliefs. It allows me to use the brain that Yahweh has given me. A creative mind that has the ability to reflect and learn. This, I think, leads to growth.
There are many folks, however, maybe even most, who do cling tightly to their positions. Some of these positions may be untenable in the face of prevailing data. But, they call if ‘faith.’ Their position has been verified by God, or some other source that is outside of, or higher than they are. It’s not ‘their’ idea, but God’s. This necessarily relieves them of the responsibility to think and reflect for themselves. How sad this is.
I think that part of the issue with this is the human need to be accepted as part of a group. We desire to be a part of something larger and more significant than we are by ourselves. Many times this leads to a phenomena called ‘Groupthink.’ In order to belong, we give up our right to think reflectively and creatively and we adopt the thoughts and positions of the group. This is done willingly and without reflection.
There are many dangers inherent in this process. One, as I’ve already stated, is that people simply don’t think. They don’t reflect on beliefs and practices that seriously impact their lives. It is more important to belong to the group, and perhaps safer, than to venture into the unknown realm of real faith and trust. The group defines the identities of its members. Who they are before God, self and others is given up for the sake of the group.
Another problem with adopting the group’s positions on things is that boundaries of exclusion are defined and raised. When we appropriate the group’s thought as our own we immediately define who we are, as well as who they are. We need only to take a cursory look at history to see the damage that has caused. Ask those who have been colonized how it feels to be ‘other.’ Look at the Holocaust in Nazi Germany to see how ‘we’ care the ‘them.’
There is another group, a larger group, that we may be able to be a part of that wouldn’t have these kinds of consequences. That group is the Community of Creation. I first heard this term used in a book by Dr. Randy Woodley. This group includes all of creation; all things and all people. The Community is the result of Yahweh’s good, creative work. It might be said that it is the result of God’s Creative Reflection. There has been too little use made of this great gift of God. We can think and reflect creatively. Perhaps it’s time to start.

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St. Francis’ Prayer

Published by mhelbert on January 5, 2013

I’ve been reading quite a lot from blogs and news sources. Listened to people talk. And I find the polarization sometimes disconcerting. Especially, among those who follow Yeshua. I understand that people hold differing positions and opinions on myriad topics. These range from marriage to gun control, to politics, to faith itself. I don’t for a minute think that these differences are bad or wrong-headed. But, what I find more and more distasteful is the vitriol that is being thrown about without any concern for the recipients nor those who are witness to it. When someone on social media writes about hate and destruction, it’s not only those to whom the flames are directed, but all of the others who have access to the heat who inevitably get burned also. The words, paradoxically, then become fuel for more flames and hate to feed upon. There are ways to express opposition and displeasure without becoming hateful and destructive. For those of us who claim allegiance to Yeshua the Messiah, the God who walked among us, there is no choice.
There are few people in history who have grasped this concept better than St. Francis of Assisi. Anyone can search online for details about this son of God’s life. I want to share just one thing that has been attributed to him. It has become simply known as The Prayer of St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Perhaps, if we can let these words sink into the deep recesses of spirit and mind we can actually become instruments of God’s peace; salt and light within a decaying and dark world. The choice belongs to us.

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Things that I’m just tired of…

Published by mhelbert on December 31, 2012


It’s the end of 2012. Ok, big, fat, hairy deal. Qoheleth was right when he wrote that there is nothing new under the sun. But, as this year ends I’ve been impressed upon to blog about things that I’ve grown tired of. Things that, although unchanging, have caused a change in my perception and in my heart. Maybe tomorrow I’ll write about things that I do look forward to.
1. Scholars kicking dead horses. I follow several blogs written by biblical scholars. These folks represent many positions; evangelical, progressive, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, etc. Two of the biggest issues that seem to be consuming these scholars are issues of Biblical inerrancy and Adam. Now, I realize the emotions that get involved whenever these are discussed can get quite heated. But, these issues do not further the Kingdom, nor do they bring edification. They are contentious and divisive. I think that we can live together in God’s love and still hold diverse opinions.
2. Public figures who think that it’s ok to use their celebrity to tell everyone what God thinks. I have in mind two people in particular. One is a well-known politician, the other a well-known media host and psychologist. Neither of these men are theologians. Neither of them, as far as I know, holds any kind of advanced degree in Biblical studies. Yet, they both feel quite comfortable speaking out on these issues. I promise not to tell the one how to be a professional politician nor the other how to analyze people psychologically. I would love to have them and others like them, do likewise and shut up about issues that they really know nothing about. God does not hate fags and is not pouring out retributive judgment.
3. White men who are leaders of the church talking about ‘training up the next generation.’ Yeah, it sounds good, but there are more things wrong about this statement than I can state. First, what is the next generation? From what I see in the scriptures any generation includes all those who are living at any given time. The idea of  “generations” really came into vogue in the 1960s when the “younger generation” was taking the “older generation” to task over socio-political ideas. These became the “boomers,” followed by “busters” and Gen Xers and…well, a whole host of other names that do littlie other than divide and classify people. Also, the so-called next generation always seems to be thirty something white males. That just smacks of discrimination. And, these guys really have no intention of turning over the reins of control. But, it looks good to say it. If they really want to make a positive and inclusive move, they should include people who are in their teens and up in leadership, both female and male. Stop with the spiritual sounding platitudes. No one’s listening.
4. I’m tired of printing. I’ve been at this trade for over 40 years and I never have liked it. It is leeching the life out of me.
5. I’m tired of copping out. When I express my displeasure with my vocation many people tell me to quit. My stock response has been that I can’t because I’ve grown accustomed to eating. Meaning, I need the money. Simple fear and distrust have held me to this life for too long. More on this later.
5. I’m tired of fear driving my life. In one of my journals I listed things that I fear. They are many and they paralyze. John the elder wrote that perfect love casts out all fear. I am beginning to learn that. But, that road is a long and difficult one. It can generate more fear. With God’s grace, that is going to change.
6. I’m tired of living my life according to everyone else’s definition and expectation. I say and do things in order to please everyone at the expense of my own calling. I am who God, the Gracious Creator, made me. If I can’t be true to myself in that calling, I can’t be true to anyone.
Oh, well, I guess that’s enough for now. Thanks for letting me vent a little.
Oh, and…Happy New Year!
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Just for the sake of discussion

Published by mhelbert on November 6, 2012

Over the years as election time rolls around, a lot of folks, primarily conservative evangelicals, begin to talk about each candidate’s or party’s position on abortion. All of the issues and questions are distilled into that one position. As long as a candidate holds a position that is in favor of repealing Roe v. Wade, she/he gets my vote. It would really be interesting to have all of the candidates on the same side of that issue so that we could actually consider other planks in their platform. But, alas, that’s not the case in 2012. The lines have been etched in stone and for any self-respecting evangelical the question is already answered. As one pastor said a few years ago, “I can’t tell you how to vote, but if you ask me after the service I can help you decide.”
Well, here’s a new wrinkle. What if our concept of being ‘Pro life’ is too narrow? What if this, like any other ethical question, has ramifications far beyond the simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’; ‘black’ or ‘white’ that so many of our evangelical leaders would have us believe? I found an interesting article from the New York Times oped that addresses questions that should be asked by people who truly want to be ‘Pro Life.’
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/opinion/sunday/friedman-why-i-am-pro-life.html

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