History by success

First reflection from reading half of chapter 0 of Generous Orthodoxy:
History tends to get written by those who win! I never got on with history at school so I've not thought too much about it, but it's probably true that those who win the battles tend to write the history. This applies to doctrine and creed as much as anything else of course, so we lose knowledge of the arguments and divisions that occurred when these things that have been received into Christian culture as sacrosanct were debated. Maybe some of the objections had some validity, maybe some of my objections to the way things are nowadays are simply a re-hash of centuries old objections. In fact I'm pretty convinced that is so. The thing is the church survives the centuries despite terrible mistakes. I guess my emphasis must be on trying to discern what form that church will take in the years to come and to find my part in that. I'm trying to hang on in there, folks.

Generous Orthodoxy

Just received Brian McLaren's book. Read the preface and introduction last night and am looking forward to reading chapter 0!!
There is an interesting table comparing the particular emphases of different versions of Christianity, and I'm sure this book will provoke a few entries here. It's been a while since I've felt enthused about a book like this.

Christian sub-culture

Having wittered on the other day about commercialism, Christian media, etc. I was struck by the following in an article about myths in youth ministry.

Does this explain where the whole sub-culture came from? Is it all YFC's fault?????? Whatever happened to the word 'petting'?

Using the powerful evangelical concept of witness, the leaders of YFC managed to mobilize and protect young people at the same time, although this success came with some hidden costs. Youth for Christ leaders condemned dancing, rock music, drinking, smoking, going to the movies, petting, and going steady.

But they cast the negative task of avoiding these activities as a positive way to be a powerful witness for Christ, thereby making an impact on the world. Youth for Christ sermons, films, and magazine articles made much of teenagers who stayed pure by avoiding dancing or other contaminations and through their witness "won" their friends to Christ.

Like virginity, a pure Christian witness could be easily lost, but not easily restored. YFC member Jerry Oas advised young people to avoid even the religious songs that made it to the top 40 charts in his day because these songs could "draw Christians into a place where they would not go and to do things to ruin or cheapen their testimony."

On the other hand, Christian teenagers demanded a fair exchange for all of their abstinence. The leaders of Youth for Christ found themselves providing alternative forms of entertainment, such as banquets (complete with "kings" and "queens") to substitute for the prom and Christian records, movies, and celebrities to substitute for worldly ones. In the process, they legitimized an entertainment-oriented version of Christianity that later infiltrated the Evangelical church as a whole.

National Depression

Heard an interview with an American on Radio 4 this morning. He commented that having spent a day in the UK he has sensed a general apathy caused by the feeling that no matter what anyone does it won't affect the actions of the government. This is not so in the US where at least they have an election! It sounds true to me and I see it as a national depression. It's inevitable that the government will continue to do things that make my life more difficult and expensive to live.
Has the nation lost hope?

I found the lyrics for the song I referred to in the last post (!!) but one:

Julie Miller
All my tears

when I go don`t cry for me
in my father`s arms i`ll be
the wounds this world left on my soul
will all be healed and I`ll be whole

sun and moon will be replaced
with the light of Jesus face
and I will not be ashamed
for my savior knows my name

It don`t matter where you bury me
I`ll be home and I`ll be free
It don`t matter where I lay
all my tears be washed away

gold and silver blind the eyes
temporary riches lie
come and eat from heavens store
come and drink and thirst no more

so weep not for me my friend
when my time below does end
for my life belongs to him
who will raise the dead again

It don`t matter where you bury me

Ecclesiastes

A quote I noticed today:
For everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. These things I have known since I was a young man in the faith. But somehow I am never ready.

End of an entrepreneur's road

Just been to the funeral of a work acquaintance. He did quite well in business as a bit of an entrepreneur, but had no time for conventions or rules, so I liked him! The little crematorium at Chichester was packed - there were a few readings along the lines of 'I'm still floating around somewhere'', no prayers, bizarrely the singing of 'Morning has broken', a supposed e-mail from the deceased including all his favourite sayings and a reading of the Peter Cook monologue about the man who invented the wheel.
Apart from the sobbing it was all quite nice and friendly. The thing that took me unawares was the very definite feeling that God was there in some tangible way. Now I don't think the deceased had any belief whatsoever in God, but maybe God believed in him? Maybe God was there for the mourners? Maybe he was giving me a nudge, but he was definitely there.
At the end the John Lennon song Imagine was played. That song is, I believe, a very profound expression of the heart of God. I don't think there was supposed to be a separation between God and us. I don't think there was supposed to be a hell. Every time I hear that song I feel a twinge of sadness that it isn't how John Lennon imagined it to be.
When the time comes for my funeral I want the Julie Miller/Emmy Lou Harris song All My Tears Be Washed Away to be played. It starts with "When I die, don't cry for me; in my Father's arms I'll be.." and the rest of it's just as good. The tune's pretty good too.
With all my wittering about church and services and such, it can't be denied that at a time like this people want to gather and mark the occasion with a bit of religion, even if they don't believe in God. Gatherings seem to need a sense of occasion.

Purpose Driven Commercialism

Having written about Grand Schemes and hinted at my dislike of the Rick Warren philosophy as espoused in his "Purpose Driven....." series of books, I discover that churches around the country are participating in a "40 Days of Purpose" campign based on the "Purpose Driven Life" book.
I came across this in a review:
"And then, of course, there’s the whole “40 Days of Purpose” marketing campaign. While much of this may be the brainchild of the publisher (rather than the author), there is still something a bit unnerving about a book title that includes a registered trademark. Purpose Driven is no longer just a life motto, it is a corporate slogan. Log on to Zondervan’s Web site and you’ll find a host of Purpose Driven paraphernalia—from wall hangings to Bible covers."
This ties in with some thoughts I had recently after receiving a Christian media magazine through the post. So many CDs, videos, books - all Christian!!! All with their price tag!!! It's as if being a Christian means you have to have a spending power commensurate with all the stuff that gets pumped out of the publishers every month. I remember reading Keith Green's biography and being struck by the time when he decided that if his recordings of worship music were truly a form of worship then it would be immoral to charge for them, so he gave them away. This is why I have a problem with "Alpha" courses - they are making a church rich. Basically I find the commercialism attached to "Christian" media repulsive. I know people will say that these folks have to live, but maybe I disagree with people making their living out of such things. Maybe they ought to have a proper job making tents or something if they need money to live. Where this leaves church ministers I don't know; maybe I'm wondering why we need them as well! Comments welcome.

Grand Schemes

Looking at Ecclesiastes recently makes me think about Grand Schemes - those things that seem so vitally important at the time! On reflection very few of them actually count for much despite the effort and worry that went into them at the time. I think it's true of projects invented by churches, but they serve another purpose - that of occupying (and therefore keeping) the members.
I have a vague recollection of a comedian who used the phrase 'What's the bloody point' as a sort of middle name; sums up Ecclesiastes really. However there's a big but (all jokes already made). Behind it all and in spite of it all there's still God. I've always had the suspicion that God was quite capable of inconveniencing and energising large numbers of people to get one thing across to the benefit of just one person. Maybe our view of Grand Schemes should be in the light of this. Maybe there's not a point, maybe there's not a point that we can see, but maybe that's not the point!!!!
Before we get too convoluted maybe I'm trying to say that asking 'What's the bloody point?' is pointless in itself. Not everything has to have a purpose! Don't get me started on Rick Warren, but I wonder if just 'being' is valid, doing something because it 'seems right at the time' is OK, and much of our frustration with life is because of constantly trying to find the 'point'.