Do I believe?

For once, one of those online quiz things seems to match up pretty well with what I expected:
(Hat tip to a new RevGals member, Processing Counselor, for the link.)

You Are a Believer

You definitely believe in God - and you're very unwavering in your religious beliefs. In fact, religion and spirituality are definitely big parts of your life. Religion shapes how you view right and wrong, as well as the decisions you make. It's hard for you to imagine how your life would be without your beliefs.

Are You an Atheist, Agnostic or a Believer?

Great minds

Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.

--Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.

--Mother Teresa

Lately, it seems like I've been doing a fair amount of talking. Now, it's time to listen.

A common language

As we prepare to visit a new church tomorrow, I've been giving some more thought to the label "conservative," and (as usual) my reflections turn to music. In childhood, I enjoyed the music of Keith Green (and I still do today). More recently, I discovered some of Rich Mullins' music. Both artists died in tragic accidents, coincidentally. As I got to know their stories, I realized that both of them were described as conservative, politically.

Yet Mullins managed to transcend the label at times, and he expressed this opinion about his politics that resonates with me. (Note: I don't necessarily agree with the blogger's view, you have to scroll down a bit to get to Mullins' quote.) Ultimately, we choose what we believe based on a number of different experiences in our constantly growing relationship with God. And that relationship sometimes doesn't fit neatly into labeled boxes. As we examine different church traditions, denominations, theology, and doctrine, there emerges a core around which my faith is built.

I think this video sums it up pretty well (4:50):



Many, if not most, churches I know would agree with this core belief. The question D and I are asking is how this faith is lived out in what we see around us every day. Over the next few weeks, we hope to find out.

Friday Five: Floods and droughts

Last night, we had a considerable amount of rain after a long drought, so it's appropriate that the RGBP Friday Five today is about climate and weather:

1. Have you experienced living through an extreme weather event- what was it and how did you cope?
Back in graduate school (Indiana), we had a severe ice storm that downed power lines everywhere. We had no power for several days, and my roommate and I stayed indoors for the most part. Cold showers were not fun, but at least we had running water. And we discovered that we could warm cups of sake with a candle...that helped :)

2. How important is it that we wake up to issues such as global warming?
Very important. It's entirely selfish to think we can continue to ravage this planet here and now, and leave future generations to clean up the mess.

3. The Christian message needs to include stewardship of the earth's resources: agree/disagree?

Agree, absolutely. God intends for us to care for all his creation, not destroy it.

And because it is summer- on a brighter note....

4. What is your favourite season and why?
Spring, because it's cool, rainy, and everything begins to awaken. Fall, because it's cool and crisp. Winter, because there's no yard work. In fact, anything but summer.

5. Describe your perfect vacation weather....
Temps in the low 50s (F), sunshine...perfect walking weather.

Moving on

We have been a two-church family for a few months now, and it wasn't working too well. So finally, we've made the decision to search for a new church. We hope to find one whose values are in alignment with ours, and where both D and I can be comfortable with the worship style. We don't have any prime candidates yet, but after researching various denominations, beliefs, and doctrines, we are almost sure it will be a United Methodist church.

Earlier this week, I met with our pastor and broke the news. It was difficult, and I hope we'll still keep in touch...we've shared a lot of good and bad times together. However, the guiding force behind this decision for both D and I was what our daughter will grow up seeing and hearing around her, and a conservative evangelical church is not the best environment.

A lot of prayer has gone into this decision, and I will ask those of you who read this to pray for discernment and wisdom. It may take time, but I know that there's a church home for us: one where we can truly be a part of the body.

Comic relief

There have been many things weighing on my mind this week, but I'm not going to blog about them (yet). Instead, while in search of levity to balance all the heaviness, I found my all-time favorite music video on YouTube. Enjoy!

Friday Five: Looking back, looking forward

This week, the RevGals' Friday Five seemed to fit well with the series I've just concluded--well, at least the "looking back" part! And so...

1. Share a moment/time of real encouragement in your journey of faith
There have been little ones along the way, and although I can't pick one out, they have all involved prayer (individual and in a small group).

2. Do you have a current vision/dream for your work/family/ministry?
I thought I did, but current circumstances have prompted me to re-evaluate.

3.Money is no object and so you will.....
Find a way to ensure that no-one ever has to die of hunger again.

4. How do you see your way through the disappointments? What keeps you going?
Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. Having a supportive spouse helps, too :)

5. How important are your roots?
They define who I am, but do not limit who I can become.

Of things remembered: Part 4

The last in the series, and perhaps the most significant.

I've always been interested in astronomy, and even considered it as a major in college. Practical considerations, like the amount of math required and the prospects for employment, however, convinced me to pursue another track. But I was reading astronomy texts at an early age, and enjoyed building telescopes, staying up all night to watch a meteor shower, and--most of all--trying to make sense of cosmological arguments about the origins of the universe.

However, what really fueled this fire was the TV series Cosmos, by Carl Sagan. It was broadcast on Sunday afternoons, and my dad and I would eagerly wait for the time slot, making sure that nothing else at home interrupted our viewing time. In addition to the grand cosmological questions, the series also gave me a better understanding of life on our own fragile planet. In later years, when I was applying to graduate programs in the US, I even sent an application to Cornell, in the hopes of working in the exobiology program with Sagan's team. (I received a form letter rejection, and ended up in Boston instead.)

Those of you who know of Sagan can appreciate the irony in this post: he was a well-known atheist. Yet his work inspired me and gave me a stronger connection to the Creator as nothing else had done before. Perhaps it's also a reminder that God has a purpose for all of us, even when we reject him.

Of things remembered: Part 3

I've mentioned both these influences in the description of my journey, and I'm not sure they can strictly be classified as secular. However, they share the same theme: retelling Biblical stories in a different medium.

The first item is a collection of novels by Frank G. Slaughter, a best-selling author who included a few stories based on Biblical characters in his repertoire. When I read them, they made the gospels and book of Acts come alive in a way that I'd never experienced before.

The second item is Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar. I went to a theatrical production in my early teens, accompanied by a couple of very traditional Catholic aunts who were clearly bemused and perhaps even a little horrified at the drama unfolding on stage. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I still enjoy the movie version today.

One of my secret ambitions as a grade-schooler was to write a novel that would essentially be a contemporary version of the gospels. Unfortunately, as I grew older, I realized that it had been done several times already. I guess that's no excuse for not trying...

Of things remembered: Part 2

I'm still on the music theme today, though it's in a somewhat different context...

I may be revealing my age by saying this (not that it matters) but I have always liked Neil Diamond. Granted, some of his later albums didn't quite match the quality of his earlier ones, but he remains a talented and accomplished artist. What made a huge impact on me, however, was an album that didn't enjoy much commercial success--the soundtrack to Jonathan Livingston Seagull. There are few artists today who can match the sheer brilliance of what he accomplished with that album--composing music for a symphony orchestra, writing lyrics with amazing depth, and singing with his inimitable style.

Here's the first half of Be:

Lost
On a painted sky
Where the clouds are hung
For the poet's eye
You may find him
If you may find him

There
On a distant shore
By the wings of dreams
Through an open door
You may know him
If you may

Be
As a page that aches for a word
Which speaks on a theme that is timeless
And the one God will make for your day

Sing
As a song in search of a voice that is silent
And the sun
God will make for your way

I should mention that neither the book nor the movie impressed me nearly as much as the music. I was in grade school at the time, and the album awakened in me a new appreciation of God's creative power. Later, I lost some of that along the way, but that's another story.

Of things remembered: Part 1

Last night, I was reflecting on how "secular" works have influenced me spiritually, and I realized that there's so much diversity in this theme, that I should probably start a series of posts on the subject.

The one that came to me (perhaps appropriately enough, given my last post) was music from a time when I had realized how empty my church experience had become as a teenager. The artist is a folk rock group known as Magna Carta, almost unheard of in the US. The song is called Father John. Unfortunately, there aren't any lyrics online, though you can preview snippets from some of their best songs at FYE; this collection and other albums are also available at Amazon.

Here's a portion of the lyrics, as best as I can transcribe them from listening to the song:

Miss Pringle and Miss Prendergast and Georgia ... are there
To say the words they've said for 20 years
and no-one knows or cares
Safe in the security of things they see and want to be
Believing is a word for growing old
Oh can't you see, Father John
No-one seems to want your words of love
Anymore

As things come full circle, I've been re-examining my past church experiences while D and I try to find a church that is a family for both of us. No, it's not all about the music...but music is a powerful metaphor.

Sola scriptura

Once again, I'm indebted to Henry for pointing out an interesting post on sola scriptura. The issue has come up lately as D and I have been struggling with different church traditions and expectations. I do believe there's a place for tradition and doctrine in any church, but the problem I have is that, for most of my church life, I found the tradition stifling and largely disconnected from any meaningful relationship with God.

At the moment, we're divided. I would find it difficult to be a part of a liturgical church, while D doesn't have that problem. Yet there are some traditions I enjoy (admittedly, scriptural ones) like what happened yesterday at our discipleship service. We had a pastor from another church celebrate communion, and it was a beautiful, yet simple, experience: an unembellished reading of Jesus' words to his disciples at the last supper (albeit from the King James version), followed by a hymn.

So, where does your church fit in the spectrum from traditional liturgy to contemporary worship? Is there a middle ground?

The one true church

Henry has posted his observations on Pope Benedict's reassertion of the Catholic church as the "one true church." I'm not a student of church history, but I've always found this a fascinating topic. The short answer, I think, is that it depends on how you classify the line of succession, and therein lies the problem.

Interestingly, I found an informative article on a Catholic website that would seem to contradict the pope's claim. And perhaps the most objective depiction of church lineage that I've seen is this one, from Wikipedia:
So who has the right answer, and does it matter? If you're a Biblical literalist, it does, but then which Bible is the "true" Bible? Regardless of what you believe about the true church, I'd say it has little bearing on what it means to be a Christian. And maybe, in the final analysis, that's what matters.

Science and faith: an interview

This month's issue of Scientific American has an interesting interview titled "Should Science Speak to Faith?" It 's a discussion between two (nontheistic) scientists, Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins. I've included some highlights here, but it's worth reading the original article (there's even an extended version on the site).

On teaching:

(Krauss): "I often tell teachers, for example, that the biggest mistake any of them can make is to assume that their students are interested in what they are about to say. Teaching is seduction. Telling people, on the other hand, that their deepest beliefs are simply silly—even if they are—and that they should therefore listen to us to learn the truth ultimately defeats subsequent pedagogy."

On ignorance:

(Dawkins): “It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that)...Ignorance is no crime. To call somebody ignorant is no insult. All of us are ignorant of most of what there is to know. I am completely ignorant of baseball, and I dare say that you are as completely ignorant of cricket. If I tell somebody who believes the world is 6,000 years old that he is ignorant, I am paying him the compliment of assuming that he is not stupid, insane or wicked."

On the relationship between science and faith:

(Krauss): "But if religious faith is a central part of the life experience of many people, the question, it seems to me, is not how we can rid the world of God but to what extent can science at least moderate this belief and cut out the most irrational and harmful aspects of religious fundamentalism. That is certainly one way science might enrich faith."

(Krauss): "...scientific principles, including the requirement not to be selective in choosing data, dictate that one cannot pick and choose in one’s fundamentalism. If one believes that homosexuality is an abomination because it says so in the Bible, one has to accept the other things that are said in the Bible, including the allowance to kill your children if they are disobedient or validation of the right to sleep with your father if you need to have a child and there are no other men around, and so forth.
Moreover, science can directly debunk many such destructive literal interpretations of scripture, including, for example, the notion that women are simple chattels, which stands counter to what biology tells us about the generic biological roles of females and the intellectual capabilities of women and men in particular."

On morality:

(Dawkins): "I am not one of those who elevate moral arguments above the question of whether religious beliefs are true. I recently had a televised encounter with the veteran British politician Tony Benn, a former minister of technology who calls himself a Christian. It became very clear in the course of our discussion that he had not the slightest interest in whether Christian beliefs are true or not; his only concern was whether they are moral. He objected to science on the grounds that it gave no moral guidance. When I protested that moral guidance is not what science is about, he came close to asking what, then, was the use of science."

Food for thought

Last month, I had prepared a media clip as part of a message on 1 John 3. The goal was to help people focus on a cause that they were passionate about, and realize that one person can make a difference. It starts with small steps. Note: The video was originally set to Natalie Grant's What Are You Waiting For?, but due to copyright issues, I can't include the audio portion here. Also, the timing is a little different from the original.



For me, there is no human need more basic than food and clean water. Most of us are so blessed, especially living in the US, that we don't even realize what real poverty is like. If you're interested in learning more about this issue, Ron Sider has a great book that's now in its fifth edition.

One of the points mentioned in the video is a large part of the reason D and I are vegetarians: it's a lot more efficient use of resources to grow crops for food than to grow crops to feed cattle which are used for food. Recently, I've been looking for hunger relief agencies that follow a vegetarian or vegan approach, and was surprised to find only two major organizations. The first is Food For Life, founded by ISKCON (otherwise known as the Hare Krishna movement). The other is VEGFAM. As you may have guessed, neither of these is a Christian agency. (BTW, if you're interested in learning more about vegetarianism, check out the Christian Vegetarian Association.)

This is a topic we don't often (if at all) discuss in church, yet I think there's a lot of opportunities for Christians around the world to make a difference. If your church hasn't discussed the issue of hunger in countries like Africa and India, I'd like to ask each of you to take some time to do so. Read the book--it describes many ways in which individuals and churches can make a difference. Even by just raising awareness of the problem, you are doing something about it.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..."
(Mt 25:34-35)