Why I Like Liturgy (Well, Some Of It)

Growing up in the Churches of Christ, I had zero exposure to any sort of liturgy or church history. Even though I attended a Lutheran school for grades K - 2, they weren't teaching us liturgy, the religious part of our education was learning the big stories of the Bible, (it was the early seventies, mind you, so it was probably different than religious schooling before and after that time.) We did have Chapel services on Wednesday mornings, but it was just some singing with an interactive Bible lesson afterwards, for us kids; pretty much the same as a CoC Wednesday night meeting, just in the morning. Still, it was far more progressive a school than what I would imagine most church schools to be; we even listened to and discussed Jesus Christ, Superstar in the Easter season of my second grade year. I doubt you'd find that happening in any Christian school today!

But, back in the conservative Churches of Christ in which I grew up, (sectarian, rather than ecumenical ones, as Richard Beck would put it) there was never any mention of liturgical calendar holidays. In fact, the only times Christmas or Easter were mentioned were in parts of sermons explaining why Santa Claus and the Easter bunny shouldn't be taught to kids as having any relation to a holiday. The only reason that we didn't have any observances of those Holy Days was simply sola scriptura; they weren't expressly mentioned in the Bible.

So, a few years ago when I first started attending a Disciples of Christ congregation, the observance of liturgical holidays had a very incongruous feel to me. But at the same time, there was a welcoming comfort there, too. The anticipation and hope of the Advent season with the dimly-lit Taize styled services, the Lenten season of reflection and remembrance beginning on Ash Wednesday, the exuberance and joy of Easter Sunday, the energizing missional feel of Pentecost; they all felt fresh and new, yet somehow familiar.
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But we didn't have any of that in the CoC; we had the same stuff every single Sunday: welcome and opening prayer, a few hymns, another prayer, a couple more hymns, The Lord's Supper, another hymn, sermon, the invitation song, and a closing prayer. It was almost exactly the same in every Church of Christ I ever attended. At the last CoC of which I was a member, our evangelist caused a bit of a kerfuffle when he preached a series of sermons on the Lord's Supper and we separated the collection from the Communion, keeping the collection at the time in the midst of hymns, and moving the Communion to the end of the service.

That felt right to me. After all, the remembrance of Christ in the Communion was not only the reason that we meet, but also the pinnacle of our worship services. Yet as new and refreshing as that felt in that congregation, I found that same order of service in the DoC congregation I attend now.

There is a paragraph from the eminent church historian Jaroslav Pelikan's book The Christian Tradition, A History of the Development of Doctrine, Vol. 1; The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition that is very apropos here:

 "Tradition without history has homogenized all the stages of development into one statically defined truth; history without tradition has produced a historicism that relativized the development of Christian doctrine in such a way as to make the distinction between authentic growth and cancerous aberration seem completely arbitrary. In this history we are attempting to avoid the pitfalls of both these methods. The history of Christian doctrine is the most effective means available of exposing the artificial theories of continuity that have often assumed normative status in the churches, and at the same time it is an avenue into the authentic continuity of Christian believing, teaching, and confessing. Tradition is the living faith of those who are dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of those who are living."

That is precisely what I have found. Forgetting tradition imposes a conformist GroupThink, while forgetting history produces a No-Think; to degrees, of course. Looking at and practicing both together has produced a desire within me to seek more in Christ while seeking more outside the Church. I think that is precisely one of the things Christ was trying to teach us in His preaching against the Pharisaic establishment.


As far as the "(Well, Some Of It)" part of the title, I've always seen the liturgy of the saints that I've seen recited at Papal funerals (and I suppose they do it at other times, as well) as the Christian equivalent of the Tibetan Buddhist recitation of the lineage of the lamas. While the contributions and thoughts of the Church Fathers is certainly invaluable, and should be studied, I can't see that they are worthy of veneration in a service or recitation. But a true Christian faith should be more than just the five solae,  a subset of those five, or any of those plus only tradition; it should also be open to God's Holy Spirit working in, speaking to, and changing the hearts of the people that are in pain, doubt, and confusion, seeking the Higher Love.


After thinking about these things for a while, I now also have a greater appreciation for the "death of God" -- a/theist type of thought that Peter Rollins writes about. There is more than just a grain of truth to the idea that to step into a different and deeper faith, we must have an existential crucifixion and death of doctrines and ideas about God to come to the resurrection of a real and living faith in Him.

I know that I'm going through that now.



Pray for me as I pray for you.
Pray for His purifying fire in our hearts, and His refreshing waters of Life.
Pray for His Love to dwell within us all and to conquer us all.

Lamb of God, you who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Why I (and probably many others) Think Most Churches Need to Shut Up About Gay Marriage

The reason is simple. Most churches have abdicated their basic responsibilities to defend victims of church abuse (physical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual) and instead merely want to maintain their status quo with as little disruption as possible. You can wave your Bible and quote verses all you want. No one cares, because you have lost that right. People are identifying with no religion at all, because they've seen and possibly been affected by the church's hypocrisy.


Example #1:

The class-action lawsuit against Sovereign Grace Ministries and individual leaders and pastors, a suit alleging sexual and physical abuse of minors by individuals and a systematic cover-up by the leadership of the abuse and their protection of the abusers. Former SGM president C.J. Mahaney, who recently resigned over this lawsuit, is still the darling of the neo-Reformed and Southern Baptist leaders, evidenced by his prominent roles at various conferences and continued praise from various evangelical leaders. Tim Challies, the neo-Reformed blogger (who needs to learn what reform is really about), thinks everyone should just be quiet and quit critcizing Mahaney and the leaders that won't call him on his B.S., because Christian unity is more important than the victims of pedophiles.


Example #2:

Prestonwood Baptist Church and their refusal to comment on why they didn't turn an admitted pedophile over to Texas authorities, letting him move to Mississippi and continue molesting children for over twenty years. Instead, they called the police and issued a trespass warning to a church member that merely wanted to know why they didn't call the cops.

There are numerous other examples; Calvary Chapel Visalia, Beaverton Grace Bible Church, First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL, etc., etc.


In all these cases, churches are trying to silence the people who want to hold them accountable for their actions and inactions. Yet they still think that they have the right to wave their Bibles and preach about morality and how gay marriage will destroy the fabric of society. Sorry, but they're already doing a bang-up job on that themselves.

If you want to preach for restricting a secular freedom in a secular society based on your religious beliefs, then you'd better be cleaning up your own messes and holding your leaders accountable. Or as the Man whom you claim to follow once said, "Take the log out of your own eye, then you can see the speck in your brother's eye."

Quit acting surprised that reasonable and thinking people are tired of your nonsense. And quit condemning people as "God-haters" for supporting gay marriage. You're already doing more damage to the Church and the Gospel than any proponent of gay marriage.

If you think you really have some sort of moral high-ground, you're only fooling yourselves,

Do This...

When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." Luke, Ch. 22, vs. 14-20, NASB

We do this in remembrance of Him. Remembering His love for us, his devotion to us, His sacrifice for us.

I was raised in, and still attend, churches of the Restoration Movement ; Churches of Christ as a child and young adult, and a Disciples of Christ congregation today. In these churches, The Lord's Supper is the pinnacle of the worship service, the prime reason that we meet each Sunday. "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." 1 Cor., Ch. 11, v. 26, NASB.


We remember Him, proclaim His death, and await His return. Yet in doing these things, we do so much more.

Looking inward:
We remember that He died to reconcile us to God.
We remember that He died to defeat sin and death.
We remember that He gave His life in our place.
We remember that He forgave us.

Looking outward:
We remind ourselves that He did these things for everyone.
We remind ourselves that we should love as He loves.
We remind ourselves that we need each other.
We remind ourselves that we have to be open to forgiving as well.

And The Lord's Supper reminds us of boundaries; of how Christ broke the boundary of sin that separates us from God, and how we should break the boundaries of fear and anger that separate us from each other.

The New Covenant of reconciliation to God reminds us of our need to break the boundaries between ourselves and our fellow man. Sometimes that boundary in our hearts seems even bigger than the boundary between us and God. And sometimes, that forgiveness seems as painful as His death on the Cross.


How do we break the seemingly impossible boundary? I'm not even going to pretend to know how, but if we call ourselves His, we at least have to believe that it is possible. Maybe not now, maybe not until the end of our lives, but we have to believe in that possibility.

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors", He taught us to pray. For us, forgiveness is an ongoing process, and He knows that. We are forgiven, not at the end of our forgiving others, but as we enter and walk through the process of forgiving.

With God, all things are possible. Even the things I once thought I could never forgive, have crossed, and are still crossing, the boundary of forgiveness.

It's possible, but not quick or easy. I have to remind myself to be open to it, even in the midst of my deepest regrets and anger.

And each Sunday, as we drink of the Cup and eat of the Bread, He gives us His loving reminder that through Him all things are possible.

Do this, and remember Me; all that He did, and all that He still does.
It is the high point of worship, and the hardest work of our lives.

Palm Sunday

Christ, the Heavenly King, made his entrance into Jerusalem riding a donkey.

Not on a white horse or in a chariot as befits His position, but as a peasant would.

He comes to us in the same way. Quiet, unassuming, not raising His voice for recognition.

Do we recognize Him when He comes to us today?

In His distressing disguise, do we look past the homeless, the sick, the abused, straining our eyes to see Him in the glory of men? 

He is not here dressed in fine clothes and jewelry, yet He is still here.

Do we see Him in our majestic church buildings and chapels?

Do we see Him in our church leaders?

Do we see Him in ourselves?

Open Letter to Prestonwood, et al., Part 2

To Prestonwood Baptist Church and Jack Graham,


It certainly appears from a recent sermon that Dr. Graham and many in the Prestonwood congregation are very aware of the controversy surrounding their treatment of Chris Tynes and the Langworthy incident. So much so, that Dr. Graham seems to make oblique references to it in his sermon from 17 March 2013 (see video from the service here, selections from the sermon here, and analysis here.)


Dr. Graham, you are being disingenuous at best, and a coward at worst. First off, you are not Jesus, nor even remotely like Him. Second, you seem to claim that you have been unjustly accused or even lied about, as Christ was. Your church's previous statements, as well as the lack of any charges against Mr. Langworthy in Texas prove that no one has lied about you; you simply have been asked to give an answer as to why you did not contact Texas authorities, as required by Texas law, when you found out about Mr. Langworthy's abuse of a minor while serving at PBC.

Silence and Confession

"But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him." Habakkuk, Ch. 2, v. 20


There is certainly a time to be silent. Contemplative worship should be marked by quietness, clear thought, and pure motives: "Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few." Ecclesiastes, Ch. 5, v. 1&2


But this is not the time for silence. People in and out of the congregation of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX want to hear an answer. A simple answer to a simple question: "Why did you fail to report a sexual predator on your staff to the authorities when he admitted his abuse to you?"

Silence speaks volumes. There's an old saying that goes around twelve-step groups when it comes to taking personal inventory and admitting one's wrongs: "You are as sick as the secrets you keep."

Considering the horrific nature of the silence Prestonwood Baptist Church's leaders are keeping, one can only assume that they are very spiritually sick at this time.

An Open Letter to Jack Graham, Jeff Young, and the Congregation of Prestonwood Baptist Church

To: Jack Graham


Dear Dr. Graham,

I have a very hard time accepting the fact that you have thrown a member of your church under the bus simply for wanting to know why you never reported John Langworthy to the police after learning of his sexual abuse of his son. As I'm sure you know, reporting knowledge of a sexual crime is mandatory in Texas, and has been since 1971. Since that time, you have been senior pastor of Prestonwood BC while concealing your knowledge of a sexual crime from the public and your congregation, and concealing your own crime of failing to report the sexual abuse of a minor, a class A misdemeanor in Texas. This is not the way a church or the public expects a pastor to behave.

If you truly had any integrity, you would repent of this crime, ask your congregation for their forgiveness, and resign your position. Your actions concerning Chris Tynes and your continued silence regarding this matter speak volumes concerning your character and integrity. Your failure to address this issue leads me to believe that I was completely correct in my assessment of your silence as a means to protect the revenue stream from your congregants.

Rejoice!

"Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her." Isaiah 66:10, NIV


It's Laetare Sunday, a name which means almost nothing to most American Protestants. Laetare is the Latin word for 'rejoice'.

In the midst of the contemplation of our sins and mortality of Lent, Laetare Sunday reminds us of the words of John the Baptist, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world."

A Sunday to rejoice, in the midst of our repentance. After all, what reason would we have to repent were it not for His love bringing our redemption?

Abuse of Power

The Catholic Church is still feeling the after-effects of the priest pedophilia scandal, as the topic is still being brought up around the election of the new Pope. The Notre Dame scandal of Jerry Sandusky's pedophilia  was the lead story on many news outlets for months. But, the same abusers of power trying to hide pedophilia and sexual abuse just like the aforementioned cases are being largely ignored by mainstream media. This has to stop. These stories need to be laid out in the mainstream media so that everyone can look at the evidence and decide what level of involvement they want in churches like these.

Why has Christianity become so Gnostic?

When I speak of Gnosticism here, I mean the idea that one must adhere to certain doctrines and practices outside of accepting the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ being necessary for salvation, not the idea of the Demiurge, though the demonology and spiritual warfare of some groups come close to that Gnostic thought, especially in the amount of power they ascribe to Satan and demons.



It rarely takes more than a few days before I see some post on an internet forum or a blog comment thread from a vehement fundamentalist telling others that they are deceived and that eternal damnation awaits all who disagree. You can even find the Gnostic line of thought in the by-laws and 'membership covenants' of many churches, even though their members may not be spewing their vitriol on the internet. Even without some sort of official membership document, far too many groups use the threat of hell and eternal conscious torment as a tool to enforce obedience, rather than wisely shepherding their members with Love.

Jesus told us to believe in Him. Not Paul, not Calvin nor Arminius, and not a group of 'elders' of a local congregation.

Think I'm wrong going down this line of thought? Let's look at Christ's words in John, Ch. 8.