a hopeful universalist

Is there anything wrong in hoping that someday all of God's creation will experience redemption?  Would it be a bad thing if God were to demonstrate grace, mercy, and love far beyond our wildest dreams?  In other words, is there anything wrong with being a hopeful universalist...  Hoping that one day all people, living and deceased, will be able to join together and proclaim the goodness of the Lord.  For many people, the term 'universalist' or 'universalism' is often linked with a theology that views Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, Vishnu, etc, all on equal ground.  Neither one is greater than the other.  "All paths lead to God," is not what I am stating nor is it what I believe.  Trust me when I state that I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and it is only in and through Jesus that we have any sort of hope for redemption in this life and the next... But again, what if God looks upon His creation, specifically those who never grew to profess 'Jesus Christ as Lord,' and is filled with compassion for them?

In a parable Jesus told, the people were so angry that the owner of the vineyard acted generously to those who had not worked as long as the other workers.  To the workers objection, the vineyard owner replies, "What is it to you if I decide to be overly gracious to the others?"  Would it be so bad if there is a possibility of grace and mercy beyond the grave, even to those whom we deem 'least deserving' or those we would call 'non-Christian?'

I realize I am speaking and pondering on things that are far beyond my intelligence.  I am not branding a machete as I share my thoughts and questions, just thinking 'out loud.'  However, as I think about life, we only continue to live, breath, and exist by the sustaining grace of God.  Therefore, if one is to spend an eternity in hell, does that mean that God offers the damned just enough grace so that they can continue to suffer in the 'flames that are never quenched?'  It is difficult to hold this hand and hand with the person of Jesus.    

Thoughts?  Comments?

ministry life lessons

I remember a professor at Eastern Nazarene telling the graduating 'ministry majors' that, statistically, 50% of us would no longer be serving in a pastoral ministry setting beyond five years out of school.  He believed that history had proven his statement to be a relatively safe bet.  I have heard and read other statistics that claim that the average stay of a Sr. pastor is around 3.5 years while youth pastors average closer to 2 years.  What is scary about a statistic like that is that I feel like I am just recently becoming rooted in the Fort Osage/Independence community and I have been here for 6 years.  And while I am still relatively young and growing as a minister, there are a few things that I have learned over these 6 years and I thought I would share them :-)

1. Rarely does the apple fall far from the tree.  While there are many books, studies, and people that talk about the increasing influence that friends and the media have over the shaping of student's lives, I would strongly argue that parenting still reigns (by far) as the most influential contributer in the shaping and molding of a students development and life.  And while my last name is not Dobson, unstable and inconsistent parenting produces students who develop similar traits in their own life.  It is very rare to look at a student and to be surprised who their parent(s) are.  I am a firm believer that the greatest gift a mother/father can give their child is to model an uncompromising love and commitment towards their spouse along with intentional and involved parenting.

2. Empower others to do the work of the church.  I am still learning the importance of this.  When I started at Fort, I remember I would take it personally if a student gravitated to another adult sponsor and could care less about getting to know me.  Now I celebrate it.  How silly it is of me to think that every student would connect to my personality, interests, and background.  It is essential to empower a team around us to engage in God's work.  God equips all people with unique gifts and it is the church's responsibility to encourage and empower others to utilize their gifts.

3. They won't remember much of what you said.  I am sure this last one is on one of those corny inspirational picture frames with the silhouette of the person climbing a mountain with the sun in the background... But people will only remember a handful of lessons/sermons/discussions.  Instead, they are much more likely to remember the 'heartbeat' of their teacher.  Again, not so much the individual messages, but the 'over the course of several years' heartbeat of what was taught.  There have been many times where I have thought to myself: "I wish I emphasized this more over the last several years," or, "It would be nice to start all over with what I know now."  And while it would be nice to start as a 23 or 25 year old with 50 years of wisdom and experience, it is simply not a possibility.  What I do hope is that over the course of 6 years is that the students have come to know and see my heart and the heart of the youth staff.  I hope that we have demonstrated to them what it looks like to strive to love God and love others.

This list is somewhat random and I am sure if I thought about it some more, I could add to it.  How about you?  What are some things that you have learned that you would like to share?

rob bell's new book

Rob Bell is releasing a new book at the end of March entitled, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. While I have not read the book (obviously), the promotional video suggests that he examines Christianity's traditional understanding of the doctrine of hell.  The opening lines of the video question whether we can know if Ghandi is in heaven or hell.  Bell states that many people believe in a Christian faith where Jesus is the one who saves us from God's wrath... Jesus rescues us from God?  Bell asks, "How could this God ever be considered good?  How could this God ever be trusted?" He goes on to say, "What we believe about heaven and hell ultimately reveals what we believe about the nature of God."  Bell even seems to be questioning the idea that there is anyone in hell at all.

To be quite honest, I have struggled with the traditional understanding of hell ever since I was a teenager.  I remember asking a minister, "what about a small community that lives on a remote island and has never heard the gospel before... what happens to them when they die?"  To my question, the minister promptly responded by quoting Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  And while I don't remember if I spoke up at that moment, I wondered how God could be so unfair and unjust to those whom I felt never had a fair shot.

This past weekend, several people began blogging, tweeting, and writing articles about how Bell has finally, once and for all, broken from orthodox Christianity.  He has been called a heretic and a universalist.  And if there is one thing that I have noticed in the last several years of my life (echoing the thoughts of Jason Boyett), there are few people meaner than Christians who think you are wrong when it comes to your theology and your beliefs.  Some of the most hurtful things ever done to my family have come from the hands and mouths of believers who disagreed with an interpretation of scripture or a political stance.  Why is conversation with those who believe different from us not an option?  Is it any wonder that so many people stereotype Christians as close-minded people who have a lot to say but don't want to hear from you if you disagree with them?  Perhaps it is motivated by a strong conviction to defend what one believes as ‘truth’ in the face of what one believes to be ‘misguiding’ or ‘false.’ 

Either way, what fascinates me is not so much the content of Bell’s new book, though I am very eager to read it, but more so the hateful and condemning dialogue that has so quickly arisen from the hands, mouths, and hearts of believers.

an audience of everyone

There are several people throughout the world, whether they wanted to or not, have become 'Christian celebrities.'  These are people who are either authors, speakers, pastors, evangelists, etc, who are very well known throughout various parts of Christendom.  There are some who seem to welcome and embrace this status while there are some who try to avoid 'celebrity status' at all costs.  While I am at no risk of becoming one of these 'Christian celebrities,' I find myself wrestling with an issue that relates to it.

I can't help it.  When I hear about friends of mine who have been asked to write for certain magazines/books or asked to speak at camps, retreats, conferences, schools, etc, I find myself thinking, "why not me?"  What is it that I lack that I am not sought after for these things? I don't have to think long and hard to realize that there is a deep-rooted pride within me that wants to seen as something and that wants to be known as somebody.  When I am occasionally asked to speak somewhere, why is it that I enjoy it so much when other people find out?  Perhaps it is because there is a large part of my heart that is still trying to seek the approval of others.  God, may my heart seek to give you honor and glory above all others.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts/experiences. 

being real

There is a group of about 8-10 men who meet at my church every Thursday for an hour around lunchtime to gather around God's Word.  Every guy in the room is either retired or works a blue collar job of some sorts.  There is no one in the room who would claim to have any specialized education in the area of theology, ministry, or the scriptures.  While they have been meeting for about three months in a room very close to my office, I had never joined them in their small group despite being invited.  Last Thursday, I decided that I would join the guys for their hour long study/conversation and can I also add that it was one of the most refreshing experiences I have had in awhile.

What was it that I enjoyed so much about this little band of brothers?  The men are quick to confess their utter need and dependence upon Christ.  There is no fluff, no smoke and mirrors that they use to somehow make it look like they have their crap together.  Prayer requests consist of help with meth and alcohol addictions.  I couldn’t help but think that Brennan Manning would thoroughly enjoy a group like this.  There is no ‘scholar’ among them that feels necessary to somehow exalt himself or let it be known that he is the ‘superior Christian’ among the group.

Don’t get me wrong; with a group like this, you will certainly come across some interesting theology and conclusions.  For example, this Thursday we read the entire book of Colossians and discussed its content in one hour… An impossible task.  And this is what I couldn’t help but wonder as the group was coming to a close: what would many of my seminary professors think about what took place in that small group setting?  Would they be disgusted at the lack of proper exegesis?  Would they be disappointed that I did not take more of an authoritative role among the group so I could correct false conclusions?  Would they be able to see that Jesus looks at a group of men like this and is so proud to see his sons seeking his face the only way they know how? 

I have a lot to learn from these men.

"I didn't get much out of worship today"

I overheard someone say that the other day... "I didn't get much out of worship."  I thought about saying something but I am always cautious about coming across as condescending.  This is not the first time that I have heard a statement like this and, in fact, I am sure I have said it at one time or another in my life.  What irks me about a statement like this is the consumeristic nature of the statement... That somehow gathering for worship has become more about gathering to be pampered.  Don't get me wrong, when we come before God in a spirit of worship we will definitely be blessed, but may 'being blessed' never precede our desire and intention to offer up our worship.

And while I may have already beaten the dead horse in previous entries, this is what I find to be a continual pattern in many people's understanding of the worship time, especially in Protestant circles.  We come seeing if the pastor has good insight this week, if the band plays our favorite songs with excellence, if the powerpoint/videos are appealing, and so on.  I wonder if there would be as much 'church hopping' if we ceased to think this way...

A perspective of thanks

I have had a cough for almost a week... one of those coughs where you actually wake yourself up from coughing.  Along with my good friend 'the cough,' I also have a canker sore on the side of my tongue that reminds me of its presence everytime I chew food.  I found myself thinking, "I can't wait until two or three days pass and the cough and the canker sore are gone..."  There is nothing wrong with that sentiment at all.

Then I started thinking about other people, people I know and millions more that I don't, who have many issues I'm sure they wish would go away 'in two or three days' but they will not... People who have terminal illnesses, people who are not able to control their blatter, cancer patients, loneliness, a lack of hope, and so on.  Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy waking up due to a coughing fit or accidently grazing my teeth against the canker sore in my mouth, but may I give thanks that I can walk with my own two feet and go get the 'Oragel.'   May I not forget that I am truly blessed and have much to give thanks for.  Lastly, may it become a pattern of my life to daily give thanks to my God for the simplicities of life... a beating heart, oxygen, a loving wife, and so much more.