Prosperity Gospel

Retired NHL goalie turned theology student Scott Bailie takes on the prosperity Gospel—the idea that God wants to bless you with money and a big house etc.—in a blog post he calls More Pastoral Stupidity. Scott writes in part,

First, go out and find out what “worldview” means. First-century people did not understand money the way you do, or have the same assumptions towards money that you do. There were no banks. There was no ATM’s. There was no interest. You have to understand how they understood money before you can use their writing to substantiate your argument. Investigate how much money a first-century Galilean fisherman would have seen and used in his lifetime. I think the verse about having all of your needs met might take on a different meaning.

Secondly, some how some way, you are going to have to show me prosperity in the lives of Jesus, his disciples, and the early church. Jesus: poor and crucified. I’ll give you a pass because he had to do that whole atonement thing and all, but couldn’t he have at least done it in style? Let’s see, disciples? poor and martyred. Peter? martyred. Paul? poor and martyred. James the brother of Jesus? Killed by the Sanhedrin. Justin the martyr? Well, his name is a small clue. Polycarp, Ignatius, I mean the list goes on and on.

Where is Peter and Paul in Rome living in a large villa with slaves at their beck and call, piles of money all over the floor, living Their Best Life Now? Why was Jesus not the head of the Sanhedrin, or one of the priestly elites? Why was he a poor outsider? Seriously, at some point you are going to have to harmonize the life of Jesus and his followers to what you speak. Where is Paul writing, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified… and of course, how to be rich, healthy, happy, and the most successful people in Corinth“? Where does Peter write: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed…in your finances“? The “prosperity” you preach cannot be found in their lives.

Finally, the priestly elite that Jesus so often clashed heads with, and were largely responsible for his death, were the richest people group in Jerusalem!....

One of the writers of the Bible had this to say to his ‘little children,’ “By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.” There are many ways to do theology badly, but I’m not sure if the plot has been more lost by any other group. You can’t get much further than turning the enemies of Jesus and their lifestyle into the “Gospel.”

I once preached on a related theme in the sermon The Inside-Out Gospel. Jesus wanted a fuller, more rewarding life for you. That's why he said that he came that we might have life and have it abundantly. But did Jesus define an abundant life as one in which you have a lot of money, a big house, an expensive car, etc.? Jesus seems more interested in a flourishing life that is not all about having more and better stuff.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Note:
Today's religion column for the Tribune & Georgian is now online here: How to Be a Genuine Imitation

Abandoning God?

At his blog, biblical scholar Dr. Jim West lists a favorite question of his from scripture to say why Jeremiah is one of his favorite books of the Bible,

Jeremiah gets pride of place because of sentences like this one: כה אמר יהוה מה־מצאו אבותיכם בי עול כי רחקו מעלי וילכו אחרי ההבל ויהבלו׃.

Indeed! Oh, sorry, that’s Jeremiah 2:5, in English Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves?

Now that’s a good question! What’s wrong with God, that you abandon him?

Jeremiah knows that when we wander away from God, we are wandering after worthless things and making ourselves worthless in the process. In what ways do people abandon God? For Jeremiah the answer was in chasing after idols and other gods. But it is clear that Jim feels the question is still relevant and I agree with him. We still can pursue worthless things even if they are not actual idols made to represent other gods. Right?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Worship, Discipleship, Mission

Picking up from yesterday's post on the changing ethos of Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia, here is a look at what their pastor the Rev. Rick Lord has to say about the three hallmarks of their rhythm of life—Worship, Discipleship and Mission:

On worship, that foundational element of the Christian life, he quotes N.T. Wright from Simply Christian in saying "You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on the character of the object of your worship" and then he writes of worship

In the Anglican tradition, worship includes two corporate practices: the Daily Office and the Eucharist, gathering in community to celebrate God through Scripture and the Breaking of the Bread. Worship also includes personal practices of silence, solitude, sacred reading, practices that enable us to live in conscious awareness of God's presence and to strive in concrete ways to bring healing and justice to the world God is redeeming.

Of the life of discipleship he writes:

Another word for "discipleship" is "practice." When we use the term “practice” we mean all the things we do together and individually as a way of paying attention to God and maturing in our identity as followers of Christ. They include being part of a Christian community, and taking part in its life and mission. They include worship, Christian formation, deeds of hospitality and compassion, and being nourished by faithful friendships in small groups and larger gatherings. They include personal forms of prayer and Bible study. And they include loving what God loves through the practice of compassion and justice in the world.

Then of mission he writes,

Christ, who is charged with restoring all things to wholeness, looks to his followers to corporately and individually, be his agents in their places of work, their homes, and their local, national and international communities. I believe that the primary form of mission does not simply involve the expenditure of a congregation's time or money. It most likely will include that, but the heart of mission is exercised by individuals and groups using their gifts and motivated abilities in their own unique vocations to make a difference in the world.

All of this could seem like too much to do, but it is not intended to. Rick writes,

It's sounds overwhelming but we're not talking about adding another life on to the one we already have. One is enough. But it underscores the need for a rhythm of life—one that is realistic yet pulls us in a new direction. A rhythm of life provides us with the encouragement we need to get on the path of intentional practice and the loving accountability we need to keep us there. We create the facilitating conditions necessary for learning the mind of Christ. Rowan Williams has it right, "Discipleship is not an intermittent state; it’s a relationship that continues."

You can read all he has to say on these three areas at his blog, Would of Your Making.

I think what he is aiming for is not a congregation with busier lives, but with richer, more fulfilling lives through meeting God each day in the balance that comes from finding a sustainable rhythm of life.

I'm not prepared to jump into changing the ethos of King of Peace as I like the groove we have even as admire the more intentional work that Rick is doing with his congregation.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Changing the Rhythm of Life

At World of Your Making, the Rev. Rick Lord is writing of his church's plan for passing on the faith and deepening the level of discipleship. He writes

Benedict described his Rule as the Opus Dei, “the work of God.” That work was to be organized around a daily rhythm of Prayer, Study, and Labor. At Holy Comforter, we’ve adapted the Rule for our community and state the rhythm as a balance between practices of Worship (praying the prayer of Christ), Discipleship (learning the mind of Christ), and Mission (doing the deeds of Christ). Living into this ancient yet modern rhythm, we are enabled to respond to the radical center of Jesus' call—to love God with our whole being, to love our neighbors as well as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).

The reason for patterning their way of life following the ancient pattern that Benedict of Nursia set for the earliest religious communities is given by the Rev. Brian Taylor in his book, Spirituality for Everyday Living: An Adaptation of the Rule of St. Benedict

In ordering one’s life according to a form of spirituality that thousands of people have lived with and found freedom in for fifteen hundred years, one has a better chance of growing in grace than through any lifestyle one could dream up on one’s own.

The plan for Holy Comforter is create a change of ethos in the congregation so that this balanced life becomes the norm.

Ethos is the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group as well as the character or disposition of a community, group, or person. With that true, I find it a bold plan to announce a change of ethos for a group. And yet, such a change would have to be intentional and well understood. This is why Rick writes,

Ingrained habits keep us from changing the way we are, and making the time necessary for us to live in obedience to our baptismal promises. The secret to making changes is the strength found in joining forces with others who have a similar hunger and desire to live the way of Jesus in the here and now.

He is well aware how difficult it will be to change the dominant way of being in the congregation, yet he is taking up the task.

What do y'all think? Is this a good idea? How might King of Peace and other churches be more intentional about discipleship? How can we encourage one another to more fully pattern our lives from the Gospel?

peace,
Frank+
The rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Just for Laughs

Praise the Lord!
There was a little old lady who was very spiritual who would step out on her porch every day, raise her arms to the sky and yell "Praise the Lord." One day, an atheist bought the house next door to her, and he became very irritated with the spiritual lady. So after a month or so of her yelling, "Praise the Lord" from her porch, he went outside on his porch and yelled back, "There is no Lord." Yet, the little old lady continued.

One cold, wintry day, when the little old lady couldn't get to the store, she went out on her porch, raised her hands up to the sky and said, "Help me Lord, I have no more money, it's cold, and I have no more food."

The next morning, she went outside, and there were three bags of food on the porch, enough to last her a week. "Praise the Lord," she yelled. The Atheist stepped out from the bushes and said, "There is no Lord! Ha- ha- ha! I bought those groceries!" The little old lady raised her arms to the sky and said, "Praise the Lord, you sent me groceries and you made the Devil pay for them!"

Grateful

Today is the seventh anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. In some ways, that day doesn't seem so long ago. It feels like the Bishop was just wondering aloud at the service if the laying on of hands would "take" given all my curly hair. But then again, I have less of that hair now and more of it is gray. There is also the picture here of the service reminding me that the sanctuary in which I was ordained is gone. I was ordained at Trinity Episcopal Church in Statesboro, the church that sponsored me in seminary. The church building alongside the Georgia Southern campus in which I was ordained has since sold and been demolished. The new church building sits on the bypass and has for more than a few years now.

I recall Canon Bob Carter's sermon that day in which he challenged me to be the person of Word and Sacrament God called me to be. There were some days after that sermon, when I was killing a rattlesnake at the church (seven so far), or chopping down pine trees on our grounds, or ripping out a wall in the house that was once home to King of Peace, when I would wonder about what all that had to do with Word and Sacrament. But the answer was that those actions had plenty to do with what Bob charged me with that day. The Bishop would tell me along the way that he couldn't afford for me to find out what a priest did for a living, because he needed me doing what I was doing.

I think too of all the wonderful things that I have been able to see happen here in Kingsland in those seven years. I know that much of it is what God got done in spite of me rather than because me, but I'm grateful for all of it. Grateful for the many opportunities to preach, to celebrate communion, the baptisms, weddings, and funerals I have been honored to be a part of. It's been a lifetime of good memories these seven years. There have been tough times too. But without those, the positive things we have seen happen in the lives of people in our church and community would hold little meaning.

And mostly, I am grateful that this isn't a farewell speach, but an anniversary. I'd like to think that I have at least figured out what I am to do as a priest. I have never forgotten the person of Word and Sacrament Bob Carter reminded me I was called to be. I know that the coming year will bring many more adventures in Word and Sacrament. And I know that there will be more for which I will be grateful when this anniversary comes back around next fall.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Power for the Forgiving

Victoria and I just finished putting on a spirituality retreat with the help of the Rev. Linda McCloud. The first of three Journey to Wholeness retreats we are holding at Honey Creek, this one was called Power for the Forgiving and centered on how to forgive other and ourselves for the hurts in our lives.

The event was wall attended and everyone seemed to benefit from the program and the time at Honey Creek. Our thanks go to Harry Jenkins, the camp's interim director, and his staff, for taking such excellent care of us.

The next retreat is coming up November 30 and December 1. That retreat will looking at your shadow self and how you can find hidden strengths within you. We'll provide the spiritual tools and biblical insight to help make that happen. More information is online at kingofpeace.org/journeytowholeness.

Below are some pictures of the weekend, click on any photo to see a larger version of it.

Linda McCloud teaching on forgiveness

Judy Carter tells about faithbooking

Taize worship service by candlelight on Friday

Bill, Gil and Melodie with morning coffee

Breakfast in the Reese Dining Hall

Walking the labyrinth

Victoria serves the chalice for our closing communion service

Christus Rex
—this Christ the King carving is in the chapel at Honey Creekpeace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Set Free

In this weekend's Gospel reading, Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for 18 years and is blasted for it as he healed her on the Sabbath. Pastor Bruce Makenzie has written about talking through this passage with a congregation and it went like this:

"What in your own experience might cause a woman to be bent over for eighteen years?"

A woman in the crowd quickly replied, "Her children! Eighteen years is the minimum sentence parenthood brings."

Another woman spoke up and said: "Don't forget her husband. She was probably permanently bent over from picking up his dirty socks for thirty years."

Still another woman said: "Maybe she was tired of working like a slave for minimum wage or even tired of working like a slave at home for no wages at all."

"Or, perhaps, every time she held her head up and tried to be somebody, the people around her—both male and female—did all they could to deflate and diminish her again."

There are lots of ways, both physical and emotional that can bend some over for 18 years of suffering. And Jesus, who came to fulfill the Law of Moses rather than do away with it, is much more concerned about this woman and her needs than the needs of the holier-than-thou set to keep things under control. We see here Jesus doing what Jesus always did, breaking down barriers to reach people with healing and peace that comes only from God.

He is attacked for healing the woman, but as men and women sat separately in the synagogue and didn't speak to one another there, the fact that he has spoken those words to her, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment" is also a problem. The fact that it worked only makes things worse from one perspective.

In this reading we see how much Jesus wants those in bondage/suffering/forgotten to be released/set free/made whole. Jesus cared more for the woman in need than for those who would be upset. The desire of his heart was to set her free. Last night and through this early afternoon, I am working with others to lead a forgiveness retreat at Honey Creek. I pray that the same release from long term suffering will be possible in the lives of the participants. I know Jesus wants us all set free, able to stand straight once again.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

The Olive Branch

The latest issue of our newsletter, The Olive Branch is now online and will be available for pick up at church this Sunday and will go into the mail next week. Click on the picture at left for the PDF version.

Live the little of the Gospel you have understood

Why did I hesitate, asking for time to look after my own affairs? Once I had pit my hand to the plough, why did I look back? And yet, though I had never seen you, I loved you, perhaps not as I would have liked to, but I did love you. Christ Jesus, you were suggesting to me, “Live the very little of the Gospel that you have understood; proclaim my life among humanity; come and follow me.”

Until one day, returning to the source, I understood. You were asking me to commit myself to the point of no return.

—Brother Roger of Taizé (1915-2005)

Note:
Twenty-seven participants have registered for the first of three Journey to Wholeness Retreats that runs from this evening at six through two tomorrow afternoon. We will sing Taizé music at both our evening prayer tonight and our closing Eucharist tomorrow. The retreats are being held at Honey Creek. Information on the upcoming retreats is found here: Journey to Wholeness.

Our Heroes Have Always Been Episcopalian

Did you know that many of the first super heroes were Episcopalians? I didn't either until I found my way to an online chart of the Religion of comic book characters. While their list isn't full of Episcopalians and Anglicans alone, the site notes,

"The original creators of comics, 60 or 70 years ago, were almost all Jewish and Italian kids from various parts of New York," notes DC Comics Executive Vice President and Publisher Paul Levitz. "And the characters they created were pseudo-whitebread Episcopalian. It was almost de rigueur back then to paint people in this idealized American image."

This in a world of science fiction and the like where God is rarely mentioned. An early exception involved two Episcopal super heroes, The Invisible Woman and the Human Torch. This brother/sister pair got to see God. The site above says of this

This occurred after Susan's husband Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) was forced to shoot and kill their long-time friend and partner Ben Grimm ("The Thing"), who was possessed by the consciousness of Doctor Doom and was about to kill Susan's brother, Johnny Storm ("The Human Torch"). Reed Richards rebuilt a machine that Doctor Doom had created many years before for accessing the afterlife. Susan Storm Richards accompanied Reed Richards and Johnny Storm as they journeyed to Heaven where they were able to find Ben and get him to return to life on Earth with them.

And then there is Jean Grey, aka Marvel Girl of the X-Men. On board from X-Men #1 in 1963, she was an Episcopalian with a brother who was a priest. The site says of her,

In the famous "Dark Phoenix" storyline, Jean Grey is said to have sacrificed her own life so that the world could be saved. A number of writers have described interesting parallels between these events and the New Testament account of the Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. These stories are not exact parallels, however, because Jean Grey's character, under the influence of the Phoenix, had a dual nature and evil/destructive component which is not present in the New Testament account of Jesus.

By way of our Anglican heritage, Episcopalians can also lay claim to the first masked avenger as the Rev. Dr. Christopher Syn was a character created two decades before Superman. A hero rather than super hero (he had no powers), Syn dates from a 1915 novel. He was probably the first in the line of costumed crusaders and a good role model for Priest, the decidedly Roman Catholic character in the two comic books I have framed on my office wall (one is pictured here at right).

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Now or Later?

I have often said that I don't believe in Jesus for the sake of fire insurance. My faith is not merely for the purpose of obtaining a Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Card. So I liked this quote I ran across from evangelist Tony Campolo:

Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?

I am more and more convinced each day that I would. Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited about the afterlife. We are going to party like there’s no tomorrow (umm, and there won’t be). And yet I am convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live.

So what about you? Is faith for the hereafter or for now? "Both" is an easy answer, but which matters more to you?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Imprecatory prayer?

The L.A. Times carried an article, Buena Park pastor asks followers to pray for the death of his critics. The article says,

Drake said Wednesday he was "simply doing what God told me to do" by targeting Americans United officials Joe Conn and Jeremy Leaming, whom he calls the "enemies of God."

"God says to pray imprecatory prayer against people who attack God's church," he said. "The Bible says that if anybody attacks God's people, David said this is what will happen to them. . . . Children will become orphans and wives will become widows."

The problem that leads to the "imprecatory prayers" is that the pastor is in a pickle with the IRS for endorsing a candidate on his church letterhead and during a church- affiliated radio show. Obviously, he can endorse anyone he would like and do so using the church's letterhead etc. He just can't do that and continue to be tax exempt. So now he wants God to smite the liberal leaning guys who blew the whistle on the endorsement.

Two things about the episode intrigued me. First, Jesus taught that we are to love our enemies. Now we have well covered here at Irenic Thoughts that this is not an excuse to remain in an abusive situation, such as spouse abuse. Jesus was teaching about those who will persecute you for your faith in him. Jesus said,

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If the Rev. Wiley Drake thinks he is being wrongly persecuted because of his faith in Jesus, he should be rejoicing, not calling for the deaths of those who are wronging him. I would suggest that he try praying Bless them, change me.

The other thing I note is that he doesn't believe in the separation of church and state, but wants the state to keep its nose out of his church business. That sounds more than a little contradictory to me. Remember, it was the people of faith who wanted a separation of church and state. It wasn't that the state wanted the divide. The separation of church and state was devised by people of strong faith who wanted the state to keep out of their religious lives. Church's didn't want one state-sponsored church to determine all there was to know about following Jesus (or Buddha or Mohamed as the case may be).

The pastor can choose one of two ways to handle political endorsement: either allow the tax-exempt status to drop and endorse away or not put the church's imprimatur on his own political choice. Both disbelieving in the separation of church and state and wanting the state to keep their hands off his tax-exempt status is not an option.

For another take on this read Ben Wetherington's Pastor approves cursing your enemies. He does a good job of handling the biblical interpretation issues in the statements of the pastor.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Ship of Fools

I hadn't dropped in at the Ship of Fools site lately to visit it's unique blend of the helpful (such as their Mystery Worshipper) to the kitchy (Gadgets for God). I popped in to find the Soccer Jesus (at right) which is one of the latest Gadget additions was created and is offered online by wearefishermen.com. It's meant to be inspirational, but I think the action figure falls flat by combining a crown of thorns wearing Jesus with an impressive overhead scissor kick. The manufacturer also offers Jesus riding a motorcycle, or holding a sign saying "will work 4 food." To me, they end up making Jesus look corny or hokey instead of cool. Rather than inspirational, they are foolish, so a good fit for the Ship of Fools which pokes fun at the pious.

You may want to visit Ship of Fools Biblical Curse Generator and the Hello Pastor answering machine message.

And if Ship of Fools seems silly, try the Reuters story Priest fined for early morning bell-ringing.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Creation Work

Creation rhythms get inside us through the act of worship in place and time. Worship is the primary means by which we immerse ourselves in the rhythms and stories of God’s work, get a feel for proper work, creation work....

When we walk out of the place of worship we walk with fresh, recognizing eyes and a re-created, obedient heart into the world in which we are God’s image participating in God’s creation work.

-Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Pool Party

The seventh annual pool party was a success. We had a great turn out, the food was good, the company pleasant and the weather was perfect. Click on any photo below to see a larger version of the picture.

Honey Creek's screened pool on a perfect day


Flipping out


Zachary throws the ball and Miriam walks on water

The take off

Rachel Swims

Max jumps in

Victoria at the grill


Shannon eats lunch and deacon Jennifer puts on a happy face

Hanging out talking by the pool


Kali and Joe enjoying lunch

Cooking out alongside the pool.