The Organ of Meaning

The organization that I minister with is, relatively speaking, huge… we’re active in 191 countries (I’m still amazed that there are that many countries at all) and have 25,000 staff members. I am always impressed at how honest our leadership is with our shortcomings. Just this month the Vice-President of the Americas wrote up a response to a question about our organizational strengths and weaknesses; I was far less interested in what he had to say about our strengths as I was in the weaknesses. This is what he summed it up with:

I’d say we need to have a humble attitude, knowing that we’re just a part of God’s overall plan. And, also, we need to be willing to push the outer-limits of what He’s called us to do.

This is interesting because this is pretty much what my answers would have been. I’m thankful that the leadership of our organization is actually aware of it and addressing those issues.

If I would have answered that question, I would have gone into more specifics about where we’re not “pushing the envelope”, but it would have just been where that is true where I am working. Also, most of the field staff (myself included) are painfully aware of the damage that those who have gone before us have caused with the overdone pride in our organization and our methods - because we’re constantly working to repair damaged relationships with other organizations.

Thank you leaders, you’re doing a good job!

This weekend is another conference for me. I’m running PowerPoint and video yet again and I’m having a pretty good time doing it too. The conference is a regional conference for Impact - an “ethnic student ministry” associated with the organization that I work with. Impact primarily focuses on reaching out to and building up African American students on college campuses.

I am learning a lot about where our ministry is falling short on being more effective on campus… for example, partnerships with local churches are something that Impact does a great job with; and something we do not. I’m hoping to have some opportunity to work more in partnership with Impact locally here in the DC area (did I say that we’ve pretty much decided to stay in the Washington area for at least another year) - even if it’s just helping to train and disciple some of the students on their campuses.

One of the things about Impact is the fact that they don’t have staff on campuses, they depend on the students they work with to be the ones doing the ministry on their campuses and coach them over the phone. Yet, it’s has been very effective… students can do ministry! But, one of the shortcomings of this strategy is the lack of people who can interact one-on-one and face-to-face (I like hyphens (and parethesis)) - we’re hoping that we’ll be able to help out and fill some of that void.

The more I’ve done with the technology side of my job, the more I find that I am enjoying it and am pretty good at it. I sent a note of proposal to the boss above me who can make calls like that (I know that what I can do is something that our region needs).

I’d love to be able to see our organization more efficient because we’re all learning how to use our technology to make things work smoother. I need to work on my discipline before I can move more full time to a spot where tech stuff is my full time job - that and I needto figure out how I can do that and still be able to interact with students which is something that I’m not yet willing to give up.

I get excited when I am able to get myself set up to do things more efficiently using technology - especially when it’s free!

I don’t really know anything about Lou Dobbs, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t get it.

During my morning browsing of the news and my blog reading I came across an article from Dobbs who apparently has his own show on CNN (sorry, no cable here). He talks a lot about how people of faith and religious institutions are “encroaching” upon politics on the whole. He seems to understand that the constitution does not protect the Government from being influenced by the church, but that its protection runs the other way - that the Government cannot prohibit or endorse any specific religious view. He states it this way:

Our Constitution protects religion from the intrusion or coercion of the state. But we have precious little protection against the political adventurism of all manner of churches and religious organizations.

He goes on to talk about leaders in specific faiths speaking out on different sides of issues, he brings in more than just the traditional Religious Right in his criticism; not just James Dobson, but Jim Wallace, and LA’s Cardinal Mahoney as well, and a number of other political movements that are catching Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. He references primarily the disagreement within Evangelical circles on the stance of immigration.

And then he quotes scripture with the best of them:

The Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners Magazine put it this way: “If given the choice on this issue between Jesus and Lou Dobbs, I choose my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”

But before the faithful acquiesce in the false choice offered by the good Reverend, perhaps he and his followers should consult Romans 13, where it is written: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

This is where its obvious that he definitely does not get it. That verse make sense only in light of it talking about human government. Dobbs seems to want to make it mean that people of faith should not have anything to do with politics at all. It does not say, “Submit yourself to the governing authorities, which are never ever going to be you, so don’t have anything to do with human government…” This stance that is taken by Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as other religious sects is a horrible misunderstanding of the scripture. We have at least 4 gigantic examples of people who were God’s in positions of extraordinary power:

1. Joseph, who was “second only to Pharaoh”.
2. Daniel, who was an adviser to more than one king.
3. Ruth Esther, who changed an entire nation’s policy regarding ethnic cleansing.
4. Nehemiah, a bodyguard and adviser to the king of Persia.

This doesn’t even get into the kings of Israel, the believers that Paul found in Cesar’s household, Epaphroditus who was one of the overseers of Ephesus or Moses who was brought up in the household of the Pharaoh. If there was something in the US Constitution that banned people of faith from being a part of governing the land then we might need to have this conversation and debate over it, but don’t read to me scripture and try to tell me that it’s asking me ignore politics. And don’t try to insinuate that people are “rebelling” against authority just because they are upset with our current policies!

Do we forget the wonderful contributions of people who were strong in faith that changed the very face of our political and social understanding for what is undoubtedly better? What about Martin Luther King Jr. who fought for equal rights and treatment for all Americans who quotes scripture in his famous speeches?

…and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

These are two of the larger quotes that he uses, not to mention the numerous two and three word phrases that he uses that are obviously rooted in his profession as a Baptist preacher.

And let’s not forget Susan B. Anthony or Frances Willard who were two of the most important members of the first wave of American feminism who acquired the right to vote for women in the US. Anthony even attended a seminary for a number of years.

Dobbs did bring up one thing that is more than a little disheartening for me. He references the Land Letter:

Five evangelical Christian leaders signed the “Land Letter” to President Bush in 2002 affirming a Christian theological basis to invade Iraq.

The reason this statement is disheartening is because I thought that I remembered that one of the signers of this letter was Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (my employer) and at that time he was also the president of the organization. It’s disheartening to know that Dr. Bright, who I respect enormously, would step out as the leader of the organization and sign something that encourages the current war in Iraq. CCC has, in every case that I know of (other than this one), never taken a stand on a political issue this charged and this completely unrelated to its mission of bringing the Gospel to every person. Though the letter’s support has been negated by a number of factors:

• It was not the ‘last resort’.
• There was no evidence of ‘headlong pursuit and development of biochemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction’.
• No evidence of ‘harboring al-Qaeda terrorists’.
• The goals are obviously not ‘limited’. (Didn’t “major combat operations” end years ago?)
• It is doubtful that it will meet the ‘criteria of proportionality—the human cost on both sides would be justified by the intended outcome’.

Lou Dobbs makes a single good point - there is disagreement between people of the same faith on what is the correct approach to matters of politics; what policy to back and how to do it. But that is one of the beautiful things about the Christian faith (and many other religions) is that, apart from a few non-negotiables, there is freedom of discussion and opinion within a wide range of issues. Dobbs would do good to read the next two chapters in Romans where Paul allows for freedom of conscience on non-essential issues, but calls us all to act out of care for other above and beyond care for ourselves.

So, this past Thursday was my last day on campus in Western PA.

I’m still believing that we’ll be back after our year in Washington DC, but it’s still a little odd and sad. The thing that struck me on Wednesday night was that for the first time in nine years I won’t be spending any time in Edinboro this fall. Edinboro has grabbed up and influenced almost a decade of my life.

The past nine years has seen me begin to take my faith seriously, I met my wife as well as my best friend, I earned a degree in Communication Theory, I went into “the ministry”, I got married, moved out of Erie county for the first time. I’ve had 13 addresses, 8 phone numbers, my dad got married, my mom and step-dad moved to North Carolina, my Grandma Merry and Papa Bob died as well as my uncle Ken. I lost a roommate as well.

I picked up a new sport (or three), I moved away from the particulars of my childhood faith, I bought my first car, I’ve driven across the country twice, I’ve poured into countless lives and I’ve talked to at least 10 people while they worked through a decision to pursue a closer relationship with their Creator.

I’ve seen a whole lot happen - 9/11, a new war, Katrina, Virginia Tech, the Indian Ocean Tsunami & Columbine.

I’m very much looking forward to a year outside of Western Pennsylvania as well as the next 9 or 10 years. Except the next part involves me turning 30. Gurk.