The United Methodist Map

This map is a little bit old (through 2007) now, but still very cool. This is where the United Methodists are. In most of the other countries - especially in the Western Hemisphere, in Europe, Austrailia & Indonesia and India & its neighbors - there are autonomous Methodist Churches that are in full communion with the United Methodist Church, yet not a part of our structure (yet).

Consumerist Economy or Kingdom of Life?

A couple weeks ago, I was sent this outstanding article about Mr. Obama's recent speech at Georgetown University addressing issues of the economy. Below are several quotations that convey much of the meat of the argument. I believe that this author (a professor at Georgetown) has "hit the nail on the head" in his analysis of our collective problems in the US.

Yesterday our President spoke at length about the economy at the school at which I teach, Georgetown University. A nominally Catholic University, it might rightly have been the place where a new vision for a humane economy might have been advanced. It might have been a stage on which the great teachings of the Catholic tradition about an economy that is subordinate to concerns about commonweal based upon a true understanding of human nature and natural limits might have been advanced - rather than a stage on which the symbols of Jesus Christ were obscured so not to disturb the viewing audience from any inconvenient symbol of the actual Messiah.

Widely touted as an opportunity for the President to lay out a new vision for the economic future of the nation, instead it was a commitment to do more of the same, albeit with more centralized control and command, with an aim to “restoring” an economy whose sole purpose is to generate a wasteland of consumerism, debt-driven distraction, endless hedonic opportunities and the destruction of human communities everywhere in the name of efficiency, meritocracy and opportunity...

...We have replaced an actual economy with this “bubble” economy because of a deep, pervasive, and wholly unjustified expectation that we deserved to live as well or better than that “greatest generation” who happened to live in a time of extraordinary and exceptional (and temporary) national wealth. In that decade or two after World War II, America attained a remarkable position in the world, with its industrial machinery wholly intact and ready to roll, a national and worldwide market poised to buy American goods, and a resource base that appeared to be limitless...

...And so, we are told, our current economic crisis is due to a few bad loans made by a few bad eggs who work on Wall Street. What is neglected in this explanation is a broader and deeper perspective: our current crisis is due to the fact that we have, as a civilization, refused to live within our means - and the means afforded us by the natural world - over roughly the past 50 years. Mistaking a temporary glut of post-war wealth and resource plenty as a permanent condition, we are told by our leaders - indeed, we demand of them that they tell us - that we can continue to have it all, costless plenitude. Yet these past thirty-odd years of our “economy” have been one in which we have maintained our wealth simultaneously by transferring the accumulated national wealth abroad, importing oil and debt, while refusing to face the mounting costs of this exercise...

Might there be an alternative to continuing the cycle of greed, self-indulgence and dissatisfaction? Pray God that they Church may cry aloud: "Yes! the very symbols of the Cross and IHS (that were concealed while the President spoke), they point us toward a more excellent way!"

It wasn't just corporate greed that got us here. It was just plain greed. One of the seven deadly sins according to the Christian tradition...but then traditional religion is just some pre-modern backward way of thinking with no relevance to the real world...or so we thought.
Yes, our collective greed has led to this crisis. We, 'the People', are responsible: we have been living above our means for years, and we have been listening to one commercial after another that tells us that it is somehow our 'right' to do so. Maybe we should critically re-examine the meaning and use of that word.

So given that our debts are totally out of control already, I wonder if "getting the banks lending again" is just what we really need? I mean is taking on even more debt going to help us get out of this crisis?

Maybe we should try something else: Joy

I believe we Christians are called in these circumstances to a renewed commitment to simple living, and to finding and sharing deep joy and freedom - not from stuff - but in prayer and communion with the living God and his people.

Angels and Demons: Review

Last night I saw the new Dan Brown movie, Angels and Demons, and I wanted to share just a couple thoughts with anyone who might be thinking of seeing it.

First off, I must say that this movie is about 6000 times better than The DaVinci Code movie. Now perhaps if I had read the book first (as I foolishly did for DaVinci) I might think differently, but this time I just enjoyed the movie. It is a good deal different than that other book/movie. First of all, the plot is not premised upon ideas that are an offense to the orthodox Christian faith (i.e. we must worship a goddess along with God, Jesus was married and his bloodline is still around, the Bible and orthodoxy were invented by the Emperor Constantine, etc.). Secondly, the movie is actually exciting.

The basic premise: someone - apparently an anti-Vatican secret society called the Illuminati, has stolen an anti-matter device and threatens to blow up the Vatican (think James Bond) only days after the pope suddenly and mysteriously died. Even as the Cardinals gather for conclave, several of the frontrunners for the papal job are kidnapped and will be put to death each hour by the mysterious Illuminati at hidden locations in Rome.

Fortunately, the famous symbolologist Professor Langdon is in town and he thinks he can find the hidden "churches" of the Illuminati in Rome. So he starts digging through the archives of the Vatican to find clues in manuscripts, art, and architecture that lead him from one secret Illuminati church to the next (think: National Treasure) in hopes of arriving in time to save the missing Cardinals from horrible deaths and the Vatican itself from being vaporised by the explosion of the anti-matter device!
There are some cool plot-twists (and some annoying plot holes) in this thriller in which you never really know whom you can trust (besides Tom Hanks, of course) - and just when you think you know who the good and the bad and the ugly are, the plot twists everything around.

How is it's portrayal of Christianity? Basically neutral, though there is a lot that could be construed as a negative assessment of Roman Catholicism in particular (political maneuvering among church prelates, embarrasing historical incidents are presented in simplistic form - i.e. Galileo). And the bad guy turns out to be a Catholic religious fanatic (go figure) - perhaps contributing to a general inarticulate distrust of "religion" in our culture. On the other hand, there are some positive clerical characters and some profoundly true and wise statements uttered from the mouths of clergymen (although some of them are called into question when we learn who the 'heavy' is).

The movie takes an admirable stab at presenting the message "faith and science do not have to be enemies, they can work together," but sadly does little more than make the assertion a couple times, rather than exploring what that might mean even a little bit (though that might be too much to expect from a movie). At any rate, it is an enjoyable movie that could function as a conversation starter on some of these issues.

Wesley and Eastern Orthodoxy

Here is a fabulous article by Randy Maddox tracing the similarities between much of Wesley's theology and that of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It goes through a brief sketch of a Wesleyan systematic theology - highlighting similiarities and differences on such issues as Trinity, Human Nature/the Fall, Grace and Cooperation, Christology, the nature of Salvation, and the role of the Spirit and the Sacraments.

As you will see below, the article argues that Wesley is simply a very earnest Anglican theologian in his approach, and it is precisely this typically Anglican approach that has led him to be more influenced by the Early Greek Fathers than is common in much of the Western Tradition (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Reformed theology), even among Anglicans he stands out in this respect.

One part of the essay that was especially intriguing was the suggestion that Wesley's views on grace and freewill may have as much - or more - to do with Greek theologians than they have to do with Jacob Arminius. I long ago ceased calling myself an "Arminian" on this question because it seemed to me that the views I held were much more ancient than that.

It has been said that, at its best, Methodist theology represents a 'centrist' or 'bridge' position within Christian thought, and this gathering together of various elements of the whole Church tradition (Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed, Charismatic and Evangelical) has always been a big part of my attraction to Anglicanism in general and Wesleyanism in particular.

There is always the temptation to pick one element to emphasize at the expense of the others, and so, it is helpful to read essays like this one to remind us of the wonderful gift Wesleyans have to offer to the church (especially to ecumenical conversations) and the world. Below is included the introductory section of Maddox's essay:


Asbury Theological Journal 45.2 (1990): 29–53

JOHN WESLEY AND EASTERN ORTHODOXY:
Influences, Convergences, and Differences
For: Albert C. Outler

Randy L. Maddox

John Wesley’s overall theological orientation has proven to be surprisingly hard to classify. The debate about his “place” in the Christian tradition began during his lifetime and has continued through the whole of Wesley scholarship.

Given his Western Christian location, this debate has generally focused on whether Wesley is more “Protestant” or more “Catholic.” Early studies generally assumed that he was Protestant,but differed over which branch of Protestantism he more nearly resembled or depended upon. Some argued strongly that he was best construed in terms of the Lutheran tradition. Others advocated a more Reformed Wesley. Most assumed that such general designations must be further refined. Thus, there were readings of Wesley in terms of Lutheran Pietism or Moravianism, English (Reformed) Puritanism, and the Arminian revision of the Reformed tradition.

Dominantly Protestant readings of Wesley proved to be inadequate. There were clearly typical “catholic” themes in his thought and practice as well. Indeed, there have been several appreciative readings of Wesley from the Roman Catholic tradition. These counter-readings of Wesley have increasingly led Wesley scholars to speak of a Protestant/Catholic synthesis in Wesley’s theology.

Such a Protestant/Catholic synthesis should have been expected, given Wesley’s Anglican affiliation and training—and Anglicanism’s self-professed goal of being a Via Media. Indeed, some recent Wesley interpreters argue that he was simply an “Anglican theologian in ernest.” This reading of Wesley would seem to be the most adequate so far.

At the same time, the unique nature of Anglicanism has suggested a related reading of Wesley that deserves more consideration. Early Anglican theologians did not mediate directly between contemporary Protestantism and Catholicism. Rather, they called for a recovery of thefaith and practice of the first four centuries of the Christian church. Since this early tradition antedated the later divisions, they believed its recovery would provide a more authentic mediating position. In the process of this project they reintroduced an awareness of many early theologians—particularly Greek writers—who had been lost from Western Christian consciousness.

Even a cursory reading of Wesley shows that these recovered early Greek theological voices were important to him. This influence is particularly evident in some of those convictions that have been at the heart of the debate over his distinctive “place”. Since these early Greek theologians remain normative for the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the possibility that Wesley should be read in terms of this tradition, or as a bridge between Eastern and Western Christianityhas begun to receive scattered attention. The goal of this essay is to collect and summarize the suggestions of those contributing to this investigation; thereby, increasing general awareness of this perspective on Wesley’s theology...

Click here for the whole essay.

New Anglican Province (ACNA) update

The emerging body, The Anglican Church in North America, has recently announced that 28 dioceses and dioceses-in-formation will comprise the new church when it meets to ratify its canons and constitution next month (June 22-25) in Bedford, TX.

Numerous ecumenical guests will be on hand including prominent evangelical pastor Rick Warren, and Metropolitan Jonah, the Archbishop of Washington and New York and the Metropolitan of All America and Canada for the Orthodox Church in America who will both address the conference. CLICK here for more

Also, the newly formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has recently been recognized by the Anglican Province of Nigeria, which has declared itself to be in full communion with ACNA, as the latter is deemed to be a legitimate Anglican Province. Go here for more. Nigeria represents about a quarter of the world's Anglicans, so this move is pretty significant.

Study: Unchurched prefer traditional church buildings

Here is something to keep in mind next time your church wants to build a new facility: according to a study conducted by Lifeway Research, unchurched people prefer traditional-looking church architecture to the more modern "mall" look that has been adopted by many evangelical or "seeker sensitive" churches.

Unchurched/non-Christian subjects of the study were asked to rate the appeal of several churches. They preferred the most traditional, a gothic, "cathedral-style", church to several other designs, some quite 'contemporary,' by an almost 2-1 margin. Among younger non-churched people (age 25-34) the percentage who percieved the gothic church favorably was even higher.

The findings surprised the researchers at Lifeway, but come as no particular surprise to me as someone in that young/postmodern generation. A friend of mine (also in his mid-20s) once commented (while pointing out the new building of the First Baptist Church in New Orleans) that he wished more congregations would build church buildings instead of "factories." I heartily agreed, and it seems we are typical of our generation. One respondent in the study said that the highly contemporary church architecture "seemed cold."

The popularity of the traditional/gothic building among younger unchurched people was related to a broader cultural trend I have been trying to point out on this blog: many younger people (including younger evangelicals) are looking for more of a sense of historical connectedness and transcendance in their religious experience (see here, or here, here, or here). I suspect the fact that postmoderns/millenials are very symbol and icon savvy is connected with this shift as well.

Of course, (as many congregations can testify) it takes much more than pretty buildings to reach people for Christ, yet I do believe that this desire for "mystery and history" - often expressed in symbol or art - is one of the reasons that, while Evangelical Churches have largely plateaued and "Mainline" Protestant Churches continue to decline in the US, Eastern Orthodoxy has continued to gain converts (in addition to immigration-based growth) and grow.

So I end this with an appeal to my United Methodist brethren: please do not follow the non-denominational model of making our churches feel as much like coffee shops and malls (those great temples to consumerism) as possible.
May your churches to look and feel like sacred spaces - churches set apart for common prayer and worship.
May you use the liturgy of the Church (as This Holy Mystery urges us to do as we also move to weekly Sunday eucharist) and let us draw people into the Mystery of communion with God even as we celebrate the many historical elements we already possess: the venerable liturgy, the ancient creeds, the classical vestments and other visual arts, the holy sacraments, and all of our continuity with ancient, catholic, ecumenical Christianity. How we present and celebrate our faith is as much a part of our message as the words we say.

Here is a similar rambling of mine...