Conferences/Events | Black Coffee Reflections

Reflecting on Walter Wink's Lecture at epiphaneia #ep09

March 27, 2009 by Tim 3 Comments

Not knowing much about Walter Wink, I didn’t really know what to expect. In the introduction, it was said that because of his health, it’s been difficult for him to attend these types of gatherings and it was special that he was able to come today. That was affirmed by those around us with nodding heads, polite cheers and light clapping.

It’s cool to like the old guy whose spent decades writing and teaching ideas that inspire so many. It’s similar to cheering for the MLB player who performed so well but never won that World Series (because he played in Boston. Yes, I am talking about Wade Boggs, the first former Red Sox player that I saw with my own eyes as not having horns). Anyway, here I am a week later still cheering for this gentlemen. He had a kind voice but despite his health, it wasn’t weak. I appreciated his inflections as he read his lecture and you could sense the heart behind it.

The lecture opened with he and his wife reading a fable about being citizens that the king has commanded to slay the beast and bring back a claw. The citizens represented by Walter says that the king is a liar, the beast has no claws and cannot be killed, thus he killed the king. But when he did that, the beast was still among them. They put a doll on the throne but still the beast was there.

That became the theme of the lecture. The beast is in the powers and the powers must be redeemed. For we all deal with the powers (and are a part of them).

I’ve been thinking about this most of the week – what would the powers redeemed look like? My mind immediately goes to the utopias that movies have created. Sci-fi movies like Star Wars come to mind, but of course, movies like the Matrix have sober me from those images. One of my favorite parts Walter warned was, “…to focus on redeeming them leads to utopian disillusionment, their transformation takes place in the limits of their fallen natures”. I’ve been thinking about that.

Of course, I’ve also been thinking about what this would look like in the Church. (This post could get long). While I know the Church can never be perfect, what would it look like if we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit in the hopes of redeeming it alongside our collective fallen natures? Indeed, indeed, many have been pursuing this. However there are times when I feel that some have interpreted the church’s mission as an island they are trying to get off, throwing as many people on the lifeboat as possible, picking up a few of the drowning along the way, and waiting for the divine coast guard to bring them aboard. Meanwhile the boat that crashed on the island can be repaired. It won’t be as perfect as it was when it was new, but certainly more effective than a lifeboat. (Yes, this illustration is the product of 5 seasons of Lost).

Seriously, what if we did try to fix the boat? Doing so while knowing though we have God’s calling and strength, we could not restore to its original wholeness. Has God not saved others like this before? Thinking about how the redemption of the powers in the Church can redeem society and the individuals and institutions contained within has been a worthy and motivating idea to reflect on. I hope to do more. Til then, I’ve updated the notes that Evan and I too here.

Filed Under: Christianity, Conferences/Events, Missional Tagged With: Amidst the Powers Conference, ephiphaneia, Walter Wink

Stanley Hauerwas at Amidst the Powers Conference #ep09

March 21, 2009 by Tim Leave a Comment

Just like the last post, these are just rough notes taken at the Amidst the Powers Conference. I hope to reflect on them later. Here’s the twitter feed if you are interested.

Stanley Hauerwas at #ep09

War is a moral practice.

By no means am I saying it is a good thing.

(Rightly suggests that such powers are perversions …)

If war is not just, what is it? Let’s call it slaughter.

For many war is a great profit…

Everyone professes that war is horrible but we continue to have war.

Sometimes we must be willing to go to war, it’s when you know you are in the midst of a power.

We cannot get rid of war because it has captured the habits of our imagination.

When was the last time you went to see a movie about peace?

War is a power that inhabits our lives making it impossible to imagine a world without war.

What would the pacifists do if they got a world in which they wanted?

Pacifisms and non-violence are inadequate positions in the Christian life.

Peace is a deeper reality than violence but if it’s true, we need to locate the peaceful practices in our lives.

William James : if it is to be abolished we need to find a moral equivalent to war

His position is inadequate. There are virtues of war …

The Christian unease of war is liturgical.

War is the alternative church. (TG – I wish he would have spoken more about this).

If Christians are serious, we are the alternative to war.

Christians believe that the cross is the end of sacrifice.

The enduring attraction to war is this – it can give us what we long for purpose meaning for living.

Trivia dominates our conversation and airways, war is a great elixir.

It gives us a reason to be honorable.

“One bloody death – Christ – must be accompanied by others like it.”

Southerners were so desperate to kill, they even did it in WW1 for the Yankees.

If you want to know what being controlled by a power looks like, it’s revealed in this statement, “I now belong to the flag”.

The more sacrifice is made, the more sacrifices that must be made – that is the moral logic of war.

It also requires that we sacrifice our normal desire to kill.

Grossman noted that some soldiers have more intimacy with each other after killing than they do with their wives.

Killing is more intimate than sex.

War is about killing others …

The language of war helps us deny what war is really about and helps us make it morally palpable

Soldiers need to be re-entered into society. They need to be told they did the right thing (the practice of doing the right thing)

Return to some kind of normality.

Veterans seldom want to talk about war.

No sacrifice is more dramatic than the sacrifice of those being sent to war.

That is the sacrifice of asking them to kill. Even more, those who have killed being asked to return to normalcy.

If you want to know why modern, industrialized Christianity is declining, it’s not because of Darwinism, the rise of science, it’s because we don’t die for what we believe.

The Christian alternative to war is worship.

Christians called to non-violent not because it’s a strategy to end wars but instead we are called to be non-violent because we cannot imagine being anything other and that may make the world more violent.

We were not created to kill one another, we were created to commune with each other.

Even when we kill in a just war, our bodies rebel.

Those who kill being reconciled with those that they killed.

The sacrifices of war are no longer necessary.

Christians must be free of killing from where the powers rely

Because of the cross of Christ, war was abolished.

Filed Under: Christianity, Conferences/Events Tagged With: Amidst the Powers Conference, Stanley Hauerwas

Walter Wink at the Amidst the Powers Conference #ep09

March 21, 2009 by Tim Leave a Comment

Hey friends, these are just rough notes taken at the Epiphaneia’s Amidst the Powers Conference. I hope to reflect on them later. Here’s the twitter feed if you are interested.

Evan and I took the following notes. Keep an eye on his blog in the coming days for his thoughts about the conference.

Walter Wink

Power is more than people – it is institutions and structures we make for ourselves, for good or for ill

the Powers also include the spiritual dimensions at the core to these systems and institutions.

The powers can hurt, destroy, manipulate, target, exploit,

However sometimes they can help.

The powers are not always evil, some people enjoy their jobs, provide good, provide life-enhancing products/services.

They do both good and evil – a complex web …

Powers shape our present and dictate our future

please don’t find the next minister without discovering [your local church’s] angel (based on Rev. 2-3)

Nations, cities have angels,

If the demonic comes from loss of vocation – we can’t exorcise the demon; we must bring the angel back to its vocation

Everything has a physical and spiritual aspect. If we went to the change the systems, we need not only to the outer forms but their inner souls as well. Everything has a core. Everything is answerable to God. [we think of this quality generally only in individuals but rarely as institutions. It may help us from demonizing so many social structures in the forms of governments, agencies, companies, etc.).

Unjust systems perpetuate themselves through violence

Sometimes the social institution becomes evil and in an attempt to reform it becomes doomed.

How can we overcome evil without doing evil and without becoming evil ourselves?

+ consistent non-violence

+ can massive institutions be reformed?

Businesses exist to serve the general welfare, profit is a means to an end. (according to 18^th century capitalist philosopher Adam Smith)

It is up to church and prophets to remind the businesses that profit is not the bottom line.

We are not to cast out the demons but to recast the angels to its divine task.

He used an example of a trip to Chile to observe the powers, he became so angry with the oppressors, oppressed, physically ill and overwhelmed by despair.

He had gone to observe the powers found he became their captive.

In his despair he wondered how the NT writers could insist that Christ, in the midst of the evil was still sovereign over all the powers. He wrestled with this assertion.

What he found was a thin thread of hope that he clung to but it could not be crushed.

But then something gave him energy to unmask the powers and that’s when he began to write, write, write.

From that beginning a whole new sense of Biblical understanding of the powers.

It’s a neglected emphasis in Biblical study.

Quoting Romans 8:38 – “I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, nor future nor powers …”

How can we overcome evil without being evil ourselves?

How can the institution ever be saved?

What chance do we have to take the beast and reform them for how God desires to use them?

Madoff, just one man, hurt so many. We can put him in jail but the beast is still there.

Nixon had it

Bush is no longer in office but the beast is still there.

Can the powers be redeemed?

Are the powers intrinsically evil?

The powers are good

The powers are fallen

The powers (can and) must be redeemed

+ these statements must be held together

The powers are a part of God’s creation.

But to focus on redeeming them leads to utopian disillusionment, their transformation takes place in the limits of their fallen natures.

South Africa

+ Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and other Christian leaders brought reconciliation to the region so much so that they are now seen as some of the most significant humans of our time

+ the resilience of the powers continues since the powers are simultaneously good, fallen, and redeemed

The solvers must put the others’ interests above their own.

no matter how greedy or idolatrous a system becomes, it cannot escape the care and judgment of whom for it was made

Fallen = not depraved (as our Calvinist friends say), but none of us are who we are meant to be

+ the situation is not without hope

We must be careful not to demonize those who do evil

+ some “isms” like Nazism or sexism can only be reformed by being abandoned

+ powers are created in and for the humanizing purposes of God

+ it doesn’t God endorses certain systems, but humans need a way to be in society with one another

+ God wills that sub-systems would serve human need

Recognizing this (the powers are good, fallen, need to be redeemed), frees us that we do not have to demonize the powers (institutions, people).

We must be careful here, God did not create capitalism or socialism.

Humans must be socialized – there’s no helping it – at some point we must become ourselves.

People need economic structure, we need government, we need society.

God-willing there be sub-systems to serve people.

God can liberate us from the powers

Also can liberate powers from their demonic focus as well.

We aren’t liberated by striking back at the powers that bring evil upon us but by dying out from under its command.

We must die to the domination system in order to live justly.

Why does Scripture speak of dying as breaking away from the powers?

Rebirth is not just an inward moment, but we must also die to the domination system in order to live authentically (e.g., those born in poverty may miss life by never feeling human at all)

Personal redemption cannot take place apart from the redemption of our social structures

+ cf. Rev. 21

The Gospel then is not … but about redeem an entire world right down to its basic structures.

The powers are good, the powers are fallen, the powers can be redeemed – this means that within the limits of our fallen world fundamental change is possible – hope that another world is possible, a city of God = God’s domination-free order.

—-

Filed Under: Christianity, Conferences/Events Tagged With: Amidst the Powers Conference, Walter Wink

At the "Amidst the Powers Conference" #ep09

March 20, 2009 by Tim 1 Comment

Well, Evan and I made it to Toronto.

Don’t know if there will be wifi at the Meeting House tomorrow but hope to blog about it.

You can follow the twitter hash here

Filed Under: Conferences/Events Tagged With: Amidst the Powers Conference

Anyone want to go to the The Evolving Church Conference Amidst the Powers?

January 26, 2009 by Tim 5 Comments

Saw this over on Adam’s blog. Anyone interested in joinging me for a road trip from the NYC area?

It takes place Saturday, March 21 in Toronto. More info here:

Filed Under: Conferences/Events

Reflecting on the Templeton Foundation Book Forum with “Beyond Revenge” by Michael McCullough

December 21, 2008 by Tim Leave a Comment

It’s important to me to enjoy arguments from other perspectives. For one, it allows me to dialogue withothers, two, it helps me maintain some possibility of open-mindedness and three, it sharpens my thinking.

Please do not presume that I understand or can understand McCullough’s points from an hour’s worth of discussion on a Tuesday night. Further, I have not read Beyond Revenge and this post is not in any way a rebuttal to McCullough’s book but this more of an exercise in responding to what I gained from the night.

As mentioned in the previous post, I really enjoyed McCullough’s dialogue but throughout the evening I couldn’t help but think what he was referring to the effects of human evolution is what my Christian perspective refers to it as part of our sinful, human nature (or to borrow other Biblical language, “the flesh”).

I am assuming from the subtitle that “revenge” has evolved in human nature. This is an odd thing for me to understand and while I am happy in admitting my shortcoming in comprehending this, revenge seems to be a very instinctual and obvious response to wrong doing. I’d like to argue that if one can plot against another, it would be just as easy to exact revenge (or retaliate by plotting against if the idea is to avoid the concept or word “revenge”. And what was it before it evolved into “revenge”).

The Christian tradition seems to be the likely explanation for revenge. “The Fall”, serves as the moment that we as humanity chose our own ways. In my economy of thought, selfishness should come quite easy to us; at least it comes naturally to me. I couldn’t help but feel that had I changed the wording of McCullough’s words, I could have made this a case for Christianity.

And again, I remind you, I have not read the book, nor am I arguing against it but instead responding to what I heard that night at the forum. This is purely amateur and remember, it’s a blog post. Now, I believe the book is more interested in arguing for the evolution of forgiveness. Certainly that is a more appealing concept and forgiveness has to sell more books than revenge (unless we’re marketing to failed republican presidential candidates, ex-girlfriends and the like).

Arguing for an evolving forgiveness seems like a better case and I think I like the end result. Imagine a world where forgiveness trumps acts of revenge. Will this not lead to world peace? Now world peace may not solve all of humanity’s problems but it sure takes care of a bunch of them. From images like the lion laying down with the lamb to movies that warn us from our self-caused Armageddon, we have this dream that eventually we can resolve our differences and exist in peace. It’s actually a really great dream and I share it. {need something here}

First, let’s assume that macro-evolution is true and that we have descended from the caveman (and prior to that, the primate) Even with the coming of society, it seems that we should have less violence today. (I know, I know, evolution is a slow process). Second, what will forgiveness evolve into in the future aside from less violence and more reconciliation among a greater number of people? Will we as a humanity occupy ourselves with more important matters like caring for the poor, sick, depressed, and marginalized? Will we not only forgive but love the offender? Will we turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and feed our enemies? Is it evolution we need? Because I’d like to make the case that even if Christianity is a made-up religion, it offers a great vision for forgiveness and seems to have done more in 2000 years than the millions of evolution.

Now what if Christianity is not a made up religion? What if there is a divine God behind it? Does this mean then that forgiveness is super-natural or some kind of indication of the supernatural? Hmmm. Are those outside the Christian faith capable of this super-natural forgiveness? Certainly. In fact, over the years, some of the best people I’ve met are professing atheists/agonistics. In fact, over the years some of the best people I’ve met were former professing atheists/agnostics. I believe over the years that many good and moral atheists have advanced the Kingdom of God (and that many of them are pre-Christians). I believe over the years that many wrong-hearted, professing Christians have impaired the cause of Christ (and many times it’s been me).

If there is a God of love, it would seem that He is more interested in calling all people to peace with Himself and with each other. My theology is not universal. I believe very strongly in the personal freedom of the soul meaning God has allowed us to choose who/what we worship. But if the goal of life is to live in peace and harmony with each other, I have to ask, why wait for evolution to continue its course, why not become a Christian?

Filed Under: Conferences/Events, Reflective

Reflecting on Andy Crouch, Sabbath, and cell phones

November 22, 2008 by Tim 1 Comment

Evan and I were enjoying a discussion on the practice of Sabbath that was brought up by our time with Andy Crouch. Like many (especially in the West and especially in the Northeast and especially with those who serve in a community in the shadows of NYC but I’m justifying and you get the point) the parts of the practice of Sabbath give me trouble.

I saw that Evan posted something on this but haven’t read it because I don’t want it to influence this post. I think it will be interesting to see what we both come up with. So here’s what I am thinking as I am drinking a cup of coffee from Peru in Steel City Coffee House in Phoeniville, PA.

One of the few things in my life that I am generally pleased with is that I actually do take time to pray, meditate, read Scripture and whatever. I try to have a time of Sabbath each day (or late at night as it is in my case). I normally do this after I have littered, kicked my dog and gossiped about it. Whatever goodness I claim in my time with the Lord, the idea of taking a day of Sabbath has been a different matter.

I think it was in Velvet Elvis that Rob talks about his practice of Sabbath. Almost a year ago, Tim Lucas from Liquid Church said in a service that he has a day where he turns off the cell, doesn’t look at email, and is with his family, etc. I’ve heard similar stories say, “I tell the office don’t call me, I’m not answering, (there’s always some kind of concession for emergency), I’m spending the day detached from the world and in communion with God and family …

My practice of taking an actual day (like in the fundamentalist’s literal 24 hour period – lol) has always been sporadic, inconsistent, and at times non-existent.

I’ve always envied those that have had found the discipline and community that have allowed for that Sabbath to happen. Often I wonder if I can have it or if it’s that I won’t let myself have it.

Can one practice Sabbath without turning off the cell phone? Frankly speaking, I think that’s the overused example. In fact, I’d like to make the argument that I am not controlled by my cell phone. I hardly answer my phone when it rings. In fact, I spend minutes being teased by my friends how they can never get me and so on. Probably the most used feature is my voicemail. Some of my friends read this blog and I know some will forever begrudge me but I think they know this anyway. Because of the constant unproductively in my life, even my closest friends whom I love spending hours discussing my favorite subjects are sent to voicemail. In fairness, I think most would say I call them back. Sabbath from my phone is not what I need.

Nor is it from this blog. I present my case by the infrequent postings and the limited comments. Regarding twitter, I have to remind myself that I have twitter. These things do not control me.

Perhaps the things that control me are the pressures and stress that I either inflict on myself or allow others to inflict on me. There is also a healthy pressure that I labor for and I call it ambition. A lot can be said about that but we all know that ambition has the potential to be a worthy pursuit. That said, I confess the need for Sabbath.

But I think where I end up landing is here – What I think I need is not Sabbath for the sake of retreating from something but Sabbath to pursue someone/thing greater than I normally do. I hope to reflect on this again.

Filed Under: Biblical Seminary, Conferences/Events, Reflective Tagged With: Andy Crouch, Biblical Seminary

Andy Crouch – Discipline, Breathing, Sabbath and Scales – Session 2 Post 3

November 22, 2008 by Tim Leave a Comment

Session two began on the idea of Practices and Disciplines Andy defined “discipline” as a simple thing, maybe even uninteresting, done over and over so that you will eventually be free to do other things. He compared it to playing scales on the piano. Then he actually played scales on the piano. Normally that sort of thing that would bug me but I guess when you’re intelligent, talented and a have a great sense of humor, you can pull it off. He talked about “Breathing” – if you want to live musically, you need to learn how to breathe. Which led to a discussion on Sabbath. If we want to live more musically as Christians, then we have to learn to stop what we are doing and do the spiritual equivalent and breathe.

For more, check out Evan’s notes.

Filed Under: Biblical Seminary, Conferences/Events, Reflective Tagged With: Andy Crouch, Biblical Seminary

Andy Crouch – violins, cds and satisfaction – Session 1, Post 2

November 22, 2008 by Tim Leave a Comment

Though I have been away from my family more than usual, it was good to be with my seminary friends on this retreat. I’ve been looking forward to this retreat since they announced the speaker would be Andy Crouch. So, after introductions, icebreakers, and a Sprit-filled time of worship, it was Andy’s time to speak. He began from behind a keyboard talking about how he saw this sign at a Starbucks that said, “Live More Musically”.

Evan’s post has good notes, so check that out. A lot of the time was focused on creating this chart between the benefits of playing the violin or playing a cd. The point made was what gave the greater satisfaction in the long run. Though there were advantages to the cd (like wide-distribution, great quality, portability), its satisfaction/enjoyment expires and descends. While learning to play the violin becomes almost infinitely greater over time.

Andy described that in order to continue to enjoy the playing of a cd, you need to constantly buy cds and it is similar to how we describe addictions. We have set up our churches similar to this as well. One of the issues that I have complained about over and over is the consumer mentality of churches. Because we’re teaching people how to play cds, not teaching them how to play the violin. So much more to say, but you get the idea.

Filed Under: Biblical Seminary, Conferences/Events, Reflective Tagged With: Andy Crouch, Biblical Seminary

Our Seminary Retreat with Andy Crouch

November 21, 2008 by Tim 1 Comment

This weekend, our Biblical Seminary retreat will have a fantastic guest speaker, Andy Crouch. Because I know people who know stuff, I’ve been familiar with Andy’s work for a little while. He also writes for a small independent spiritual journal called Christianity Today. (It’s ok, if you haven’t heard of it).

Andy is the author of the highly acclaimed book Culture Making. If you are familiar with Andy’s work (like at the Q Conference, his articles, or seen his small group curriculum Where Faith & Culture Meet), you know some of the premise of the book. If you’re new to Andy and engaged in the culture conversation (and bothered by some of Christian music/movies/art/general outlook of culture) you’ve probably even said very similar things while drinking non-corporate, free-trade coffee with your intelligent friend who loves literature and gardening. However, the book is the other 200 pages of well-written thought that your refill probably didn’t cover.

Anyway, I find myself in a good place in life right now. If you’ve been reading this blog, you know I’ve been so proud of places like my denomination for bringing Dave Kinnaman (from UnChristian) and organizations like Youth Specialites for bringing in speakers like Phyllis Tickle, Tony Jones, Tom Sine, and Scot McKnight for the National Youth Workers Convention. I’ve really had amazing opportunitues to hear some incredible speakers/thinkers. So if I have to be away from my beautiful wife and son, then I am thrilled that Biblical Seminary has invited Andy am looking forward to hanging out with my cohort friends.