Not a leg to stand on

From a true story (unfortunately)

“I‘ve lived on the streets since I was 13. That’s over 10 years. I couldn’t hack another foster family disaster so I got outta there.

Usually sleep in the doorways at the back of churches. It’s shelter and I feel kinda safe. Churchies are mostly very kind. My Aunty reckons that people like me have done that for hundreds of years especially during that depression time and the wars.

I’ve got a dodgy heart and the Docs say my circulation isn’t great. I have to take it easy, so I read alot. I love my books, reading takes me to another place. Books are like babies to me and they go with me with my blanket and jacket.

A few months ago I bunked down at the back of a sally hall. It was always dry, there was a nearby light for security and the odd kindheart in a uniform would sometimes give me a drink or food. Good old sallies. They’ve helped me many, many times; saved my life I reckon. Helped with food,  in court and one sally lady sometimes washes my hair and lets me have a long hot shower. That’s luxury I reckon.

I overheard a couple of sallie people saying that I wasn’t welcome there. They said I was a disgrace, a health hazard, a danger to the children and the old people. I pretended to be asleep. I wasn’t hurting anyone. And anyway I thought their whole thing was about helping people like me?

One day I found my blanket and me books trashed in a rubbish bin. I pulled them out, dusted them off and set up camp again. A few days later everything was completely gone and the doorway was wet and stank of disinfectant. I got another blanket from a mate and more books.

I had to go bush to see my sick Aunty. When I got back my doorway was completely shut off by thick steel fences. The mumbling people had won.

I had a rant to some other sallies I know about what a bunch of liars and hypocrites they all were. They turned away and looked sad but they still try and help me. I wondered if all those other people who arrived in their lovely cars, shiny trumpets and crispy clean uniforms on Sunday morning were happy to spend their money on the fences to keep me and my friends away from their precious back doorway.

I searched for another place, the nights were getting colder as winter rolled in. I spent my time between the cold, hard concrete of carparks or under damp trees in the park. I was getting pretty sick. My legs starting getting numb. I collapsed one morning a few weeks ago and ended up in hospital.

I was completely out of it for three days. When I woke up the Doc told me my legs would have to come off - above the knee. They got the saw out that afternoon.

So that’s where I’m at, right now. Homeless, broke and legless. Not sure what happens next.

Don’t tell me your God or that Jesus fella can help me now. His people didn’t. “

The (Shooting?), Silver Star

                                        The order of the fallen? asks Harold Hill 

The Order of the Silver Star is the award made by a grateful Salvation Army to the mothers of its officers, presumably to recognise that their children have been nurtured with a propensity to become officers. Fathers evidently make a lesser contribution to this outcome, though lately, at least in this territory, they have tended to be mentioned in dispatches at the time of commissioning even if undeserving of a medal in their own right. This distinction, apparently devised by Evangeline Booth in that sentimental nation that also gave us Mothers’ Day and later foisted on the international Army, provides at its best the opportunity for the Movement to engage in some way with non-Salvationist parents of officers, perhaps with the happy outcome that they enlist in its ranks themselves. At its worst, the administration of the Order provides one of those meaningless “little jobs for the ladies” dreamed up to fulfill the calling of the officer-wives of men occupying positions of great responsibility at THQ.

Recently I happened upon a further refinement of this system of recognition. The mother of an officer resigning her commission received a letter from the Personnel Section at Territorial Headquarters advising her that she was no longer entitled to wear her Silver Star. Might a non-Salvationist mother simply take this in her stride as one of those peculiarities of this curious organisation, or would she perceive it as somewhat ungracious? And when the mother is herself a retired officer, would it be perceived as shaming to some degree? Would it imply that just as the mother was held responsible and rewarded for the career choice of her son or daughter, she was now to be held equally responsible and degraded for that same offspring’s further decision to fulfill her calling in a different sphere? And should that child subsequently re-enter the Work, as sometimes happens, would the mother receive a further letter advising her that it was now OK to put up her decoration again?

Now within the cultural cocoon spun by a spiritual bureaucracy, the sending of such a letter may seem entirely logical and consistent. Anyone less myopic might find it hurtful and sick. We have a well-attested tradition of shooting our wounded in this Army; it would appear that we also take pot-shots at their relations. Of course this is par for the course under totalitarian regimes, but it would be nice to think that we had outgrown such behaviour.

 Writer: Harold Hill is a happily retired Salvation Army officer in New Zealand, happily married to Pat, blessed with two grown-up, married daughters and a fairly recent grand-daughter, happily occupied with research into the relationship between the Salvation Army and the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements, irregular writing, speaking and teaching engagements, and the garden. 

David - Savage or Saint?

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like pirates, I cant help it! I understand well enough that they were a violent, blood thirsty lot who destroyed people’s lives wherever they travelled. But there is still something of the savage in me that resonates with these wayward men, sailing the high sea’s in search of treasure, adventure and mayhem. Maybe its the same part of me that resonates with King David also. After all, he was a savage right? Or do we prefer not to talk about that?

David, son of Jesse was a King, an adulterer, a murderer, a psalmist, a worshipper and a harpist the list goes on. But perhaps most importantly of all, David was the only man in the course of the Bible to ever be called, a man after God’s own heart. This always confused me when reading about David, because to be totally honest, he came across to me completely uncivilised and practically feral. The man killed wolves and bears with his bare hands and some stones, protecting his flock from a very young age. And he only killed the biggest threat to the army of Israel of his day, the giant Goliath! Not to mention after killing him he chopped off his head and paraded around with it! Bad winner anyone? In order to win Saul’s daughters hand in marriage he cut off the foreskin of 200 dead Phillistine men and laid it at Saul’s feet (I doubt my dad would be too impressed by that). He stole a mans wife, got her pregnant then had him killed in battle to cover up what he’d done. He danced like a crazy man in his underwear before the Ark of the Lord,.. the list goes on. He was a warrior, David knew war, he knew the battle, he was a fighter, a savage. He knew how to kill and how to do it well. So how on earth did he win the much coveted title of, ‘Man after God’s own heart?’.

I’ve read books on this subject and heard sermons preached about this very topic, explaining why David was ultimately called ‘A man after God’s own heart’, but the explanations always leave me unsatisfied, they are so sugary sweet and all wrapped up in a neat little bundle but there is something that still doesn’t sit right with stories the Bible tells about this man. Could it be as Christians that we over spiritualise David? When in reading the Scriptures we see that he was a broken person, like the rest of us. That David was a man, no more or less human than we, no more or less flawed than we, but still a man who sought the heart of God, a man who longed to know the inner workings of the heart of God and perhaps, at that time, David was the closest thing to being a man after God’s own heart that there was? That God looked down, saw David and saw a man who was a little wild and a little savage, but had a heart that was for God and a heart that was willing. Willing to be used by God, willing to be challenged and changed. Willing to step out into what others would consider terrifying, dangerous and just plain not worth it. Willing to give it a go, even if he made many mistakes, and willing to do what it took to make it right again in the eyes of God?

I really hope so, because to be honest, that’s how I feel a lot of the time. And I’m not so sure that the rest of you don’t feel like this most of the time either. Maybe there have been times where people might have come up to you and told you the reasons why God is using you, the reasons why you’re getting the opportunities to serve the way you do. Maybe its your faithfulness, your perseverance, your passion for the lost or your tremendous humility.  When in actual fact, if you were truly honest with yourself and them, you’d be telling them that actually, most of the time you feel like an absolute savage, a feral. That for a lot of the time you feel so uncivilised you can barely breathe in such a civilised world. But you’re willing,.. you have a heart that is willing to be used and challenged and softened and changed and even tamed by God if that’s what he so desires of you.

And its amazing what God will do with a heart like that.

Writer: Sally Joy Morgan’s life maxim is, ‘Dream, Risk, Create’, in fact the entirety of her passions and hopes both past and present can all be summed up in just those three words. Determined to always walk the road less travelled, Sally is passionate about two things, God and humanity and endeavours to give her life for both. Sally is a keen preacher and writer and looks forward to investing more time in these areas in the future. After serving for two years at Gympie Salvo’s as the Assistant Church Leader and Youth Pastor, Sally is back home with her family and friends in Brisbane where she attends North Brisbane Salvo’s.

Stuff Salvationists Like - Vol 1: ACTIONS

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‘ve recently started reading a book and its blog companion Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff. Acuff is to Christianity and Christians what Rick Mercer, Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart is to the news. He examines the “stuff” of Christianity and Christians like Mercer, Colbert, and Stewart examine the “stuff” of politics, news, and world events: with a tongue-in-cheek, satirical, laugh-out-loud manner. The book/blog is very funny; entertaining; and thought provoking. It’s inspired me to think about “stuff” we like; Stuff Salvationists Like.

Some of the thoughts may be unique to The Salvation Army, and some of the thoughts may include our brothers and sisters in Christ from other denominations. We’re all prone to foolishness; to having a good laugh (at ourselves). Laughter truly is the best medicine.

With that said, let’s look at one of the first elements of “stuff” that came to me when I thought about “Stuff Salvationists Like:” actions. I’m talking about actions that accompany choruses like “Building Up the Temple,” ‘The Love of Jesus,” and “These Are the Days of Elijah.”

I’ve got nothing against actions, I’m just not an “action” kinda guy (unless it involves car chases, battle scenes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Bond, or Barry White and candles). I’m not even much of a hand clapper. Am I a lesser Salvationist or Christian for this? I like to think not. Am I less “on fire for the Lord?” I like to think not.

I just don’t need to feel like I’m sweatin’ to the oldies with Richard Simmons or working out with Jillian and Bob from The Biggest Loser when I worship our triune God. Especially out of summer uniform season, my tunic keeps in heat like a parka.

If you like actions, great; God bless. Just don’t repeat singing the song until everyone does them. Some folks don’t do actions; some folks can’t do actions; some folks don’t like actions.

But we do like seeing you do them.

Writer: Mark and Nancy Braye are the pastors/officers of The Salvation Army Tri-Town Community Church in Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, Canada. They have two children, pictured above, Hannah and Micah. The four of them love to play and watch Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and The Wiggles.

Universal Salvation… It’s not all bad!

Is “Universalism” really a four-letter word? asks Adam Couchman

I‘ve had reason lately to contemplate the suggestion of universal salvation - that is, everyone will be saved in the end.

No need for repentance, conversion or any sense of morality, you’re just “in”.

I’ve been thinking about this for no other reason than I take the words of The Army’s sixth doctrine very seriously… “made an atonement for the whole world”. Similarly, I look at passages such as Titus 2:11; “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (ESV), and ask myself the question “What does it mean to say all people?”.

How do we address that? Do we actually mean, “the whole world” or do we rationalise it in some way as needing a caveat clause: only those who go through some “initiation process” of some kind “get in” (be that a “sinners prayer” or otherwise)?

I recognise that there is a fairly weighty scriptural basis for the suggestion that some people are “in” and some people are “out”. The Bible does speak of a place of punishment, and a place of reward, and Paul frequently uses the phrase “in Christ” which suggests there are some who are “out of Christ”. But for me, as I said to a friend over coffee the other day, I’d much rather dance with a doctrine that said “all people are saved” than one that suggests that 75-80% of people in the world are going straight to hell. There’s a certain amount of attraction towards and comfort in universalism there. It says a lot about the extensiveness and extravagance of God’s love and grace.

I’m not a universalist, though. I’m still not convinced that it’s orthodox, and neither has the church been throughout its history. I’m with Karl Barth at this point, though, who when accused of being a universalist (which he wasn’t) he responded by saying “I’m not, but would it be so bad if I was?”

However, I do find that upon raising even the possibility of universalism there’s a certain amount of discomfort that arises in people almost immediately. Stop for a moment and assess your own thoughts and feelings as you’ve been reading this post. Are you disagreeing with any suggestion of universalism? Have you been considering a strongly worded rebuttal (which is welcomed by the way)? What’s going on inside your head at the mention of this word?

“Universalism” is just one of those theological dirty words (It’s a shame it’s not spelt with four letters). It seems to be one place of common ground as a “no-go zone” regardless of one’s particular theological bent in other areas.

I have to ask why is that so?

Again, would it be so bad if God did, in fact, save everyone in the end? Would it be so bad if God did say that “Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all, you don’t have to do anything, you don’t even have to be a particularly nice person, you’re all saved, you’re all in!” This is where the discomfort arises.

How would we feel if our next door neighbour in eternity was Adolf Hitler? Or Osama bin Laden? Or an axe-murderer? Or a child rapist? This, I suspect, is the underlying source of our discomfort with any suggestion of universalism. We want retributive justice. Like when we watch any movie based on a theme of “us” and “them” we want to know that the bad guy gets it in the end. Reminiscent of the scene in Bruce Almighty when he’s standing in the rain screaming at God, we know God can do some pretty good “smiting” and we’re looking forward to when he does that to “those evil people in the world” in the end (i.e. not “us” but “them”)…

Universalism, for all its faults, does have one thing going for it. It exposes within us the limits of our own love for others; particularly the love we have for our enemies.

What did Jesus say? “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love you neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45 ESV). In the context of this discussion those words become particularly powerful.

When was the last time you prayed for Adolf Hitler, or Osama bin Laden, or much closer to home someone who insults me? When have you prayed for your enemy’s eternal salvation? I don’t think I’ve ever done that! “Lord, have mercy upon him/her.” It’s almost painful to type those words in reference to those “enemies”, let alone pray for them.

But doesn’t that say more about me than it does about God? Doesn’t that expose in me the extent of my ability to love my enemies, whilst at the same time showing just how far God goes to provide a means of salvation for all people. In the light of that, consider these words from Romans…

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11)

We were “enemies of God”, Paul suggests, yet still at that time Christ died. It’s as if we are the terrorist, or the mass murderer, or the child rapist in our considerations above. We deserved God’s retributive justice (”Smite me Almighty Smiter!” as Bruce Almighty so aptly said), but instead of it being directed towards us it was directed towards Christ. God should have punished us. God should have destroyed us, yet because of his covenantal love and the faithfulness of Christ he fulfilled his promises to Abraham, Moses and David through Jesus Christ and now makes them available to all people, Jews and Gentiles, through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit. This still amazes me and to be perfectly honest I still don’t fully understand it. But boy am I thankful!

Let’s not forget that this is where we’ve come from and in the light of that consider where we’re going, and also who’s coming with us. Do we just want it to be “the lost, the last and the least” (as important and absolutely vital as they are). It’s interesting that often that phrase is said by those who are “the found, the first, and the finest”.

Or should we also be desparately seeking “the worst, the woeful and the wicked”? To coin a completely overused phrase… what would Jesus do?

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”

Writer: Captain Adam Couchman is currently the Director for the School for Christian Studies at Booth College, Australia Eastern Territory. He loves reading, talking, discussing, thinking, and re-thinking all things theological. Most of all, he just wants to “be Holy as God is holy”. Adam is married to Megan and together they have two girls - Brielle and Annabelle.

Officer Outliers!

“We have a precious resource we should be tapping” suggests Joe Noland.

There’s an interesting book making the rounds titled Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. In it, among other things, he repeatedly mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule,” claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a certain number of hours.

In addition, other studies have also shown that excellence at a complex task requires a minimum level of practice, and experts have settled on 10,000 hours as the magic number for true expertise. Gladwell quotes neurologist Daniel Levitin as follows:

“In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years… No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”

To put this into context, think of it in Salvation Army officership terms. For example, there are certain skill sets that must be learned and practiced in order to become a successful corps officer. This carries over into a host of specialized appointments, the corps officer skill set being foundational to all. It occurs to me that there are a host of retired officers with world-class officership expertise (do the math), whose practical and consulting skills are not being tapped sufficiently. Confession time! Looking back, as a TC, I too unconsciously overlooked this prestigious and potentially prolific pool of TSA “Outliers” (Unfortunately, the book wasn’t published then to nudge me).

This Gladwell induced insight has led me to compile and edit the August/September issue of Journal of Aggressive Christianity (JAC) with this “Outlier” theme in mind: “CHARGE! Looking Back. Facing Forward: 5 Wise Words of Counsel.” The writer contributors are all successful retired TSA officers.  The “Foreword” establishes the theme: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

 Coincidentally (or is it?), Commissioner Jim Knaggs touches on the Army’s use of consultants over at TCSpeak: http://tcspeak.com/blog/2010/07/28/consulting/. Another word for “consultant” might be “Outlier.” Who knows the Army better than its retired officers with, perhaps minimally, 40-50,000 hours of practice each? They are specialists in their field. Read carefully what Knaggs has to say because it is very important. In part he writes, “Nor can we rely so much on outside consultant(s) that we ignore our own perspective or mission priorities” (The paraphrase is mine). Although outside objective consultation is valuable, in certain circumstances, let us not minimize the consultative expertise (Outliers) within our own ranks.

Following is but one example out of many. Rob Birks writes on his FaceBook thread:

“My Dad, Major Daniel H. Birks, turns 80 this Sunday. He leaves the next day to cover a Corps (Church) in Oklahoma for an indefinite period of time. Way to not retire from full-time ministry Dad!”

That DC in Oklahoma is a wise man. First hand, I can tell you that Dan Birks was (is) an extremely successful corps officer with world-class expertise, having been one (C.O.) most, if not all of his active officership years. The title, Outlier, fits him to a “TSA.” He would also be an invaluable, consultative resource to young, fledgling corps officers. And he’s not alone! In the above-mentioned “Foreword” I write:

 ”Retirement is really a misnomer, isn’t it? As is the term “active service,” especially in TSA circles. You do not turn off “accumulated knowledge and experience” like a water spigot; it keeps on flowing with two possible outcomes: Down the drain or, like the water flowing through Hoover Dam, channeled into power - creative, productive energy.”

 Oklahoma? Why is it that the Southern Territory keeps tapping our valuable resources? Go get ‘em, Commissioner Knaggs!

Writer: Commissioner Joe Noland’s ministry can be summed up in three words: chaos, creativity and controversy - three elements implicit in any successful innovative endeavor. Cecil B. DeMille, renowned producer of Biblical epics, once wrote, “Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.” Joe’s mantra reads, “Creativity is my drug of choice.”  Access Joe Noland’s complete bio, among other things, by clicking into his website.

The chicken or the egg?

… asks Wayne Rumsby

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? I remember as a boy, trying to work this out. I ended up with more questions than answers. What about the clouds and the rain? Or what about the alphabet, who decided that A should be first? Today I wonder about a different first. Do we find God and then go to church or do we find God at church?  Many have pondered this through the discussion of the Believe, Behave, and Belong formula.

I often hear that beliefs drive or define behavior, and yet there are many situations where our behavior modifies our beliefs. Most learning works when we agree to try things we don’t necessarily believe, in order to experience the consequences. Even the old expression, learn by burn, suggests that experience is a very effective agent of learning. Is it possible that behavior and belief are like the chicken and the egg. We grow as we learn and we learn as we grow. To take it one step further, do we experience God and His salvation in this manner or is it simply an event?

The evangelical order has always been, believe in Jesus, then behave in a Christ-like way, then join the church and belong. It seems to have worked quite well, especially in the boom years of evangelicalism. So who came up with this recent church growth strategy of encouraging people to belong first? Why do we put signs on the front lawns declaring that all are welcome? Often those same churches have training classes teaching their brand or doctrine to their new would-be adherents. I wonder if that’s what Jesus would do? The woman at the well fully expected Jesus to ask her to leave just because of her status. In most cases Jesus simply invited people to follow him. Was he suggesting that if you hang around, you will begin to see the truth lived out, and it may be easier to believe having seen it demonstrated?

Consider these three different styles of teaching. You can tell someone about something. You can demonstrate the idea, or you can involve them, even immerse them in the idea. To believe, as I understand it, is have so much confidence in knowing something, that it changes your behavior. So what does it take to gain that kind of confidence. I don’t think there are very many people who have thrown themselves into a body of water, having read about swimming. As wonderful as words are I don’t think they are enough to create belief.

Another interesting thing about believing, is that it is most accurately expressed in our actions. What we do holds more truth than what we say. Even when we try to convince ourselves that we do or don’t believe something, our actions often reveal the truth. Sometimes it is expressed as head vs. heart, or knowledge verses feelings. This struggle is perfectly expressed in Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

I’m not much of a scientist, however, I do understand the importance of order in the universe and especially order of events. I think that sharing the epic truth of the Kingdom of God with people involves inviting them in, involving them in an experiential process that includes and is validated by the living words in the Bible. The kind of experiences I’m talking about are so compelling that they change behavior and reveal new beliefs. This is salvation, it’s messy and in some cases prolonged. I would even suggest that it isn’t individual. If we really let Belong, Behave and Believe happen we would all experience a collective salvation experience. In case you think that I made a mistake by placing behave before believe, let me assure you that that’s what I meant. I believe, that belief comes from practiced behavior, in a safe and loving environment.

St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times - and if necessary use words”

Writer: Wayne Rumsby is at least a fourth generation follower of Jesus Christ. In his late 30’s Wayne responded to an invitation to visit an inner city mission in the heart of Toronto. At the time he was working as a graphic designer. It wasn’t long before he left his job in the fast paced ad business, in the glass towers, to become a full time missionary on the streets and in the alleys. The focus of his mission was to help the marginalized discover God through meaningful work. For most of the past decade Wayne was helping people discover who God had created them to be, by teaching them to make beautiful furniture in a woodworking shop. Today Wayne and his wife Linda are working with the team at 614 Regent Park with the very same vision, helping people discover who God has created them to be, and more. 

Does Power Corrupt?

            “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  Lord Acton 1887

“Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it”  William Pitt 1770

One of the unfortunate byproducts of any society of humans is that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In my media career I have had both the fortune and misfortune of dealing on an intimate basis with the powerful of many kinds - politicians, celebrities, popstars, movie stars, sporting heroes. I have seen firsthand the power (either perceived or real) corrupting over and over again.

It is rare to find an organisation which has not been effected by the powerful ones who seek to “settle old scores”, crush innovative non-conformists with a wet blanket of conservatism, take personal credit for the toil of others, unfairly practise nepotism, impede the advancement of outstanding young people and bully more junior staff, send nay-sayers to “Coventry” (or “Back of Beyond” as we say in Australia) or other equally cruel, selfish, non-edifying acts of destructive indulgence.

The less powerful victims, their families and colleagues suffer. So too ultimately does the organisation. A lack of true accountability or undeserved position goes hand-in-hand with this type of megalomania. If it’s not kept in check the almost inevitable corruption follows. It’s part of the nature of fallen man I suppose. 

Of course, as members of the Christian community we are immune from this insidiousness right??? In a perfect world where everyone was perfectly in sync with their Creator, surrended to and guided by the Holy Spirit there would be no pathetic powerplays, self-seeking egos or foolish pride getting in the way. But unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.

Our hierachical structure sometimes elevates people to positions of power that are beyond the level that an individual can adequately handle things, without letting themselves get in the way. Don’t get me wrong; some of our leaders are brilliant, inspiring, spirit-filled visionaries. They lead “from the front”, with a prophetic drive but with their feet firmly on the ground. Unfortunately there are others who fall short.

Jesus put the religious leaders well and truly “in their place”, I trust he’ll continue to do so, but we also need to do our part. We need to have an attitude of zero tolerance to any abuse of power by leaders.

Let’s pray earnestly for our leaders and support them in such a way that they don’t need the corruptive practices of the flesh to somehow edify their work.

Postmodern Parables #2

postmodern parables: Kick-Ass, takin‘ names, and the Good Samaritan

…a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do
I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law?
How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all
your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence-and that you love your
neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and
you’ll live.” Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define
‘neighbor’?” Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling
from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took
his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest
was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to
the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the
injured man. A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the
man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting
and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an
inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any
more, put it on my bill-I’ll pay you on my way back.’ “What do you think?
Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one
who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and
do the same.”

Luke 10: 25-37, The Message          

The film Kick-Ass, based on the graphic novel of the same name, was released in theatres on Friday, April 16, 2010. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) it stars Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, and Lyndsy Fonseca.

The film tells the story of comic-book geek/fanboy Dave Lizewski who takes his hobby to new levels when he decides to create an alter-ego, fight crime, and no longer stand by and watch as others suffer. Dave assembles a suit and mask, a website and email account to hear from people who need help, and he becomes the superhero Kick-Ass. The catch is that he has no superpowers; none whatsoever. He was not bitten by a spider. He’s not from another planet. He’s not a mutant. He doesn’t even have the financial resources of Bruce Wayne (Batman) or Tony Stark (Iron Man) to create and design weapons and suits that facilitate superpowers. Kick-Ass joins forces with other wannabe superheroes Hit Girl, Big Daddy, and Red Mist to fight crime and take names in New York City.

Warning! The film is violent. There are scenes of sexuality. There are scenes of drug use. There is coarse language throughout the film. It’s rated 18A in Canada, which means persons under the age of 18 require a guardian to attend a screening.

Watching the film there were some elements and scenes I felt were too much; there were times I was uncomfortable. However, I couldn’t help but think about the story of the Good Samaritan and the spirit and goal of Dave’s journey.

Dave has been a “nobody” his whole life. He’s been picked on and mugged. Nothing seems to be going right. He sees crime and injustice all around him. He decides it’s time to take a stand. He decides its time someone do something. Dave does. He takes matters into his own hands. He puts others first and puts himself in harm’s way for their benefit.

The Good Samaritan did the same thing. He saw the result of crime. He saw injustice. He put another man first with the risk of being in harm’s way. The religious people in Christ’s story were useless. They walked by. They saw the result of crime and injustice and did nothing. They were either too busy or too worried about being defiled to stoop down and help another human being in need.

The famous theme and line from Spiderman is: “With great power comes great responsibility.” At one point it in Kick-Ass Dave says to the audience, rephrasing the line: “With no power comes no responsibility… but that’s not true.”

It’s not true. Members of society have a responsibility to each other, whether they like it or not. People do not always enter these societal contracts, but they’re there. People of God and the Church are especially called to serve and put others first. From Gensis to Revelation we are commanded to take care of people, to represent our triune God to the world, to be, what James calls, “doers of the Word.”

Our best example of this was the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. He was there for people from all walks of life. He served and loved people from all walks of life. He put others first, so much so that he gave his life. Christ truly put himself in harm’s way, the ultimate harm’s way, for the benefit of others, for suffering humanity.

Dave/Kick-Ass had no powers. The Good Samaritan had no powers. Yet they both took on the responsibility to put others before themselves. They both served and ministered to others.

I was about to write that we don’t have any powers, yet we should take on the responsibility to put others first, but I would have been wrong. We have a greater source of power than being bitten by a radioactive spider could produce. We have a greater source of power than all the financial resources in the world could produce. We have our triune God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The power that created the world is at our disposal.

The power that conquered sin, death, and the grave is at our disposal.

The power that has inspired, guided, and filled the Church since the first Day of Pentecost is at our disposal.

Will we take on the same responsibility to which Dave and the Good Samaritan felt called? Will we put others first? Will we “go and do the same?”

Writer: Mark Braye and his wife Nancy are officers in Essex, Ontario, Canada. They have two children, pictured above, Hannah and Micah. The four of them love to play and watch Sesame Street.

Avoiding the Faith-Shakers

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here is some truth to the fears of some Christian fundamentalists concerning the dangers of deep biblical studies. Like others, I have experienced the mix of emotions that come from looking at the Bible through the writings of early manuscripts. Some of those emotions include fascination and awe, while others are among those feelings that could ultimately be refered to as faith-shaking.

Recently at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the faculty led a Saturday seminar called “Seminary or Cemetery”, which focused on the dangers of deep theological studies and how some seminarians risk the danger of actually losing their faith.

I believe I have some insights into how to avoid this danger.

Just as most Christian denominations accept the belief that Jesus is both human and divine, God’s Word is also humanly and divinely written. As for his humanity, Jesus grew in stature and knowledge (Luke 2:52), and, since the invention of Guttenberg’s printing press, God’s Word has evolved from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into the vernacular of nearly every nation in less than 600 years.

As Jesus, who is the Living Word (John 1:1), grew and developed into the man and rabbi who would fulfill Old Testament prophesies and prove to be God as Messiah, so has the Bible gone through many written developments until it has reached its full ability to speak to all people today.

We know how Jesus learned and grew. He grew and learned as a human being. But how did the Bible grow?

The Bible has gone through many processes to reach us where we are today. Scholars like Bruce Metzger, Gordon Fee, Kurt and Barbara Aland, and even the very controversial Bart Ehrman have done a spectacular job of giving those who want to know the ability to discover how the Bible came to be.

When doubt creeps in to the mind of a well-meaning student of God’s Word, it does so through the very human side of the Bible’s development. For example, when one looks over an early scriptural document and sees the scribbling of a monk in the margin of such an important manuscript, it is easy to think, “Oh my God, a normal person wrote this!” And suddenly, the awesomeness of the written words begins to be stripped of their mysterious power.

I suppose the same thing would happen, if we were to travel back in time to a point in the life of Jesus when he needed a diaper change. We would have to say, “How could God produce something that smells that bad?”

Being human is not anti-God, but the exact image of God without divine perfection. The written words that we read and trust as the very Word of God sometimes include the human stench of flaws produced by the careless hand of a scribe.

The flaws are caused by both human error and intentional changes. Scribes have been known to have problems with their sight and hearing, and they have also made errors in judgment. Among the reasons for intentional changes include spelling and grammar issues, alterations for reasons of doctrine, and the desire to smoothen word flow. All of these are well-known and documented by textual critics who work diligently to correct such flaws and restore the orginal meanings of the text.

And just as Jesus may have stumped his toe or gotten a cold, the scribes were not always completely careful when recording the musings, stories and wisdom of the many men and women of the Bible.

The Word of God is flawless, while the written form of God’s words must be constantly inspected and cross-checked as new manuscripts, historical facts, and the social cultures of biblical stories and people are discovered.

I am not threatened by textual flaws, but encouraged to know that God uses imperfect vessels, like you and me, to share the most important message ever given, even though we may not always pass it along with perfection.

In His dust,
Johnny

Works Cited:

Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman The Text of the New Testamen: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (4th ed., New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), pg. viii.

Writer: Capt. Jonathan Gainey was born in Jacksonville, FL in June, 1969. He has been married to Staci, the daughter of retired Salvation Army officers, for twenty years and they have four children ages 18, 16, 12, and 4. Jonathan was commissioned as an officer in June of 2002, and is currently serving in his third appointment in New Bern, NC, USA. He is working on a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the creator and manager of the Flocks Diner website, where his passion for learning and teaching is expressed and shared through writing and a weekly podcast.