Loving, Learning, and Leading

Restoration from the inside out Theologian Cornelius Platinga once described the Kingdom of God as simply "the way things are supposed to be". That simple definition reasonates with me as I read the paper, walk the streets, watch the news, or simply talk to my neighbors. So many times, I hear of senseless violence, grinding poverty, and debilitating hopelessness and my thought is "thats not the way things are supposed to be". That feeling is almost intuitive and it is shared by the most innocent children to our most seasoned elders. Its just not the way things are supposed to be... Lately, I have been spending time praying about how New Hope (the church I am privileged to pastor in Rochester, NY) can be a catalyst for "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done". If the kingdom is "the way things are supposed to be", what role can New Hope or any of us have in ushering in this new reality in the face of so much pain and suffering. The Kingdom or re...

Charity and Justice Yesterday, the leadership team of New Hope Free Methodist church was visited by Dr. Elaine Spaull. Dr. Spaull is the city councilperson for the eastern distric of the city of Rochester. Many of you who regularly read this blog know that I am not the one to embrace politicians as means to producing significant community and cultural change. Its not that politicians are corrupt or evil, but simply that many of them are inefficient vehicles of change. In light of what I just said, I was amazed as well as deeply moved and highly motivated after our visit with Dr. Spaull. Dr. Spaull has given up successful legal and academic careers in order to head the non-profit Center for Youth ( www.centerforyouth.net ) that is devoted to identifying and developing struggling and troubled young adults in the Rochester/Monroe County area. Last year, they helped over 22,000 young adults and gave shelter to over 1000 homeless teens. This is an agency that is making a difference i...

How Fatherlessness is killing basketball Today, I was listening to a report on the complexities of recruiting high school basketball players to college. It was mind boggling to even comprehend the maze the players, coaches, and families must negotiate in order for the player to receive a scholarship. The rules are complex and the access to some of the "elite" players is incredibly competitive. What amazes me most is the myriad of "handlers" who manage to have influence on these young men and women. These people are typically in the form of AAU coaches (I am not trying to say that all AAU coaches are exploitative or poor coaches, but that within the ranks of the AAU tradition, there exists an very unhealthy element) who guarantee their players that they will give the players exposure and connection to premium college coaches. If you have ever been to AAU tournaments, you can immediately spot these men (typically, they are men). They have a cell phone cont...

Theological Crisis and Culture Today I met with a local pastor for breakfast and over eggs and pancakes, we began to discuss the state of the city and in particular the health of churches within the African-American community. As I am new to this community, it was interesting comparing some of the dynamics of the African-American Christian community in Rochester with that of my home region, Cleveland OH. The particulars are not really important, but what was clear is that there is a crisis in many African-American communities that reveals itself in incredible, grinding poverty, irresponsible sexual activity, devastating undereducation, and a confused self-identity. This is true whether you are in Rochester or Cleveland, and it would be true for NYC, New Orleans, and Newark as well. The church is increasingly impotent in dealing with these problems. The problem is not a resource problem. The problem is a spiritual problem. Our theology (understanding of God) shapes our missiology...

Pastor or Friend? Several weeks ago, I attended a conference that was led by a couple who were Christian Psychologists and Pastors. The conference was fascinating as they talked about what it meant to be an emotionally healthy and spiritually vigorous congregation. They had a wonderfully holistic approach towards people that was refreshing and inspiring. One of the most difficult things that they taught was in regards to pastoral boundaries. They demonstrated that different relationships have different types of responsibilities and accountabilities. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Husbands and wives obviously know and respond to one another differently than do friends or co-workers. A professional relationship has different boundaries than a personal relationship, etc, etc... The difficulty comes with the unique position of being a pastor. One of the statements that was made is that "Pastors must choose whether they are in a pastoral relationship (profe...

Once while I was Little This afternoon, I was driving home and the sky was a beautiful reddish hue with perfectly clear skies. I was reminiscing about being a child and loving to look at the sky and dream. What would I be when I grew up? What was God like? How can I make a difference? Why do we have to have winter? Everything was worth probing and the openness of the sky represented the vast opportunities that was ours in my youth. In the 1970's, there was a huge degree of turmoil and upheaval. America, particularly in my African-American context, held previously credible institutions in suspicion (think Vietnam, the civil rights movement and the rapid turning away from the church). Yet, in the face of incredible cynicism, there was this sense of hope and a faith that justice, equity, and wholeness would prevail. There was a childlike sense that the opportunities for greatness and fulfillment were just over the horizon and that fulfilment, in its many senses, was imminent...

Shrinking Faith One of the dominant sociological processes of the past 300 years has been the process of secularization. To many Christians who have belonged in the church for the past 20+ years, we confuse secularization with the concept of being "worldly". Worldliness is the theological quality of living according to a world view that is opposed, or antagonistic against the will and way of God. Secularization is somewhat different. It is the description of the way in which religion, in its multifaceted expressions, becomes less and less important to cultures, organizations, communities, and individuals. Secularization began in earnest during the time in which historians call the enlightenment, or the age of modernity. It is in that age that scientific inquiry became the dominant way in which we validated truth. Therefore, the worldview became more empirical and there was less room for the supernatura. Evidence of secularization can be seen in the diminishing importan...