'Consuming Religion' A Taste

I've remarked to numerous people about my reading of a book called Consuming Religion by a Catholic Scholar Vincent J. Miller. I've tweeted several times some of the arresting one-liners that regularly raise their heads within this extremely insightful read. I thought it may be helpful to give a brief 'taste' of the book with a quote here within the blog.
The context of the quote is Miller's discussion of the fundamental importance of 'desire' to the Christian faith but how the very form of that desire is reshaped negatively by the commodification of culture which is the process undergirding the flourishing of our consumer society. Miller here is stating how the commitment to life-long discipleship within "location and the lived structure of temporality" (two things vital for discipleship in Miller's thought) are undermined in contemporary consumer society.
He writes:

"Because of the misdirection by advertising of needs and desires towards consumption, our more profound desires [For God/Spiritual Growth] are focused on the moment of decision. We are looking to choose the ideal vision, synthesis, or vocation that will bring everything together for us. Commitment becomes a momentary action of self-disposition, not a long-term process of self-transformation. The practice we are engaging is consumption. Thus, it is hard for us to move on to the transformative practices of the tradition we choose. When we do manage to commit ourselves to the rigours of long-term disciplines, we do so increasingly as isolated individuals who encounter traditions in the abstract, not as part of a particular community. We live our spiritualities dispersed in the micro-monasteries of single-family homes."

Note the sections in bold as they cut to the heart of issues radically affecting the life of the local church, and exacerbating the eternal-immaturity of contemporary Christians like a surgeon's scalpel.

Simon

100% and 100% = 100%

We had a brilliant discussion at our X1 Explore group last night (check out more about Explore groups here). We met in the home of two single men (pre-legends I may say) who hosted excellently and one of them leading on the evening asked this, deliberately difficult, question, "In living life for Christ, who's responsibility is it to obey, God's or ours?" The response, the ensuing confusion, dare I say the apparent tension proved it's effect! (Questions can be hard, and can force us to have to REALLY think, it's not a sin!)

For many the conclusion was, "It's 50-50. 50% God and 50% us." Wrong! It's All God all us! It's 100% God and a 100% us. It is a delightful insight first highlighted to me by the ever-remarkable Jonathan Edwards and, fortunately, an insight profiled by John Piper on Twitter on July 4th for his invite to Desiring God's Upcoming Conference, "Act the Miracle" (See link here).

Here is Piper quoting directly from Edwards

"We are not merely passive in [efficacious grace], nor yet does God do some and we do the rest, but God does all and we do all. God produces all and we act all. For that is what he produces, our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects wholly passive and wholly active.

So God is said to convert [2 Timothy 2:25], and men are said to convert [Luke 11:32], or turn. God makes a new heart [Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26], and we are commanded to make us a new heart [Ezekiel 18:31]. God circumcises the heart [Deuteronomy 30:6], and we are commanded to circumcise [our hearts, (Deuteronomy 10:16)]. Not merely because we must use the means in order to the effect, but the effect itself is our act and our duty." (Writings on The Trinity, Grace, and Faith, WJE Online Vol. 21, 251.)

Thus Edwards exhorts us:

"I would earnestly exhort those who hear me, to make to themselves a pure heart (James 4:8). Though it be God's work to purify the heart [Psalm 51:2], yet the actual, or rather the active, procuring of it is your act. . .

We must not think to excuse ourselves by saying that it is God's work, that we cannot purify our own hearts; for though it be God's work in one sense, yet it is equally our work in another; James 4:8, "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded."

If you do not engage in this work yourselves, and purify your own hearts, they will never be pure. If you do not get a pure heart, the blame of it will be laid to your own backwardness." (Sermons and Discourses, 1730-33, WJE Online Vol. 17, 85)

Even John Piper on his brief commentary for these words of Edwards for the invite notes that this is what? Yip, paradox!

Do ALL you can to obey God, He'll do His bit I assure you!

Simon

Juggling?

How do you do with the juggling? Maybe that's not what it feels like to you - this 'life-balance' thing! That's precisely what it feels like to me, to us - wifey LJ included. Maybe for you its like some sort of harmonious, synchronized process that flows seamlessly in congruence with your spiritual growth, personal development etc. Not for me/us! Actually, increasingly, I'm coming to see that this juggling - and remember some of the 'items' being juggled are of such inestimable worth and startling fragility - is precisely the 'soil' in which my spiritual growth and personal development take place.

One powerful verse from Paul's first epistle to the Corinthian church which has always had significant meaning to me comes to mind in this context, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (I Co. 10.31) Why that verse? Well I think growing up, and in the preponderance of messages on Christian living that I hear, I thought/hear growing in love for the Lord and developing spiritually were/are things that take place in some sort of vacuum - let me break it to you they don't! For the vast majority of Christ-followers it's not in some remote, tumultuous part of the globe as a brave missionary that we will fight for spiritual growth; it's not leading some dynamic ministry praying for thousands and seeing the dead raised, but in the midst of the juggle, the stuff of daily living that we can most develop Christlikeness, that we MUST develop Christlikeness. We are to be Christlike in real life: holding down a job, loving wife, kids, extended family, keeping healthy, reading the word every day, serving the local church, loving the church family, balancing the books, consistently growing in holiness, driving on the roads, and checking in on what shows our kids are watching. Know what I mean?

Man I want to juggle well, I want to love my Lord, wife, kids, and church family well and still feel like I'm standing and flourishing being light and salt to a dying world. Going to need serious power from above and those old-school biblical traits of perseverance and steadfastness.
How about you? You going to re-commit to it again?

Simon

A Little More on 'Paradox'

This past Sunday while taking time to speak to the people of X1 after a week filled with the sorrow, awakening, and reality of one of our dear saints I felt it necessary to attack a heresy that I feel plagues contemporary Christianity.

I quoted one of my fantastic professors from the University of Nottingham called Conor Cunningham - a man I stated has "a mind the size of Nottingham", one of those individuals whom you encounter at an intellectual level and have to use the words of Wayne and Garth (Wayne's World), "You big, me small!" - who noted that, "All heresy is birthed from an inability to live with paradox."

One of the legends at our church felt it necessary to ask me to further explain paradox after the sermon. So here's a quick help for all I hope.

The definition of Paradox is thus: A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
The primary paradoxes of the Christian faith are Christological (fully God, fully man in one being) or Trinitarian (Three persons in one) and the major heresies in Christian history are offshoots of these two - there are of course many more.
But the heresy I was highlighting is that of a demand for the "yet to be realised" promises of glory for Christian saints to be absolutely necessary and realised in our everyday life now.
This comes from an inability to live with the paradox of the "now and not yet" (this may not in fact strictly be a paradox by definition but I considered it one for the sake of the message) reality of life as followers of Jesus today.

The context was that the godliest among us suffer and die, those most worthy of long life die at a young age, those most unworthy of death are those attacked by this venomous foe with complete effect in a totally untimely manner.
We must live with paradox. O yes, and we must be those willing enough to live with it that we shout down the pathetic heresies that may be mouthed by those nearest to us who have bought into some quasi-truth without measuring it against the absolute truth of biblical revelation.

Simon

New Home

So the LJ family have finally moved into their own home. That is not necessarily true I feel I need to state to all, "You need to own a home to be somewhat human" fanatics, as the bank certainly owns a more significant portion of it than my wife and I. But we are now actually paying off a mortgage which apparently is a good state in which to be in the UK.

I've not ever been a homebuyer type of guy and in fact it has been a major part of the marriage narrative between my wife and I that I've had the view that I've had. I think growing up somewhere like Zimbabwe and leaving your home with a couple of suitcases and some cash - twice! (I left America the same way) - causes you to place minimal emphasis on owning your own property. One is delighted with 'having a ceiling over your head' rather than actually owning said ceiling. But, there is a state of peace that has come upon us as a family even in these early days that is different to what I've felt before and I must admit I enjoy it.

There is always the latent 'concern' in my heart that having such an investment will in someway hinder a radical openness to the total-life-giving call of God, but I guess I need to trust that my love for Him, inspired by His great love for me will serve to powerfully undermine even a 'love' for something as significant as my own home. I hope so.

All In!

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39 ESV)

It's amazing what gloss we put on the call of discipleship. Globally there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Christian leaders selling their version of the call to follow Jesus that typically is rather comfortable for us or, in fact, totally physically rewarding. I love Christ's 'sales pitch' here: LOSE YOUR LIFE, GIVE IT UP! That's my type of call man! Cut away the dross, strip away the false dressing and lay it out. That's exactly what our saviour does here.

There is stunning reward for following Jesus. In fact the cost, which if you read this verse again is ALL - there is no halves here, there is no comfort style option, Christianity with all the trimmings so to speak - is infinitely outweighed by the reward! He's the reward, it is relationship with Jesus that makes 'sense' of tossing aside all other 'valuable' things and joyously holding on to the great treasure, the pearl of great price, that is life in the Kingdom, living for, and following devotedly after Jesus Christ.

In Him
Simon

Entrusted

As an Eldership here at X1 we are trying desperately to discern God's heart on leadership and to reflect that in the whats, the whys, and the hows of our leading. One thing I think we have felt the need to do very early on is to multiply leadership. We see this pattern repeatedly in scripture: Jethro's approaching of Moses and telling him to hand on leadership to good men instead of carrying all the weight himself; Jesus, who would have been more capable than anyone to handle all leadership responsibilities himself, choosing 12 disciples fully aware of the power and future impact of leadership multiplication; and Paul who in his writings to Timothy and Titus displays this multiplying tendency. We're trying to do the same here at X1.

We're aware that the favour of God upon our leadership to allow for growth could easily be hindered were the two of us to demand ownership of every area of church life and to not 'entrust' leadership to those good people He has placed around us. We could easily go from being catalysts of growth to chokers of growth if we do not multiply our leadership. Paul in his second letter to Timothy charges him to 'entrust to faithful men' the things that he has learnt in his own ministry or from Paul as his mentor. We have taken this on and are trusting God to make great things come about.

On Friday morning at 7AM we had our first get together with some fantastic faithful guys hoping that within this context we could excite and equip the leadership and gifting already within these guys. It was a fantastic start and an arena that I pray will become a hotbed for cultivating mighty fruit-bearing oaks for X1 and the Kingdom of God.
God is good, and His eternal models of leadership are essential for the impact of the local church upon culture.

Simon