The Perspective-Driven Life: Breath of Fresh Air

by Brad Duncan

I've been looking for an alternative to the Purpose-Driven Life and Performance-Driven Life as a description of the Christian lifestyle.  I call it the Perspective-Driven Life.  Here's a short exercise in contrasting the old and the new:

The Purpose-Driven Life is a:

• Performance-Driven Life
• Pressure-Driven Life
• Praise-Driven Life
• Pleasing-Driven Life
• Prescription-Driven Life
• Pride-Driven Life
• Power-Driven Life

The Perspective-Driven Life, by contrast is a:

• Progress-Driven Life
• Passion-Driven Life
• Priority-Driven Life
• People-Driven Life
• Peace-Driven Life
• Present-Driven Life
• Partnership-Driven Life

Why call it "Perspective-Driven"?  If we open our eyes to see the world the way that God does, and conversely to see God as Jesus demonstrated and revealed God's nature, then we are driven to lives of peace, caring about others, and living in the present.  

Whereas the old modern definition of Christianity is a call to a high level of achievement in our relationship with God, the new progressive definition of Christianity is a call to a high level of awareness of the present and of the needs of other people, more as a partnership with God than as a fulfillment of a prescribed purpose.  

As God is passionate and creative in dealings with humanity, so we should also be, always searching for ways to bring God's goodness, peace and grace into reality in the present world we live in.  Understood this way, righteousness is not sinlessness or achievement of good behavior or good favor with our God, instead righteousness is an authentic, real, relationship of integrity with our creator.  It is our perspective that comes from spiritual awareness that helps us overcome our selfish nature and vanquish evil and darkness in the world.

With this mindset, being a Christian is progress!  It's a breath of fresh air!  It's good news for the world and for the church alike.

Chapter 7 Part 1: Revolutionary Adventures in the Gospel of Luke

Revolutionary Adventures in the Gospel of Luke

Luke 7:1-17

by Brad Duncan

Join me on this adventure through the Gospel of Luke as I explore the revolution of God's grace poured out to us, and how it can lead to our fulfilling God's greatest plan to build his kingdom on Earth.

The Journey so far follows these themes: Preparation.  Incarnation.  Revolution.  Liberation.  Transformation.

Being Positive Is ...

by Brad Duncan

Being positive is ...



having faith in God's love for me
and having faith in other people, seeing the best in them

expecting good things
but knowing that if hard things happen I have a foundation that will withstand the storms

having good news for the world, the poor and needy, the sad, the hungry, the sick, the oppressed -- God is on their side and so am I
having good news for the hated, judged, and rejected -- God accepts them and so do I

Fuel for the Decision Engine

by Brad D.


I love to write about what salvation means, and have written previously about the human trinity, capacity and opportunity, freedom and the Kingdom of God.  This article brings these concepts together again and looks at how salvation changes us, providing the fuel needed by our decision engine.

In so many ways, what we believe about ourselves frames what we believe about God and his Good News to transform us and liberate us.  Salvation implies leaving the old behind, and embracing the new; that’s the transformation.  It also implies Freedom, as we were captives before, and now we are free; that’s the liberation.

So, what is the context of this change, or, Who Am I?  And then what is this transformation and liberation, or, What Changes?  If we can answer these two questions we can get to the heart of Freedom, the very purpose of the Good News.

Who Am I?
We are each a trinity of intellect, emotions and spirit.  We are created by God in his image, as points of spiritual light that represent a life of great value, individuality, potential, capacity and opportunity in the eyes of God our maker and father.  Our father longs for us, seeking and calling us, and desiring most of all to establish a meeting of his trinity, with ours.  A meeting of the minds, an understanding of thoughts and emotions, and a joining of spirits.  In other words, intimacy and relationship.

Calling Open Minds: The Kingdom of God Needs You

by Brad D.

The kingdom of God needs open minds.  The kingdom of God, also called the kingdom of heaven or the church in the broadest sense of the word, is God's work on this planet.  Jesus calls believers to a great mission to spread his message and deliver freedom to all people.  To do this he's enlisting those with open minds to help with the cause.

 God is calling us all to step up, with open minds and hearts, with open spirits, to hear him calling and to bring change.  We just need to respond.

Calling Truth-Lovers: The kingdom of God needs people who love the truth.  The message that God has for today.  The point.  What the speakers recorded in the Bible would say to us today if they were standing here on the stage.  People who can hear the challenge in the words.  People who grapple with less-than-obvious meanings.  People who care about the harmful effects and missed opportunities, when we believe "easy" interpretations passed down by tradition instead of grappling with the hard concepts ourselves.  God is calling open minds!

We Need a New Reformation

Read this article from theOOZE (re-posted in entirety) on why the church needs a New Reformation.

We Need a New Reformation (by Chuck Queen)

I had not thought much about the wave of Tea Party members elected to Congress until the recent debate over the deficit and the debt ceiling. What I particularly observed was, what seemed to me, a complete lack of concern for or obligation to the most vulnerable in our country—the poor and marginalized.


Jesus, of course, defined his mission and ministry with particular focus on the most vulnerable. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . . to bring good news to the poor . . . to let the oppressed go free.” (Luke 4:18–19)

I suspect that a number of Christians must have voted for them to get them elected. So my question is: What sort of Christianity supports an agenda that neglects the disadvantaged?

Three Parables

by Brad D.


Please enjoy these three modern-day parables...

The Church is Closed, Please Come Back Later

Dear God, could you come back later? The church is closed right now. We heard someone knocking. Then someone shouted through the door something we didn't quite hear, so he said it louder. We think it was you. But we really couldn't understand what you were saying. After that we heard something being explained slowly and more clearly. Surely that wasn't you, God. What he said made no sense to us. Then you said it even more clearly.  Then we knew it must be someone else, but we definitely didn't agree with it, and we have all the facts written down right here in the Bible.

"You must have the wrong address," we said. 

Then the voice said, "No really, its me. Can you please let me in?". 

"Oh God, I'm so sorry we didn't recognize your voice. But we're really busy right now. Can you come back later?"  Its been quiet for a while so I guess you left. I hope we can get ready for when you come back. We've got a ton of work to do.

"Hey guys. I think he's coming back soon. Is there any way we can get this place cleaned up?  And by the way where did those 10 gold coins go that we were supposed to invest to get a good return out of it. Can someone go dig them up? God's gonna want those back."

Wait, someone else is knocking. Its a bunch of weird people. They seem to be dirty and hurt, some are bleeding. They're a total mess. They want in! 

"Hey guys, the church is closed. Can you come back later? Were trying to get ready for God right now."

Calling the World, Please Help

Please help! The church needs you. Please come and bring the truth to us. Please come and help to evangelize the church. 

• Calling people with differences. We have forgotten what you are like, its been so long since we knew anyone like you.
• Calling all economists and financial wizards. We need some advice on how to invest our wealth. Currently its earning no return and we need to move it to something worthwhile.
• Calling all scientists. We got confused and mixed up science and fashion. We thought if we just waited a while the old ideas would become popular again. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened and science keeps moving along without us. Can you help bring some rational balance please?
• Calling all philosophers and thinkers. Every week in our communities we talk about the most profound topics of our existence and purpose. But somewhere we stopped thinking and considering new ideas. We just keep telling each other the same facts. We could use good healthy debate and hear some complex ideas we don't fully understand. Can you give us some of that?
• Calling all creative humanitarians.  Can you help us find out how to really help the poor, exploited, and sick?  We have all this money here, and I don't know but maybe millions of volunteer hours, if you need them.  Could you help us figure out how to do some good work with this?

I can't promise that we'll let you in the door. If we don't then at least you tried. Just shake the dust off your shoes and try a different door, church or town. We need you so badly but we don't know it or want to admit it, but I beg you have a heart and come and help us! 

Paul the Talking Head

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's stage. Today, we have the apostle Paul on the stage.  Not exactly LIVE but the next best thing.  We found this video segment with the early church manuscripts and today we're going to show it! The Holy Spirit, anticipating our technology, willed that this video would be found on a USB thumb drive and now we're going to show it (of course, someone posted it on YouTube). Anyway, the Holy Spirit warned Paul before he made this recording that it would be used for about 50,000 years so he was prepared to be as politically correct as possible in a way that could transcend all those years. The Holy Spirit also reminded him that he would be interpreted Verbatim as though he were talking to future generations, using timeless quips and unalterable principles that would work in any time and culture.

So, here goes. He's about to speak. It's amazing. What will he say?

He says: "Jesus is the real thing. I saw him myself, and when I did the scales fell off of my eyes, metaphorically at first, literally later (just want to be clear about that)! I saw truth and power.  Boy was I wrong and messed up before.  He loves us. 

Okay, good night and good luck!"

What? That's it? Where's my transcendental truth?

Oh, by the way, he says: "the Holy Spirit warned me you would take me literally and Verbatim no matter what your time and culture. Don't know why you would do that. Doesn't make any sense to me but if that's how you feel about it I won't say anything else so I won't be misunderstood. If you have questions, just ask the Holy Spirit. Fortunately he'll still be alive and present with you in whatever day you are watching this."

"Misfits: Who Are You Including?"

I am re-posting below some of the reviews for this book, Misfits: Who Are You Including?, by John O'Keefe.  The reviews alone are worth reading!  Many other people are trying to say the same thing as I am about Acceptance. -- Brad

Misfits: Who Are You Including?

John O'Keefe (Author)

'NO PUNCHES PULLED! This book is utterly compelling! It's a must read for all misfits of any description. It's a shell shocking treasure that offers much well needed encouragement to all who do not fit in, whatever the reason. On top of this it's a mightily kick-ass challenge to any ecclesiastical hierarchs or clerically ambitious who have let respectability blind them to the fact that their Lord was not respectable - he was (like so many of us) just another misfit. If you are comfortable with the way the Church is, then be prepared to be disturbed. On the other hand if you have been disturbed by modern Churchianity, then be prepared to be comforted and even inspired to gather back into your arms the baby you once threw out with the Church's dirty bath water. I honestly believe that this book will become a Christian best seller for, not only is it such a necessary theme, it's written in such a punchy and yet non-preachy way. It literally reaches out and grabs the attention, holding onto it until the end. Not to be overlooked!!'
Mark Townsend
Author of The Gospel of Falling Down

    
"The church in the 21st century is becoming irrelevant to the lives of many whom she would serve. This fact is well known among many in church leadership; even if it is seldom acknowledged publicly 

Often, the response to this decline is to circle the wagons around doctrine, theology, or ideology in an attempt to weather the storms of change and decline. In "Misfits"; John O'Keefe proposes a radically different approach:   Throw open the doors. Welcome all to their rightful place at God's table and allow a beautifully messy and truly authentic community to take shape. For to follow that outcast and misfit Jesus, we should truly embrace other misfits and welcome them into beloved community, as He did. "The Church needs to understand that we are all, or all should be, misfits and that our Churches need to be filled with misfits seeking to know and understand the divine in their lives."
The church might just find that the soul she saves is her own."
Roger McClellan,
progressivechristianalliance.org

    
"John O'Keefe is one of the original 'Outlaw Preachers.' He was an 'Outlaw' before being an 'Outlaw' was cool. So he's been on this journey for a while, and his journey has informed his passion for seeing the Church be open and welcoming to all. In his new book, he's provoking us all to ask some hard questions about how our churches/faith communities operate. I'm grateful for his voice and for his rebel call to inclusion."
Steve Knight
knightopia.com

    
I love John's heart. He has two passions:  The church and those she fails to see at present. Hopefully this book will be one more helpful nudge to wake us from our slumber even as it serves to give the misfit in us all a reason to belong. 
Chad Holtz
chadholtz.net

    
"I have read many books that attempt to teach societal transformation. They give advice like pray, schedule a meeting, and pray that people come to the meeting. While that may be all well and good, this book is not like those books. Through personal experience narrative, John artfully invites you into the lives of those who dare not darken the door of a church building.

Instead of simply giving you hope that you can, indeed, make a marked difference in the lives of those outside the church walls, John provides practical, real-world, advice on how to embrace your 'other'.

This is a must read for all practitioners of our faith who take seriously Jesus' command to go into the world."
Brandon Mouser, co-pastor, Ink Church
Moderator, Outlaw Preachers
 brandonmouser.com

    
When I walk into 'christian' bookstores I tend to stroll through the aisles and mentally categorize what I see ... almost as if in a grocery store.  Baby Food - okay, that's necessary for awhile. Candy and Snacks - hmmm ... tasty, okay on a limited basis, but of no real nutritional value. Frozen and Pre-Planned Meals - you know, the 12-steps to this and the 40 Days of that. Perhaps they make things a little more convenient, but they fall short on numerous counts.

Misfits would fall into the Health and Natural foods aisle. 

Reading Misfits brought back many memories and stirred up strong emotions. I have been involved with countercultural ministry over 25 years. I could put different names to the stories John shares throughout the book and the stories of rejection and exclusion would be the same. Hell, I could add my name to a number of those stories.

The first two emotions I encountered while reading Misfits were a profound sadness and anger. "I can't believe this crap is still happening! I thought we would have progressed much further than this by now!"

As I continued reading I ran across a single sentence that began to stir my spirit:  "We have gotten so used to thinking exclusion we have lost the ability to think inclusion."

I believe John has stumbled upon something very significant. It's as if exclusion is buried so deep within us that it has almost become part of our DNA, our subconscious modus operandi. No wonder we struggle against inclusion - even when trying to embrace it!

We are in need of a deep, internal change ... a 'born from above' experience, if you will, where God's expansive love and inclusion drives out our fear-based exclusivity. Perhaps this is part of the "new creation" promised by Scripture. May Mother Spirit birth such in all our hearts.

I believe the message within Misfits is something that the Spirit is speaking to the Church today ... Lord, give us ears to hear. Amen.
Pastor Nar Martinez
Spiritual Director / Spiritual Father with the Outlaw Preacher
OutlawPreachers.com

    
In a time when church people continue to draw lines defining "who's in" and "who's out", O'Keefe gives us an impassioned plea to drop our differences, to end our judgmental exclusivity, and work with God to open our hearts wider--to be as inclusive as Christ's sacrifice, which was, after all, meant for everyone.
-Caleb J Seeling
Founder of samizdatcreative.com
Senior editor for theooze.com 

Paul Clears the Air: More on Women

Hello, it's Paul again.

Thanks for inviting me back on the stage.  Since my last visit I've gotten lots of letters about how we should treat women in the church and in Christian families.  The questions all have the flavor of finding the boundary or limit on womens' roles, authority and rights.  Questions like, "What kind of leadership positions should we let women have in the church?", and "How do women and men share the authority in family decision-making?"

So, I guess I was a bit too brief last time.  I said it already, but I can answer these questions in more detail.

Look, these types of questions, if men ask them, makes us men look like bullies on the playground.  "Do we have to let her play?".  "AAAaaah, no, do we have to let the girls have a turn?"  Radical freedom means that we erase the glass ceiling and get this thing right!  As we know by now, men don't have any special powers, extra intelligence, stronger leadership potential, or closer relationship with God than women.  They are physiologically different, and emotionally different, in ways that can be explored and described in countless science studies, but these differences are now recognized as valuable for women to have when leading along-side men.  We'll have to be deliberate, much like affirmative action, to bring up the numbers of women in leadership.  We'll have to overcompensate a bit in welcoming them to the upper ranks and important jobs, to help make up the existing gap.

I've been to lots of churches, and though I know there are some out there, I've never been to one where the women were in charge, equally with the men.  Men, it's time to let the women have the important jobs, too.  Make every effort to extend the offer of equality and radical freedom.  Quit being the bullies on the playground!  

And in families!?!?  Do the same.  Christian women that I've met are unsure of their place in the family.  Society asks so much, but rewards so little!  The church just adds more expectations on top of this and pushes women to get less respect and recognition for it, so that they can give the honor to their husbands.  Christians, I have to tell you this: this makes unhealthy marriages!  Today we understand honor to mean liberty and respect.  Democracy in decision making.  Each bringing to the relationship and the home our best talents to make it the best possible environment for the marriage to succeed and kids to grow up in.  Husbands, don't be bullies unless you want your marriage to be fragile shell of what it should be!  Don't treat your wife like your dog or like that older kid treated you on the playground!

Okay hope that's clear.  If not I'll use a bull-horn next time!  Have a good one!  Honor those women!

Paul

Paul on the Stage: About Women

Big picture. Let's look at the message to women in the New Testament. Take the apostle Paul as a case study, again the big picture, the over-arching message.  What was it?.  

First, let's explore from a time projection view where words were intended to transcend time and culture and be understood literally today. What Paul said to women then, is what he would stand up in church today and say. Verbatim. In fact let's consider Paul to be on a televised recording, recorded 2000 years ago and played back today. By the way, did he know we were going to use this recording for the next 100,000 years (just throwing this number out there) and apply it Verbatim?  Did he plan his words to apply to 5,000 future generations?

Secondly let's look at a more realistic Paul, were he to appear on stage today. Let's determine what he would say, if his words were relative to the culture and time of his day, and he were to try to translate his concepts into words we could understand. If Paul was not really thinking about us, not fully aware of our time, when he wrote before, this is probably the more accurate way to hear him than the Verbatim version. We're after fidelity here. We don't want to get the wrong idea about what he's trying to say.

Women in Need.  Source...

Okay the stage is set. What's Paul going to say to women today? First, let's go to Paul the talking head. He' right here on this computer screen...  He says that women are allowed in church! Wow that's cool. They are not really allowed to talk openly but there they are singing and worshiping with thir families. In fact the men are to be kind and respectful to them. They are to work on their marriages (both the men, and the women). Way cool since women were kind of like property back then. Women are to still respect their husbands and honor them as the head of household rather than as equals in the house.  "This authority is a minor point, though," he says; "the men are to be kind and to treat the women like fellow children of God. Let's keep some semblance of the societal order or the family will fall apart and women will be completely disgraced in society." Wow, this Paul guy is a genious. Too bad he wasn't aware that we needed him to speak a little more PC because we need that Verbatim interpretation

Project Renewal..  Source...

Okay now the real Paul is on the stage, trying to best phrase his message (like any good preacher) so that we can really get it.  Not just the letter of the law meaning but the real point that should continue to apply when the fabric of our experience changes.  What?  He's saying something about radical freedom. Something about leading our society in how to love and respect one another. He says that in spite of all our effort the world is still having problems affording women the respect they need and deserve. They are powerless in many situations. They can be discarded by men so easily, left there hanging with the kids. But they can't get the good jobs or good pay. They suffer so much more from poverty and exploitation, but don't have a voice to complain. The church is to radically lead the way and teach the world how to fix this.  Paul says, "Look, let me explain it clearly.  When women walk in that door of the church from the streets of their town or village, should their freedom and honor increase, or decrease, or be about neutral?  If increase, how much should it change?  Church, it should be a radical, night and day difference increase!  When women walk in that door, they should be FREE.  They should be honored and cared for.  They should have an equal voice.  Let's show the world how to do it!  If the world still perpetuates injustice, then let's fight it!.  Good night and Amen!"

"By the way, is that me on the screen?   Wow, I was looking goood back then.  I started my mission for women's rights back then and I'm still struggling to be heard!  Do I need to shout?"

Any Other Word?

Any other word.

I challenge anyone to support either a theology or logical rationale for the rejection of LGBT people by the church.  Consider the following arguments for rejecting gay people.  Would the rationale make sense if we used any other word besides “gay”?

This article was also featured on theOOZE at:  http://theooze.com/culture/replace-gay-with-any-other-word/

Rationale #1: Being gay is a sin.  The Bible says it’s wrong.  Therefore, a gay person cannot be a Christian.

Replace gay with:

• unkind, judgmental, selfish, greedy, hateful, jealous, lustful 
• drug-addicted or alcoholic 
• elitist, over-ambitious, self-absorbed, egotistical 
• <fill in your top 10 sins here> 
• human!

Replace gay with any other word and the rationale doesn’t hold up.  Can you think of any other word where this argument makes sense?  If you say that sinners cannot be Christians, then there are no Christians.

Rationale #2: Being gay is a choice.  Therefore, a gay person cannot be a Christian. 

Again, replace gay or “a gay person” with:

• Republican, Democrat 
• Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, monk, hermit 
• pro-choice, pro-life 
• homeless, jobless, hungry
• in debt, debt-free 
• an engineer, a doctor, a masseuse, a travel agent 
• a prostitute, a loan shark, a bank robber, an axe-murderer

The only words that make any sense in this sentence would be “non-Christian” or something similar that implies the person is not a Christian (e.g., Muslim, atheist, etc.).  A person that chooses not to be a Christian, is NOT a Christian.  That’s it! 

You can define “being a Christian” in various ways (having faith in Jesus and the Bible, being accepted by God, liking Christian traditions, whatever) and there’s no other choice you could make that would disqualify you from being a Christian.  We believe that a person makes a choice for faith, and that its a free gift from God, right?  Certainly an “axe-murderer” would most likely not agree with Christian ideals but we could have a long, heated theological debate about whether the axe-murderer could be accepted by God in the end if he tried to be an axe-murdering Christian.  Probably the axe-murderer would get a better deal from Christians than the gay person in most circles!  Not sure about the pro-choice person -- I suppose that could be a close tie with being gay.

Rationale #3:  Gay people are just born that way.  Therefore, a gay person cannot be a Christian. 

Replace gay with:

• blond-haired, brown-haired, brown-eyed, blue-eyed 
• short, tall, fat, skinny 
• white, black, Hispanic, <fill in your ethnicity or nationality here> 
• physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, mentally ill, child with a birth defect or disease 
• introverted, extroverted, <fill in your personality traits here> 
• smart, dumb, <fill in your intelligence level here!> 
• upper-class, lower-class, <fill in your economic status here!> 
• male, female, human !

The argument about whether gay people are born gay or choose a life-style of homosexuality is irrelevant to faith or being a Christian.  If only certain classes of people can be Christians, then being Christian is not a choice at all! 

How about this one:

Rationale #4:  I don’t like gay people.  Therefore, a gay person cannot be a Christian. 

You get the point.  Doesn’t work with that word or any other word either.  But it’s probably the most honest statement of all.

I have heard these arguments all my life, and blindly accepted them.  But do we ever stop to question whether the argument itself makes any sense?  What’s the sense in arguing something when the logic is flawed to begin with.  In that type of argument, we will always lose!  

It’s like when my 8-year old boy argues with me as to why he should be able to eat candy for breakfast.  He’s convinced, but his logic is laughable!  I would be embarrassed to support an irrational point that everyone else can see as laughable.  It makes Christians look ignorant!  Can’t we hear our own words and tell when they don’t make sense?

In the end it just doesn't matter if we like it, or agree with it, or think its a sin or a life-style -- the rationale of rejection just doesn't work.  It's better to just call it hate.

So, once again, I challenge anyone to find a rationale for rejecting LGBT people.  Can you think of anything that doesn’t fall apart if you replace “gay” with any other word?  

If you can’t think of one, then maybe an apology would be a better choice.  We have hated gay people long enough, and they don’t deserve it.  What’s worse: being hateful, or being gay?  If they can't be Christians, then maybe we’re not Christians, either.


Bradley D. 


Related Posts:
Hello Evangelicals!

Dear Pastor, Please Invite the Gay
A Letter to the Unaccepted
Forward Progress 4: The Good News of Grace

Is this a cool church or what?

Check out Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis...

Facebook page
http://www.solomonsporch.com/

A Holistic Missional Christian Community in Minneapolis

Solomon’s Porch is a Holistic Missional Christian Community that meets in a building located at 100 West 46th Street in Minneapolis Minnesota.

Solomon’s Porch is a community seeking to live the dreams and love of God in the way of Jesus as a benefit and blessing to the world. As part of this effort, we maintain a meeting space in South Minneapolis but we are very aware that our community exists wherever the people of Solomon’s Porch find themselves.

The people of our community are from varied backgrounds and hold a wide-range of perspectives, and all are welcome.

We welcome you to join us in person at any of our gatherings, meals or conversations. We know that entering into an active and engaged community can be difficult for some people and want to extend our invitation for your to be part of our community.

This church is a church of people, not an event created by the leaders. We hope and desire to help you make your dreams come to life. So if you have a ministry idea, a community idea, a worship idea, please share it.

Please know that Solomon’s Porch welcomes you.

Narrative-Historical Theology

A really useful article about how to interpret the Bible. I wish more Christians would embrace this and realize that a more open mind leads to real truth, not to watered-down truth. The "easy" interpretation that doesn't require any work or thinking is not going to lead to any new insight into spiritual things.

Towards a useful narrative-historical theology

"On this blog and in the books I have written in the last few years I have argued for an evangelical self-understanding that expresses its fidelity to scripture by means of what I think is most usefully classified as a narrative-historical hermeneutic. What I mean by this is that the theological content of the Bible, and of the New Testament in particular, in its various forms, is primarily meaningful—and sometimes only meaningful—in the context of the unfolding but circumscribed story of a people that claimed to be heirs of the promises made to Abraham.The theological content of the Bible, therefore, is not a body of free-floating abstract truth that means the same now as it meant then. Even at its most generalized it represents, in the first place, a dynamic engagement with history and is subject to the contingencies and constraints of history. "

The Open Church Initiative

the Open Church initiative

progressive Christianity for the global neighborhood

Hello all!  I am starting a new project called the Open Church Initiative.  The purpose is to start a discussion, and set a "Trajectory" for the church to embrace a more open-minded approach to the Bible and to other people, in order to truly partner with God to bring the kingdom of heaven to the world we live in.

We're on Facebook!  Contribute to the conversation at:

Open Church Initiative FB page

I have a goal and a vision of creating a collaborative document that describes an "open" church.  I need your help!  Please comment or email.  What are the core beliefs?  How can local churches participate?

To start with, I would also appreciate any comments and feedback on the Core Values and Beliefs, below.  Take a look and help make it better.  

Thanks!  Brad

Core Values and Beliefs

In this note, the core values and beliefs of the Open Church initiative are described.  They are intended to be as broad as possible to lower the barrier to entry across a broad range of faith backgrounds, while casting a vision of where the church is going.  Think of each value as a “Trajectory”, a path toward a loftier vision.  If you are agreeing to join us on this path, to explore where it will lead, then you are a part of the Open Church initiative.  There is no hurdle or target you must achieve to accept these values, as long as you are willing to embrace the direction they are leading.  "Trajectory" not "Destination".

Open Mind

The Bible represents the story of God’s interaction with people through certain times in history, and this interaction continues today even in our own lives.  With an Open Mind, we seek to understand God and truth itself through these interactions.  We listen more than speak, we embrace our own limited experience and view of reality, we accept other viewpoints as valid, and we value discussions.  We apply our Mind to grapple with the mysteries of God, and embrace faith as guiding the Mind instead of limiting it by forcing blind acceptance of facts and ideals.  We view God’s revelation of himself to people as something he completely controls and may choose to increase at any time in history.  We view God as the primary worker for and force behind change, truth, and the relationship between himself and people.  We view God’s Mind as deliberate, thoughtful, inquisitive, creative, complex, and unknowable except as he chooses to reveal it.  Our Mind was created by him, and in many ways is similar to his.  With an Open Mind, we can listen to God and to each other and grow in our understanding of truth.  

Open Arms

The Bible teaches us of God’s hand which is open in an offer of friendship and relationship with us.  It shows God’s immense patience with us in spite of our flaws, and acceptance of all those that call upon him.  When Jesus came, he taught lessons against elitist religious systems that created barriers to acceptance.  He taught that judging others is unjust.  He taught that only he has the authority to judge, and then he used that authority to open up grace to all people through his inclusive, pervasive work to defeat evil and death by dying on the cross.  To follow his example we must be generously, deliberately, boldly welcoming to all people, setting the example for the rest of the world in our ability to appreciate diversity.  This Openness cuts across all barriers including gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, tradition, sexual orientation, ideals, and life choices -- people we agree with and people we don't.  We do not believe that the Bible is correctly understood and utilized to create barriers of acceptance due to differences, whether those differences occur by choice, by ideals or by birth.  Instead, we believe that God calls us to a higher standard where we must accept all people as we are in fact accepted by him in spite of our own flaws, choices, ideals and uniqueness.  In fact, we believe that God values our differences and is able to use them to allow us unique opportunities to further his kingdom.  Even harder than loving our enemies, is loving those we don't understand.

Open Eyes

The Bible teaches of principles that guide the lives of believers during this life on this Earth and with the people around us.  These principles show us how to resist evil, to make right choices, to fight injustice, to feed the hungry, to aid those in need, to liberate those in chains, and to spread God’s grace to all people.  As the church, we take responsibility for the truth that we carry, and we take ownership of our unique task to build God’s kingdom on this Earth.  We Open our Eyes to the world around us, to the pain and need that is evident in every community and corner of the world.  We join forces with other believers to take a stand, to organize, to invest, to influence, and to lead, in order to achieve tangible improvements in the quality of life and knowledge of God’s goodness in this world.  We Open our Eyes to see that a kingdom of ideals and faith alone is not effective in taking care of our responsibility.  We choose to care and choose to act, driven by our ideals and faith.  We choose to implement God’s love and not only to proclaim it.  We view the Great Commission as not only a call to proclaim the message of Jesus, but also to act on it, bringing God's goodness to every community, nation and corner of the Earth.  

Open Spirit

The Bible teaches us of God’s desire to relate to people.  We believe that God’s ultimate desire and call for us is to respond to him by opening our spirit to accept him and by relating to him.  We believe in an active and present God that longs to and indeed will, interact with us in our daily lives, guiding us and working for our good and for the good that we can bring to others.  We believe that God shares truth with us through his connection to our spirit.  To hear his truth and direction we must be Open to him.  We must view his working as current and not just described in stories of the past.  We cannot appreciate him today by only relating to stories of yesterday.  God can and will guide us in new directions, new revelations, and new truths that were not available to people before.  God simply calls us to respond to him, with an Open Spirit, and to engage in intimate relationship with him.  Through this relationship, God will bring us to a place of spiritual maturity where we better understand his truth, act more consistently for good instead of evil, and more readily accept others as he accepts them.

Open Choice

We are created beings, designed by God.  In his design, God endowed us with a creative mind that is capable of complex choices involving facts, feelings, and spiritual ideals, so that we can justly lead the course of our lives to bring about his goodness in our relationships and interaction with the world.  We have frequent choices Open to us, that may have long-terms consequences in affecting other people for good or evil.  This creates the opportunity for sin, which is broadly understood from the Bible as the evil things we do to each other.  Therefore it creates a responsibility for us to use our choices to bring good into the world, to fight injustice, and to speak the truth.  We choose to respond to God through intimate relationship, or to avoid him and act in our own interest.  God designed us this way, as a path to creating the realities of Love, Freedom, Righteousness, and Relationship, none of which would be possible without freedom of Choice.  If God’s highest calling is intimate relationship, his greatest gift to us is freedom to choose that relationship.

Open Future

The Bible describes an unpredictable story, based on actions of an unpredictable God.  If we lived in a past time, we could not have, through wise interpretation of scripture, ever predicted or imagined the world as it now exists.  God has plans, but he does not choose to reveal them in a clear way through prophets or documents.  We see that we are endowed with freedom of choice, so we estimate that God’s plans for us are largely determined by our own choices, whether on an individual level or on a community, national or global scale.  To provide a clear example, if the world’s people make a choice to mitigate cancer, AIDS, and other diseases, they will invest time and money into research that will fight these diseases.  Our choices change the future as we find treatments and cures!  By searching for lower cost solutions (and compassionate aid) we make those treatments and cures available to more people.  God’s role as the author of all truth, and as the voice of goodness and freedom in the world, should not be underestimated.  We don’t do good things in spite of God’s work, we do it through God’s work.  Therefore it is our responsibility to answer the needs of the world through planning for a better future.  We need a comprehensive, serious vision of a world with less hunger, disease, slavery, pain, and injustice.  We can help lead the world to this brighter future, partnering with anyone that will join us, and by doing so help bring about the kingdom of God on Earth.  

The Theology of Freedom

Freedom is essential to the nature of God.  Jesus came to free everyone who suffers (Luke 4:18).

God in his freedom, made and makes choices about how to interact with us, (created us, loves us, relates to us, came to Earth in the flesh as Jesus, involves himself in our lives, answers our requests, shows us his wisdom, connects to us through the Holy Spirit).

God in his freedom, made us in his own image, a picture of Freedom.  We can choose to relate to God, choose to care about others, choose to be unselfish, choose to grow.     In his design, God endowed us with a creative mind that is capable of complex choices involving facts, feelings, and spiritual ideals.

Freedom in the gospel: The gospel message proclaimed by the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, and others, was essentially a proclamation of Liberation, of freeing the captives, of opening the mind to a new truth that frees us, opening the keys to the kingdom of heaven where we are free and privileged as God's children.

Freedom is what we offer to others when we accept them unconditionally, when we care about their point of view, their thoughts, their needs.  Freedom is when we stand up for injustice and free others from oppression, hate, unfair expectations, unethical work practices, exploitation, literal chains.

Freedom is all of those things: the choices we make, the nature we were given, the authority of God to offer salvation, the liberation we receive under God's spirit, the love we show others, our relationship with God, and the kingdom of heaven itself.

Freedom is choices.  God designed us this way, as a path to creating the realities of Love, Freedom, Righteousness, and Relationship, none of which would be possible without freedom of Choice.  If God’s highest calling is intimate relationship, his greatest gift to us is freedom to choose that relationship, and the freedom to make the world a better place by liberating others!

The opposite of Freedom?  Slavery, for one.  But also judgment, control, elitism, hate, prejudice, closed social systems, rejection, bigotry.  Religion itself can be a system of control rather than a liberating force.  But as God-lovers, Christ-believers, Spirit-followers and as the global church of God's children, we can fight injustice, and by doing do, partner with God to bring his kingdom on Earth.  

¹⁶Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, ¹⁷he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,    ¹⁸"The Lord's Spirit
   has come to me,
   because he has chosen me
   to tell the good news
   to the poor.
   The Lord has sent me
   to announce freedom
   for prisoners,
   to give sight to the blind,
   to free everyone
   who suffers,
    ¹⁹and to say, `This is the year
   the Lord has chosen.' "
    ²⁰Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus.
    ²¹Then Jesus said to them, "What you have just heard me read has come true today."

(Luke 4: 16-21), CEV