EVIDENCE BASED FAITH? (a guest post by Saskia Scott)

Today on the blog, we feature a guest post by Saskia Scott...enjoy!

An Evidence Based Faith?

by Saskia Scott

http://saskiamscott7.wix.com/sassytales

I've heard faith defined as belief despite a lack of evidence – or perhaps even despite evidence to the contrary. I suppose some faith is like that, but it is not the only kind of faith. For example, what would it mean to have faith in science? Does it mean that science doesn't really work, but scientists continue to believe it does anyway? Clearly not. Whatever view you take on the nature of knowledge itself, no one can deny that science does work. That's why it is so  powerful as a tool for understanding and influencing our world.

We can trust science, even when it reveals things that we cannot directly observe  –  like black holes, quarks, and the big bang. We have faith that these things are real because we have evidence that points towards them.

So what about religious faith? I was having a conversation with a Christian friend a few years ago, and the subject of evolution came up. I said that I believed in evolution for the same reasons that I believe in the resurrection of  Jesus of Nazareth – because I have evidence.

I can't directly observe evolution, because it happens too slowly; and I can't observe Christ's resurrection, because it happened too long ago.  Neither are these events obvious or easy to believe. Everyone knows people don't come back to life (except in zombie films), and the idea that a slow, building-block style process could result in so much complexity is mind-boggling at best.

But the amount of evidence for evolution is very convincing. I have faith that the evidence has been interpreted correctly, and that the experts know what they are talking about. And – here's the kicker – the amount of evidence for Jesus' resurrection is pretty convincing too. It's mostly historical, rather than scientific, but that makes it no less compelling.

We all must choose how to engage with evidence that does not fit our worldview. It does not have to be believed, but it cannot be ignored.

MARK 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” ³⁹ They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. ⁴² So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 Hopefully you’re seeing the trend…

Time after time, Jesus is asked by those closest to him, how to gain the kingdom of God, how to sit at His right hand, how to gain the world…

And the answer remains constant…serve.

Become a servant to the servant’s servant.

Become as lowly as possible.

Become last.

Become least.

What a tragic message in an economy and society based on click-baiting, amassing Twitter followers, likes, and retweets, seeking over-night fame through YouTube videos, and the increasing charge to dominate the global marketplace.

So how do we enter God’s kingdom?

Serve.

How do we become first?

Be last.

How do we become great?

Be least.

For the Son of God came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

May we become less, least, and serve.

Amen.

MARK 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money^[c] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²² When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is^[d] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ They were greatly astounded and said to one another,^[e] “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

²⁸ Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,^{[f] 30} who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

So may we fully accept and believe that You make beautiful things out of dust, and out of us. 

You are bringing about peace and beauty and wonder - through us.

And you’ve commissioned us to be Your hands and feet.

You’ve given us the task to love the unlovable, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to embrace those that are unlike us.

So while we stress over eternity, may we be reminded that eternity begins now.  Eternity includes the present realities of this world.

And may we feel empowered and sent out from this place, to forsake our own comforts and desires, for the deepest and darkest needs of those that are last and least.

In the strong name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

The Heart > Human Tradition

If you're someone that comes from a tradition that follows the lectionary calendar, you'll notice that the following text (from Mark 7) is the Gospel text for August 30, 2015.  However, regardless of your church method (mainline, non-denominational, charismatic, house-church, etc.), tradition is a factor.  Sometimes positive and welcome.  And sometimes anti-movement, anti-vision, anti-Christ.

Traditions, rules, constitutions, by-laws, the past - can all cripple a people (and person) of authentic living.

Mark 7 reads something like this:
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So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live^[d] according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
    teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

⁸ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

What do we do with passages like these?

As we gather in a body called church, called community, called family...

we gather on the backs of the faithful ancestors of our faith – hundreds of years of tradition that has culminated into this moment, this living, breathing, worship experience (no matter the day of the week).

But if we take pause and honestly look at our worship, how much of it praises brick and mortar, method and style, personal preference and programming, man made rules and constitutions and Roberts rules of order?

How much of our worship is actually idolatry?

Our prayer today is that our hearts be transformed, that our minds be transformed, that this holy place be transformed into the church – the bride of Christ – the people of God, with hearts aligned to Spirit and hands aligned to Jesus.

 Amen.

 After all, we are a people with transformation at our core...why not live it?

Peace,
Ross 

 

Interrogating Your Beliefs (w/ Peter Rollins)

Over the next week or so, we'll be posting a new series of videos/thoughts/challenges from Peter Rollins. 

{You can read more on Peter Rollins HERE}

The Parish is Perishing (PART V)

The Parish is Perishing
Because the structure of the traditional, parish-model, church in St. Louis hasn’t developed with the ever-changing cultures and surroundings, how it is able to effectively develop, disciple, and engage with its community is suffering.  This crisis is leading the average St. Louis church into a free-fall.  Churches are closing nearly every month, as young worshippers are leaving the church in droves.  Older worshippers are becoming more and more home-bound, moving to fixed incomes, and can no longer support church budgets, building campaigns, and missions.  Because the average worshipper in St. Louis is 61 years old (and getting older), the church is literally perishing. 

The spider-model of church structure has also prevented adequate development of future leaders.  The spider-model thrives with the paid-professionals, and as more and more congregations are laying off their staff(s), it is apparent that the model of Pastor or Priest determining belief, behavior, and belonging, has also prevented the laity from effectively developing a future plan, discipling others, or engaging their communities.  The heads are being cut off, and the organisms are dying.


Mosiacs, Busters, and the Future Church of St. Louis
Gabe Lyons, in his book Un-Christian, paints a picture of American Christian culture and perception by his survey work with Barna.  He shows the "Mosaic" generation (born 1984-2002) and "Buster" generation (born 1965-1983) as a growing un-churched population.  He focuses on the perceptions that have caused this fallout, as well as the reality of the future demographics of the “church,” should no changes be made to its definition, practice, and inclusion.  Lyons shows how changing the perceptions, definitions, and practices of the church among 16-35 year olds can dramatically change the future (Lyons 2007, 17-19).

Lyons’ surveying is especially important to the church-culture in St. Louis, because it correlates almost perfectly with the disconnect in the average age of those that claim to be churched.  Lyons shows an aging American-church, with a growing, younger un-churched population.  This is a portrait of St. Louis.  His surveying asked 16-35 year olds for their top ten perceptions of the church. Christianity's image problem is not merely the perception of young un-churched individuals either. Those inside the church see it as well -especially Christians in their early 20's and 30's (Lyons 2007, 18).  The survey of perceptions is overwhelmingly negative (Lyons 2007, 29-30):

Anti-homosexual: Un-churched-91% Churched-80%
Judgmental: Un-churched -87% Churched -52%
Hypocritical: Un-churched -85% Churched -47%
Old-fashioned: Un-churched -78% Churched -36%
Too involved in politics: Un-churched -75% Churched -50%
Out of touch with reality: Un-churched -72% Churched -32%
Insensitive to others: Un-churched -70% Churched -29%
Boring: Un-churched -68% Churched -27%
Not accepting of other faiths: Un-churched -64% Churched -39%
Confusing: Un-churched-61% Churched-44%
Table 2.0

Lyons continues, by better defining the backgrounds of those surveyed (Lyons 2007, 31-32):

1. Perceptions not formed in vacuum, most Mosaics and Busters have enormous experience with Christians and Christianity.
2. Experiences at churches, relationships, input from other religions, and what their parents have told them are all major factors.
3. Secular media does affect how outsiders view Christianity, but less than you might think. 9% of outsiders and 1/5th of young churchgoers said that Christianity has received a bad reputation from television and movies.
4. Painful encounters with the faith.
5. These painful encounters are more common with young people than the older.
Table 3.0

Background information matters, because it speaks to the structure of the organization.  Because St. Louis is primarily a spider-structure, younger Christians have little to no voice in affecting the change that will positively influence their futures.  Not only is there a disconnect between the young and the church leadership, but there isn’t a working culture to develop, disciple, and engage younger (potential) leaders.  As I have shown in previous sections, the traditional parish model places the formation of all belonging, belief, and behavior in the hands of the dwindling paid staff.  


Lyons’ data also shows us that in previous generations of churchgoers, these starfish models haven’t been as important, or even seen as necessary.  However, moving out of modernism and into post-modernism, culture is changing, and the Mosaics and Busters think, communicate, learn, and interact, very differently than their predecessors.  Finally, understanding the perceptions of Mosaics and Busters allows us to understand St. Louis in 2012.  The average age is 38 years old, and the future of the church culture lies in the fate of these groups.

**more to come in a few days!

Peace,
Ross

The Word.

[Today's blog is by Postmodern Priesthood Contributor, Kevin Syes - read his bio at the end of the blog]

John 1:1-2
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
2 He was with God in the beginning.

Postmodernism is defined like this in “Stanford’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy”: a set of critical, strategic and rhetorical practices employing concepts such as difference, repetition, the trace, the simulacrum, and hyperreality to destabilize other concepts such as presence, identity, historical progress, epistemic certainty, and the univocity of meaning.

If that doesn’t make a ton on sense, don’t worry. The univocity of meaning isn’t on any life-exams anytime soon, but you might want to throw it out there in conversation just to impress your friends. Despite this crazy definition, at the heart of postmodern thought is a shift in the way people view language. From a postmodern perspective, words begin to lose their objective meaning as they are changed by each person’s framework of understanding. This is often referred to as a shift towards relativism.

Language is so important. Words give meaning and value to the world around us. Words have so much power. I don’t think we often fully realize the power words hold in our lives. Whole cultures are changed by words wielded by news agencies. The life of a person can be forever altered by a few choice words delivered by the right person.

When God sent his Son, he sent the Word. That’s interesting. There are many ways the Scriptures describe Jesus, but “the Word” may be one of the most compelling in my book. In a world that is forever tossed in a sea of uncertainty, here is a word that is always true. In a world lost in translation, here is a word that is always clear. In a world that is looking for meaning, here is a word that is truly significant. Jesus, the Word, who spoke the world into existence.

-Kevin Syes

::FOLLOW KEVIN HERE::

{***Kevin Syes is the Youth and Young Adult Pastor at Frederick Church of the Brethren, a large and vibrant congregation located in Frederick, MD with 1000 in weekly attendance. Kevin is also Contributing Editor at Crossings Book Club, the largest Christian book club in the country.}

What? / How? / Why?

What is the postmodern priesthood?
How do I get involved?
Why should I contribute?



**Please leave a note in the comments section if you want to contribute to Postmodern Priesthood.

Peace,
Ross

Confronting Our Beliefs.

What do you believe?
How do you believe?

Peter Rollins speaks to how we must confront our beliefs...



Peace,
Ross

Domestication.

I've often felt that our faith has been domesticated. But more recently, many of the artists I run around with have shared that one of the major reasons they have "left organized religion" is the fact that the faith they once held dear has been watered down, ripped of its danger, and made vanilla.

CNN ran THIS ARTICLE.

"it seems like Christians are uncomfortable with how earthy the Bible really is. They feel the need to tidy up God...God’s message was not meant to be run through some arbitrary, holier-than-thou politeness filter. He intended the Bible to speak to people where they’re at, caught up in the stark reality of life on a fractured planet."

I couldn't agree more!

We attempt to expose a life-altering faith with our peers, but often times all that's experienced is a temperate, mundane, safe, far-from-revolutionary, nominal, set of beliefs that aren't much more than ideals we don't ever really expect to fully-believe, critically examine, or stand for in the face of any kind of scrutiny.

We've overcome the grit of broken lives with our choir robes and 3 chord praise songs; concealed the pain and doubt of life with freshly produced 1 hour services that tell us what we want to hear, so that we sleep better at night knowing we're right and they're wrong; and push us to dream only as big as we have left overs for.

I'm sorry, but when I open the pages of the scriptures, I just don't find a rationale for this domestication that's become the gold standard of church. I'm beginning to believe my friends that have walked away from faith were onto something, and the Church needs to reclaim what's withered.

Peace,
Ross