Pathways

I had a nice conversation with a good friend the other day. We talked about pathways to God and other mysteries of life... you know, some light conversation over coffee. Anyway, according to the well-known religious guru, Oprah Winfrey, there are many pathways to God, and (my interpretation of her words) Christians are rather arrogant to think they know the only way to eternal life.

Hmmmm... I realize Oprah is a very good and very powerful person. She has very publicly, very generously given away many things to needy people, and has poured herself into causes of injustice around the world. But just because she's popular... just because she's giving... just because she's a celebrity (in a culture that worships celebrities)... just because she's a "good" person, I have - and always did have - a problem with Oprah's "many pathways to God" theology. Just who is her god anyway? I submit she believes that "god" is found deep within ourselves. With enough positive thinking, we can tap into our inner god. A novel idea, but one that goes against the Jewish/Christian concept of a powerful creator.

For example, here is an Oprah quote from a 2002 article: "I became calm inside myself and I thought, The outside world is always going to be telling you one thing, have one impression—accusatory, blaming, and so forth. And you are to stand still inside yourself and know the truth, and let it set you free. And in that moment, I won that trial."

Now, I don't pretend to know whether "good" sacrificial, generous, god-fearing (i.e., Christlike) people of other world religions are on the right pathway toward salvation. No one knows the eternal destiny of other human beings... only God alone knows that. As followers of the Way, we are called to discern a person's standing before God perhaps - and be witnesses of His mercy and grace - but never to judge or condemn them to "hell".

Like Oprah, I do not believe that people must (magically) utter the name of Jesus, or bow down to the cross, or read a Bible, or say the sinner's prayer... or (for heaven's sake) be regular church attenders in order to be on the "path" of salvation. So, if Oprah believes Christians are arrogant to think they are the only people on earth who have even a glimmer of hope of eternity (just because they were lucky enough to be born into the right culture)... I would agree with her. I firmly believe salvation is far more complex, far messier than that... part of the divine mystery. Finite creatures attempting to know the ways of the infinite God will never fully grasp Him.

However, unlike Oprah, I don't believe there are many pathways to God... there is only one... and that is right response to the light we have been given (by whatever means that light may be shed). In other words, I believe the One true God can and does have the power and motivation to reveal Himself to humanity... ALL of humanity. And ultimately, He invites every human being to look outside themselves - to walk on the path of eternity - through His Spirit. For many, this light is the gospel of Jesus Christ... that is, an invitation to walk in relationship with the Jewish Messiah - to live as he lived, and believe as he taught. For others, the light... the revelation of God... may be cast in different shades or colors... but nevertheless, the invitation to turn away from self-worship (to repent) and turn toward something far more powerful than themselves... is given. Now, just how and where salvation plays out in the midst of this revelatory transaction takes place is a complete mystery... wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, here's my beef with Oprah. Ultimately, it seems her god is found from within... in other words, we are god. If we just believe in ourselves more, if we search deeply inside our soul... our inner sanctuary, if we seek inner peace and harmony (the goodness within us all)... we will find salvation... bliss... the pathway to God.

But the God I know... the One who whispered my name and revealed Himself to me... The One who was, and is, and always will be... let me in on a little secret: Creation is good, very good... but within the bounds of human history, something very bad occurred... something which profoundly damaged the goodness of creation... In the context of freedom, a wrong choice was made, thereby damaging humanity's eternal relationship with God. But God - knowing our determined desire to find the answer within ourselves - allowed humanity to attempt to fix their own problems... to be "good" and moral beings strong enough and righteous enough to restore the broken relationship (in their own strength... with some help from God). But after thousands of years and countless cycles of failure (as told in the Old Testament stories of God's chosen people)... After it became abundantly clear humanity is "lost" apart from God... In the fullness of time, God revealed Himself more fully, more personally. The Lord Himself joined us in our stead, He came to our world and personally paid the high cost of our salvation. We, therefore - through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ - have the opportunity to live in a restored relationship with our Creator.

The answer is not found within ourselves, Ms. Winfrey... the answer is found outside of us, as we invite Him to come near. The answer is found in the loving, faithful, ever-so-patient, sacrificial, and yet oft-frustrated God who made us, cares for us, disciplines us, goes to the ends of the earth for our sake... and yes, the God - the ONLY God - who provides the Way for our eternity. "god" has a name - He revealed Himself to us as Yahweh. He then chose to more fully reveal Himself to us through His Son, Jesus... and by His Spirit. That is not a statement of arrogance... it is a Trinitarian statement of faith - it is an articulation of hope for those who seek something powerful and grace-filled of which they can cling to... forever.

Cafe Living

It's been a couple hundred years since I made a post at good ole' Cafe Verona... but I really miss it! And things have certainly changed since the last time I wrote down my spiritual thoughts here in this thoughtful, friendly, cozy, and powerfully aromatic Italian espresso bar at the far reaches of my mind. Actually, there are several reasons I haven't written for so long... one is the Daily Word, which takes a lot more time than I would have ever supposed. But the overriding reason is pure and unadulterated laziness!

One thing I have experienced since I last visited the Cafe is an unforgettable time working for several months as a Barista at Starbucks. Holy cow... that is one butt-kicking (but wonderful) job! I don't know if I miss making endless lines of lattes and caramel macciotos, but I really do miss the people a lot... both fellow partners (employees) and customers! Someday soon, I'm going to post on some of the lessons learned at Starbucks. It's been a couple of weeks now since I've "retired" from the Canyon Road (Ellensburg) location, but my body is still trying to get used to not getting up at O'Dark-thirty. Seriously, I believe a middle-aged guy getting out of bed at 3:30 in the morning to go to work has learned the definition of hell on earth! No biggie for the young kids I worked with - sometimes they came in to work without sleeping at all the night before... a suicidal approach my brain can't even begin to fathom. Let's face it, quad-grande americanos might help (and taste really good), but NOTHING could give me the energy to think and do all the necessary things if I even dared walk in the door with less than six hours of sleep. After a few minutes, they'd send me home in a basket.

So, here I am... all of a sudden I have more time on my hands than I've had in nearly eight years (after a lifetime in seminary, and nearly a year as a bi-vocational church planter)... I'm actually able to read more, think more, and write more. Oh, don't get me wrong... I manage to stay really busy these days, but it's amazing how different it is to have only one full-time job, rather than trying to keep several plates balanced in the air and constantly spinning.

So anyway, my new goal is to post my thoughts here on a weekly(ish) basis. Sounds easy, I know... but do you have a blog? If so, are you consistent with it? Ha... I thought so!

The way I see it, I have about a 12 month (give or take) window of opportunity to see for certain if God has something special in mind for creating a new kind of church in the Burg. After that, things get a bit more complicated, especially financially... but for the next year, I can focus all my energy and effort into The River. As I step back from my job as Barista and once again begin to dream big dreams about this church-planting adventure, I am fearful yet confident, anxious yet relaxed, and overwhelmed yet faith-filled. I'm likely to have a lot of thoughts along the journey... and I'd love to get your input as I write down my random thoughts on church-planting, discipleship, and life-in-general.

So... welcome back to Cafe Verona. Grab a chair, sit back, relax, order your favorite coffee beverage, and join in on the conversation!

Authentic

authentic | involved | eclectic | missional

Authentic [aw-then-tic]

1.	not false or copied; genuine; real

2.	having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified

3.	entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy

Source: http://www.dictionary.com/

We at The River seek to be a community of faith that is authentic. But what exactly does that mean? Isn't every church authentic? Well, maybe... and maybe not. But we're not trying to presume the motives of other groups in this discussion. We are simply asking what the shape and priorities of our church should be if we're seeking to be (as in definition number one) "genuine" followers of Jesus in this little corner of the world.

One thing that comes to mind for me is that we need to see people here as loved by God - no matter where they are in their beliefs. There is a huge population of spiritual believers and seekers in the Pacific Northwest. But - here's a shock - not all of them are looking for... or finding their answers in Christ. I don't know if that is the church's fault or not... but I do know that we have kind of settled into a polarized society here: Essentially, the Christians and the non-Christians.

We have a decent (if not statistically low) number of Bible-believing, regularly church-attending folks who make it to worship service each Sunday. And then we have a massive group of people who don't fit into that category... probably because there are so many outdoor activities in (or close to) this little valley. Why mess up a perfectly good chance to go skiing or snowmobiling by going to church?

I don't have a great answer to that last point. Sometimes I wish I could go fishing, or skiing, or hiking, or camping, or river-floating (or whatever) on a weekend without having to go to the modern version of church. But hey, that's the price you pay to be a disciple, isn't it? By now, you may be asking yourself... Does Jeff have a point to make here? Actually, I don't know for certain - but I do know I'm kind of sick of the polarity.

Perhaps it's just the nature of the beast, but why do Christians have to be so different than the rest of society? Why do we have to put up so many walls... blocking the way for people to experience what we have to offer... that is, the person of Jesus in our midst? Why have we positioned ourselves as so different from (i.e., out of touch with) our unbelieving friends and neighbors?

I understand that not everyone wants to know about Jesus... BOY do I understand that! But how many people would demonstrate more interest in the Christian faith if they encountered more authentic Christ followers in their daily lives? What if - instead of taking pride in our separation from the "sinners" among us - we took pride in our integration into the lives of pre-Christians... that is, people who don't yet know (but have a destiny with) Christ?

Okay... a controversial point perhaps... but let's say we agree that we need to be more integrated into our local community... Somehow we need to overcome our collective "holier-than-thou" reputation, and earn a new reputation as authentic, empathetic and completely trustworthy. But how do we go about it? How do we change our reputation? Is it even possible? How do we allow others to see that we're real people... with real problems and concerns? How do we live among the people and tell them the truth... the compelling story of God's relentless pursuit of our salvation... without coming across as jerks and self-seeking manipulators?

Wikipedia says that authenticity "refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions" and "a particular way of dealing with the external world." Wow... If we could stop trying to build a church... (yes, that's what I said). If we could stop trying to win more people to Jesus (don't faint... stay with me). Heck, if we could just somehow, some way resist the overwhelming sense of "us and them" syndrome for just a little while... If we could live our lives before God with "truthfulness of origins; attributions; commitments; sincerity; devotion; and intentions"...

Who knows what God could do with that kind of authenticity from His followers!

So, blog reader... what does authentic Christian discipleship mean to you? I know, I know... online comments are about as popular as a root canal... but just this once, give it a try... There is no right or wrong here (well, unless you're really off the deep end). I'm simply curious what people think when they hear the term "authentic follower of Christ." How does a little, emerging, and (hopefully) out of the box gathering of everyday people live in, and connect with folks on a deep level... and find creative new ways to "deal with the external world?"

How do we spread the good news authentically (that is... with our actions as well as our words)? How do we speak the language of "outsiders" so they hear the relevance of Christ... and positively respond to Him? Just what does it mean to be aw-then-tik?

Hmmmmmm... I'm curious to read what you think.