The Internet Monk Archives

iMonk: The “Real” Prosperity Gospel

Excerpt from a classic Michael Spencer post, September, 2008

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The real prosperity gospel isn’t the overt appeal to wealth. It is the more subtle appeal to God guaranteeing that we are going to be happy, and the accompanying pressure to be happy in ways that are acceptable and recognizable to the community of Christians we belong to.

The real prosperity gospel is the belief that God will — must? — keep things at a level where it is still possible for us to follow Jesus without overt appeal to rewards in this life. The real prosperity gospel is revealed not in the promises of a yacht or a large home, but in the unspoken approval of a level of prosperity that allows us to live the Christian life on our own terms. It is the ratification of our private, sometimes entirely secret, arrangements with God of what his “goodness” means.

… We evangelicals apparently need to believe a version of the prosperity gospel where, at the least, none of us are below an understood “line of credibility” in Christian experience. And if we happen to go below that line, don’t expect instant encouragement. You may be surprised at what happens to you when you become walking evidence that not everyone is as happy, blessed, obedient and satisfied as they are supposed to be.

… The “real prosperity” gospel especially appeals to the idea that the church is fixing things, people and situations. In this kind of thinking the church has a repository of wisdom and power that can actually cause us to live in a different world than our neighbors, a world with different rules and a different outcome to the usual situations.

I don’t know of many Christians who want to stand up in front of a room full of unbelievers and say:

“I live in the same world as you do; a world with the same problems, the same questions and the same kinds of pain and failure. God doesn’t provide some kind of insurance or protection from this world, and Christians aren’t wise enough to understand or fix everything in this world. In some ways, you (atheists) may be wiser than any one of us. What we have to offer is the gospel of Jesus, and the truth of the gospel isn’t a pay off in this world. Whatever changes the Gospel makes in us, we remain human, fallen and in need of final rescue, redemption and resurrection. There is plenty wrong with us, and some of it is shocking and terrible. In this world, we’re on a pilgrimage to follow Jesus, to love neighbor and to live our lives in an authentically human way.”

What’s scary about that paragraph? It refutes the real prosperity gospel.

That’s why it scares me.

The Shepherd-King in the Temple

In the liturgical calendar, today is “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Here are a few exegetical and contextual notes about today’s Gospel text.

I love beautiful church buildings. In my own faith journey, my imagination has been captured by the wonder of natural light filtered through stained glass windows, the “lift” felt as one gazes up toward soaring ceilings, the solidity and weight of stone walls and wooden furniture, the soft light of candles, the brilliant colors of banners, vestments and symbols of faith. I am sad for those who have never known the power of such surroundings and how they can aid faith.

But I also know and accept that these are not ultimate things. If Paul and Silas can offer worship in a Philippian jail cell at midnight, then one can worship anywhere. Though I love, respect, and treasure good church architecture and accouterments, I do not put my trust in them for the ultimate well being of my soul or the community of faith.

A key to today’s Gospel passage is its setting: “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon” (John 10:22-23, NASB).

The Feast of the Dedication was a holiday to remember the re-dedication of the Temple after the victory of Judas Maccabeus about two hundred years before the ministry of Jesus — today it is known as Hanukkah. In his commentary on John’s gospel, Fr. Francis Moloney remarks, “In celebrating Dedication, ‘the Jews’ pride themselves on their reconsecrated Temple, the physical evidence of their belonging to God, and, in some way, of God’s belonging to them.”

The word “temple” in Hebrew is equivalent to “palace.” It represents not only a place of worship for the people, but the residence of the King. In Israel, the King was known as “the Shepherd” of the nation. The image of a shepherd tending the flock was a part of Israel’s imagination from the days of the patriarchs, and all of their great leaders were depicted in this fashion. Of course, the ultimate Shepherd was Yahweh himself, as David confessed in Psalm 23 and as the prophets proclaimed (see Ezekiel 34).

One should keep these connections in mind when reading John 10: Shepherd = King = Temple (palace).

Each year, on this Sunday we remember that it was right there, in the palace of the great King, that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Shepherd of Israel, the one who would gather his sheep and feed and protect them. Indeed, he would give “eternal life” (the life of the age to come) to them. At the culmination of his talk, he even proclaimed, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

In other words, right there in the portico of Solomon, Jesus claimed oneness with the Glorious One the Jewish people believed inhabited the Temple, the One to whom they came to pray and offer sacrifices. On the very occasion when they were celebrating that magnificent building, Jesus stood in their midst and claimed to be the Lord of the Temple, the Shepherd of his people.

What is most important, Jesus said on that day, is not the Temple itself, but listening to the voice of the King.

Not What We Might Expect
A Series for Sundays in Eastertide, 3

Circus Notes from C.P.

One of my favorite places on the web to find (unintentional) humor is The Christian Post. It is the quintessential source for “news” emerging from the evangelical circus. Here are a few of the headlines and stories they have run recently that have made me laugh, scratch my head, and/or say “What?!”:

My favorite headline:

“Sex Shouldn’t Be Better Than Church, Says Professor”

My “I can’t believe someone still believes this” moment:

Rev. Mark H. Creech on, “Drinking and Jesus Turning Water into Wine” —

So whether one believes that Jesus made an intoxicating wine or a non-intoxicating wine at the wedding in Cana is purely a matter of personal interpretation. For the Bible never definitively says that Jesus turned water into alcoholic wine.

There are, however, a number of reasons why this writer believes the preponderance of the evidence is against Jesus having made an intoxicating beverage.

… Moreover, if one was to assume Jesus drank such wine in participation with the wedding guests, as some have argued, then that act in itself would have violated Proverbs 31:4-5, which reads, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel – not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.” Is not Christ the King of kings? Is it reasonable to think the very Son of God would take into his body a recreational intoxicant, risk falling into sin, and endanger the great mission of the redemption of mankind? Banish the thought!

Worst alliterated headline (ever?):

“Bloodthirsty Bomber Brothers Betrayed Bostonians Beyond Belief”

Worst example of something considered newsworthy:

“Creflo Dollar’s ‘Sermon Songs’ Album Stays on Billboard Charts for 8 Weeks”

From the “At least rock bands are practicing church discipline” file:

“Pa. Lieutenant Governor Candidate Kicked Out of Christian Band for Supporting Gay Marriage”

In fact, not only did they kick Mark Smith out of the band, but: “A single that the band recently recorded featuring Smith that was released on iTunes is being redubbed to exclude him.”

As for his part, the music will live on for Smith: “The commissioner insisted that he is also not backing down from his music career despite losing his place in the band, and said: ‘As I campaign across Pennsylvania, I’ll look for opportunities to play. Last week, I was able to play at Moondog’s in Pittsburgh.'”

Worst review of a book teaching “Biblical principles”:

“Are You Getting ‘The Best Out of Your Man’? Michelle McKinney Hammond Explains How”

In her latest book, “How to Get the Best Out of Your Man,” Hammond offers the story of Queen Esther to help women have a better relationship with their men.

… CP: What did you see in Queen Esther that you didn’t in other Biblical women?

Hammond: I think I saw more principles at work in how she handled her situation. When I read the story, I don’t think I would have handled myself so graciously. I thought, “Let me take a look at her and see her methodology.” She got above and beyond what she went in for … the fruit of her work demanded that I take another look at her. Esther took some very interesting steps to achieve her goals.

Finally…

For those of you who did not get to attend the grand opening of The Ark at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church, here’s a shot of the interior that I found at CP, complete with animatronic animals. My only question: if all those lights represent the original candles, wouldn’t that have been a fire hazard, what with the waves and all?

Saturday Ramblings 4.20.13

It has been a rough week for us all, iMonks. It’s in times like these I long to retreat to a true monastery and shut out the world. Unfortunately, that is a vocation only a very few are called to. For the rest of us, we must walk in places where bombs and fertilizer factories explode. Where madmen mail poison to those they disagree with. Where those we look up to grow old and die. It is in this world Jesus has placed us. It is here where he tells us to not let our hearts be troubled. So let us hold hands, iMonks, as we walk where troubled hearts seem to be the order of the day. Now, shall we ramble?

Yes, it was a very rough week in our nation. I’m not sure we really needed wall-to-wall coverage of the manhunt in Boston yesterday. The bombs that killed and maimed those in Boston were a horrible reminder that there are those who want nothing but to steal, kill and destroy. But should we grant them their desire of worldwide attention? And what of those who died as heroes in West, Texas? Where were the news vans and satellite uplink trucks and beautifully-coiffed talking heads to report on this tragedy? Could it be that news is more important when it happens on the east coast where there are more potential viewers? Could it be that “news” outlets are simply entertainment venues that exist not for the public good but for one rea$on alone? Yes, it could be. And it is.

Just because we all need to have our souls washed right now, please stop and read this story. Then tell me if it wouldn’t be better to hear about the Frosty Westerings of the world more than we hear about those who want to blow things up.

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal says he’s fine with creationism being taught in public schools, as long as it is based on “good science.” What? A politician who makes sense? What is this world coming to?

Continue reading “Saturday Ramblings 4.20.13”

Our Therapist, Who Art in Heaven

“When God Is Your Therapist”
By T. M. Luhrmann
Published: April 13, 2013
New York Times

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I have started reading T.H. Luhrmann’s book, When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God, and hope to be reviewing it soon. In the meantime, I noticed that she had an op-ed piece in the NYT Sunday Review last week (see link above) and thought it might provide some good grist for discussion.

In both her book and this article, Luhrmann, a professor of anthropology at Stanford University, describes how she spent time among evangelical Christians because of her interest “in the fact that people like me seemed to experience reality in a fundamentally different manner.” The piece at hand today describes how the evangelical churches help people deal with anxiety and stress in their lives through prayer.

The author likens what happens in evangelical settings to cognitive-behavioral therapy, which its practitioners characterize like this:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel/act better even if the situation does not change.

Luhrmann cites the methodology of Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life, who, in her words, “spells out thoughts he thinks his readers have but don’t want, and then asks them to consider themselves from God’s point of view: not as the inadequate people they feel themselves to be, but as loved, as relevant and as having purpose.”

What she observed in the churches was that congregation members were being encouraged to view their prayers — their conversations with God — in these same therapeutic terms. God is portrayed as a kind and welcoming Father and Friend, who invites us to share our concerns and struggles and helps us handle them.

She also notes that she saw this most clearly when tragedy struck and people avoided trying to give “answers” to theodicy questions and encouraged simply being with God, who would wrap his arms around them and give them comfort and strength. As a hospice chaplain, it was heartening for me to read that, for I have often seen people move much too quickly to the “answer bag,” where they pulled out clichés and pat solutions and unwisely applied them to those in deep pain. In the cases she observed, however, Luhrmann notes, “for them, God is a relationship, not an explanation.”

She concludes that these churches are offering, in effect, “a way of dealing with unhappiness.” Instead of threatening faith, difficulties are presented as situations in which we can strengthen our connection to God because it is then that we feel our need of him most.

Continue reading “Our Therapist, Who Art in Heaven”

CM’s Five for the Road

OK, my friend and colleague Jeff Dunn has upped the ante. In honor of his good friend Don Mann, I can understand why. Back in September of 2010, Jeff and I did dueling “Top Five Albums” posts here on IM (links below). Being the notorious wafflers we are, at that time we had to list honorable mentions too, because everyone knows you can’t really just have five favorite albums.

Well, this morning Mr. Dunn took a public stand for five, and five only, essential albums in his collection. He wrote:

In honor of Don’s homegoing, I want to settle my five selections once and for all. I am planting my flag here, and won’t change my tune (pun intended, if only because it would have gotten an eye-roll from Don). These are the five albums I would listen to repeatedly if I could only have five. Mind you, I’m not saying these are the five best albums of all time. But if I am driving cross-country and can only listen to five, load these up and I will be very happy.

Let’s step back into the Wayback Machine and see how Jeff and I voted a few years ago:

Jeff’s Choices in 2010:

Drunkard’s Prayer, Over the Rhine

Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys

Eat a Peach, The Allman Brothers

The Misfit, Erick Nelson & Michele Pillar

Exile on Main St., The Rolling Stones

Honorable Mentions: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young), Shotgun Angel (Daniel Amos), Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder), Sticks and Stones (77’s), The Bells of Dublin (Chieftains), Blood on the Tracks (Dylan), Live at the New Earth (Waterdeep).

Chaplain Mike’s Choices in 2010:

Love Broke Thru, Phil Keaggy

Blue, Joni Mitchell

Still Life (Talking), Pat Metheny Group

Sky Blue Sky, Wilco

Graceland, Paul Simon

Honorable Mentions: Sgt. Pepper (Beatles), Blonde on Blonde (Dylan), Pet Sounds (Beach Boys), Thriller (Michael Jackson), Live at Fillmore East (Allman Bros.).

Earlier today, Jeff “settled his selections once and for all” with these five:

Eat a Peach, The Allman Brothers
Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
Troubadour of the Great King, John Michael Talbot
The Misfit, Erick Nelson & Michele Pillar

Well, my friend, thanks for allowing me to become part of this discussion today. I’m not sure I’m ready to take the “settled once and for all” position yet, but there is nothing more fun for baby boomers to do than to talk about the music of our generation (and since). You had some great picks, and of course I think mine are better.

And by the way, I’d love to take a road trip with you — you play your five and I’ll play mine. Can’t think of anything more fun. Of course, we’ll hit all the ballparks along the way (but that’s another discussion).

So, fire up the engine and slip on those sunglasses. Time to hit the road, buddy, and here’s my soundtrack (in alphabetical order):

Continue reading “CM’s Five for the Road”

My Five Albums

Don Mann was laid to rest this week in Ohio. Don was my brother-in-law’s brother-in-law. He fought the cancer than claimed a lung, then his voice, as fiercely and bravely as anyone I have known. While he was not a blood relative, Don was a good friend, one I was privileged to know for nearly three decades.

He and I had a running conversation for most of those three decades that centered around this question: “If you could only have five albums to listen to the rest of your life, what would they be?” Neither of us ever reached a definitive answer. There was always the “Yes but what about” album one of us had forgotten. Yes but what about Leon Live? Yes but what about Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys? Yes but what about … ?

Rule one of our quest was there could be no greatest hits albums included. We both agreed that these were not artistic endeavors, but money-grabs by record labels or lazy artists. Rule two—multi-disc sets counted as one album. Rule three—stop making rules and get to the music already.

Continue reading “My Five Albums”

A Simple Man with a Song

George Beverly Shea, the gospel singer best known for singing on Moody Radio and at Billy Graham’s crusades, died yesterday at the age of 104.

You can read the full obituary and tributes HERE.

Here is the simple song that became his testimony of faith. Rest well in Jesus, Bev.

An Outline: My Journey from Evangelicalism to the Lutheran Tradition

Here is an outline from two talks I gave at the church where I am currently learning and serving. It is just an outline, so if you have questions or want clarifications on anything, ask away. My purpose was to describe my personal reasons for why I, as a Christian, have moved from the culture of evangelicalism to the Lutheran tradition. To do this, I felt it necessary to help my Lutheran brothers and sisters understand what we mean by “the culture of evangelicalism,” what its roots are, its characteristics, my opinion of its weaknesses, and how the Lutheran tradition answered many of my concerns when I became a “post-evangelical.”

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From Evangelicalism to the Lutheran Tradition

Background

The word “evangelical” (Gk. for gospel) has a long tradition of use in different settings.

In the OT, it is used in the prophets to announce the good news of the end of Israel’s exile.
In the NT, it is used to describe the announcement of Jesus and the apostles of the good news that God’s promises are fulfilled in him and God’s Kingdom has been inaugurated through his life and ministry.
In the 16^th-17^th centuries, it was used to describe the Reformation churches to distinguish them from Roman Catholicism.
In the 18^th-19^th centuries, it was used in connection with the “Evangelical awakenings,” and thus became associated with Puritanism, Methodism, pietism, and revivalism. The emphasis was on a “religion of the heart” and conversion to Christ through personal decision.
In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, evangelicals and fundamentalist churches took sides together against “modernism” and the higher critical approach to the Bible.
In the 20^th century, evangelicals began to separate from fundamentalists, believing that Christians should not abandon the world but remain involved in culture, education, and society. This was the period of “classic evangelicalism” with Wheaton College, Carl F.H. Henry, Billy Graham, Christianity Today, and student missions and parachurch organizations such as Youth for Christ.
From the 1960’s forward, evangelicalism developed into a particularly prominent culture in the U.S. In reaction to social upheaval, various movements developed and grew– the Jesus People movement, charismatic movement, parachurch movements, church growth movement and megachurches, the move away from denominations, the development of Christian media, and the development of the Christian Right in the “culture wars.”

It is this “culture” of evangelicalism and the churches (many of them non-denominational), with its roots in the 18^th-20^th centuries that we are focusing on in this talk.

Summary:

Evangelicalism is…

Rooted in pietism and revivalism.
Forged in defending the Bible.
Related to but distinguished from fundamentalism.
Characterized by missionary zeal, church growth ethos.
Energized by culture wars and conservative moral issues.
Biblicist, cross-centered, conversionist, activist, non-liturgical/sacramental.

Weaknesses

Lack of history, tradition.
Lack of appreciation for worship.
Naïve Biblicism.
Inadequate ecclesiology.
Culture war mentality.
Functions better as a mission than a church tradition.

Streams Emerging from Evangelicalism

Emerging Christians: reacting to institutionalism, conservatism, dogmatism of evangelicalism. Seeking creative, new forms of holding and practicing faith.
Neo-reformed Christians: reacting to shallow doctrinal and theological culture of evangelicalism. Seeking intellectual rigor and disciplined practice.
Ancient-Future Christians: reacting to absence of worship, liturgy, historical and sacramental perspective. Many returning to historic churches and denominations. Seeking life in community and communion with saints in all times and places.
Nones: reacting to many aspects of evangelicalism as a culture. Seeking spirituality without religion, good life in secularized world.

How the Lutheran Tradition Answers Many of My Post-Evangelical Concerns

A creedal community that sees itself as part of the “one holy apostolic and catholic church.”
The preeminence of Christ.
The centrality of the Gospel and grace.
The theology of distinguishing law and gospel.
The practice of Word and Table worship.
A sacramental theology and perspective on life.
A proper emphasis on pastoral theology and practice.
The doctrine of vocation.
The theology of the cross.
A robust musical tradition.

The Great Divide

To the bath and the table,
To the prayers and the word,
I call every seeking soul.

– Inscribed on a church bell in Wisconsin

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I did a couple of talks at my church recently, discussing my transition from evangelicalism to the Lutheran tradition. As I talked, words from several iMonk commenters came into my mind. A number of you have observed that perhaps the greatest divide in Christendom is between those who take a sacramental view of life, faith, and worship, and those who take a non-sacramental view. This struck me with new force as I explained my journey.

Gordon Lathrop writes,

This fact [that we need “things” to worship] has often disturbed and offended some Christians. It seems as if we ought to be above such material crutches, as if a gathering come together to speak of God ought to be more spiritual. But that is just the point: for the great Christian tradition, the spiritual is intimately involved with the material, the truth about God inseparable from the ordinary, as inseparable as God was from humanity in Jesus. If these things are crutches, so be it. They will then be for us the very “ford, bridge, door, ship, and stretcher” that Luther said we need. These things will show us something about all things.

– Holy Things: A Liturgical Theology

Once, when I was visiting a woman who had come from an evangelical church to our Lutheran congregation, she complained that we didn’t talk more about the Holy Spirit. On one level she was probably correct. But her concern was not that we failed to name the Third Person of the Trinity often enough. Rather, she was saying we didn’t sufficiently emphasize the supernatural work of the Spirit in our midst. Having lived in both worlds, I understood her point. My answer was, “But remember friend, we experience the supernatural every time we come together for worship. God literally speaks to us from the word. Jesus is present and real when we receive the bread and wine. When we celebrate baptism we are literally witnessing a new birth!” No church believes in the supernatural more than one that truly practices the sacraments.

Stuff of Life

Lathrop observes that the material things around which the church gathers not only provide a center for our community of faith, they also represent things that have long had a “centering power” among human beings. For example, he speaks of the rich imagery of bread: “…bread unites the fruitful goodness of the earth with the ancient history of human cultivation. Bread represents the earth and the rain, growing grains, sowing and reaping, milling and baking, together with the mystery of yeast, all presented in a single object. This loaf invites the participation of more than one person. In its most usual form, it is food for a group. It implies a community gathered around to eat together, to share in the breaking open of this compressed goodness.”

Bread is the staple food, the fundamental provision that keeps us alive and enables us to overcome famine and death. We pray in humble dependence, “Give us this day our daily bread,” to remember that, despite the affluence many of us enjoy, in the end we live by grace from God’s hands. So with wine, around which we gather in festive joy. And water for washing. And a book filled with words. All invite us to contemplate the essentials of life through the utmost simplicity.

Doorway into the Story

However, there is more. Lathrop, again:

… the business of this assembly will look more than a little silly to us unless we know that the bread and wine, water and words are used here with historical intent. Bread and wine are ancient foods in Israel, figuring in many of the ancient stories and coming to frame the Jewish festive meal in the time of Jesus. Water for washing is important in Israel from the time of the crossing of the Red Sea and the washing and appointing of the newly constituted priests down to the apocalyptic expectations of the Qumran community and of the early Christians. And Israel was a community of the word from the time of the exile, when collecting, writing, and reading the stories and poems, oracles and laws became immensely important to Israel’s very existence. These things at the center of our assembly connect us to that history. The very choice of these things as the communal central symbols arises from that history.

By these means we enter the Story. Simple objects engage our senses and stimulate our imaginations and we find ourselves as though we had picked our way the through the wood, fur, and fabric in Lewis’s wardrobe and entered Narnia. There we remain ourselves and yet we are more, since we are breathing new air, experiencing new adventures, learning new lessons, and becoming what we never thought possible, under the tutelage of that land’s true Ruler.

Where God Meets Us

Thus, the sacramental elements are those “thin places,” those sites in the world where heaven and earth intersect and God himself meets us, inviting us to receive forgiveness and renewal. For these elements all focus on Christ and introduce us to Christ. Where we hear the words, “for you,” from our Host’s mouth, faith awakens within us, faith that reaches out to Jesus to receive a tangible gift of mercy and promise. In the sacraments, God washes us, God feeds us, God’s promises bring us life. They are not our works to be performed, but his gracious gifts to be received because of the work Jesus already did.

Nothing could be more simple, more earthly, more unexpectedly heavenly. “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it! How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen. 28:16-17)