Messy Theology

Health and Wealth; Name it and Claim it; it is the Prosperity Gospel; and our Western culture has embraced this and it is now a part of too many church's dogma (belief that this is true teaching).  I know this because I once was a part of this (but not as a Pastor - thank God).  But I am glad the God has made it clear to me now that this is rather a dangerous theology.  You see, I worked in the High Tech Industry (telecommunications/ Voice over the Internet/ Voice Embedded Application stuff) for over 20 years and in my last years making OBSCENE amounts of money.  I lived the good life; God wanted me to have ALL this; I was blessed by God.  However, my whole world came crashing down around me.  The Tech Industry bubble burst and I lost my senior management position; we had to sell some wonderful waterfront property where we started to build our dreams; we stopped our living practices - we gave up much; my plans of retiring at 55 were dashed; and then to top it all off, my dad died rather quickly to cancer.  This all happened within a year.

Where was God in all this? Did God hate me now?  Who was God?  These are some very hard questions.  To add to all this; I had a member of our congregation say to me; "just pray for a new job; I did, and got one."  As if I hadn't already been doing this. This comment made me more angry.  I felt like hitting someone. God isn't fair; God should give me back my luxury life-style because I was supposed to be blessed by Him; taking advantage of my God-given talents for my own purpose and my own advancement - isn't this what God wants?  I want it; I pray for it; I get what I want... full stop... this is what the Gospel is.  Pray for that Mercedes (I think of Janice Joplin's "O Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz song); pray for that obscene pay check; pray for that 5000 square foot home; pray for that huge bank account pray for all this in Jesus' name because we said it is supposed to work that way; "ask and you shall receive."

Then... reality breaks into my life.  S#!% happens; life happens; we seek God's help to get us through the messiness of this world.  Reality breaks in when I see millions of people (Christians included) who pray daily just for a clean glass of water... I guess God hates these people, too?  Reality sets in and I see that in the midst of suffering God is in the middle of it all, carrying me and comforting me because I am having problems doing this myself.  Reality breaks into my life and I realize just how dangerous the Prosperity Gospel is because I almost gave up on God; he wasn't living up to the Gospel message that was being preached.  The church in the western world is messed up; this Theology simply isn't biblical. I read about a Jesus who said; "give everything you have to the poor and come follow me;"  I read about a Jesus who reached to the out-castes of society and touched the un-touchables; I read about a Jesus who had no-place to rest his head; I read about a Jesus who said our rewards are in heaven.  Jesus did not die for our possessions and our bank accounts; he didn't die for our Mercedes or our 5000 sqft home; he died for our souls; he died for our heart; he died for our relationship with God. Someone once told me; "have you ever seen a trailer being towed behind a Hearse?"  Below is a link to a video on YouTube on the "Prosperity Gospel" by Pastor John Piper; take a look...



Our messy theology in a messy world... I thank God for waking me up to reality... the reality of God being in a messy world Loving people who lead messy and broken lives. In some way, I pray that God messes you up, too... that is... if you aren't already messed up...

Welcome to the Human Race

Lately, I have been thinking about about our church - a lot.  I am not talking just about St. Andrew's rather, I am thinking about the church in the so-called "Western Civilization"... if we can call it that.  I talk about messy lives and I am concerned for people who lead messy lives.  But this also includes a great number of people who go to church regularly and lead quiet, well-hidden, messy lives.  I once made the mistake of making a comment to a Pastor in our denomination (this was during a time that I was attending Theological Studies in Montreal - about 4 or 5 years ago), and I said; "all to often we spend too much time preaching to the converted."  This Pastor told me that there are too many in our churches who simply come because "that's what they have always done" and have no real idea who God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or how it all fits together.  Now, that's messy.  Just recently I read a chapter out of a book "The Christian Atheist; Believing In God but Living as if He doesn't Exist" by Craig Groeschel.  If there was ever a title that spelled out the messy situation we find ourselves in, this is it.  It all comes together for me, now.  I always knew that we have a great, awesome God, and I have always tried to live in a way that reflects my understanding of God (and I must admit, I still fall grossly short of what I even expect of my self).  I guess - Welcome to the human race. Our lives are all about being broken and failing time and again.  It is our human nature.  However, we do seek God and the Help of the Holy Spirit to get us through this messy world.  I am so glad that God can see beyond our human nature and still sees something within humanity worth saving - we simply have to ask and to receive that Grace from Him; His action to move towards us through Jesus Christ and the Cross.  Thank you God for helping me through the mess of my life - even still, today.

Life Happens... sometimes it's not nice...

Some people told me that they don't like the word "messy" when describing people's lives... because... I think it is describes situations in people's lives that make a child's 'messy room' look neat.  I don't know how better to describe some lives that I am privileged to participate in (in some strange way) than messy.  Life gets so complicated - especially when it's not supposed to.  Society creates rules; we follow them or else. And this causes problems as it becomes painfully aware that there are many good people out there making some not-so-good decisions; not just one not-so-good... but many of them.  Where it really gets messy is when we judge these people by the results of their actions and we believe that this is who they are; we wind up judging the person as a whole flawed individual.  The reality is that these people would love to live "normal lives" but the challenge is in their decision making process that they learned as children. Look back into people's lives; on what basis have people learned to make good choices?  While some people claim that they had a "good child-hood" - although challenged at times - I really wonder because I would not want  it for the life of me. Good people making bad choices and a system that is in place that doesn't allow them to address the issue very easy at all (sometimes rather difficultly).  No matter what happens; they think they are doing "the right thing" and it winds up getting all over them.  Then more bad decisions; followed yet by one more.  before you know it, they are covered head-to-toe in results of not-so-good choices.  Now if that isn't messy, I don't know what is.

What people need is a path on which they know that they can start to make good choices; they need a target to aim for; they need something beyond themselves as a guide; they need the mentoring of a caring, loving Power that sees beyond their brokenness and deep into their hearts where that good individual is just waiting to break free.  Freedom, that is what they need, freedom.  Freedom from judgment; freedom from the guilt of human failings; freedom to accept the permission to start life over once again without the history report card coming out and dragging them back into the abyss again.  These people need to experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ - who came for exactly these kinds of broken people.  Jesus Christ; the one who ate with the tax collectors (remember - tax collectors were worse than sinners - they had their very own category below the sinner bar); Jesus Christ, the one who reached out and touched the untouchable's in society.  Jesus offered healing and He offered life - all in a messy world. The question for us is this, then; do we truly believe that we are the hands and feet of Christ; do we truly believe that the Church is the vessel by which God allows the Gospel to be experienced so that one day it may be heard?  If so, where do we all fit in? Maybe we are leading messy lives, too?

Starting Where You Are

"To start fresh, to start over, to start anything, you have to know where you are.  To get somewhere else, it's necessary to know where you're standing right now.  That's true in a department store or in a big church, on a freeway or on a college campus ... or on life, for that matter.  Seldom does anybody "just happen"  to end up on the right road.  The process of redirecting our lives is often painful, slow, and even confusing.  Occasionally, it seems unbearable." - Charles R. Swindol, Starting Where You Are, pg. vii.

These are the words that Charles uses to start this book.  I think they are great.  Just these words alone is worth the price of the book.  But how difficult is it to truly grasp this.  Too often, we fool ourselves thinking that the way life is going is okay. The world is a mess all around us; we are up to our armpits in messy stuff.  And some how too many people think that this is okay.  We complain bitterly about our problems being the result of some-one else; it is never our own.  But... one day we will have to look in the mirror and take a good look at ourselves and ask the question; "are we happy with the way things are going; are we okay that our life is total mess?" We sit at the bottom of the abyss and try to find a way out. But it has to start with honesty; it has to start with a real understanding of where we are.  Then, and only then, do the words "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" really mean anything.  We can't do it ourselves; we need help.  Well, God gives us permission to start over; God gives us the right to start our life anew - washed clean; all our messiness is nailed to the cross where Jesus died for us (and our messiness).  You just need to ask and accept the gift that has your name on it.

A Messy World

I read this book once; it belonged to one of my kids - he was a teenager at the time.  The book was called Messy Spirituality and it was written by Michael Yaconelli.  It is about God's annoying Love for imperfect people - and that includes me.  And that is what I loved about this book.  It brought God into people's worlds - right smack in the middle of brokenness.  I remember talking to some people back in Ottawa about a tragedy that occurred in Southern Ontario (http://www.firehouse.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64044).  While a man was in Ottawa, his pregnant wife and 7 children died in a horrific house fire (this was in the Fall of 2004 - I was studying for the ministry at that time).  A few friends of mine questioned the faith of the man (a Christian) and asked me where God was in all this.  I told them "right in the midst of the fire."  These people where surprised at my answer; they couldn't believe that God would have anything to do with this - God should have protected them if they where really "good Christians."  They became quiet when I said; "if there is any time in my life that I want God with me - it would be then; Him coming to me to comfort me and take me away from the horrors of (being in) the fire."  Being Christian does not spare us from life's trials.  Life happens and we seek God to get us through the trials and the ugliness of it at times.  That is why I liked this book; that is why I think this is a book that everyone should read.  Yaconelli reminds us that Jesus came for messy lives - not perfect ones.  I forget who said this but, Jesus died between two thieves; not between two clergy.

And thus, this blog.  A place where I/ we can expose God's annoying Love for imperfect people  in a messy and broken world.

Ron