Men and Christianity

Lately I've been hearing about attempts to put some macho back into the church. Apparently it is too feminine and men aren't attracted to a meek, mild-mannered Jesus. They don't want a sissy Messiah so they attempt to toughen him up a bit by squeezing every drop of machismo out of any verse that even hints at a tough Jesus. Yes, Jesus clearing the temple is their number one scripture.

In an attempt to attract men some churches are trying men only services. They are short, sports themed, testosterone driven events designed to appeal to our male warrior psyche. Grunts, war cries and in your face talk abounds. Stand firm. Stand in the gap. We are tough men who don't take crap. We are wired this way for a reason so it is just too bad if you can't handle it. We're ready to fight.

Here is a big giant rolling of the eyes to this nonsense. They just don't get it. The ways of Jesus are different. Thank God. I suggest they all read the poem (yes, a poem) "When I became a Christian" by Adrian Plass. Here's an excerpt:

I’m very sorry, Lord, I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said, forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done?

Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in lonliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry,
When the nails break your body – are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again.
I said, Oh Lord, I'm frightened, but I also said Amen.

That's man enough for me.

Unexpected Squeaks

We have one of those new open air malls in our area that is great when the weather is good but will have you dashing from building to building when it is cold, snowy or raining. In front of the Sharper Image store there is a big circle of paving bricks that acts like an intersection of sorts for the various pathways running through the mall. If you stand right in the center of the circle and clap your hands you will hear an odd sounding squeak. It has something to do with the positioning of the buildings and their acoustic properties I assume.

Every now and then you will see people standing there giving it a try. It seems that about half the people know what is going on while the other half just thinks people are crazy. I'm not sure if this little peculiarity was planned but I doubt it. I think the architect was simply drawing lines off the buildings and placed the brick circle where the lines intersected. That just happened to be where the acoustics were just right for the squeak. An accidental quirk.

I like surprises. Even odd ones like this squeak. I hope I keep enjoying this wonderful creation of God's and appreciate all the surprises it brings.

Church Facility Capacity

What do you think is the capacity of all the churches in the United States put together? My guess is about a gazzillion more than actually attend. Yet church building is big business. Maybe we should start swapping churches instead of building new ones. You know, if your a church on the down turn find a church that is busting at the seams and offer to trade buildings. Yeah, I know, you are thinking things will turn around and you'll need the space.

Actually I'm more troubled by the trillions of dollars we spend on facilities that are way under used. They are kind of like combines for farmers. They sit in a barn most of the time and then they get used like mad for a very short period of time. It seems like we could do better.

I'm proposing one facility for multiple churches. The one facility doesn't have to be a church either. Any space will do. We would have to be flexible with our usage times and what not but that shouldn't be too difficult for loving Christians who know how to share should it?

One of the draw backs will be that one church will want to control all the others. In most cases this will be the one who actually owns the building. I can just hear the conversation now.

"Our church is different than your's so we want our own church."

"We'll start a service for people just like you."

"But our history doesn't line up with your history and that is hard to overcome."

"Tough cookies."

"We have a different philosophy about what a church should look like."

"Ours is biblical."

What we really need to focus on is planting Jesus in communities that have limited access to church now. We usually think about limited access in geographical terms but cultural factors play an even bigger role. If that is true, planting a church in the same neighborhood as another church is legitimate.

So let's stop building new facilities and start sharing what we've got. Let's also start making better use of public buildings that we have an opportunity to use. Don't build a gym, go to the local YMCA or school. If your community doesn't have a Y build a gym away from your church and donate it to the community. It'll help you learn to share.

Now, if I had the energy, I'd rant about Christian colleges and facilities.

Unprotected Church

I'm convinced that most Christians in America are scared to death of unprotected church and that what North American churches have evolved into are nothing more than one big giant condom of protection so we can have safe church. We are so worried about sin tainted distractions that we have put up barriers between the church and the world to make sure we safely satisfy ourselves. And boy, are we satisfied.

We are so afraid of infection that we insist on having our own everything so that we can be in control. We won't join the community soup kitchen (unless of course it is run by a church) so we start our own. We won't join the community athletic leagues so we start our own. We won't send our kids to public schools so we start our own. We won't set foot in a bar so we start our own and call it a cafe, with no alcohol of course. We love safe church.

In the middle of all this we still talk about casting seed and hoping that some of it will land on fertile ground. Just so you know, those barriers work both ways.

Unprotected church, on the other hand, is wild and risky. You can end up battered, bruised, spat on, kicked around and betrayed not only by the world but even by those who you thought were your friends. It could kill you. Demographics are only used to find sinners so that you can live with them, not so you can avoid them. You don't root yourself to one location, you hit the streets. It is just not safe. But it is the only way you'll be able to plant a seed.

Brain Overload

How do you present ideas when you speak in public? We've heard for a long time that we should try to engage as many of the senses as possible for maximum impact. Taking cue's from the marketing world I'm careful how I use graphics when I speak. I try not to show text that I'm going to speak and I try to use pictures as much as possible.

Have you ever been frustrated by new research regarding the health of your favorite food? One day it is good for you, the next day it's killing you. You wish they would make up their minds. (I once found a huge book listing the benefits of my all time favorite drink, coffee. I went around telling people how good it it for you. Never mind that the book was written in 1920 something.) I'm beginning to feel the same way about communication.

Now as I read about cognitive load theory I'm beginning to think I'm overloading people when I speak. It seems it is good that I try not to show text on the wall while I read it but I think I may be over doing it all the same. They say that having people follow along in their Bibles while I read the text isn't a good idea either. I know more than a few people who will be thrilled with that. I guess the KISS principle is here to stay. At least until tomorrow.

Most at Home

I've blogged on and off for several years and I have been involved in a few forums over that time too. I also follow several blogs and occasionally post a comment or two. In all of this I've noticed a rather fluttering feeling in the old stomach whenever it is time to push the "publish," "submit," "post" or whatever button is required to send my dribbled notes out into the world.

I suppose the feeling comes from my insecurities about being accepted by others in the world. I admit that often I couldn't care less but sometimes I really do. Every now and then I'll experience pangs of regret just seconds after I've pushed the button thinking that I've just hurt someone or will be hurt by someone else. This is why I will never be a prolific contributor.

I find the place where I feel most at home on the web rather odd. It is a forum based on a sports team and other than being a fan of a poor excuse of a professional football team I doubt I have much in common with any one else on the board. But it is there that I feel most at home and where I post most often. My opinions have been crucified there too, on occasion, but it happens to everyone and so it doesn't seem to sting as much.

We have mysteriously been able to create a sense of belonging on that board. We argue like siblings but for some reason we care about each other too. Out of the murk of profanity laced sports banter there often emerges sincere requests for prayer as a fellow poster undergoes cancer treatment, another's relative recovers from a car accident, and yet another deals with the death of a parent. People are missed when they stop posting because we are friends even though most of us have never met in person and probably never will.

I feel at home there because I feel like I belong. My fellow posters may disagree with my opinions but they treat me with kindness and respect at the end of the day. I always know they will welcome me back tomorrow. I wish most of the Christian forums I've been on were like that. I've been on a few good ones but I try to stay away from most of them. Most non-Christian forums can be pretty rough too. I'm glad I've found a home.