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Hang on folks, I’m not depressed; I’m ok.

But someone out there might be. And you might even be a Christian, and yet baffled that you are experiencing this. I know first-hand that crazy feeling; the baffling “why am I, a Christian, going through these feelings, this experience?” And yet having climbed out of that depth several times in my life, I have yet to think theologically about it; i mean who would? But this stream-of-thought spurred on by a reading in Hans Urs Von Balthasar has caused me to realize the theological significance of the private hell we go through when depressed – it is an identification with the passion of the Christ; and this, hinted by Balthasar, is what is happening. Essentially the passion of God on a cross is incarnated in us. See if any shrink will tell you that. Here is the original snippet from Balthasar, The Word Made Flesh, pp. 199-200 (rather than cut and paste, I’m actually typing it out – it’s that good – to get it into my noggin): Read more…

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Weekend fun: OK, I know this is crude – and for that I apologize. But this was too good to let pass; I don’t have the proper energy to parse those words at this point in the semester but somehow I don’t think the Greek properly reads “I belong to the god and it bless me”. Somebody got a translation?

h/t absolutelyfobulous.com

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I understand this book (Henri Nouwen’s Creative Ministry) in the context of the developing pastoral theologies in the latter half of the 20^th century; and can place some of the socio-philosophical (and especially psychological) context from which Nouwen is writing. I was even surprised to find a slight liberationist bent in his words, “Should I remain nonviolent at all cost, or is there a time when violence might be the only ethical response?” Overall however, I find most important his central critique of “professionalism” in ministry, the disillusionment the minister experiences when our profession is placed side by side with the other helping professions, just another facet of the overall human care system. Such commoditization is perhaps what is at the root of the problem, not to mention in the current U.S. health care debates. We ministers do not want to be seen as just another commodity, just another white coat. There is something unique to what we do, transcendent, and yet we are often relegated to just another specialization. In this sense I think what Nouwen is saying here has special relevance not just for the local minister, but for the chaplain as well. Read more…

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I regularly get updates from Bob Ekblad, who teaches several Regent classes off-site, in Skagit Valley, WA. His work amongst undocumented workers is cutting-edge and I’ve seen it in action first-hand. He sends out this appeal on behalf of a Mexican pastor who was residing in NW Washington until ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) picked him up – and he now faces deportation and the end of (a good) life as he’s known it for the past 15 yrs. His is a case merit-worthy of petition – keep reading and sign it. I did. Read more…

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I’m going to attempt a synthesis here, stated concisely. Simply put, this discussion on Nouvelle Theologie and Sacramentalism can be understood one of two ways:

a) a return to superstition

b) a recovery of imagination, meaning, the reality of the divine, and the over-used word, mystery

Despite my stated qualms, I’ve said that the debate is helpful. Here’s how:

You climb into the warm recliner, sitting across from a man with a pad. You pour out your gut-feelings, the angst, while he scribbles away furiously. He asks you about your mother, and you talk about your childhood. After an hour of listening he begins to repeat back to you what you have said, weaving a tapestry of insightful council of how repressed desires have finally made their way into aberrant behavior; the prescription? A talking cure, and the need to re-assess your formation as an adult in light of your past. You might need some medication. You thank your pastor on the way out.

So my question is: is this distinctly pastoral ministry?

The appropriation of secular methodology has essentially sent the message that we’ve lost faith in the mediating symbols of the Church to affect grace, comfort, healing. For what is distinctly pastoral: to offer psychological advice (for which we are not trained), or to draw back upon the counselee’s union w/ Christ via baptism? To come back to the place where the congregant finds his / her belonging to God via sacramental union – in other words, Communion? (I’m taking Purves‘ lead here – and I think he’s dead-on).

Another application: how can we talk about God’s design in a parishioner’s life when there is no overall design? In a word, “Providence” is crippled when the universe is emptied of mystical significance. From where I stand, that is one of the most important concepts in a pastor’s toolbox; we have to believe there is meaning to what happens in people’s lives.

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Fresh from the sacramentalism brouhaha, I found a friend asking the above question. While I have some thoughts, I’m more concerned for the outworking of all this sacrament talk. Maybe this is one of the places where it plays out in practice; if Protestants are re-opening the conversation on sacraments, how then does that play out in the mission of the church? In particular, opening or closing communion?

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Here’s a little end-of-week humor.

Lord knows I need it. And no, “Amajing” is not a typo, it’s the intentional inflection of a Korean accent, and that’s ok, because I’m Korean. Having said that, I know the cartoon below contains some stereotypes and maybe even gaffes, but twasn’t meant maliciously by the Korean (unnamed) cartoonist. Here it is. My favorite is the before / after of the dude second from the left. Tell me what you think.

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The convo over @ Prof. Stackhouse’s blog “On Behalf of Diversity in Academic Hiring” has been heating up and I for one am thrilled it is taking place. I must admit however that I was somewhat disarmed when he challenged us to provide concrete steps towards progress; “particular things we can do, or particular people we should look at, etc.” Disarmed in the sense that while this has been something I’ve thought about a lot, I must confess I found myself somewhat unable to answer that question. If I may dwell on the theoretical just a bit longer I would say that the glass ceiling has to be cracked from above, engendering participation, and I think this is a theologically-grounded sentiment. The concrete however is a lot harder. How do we break the “glass ceiling”? Is it as simple as intentional hiring? What other concrete steps can be taken? Who has done this successfully and how have they accomplished it (towards what ends?)

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As per a great post I read on Pastor John Lee’s blog on A Perspective on the Transience of People in (NY) City… whilst in the Pacific NW I’ve learned the deep value of being in, for, and with a neighborhood as a church and while I hope to transplant this ethos to our (hopeful) move this summer to NY I can’t help but to wonder if it really works (out there). As I recall growing up on the subway – everyone commutes. And life is spent in different sectors of the metro area; i.e., you might work in the burbs, but play in the city, and sleep out on the Island… life isn’t centralized in NYC in other words. So I wonder about this commuter tension when it comes to building a church in NY… how does one legitimately minister to a neighborhood and not live there? Should we fight against the commuter tendency or work around it? Or take, for example, a church like Redeemer; what percentage live in the city, or more specifically the upper West Side (& various locales) and what percentage commutes in for church, and how is that viewed?

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I read this book for a class report and found it quite good; here’s what I had to say in the report, hence the “stiff” language:

This is a really good book. My appraisal has as its context a conversation I had with a denominational leader a few years back regarding my performance as a church planter. He said, “Wayne, you are not a process-oriented person.” Instead of chafing, I took that to heart and found it to be a necessary critique; this book has furthered my self-understanding along those same lines.

If I might summarize my understanding of this book in one word, it would be “chemistry”. We often overlook this necessary dimension to pastoral ministry, viewing it from a rather utilitarian perspective, and the resultant breakdown in congregation-pastor relationship is often not necessarily due to “incompatibility” (60), but a failure to adjust leadership style. As such, the drive of this book is to bring about personal awareness in our pastoral approach, making strategic and wise adjustments, facilitating chemistry with persistence and patience, leading to culture-making. In this sense, the wise pastor recognizes his / her role as “environmental engineer” (46), essentially, the biblical ideal of discernment. I appreciate this emphasis on pastoral “fit” as necessity, but not limitation. Like marriage, an ill-fitting arrangement can be avoided; but at the same time, an ill-fitting arrangement need not signal divorce.

I also find useful reflection on the nature of congregation, especially as it pertains to my continued interest in the field of church planting. On page 17, I find listed the qualities of a “well-differentiated person”, characteristics that I also perceive are necessary for a strong planting core group. Conversely, I also resonate with the wisdom on page 97, that “a major component of Christian growth involves learning to love and relate to brothers and sisters in Christ who were not personally chosen.” I hear Bonhoeffer’s dictum in the background; “he who loves community destroys community”, essentially warning us of the “idealization” of who we want around us, i.e., the “ideal” core group. No such thing.

This is a book I intend to reference continually in my pastoral vocation. And I’m asking my wife to read it as well; her background in Family/Child Development runs a similar course of thought, and I will need her wisdom in the process. In the end, I think we will have learned from our past mistakes, but this systems approach helps me in re-approaching core development, congregational chemistry, and hopefully launching a great community.

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