WINSTON COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH

It’s been a very busy few weeks but I have a couple of book reviews to share:

Worlds Apart: Poverty and Politics in Rural America, Second Edition

Cynthia M. Duncan

New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999,2014

304pp.

After conducting interviews in three disparate communities in America two different times – 1999 and again in 2012-2013 Duncan simply says, “We can do better.” Her interviews of people in these communities struggling with poverty are enlightening and revealing. People living in poverty express longings and desires for change but seem frustrated by inefficient and broken systems. People who are not in poverty express frustrations at trying to change systems that are needlessly oppressive and regressive.

What emerges from Duncan’s studies, conducted fifteen years apart, are several important observations. First, fighting poverty can only occur locally. The federal government has a role to play but the changes necessary must be community based and community driven. There are no one size fits all strategies. The three communities highlighted in her interviews and observations are radically different in culture but united by the same types of desires and dreams.

Second, the differences between Blackwell, Dahlia and Gray Mountain illustrate how far social capital and a culture of trust can create structurally different environments. Gray Mountain presented a different kind of community than its nearest neighbor in the study, Blackwell. The difference was not in the dreams and desires of poor and those not so poor but in the history of groups willing to work together to create a genuine sense of community.

Third, a critical issue in creating a more even starting place for our children – whether in poverty or not – is early intervention. Oregon is taking huge steps to coordinating early learning initiatives to created a more even starting place. Results will take years to evaluate, but a start is being made.

The book offers a fascinating overhearing of a variety of people with widely divergent backgrounds illuminating the struggles and challenges of making a living and creating a culture of livability. Rural Oregon communities like mine, Winston, would do well to carefully read and re-read the interviews and the conclusions as people seek to do better!

Bringing Heaven to Earth: You Don’t Have to Wait for Eternity to Live the Good News

Josh Ross & Nathan Storment

Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2015

215pp.

The past decade or so has seen an upsurge of interest in the Gospel. Numerous books have been published and perhaps hundreds of definitions have been offered. Each book and each definition tends to reveal the particular theological bent and the cultural location of the author(s). This book is no different. While the authors do not specifically identify themselves as progressive Christians rather than evangelicals the book tends towards a more progressive understanding of the gospel. The authors write often of God’s intention to restore and recreate the world and the role that Christians can have in working with God. There is little mention of judgment in these pages. The picture the Bible offers, however, does include judgment before restoration and/or re-creation.

The authors primary thesis is that Christians have been called to bring the Kingdom of God to fruition in this world is biblically accurate. Ross and Storment give much more credit to human abilities and creativity than I believe is warranted. Little is discussed in this book about the Fall and its debilitating effect on the world even though they do acknowledge that the gospel is “the story of God’;s work in restoring a broken world and broken people” (58). Notice the order of the story- God’s world seems to take precedence over the people for whom God created the world.

I did find the authors use of illustrations very helpful and from time to time I found myself agreeing with their conclusions about the necessity of engaging with the world – as broken as it is. Perhaps other believers will read the book and choose to become engaged with the world in which we live in positive ways. Withdrawal from the world is certainly not an option and Ross and Storment are to be applauded for their own efforts and the efforts of their congregations to make the Kingdom of God real and visible in a broken and hurting world.

Some sins creep up and appear to just happen. Bang! But in all honesty there is always a moment, an opportunity for choice -“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, HCSB). The challenge is to maximize the ‘way of escape.’
There are several ways I can suggest (not that I am perfect – I fail far too often).
First, memorize Scripture. I wish I had spent more time at this discipline as a younger adult. As I age it seems to be harder to memorize. It is a discipline that can be learned at any age and at any stage of life. I simply need to make the choices necessary to create a priority for memorizing God’s Word.

Second, accountability. One the triggers that trips me up the most is being alone. I spend much of my days alone – driving to and from meetings and appointments; reading and studying in my office; and so on. Finding a partner with whom I can be 100% open and transparent would eliminate some of the opportunities for sin to trap me.

Third, electronic discipline. My cell phone, my computer, my tablet all are wonderful devices enabling me to be connected to multiple sources all day long. Satellite and cable TV bring endless hours or entertainment and information into my house every day. These wonderful devices, however, can be opportunities for our adversary, the devil, to pounce (see 1 Peter 5:8). Setting time limits, choosing to go ‘off the grid’ for an hour or more each day will not eliminate the opportunity for sin (our grandparents fought the same battles against sin that we fight!), but the more opportunities we can manage and eliminate the more effective I can be in fighting the sin that so eagerly seeks to entrap me.

Finally, cultivating a deeper walk with God through Jesus Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit. I know it’s a cliché but remember the question, Would you invite Jesus to participate in whatever activity you are choosing? As a child I desperately wanted to please my parents and earn their approval. As I grew up other adults (teachers, mentors) became important to me as well. If I am desperate to earn the approval and respect of others, should I not be more desperate to recognize how each activity, each choice reflects on the presence and power of Christ being made real in me?

I write this as one who fails – more often than I want to acknowledge. But I offer this as a reminder that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, HCSB)

The Global War on Christians: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian Persecution

John L. Allen, Jr.

New York: Image 2013

Allen, a reporter for the National Catholic Reporter, has provided an excellent overview of specific persecution against Christians around the world. The first section of the book gives a brief overview of different regions of the world and how persecution is being carried out against Christians in those areas. Each chapter provides a regional overview and specific stories of martyrdom. As one might expect the chapter detailing events in the Middle East occupies the most pages. While his information is timely as of the publication of the book, the organizations he cites in his overview are important sources for up to the minute details and statistics.

The second section of the book outlines several myths that Western Christians tend to hold regarding persecution. For example Allen reminds his reader that persecution is occurring even in countries with a majority Christian population. He writes, “By far the largest concentration of martyrs was in the Soviet Union, with as many as twenty-five million killed inside Russia and an additional eight million in Ukraine. Both…are profoundly Christian societies….”(p. 176). He goes on to identify a number of martyrs from the 20^th and 21^st centuries from societies where Christians are indeed considered the majority of the population.

Other myths Allen seeks to destroy are that persecution is related to the growth of Islam and  all persecution directed against Christians is religiously motivated. He points out that “the highest number of casualties has not come in the Muslim world. That distinction belongs to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a nation of seventy one million people that’s overwhelmingly Christian” (p. 201). He identifies a ‘galaxy of threats’ against Christians, including Buddhism, organized crime, and other Christians as legitimate threats.

Allen wraps up his observations with some observations from his years of reporting and some suggested actions that might be taken as a result of his research. He suggests that persecution has created theological breakthroughs as believers grapple with suffering as the normal understanding of Christian discipleship. He also seeks to rally readers around a broader ecumenical understanding of the ‘church,’ particularly from a Roman Catholic understanding. Finally, he suggests basic responses such as prayer, political advocacy on a global scale, and institutional reforms making it possible for refugees to flee to safer environments.

The title “Global War” attracts attention as does the subject matter. Written well and researched meticulously Allen’s book is a welcome addition to the growing body of research on persecution against Christians.

Most computers allow you to reset your settings to a past point in time when everything was working properly. Don’t you wish life had a ‘reset’ option? We would all like a button we could push that would take us to a point in time – maybe the recent past or maybe farther back – when everything in our life seemed to be in working order.

As a pastor for over 30 years, having served the Lord in my current ministry for nearly 24 of those years I am longing for a reset option. The community in which I live is growing older for two reasons. First, the largest number of people moving in to our community are senior citizens (may age and older). Second, young adults and their families are moving away in record numbers. Every school district in our county has faced significant decline in enrollment over the past few years which indicates the depth of the problem.

If I had a reset option, what time period would I choose for a reset? Would it be the few years when financial difficulties almost closed our doors? Or would I choose the time when many in leadership were spiritually immature and threatening to force me to leave?  Do I really want to return to the days of Acts – without any of the technological tools available?

Obviously there is no reset function available for life, or for church. We cannot recapture glory days or even the difficult periods of our past. What we can do, though, is rekindle the enthusiasm and excitement we once had for seeing people come to Christ as Savior. We can create an atmosphere where everyone is able to and excited about sharing their faith. We can create an atmosphere where people are welcomed just as they are and given the opportunity to be transformed as God works in their lives.

My prayer is not that we could return to the past, but that from this point forward we might be as excited about our relationship with Jesus as the early disciples were, that we might be as sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as men and women of the past have been, and that we might once again discover the unlimited possibility of God’s power as He transforms our lives and the lives of those around us!

In light of several things I’ve been seeing on Twitter I am in wondering: Are we, as Western Christians, so persuaded that our experience of God and His Word is the ONLY accurate way that we can truly say with confidence that others in having been raised in different cultures (ethnicity, economic, family structure and so on) MUST agree with us?

Thanks to Anthony Bradley, a professor at The Kings College in NYC I have been challenged to think about how my being raised in a white, suburban context has impacted how I read the Bible, how I pray, how I worship, and how I apply Scripture. Having done limited reading in issues surrounding the Muslim faith – particularly in light of Middle Eastern history in general, and having been challenged by some IMB folks serving Central Asian people groups – I am curious. Some of the folks involved in discussions I’ve been following on Twitter and Facebook sound VERY dogmatic about their standards being the ONLY standard by which to measure or evaluate another’s experience of Christianity.

I don’t want to stir up a hornets nest, nor do I long to be called a heretic. However, I am intrigued and challenged by the discussions to  evaluate my own understanding of living Christianly in a post Christian world.

In the past two weeks I missed two opportunities. One was a poorly thought out response to someone and the second was a missed opportunity to make a pastoral visit. There were probably multiple others as well, but these two seem to linger in my mind.

I wonder about all the missed opportunities of the past 30 years of pastoral ministry. How many times could I have shared the gospel but I wasn’t sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit? How many times could a well-spoken word have soothed a relationship rather than destroyed it? How many times did I act without thinking through and applying an overall strategy to the challenge in front of me?

Rather than focus on the failures of the past, however, I would rather focus on the possibility of the present and the challenge of the future. This morning I read Psalm 71:1, “In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed.” Failure may abound, but when I trust God’s that God is gracious I have no reason to be ashamed. Later in verse 18 the author states, “And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.”

Perhaps others can learn from my missed opportunities. Perhaps others can hear me remind them that God is gracious and that God forgives – even missed opportunities.

We have a powerful gift to offer the world. The forgiveness which Jesus Christ secured for us at the cross and through the resurrection means that we are no longer under condemnation for our sin (Romans 8:1). Instead of living in anxiety, wondering when judgment will come, we trust that Jesus took the punishment for our sin at the cross fully and completely. We no longer need to live anxiously awaiting judgment. We can live in the freedom and confidence of knowing that in Christ we are secure in our relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit seals in us this forgiveness (Ephesians 1:3-14) and insures that day by day we can experience this freedom and confidence.

Those who have been forgiven are held accountable to forgive others as we have been forgiven. Jesus affirmed this responsibility as He taught His disciples to pray. Jesus said. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.” (Mark 11:25).

If you are struggling with forgiveness remember two things:

1. God has forgiven you fully and completely in Jesus Christ.
2. You are given the assignment to forgive others who may have sinned against you.

Don’t let another day go by without claiming by faith the gift of forgiveness AND offering forgiveness to those who may have sinned against you!

PASTOR STEVE

Another Christmas is about to come…and go. Another page will turn on the calendar in just a few days. For most of us life continues on just as it was. However, for more than a few, life in the new year holds the promise (?) of health challenges, unresolved family issues, financial crises, and concerns about houses that are failing. While the songs we hear and the Christmas carols we sing promise joy, peace, and hope, for many those are just words that remind them of what they have lost or for some that which they have never had!
In less than 24 hours most of us will have exchanged gifts, and have shared a meal with family and friends. Some will experience disappointment – again – and others will be satisfied beyond description with all they have received. Some families will experience relief because the tension of family gatherings are over. Some will experience pangs of nostalgia and grief, longing for those who are no longer present.
Regardless of how we experience Christmas there are several things we hold to – in pain and grief and in joy and contentment. First, the fact that Jesus – God in the flesh, Emmanuel – has come reminds us that as comfortable as we may be here this world is not the final destination for those who have placed their trust in God. Second, the arrival of Christmas Day is an annual reminder that God keeps His promises. The Apostle Paul, an early first-century follower of Jesus, wrote these words: “For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, HCSB).
Finally, the conclusion of Advent – the season of waiting – contains a promise. Just as the world waited the birth of Jesus so we who are believers wait for His return. Our wait is not in vain. Our waiting is not built on empty hopes and failed promises, but rather on the generations of God’s promises to His people and the clear evidence in God’s Word of His power to fulfill all He promised!

33 years ago on the first Sunday of December I delivered my first message as the newly installed Pastor of First Baptist Church, Allyn WA (later they changed their name to Allyn Baptist Church, and within the past few years the church disbanded and sold their property). In many ways I am as uncertain today as I was then. I was not uncertain about the call to serve as a pastor. I was – and continue to be – uncertain if I am worthy of the great responsibility God has entrusted to me. I remain uncertain about my skills. Am I able to lead my family, my congregation, my community through the turbulent times in which we live?
Significant changes have occurred. While pastoring in Allyn Cindy and I had two children (Josh, born in 1982; Megan, born in 1986). The advent of the computer has changed the way I communicate and the process of preparing for messages. During those years I was attending seminary part time (I ultimately received my M.Div from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in 1987 and a Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009). Our children have grown and moved away from home into their own careers and lives (Josh, a Master Sgt in the USAF, married in 2002, but alas, no grandchildren…yet; Meg is single and living in Washington DC). Family members have passed away (Cindy’s dad passed away unexpectedly five years ago; my brother, Phil, died 8 years ago at the too young age of 46.) We own (or better: we and the bank) our home. We have settled in Winston OR since Community Baptist Church heard God’s call to them and us in 1991.
The future looks radically different from my vantage point today than it did in 1981. Wars, terrorism, significant increases in acts of violence, a rapid descent into immorality, and other challenges have changed how I view the future. Can we not just survive as a body of believers, but can we thrive, grow, and continue to impact our families, neighborhoods, community, and world with the Good News of Jesus Christ?
This morning I was reading one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Advent sermons and this passage caught my attention:

All of us, wherever we stand ideologically, are aware that during the world events of recent years something has happened which can only be called a turning point in world history…. Technology and commerce have become a law unto themselves, which threatens to destroy the human person. They raise themselves up and their demons populate the heavens, as the gods of our time. The great changes among the people drive them down and down, while no one appears strong enough to halt this inevitable fate for humankind. The artist simply reproduces what is going on around him. Expressing this, we have shrill, toneless music and loud colors on canvas. Even religions refuse to take more than one tiny step ahead of the accepted norms. And in the knowledge of such degradation of the human person, there comes a great hope for a new kind of person, for a rebirth, for the future…This is a waiting within us for nothing less than that this world will be redeemed through and through— not by this or that political means, but by God.

This Advent season, as I wait for the approaching celebration of the birth of Jesus, I wait as one seasoned by time, but one caught in the unending hope that comes with the arrival of Jesus Christ – The Redeemer!

*Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas Sermons (p. 48,49,51). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

The 67th annual meeting of the NWBC is in the books. Around 400 messengers met together for two days of encouragement and inspiration. Friendships were renewed and new friendships were begun. The general tone of the meeting was hopeful. The partnership we’ve entered into with our IMB partners in East Asia holds out a great promise of fruitfulness both in a difficult part of the world and in our own communities. After years of budgeting by dreams the NWBC is now very close to budgeting according to reality – being able to anticipate income and planning on expenses to achieve our goals. Our executive director, Randy Adams has now been on the field well over a year and has travelled extensively throughout our large geographical expanse. New staff are being added in order to more closely align our staffing with our goal of supporting churches with regional field personnel. The biggest ‘win’ of the past year was paying off the indebtedness of our building in Vancouver, WA. There is still work to be done in creating the kind of staff that will most effectively meet the needs of our churches, but actions taken this past year are making that vision more a reality than before.
As we move forward as cooperative churches our task is the same: pushing back the darkness of lostness in our local communities, in our region, and in our world. The fact that there is very little dissension or disagreement among our churches and our leaders speaks well of the foundation laid by leaders who are now experiencing the rest promised to believers in Jesus Christ. The opening of a regional campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in the Northwest has enabled several generations of leaders to be trained and deployed here and abroad. The lean structure of our staff means that our staff is more responsive to the needs of specific churches and less driven by programs emphases from other SBC entities.
As I write I often listen to symphonic works by classical composers. Listening to the musicians cooperate to create music that inspires and expresses deep emotions, I am always reminded that while first chair instruments are important, so are second, third, and fourth chairs. Without a strong connection between the sections of the orchestra and the conductor the sound would be indistinct and often cacophonous at best. As we loo forward to NWBC Annual Meeting 68, November 2015, let’s continue to play our parts, continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, and listen for the voices of thousands and hundreds of thousands to be added to the chorus of Hallelujah’s around the throne of God!