The Emergent Wesley

I was going to blog big today. And then I ended up commenting (again) on Rhett's blog. He's posted some good thoughts recently on the Emergent movement, its recipe for sustainable improvement of the church, longevity and the strange way it engages the consumer culture through massive book and DVD sales (when it seems down on the consumer impulse in other spheres). So if you want to go there and sample the discussion please do!

But it runs in parallel to some other thoughts I've been having that really were heading in the opposite direction. And that is Wesley the Emergent. So much of (original) Wesleyan thought seems to me to run in tandem with the distinctives of the emerging movement. My premise then was along these lines: is this part of what the Wesleyan movement offers to the NZ culture? An ability to engage the culture more intuitively because its not fighting its own roots in doing so?

I went searching for some writing on this idea and found an excellent article by Hal Knight titled John Wesley and the Emerging Church. He makes some great observations about the Emergent movement and draws some compelling comparisons with other reform movements in the past. I noted these particular thoughts which reflect some of the ideas I'd been throwing around on Rhett's blog:

"...the emerging church is driven by an increasing dissatisfaction with the assumptions and practices of churches at home in Western culture, which has largely been governed by the Enlightenment. This is why emerging churches are largely found in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, where Western culture has long been dominant. Its leaders are deeply committed persons who are creatively envisioning a new postmodern Christianity ...Emerging churches are not responding to a passing fad but to deep, permanent, and pervasive cultural change. Subsequent generations will be shaped to an even greater extent by postmodern culture."

He then outlines 7 features of Emerging churches and comments on their resonance with Wesleyan thought and practice. 2 things occur to me - yeah maybe this is a happy marriage and that Wesleyan thought (the unfrozen kind) is well-positioned to respond to the culture. Secondly, should we be surprised that reform movements bear similar distinctives? After all, humanity tends to remake its mistakes over time and that has certainly been the unswerving practice of the church since it got itself institutionalised!

Keith Drury has put the article in conversation with Wesley himself - this is an interesting and quite amusing effort! Some of the comments are also interesting and maybe even typical which saves me the work of dealing with the wider commentary...

Joel Osteen: "His Best Heresy Now"

Alright so I'm not endorsing this site - and the commentary is a little cheap shot-ish - but you can't ignore what Joel Osteen says here...

• Mormons are Christians
• Details aren't important when it comes to sects
• Just put me on TV OK?

Oops that was a little cheap shot as well. Can't help but think Osteen is protecting his own ministry here by not getting hung up on the details of theological error. I've blogged on some of his errors here and here. But we should just let it go because he says "Jesus is Lord" (and my sugar Daddy).

See Osteen say it for yourself - "His best heresy now!"

Ken De Peal makes a strong appeal for Osteen to sort himself out. One can only hope he does. When you have a national platform like he does, you need to be more careful right?

Spending New Years With the CIA

It was New Years Eve, a few minutes to midnight, and I was in a car. I had expected to be with my family but I hadn't counted on the CIA getting involved. The snow was falling as the car sped over the freshly ploughed and salted blacktop. The crisis was over and I would soon be back in the warm embrace of the family home.

It had all started an hour before at the pickup point. Cars gathered with trunks poised to receive their subversive cargos. The others looked like ordinary people - cover stories fitted snuggly like latex undergarments. One plastic tub per car filled to the brim. One look at the contents verified my suspicions - they were serious.

The column of motor vehicles exited the car park and immediately divided into 2 cadres each heading to their own destination. Local hospitals. My driver laughed as he held up a small bag, "This should take care of security". It was an ominous admission.

We arrive. Three units, 3 plastic tubs. Security nowhere to be seen. The mysterious "candy bag" will not be needed after all. We head to our respective targets - codenames for each: Emergency Room, the Lab and Maternity Services. Its party time. The overt ops have begun.

We soon locate our contact at the lab. He seems uncertain. But we are not to be thwarted in our intent. I press the tub into his hands. He looks down at the contents...

"Happy New Year", my fellow operative intones, "We're from Faith church. This is in appreciation of you folks working on a night like tonight. We'll be praying you're not busy." As the lab technician visually catalogued the range of snacks and drinks, he smiled and said, "That's something we can all pray for!"

Nothing Exceeds Like Excess

Let me be blunt: Christmas in America is an orgy of consumption within a society that takes convenience through consumption to new levels. There is nothing that you cannot buy here and no shortage of options and prices. A few general examples: bread in a can - yes you can buy canned dough - simply cut it into the required shapes and voila "bread rolls!" An old favourite of mine: stuffing that never sees the inside of a bird - just pour into an oven tray and there it is - "likestuffing". And there is even a discernible impulse towards convenience organic foods as health concerns and a rising desire for "fresh" drives people away from traditional convenience foods with their almost supernatural shelf life (everything lasts longer in the US: large megastores with long supply chains demand longer lasting foods to survive transport and shelf life).

When it comes to Christmas itself - the level of expenditure is unimaginable to this innocent Kiwi. Some of the toy rooms I have seen here are frankly unbelievable - what do you give the kid who (already) has everything? To be fair there is also a spirit of generosity in operation that should not itself be underestimated. But there was a stark contrast for me with some of the values we are trying to develop as a family. Not meaning to be precious, just taken with the contrast. So anyway some Christmas presents that have amused me:

1. Transformers Snow Globe - you know the ones you shake up and the snow drifts to the "ground" except this time its a transformer staring back at you rather than a cheerful snowman or idyllic alpine scene... (part of a "Transformers Christmas" for the recipient that included Transformers Risk, Chess, Wallet, T Shirt and much more I'm sure)

2. Paris Hilton fragrance - "nothing says tramp quite like Paris Hilton fragrance..." (not intended by the giver...)

3. Pepsi Lip Balm - for "more happy" lips!

4. SpongeBob Boxer Shorts - with an amusing slogan advocating removal within a sexual context (my mother-in-law picked these out for me which makes them even more disturbing)

There are some interesting foods on offer as well - pumpkin pie will be well known (and is a favourite) - but other main meal options like vanilla pudding with fruit in it, green bean casserole and corn casserole were just a little strange. On the other hand baked sweet potatoes were totally scrumptious along with the most amazing Mexican dip you'll ever taste - layered avocado, refried beens, tomatoes, cheese - delicious! We had beef and ham (not the stereotypical turkey) - the beef was particularly nice with gravy and mashed potatoes...

Last night we went out for ice cream in Jackson, a town where Kristen lived for 10 years (8-18 years) and the icecream had to be seen to be believed! The Parlour is a 50's style diner serving food and ice cream - the biggest dish boasted 21 scoops of icecream! You can check out the ice cream menu here.

It was cool to drive round town and have Kristen point out the places she had lived, worked and played. Biggest revelation: the worst thing Kristen ever did in Jackson was skip a Spanish class. But as she went to Taco Bell, it was at least justifiable as a cross cultural field trip!

Wesleyan GS Support 2 State Solution

The General Superintendents of the North American Wesleyan Church have signed up to a 2 state solution endorsed by 80 Evangelical leaders in the US. Part of me asks: "What business is it of yours?" Another part recognises that there is much misinformation on the situation and particularly what the Bible has to say about the sovereignty of Israel. Anyways the guts of it is:

The Bible clearly teaches that God longs for justice and peace for all people. We believe that the principles about justice taught so powerfully by the Hebrew prophets apply to all nations, including the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians. Therefore we are compelled to work for a fair, negotiated solution for both Israelis and Palestinians. We resolve to work diligently for a secure, enduring peace and a flourishing economy for the democratic State of Israel. We also resolve to work for a viable permanent, democratic Palestinian State with a flourishing economy that offers economic opportunity to all its people. We believe that the way forward is for the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a fair, two-state solution.

The full story is here.

The Village

M. Night Shyamalan could have benefited from a visit to Wilmore, Kentucky when setting the scene for his movie, The Village! OK it wasn't that backward, but "quaint" is certainly a word that comes to mind...

This was the "Asbury Summit" where I journeyed to Asbury to catch up with NS Richard Waugh and family. A good trip down on Southwest Airlines, I arrived in Louisville Kentucky and nearly walked past Richard and Jane who were chowing down in a cafe! We then drove to Wilmore about 1.5 hours away. Main feature of the drive: horse stables that were bigger and brighter than the houses....think Kentucky Derby.

The seminary is very impressive - what large bequests will get you. Well equipped and very modern. Richard and Jane live in this "enclave" of apartments with the other Beeson scholars. They are 3 bedroom and pretty roomy. I stayed in one of the other family's apartment as they had returned home for Christmas.

Its very small town America - about 5000 people. And of course much influenced by the seminary and the Christian college across the road (also called Asbury). We had lunch at a drugstore that made great pizza - it felt like the 1950's (the pizza tasted like it was fresh though...). I got to meet some of the other students and they all seemed like quality people. I imagine its a very stimulating environment.

The trip home became a nightmare. Mostly the weather. The plane taking me from Chicago to Detroit was 2 hours late due to "de icing". I was glad they did this however. We then sat on the runway for 1.5 hours while they (a) took people off cos they'd overbooked the flight and (b) took 5 more people off because the plane was too heavy...I didn't know how worried to be - were we that close to the limit that 400-5500kg was going to make a difference? The weather was bad however so I'm sure it was some kind of safety thing. The plan had been to drive straight home (about 1.5 hours) from the airport leaving at 8.30pm. Well it was around 1am that we finally got out of there. I had made contact from Chicago by phone to pass on the good news and the plan had been reworked so that the kids would sleep and we'd drive home early the next day. So imagine my surprise at the midnight reuniting when they all turned up.

So there was something of a contrast between the bucolic environs of Wilmore to the nearly organised chaos of the Chicago airspace. A long day but part of real life in the USA.

Christmas Travelogue

So we made it to Michigan, USA intact! The flights were mostly good. The inflight entertainment system almost led to a meltdown for Rhys - small tactical error by his parents in letting him watch his personal TV for tooooo long - (a) he got too tired (b) he got addicted.

The basinet was excellent for Raegan especially when she would peek out over the top just to check we were still there.

But flights, meals, transfers etc - all went well.

We arrived in Lansing to a surprise appearance by both of Kristen's brothers families at the airport which was great. Then the cousins proceeded to make each other's acquaintance into the early hours of the morning! Kristen was especially excited to meet her new nephew Cole.

There is snow on the ground here, so on day 1 we went outside and did winter passtime things. Built a Boz snowman. Went on sled rides! Rhys loved most of it but wasn't too sure about snow on his face!

I then went to Asbury - see separate post.

Sunday morning we went to church at Lansing Faith, where Brandon Bruce is the new senior pastor. It was a fun but focused Christmas service which was great to be part of with the family. Jennifer, Brandon's wife is Brent Dongell's sister - and Brent is heading over to NZ in '08 to work with cessioncommunity - we are going to meet up with Brandon and Jennifer to get the complete dossier on Brent - things like childhood traumas, foods he dislikes and general phobias...

Today its off to Traverse City for Christmas Day celebrations with nearly the whole family. Its very much a white Christmas here, with snow storms all over the place. The trip should be interesting!

This Explains a Few Things...

Thanks to My-Faith for the link (although I couldn't understand his blog)

Henry is In!

In an astonishing break with post World Cup bloodlettings, Graham Henry is the "new" AB coach! Press Conference at 1pm.

Mike Eage on the AB website:

“At the end of the process, the Board concluded that Graham Henry was the best candidate for the position,” he said. “We are all disappointed not to have won the Rugby World Cup. In that regard, the NZRU Board accepts it was jointly responsible and accountable for the result and the planning that went into the campaign. We are committed to learning the key lessons, which will be explored in the independent review announced earlier this week led by Mike Heron and high performance expert Don Tricker.” Mr Eagle said the appointment decision was based on Graham’s remarkable results over a four-year tenure. “Graham’s record, both on and off the field, is among the best in All Blacks rugby history. He has set a very high standard in coaching, player management, and integration with the wider New Zealand rugby community. He has given a lot in a successful period for our game and the Board is convinced he has more to give the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby. “As a result, we believe that in the best interests of New Zealand rugby, Graham and his team were the right choice.”

Alternative Christmas

So we're doing the whole alternative Christmas thing - but maybe its not too hard to find Christmas presents with a twist after all - its perfect for Democrats and Republicans alike and is dead cheap - could be a winner for Christmas gifts for the US rellies...

The Three Wise Men

As the deadline for expressions of interest in the AB coach's role approaches, there is one question on everyone's mind: will Henry reapply? Many would say who cares, but I would say he should AND should get the job. Why? He lost us the World cup you moron! Well first, we didn't lose the World Cup, we just didn't win it. England lost it.

Second, its can't be all about the World Cup. And I'm not thinking 2007 - I'm thinking 2011. We have developed an unhealthy obsession with RWC and reappointing Henry would do 2 things to get us back in balance:

1. It sends the message that World Cup failure does not mean the AB's are an unsuccessful team and by extension its coach may not be unsuccessful coach. Only one team can win and it won't always be us - so why consign our best coach to the rubbish heap every time?

2. But more importantly, it would allow Henry to continue with a team that is already been hit by high profile departures, for say 1-2 years. Appoint Robbie Deans as backs coach and take your pick of Colin Cooper or Steve Hansen for a forwards coach. THEN appoint the next coach for a period that takes him beyond the World Cup in 2011. In other words, don't make the World Cup the focus of the new coach's career either.

My new coaching/selection panel? Henry, Deans & Cooper. Its a pity Gatland has gone already - putting Dean and Gatland head to head for the next round would have been excellent.

But the question remains: will Henry apply? He has till 5pm to do so.

Benny and the Letter

Today a letter purporting to be from Benny Hinn made its way into my hands. It was titled "Seven Supernatural Truths of the Tithe" so of course I was eager to appropriate my share of the blessing. Especially because of the unusual way this letter had been sent - the envelope states:

"This message is so special, in fact, I have had it placed in a sealed envelope"

As opposed to what?! "This message is so wholesome, I have wrapped it in a lettuce leaf..."

Before opening the letter I paused: the envelope implored me to ask for God's wisdom before reading the letter, which I did, having a Reader Digest(ion) moment at the same time...and you know what? God's wisdom really helped me evaluate this teaching...

Interestingly the letter noted that Benny had never before said any of what was to follow publicly or in writing - I was excited hoping for a full recanting from the prosperity doctrine he has espoused as an adjunct to his Word of Faith heresy.

I was disappointed. The letter walked through Malachi 3 saying:

1. The tithe belongs to God and his work
2. There are 7 blessings that follow - they include personal revival, prosperity and blessings, paralysis and crippling of the Devil, protection of finances, protection of family, blessing, special desire from God in his use of the tither
3. The "storehouse" is not the local church. The storehouse is "the ministry" that feeds your life...
4. If you give to a dead ministry you won't receive the blessings (Deut 26:14)

The summary then is this: "If this ministry (ie Benny Hinn) has been the storehouse (ministry that feeds your life) then IT IS THE LAW OF GOD (emphasis added) that you should give your tithes and offerings to this ministry...Remember it is your tithe that opens heaven..."

It was signed "Winning the lost at any cost" - truly ironic

I did wonder whether it was a fake aimed at a quick buck, but I couldn't see the benefit as there are no extra special contact details - the person concerned had given to BH Ministries and so was a "partner" in the ministry. But it did seem weird that this letter was stating such profound truths "for the first time". Except it wasn't. He's said it before here and here

So he lied.

That's if plain heresy is not enough for you.

What's All the Fuss About?

Politics is almost as absurd as blogging. Odd opinions being shared by people often completely unqualified to hold the opinions that they do! Present company excepted of course!

So what's the beef with Peter Davis writing a letter to the Editor of the NZ Herald? Apart from it being a little cynical and a lot selective. He's entitled to his opinion you'd think...its certainly ironic that those protesting his utterances are presently clothing themselves with the rhetoric of free speech!

Of course he's quite wrong in his analysis - as satisfying as it must have been to poke the borax at the Herald for its stance on tobacco advertising, that was hardly a free speech issue. And he like so many (some deliberately) are confusing the two quite separate issues. In ranting against the purchasing of free speech, he really does have a point. I see no difficulty with setting sensible limits on the advertising budgets of political parties in proximity to elections (so maybe they need to change the timeframes they're suggesting just a little). If other organisations want to publicise their points of view then fine - the legislation just needs to make sure they can't do that in an overtly politicised way close to elections (otherwise the purpose of the bill is subverted).

BUT the real issue is the hypocrisy of the Labour party (and its allies) in taking a stand against purchased free speech on the one hand and then dipping its hands into government coffers to advertise successful government policies (that just happen to be those policies they want to fight an election over). I used to be a dyed in the wool Labour supporter. But the cynical disregard of Labour for (a) majority viewpoints (b) its traditional support base (c) Christian viewpoints which could otherwise be so supportive of its welfare policies, is once again mirrored in the approach being taken here. The calculated dismantling of our social fabric reminds me very much of what I saw in the Methodist Church of New Zealand - progressively changing the culture through legislation and procedure...but that's another story!

So Professor Davies misses the real point when he only addresses the first issue and not the second.

And here is the letter under question for the 2 people that might be interested:

The last time I saw the Herald so exercised about "free" speech was when it unsuccessfully opposed restrictions on tobacco advertising.

We are the better for the tobacco companies losing the right to advertise their products.
The Electoral Finance Bill does not diminish "free" speech. It restricts speech that is "purchased" through advertising - and only in an environment that is electorally sensitive.
I would be concerned if "free" speech was being constrained, but limits on the rights to "purchase" speech are justified to protect our democracy from money politics, although I can see it might hurt the Herald's bottom line.

Peter Davis, Sociology Department, Auckland University.

Relief

Handed in my 2 outstanding essays on the absolutely final day for submission. Quite a relief. In the end, despite taking some time off, it all happened in 2 days - wrote 1 on Monday and 1 today. 6000 words in a week on Romans. Ouch. I'm going for the C- option, just to get the credits, but the first A+ essay and one of the 2 from today should get more than the C- minimum (despite being a bit late) so I might yet pull it up to a B. The other one is so late it is just PASS/FAIL. Bit embarassing!

Managed also write another chunk of words on Frank's blog while I was "studying". One of those stupid debates I'm afraid. In the words of Rhettspect, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter..."

A RARE Sight

I mean me wearing a suit rather than being snapped with General Superintendent Dr Tom Armiger!

For those of you who want to know how to spy me wearing a suit, I have 3 rules - Weddings, Funerals and Ordinations (this was the latter).