Previous Post – My Upcoming Trip To Haiti

Over the past year, two books have had a marked influence on my life, faith and ministry.  I was shocked to discover that, despite this impact, I had failed to review either of them here.  While I failed to review things here, I have purchased and given away these two books more than any other in last few years.  The first is “Simple Spirituality: Learning to See God in a Broken World” by Chris Heuertz of Word Made Flesh.  This book played an important part in developing a real expression to my early Franciscan spirituality and is widely applicable and important to the Christian community.  The other book is “Making Room: Recovering Hospitality As a Christian Tradition” by Christine Pohl, Professor of Church in Society at Asbury Theological Seminary.  In this essential volume, Pohl offers a very accessible and inspirational history and foundation in the discipline of hospitality, followed by a very realistic call to restore it properly in our context today.  Few books receive such unequivocal praise from me.

Therefore, when I discovered that Heuertz & Pohl were teaming up for a book, my interest was immediately stirred.  Curiosity became excitement when I read the title: “Friendship at the Margins: Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission”, a clear and powerful intersection of both of their strengths and passions.  From IVPress:

“In our anonymous and dehumanized world, the simple practice of friendship is radically countercultural. But sometimes Christians inadvertently marginalize and objectify the very ones they most want to serve.

Chris Heuertz, international director of Word Made Flesh, and theologian and ethicist Christine Pohl show how friendship is a Christian vocation that can bring reconciliation and healing to our broken world. They contend that unlikely friendships are at the center of an alternative paradigm for mission, where people are not objectified as potential converts but encountered in a relationship of mutuality and reciprocity.

When we befriend those on the margins of society by practicing hospitality and welcome, we create communities where righteousness and justice can be lived out. Heuertz and Pohl’s reflections offer fresh insight into Christian mission and what it means to be the church in the world today.”

In a wonderful gesture from Chris Heuertz and IVPress (Thanks Adrianna!), I was given an advanced copy to read.  I will be coming back to this book off and on in the coming week, including an interview with Chris.  So stay tuned!  For now, I want to leave you with some of the defining questions from the beginning of the book.  Please take some to read this section and answer as best you can in the comments:

“Sacrificial love is at the heart of mission and reconciliation. But love and reconciliation can seem pretty abstract until we ask questions like What does reconciliation look like when you love Jesus and want the best for people who are caught in situations of terrible evil, need or despair? How would our lives and our ministries be different if our understand- ings of love emphasized friendship?

“This little book is an extended reflection on these questions. It contains many stories of friendship and love and puts friendship at the center of reflection on reconciliation and mission. We want to ask What difference does it make for mission, discipleship and the church when friendship with people who are poor is a central dimension of our lives? What is the impact on those with whom we minister? How are we changed? What does it mean for the church, for reconciliation and for the practice of mission?“

Previous Post – Sermon on the Mount – Benediction

Kent Annan, author & co-diretor of Haiti Partners

Several months ago I had the chance to interview Kent Annan about his new book “Following Jesus Through The Eye Of The Needle: Living Fully, Loving Dangerously” and his work with Haiti Partners.  I was inspired by the Annan’s devotion to follow Jesus into a very costly life of service and mutuality.  As part of the promotion for the book, IVPress and Haiti Partners held a writing contest, offering a 5 day trip to visit the ministry in Haiti as a prize for 6 winners.  I eagerly threw my hit in the ring.

It was not long after I submitted my entry that the earthquake devastated the island nation.  Needless to say, the contest was the last thing on my mind.  In the last few months, people like Kent (and other champions of mercy and justice I greatly respect) have done their best to help all of those devastated by the quake.  After the initial emergency aide was in place, Haiti Partners and IVPress decided that, while they would continue with the contest, the visit to the country would obviously have a different focus.

Yesterday afternoon my cell phone rang and, on the other end, was Kent Annan.  Having expected the announcement a day earlier, his call took me off guard.  However, I was thrilled to hear that I was one of six people selected to join Kent for 5 days in Haiti.  I did not anticipate winning the writing contest, especially since my entry was submitted before the earthquake.  Here is an excerpt:

Two days after the events of September 11th, 2001, I joined a group of fellow missionaries in Vancouver to pray for all those impacted by the acts of terror. When we arrived at our office, we were met by police and the coroner. In the night, beneath the under hang of our parking spot a young man over-dosed on heroin. His body lay cold and alone until someone spotted his body.

While in no way diminishing the importance of why we had gathered to pray, that moment disrupted the rest of my day and eventually my very life. The death of this nameless man- hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, sick and in the prison of addiction- forced me to realize that, while I had come to the city to “bring Jesus”, He had died under my nose without my ever knowing His name…

Click here to read the rest of the entry, as well as those by the other participants.

I would ask that you keep me in prayer as a prepare for this journey.  Our hosts have made it clear that this is no tourist vacation, but a welcome into the very beautiful, yet struggling life of the every-day Haitian.  While all expenses are paid for, I do have to cover the cost of flying to Florida.  Please prayer that I can raise the $500 or so to secure a ticket.

Not everyone gets a chance like this and I am humbled and honoured.  Even without going, you can make an impact on these peoples lives, just as they will undoubtedly make an impact on mine.  Check out Haiti Partners for more information (and Haiti Partners Canada).

Previous Post – The Wise Builder – SOTM Series (15)

Lord God, let us embrace the costly blessings which You desire for us,
Blessings the confound the wisdom and strength of this world.

Teach us to be your agents of preservation in a world touched by death,
And beacons of hope in a world shrouded in darkness.

Transform us into Your image through the crucible of the Cross,
Writing Your mandates upon our hearts, made pure by You perfect love.

Embolden us to be Your ambassadors, living as representatives of Your Holy Kingdom,
Stirring in us Your loves, especially for those who would seek to destroy us because of You.

Make us decrease so that You might increase, as a watching world sees You, not us.
Daily we declare that Your priorities are ours, even before our own needs and desires.

Every moment we live, we live for Your glory- the glory of a loving Father and a just King.
Free us of any distraction, craving or anxiety that would keep us from fully following You.

For we acknowledge that everything we could possibly need is Yours to give us.
Remind us of our sinful brokenness & Your gift of grace as we encounter brokenness in others.

You are the answer to our every question.  You are the treasure that we desperately seek,
And it is You who invite us into Your salvation, as prodigals returning to the Father’s embrace.

Keep us upon Your path of righteousness & justice, bearing the good fruit of Your Spirit,
For it is on You, Lord Jesus, that all hope is built, for all of creation, not & forever more.

+Amen.

This concludes our series on the Sermon on the Mount.  Here is a list of all the posts in the series:

Part 1 – Setting the Stage

Part 2 – Beatitudes (1)

Part 3 – Beatitudes (2)

Part 4 – Salt & Light/Law

Part 5 – Murder/Adultery/Divorce

Part 6 – Oaths, Eyes & Enemies

Part 7 – Hiding In Plain Sight

Part 8 – The Lord’s Prayer (1)

Part 9 – The Lord’s Prayer (2)

Part 10 – Fasting

Part 11 – Don’t Worry, Be Righteous

Part 12 – Judging Others

Part 13 – Ask, Seek, Knock

Part 14 – Of Gates & Fruits

Part 15 – The Wise Builder

Previous Post – Living the Gospel One Day at a Time

Part 1 – Setting the Stage

Part 2 – Beatitudes (1)

Part 3 – Beatitudes (2)

Part 4 – Salt & Light/Law

Part 5 – Murder/Adultery/Divorce

Part 6 – Oaths, Eyes & Enemies

Part 7 – Hiding In Plain Sight

Part 8 – The Lord’s Prayer (1)

Part 9 – The Lord’s Prayer (2)

Part 10 – Fasting

Part 11 – Don’t Worry, Be Righteous

Part 12 – Judging Others

Part 13 – Ask, Seek, Knock

Part 14 – Of Gates & Fruits

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” -Matthew 7:24-27

Pulled from the context of the wider Sermon on the Mount and reduced to a well meaning children’s hymn, the parable of the Wise & Foolish Builder is robbed of its place as the powerful conclusion to a powerful message.  When a Jewish teacher finished such a significant teaching, the closing portion was significant, tying the whole thing together in the end.  So then, what this story really mean?

Jesus’ listeners would have made a couple of connections when hearing His words.  First, they would know from living in that arid land the importance of a strong foundation.  It was standard practice to only build homes on solid rock, even if that meant digging quite deep to do so.  This was just common sense.  Alone, this would have been an anti-climactic, simple lesson at the end of a revolutionary teaching.  However, His words would also have brought to mind something far more important.

When Jesus started talking about a strong foundation, the words of the prophet Isaiah would have surely come to mind (Isaiah 28:14-18).  Israel, facing the invading armies of Assyria, decides to make a pact with the Egyptians rather than trust God for deliverance.  Isaiah rebukes her for this unfaithful compromise, likening it to building upon weak foundation of clay that will wash away with the rain.  Any compromise to complete submission and surrender to God would lead to the crumbling of the foundation of their faith.

However, in the middle of his rebuke, Isaiah eludes to a future promise, to a new and real foundation.  The tool that will forge such a foundation?  Righteousness and justice.  Isaiah’s prophecy of this new foundation became a deeply held hope for many generations of Jews, even unto Jesus own time.  At different times in their history, they would attempt to see that promise fulfilled, even establishing an actual stone which they called ‘the foundation’, which became a central aspect of the Temple itself.

Jesus’ words, then, strike at the very heart of their hope, making a claim so powerful that no one would have missed it.  He clearly states that anyone who hears the words of the Sermon on the Mount and puts them into practice builds their life on the true Foundation.  And like Isaiah foretold and Jesus repeated again and again, it is built through righteousness and justice- not merely adherence to the law, but it truly loving God with all that we are and loving others as we would have them love us. He extends the promise, the covenant hope, not only to the Jews, but to any who obey Him as Lord.

‘As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  For in Scripture it says:   “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”  They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.’ -1 Peter 2:4:8

This is not a teaching about Christians vs. non-Christians.  Just like in the previous section of the Sermon where both sides call Jesus Lord, here both sides build a house.  It was not the act of “building” that was crucial, just as prophesying, casting out demons or performing miracles was not the point.  It is not about going to church, being good or doing ministry (though they are important in their own right).  Rather it is only upon the foundation of uncompromising submission to the Lordship of Christ, by living out His teachings to love God and others, that we have any hope of seeing His Kingdom.

John Stott warns us of this:

“In applying this teaching to ourselves, we need to consider that the Bible is a dangerous book to read, and that the church is a dangerous society to join.  For in reading the Bible we hear the words of Christ, and in joining the church we say we believe in Christ.  As a result, we belong to the company described by Jesus as both hearing his teaching and calling him Lord.  Our membership, therefore lays upon us a serious responsibility of ensuring that what we know and what we say is translated into what we do.” (“The Message of the Sermon on the Mount”, IVPress, pg. 210)

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” -Matthew 7:28,29

When the scribes taught, they only taught with an authority given to them.  Rather, it was the authority of Law and the Prophets.  Jesus, on the other hand, taught from His own authority.  This was demonstrated by the power of His words and the consistency of His example.  They were amazed because the implications of His words was that He was, indeed, the promised Messiah and the very Son of God.

Jesus does not ask for our amazement, though we should be amazed as we hear and understand the words of the Sermon on the Mount and see the example of Love incarnate in His life, death, resurrection and ascension.  No, Jesus does not ask for our amazement.  He asks for our uncompromising and loving obedience, even until death.  Jesus Christ is not only God to be worships, but He must also be a Lord who is followed.

Previous Post – Little Flowers Community & Our Anabaptist Convicitons

I got a call from a friend today, telling me about an encounter she had in the city with someone begging for spare change.  When I asked her what his story was, she said that he was a Christian whose wife was sick and he just needed a little money to help get some food for the day.

“Was he a middle-aged white guy- tall with a mustache?” I asked.  Surprised, she affirmed that it was.  How did I know?  I knew because had heard that exactly story several times a week for almost the entire time The Dusty Cover was open.  Brad was a regular to drop in to the bookstore, masterfully retelling his story (with more detail than mentioned above) word for word.  Of course, the details of his story made it clear that it could not be true, given that the same unfortunate scenario played itself out so many times a week for more than a year.  However, we never made an issue with the truthfulness of his story.

Sometimes we’d give him some money or a bus pass or a hot cup of coffee.  We didn’t give him money that often, but the occasional customer would overhear his story and chip in a few bucks.  I offered to take him shopping once, but he politely, but flatly refused.  I didn’t mind this too much, because we would usually see Brad at the end of the day walking home with a few bags of groceries from Safeway.  As long as he was eating.

What made Brad such an interesting friend was that he came back so regularly with the same story.  When he would introduce himself again the next, I would remind him that we were already friends.  He would then apologize as he had a hard time remembering things.  It seemed that, expect for long term memories, he had very little capacity to remember the details of recent events.  And so, every day it was like meeting Brad for the first time.

While we could build relationships over time with many of our neighbours, this was not possible with Brad.  Each day was a fresh slate, meaning that we would have to repeat the same conversations again and again.  Every day he met us for the first time.  Every day, his first impression of us was established anew.  It would have been easy for us to dismiss him, make jokes about him or ignore him altogether.  Instead, he presented us daily with a challenge: Treat him with the love of Christ as though it was our only opportunity.  And in some was, it was.

Since the bookstore closed, we have not seen Brad very often.  However, I carry the lesson he taught me everyday.  Why should I treat others any different than Brad?  Should not every person I encounter be greeted with the fullness of the love and grace of Christ?  Familiarity can breed complacency, but Brad has taught us that every day is a new day.  Beyond the abstraction of “Love God and love others” is the mandate to embrace that love in every mundane moment, in every encounter.

This is what it means to live the Gospel one day at a time.

Previous Post – Blogs & Reviews: A Publisher’s Thoughts

When we decided to partner with Mennonite Church Manitoba to plant Little Flowers Community, one of the core reasons for doing so was a sense of resonance with Anabaptist values and beliefs.  Interestingly, the longer we explore this connection, the more convinced we have become that it is significant, even though almost none us grew up within an Anabaptist tradition.  In addition to the “unchurched” and new believers, we have people who grew up in United, Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, Anglican, Pentecostal and others.

A Mennonite friend recently asked me what it actually meant to us to be Anabaptist.  It was a good question, which I answered as best I could at the time.  Since then I’ve started reading Stuart Murray’s upcoming book “The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith”, which explores seven core convictions of Anabaptism and how they relate to the whole Church.  While each chapter unpacks them in more detail, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on them as they relate to Little Flowers.

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church, and our engagement with society. We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshiping him.

While I think most Christians would affirm such a statement, what this has meant for us is that we want to be more intentional about following the example and teachings of Christ in our daily lives.  Beyond living moral lives where we observed the expected Christian practices, few of us were discipled into a way of life that sought to do much of what Jesus taught, such as in the Sermon on the Mount.

Thus far, Little Flowers has been exploring Jesus teachings (most recently with an emphasis on the Sermon on the Mount), intentionally seeking to embrace the values and practices in tangible ways.  We believe that we are, together, an incarnational expression of Christ’s Body to our community, thus committed to actively continuing Christ’s mission to our neighbours.  This has been very rewarding, but difficult as we also wrestle with our own brokenness and sin.

2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.

With the conviction that we are to collectively embody the presence of Christ to our community, it means that the whole community contributes to the process of discipleship and discernment.  We affirm that different ones of us function in different giftings, but resist any hierarchy of value or authority in those giftings.  To that end, while I function as the pastor, I refuse to claim exclusive (or even primary) rights to administering the sacraments or teaching the word.  Yes, my responsibility means I have a degree of authority in that role, but it is not absolute nor any more important than the authority of the other giftings/roles.

It has also meant that, as we explore Scripture together, the teaching is very conversational- interactive and participative.  This allows everyone to bring their unique perspective, while always seeking to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in guiding us.  Again, my studying and understanding are respected in the community, but this does not mean that I am the final authority on all truth.  A time of worship with us is less than typical, but it is very generative and multifaceted.

3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era, when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian. Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalized Jesus, and has left the churches ill equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture. As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.

In some ways, our inner city context lives in extremes in relation to Christendom.  On the one hand, as many of our neighbours are First Nations or immigrants, they have been subject to the some of the more costly aspects of colonialism.  For many, their relationship to the Church has been as recipients of charity, though some times, also of judgment.  On the other hand, because our community often functions on the margins of society, they are not impacted by many aspects of life at the center.

For those of us who have committed to Little Flowers, we decided that we would share life with our neighbours, making the community our own.  While attempting to enter into the fabric of the neighbourhood, we also intentionally extended hospitality to others, which can mean anything from sharing a meal together or having a homeless friend live with us for a few months.  These relationships form with greater ease when we participate on the margins of culture.

4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.

We have not experienced much opposition for our commitments, but it has meant sacrifice.  In choosing to live more simply, for example, we don’t merely make token sacrifices, but rather relinquish our right to the privileges we are so used to.  We realized that it is not enough to abstain from status, wealth and force on occasion, but rather to embrace it entirely.

This is not an easy one, but we are working to embrace it more every.  For some it has meant moving into intentional community, becoming ethical consumers or giving away much of their possessions.  As we do this and other things, we find that the difference between “us” and “the poor” diminishes, as we share mutual life and faith with people of all walks of life.  This has been very, very difficult for us.

5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability, and multivoiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers.

While our time of worship is important each week, our community is more defined by the relationships we share throughout the week.  This relational commitment to each other is part of our missional devotion, submitting to very real mutual accountability.  As was mentioned earlier, we lead as a community, believing that the Holy Spirit best opens God will and His written Word through the context of that community.

6. Spirituality and economics are interconnected. In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.

Again, as already mentioned earlier, we believe that when the mission of Jesus is the organizing function of our community then we relinquish our rights to such things as materialism and individualism.  While we do not have a “common purse” out of which we live, generosity often blurs the lines of ownership.  Further, in seeking to live simply, we have began to do community gardening, which not only provides healthy and inexpensive food, but also allows us to relate more meaningfully to creation.

7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.

Starting within our own relationships, we are committed to keeping short accounts with conflict.  Extending from our open commitment to each other, which requires honesty, humility and confession, we also hope to extend that shalom to our community.  In a neighbourhood where violence is rampant, this has been a real challenge, but one in which we are continuing to pursue.

It should be noted, however, that we do not pursue peace because it is pragmatic.  That is, we do not pursue peace because “it works”.  While those who embrace peace experience many blessings as a result, in a sinful world it is also likely to get your hurt or worse.  We are committed to peace, not because it works, but because it is right.  Thus, our commitment comes with a willingness to suffer for that conviction.  Thankfully none of us has suffered too personally for such a commitment, though we have come close to it many times.

(NOTE: We’ve set up a Facebook group about The Naked Anabaptist.  Check it out here.  Well worth it.)

Previous Post – Much Ado About Book Reviews

In my previous post, I explored some issues around the challenges of bloggers reviewing books.  The response has been great.  This evening I received a note from a Canadian publisher (who we will allow to remain anonymous) that I thought was quite helpful.  Give them a read and let us know what you think.

From the anonymous publisher:

1. This debate is as old as book reviewing—just the medium has changed. Once upon a time the goal was to get books reviewed in the press. Back then, the quid pro quo was similar: Free books. In this case, the reviewer worked for free for the publication (not the publisher), getting only a book in return for his or her time (and the cachet of being published, I guess). It still occurs; I just recently reviewed a book for a literary journal, and got a book that I don’t even much like in return. So what’s different between me and bloggers?

2. Back in the day, publishers used to spend all their time and energy trying to get publications to review books. Now, because that locus has shifted to the blogosphere, we are working with bloggers. Same media relations process, different target audience. The hoped-for result is the same: Free (good) publicity.

3. Another reason why we do it is because bloggers seem to be saying they will only review or mention our books if we send them free copies. Sending them a press release isn’t good enough. This is a byproduct of the “Moms who blog” effect—all those women who get free products in return for mentioning them in their slice of life blogs. (“And after Freddy awoke from his nap he enjoyed some Sun Ripe apple juice.”) Federal guidelines in the U.S, now require bloggers to note when they received free products that they then write about. Most of the American book blogs I visit don’t do that.

4. I am happy to send free books to bloggers who seem like a good fit for a book. They are under no obligation to write about it. I hope they will, of course. But just as with anything else I send out to the media, I bring no expectations that they will be published. (Again, not unlike when reviews appeared in a printed publication; I was recently in the office of an editor who pulled a 2002 book off his bookshelf, in answer to a question I asked him. When he opened it, the review slip was still in it. “I never even opened it,” he said—much less reviewed it.) My own practice is to send a press release/media kit, and invite bloggers and magazine editors to request a book if they want it. I don’t send them out hither and yon like seeds, hoping one lands on fertile ground; I can’t afford it. If they ask for it, there is a good chance it fits their vision, philosophy, lifestyle, faith journey or mission statement—and they may write about it, too.

5. As for pay, as a freelancer on the side, I understand the importance of a fair wage for work fairly rendered. That said, I try not to calculate my hourly rate for the columns I write for the newspaper. Some roll off easily, but others take hours and hours of work. We all suck it up at times.

6. Finally, what would happen if bloggers started demanding payment? I think you’d see the flow of books stop. Nobody, not even the big guys, have tons of cash to throw around. The publishing world is under enormous pressure just to survive. Sure, some of the bigger bloggers might be able to get away with it, but the little guys could pretty much forget about it. And then we’d be back where we started—back with a few reviews appearing in a few limited circulation publications.

Previous Post – Of Gates & Fruits – SOTM Series (13)

With all the buzz about Brian McLaren’s new book, a sub-conversation has surfaced on the topic of bloggers reviewing for publishers.  Core to this discussion is the concern that publishers are taking quite a bit of advantage of bloggers to generate a lot of free buzz, usually at the minimal expense of sending out a few key review copies of the book in question.  Bloggers are doing a very valuable service for publishers, which in the past would have cost them a great deal of money.  Conversely is the problem of those who do get paid to review and promote books, but who do not disclose this fact.  Bill Kinnon weighs in, as does Jordon Cooper.

My own experience with this has been mixed.  I have participated in a number of programs or agreements with publisher and organizations where I would review books for free.  Some were less than appealing, even uncomfortable in the pressure to review something I was not interested in and/or seriously displeased with.  However, I have also had some great experiences.  For example, anyone who reads my blog will know that I review a fair amount of InterVarsity Press titles.  IVPress has been a wonderful publisher to partner with, allowing me to choose titles I am interested in and encouraging honest reviews (both positive and negative).  IVPress has related to me more as a ministry than a business (though of course sales are not important to them).  The free titles I have received have been adequate compensation for me.  Other groups could learn something from this clearly missionally minded group of people.

In respect to being paid, this is a new topic for me, as I have never been paid to do any online reviewing or promo.  However, that changed recently in a very pleasant way.  When I learned the Stuart Murray’s new book “The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith” was due to release soon, I contact Stuart to request a review copy.  He kindly connected me with the folks at Herald Press.  Turned out the person I needed to talk to was not only working out of Winnipeg, but was a friend of mine.  Knowing me as a blogger, we decided to get together for coffee.  During our chat, I mentioned different way Herald Press could leverage social media to help get the word out.  As a result, he asked if I would be willing to try to help them do this, offering to pay for the work.

Here are the critical factors that should be noted in this decision:

• Herald Press is a small publishing house that, while still a business, is clearly geared towards getting their material into the right hands for meaningful impact on the church.
• Herald Press offered to pay me, not only because they felt my time was worth it, but because they knew it would help support a missionary pastor.
• Herald Press was explicit that they did not want me to review anything that I didn’t not fully believe in, requiring honest review of the material regardless of whether it was positive or not.
• I approached them first, offering to help spread the word for free.  They were under no obligation to offer me compensation.
• Knowing Stuart Murray and his work, and having read excerpts from The Naked Anabaptist, I knew this was a project I could excitedly help promote.
• I hesitated accepting compensation out of the risk that, on disclosing it, readers would questions the sincerity of the review (something I am still concerned about)

This topic is a fascinating one for me.  The reality is that the internet and the struggling publishing world are coming together in a new relationship, one in which these kinds of questions will become increasingly important to grapple.  I would affirm that bloggers who want to make the most of this new relationship should identify their own values and boundaries, establishing clear agreements with any publisher or author.  Be discerning, honest and realistic.  If this loses you a free book or two, it is worth it in the long run.

What do you think?  Does my disclosure change the way you will view my reviews?  Any advice for bloggers?

Previous Post – What Kind Of Christian Are You?

Part 1 – Setting the Stage

Part 2 – Beatitudes (1)

Part 3 – Beatitudes (2)

Part 4 – Salt & Light/Law

Part 5 – Murder/Adultery/Divorce

Part 6 – Oaths, Eyes & Enemies

Part 7 – Hiding In Plain Sight

Part 8 – The Lord’s Prayer (1)

Part 9 – The Lord’s Prayer (2)

Part 10 – Fasting

Part 11 – Don’t Worry, Be Righteous

Part 12 – Judging Others

Part 13 – Ask, Seek, Knock

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13,14

Once again, Jesus is pointing out to His listeners that follow Him is a singular choice- you either follow or you do not.  There is no third (or any other) option.  There is one Master and one path of obedience.  But what is this path?  Is the narrow path about doctrine?  Is it about developing an idealistic life ethic?  Of course these aspects are present, but this is not what Jesus is primarily calling us to.  He calls us to an uncompromising fidelity of love.  It is the single-minded faithfulness of a lover.

It many ways, a straight and narrow path is the easiest kind of path to follow.  The way is clear and direct.  Conversely, a wide and meandering path can leave much room for error.  It reminds me of the men who were canoeing down the southern end of the Mississippi River during flood season.  They were sure they were following the flow of the river until the floated past a mailbox and a stop sign.  The path had spilled so wide that it had not clear direction at all.

The straight and narrow is not difficult because it offers an impossible ethic to live out (for Jesus constantly leaves room for grace in the face of mistakes), but rather it is difficult because of what it costs.  Have you ever stood on the high board of the high dive at an Olympic sized pool?  Jumping off that height is simple- you just take the step.  Yet for most of us, we are crippled by uncertainty, fear and anxiety.  It is reminiscent of G.K. Chesterton’s words: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried”.  This is so because the narrow gate is the gate of the Cross of Christ, where everything is left behind and we embrace death in order to find resurrection life.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus makes it clear that, as we seek to follow Him in obedience to how He calls us to live, there will be those who will seek to mislead us.  Unlike the cartoonish villains of pop culture, these false teachers will appear to one of us.  While their appearance will be that of a fellow believer of Christ, their hearts will have the intentions of a wolf.  Again, in this Jesus is reminding us that it is the heart that is the source of our character.

However, He also reaffirms that out of the heart our real natures will be made evident in our lives.  Just like a tree can be known by the nature of fruit it produces, so too does the fruit of our lives give evidence of what kind of person we are.  Fruit is the outward product of the inward nature.  But what are these fruit?  What are we to look for?  In the Sermon on the Mount we learn what such fruit is, especially in the Beatitudes.  In Matthew 12:32-34, we learn that our words are the fruit borne of our hearts.  In John 15, Jesus makes it clear that good fruit that is born from Christ within us will be characterized by sacrificial and selfless love.  Later, in Galatians, Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

All of these things together represent the fruit that we should look for in peoples lives.  However, like fruit that takes time to grow and come into maturity, we must not too quickly rush to judge people (remember this?), allowing instead for their fruit mature and become evident.  Jesus is not giving us license to become heresy-hunter or truth-police.  We must be careful and vigilant, but also patient and humble.  Only God can truly judge.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23

In these words, Jesus is again call us into the tension between right belief and right action.  He puts neither orthodoxy nor orthopraxy ahead of the other, but makes it clear that true obedience to Him will be reflect in both.  However, even when we believe right doctrine and live righteous lives, this is not enough.  Yes, we must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts, but this is not suggesting allegiance to a moral, ethical or religious system, but rather to devotion to the very real God- Father, Son and Spirit.  God must know us, be in real, active and dynamic relationship with us.  He is a very present God who will not be satisfied by the most fervent devotion to His ideals.  He wants us to love and worship Him.

Of course, this will produce belief and righteous living.  However, Jesus makes it explicitly clear in the equivalent verses in Luke: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).  We must do what He says.  True belief- like truth- is fully manifested when it is incarnated.  Jesus is that incarnation and, as His Body, we are to be incarnational expressions of our beliefs.  We are not saved by our works, but faith without works is no faith at all.

This devotion must touch every part of our lives, both public and private.  No time or place is exempt from this radical call to absolute obedience.  It is the one path, the one gate, the one and only way.  It is Jesus Christ.

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Recently I have come across a few comments about labels and faith.  Generally, people were declaring that they were tired of identifying as “missional Christians”, “emerging Christians” or other such names.  Why can’t we, they ask, simply call ourselves Christians?  Isn’t it enough to be a follower of Christ?  Don’t we lose sight of what is important when we take on identifiers that cloud that underlying truth?  I resonate with these questions.  I affirm the desire to be identified with Christ alone.  There is something to be said about the risk of taking on other labels in our attempt to define ourselves.  There is an important caution here that we should all keep in mind.

That being said, there can also be risk inherent of this way of thinking as well.  After all, can we really just call ourselves Christians?  On one level, of course we can.  However, if we are honest with ourselves and each other, we will have to acknowledge that these labels emerged because of very real differences.  While many of those differences need not be divisive, others are more significant, even “deal-breakers”.  To ignore those differences can recklessly expose ourselves and others to dangers.  The labels, used responsibly (and arguably they need to be used very differently than has been the norm) can serve the help us better understand each others.

There is also the great danger of arrogance in this dynamic.  Some will say “I don’t need any labels.  I am just a Christian”.  While there can be some good in that affirmation, there can be the implicit suggestion that, for those who do choose to use identifiers are somehow less Christian.  It can, intentionally or not, come across as “I am actually a Christian”, or worse, “I am more of a Christian”.  I realize that ride can be just as involved in the use of labels.  My point is just that abandoning them altogether changes very little, exchanging one set of problem for another.

While I have resisted denominational identifiers for most of my life, I have made some public and genuine statements about what kind of Christian I am.  For example, I would say that I am strongly a missional Christian, even an emerging Christian.  Now, I acknowledge that I probably just muddied the water further, requiring much more clarification as to what I mean.  I am sure there are those who identify with both of those ethos that would not like to count me in their company (and some I would rather not be identified with).  Despite this, I think they can be helpful, not to mention honest.

More recently I have come to identify as a Franciscan and an Anabaptist.  Since I am neither Catholic nor Mennonite, what does this mean?  Again, they can be helpful touchstones for understanding the nature of the Christian faith I am pursuing in my life and community.  It points to emphasis and convictions and even questions that locate me more specifically in the wider community of faith and its history.  I hold to neither of these expressions absolutely.  Neither do I believe that they are the “better” expressions of Christianity.  Of course, there are obviously aspects I believe to be right in opposition to others, such as my deeply held, Biblical conviction about women in church leadership (I am for it).  However, it has more to do with my own vocation within the wider Body of Christ, both in relationship to the necessary diversity of the members of that Body and the great diversity of contexts in which that Body functions.

We can’t forget that these labels are simply tools to help us better understand and relate to one another.  Yes, that understanding might very well lead to a radical shift (or end) of certain relationships.  That is a tragic, but sometime necessary reality of sin.  More often, though, if we are willing to take the time and understand and learn from each other, we- and by we, I refer to that same Body I referred to earlier- will gain so very much.  Like anyone who has been married will tell you, the very differences that bring the most conflicts are also the places were our hearts can be most transformed.

Some talk about abandoning even the word “Christian”, loaded as it is with such dark history and division.  These are the scars on the hands and feet and side of the Body to which we belong.  We do not resolve the failures of sin by ignore them, denying them or even distancing ourselves from them.  They are part of who we are, eternal reminders.  And through His love and grace, they can become symbols of hope and new life.