On a number of occasions Jim and I have engaged one another around the wisdom of such a web-site… I think it is safe to say that we have differing perspectives on the value of such a site, and its theological and cultural significance.

Apparently the NPR show  “All Tech Considered” found Jim & Tyler’s ChurchRater and decided to do a story about it.  When they asked Jim for a person who might have an “alternative” perspective Jim kindly gave them my name.  So last week I had a short conversation with a producer from “All Tech Considered.”

The story aired yesterday and you can listen to, or read the story the NPR story here.

It feels odd to critique a service created by a friend because that same friend recommended I critique it… that’s just one of the many reasons why I love Jim Henderson.

Peace, dwight

‘”There are certain technical words within every academic discipline that soon become stereotypes and cliches. Modern psychology has a word that is probably used more than any other word in modern psychology. It is the word ‘maladjusted.’  This word is the ringing cry to modern child psychology. Certainly, we all want to avoid the maladjusted life. In order to have real adjustment within our personalities, we all want the well-adjusted life in order to avoid neurosis, schizophrenic personalities.

“But I say to you, my friends, as I move to my conclusion, there are certain things in our nation and in the world which I am proud to be maladjusted and which I hope all men of good-will will be maladjusted until the good societies realize. I say very honestly that I never intend to become adjusted to segregation and discrimination.

“I never intend to become adjusted to religious bigotry.

“I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few.

“I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism, to self-defeating effects of physical violence. But in a day when sputniks and explorers are dashing through outer space and guided ballistic missiles are carving highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can win a war. It is no longer the choice between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence, and the alternative to disarmament. The alternative to absolute suspension of nuclear tests. The alternative to strengthening the United Nations and thereby disarming the whole world may well be a civilization plunged into the abyss of annihilation. This is why I welcome the recent test-ban treaty.

“In other words, I’m about convinced now that there is need for a new organization in our world. The International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment–men and women who will be as maladjusted as the prophet Amos. Who in the midst of the injustices of his day could cry out in words that echo across the centuries, ‘Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’”

Peace, dwight

Welcome to day nine of the Tony Jones’, The Teaching of the Twelve, blog Tour.

Let me begin expressing my gratitude for the thoughtful engagement with the Didache not only by Tony Jones but also by the other bloggers who have engaged this classic work through Tony’s new work.  I am thrilled to see the way Tony has personally explored the Didache and now offers his engagement with this important text to the world.

Given that I am no Didache scholar I want to make couple of important, though straightforward observations in response to the following question.

“Does the Didache teach or advise anything that substantively differs from what was decided at the earliest ecumenical church councils.  (such as Nicaea)”

No doubt there are a number of ways a person could respond to this question, as for me I begin simply by making a genre observation.  The Didache or “The Teaching” is a different type of writing then a Creed; they are different genres.  Granted “genres” are rather loose sets of criteria for a category of literature and/or speech; nonetheless genres tend to have different functions so we would be wise to be careful that we’re not comparing apples with oranges.

Comparing the Didache to a Creed may be a little bit like comparing a sermon with systematic theology.  We can see they are related, but the goals, language and function within the life of the faith community are different.  Therefore I want to be a little bit cautious about drawing too firm a conclusion about substantive differences between the Didache and the early creeds (and for the sake of simplicity let’s focus on the Creed born of the First Nicaea Council).

Having said this I think it is not insignificant that the Didache – which predates our first council considerably – is a teaching which stresses communal life lived in the Way of Jesus.  The four movements of the Didache are very practical teachings on how to live and surprising little about what to believe.  The four movements as Tony outlines them are (see pages 7-8):

1. Training in the Way of Life (1:1-6:2)
2. The Rhythms of Community Life (6:3-11:2)
3. Visitors Welcome (11:3-15:4)
4. The End is Nigh (16:1-8)

While the Didache is a one of our earliest glimpses into the practical life of primitive Christians; a glimpse into how the people gathering together in Christ and seeking to live in the way of Jesus actually engaged culture, economics, community, and ritual etc. it is striking at how little doctrine it presents.  While just the opposite could be said of the Creed born of our First Church Council at Nicæa (325) . . . in the document out of Nicæa we have a fairly clear confession of beliefs with no practices or rituals.

This to me is the primary difference between the two documents.  One is concerned with how we should live, the other what we confess.  Part of me would like to jump to the conclusion that how we live should trump what we confess.  Personally I’m not convinced I can make that jump based on these two documents.  Confessions of belief tend to follow transformed lives.

Again the question posed to me asked, “Does the Didache teach or advise anything that substantively differs from what was decided at the earliest ecumenical church councils?”

I would propose that any substantive difference lies not in the claims per se, but in the types of discourse which the two documents engender.  Creeds tend to engender debate, binary agreement or disagreement, the choosing of sides, “I believe/I don’t believe.”  Such discourse is often abstracted from the “real world.”  By contrast the Didache seems to invite a discourse about exploring questions of embodiment, the nature and function of community, it raises questions about how we show live and follow Jesus now where we are.

BTW – I highly recommend you The Teaching of the Twelve to you.

Peace, dwight

As my eyes are opening to the magnitude of domestic violence as a great cultural concern and a great concern within the church, I thought I’d pass along a link to powerful a radio interview where Dr. Nancy Murphy shares some her story through domestic violence to becoming an advocate for victims and perpetrators of this often hidden and always heinous form of terror. Dr. Nancy Murphy and Dr. Dan Allender join Dennis Rainey for a three part interview on www.FamilyLife.com.

1. The Abuse Begins 6/23/2004 (Day 1 of 3)
2. The Root of Domestic Violence 6/24/2004 (Day 2 of 3)
3. Finding Freedom From Domestic Abuse 6/25/2004 (Day 3 of 3)

Peace, dwight

Yesterday in Washington DC a declaration was signed by religious and spiritual leaders to address violence against women. More than 40 leaders from different faith traditions and from around the country declared violence against women as intolerable and pledged their commitment to its eradication. The declaration which was organized by the Faith Trust Institute reads as follows:

“We proclaim with one voice as national spiritual and religious leaders that violence against women exists in all communities, including our own, and is morally, spiritually and universally intolerable.

“We acknowledge that our sacred texts, traditions and values have too often been misused to perpetuate and condone abuse.

“We commit ourselves to working toward the day when all women will be safe and abuse will be no more.

“We draw upon our healing texts and practices to help make our families and societies whole.

“Our religious and spiritual traditions compel us to work for justice and the eradication of violence against women.

“We call upon people of all religious and spiritual traditions to join us.”

Please consider adding your signature to this important declaration.

My friend and co-worker, Dr. Nancy Murphy, is the executive director of Northwest Family Life Learning & Counseling Center and is nationally known for her work with victims and perpetrators in the area of domestic violence. Each time I have the chance to interact with her; hear more of her story and learn of her work, my understanding and vision for the importance of this issue grows. Although both women and men experience domestic violence roughly one in four women will be abused in their homes – including “Christian” homes. This is an issue in and for every church.

Peace, dwight

Today is the international observance of World Water Day. World Water Day is a nearly 15 year old initiative that grew out of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

Check out the World Council of Churches statement on Water for Life.

Here are just a few sites gracing our world with cold cups of safe drinking water.

Global Water

Water Aid

Clean Water Network

Action by Churches Together

peace, dwight

Here’s a helpful essay by Miroslav Volf, titled “Christianity and Violence.”  Volf delievered this as the 2002 Boardman Lectureship in Christian Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Peace, dwight

Jennifer Goodson (one of my colleagues at MHGS) just publishing a powerful article titled: 

“Exploiting Body and Soul“ in Sojourners.

peace, dwight

Here is a short clip of Elie Wiesel urging us to move beyond indifference – “fight indifference”.  It seems to me that indifference is the fuel powering power.  Indifference when combined with fear makes tyranny almost inevitable. 

Incarnate-grace may be the Christ response. 

peace, dwight

If you haven’t already heard this George Dubya Mix I highly recommend it to you; it is powerful.  O, the i
rony of hearing George Bush singing U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”  It’s a mix of a few George W. parody tracks from bootleg remixers though it is quite long it is worth listening to all the way through…

Peace, dwight