I had the opportunity to lead a meeting of a small church youth group recently. I think from any view, theirs or mine, it was an epic failure. And it was a great reminder to me of how much I don’t miss doing that kind of thing. At least not the kind of youth group [...]
Jan 252012
A little while ago I got a note back from a pastor who had read a post on Scarlet Letter Bible wondering if I’d ever written any communion liturgies for folks for whom a “transactional redemption model” is problematic. I haven’t. But now I’m going to.
Transactional redemption, in a nutshell, is the belief that Jesus traded his life for ours. It can be expressed in legal terms, as in, “Jesus gave his life as a substitution for the death penalty to which we were sentenced.” It is also commonly expressed in economic terms, “Jesus gave God what we owed but could not pay.” In any case, most of Christian theology has conformed to some kind of understanding of Jesus’ death on the cross as being a transaction, a quid-pro-quo.
Not all Christian theology operates this way, but most of it does. The problem with transactional redemption, though, is that it never gets past the view of people as property. So long as people are still viewed as pawns to be owned and traded, transactional redemption can’t reach people as – people. It’s like the abolitionist who spends a fortune buying up all the slaves on the auction block and setting them free only to have them end up working on the abolitionist’s plantation as crop-share farmers with no real prospects. It never really challenges, dismantles, or gets beyond the view of humanity as something that can be bought and sold.
Even in the New Testament, the same Paul who gave us the fatally flawed transactional model as the cornerstone of Christian theology knows there is something more: “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).
The liturgy used in communion services nearly everywhere takes this transactional model as a given. It’s so much a part of the fabric of church life that even the most progressive liturgies have a hard time moving past it. The words of Jesus, “This is my body broken for you. This is my blood shed for you,” are taken straight from the gospels, but we’re so used to hearing them within the transactional theology of the liturgy that we can hardly imagine that they allow for a radically different understanding.
But they do. Here’s an invitation to that alternative understanding:
Invitation
The communion liturgy opens with invitation. If people are really free, the invitation needs to recognize that freedom. That means that, for starters, the liturgy cannot claim that it is exclusively for those who are in agreement. The invitation of Jesus in the gospels is to everyone, not just the initiated. That’s where the traditional liturgy goes wrong. At the beginning.
| Transactional | Non-Transactional |
|---|---|
| Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another. |
Jesus welcomes everyone to have a seat at the table.You are welcome, whether you’re his committed follower, or just checking him out. You are welcome, whether you agree or disagree with him. You are welcome, whether you worship the God he calls “Abba,” and even if you don’t believe in any god at all. You are welcome if you are repentant. You are welcome if you are unrepentant. You are welcome if you haven’t any idea what that means. You are welcome, whether you’re feeling great or whether your life is totally screwed up.Come, have a seat at the table. Come, have a voice at the table. Come, and share what is on your mind, and what is in your heart. |
Traditionally, the next part of the liturgy has been confession and pardon. Having embraced Jesus’ welcoming of even the enemy, the unrepentant, and the clueless, the next part of a non-transactional liturgy will need to come to a different understanding of confession, too.
Stay tuned…
Jan 172012
If you’ve been looking around for an edgy alternative Bible Study for Lent, 2012, here it is.
This is not your flannel-graph Sunday School study book. It kicks off taking a hard look at the divide between the poor and rich, and the marginalization of women even in 2012. It takes a hard look at prayer, connects crucifixion with modern manifestations of torture and extraordinary rendition, and calls for the renewal of public Christian witness against modern imperial occupation and economic exploitation.
One doesn’t have to be a Christian to confront and challenge entrenched prejudices and the military-industrial complex. One doesn’t have to belong to a church to lay down one’s life as Jesus did, either. But for those whose faith and commitment to follow Jesus is the foundation of their ongoing struggle for justice, here is my attempt to provide a connection between the modern struggle and the Biblical witness.
The Scarlet Journey is a series of six studies taken from selected passages in Mark’s gospel leading up to and including Jesus’ crucifixion. The studies are designed for use during the traditional Christian season of Lent, but can be used in whatever way is most appropriate to your situation.
The six studies include:
- Mark 14:3-9. Money and Sex
- Mark 14:32-42. Praying for Your Life
- Mark 14:66-72. Failure of Nerve
- Mark 15:6-15. Non-Violent Action vs. Armed Rebellion
- Mark 15:21-32. What Would You Die For?
- Mark 15:40-47. What Remains When Dreams Die
- An Epilog (with Reflection Questions) on Mark’s Resurrection
The first study in the series is available as a free download. The complete series is available for $7, which entitles you to make as many copies as you need for your personal use or with a study group.
Jan 032012
On December 15, 2011, the Boston Globe reported about “a financially troubled church” (the Globe’s description not mine), Christ Lutheran Church of Southwick, MA, that had received a half million dollar anonymous donation, with the promise of up to $1 million more in an additional matching grant.
Image Via Christ Lutheran's website
The grant came, according to the Pastor, Rev. Jeff King, from someone who had never been in worship there, but who somehow had been impressed with the way the church has been “making a difference in the lives of children” through two child care centers with preschool and before- and after-care programs. Pastor King says that the money will be used toward paying off the church’s mortgage.
It’s certainly a great thing for them. No question. I hope they’re able to continue their ministry to kids. Really. I do.
But I also want to say to all the other churches out there who are in financial difficulties, praying for a similar miracle to come to them out of the blue: Don’t plan on it.
I know, I know. Your Finance Committee is thinking, “See! Miracles happen! It happened to them. It could happen for us.” I know from first hand experience that this kind of incident makes it tempting to use miracle funding as the basis of church financial plans. But chances are, it won’t happen. That’s why, when it happens, they call it a miracle. It’s the exception, not the rule. Even though Finance Committees like to think it’s the rule.
The Miracle Financial Plan is like crack for churches.
It’s second only in its deadliness to the Funeral Financial Plan – “Maybe someone will die and leave us money.” Sounds great! Next time it comes up at your Finance Committee ask which one of them is going to take the bullet. You can even offer them time to amend their will before they go to meet their maker.
It’s the church lottery addiction. Christ Lutheran won the lottery this year. That’s it. And meanwhile, while all the other churches wait, they’re burning what meager funds and time they have left in holding patterns. Holding on with white knuckles in a cold sweat of withdrawal, waiting and praying in vain to get the next sugar daddy hit.
Here’s a better idea.
Do your ministry on the assumption that nobody other than you and the people you know are going to fund it. Ever. If a miracle happens, fine. You’re better off than you ever planned for, and then you’ll have a whole different set of challenges. But for now, do something incredible with what you’ve got. Do it now. While you’ve still got anything left. Believe in yourself and your capacity to do something great. Because if you don’t, chances are nobody else will. Maybe not even God, if you believe what Jesus said (Mark 4:24-25).
On the other hand, if you do get your ministry in gear and do something with what you have – well, “to those that have more will be given” is the promise. Apparently, that’s what Christ Lutheran was doing when the “miracle” happened.
Congratulations to Christ Lutheran. The rest of us all wish you well.
Merry Christmas
I found this the other day and it made me happy. So Merry Christmas. Enjoy.
Wacko Mail
When you’re a Baptist pastor you get wacko mail a couple times a month. Well, I do. I assume it’s because I was a Baptist pastor, because it always comes to my office address. And my wife, who’s a Methodist pastor, never gets these. This one was forwarded to me from the church in Glens [...]
