The Narcissistic Church

Sorry for slacking in my posts lately. Am extremely busy finishing up my M.Th Thesis. After this month will be free at last, free at last! To substitute for my writings I have copied an article that pretty much says what I am thinking lately about American Christianity.

You see there is a real danger in the our hearts. The Bible teaches us that the heart is deceptive above all things. In the United States we are encouraged, driven even, by the culture to become consumeristic. The article below was written by James Emory White who wrote "Rethinking the Church" and sounds both an alarm and a warning. Take this to heart. Read it prayerfully, recognizing that by God's grace we DO NOT have to capitulate to narcissistic Christianity.

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The Narcissistic Church
By James Emory White
The names say it all.

YouTube. MySpace. And, of course, ipod, itunes, imac, and iPhone.

If there is a theme to our day, it’s that “it’s all about me.” The technical term is narcissism. In Greek mythology, Narcissus is the character who, upon passing his reflection in the water, becomes so enamored with himself that he devotes the rest of his life to his own reflection. From this we get our term “narcissism,” the preoccupation with self.

The value of "narcissism" is the classic "I, me, mine" mentality that places personal pleasure and fulfillment at the forefront of concerns. Historian Christopher Lasch went so far as to christen ours “the culture of narcissism,” calling it our new religion.

Now as Christians, this should be antithetical. We follow a savior who said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many;” “Whoever wants to be first must become last;” “Whoever wants to be great among must become the slave of all;” and then bowed in submission to the Father Himself and said, “Not my will, but yours.”

Yet a spiritual narcissism has invaded our thinking where the individual needs and desires of the Believer become the center of attention.

Have you ever heard the way we talk?

“I want to go where I'm fed" or "I need to be ministered to” rolls off our tongues without even blushing. We walk out of a worship service and say, "I didn't get anything out of it" as if worship was about what we received rather than what we gave to God.

And it’s killing the church, blinding our vision, paralyzing our mission, and muting our voice.

But is it simply a reflection of a narcissistic culture? Or could it be something we secretly feed ourselves?

Consider the first two questions any organization must ask itself (courtesy of Peter Drucker): What is our mission? and Who is our customer? The second of these involves crass language, I know, for any church. But let’s consider them a moment. First, what is our mission? I would argue that it is to seek and to save the lost (how could we have a mission other than the one Christ had and then entrusted to us as the church?). Yes, the Great Commission involves discipleship, but I tire of those who pit evangelism against discipleship, as if doing one prevents concentrating on the other. It’s a both/and, not an either/or. But more to the point of the mission, if you never reach anyone for Christ, who, exactly, will you be discipling?

Evangelism must be in the vanguard.

From this comes the second question: Who, then, is our primary customer? It is inescapable: if our mission is to seek and to save and then disciple the lost, then our “customer” is the one who is lost. Here is the breakdown: most churches have, as their primary focus, reaching and then serving the already convinced. From this, services rendered to the believer become paramount, and other churches become the “competition.”

Which means that we are not victims of a culture of narcissism; we are purveyors of it.

There are those who would say that the place where spiritual narcissism runs amok is in contemporary approaches to outreach that seek to cater to the unchurched – as if these churches are abandoning orthodoxy in any way possible in order to gain warm bodies. Most, of course, are doing nothing of the sort. In truth, the real narcissism is among the churches catering to the believer, making their needs paramount to such a degree that the lost are, well, staying so. Because nowhere does true spiritual narcissism face more opposition than in a church which is choosing to die to itself in order to reach out and serve those around them.

Then it’s not about whether you are fed, but whether or not you have learned to feed yourself and, best of all, feed others.

Then it’s not about whether you are ministered to, but whether you are, yourself, a minister to others.

Then it’s not about whether you got anything out of the service, but whether you gave God anything of service.

And that is a church that has died to itself enough to….live.

James Emery White
Serious Times Update Vol. 4, No. 22
http://www.serioustimes.com/


Sources

Christopher Lasch, The Culture of Narcissism.

Spiritual Journey & Formation

Happy Holidays to Everyone.

I want to share some things concerning a two-year journey of faith and spiritual formation we are taking at Immanuel Christian Fellowship. We have teamed up with other pastors and their congregations in something called Cohorts.

What is Cohorts?


Cohorts is a process, a journey of faith where we are changed spiritually in our hearts first of all. Its a journey where we as a congregation hook up with other pastors and their congregations and seek tremendous spiritual transformation and renewal, revitalization and change. Through a two-year journey we meet together and go deeper in various directions.

Upward--Deeper in Truth, Relationship,& Life with God. God is central. Our relationship with God is primary. We worship Him and praise Him and seek Him more and more. A desperate hunger is created where only God can be the living bread that feeds our souls. Our hearts are changed and transformed as we go deeper with God in Truth, Relationship, & Life.

Inward--Deeper in Truth, Relationship, & Life with One Another. Our relationships with each other are vitally important. Our hearts need to change toward all those who are a part of Immanuel. We need to minister to, serve, and care for each other. We must build each other up in love. God is able to develop real, authentic, vibrant community at ICF as we come together and live life together. Our hearts are changed and transformed as we go deeper with each other in Truth, Relationship, & Life.

Outward--Deeper in Truth, Relationship, & Life with the Lost. Our relationship with the lost people who surround us cannot be overlooked. Lets face it. We must learn to love the lost. Our hearts must change toward those who are lost. To seek out people who do not know Jesus whether they are family, friends, or strangers is the very heart of God. As we become more like Him in worship and as we love each other we will reach out and share this love with people who are empty inside. Our hearts are changed as we go deeper with the lost in Truth, Relationship, & Life.

Forward--It is inevitable that we will go deeper into our future, the future that God has planned for us when all these other areas are growing. Developing leadership, making disciples, equipping and training and charting a course for our future is the very heart of God as we go deeper into the future in Truth, Relationship & Life.

I know that many folks have been wondering what has been going on. What have we been up to as a Church Board, Leadership Team, & Pastor? We have been busy but the results have not been quick and easy to see nor will they be quick and easy to see for a while. Remember...mushrooms grow up overnight. Oak trees take years. Which would you rather we become, a mushroom or an oak tree?

Much talk and much prayer has been taking place. We want foundational change to take place at ICF and by that I mean our hearts must change before changing any programs or adding any programs will do any good. To change a program when there is no change in our hearts is merely surface change and brings no lasting results. Thats why its essential that our heart must change as we go deeper in each of the directions mentioned above.

I along with Board members, Ministry Team members, and Home group leaders will be sharing what we believe God is saying as we journey together with everyone in the congregation. To be honest until recently we have not been able to share because we had nothing to share! But then God gave us something. He spoke to us.

The tip of a mission statement that is still a work is progress was given to us. It is:

Immanuel: Truth, Relationship, Life

We believe this is the word that God is speaking to us at this time. This is His heart and this is His vision. Immanuel--God with us. Truth--He is the truth. Relationship--To be in relationship. Life--Abundant and overflowing life is the result and reality. These three concepts are to be experienced in all four directions during this journey of faith.

We will be continuing to craft our Mission Statement, purposes statement, ministry activities and everything else as we continue onward. However I want to point something out. YOU are essential to this journey. From the oldest to the youngest. Every single one of you. No one is to be left out or left behind. In small groups, in Sunday services, in prayer meeting, in coffee shops, and every where else your input is needed because you are Immanuel Christian Fellowship. You are the people God has called out to bear and share His name.

In your Home Groups this week pray about and discuss Immanuel: Truth, Relationship, Life. Ask your home group leaders about Cohorts and what has been happening there. All our Home Group Leaders have been taking part as leaders and are able to answer any questions you may have just as easily if not better than I can.

In addition on Sundays during my sermon times I will be explaining what has been taking place and how things are becoming clear to us. This is not a secret journey for a select few but a wondrous, fantastic journey of faith in growth both spiritually and numerically as a congregation.

The beginning is here!

Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas Immanuel. God is with us!


God's Peace.

Pastor Ch@rles Bivens

"I will take the ring to Mordor...though I do not know the way"
Frodo Baggins (Hobbit and Ring~Bearer)

Konexions

Connected. Connect. Connectivity.

How often do we connect and how well do we do in this area as believers?

During my time in Asia I experienced a connection to and with other believers that gave me an incredible, realized experience into what it means to be in community with the body of Christ, the living people of God. I experienced this for several reasons.

One, Asians are not as individualized as Americans are. They do not function socially as independently as we do in the USA. This enabled me to see scripture (which by the way was written by men whose thoughts are more Asian than American) in a different way.

Two, I was a minority and so I embraced my family of believers because it was necessary to do so as a minority in a culture in which I was not a native. Many American Christians do not experience either of these two reasons and as a result live less than a lived-out, full-gospel life.

One of our big problems in the USA is we often think of life as an individual. We make our own decisions and we are sovereign in our own lives. Whose to tell us what to do? Even our belief in Christ becomes a privatized experience. We assemble together with other believers when we want.

We sovereignly decide how committed we are going to be to the body of Christ Jesus.

Sure, we are saved by Christ and have "joined" His people but we are not willing to make a full commitment to these people. Our commitment remains less than complete.

This individualization of our faith also impacts our witness and effectively makes us impotent as Christians impacting our culture. When we encounter unbelievers we have so privatized our beliefs that we end up not being a witness at all. We don't speak. The individualization of American Christianity is a pox on the Church. It is a "private" experience with God and does not belong in the public realm where it should often be expressed.

We accept Jesus as Lord in theory but overlook the fact that scripture is crystal clear that God is saving a PEOPLE who are called out. Yes He calls us as individuals but He calls us into community with one another.

We are a Body. A Family. Love, real love requires that we move from our individualized Christian lifestyles into a corporate experience of community in Christ. In short, we need to get connected with one another.

I have found that many of the biggest communication problems I have faced in the church have been due to a lack of community. Its no coincidence that communication and community have a common root. Community/communicate/commune...all three words bear shades of a reality in which we experience God and one another.

Its not the fault of church leadership that many members in the church do not get the message the church seeks to proclaim. How many times have I been confronted by angry church members who do not have a clue as to what the church is doing?

Why wasn't I told? When was the decision made? Who authorized it? and so on. As a pastor I cant tell you how many times I have been challenged and second-guessed by irate members on the fringes of church life who refuse to maintain deep, intimate KONEXIONS with the larger body of Christ.

They distance themselves and then blame the Church for the pain they experience from being cut off.

Well were you at the service last Sunday dear church member? Are you in a small group dear church member? Do you check your emails dear church member? Did you read the latest copy of the Newsletter dear church member? No. No. No. No.

As men and women, families with children, single people, widows and divorcees, we are called to live a common life in community with our God and each other. This is not optional.

This means that I give up some things dear to me in order to be part of this community. I give up my Wed. night Karaoke singing in order to commit to a small group in prayer and Bible study and fellowship. I give up my Friday night Roller Derby. Although I was looking forward to watching PBS all day on that day I opt instead to gather together with other believers and worship the triune God who delivered me.

But Pastor, I would rather take a drive on Sundays instead of assemble with believers. My car has a switch in it that heats up my leather seats and keeps my butt warm and I am fascinated by it. Its truly bewitching pastor. Honest. I am pleading with you. Give it up man!

This is serious business. It means I give up the Superbowl in order to worship the living God with my family on that day. It means I understand that there are things which are temporary like piano class, knitting, basketball games, television shows, kitchen remodels and so on. It means I know I am a member of the family of the Living God and my family happens to be having reunions at certain times on certain days of the week. I am connected to them. I am in community with them.

I want to encourage you to re-think and re-imagine your life as a Christian around Jesus who is the Messiah. In doing that my hope is that you will re-commit and re-connect to your family.

Get the message? Are you Konnected?

Love y'all.

Pastor C.

The Person You call Pastor

Hello Dear Friend,

This is the person you call "Pastor" writing.

I have to write although I am not really sure I want to or that you even want me to. Although its online and on this blog why does it feel so much like a "Dear John" letter? Perhaps in some ways it is meant to be just that. A letter saying that its not working out between us and there must be a split. We gotta let each other go.

Perhaps though the reality is that its not letting each other go but letting our misguided and even ungodly expectations of one another go. Yes. I think that's it. Its our image of one another thats not based in reality that we have to let go and say "Good-bye" to.

I know you have great expectations of me. I need to preach like Paul. I need to have a heart like John. I need to counsel you and balance the budget at the same time. I need to build God's house like Solomon. I have to meet everyone's needs from the oldest to the youngest. Instead of equipping you for service I must meet your needs and the needs of everyone else in our assembly in addition to reaching out and befriending the lost. I need to care for the old, baptize the young, minister to those who are widowed, divorced, confused. I must chaplain the grandmothers, pastor the flock, and lead the visionaries.

How can I possibly do it all?

Its been said with a great deal of truth that there are three kinds of pastors. There is the Caretaker...the Risktaker...and the Undertaker.

The Caretaker takes care. He is there for you always and wont let you down. He will hold your hand. Then you have the Undertaker. He digs graves. He makes sure everything is ready for burial. Then you have the Risktaker. He steps out in faith and leads the assembly into a God-given vision that propels them into the future and insures the health of the church and the spontaneous growth of the Kingdom.

The Risktaker leads. Dear soul..which one do you think I am? Which one do you think I want to be?

The Kingdom must go on. The Church must fulfill its mission. If that means that I am cut off from the very people of God for the sake of the Kingdom and the glory of the name then so be it. If that means that I must neglect some in order to cultivate a healthy church...then I must fulfill my Kingdom mandate. I am sorry I cannot be what you want me to be. I cant be a Caretaker, a Risktaker, and an Undertaker all at once. I am limited. I have a hard time multitasking. I am so inefficient. I need the Lord so much to help me do what little I can do. I cant meet your needs even though my heart bleeds for you and I love you dearly.

You see the King and His kingdom means more to me than anything else. My concern is pleasing Him. Only Him.

But the good news is that even though I, the person you call "Pastor" cannot meet your needs there is ONE who can. He is the real "Pastor", the Great Shepherd, the Overseer of your soul. He can minister and heal all your wounds.(and you do have them still) He knows the rejection you wear on your sleeve. He sees the low self-esteem. He knows your fear. Your loneliness, your inner turmoil. He knows the pain in your soul.

And although I cannot meet your needs I can point you to Him. I can guide you in His direction so that he can heal you. I can take you to Him. I can introduce you to Jesus. You see Jesus is the One you are looking for.

Please don't blame me that I am not Him. There is only One...

So I have to say good-bye. Good-bye to the needs you have that I cannot fill as I point you to Him. Good-bye to the false expectations you have of me that I am not gifted to meet. Good-bye to the image of "Pastor" that only the great Shepherd of Heaven and Earth holds in His self...the image of God.

But by saying good-bye we can also say hello. Hello to the King...hello to the Kingdom. Hello to whatever it takes to become mature in Him and stop relying on man to meet our needs. Hello to the blessed reality the scriptures call "The Way".

Good-bye to therapy...hello to Theology.

Oh alright. I can be the Caretaker for a little while. Not always...not too long...or I will burn out. I cant be the Undertaker at all. Not even for a second. Because that is not my mission.

My role is the Risktaker. Taking risks for the King and His kingdom which are really no risks at all.

Will you risk it all with me?

""Seek first the Kingdom of God"" says Jesus the Pastor, the GREAT PASTOR, THE REAL PASTOR of us all!

Taiwan Dreams

Since coming to Portland in Spring of this year and moving my family here I have to be candid and admit I have experienced "Dark Nights" of the soul on repeated occasions. It has been difficult dealing with re-entry culture shock for me and there are times when I miss Taiwan terribly. The sights, the smells, the way I lived my life for ten years is gone now. Was it all for nothing?

My memories of Taiwan are vivid and rich in my mind. How nice it was to live in a country where old people are still respected along with teachers and spiritual leaders. Here in the States I pastor a church but the respect from non-Christians and even Christians (sometimes!) is less than how the "pagan" Taiwanese treated me. Not that I crave this attention or anything like that. I am simply pointing out an observation between two wonderful cultures. Both the American and Taiwanese cultures have positives and negatives and I don't want to be read with the misunderstanding that I am playing one culture over against another.

Aaahhhh but I do miss it. Taipei with its 101 Building. The best Kung Pao Chicken to be had is in Taiwan although I have to admit Kuala Lumpor in Malaysia and Singapore run tight races on the Kung Pao.

Pastoring in Taiwan was very different as well. It seemed much easier in some ways. The very Biblical and foundational idea of mission and the church as "being on mission" was inherent within us. There was no questions as to why the church existed. We were an army called out by God to penetrate the darkness and proclaim Gods kingdom reign.

Here in the USA many church lack a valid identity now days and are going through a reassessment as to why they exist, who they are and so on. With the massive restructuring of culture in Western society the Church has lost its privileged position and now must ask, "Who am I". I encourage a deep and long, penetrating look into scripture, particularly the book of Acts to discover the answer to this
question.

But back to Taiwan and Asia. I regularly visited and stayed in places that we read about in books or watch on the silver screen. How I love Singapore! Malaysia is paradise!

I hope one day to get back to this part of the world. Perhaps I can "retire" there although John Piper will have none of it. Retirement is not in the Bible and I certainly wont be picking up seashells on the seashore! Rather I would be training and equipping, teaching in Bible colleges and churches.

Someday. One day.

Or..perhaps...heaven will be a lot like Asia and the Kung Pao Chicken will be the best I have ever had!

Thank you God for ten years in wonderland.

Earthquake of Change

Living in Taiwan introduced me to the fact that life is unstable in so many different ways. Experiencing earthquakes in Taiwan drove home this fact repeatedly. The tectonic plates shift under you. The earth moves. The towers and skyscrapers that man has built sway as the earth convulses and moves. It is unsettling. It is disturbing. It is downright frightening.

In similar ways the tectonic plates that Western culture is built upon are shifting. The earth is moving under us and the cultural, religious, social, and psychological phenomena can be just as unsettling as the natural phenomenon is. Change is taking place so rapidly that as soon as you purchase a new laptop its ready for an upgrade!

As the Church we need to interpret our culture and our context and it is just as important to get this interpretation right as it is getting our interpretation of scripture correct. In order to communicate the never failing truth of scripture into our culture both the Bible and society must be interpreted. Over the last several years the burden of my heart and the majority of my studies have been focused upon the revolutionary changes occurring.

Professor of Theology George Hunter III Says:

A host of New Barbarians substantially populate the Western world once again; indeed, they are all around us. Many of them are “secular”; that is, they have never been substantially influenced by the Christian religion; they have no Christian memory and no church to “return” to. Many have never acquired a “church etiquette” (They would not know where to stand, or where to find Second Corinthians, or what to say to the pastor after the service), and they are not “civilized” or “refined” enough to fit and feel comfortable in the church down the street. Often, they are thought to lack “class.” They may have unshined shoes or body odour or grease under their fingernails; in conversation, they might split an infinitive or utter an expletive. Many New Barbarians are addicted, and their lives are at least sometimes out of control around some substance, such as alcohol or cocaine, or some process such as sex or gambling. Many Western cities appear to be taken over by the New Barbarians.

If Hunter is correct, and I believe he is, then a new kind of people are emerging signified by these "New Barbarians". A new race if you will. Am I overstating the case? Perhaps but I have a hunch that I am not doing so. From all fronts scholars are in agreement. This is not simply a generation gap that is taking place in Western culture. A sociological, psychological, cultural earthquake is shaking the very foundations of thought in the West.

We are changing.

How is the church responding to this massive change? How should we respond?

What do you think?

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From the Desiring God Blog on the Olympics

Pray for China During the Olympics

August 8, 2008 | By: Abraham Piper
Category: Commentary, International Outreach

This post is by a friend of ours working in Beijing.

* * *

For 1000 days, the countdown clock has been ticking, and now the day is finally here—the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 8PM, on this 8th day of the 8th month in the year 2008.

Yes, the number 8 is very auspicious in traditional Chinese culture. Having lived in this city for the past 10 years, it has been interesting to watch Beijing re-invent itself before these games—from slighly frumpy and insecure to brash and confident.

And now the city is ready. The buildings have been painted; the flowers (40 million of them) are arranged neatly; the cabbies have new uniforms; the volunteers are all smiling; and the security forces are in place.

What will the next two weeks bring? Fame and disappointment for athletes; fun and excitement for fans; ulcers and headaches for the leadership of the country as they work hard to live up to their promise of a "safe Olympics."

Another thing that the coming weeks will bring is prayer. To help with the worldwide prayer effort, I would like to recommend a resource that can be used during the games. "China Games and Beyond" (PDF) is a 40-day prayer journal designed to focus prayer on China during the Olympic and Paraolympic games that run from August 8 to September 17. (You can also order a hard copy.)

Each day features a specific sport and prayer requests for Chinese athletes and coaches as well as the Chinese church. Each entry also includes a meditation and prayer from John Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ and questions for reflection.

I have tickets to join in some of the sporting fun, including men's 100 meter finals, and men's basketball finals. I can hardly wait. But as thousands enjoy the games, my prayer is this—that we will be kept from the idolatry of athletes and the idolatry of country.

There is glory to be seen in these games, but it belongs to the Creator alone.

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