Think on These Things

Response to Mr. Glenn Beck

Think on These Things

Mr. Glenn Beck went on a rampage in an attempt to discredit social justice as an aberrant position which Christians should oppose. Beck admonishes individuals to abandon congregations that preach social justice, and then declared that social justice is a “perversion of the Gospel.” This declaration by talk show host Beck is one that is disparaging to the Christian community, a misrepresentation of a cornerstone of the Gospel that Jesus enunciated, is a myopic view of the Hebrew texts, and a misinformed knowledge about the historic statements by the Early Church Fathers.

Scripture clearly mandates social concern for the disadvantaged and marginalized of our world (Jeremiah 7:5-7), and it could be concluded that we have a moral obligation to give protection to our brothers and sisters who have been affected by the effects of social and systemic injustices (Proverbs 3:27-28).

While it is true that the term social justice has been maligned by some within the Evangelical community, it does not detract from the fact that God calls us to be a people who seek and practice justice in a world where justice is in short supply. No one doubts that our world is filled with “social injustice.” The responsibility to correct these injustices is not solely that of government and individuals, as commendable as it may be. Therefore, whenever there is a deficit in the response by both these groups, society cannot remain silent. Collaborative, collective, shared, and communal responsibility is a path that brings hope and healing. Social justice is a message to victims of societal neglect and systemic injustices that their society will not neglect them.

To belong to a group is a prized heritage. In the United States persons are promised three fundamental inalienable rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. History will testify that these rights have not always come easily to many citizens. Of all groups who may be troubled by such inconsistencies, the Christian community can least afford to shirk the responsibility to ensure that all persons become beneficiaries of these mandates.

Proverbs 31: 8-9 states “Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” The Deuteronomistic texts, as well as Amos and Micah are also replete with mandates to ensure that the community does not abrogate its responsibility to care for the poor. The early New Testament church exemplifies a model of communal responsibility that distributed food to meet others’ needs (Acts 2:43-45; 5:1-11; 6:1-6).

The Christian community should be the vanguard in the fight for justice, as well as continuing to be engaged in acts of mercy and relief to those who fall victim to natural and human-induced tragedies in society. Social justice is not a political act. It is a moral response to injustice meted out to individuals created in God’s image. It is more than political engagement; it is the entrance into the public square armed with a biblical onus to speak truth to power. It is only the Christian community that can offer holistic care to our world. Social justice should not be abandoned because of those who associate it with a more narrow response to injustice. Social justice is a biblical principle that can add legitimacy and authenticity to our witness as the disciples of Christ.

Grenadian Arrogance and the Spice Factory
Oliver R. Phillips

Grenada is a small island in the tropical Caribbean, known as a place frequented by tourists, but also distinguished for the spices (nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and allspice) that are grown and traditionally packaged and stored.

There is a parable about a family that owned a factory that had prepared spices for more than two hundred years. Tourists came from various parts of the world to visit and taste these spices. The large wooden vats that contained these spices produced the best essences one could find anywhere in the world.

The factory was now owned by an elderly family member, and she was doing quite well. One day it was discovered that the product had acquired a strange putrid taste. The workers became concerned and brought this matter to the owner’s attention. Customers began to launch complaints. Sales began to dwindle.

The lady brought in consultants who all came to the same conclusion – the vats had outlived their usefulness, and must be replaced. Outraged by such a prognosis, she refused to part with family tradition. Although she was aware of the need to change from the old ways of doing things, she lacked the courage to be divorced from tradition and move into new vistas of production that could save the very factory that was a result of family pride and tradition. The factory died because the owner refused to change the vats.

Churches and organizations run the same risk. We could be so rigidly anchored to the old, outdated, irrelevant, obsolete, and sometimes useless moorings of the past that the new explorations of technology and paradigm shifts fail to rescue well meaning programs and initiatives. It was Jesus Christ who advised, “neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved” Matt. 9:17.

God is calling the church to find new ways to apply the message to a hostile world. As the United States is proclaimed the new and emerging mission field, we are not permitted the luxury to do ministry as usual. The challenge before us all as the community of faith is to muster the courage to change the old wineskins.

What are some of the wineskins that are no longer relevant?
Do we have the courage to name and claim the old wineskins?
What are some effective strategies to change those wineskins?
What are the outdated cultural wineskins in this the second decade of the 21st century?

Oliver R. Phillips

With the election of the first Black President of the United States, there are some who would submit that it is no longer necessary to celebrate some of the days, weeks, or months that remind us of both the struggle and the liberation of African descendants in these distant shores. Lest we forget, the journey has been chronicled by pain, exclusion, marginalization, oppression, miscegenation, deprivation, and a wholesale robbery of the intrinsic nature of a people who throughout their own history had experienced the heights of cultural achievements.

Black History Month commemorates and celebrates the contributions that people of color have made to this nation. The American historian Carter G, Woodson established Black History Week with the first celebration occurring on February 12, 1926. Subsequent to that occasion, the second week of February was chosen to celebrate the birthdays of abolitionist Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976 the week was expanded to a month as part of the US bicentennial.

Black History should never be viewed as a subversive or separate history. All things being considered, Black history is American History. There can be no authentic American History that excludes the rich tapestry of Black History quilted into the fabric of the American experiment. So the month of February should be a time of reflection on the journey of a people who demonstrated a resilience to co-exist in a society that said they did not belong.

Where are we now?
Population – as of July 1, 2008 it was reported that the Black population was 41.1 million, and represented 13.5 % of the US Population, an increase of 500,000 over the previous year. It is projected that by 2050 the Black population would be 65.7 million.

18 states report a Black population of over 1 million. New York, with 3.5 million, led the way. The other 17 states on the list were Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

38% Percentage of Mississippi’s population that was black in 2008, highest of any state. Blacks also made up more than a quarter of the population in Louisiana in 2008 (32 percent), Georgia (31 percent), Maryland (30 percent), South Carolina (29 percent) and Alabama (27 percent). They comprise 56 percent of the population in the District of Columbia.

67,000 was the increase in Georgia’s Black population between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2008, which led all states. Texas (64,000), North Carolina (45,000) and Florida (41,000) also recorded large increases. 

There were 24 states in which Blacks were the largest minority group in 2008. These included Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Remembering the Historical Contributions
Carter Woodson strongly believed that if Black people were to be successful in the future they had to be aware of their contributions to the American History. Here are a few facts:

• The first Black appointed governor was P.B.S. Pinchback, who served in Louisiana from Dec. 9, 1872, to Jan. 13, 1873.
 
• The first Black elected governor was Joseph Rainey; the first Black female U.S. representative was Shirley Chisholm, congresswoman from New York from 1969 to 1983.
 
• The first Black U.S. Secretary of State was Gen. Colin Powell, 2001-2004. The first Black female Secretary of State was Condoleezza Rice in 2005.

• The first Black editor of the Harvard Law Review was Charles Hamilton Houston, in 1919. Barack Obama became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review.

• The first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice was Thurgood Marshall, 1967–1991. Clarence Thomas became the second Black person to serve on the court in 1991.

• The first Black Nobel Peace Prize winner was Ralph J. Bunche, who received the prize in 1950 for mediating the Arab-Israeli truce.

• The first Black casualty of the American Revolutionary War was Crispus Attucks.

• The first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was Colin Powell, from 1989 to 1993.

• The first Black Rhodes Scholar was Alain L. Locke in 1907.

• The first Black person to receive a Ph.D. was Edward A. Bouchet from Yale University.

• The inventor of the blood bank, a Black man, was Charles Drew.

• Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open-heart surgery and organized the first Black hospital, Provident Hospital.
• The first Black male Grammy award winner was Count Basie in 1958 for Best Jazz Performance, Group and Best Performance by a Dance Band for his album “Basie.”

• The first Black tennis champion was Althea Gibson, who was the first Black woman to compete on the world tennis tour and to win a Grand Slam title.

• Thurgood Marshall was the first Black U.S. Supreme Court judge and was a civil-rights lawyer who helped to win the Brown vs. Board of Education case, which integrated public education in the United States.

• The Little Rock Nine, after a strenuous and life-threatening battle, were the first Blacks to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, Ark. Although racial segregation in the public school system was outlawed by this time, many public schools were not honoring the law.

As other tribes, nations, civilizations, and countries celebrate their history and look towards the future with enthusiastic optimism, so likewise Black history Month is such a time. The tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti brings in close proximity to the history of a people that is often forgotten. If we forget the history of Haiti, the perspective we engender might be fatally flawed, and we would be involved in missions from a paternalistic and condescending worldview.

God bless the people of Haiti! And God bless America!

Oliver R. Phillips

Having dialogued with many sincere believers these past few days with respect to the remarks by Pat Robertson, I thought I would share some of the themes that surfaced. What disturbed many was the possibility that the tragedy in Haiti was a result of a pact that was made between slaves and the Devil. Most uninterested persons are not cognizant of this incident, so I would give a Reader’s Digest account.

In a rather dubious, mythical, and unsubstantiated history it is alleged that on a painfully hopeful night, Sunday, January 14, 1791 at Bois Caiman near Cap- Haïtien, several slaves under the leadership of Dutty Boukman convened to seek divine deliverance from the hands of the oppressive French colonial powers. As the story goes, the slaves entreated the voodoo gods to grant deliverance in exchange for a 200-year allegiance. Pigs were slaughtered and the blood was drunk. This incident coincided with what historians suggest was the genesis of Haiti’s Independence War.

Over time, this oral account was fertilized by many well-meaning anti-voodoo advocates who perpetuated this as a reason to reject indigenous religion.

Be that as it may, it is sad that in the midst of the horrible and unprecedented suffering that is the lot of the Haitian nation and its people that we would suggest that God is vengeful and the earthquake is an honoring of the pact that was made by ancestors 200 years ago. Furthermore, as the story goes, this was a pact for a 200-year period ending in 1991. Surely, this thinking does not represent the sentiment and conviction of the broader evangelical community. If we are to suggest that this is indeed the handiwork of God, then we would have to justifiably explain the earthquakes that took place on January 13 in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Cultural history will attest to the admission that such activities as the alleged Bois Caiman incident have become a survival oral toolkit for slaves throughout the Caribbean and here in the United States.

So where do we go from here? How do we as local theologians explain to the inquiring minds such tragedies? Or to rephrase Rabbi Kushner’s mantra, why do bad things happen to good people? I would suggest that we should begin by resisting the temptation to individuate the Devil as the source of all suffering in our world. There are political and economic systems that often collude to benefit from the oppression of the poor. Isaiah 10:1-2 speak to this, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees; to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.”

The Psalmist cried “You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge (14:6). I’m sure the Psalmist would remind us today that the easy explanation that God gives people what they deserve and that our misdeeds are the cause of our suffering is shortsighted and insensitive. An old sage reminded us that heresy is not errant dogma, but unbalanced theology.

To be fair to Robertson, he and his organization have been involved in compassionate ministries in Haiti for many decades, and is even now a significant partner in relief efforts. For this he must be commended with the same degree of distaste which is harbored for his seeming insensitivity to the Haitian calamity.

We pray today for the people of Haiti. It would take decades of nation building to bring any semblance of human and national dignity. Yet, we all praise the Haitian people for their spirit of resilience and hope in God that is exhibited by the daily rescues and recoveries that are recorded on television screens globally. Over and over again it seems that Haitian survivors, as well as those who frantically search for loved ones can be heard to echo the Psalmist, “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills; from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth” (121:1-2). They don’t say that their tragedy comes from the Lord, but that their help comes from the Lord.

Let us all, as members of the global community of faith, be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters. God is on their side, and God, through our compassionate involvement will rebuild a nation to be a testament to God’s unfailing faithfulness.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever will be.

Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided;
great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Thomas Chisolm

THE HAITIAN TSUNAMI

Oliver R. Phillips

It was December 26, 2004 that the world witnessed the most deadly earthquake ever recorded by the seismographic community. The death toll from this disaster was well over 230,000 in 14 different countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Never before had we known such a widespread catastrophe that would affect the quality of life for this area for decades in the future. Such was the devastation and the magnitude of this event that it was termed a tsunami, a term with which most of us were not acquainted.

Yesterday, just a mere 700 miles off the coast of Miami, the world witnessed a similar disaster whose toll in loss of life is yet to be determined. We shudder to even grapple with some of the figures that are being forecast. Whatever the final figures are, the fact remains that this has not happened in 14 countries, but in one country, the poorest in the Western hemisphere.

The pictures that flooded our television screens last night were unpleasant, heart-wrenching, breath-taking, and unforgiving. No doubt, there were thousands around the world who endured a sleepless night because they could not get rid of these images of pain, hopelessness, and helplessness. But this measure of sympathy could never be sufficient to assuage the pain felt by the victims of this unwelcome and uninvited guest.

The Haitian Nazarenes were in the midst of their district assemblies. It was undoubtedly anticipated that these would be days of celebrating what spiritual victories were gained by their faithfulness and allegiance to the mind of God. Their activities were interrupted by this massive destruction of all they had toiled for over the past twelve months.

What words could bring peace to a people at a time like this? What words could restore hope to God’s remnant at a time like this? Are there words that could usher a period of trust? Is theodicy even a relevant discussion in these times?

Words could only help us understand that maybe God is not capricious in God’s actions. Our response ought to be more than words, as adequate as they might be on some occasions. The legitimate response in times like these should be tangible and practical.

As with the Nazarene response to the Katrina disaster, maybe this might be another milestone in Nazarene history where the practical response becomes unprecedented. We were recently reminded by our General Superintendent Emeritus Dr. Paul Cunningham, that these are our brothers and sisters who serve the same God that we do. We are united with them by baptism and the Blood. May our response be more than prayers and mere words of comfort!

As is the custom with our response to human-made and natural disasters, Nazarenes have a unique opportunity to react substantially by donating through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries:

 Persons and churches wishing to make a donation online can do so through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries at ncm.org or can mark their checks “Caribbean Disaster Response ACM1204″ and mail them to the Global Treasury Services, PO Box 843116 Kansas City, MO 64184. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3.

History has a subtle way of obscuring some of the more salient features that lend significant meaning to a particular cultural demography. This is not a commentary that reflects a penchant by any group in particular. History is nondiscriminatory and leaves in its wake any people group, perspective, or opinion, that threatens to unravel the consequences of objectivity.

This past New Year’s Eve, I ventured into the often lost historical trivia of the tradition that has become entrenched into the Christian ecclesiology. This celebration is a global occasion, and in every culture one would discover a myriad of explanations for its genesis. Overwhelmingly, it is a time of both praise and hope.

In the Black community in the United States, particularly in the churched community, the gathering in churches is referred to as the Watch Night Service. Crowds convene in sacred edifices nationwide that reflect the socio-economic classification of the congregants. In large ornate buildings in suburban, rural, and urban neighborhoods Black people gather to worship and hope. In similar fashion, black Christians gather in storefront and less flamboyant buildings with the same objectives – to worship, praise, and hope for a prosperous new year.

However, it was only 146 years ago that African American slaves gathered on this night saddled with a great degree of uncertainty and hopelessness. There are two significant aspects of Black history that are often forgotten about the integration of New Year’s Eve with regard to African Americans.

1. On December 31, 1862 more than 10 million slaves gathered on plantations in both the North and the South anxiously awaiting the decision that would be made on the next day about the fate of the slaves. They anxiously waited to hear whether the Emancipation Proclamation had become the law of the land. On January 1, 1863 they heard the news that it had become law. All through the land, on plantations and churches, enslaved Blacks were enthralled in gratitude to a God who had brought deliverance from slavery. The night has often been referred to as “Freedom’s Eve.”

 

2. Another historical aspect of this New Year’s Eve celebration is the oft forgotten fact that on this day slave owners would gather to conduct a financial audit of their possessions. In many cases the slave owners ended the year with financial liabilities that far outweighed their assets. As a way of reckoning they would sell their slaves, along with land and furnishings.

This transaction would result in the traumatic separation of families. Parents lost children, siblings were separated, and families were left devastated by circumstances beyond their control. New Year’s Eve was spent as a time when they knew that it was possible that it would be the last time they would see their loved ones on this side of heaven.

Today, one hundred and forty six years later, the present and the future is glaringly more certain, hopeful, and optimistic for all people of color in these United States. But it speaks much more than that. It speaks of a God who indeed is a God of liberation for the marginalized and hopeless.

May we, as a Christian community, covenant with God who continues to exact liberation on a global scale. May we partner with God in this amazing adventure as we build communities of liberation where the SHALOM of God would become a reality!

This morning (Thursday December 24, 2009) at 6:00 AM the U.S. Senate voted in essence to move the Health Care Reform Bill to reconciliation with the House rendition of the same Bill. The compelling challenge for those who wrestled with the legislation was fundamentally, “how do we extend insurance coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans?” I would surmise that some of that number are Nazarenes and Christians of other faith traditions.

In layman’s terms, the bills would do four things:
1. It would ban insurance companies from denying coverage for those with pre-existing medical conditions.
2. It would make health insurance mandatory for nearly everyone in the US.
3. Provide subsidies to assist low-income people purchase health insurance, and
4. Encourage employers to provide it with tax breaks for small businesses and penalties for larger ones.

All too often when I have heard those who dare to engage in academic discourse about this topic the discussion descends to what the legislation does not do, as well as some of the unintended consequences of its passage. No legislation is perfect. American history should be informative in this regard.

To shed light on this public policy debacle we might find some enlightenment for the story told by Jesus about the stranger who was wounded by bandits on a treacherous road. Of course, the case could be made that he was left there to die ignominiously as many before him had experienced.

The priest and Levite both concocted various reasons why they should not help this stranger, even though, if left alone would surely die. Among the reasons might have been that according to their religious teaching they themselves would be rendered “unclean” by coming into physical contact with an unclean person. They might even have felt that attendance to the needs of this stranger might cause them to be late for an ecclesiological appointment at the temple of synagogue. Or yet still, they might have argued that they did not want to be held responsible for continued extended care at a hospice.

Even worse yet, the man could be a fake, setting the stage for a planned robbery of anyone who stopped to help. Or they might have felt that the victim was to blame for travelling that road at that time of day. Excuses, excuses, excuses!

What made this pericope redemptive was the rationalized thinking of the Samaritan. The Samaritan, who all believed was heathen in religious orientation, asked the right question. If I were to engage in imaginative license I would suggest that he might have asked, “What would happen to this wounded man if I do not help?” Here are few points to ponder:

• When 46 million Americans are excluded from being insured, what would happen if we do nothing?
• When uninsured people are more likely to die prematurely of manageable diseases, what would happen if we do nothing?
• When 13 million young people (between the ages of 19 and 29) lack insurance coverage, what would happen if we do nothing?
• When 10 million of the uninsured are undocumented (undue burden on emergency rooms), what would happen if we do nothing?
• When studies show that lack of health insurance increases the risk of death by 40%, what would happen if we do nothing?
• When 47,000 persons die annually because of a lack of health insurance, what would happen if we do nothing?
• When the American Cancer Society reports that out of 560,000 cancer patients, 32,000 will die without health insurance, what would happen if we do nothing?

The Christian response should be one of compassion and concern for the less fortunate and marginalized of society.

“He has told you, O Mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:6-8

27th General Assembly Leaves Cultural Footprints

Oliver R. Phillips

As Americans and world citizens debate the debacle in Afghanistan and Iraq, with no simple solutions, the president of the United States, as Commander in Chief acceded to the wishes of his military generals and ordered 30,000 additional troops to the war zone. Whatever our political or ideological position on the escalation, one thing is certain. The US and its allies around the world are enlarging their military footprint in the war against al Qaeda, the Taliban, and the extremist insurgents. It is the hope of all those involved that these footprints would bring stability to the region and reduce the threat of global terrorism.

The 27th General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene held in Orlando, Florida also integrated colossal footprints into the cultural environment of the denomination. The recognition that we have become a global organism reminded us that no cultural challenge can any longer be isolated geographically, demographically, culturally, or socio-economically. The Nazarene world is indeed FLAT.

Four significant decisions were made that will indelibly place new footprints for the future of our young tribe.
1. The election of the first non-North American to the General superintendency.
2. The election of the first non-North American to the global presidency of Nazarene Missions International.
3. The amended adoption of the resolution on “Immigration.”
4. The adoption of the resolution on the use of the word “ethnic.”

The footprints imprinted on the psyche of the Nazarene soil will undoubtedly become indelible. However, if we allow well-meaning saints to obscure the cultural significance of these occurrences, we would do a great disservice to the hopeful, the marginalized, the left out ones, the majority of global Nazarenes, and for those who still believe that God has not left His church without a witness. We are witnessing a “maturing” church.

This blog brings attention to the third decision that pertains to the responsibility of the Christian community to become a Christ-like presence in our world on behalf of immigrants, both documented and undocumented. While this is not a civic document that could be used in a court of law, it nevertheless serves as a guide to denominational, district, and local Nazarenes as they attempt to navigate the treacherous waters of the immigration debate. God is not a capricious actor in history. As such, we can safely say that God has helped our denomination to craft a public policy document that can position us uniquely to be a prophetic voice, speaking truth to power.

This is the mandate from the 27th General Assembly:
RESOLVED that the 27th General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene go on record affirming the following:

• Provide pastoral care and crisis intervention to immigrants and to build bridges with the immigrant community, regardless of their legal status.

• Provide technical and financial assistance to local churches in compassionate ministry with undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers.

• Become more informed and active citizens, using our voices and votes to speak for the voiceless, to defend the poor and the vulnerable, and to advance the common good.

• Encourage our leaders to show their support for congregations composed of or working with immigrants who may or may not have documents.

REASONS:
1. Whereas, God has demonstrated a profound love for the needy and disenfranchised; and,
2. Whereas, Jesus exemplified proactive consideration for the marginalized in society, i.e., the outsiders; and,
3. Whereas, Christians have a responsibility to ensure fair and equitable treatment of aliens and strangers.

THINK ON THESE THINGS

Remembering the City Again
Oliver R. Phillips

I spent the last three days in Paris engaging in challenging ministry among the Haitian and other immigrant people groups. This was indeed a special spiritual awakening to the great possibilities that God has initiated within the boundaries of our cities.

This adventure coincided with the Australian prime minister’s public apology to the victims of a national disgrace in the mistreatment of more than 500,000 children from the period 1930 to 1970. This apology was long overdue. In Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s statement to the victims he stated that this group will no longer be identified as the “Forgotten Australians,” but as the “Remembered Australians.”

The tremendous richness of my experience in Paris reminded me once more that the city must represent the “remembered peoples.” It will only happen if as Christians, we understand God’s theology of the city. The people groups within the city represent God’s presence in a distinctive biblical mandate that requires of us that we revisit the biblical injunctions that lead us to aggressive ministry to the city.

There are 1,250 references to cities in the Bible; 142 cities in the Bible; and over 25 kinds of urban ministry in the historical Books alone. Ray Bakke in 2005, in a lecture to Nazarene District Superintendents, brought attention to the fact that pastors in metro areas have never really studied the 1,100 years of Biblical history of Jerusalem from the time David captured it from the Jebusites to the end of the New Testaments. Bakke stated “the Bethel text, Sodom text, 51 texts on Sodom alone; 34 in the Old, 17 in the New.  People could have saved that place.  You see, there’s a relationship between the presence of the Godly, or should I tonight say, ‘Holiness types,’ right?  There’s a relationship between the presence of the Godly and the preservation of the Godless.  That’s one of the lessons from the Sodom story.  You should study it because, why did God destroy that city?  Ezekiel, the divine commentary on that, Ezekiel 16 beginning at verse 45 gives us reasons.  The city was proud.  They had a surplus.  They didn’t care for the poor and needy, ‘Therefore I remove them,’ says the Lord.”

Paris renewed my interest in the city. By and large, we have forgotten God’s agenda for the city. I saw anew the rich potential for the realization of the Kingdom of God in the city. I wondered again about God’s command to minister in the city. Would God one day hold us responsible for the wanton neglect of ministry to the cities of the United States and Canada?

The congregations in Paris have been revitalized and are committed to engage the city population in new and innovative ways. They are “remembering” God’s commission to renewal in the city. Through compassion and advocacy, initiatives are being birthed to do effective and efficient ministry in the city of Paris.

The catalyst for the apology by the Australian Prime Minister was the sense of accountability and culpability that many in Australia feel because the thousands of children were warded to the state with the hope that they would be compassionately and humanely cared for. This was not the case. Likewise, God has given us this sacred responsibility to evangelize and nurture the marginalized in our cities and to participate in the establishment of the Shalom community of God’s presence.

While it will continue to be imperative for us to be engaged in evangelization possibilities in foreign fields, we cannot neglect the design and intention of God as peoples are moved into the cities. “From one man [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the earth; and [God] determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek [God] and perhaps reach out for [God] and find [God], though [God] is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27).

May we muster the missiological courage to once more take ministry to the city seriously. It is not an option, it is really a holy mandate and denominational obligation.

The God of Mission

Oliver R. Phillips

10/29/09

Most recently I have been reflecting on a statement made by Archbishop Rowan Williams of the Church of England – “It is not the Church of God that has a mission, it is the God of mission who has a church.”

Whenever the church (local, global, or district) considers itself as the source of ministry it is forging an unhealthy relationship that borders on idolatry. The church is not the ultimate locus of ministry. God is! The church is the vehicle God chooses to use to fulfill God’s intrinsic nature of being a God of mission.

On Mt. Horeb this God of mission confronted Moses and challenged him to be the agent of the mission that God wanted to execute, and Moses became the vehicle that God can use. God said to Moses. “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3: 7-8

Abram was approached by God to fulfill God’s mission to shape a people to be the representative prototype of what God’s intentions are for God’s people. What was God’s mission? “I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2

God had a mission when God accosted Mary with the words of consolation and affirmation, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35

This God of mission clearly elucidated to the remnant church what God’s mission was for the disciples and for the future church,
“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always to the very end.” Matthew 28:17-20

As indicated earlier, the church is treading dangerous ground when it convinces itself that the mission has originated within the embodiment of the organism itself. Several adverse factors can thwart the missional objectives of the church. They are:
1. Self-deification – we become obsessed with success, church growth indicators, membership, and attendance as prognosticators of the health of the church and the progress of the accomplishment of our “mission.”
2. Intolerance – as we do ministry the tendency is to become highly impatient regarding the moderate successes that those we delegate can advance the programs and initiatives of the organization.
3. Inhospitality – there would always be those within the fold who recognize divergent methods that God employs to advance God’s mission. Occasionally, there are those who sense the call of God to be obedient to such a nudge. Because the church’s mission is paramount to God’s mission, we become uncongenial.

I would recommend that those of us who are involved in ministry embrace this shift if missional thinking. For those of us who are passionate about small group evangelism and small group discipleship ministry, I believe this shift augers well for becoming flexible about methods used. We could best implement this with small group evangelism much like the Wesley Class Meeting — “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)