Recession forces churches to be multiethnic

Leadership Journal's Out of Ur blog has a story about two churches merging to becoming multiethnic. As I look at the two churches I see that they are both baptist churches and it raises two questions:

Is denomination more important than ethnicity?

How are they going to merge the two different contextualized styles of worship, leadership, serving the community etc.

This should be interesting. Here is the story

Post racial???

It is totally ironic to me that Obama stated that we live in a post racial America when:

1. His whole presidency was shadowed by race from the controversy over Jeremiah Wright's sermons and theology to the fact that he is the first African American president

2. The whole incident with Henry Louis Gates and the Boston police officer James Crowley

3. The outburst of South Carolina Rep Joe Wilson against Obama's health care reform bill. The outburst then being called out by former President Jimmy Carter as "based on racism" Check out the video here

4. Kanye West's grabbing of the mic and interrupting Taylor Swift and the racialized youtube commentaries that have sprang up after the incident.

As much as we want to live in a "we are the world" fantasy we cannot escape the issue of race and ethnicity. That's why I am grateful for being in a multiethnic church and I pray that we continue to make progress in tackling these issues head on and pursue the vision of Revelation 5:9

And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Revelation 5:9

Introducing Jesus Christ......

Last week I preached on the greatness and majesty of Christ and how that evokes a response of awe inspired worship. It was a hard thing to communicate and although Steve Harvey is a comedian I think he gets it. You can especially see it at the end of this video. Check it out

Reality Check

This past week I went to the doctor because of a sinus infection. It turns out that it was renal sinusitis. Sounds alot worse than it is :)So now I have to take some penicillin three times a day and it is totally killing me down in the bowels if you know what I mean.

The funny thing is that in my trip to the doctor I found out that my blood pressure was above normal and so I need to go on a low sodium diet and exercise more. This is just a symptom of a deeper problem because I know it's not just the salty foods which I love and hate having to give up. It is also about my stress level. I am not always aware of my stress. That is strange coming from an introvert but I have learned how to cope with the stress that I have in unhealthy ways. So I'm not all stressed out running around and going through emotional ups and downs all the time. I just hold it in and hold it in and hold it in and it starts affecting my body and my emotions in ways that are damaging to myself and others around me. This week was a wake up call and a reality check. Me and Yvette did some shopping and got a new diet for me but I also need to exercise. I started running about two years ago and I just fell off. I also started playing tennis as well but life has been so hectic for us that all the routines have been thrown out of whack. From having a baby, starting school, changing jobs twice, and moving two times in the same year things have been out of control. That's why I want to stay put for a bit in terms of all of those things and begin to implement more health into my life. After all I don't want to die early from bad eating and stress. Martyrdom is ok as long as it's not self inflicted :)

The Holy Land Experience

Christianity and capitalism have come together once again in the Holy Land Experience. Check out the video To me this cheapens the Bible and makes Christians look like money grubbing opportunists. Didn't Jesus whip the money changers out of the temple?

On another note this also is very inauthentic. Most of the actors are white including Jesus and Mary. Still many brainwashed white people go to look at a bearded Fabio while eating cotton candy and popcorn to make themselves feel good. The worst part is seeing the little black kids sitting at the feet of this Fabio lookalike.

Let's look at some evidence to the contrary:

1. Egypt was a colony of Nubia which in ancient times as well as today is black or africoid

2. The Hebrews went into Egypt 70 deep and came out of Egypt 400-500 years later half a million strong.

3. Jesus went into Egypt to hide for at least 12 years and does not get caught.

4. The Jews as we know them today are the product of 2,000 years of racial mixing as they were dispersed to Europe and Russia.

5. Jewish identity today is still a mixed bag of religious, cultural, and genetic markers

The question is this Is it possible that Christ was black or African in physical appearance? Let me know what you think because I need some input to write my next paper for class.

Cussing evangelist

Check out this cussing evangelist I bet he gives Mark Driscoll a run for his money!

Vacation time

Its that time of year again. Vacation. I wont be on the blog as much but I will make a commitment to come back with pictures. THis year will be a little different as we will be in cleveland and orlando visiting friends and family. Kaydon will finally see the other side of the family in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and Orlando will be especially fun as we will be seeing one of Yvette's best friends Amy Ramos who is having a baby boy real soon. Amy works for Campus Crusade For Christ and so we will be hanging out with a lot of "crusaders" (a name change is way overdue) while we stay at the Wycliffe guest house. I feel like I'm going to catch the missionary bug. Wait after going to Ethiopia eight times I think I already caught it:)

I am Sylar

As I am trying to figure out who I am/becoming in this new context of pastoring Sylar from Heroes is struggling to figure out who he is after all that shape shifting. Anybody familiar with code switching can feel his pain? Maybe it isn't as bad as waking up with a different face and an extra tooth but it does leave you disoriented.

Pastor on the fringe

I have always wondered why I have had a missionary heart while having the gifts of pastoring and teaching. I used to think maybe I was supposed to pastor and care for missionaries overseas. Maybe that is in the cards for the future but I feel right now I am in the zone as a pastor of the fringe. I think this is a great need as we see ourselves in a Western culture that is secular and becoming increasingly unchurched. I used to think pastoring was for those who are heavily churched. It made me think of rural areas where people have been Christians for over four generations. Now I see my call as a pastor in a much different light. Now I see it as a call to pastor the unchurched, the returning back to church, and the recently churched. What does this mean in practical terms?

1) It means as a pastor of a multiethnic church I must deal with and address the issues that are pertinent to a global context and not just the Amerikkkan evangelical context. Issues like being racially sinned against, veneration of ancestors, spirits are going to be a part of that most definitely.

2) It also means that I deal with gender issues as we have many women in leadership. It's going to take a lot of sensitivity, insight, and listening and openness to change in ministry plans and preaching to a female audience.

3) It means that I have to keep my eye out for not only those who are unreached but for those who are forgotten. The issues that are forgotten or never thought about are the hardest to keep an eye out for but two that I am working on right now are: marijuana use and homosexuality. What do we do about these issues that are currently on voting ballots? Does anyone have any resources to recommend or any theological perspective besides "they are wrong"?

Emerging church panel discussion and diversity

Has anyone seen the Emerging church panel discussion that was done in Dallas at the Christian Book Expo about a week ago? Here it is if you haven't seen it

For what it's worth I have been watching this emerging church conversation from a distance and also feel like I have participated in it as our church exhibits some of those qualities. In some ways I feel as if we go beyond the typical emerging/emergent church in the area of two things:

Our multiethnic diversity. I don't know how to express this in a way that people understand except when we gather the phrase that comes to my mind is "The United Nations goes to church" I think that is being done in other parts of the US and the world so I would not claim that we have a monopoly on it but I will say that if we are going to go forward and remove ourselves from the traps of culturally constructed evangelical Christianity we have to include the non white ethnic voices and also go beyond theology as a white discourse. A hard thing to do after 500-600 years of slavery and colonialism. As I watch the discussion and look over the blogosphere there are not that many non white voices represented in the emerging conversation. I think this is a fundamental flaw with this whole emerging/emergent movement.javascript:void(0)

Our gender diversity. This is not to say that I as a male do not struggle with this issue but I know that as a church we promote women in leadership and I wish to do it on a larger scale. There is something that the body of Christ is missing if we have as Jamie Wilson one of the Vineyard pastors says "half the team on the bench". This is a new direction for me even though it is not a new direction for our church. I think it has to start with the leadership and clearly from looking at this panel discussion not only is it all white but it is all male. Let's get a diversity of voices to sit at the table and then we can talk about doing church and theology in the postmodern world.

The Sphinx of Pasadena

The class I am taking this quarter is called "The African Roots of Black Theology". Besides being taught by one of the best professors at Fuller, Ralph Watkins, it also is full of meaty content. I mean this stuff is good enough to sop up with a biscuit!

We have been reading some thick stuff on the African origins of civilization and how that has influenced the Judeo Christian tradition and how white culturally constructed Christianity has not recognized and even rejected this very notion because of racism. Alot of the key texts we have been reading have centered around Egyptian religion and mythology and how that influenced the Judeo Christian as well as the Greco Roman traditions. One of the things that has remained mysterious is the great statue in Thebes known as the Sphinx. This statue is Negroid in features and has been reported to have originated in Ethiopia. The funny thing is I was waling on Madison ave behind Fuller and there are two statues in front of the Scottish Rite Cathedral that are Sphinxes but with Caucasian features complete with ankhs (Egyptian crosses) and everything. What does it all mean?

The Day after Easter

The nerves. The jitters. The expectation. The climactic finale. No it wasn't a broadway musical or an american idol performance. No it was my first Easter service. It is amazing how much I was geeked up. I think its because if followers of Jesus have a day to claim it is Resurrection Day. The one thing that I realize in the aftermath of it all is that when it comes down to it Resurrection Day does not end. Every day can be Resurrection Day when we are connected to the living Christ. This past Sunday was full of wonderful suprises....kids performing a song....a spoken word poem about the women witnesses of the Resurrection.....Easter dinner with family....a zebra, baby pigs, goats, ducks, and a camel in the middle of Compton but nothing could be more amazing than Jesus Christ risen from the dead. That's how I'm living the day after Easter.

Check out the words of a poem written by our very own Emily Feng

WHO AM I
I AM.
I AM A WOMAN.
I AM THAT WOMAN OF HIGH PLACES AND ALWAYS TRAVELED WITH MORE THAN 7 SUITCASES ( SHE EVEN HAS COLLECTIONS OF GOLDEN FLOWER VASES?)
I AM
I AM THAT WOMAN WHO GAVE UP MY JEWELS, DIAMONDS AND EXPENSIVE SHOES
ABANDONED ALL THE RULES SO I CAN FOLLOW YOU (PROVIDE FOR YOU)

WHO AM I?

I AM
I AM A WOMAN.
I AM THAT WOMAN WITH SEVEN DEMONS IN MY FLESH
TORMENTING MY SOUL AS IF THEY WERE PLANNING TO EAT ME FRESH

I AM
I AM THAT WOMAN YOU CAME TO SET ME FREE,
FREE OF SHADOWS IN THE DARK NIGHTS THAT HAUNTED ME,
FREE OF THE VOICES AND WHISPERS THAT SHIVERED MY BODY,
FREE OF THE ROTTEN SMELL SEEPING OUT OF MY PORES,
(HE SPOKE TO THE SPIRITS AND SAID, “NO MORE”)

WHO AM I?

I AM
I AM A WOMAN.
I AM THAT WOMAN WHO WORRIED FOR MY CHILDREN
WILL THEY EVER BE SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF HIS KINGDOM
(SHE SURE DID NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS ASKING FOR)

I AM
I AM THAT WOMAN WHO FAILED TO COMPREHEND
WHAT IT MEANS WHEN YOU SAID YOU WILL BE DEAD AND RISEN AGAIN
(THE POWER OF YOUR RESURRECTION)

WHO AM I?

I AM
I AM A WOMAN
I AM THAT WOMAN WHO WITNESSED YOUR ANGUISHED ON THE CROSS
YOUR BLOOD DRIPPING FROM THE NAILS HAVE MY HOPE AND FAITH ALL ROBBED
(SHE DID NOT KNOW MY DEATH WAS THE COST)
I AM
I AM THAT WOMAN WHO IS LOST AND CONFUSED
YOU SAID YOU WERE THE MESSIAH THAT HAD COME TO MY RESCUE
(I SAY, WAIT ON ME, MY LOVE, WILL YOUR HEART REFUSE?)

FOR I AM.
I AM
I AM THE ARTIST WHO COLLECTS YOUR TEARS TO PAINT RAINBOWS IN THE SKIES,

I AM THE MUSICIAN WHO ASKS THE MORNING STARS TO SING WHEN THE DARKNESS IN YOUR HEART RESIDES

I AM THE MOTHER WHO GAVE BIRTH TO HOT WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA WITH MARSHAMALLOWS ON A WINTER STORMY NIGHT

I AM THE LOVER WHO MESSAGES YOUR SOUL AFTER THE TWO LONG HOURS OF TRAFFICJAM ON THE 405 ,

IN FACT, I SANG WITH YOU WHILE YOU LISTENED TO THE RADIO
SINGING:
(THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU, NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH MY HEART LIKE YOU DO.)

I AM THE CHEERLEADER WHO YOU ARE MY ULTIMATE FAN AND I DANCED TO THE RHYTHM OF YOUR LIFE
(IF YOU WANT TO BE THE BEAUTY, I AM WILLING TO BE YOUR BEAST.)

I AM ARIEL IN THE LITTLE MERMAID, OUT OF MY DEEP LOVE AND ADORATION, I AM WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE.

I AM THE PILLOW AFTER YOUR HEARTACHE, FOR YOU TO HUG, PUNCH, PUT YOUR HEAD UNDER TO HIDE

I AM THE BEAUTICIAN WHO STUDIES WHAT COLOR HAIR AND SKIN COMPLEXTION GOES BEST WITH YOUR EYES

I AM THE PERSONAL SHOPPER WHO KNOWS YOUR CURVES, ROLLS AND WAISTLINE, IN FACT THEY WERE MINE TO DESIGN.

FOR I AM
THE ADVOCATE, THE ALMIGHTY, ALPHA AND OMEGA
THE BLESSED, THE BRIDEGROOM, BEGINNING AND THE END
THE CHRIST, THE CREATOR, THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE
THE LION THE LAMB AND THE LORD OF ALL LORDS
WHO AM I?, YOU ASK.
I AM
I AM

Good Friday, Soul Food, and the current Economic Crisis

Today is Good Friday. Some may say what is so good about it. I think they have valid reason to question the goodness of this Friday or any day but...I beg to differ. This Friday is uniquely good because of what was done on a hill in Palestine over two thousand years ago. Something that was not clean cut and pristine but something that was gruesome and bloody. The scene of one of the most violent murders and executions not because of the actual acts of torture or what we have seen from the Mel Gibson movie but because this was the murder and execution of the Son of God.

This bloody scene
Far from being innocent
Has sentenced me
Guilty as charged
A wooden stake
A blood stained crossbar
Seen from the past
Back to the future
Through ghetto alleyways
Lonely lynching trees
Hateful glances
Turned to second chances
Two thieves on each side
Represent you and I
The mob goes wild
Thirsty for blood
Shouting crucify him
He is somebody's child
This bloody scene
At Golgotha
Place of the skull

There is something about this day when we choose to remember it that evokes dirtiness and at the same time cleansing. It brings up images of the most violent waste and yet we the followers of Christ choose to see redemption. In the same way my ancestors chose to take the slops and scraps that were given to them because they were seen as less than nothing and they chose to see redemption. Although they were given these scraps of unwanted food and animal parts because their oppressors saw them as dirty they cleansed themselves by redeeming what was given to them and affirming their own humanity. They were given scraps and the things that no one wanted and they made soul food.

Hamhocks
Black eyed peas
Collard Greens
Soul Food
A kind word
A roaring laughter
A welcoming smile
Soul Food
A rugged cross
An empty tomb
A risen Christ
Soul Food

In these days and times where many are losing their jobs and we watch the stock prices plummet. Where even folks in Beverly Hills are taking their jewelry to the pawn shop so that they can get by. Let's remember the cross. Let's remember redemption. Let's remember that no matter what slops and scraps life throws at us we can either choose to see the negative or look at the plan of God which is always redemption. That's why today is Good Friday :)

So you're a pastor now?

Well this is the end of the first week being the "senior" pastor" (I still don't like how that sounds) and I feel energized and refreshed and at the same time dead dog tired. After meeting with interns, working on the sermon, meeting with one of our resident artists Matthias Thornton Bivens otherwise known as Matt Bivens, Sending out emails about the service, baptism, follow up materials and numerous other miscellaneous things, a phone meeting with our kids director/set up person/bulletin printer, preaching Sunday morning and the korean birthday party for the one year old son of two of our worship leaders plus.....watching Kaydon, reading for my African Roots of Black Theology Class, Mccormick and Shmicks with Yvette, trips to the bank, the thrift store, and Burlington Coat Factory....I am tired.

Now mind you this was not all in one day and there was a whole day where I sat around in my pj's, watched a movie, played with my son and had my bottle of guiness for the night. So I do keep it balanced.

All this to say that this was actually a pretty tame week when I think about what is to come and I am ready to throw my hands up and scream for the rest of the rollercoaster ride! Life is good ;)

Senior Citizens Hip Hop Choir and Boring Seminary Teachers

One of my biggest struggles is when the content of something is devlivered in a less than spectacular or at the least unsuitable form. It's like when people over 50 try to rap. Now don't get me wrong soon enough most rappers will be 50 (not 50 cent :) but they grew up in the culture and time period of rap. I think the question of delivery vs. content is why we laugh at things like "The rappin granny" or the Senior Citizens Hip Hop Choir

This brings up another issue I have been seeing in seminary. The teachers who have the most students that attend and rave about their classes and tell others are the ones who have a better "delivery". They are more personable. The lectures are engaging. My black theology professor Dr. Ralph Watkins has preached, sang, and fell out on the floor without missing a step and it has not only been enjoyable but it is in line with the content of the class-black theology. If teachers or preachers don't have the delivery right the content is lost. People can go read the book for the content but only the messenger can bring the delivery.

Belonging and not belonging

He came to his own and his own people did not receive him John 1:11

Sometimes our search for belonging ends up empty because we do not realize that life as a believer is always full of paradox and tension. Why? It is because our Lord and Master is full of paradox and tension. Fully God and fully man. Poor and rich. Weak and powerful. One of the most striking paradoxes is that he belonged and did not belong. As a jew he belonged to the jewish nation. As a human he belonged to humankind. He was naturally connected to these groups and had an affinity for them. We also are connected to many groups and affinities. I myself belong to African Americans. I also belong to the hip hop nation. I belong to Fuller Seminary as well. On and on it goes until finally there is the tension of not belonging. When we side with Jesus we find ourselves in the predicament of not belonging to this world. We are then called to not only be accepted but to be rejected. The call of God demands this of us because it is the path that God chose as he became man and walked this earth. It is a call to be marginalized and rejected; to be on the outside. This is where our true calling lies. It is in belonging so much that we are touched with the infirmities and weaknesses of others. It is in not belonging so much that we can speak up for those who are oppressed. You will never be a part of the "in" crowd because Jesus wasn't a part of the "in" crowd. He was ghetto and the people in the ghetto of galilee and judea rejected and despised him to the point of consenting to his death. When we belong and do not belong we are bound to encounter the cross and inevitable death. If this is the case then our only consolation is the resurrection where we will most certainly see that all along and throughout eternity we belong to God.

The Ghetto as part of Seminary Curriculum

It has been a few years since I have been around the place where I grew up-Lynwood, CA. Just recently I had to stop by the So Cal Gas Company's Compton base which is right next to Lynwood and I saw so much poverty and darkness that I couldn't believe my eyes. It was hard to imagine that just a little over ten years ago I was walking these same streets. As much as it was hard to look at it did me good. For one thing it reminded me of where I am from and who I am and where I've come from. Sometimes after we get into our christian bubble we forget what God has even done for us and end up being distant from God even though we use his name for everything and do all of this religious stuff. The next good thing that came of it was that it grounded my ministry and especially this stage of my journey in seminary. As much as we can sit and talk about God in the cloistered halls of academia we really do not know him until we have his compassion and serve others. I actually would recommend that all seminary students do some time in the hood as part of the required curriculum. You can definitely learn a lot!

The End of a Quarter at Seminary

I am grateful to God for the opportunity to go to seminary. I never was that motivated in school even though I aced every exam (I didn't do the homework so I got by with C's). Now I am motivated and energized and acing everything. It is clear that I am supposed to be here and this is where my heart fully comes alive. After the first quarter is over I have ended up with more questions than answers about God and his ways. Things that I assumed are now being questioned and refined. Here are a few of those things some of which are very general and vague to specific:

1. What is original sin and does it make you guilty even before you have done anything?

2. Do we as humans have souls or are we spirited bodies? (Swallow that one)

3. If God is a spirit and spirits do not have bodies can we call God a he or a she?

4. If Christ suffered and Christ is God does God suffer?

5. Is Christianity compatible with evolutionism in any form?

6. What do I mean when I say the word "God"?

7. How does homosexuality relate to the concept of human beings as the image of God?

8. Is the Bible inerrant (without error) in all of its words and letters?

These questions are the beginning of a long journey through the depths of a neverending attempt at proclaiming a faithful yet not final word about God and his ways with man which some people call theology.

Why I took off the google ads

In this day and age I have seen some shameless schemes for profit. These schemes were not suprising from the world but also from the church. I think the use of religion for profit is deplorable for our day and age as much as it was for the apostle Paul in his day. There have been numerous things sold in the name of religion. In the reformation days it was relics-the goatskin of John the baptist, St. Thomas' finger. Nowadays it's books, videos, holy water, a piece of the cross. Now I have nothing wrong with paying for the cost of ministry and I believe a worker is worthy of their hire but where do we draw the line? I mean there are pastors with private jets and rolls royces and multimillion dollar estates while people are starving not only in Africa but in our own country. It saddens me that this is happening in the church and we defend it through a bunch of convoluted theology and scripture prooftexting.

When I started this blog I wanted to just get my thoughts out to as many people as possible and I have always toyed with the idea of making money from it. With that in mind I put google ads on there. I didn't make one red cent and the stuff that was coming up in the ads was sometimes questionable and often misrepresented my views on particular subjects. So I took them off in an effort to truly become authentic as I engage the blogosphere.

In that same vein I will soon have a paypal link for donations to my seminary education. This is more in line with the way things should work in the church. "Freely you have received, freely give." I think we should make it our aim not to align ourselves with corporate greed which I believe is one of the biggest most pervasive evils in our society. Tall Skinny Kiwi has written an excellent post on the topic of generosity vs hoarding called Wikinomics and Mission

On being self critical

"Who am I? This or the other?
Am I both at the same time? In public, a hypocrite and by
myself a contemptible whining weakling? Who I really am,
you know me, I am thine O God!"-Dietrich Boenhoffer Who am I?

It is interesting to me how excruciatingly difficult it is to be self critical. In a way being too self critical erodes self confidence. It puts you in a place where you question everything. You become like a lot of people I know. You know the type. Frogs hopping from one lillypad to the next and never settling down on anything. Being too self critical gets you to become a spectator in a world that is doubtfully real at best. On the other hand without self criticism we commit the same sin as our spiritual parents and desire to become like "gods". How many times have you heard someone justify their position and how right they are with god? Whether it is going to Indonesia as a missionary or prophesying that a whole city was wiped out in a hurricane because of homosexuality it can all be defended from criticism with the line "Because God told me."

I believe God speaks but I also believe that sometimes and often most of the time we have spiritual earwax and the white noise of this world, our flesh, and satan get in the way of what he is saying. Sometimes it is so powerful that all we hear is a low murmur instead of that still small voice. We end up hearing ourselves and get caught up in some really elusive particulars when all we really can say is we "see through a glass darkly" Most of the time this attitude is pervasive among the religious but with that being said it is also a widespread disease among humanity because most of humanity is religious. from Bill Maher and his misinformed although very much needed critique of popular religion to the religious right and their unbalanced perspective of Christian faith and politics. It seems to me that what we all need including this blogger is a healthy dose of humility and self criticism. Maybe if we engaged in that more we would chafe so much when others criticize us but understand that now we know in part but in the God's realized kingdom we will know fully even as we are fully known.