Concerning Women in Christian Ministry - IV

THE LIMITING PASSAGES

I would like to now deal with “the limiting passages” (as they are commonly known) of 1 Corinthians 14.33-35 and 1 Timothy 2.11-15.

In my mind, the usual reason we run into trouble interpreting these passages correctly is either because we

[1] stumble upon them in our devotional reading and are startled by Paul’s teaching, or

[2] through either recommendation or indoctrination or personal curiosity we try and see what all the fuss is about.

In both scenarios we commit a grievous error:

we interpret the whole of biblical teaching on women

in light of these two texts (just 8 verses out of 7,959)

instead of (properly) interpreting these two texts

in light of the entire Story of God and the Bible.

Having looked first at God’s original design for humanity in Genesis 1,

and then looked more deeply at how that original design is being restored within the church through Christ as New Creation –

complete with plenty of examples of women doing exactly the kinds of things Paul seems to prohibit –

I want to now scrutinize these two texts in light of the larger Story.

Concerning Women in Christian Ministry - III

WHAT WOMEN ACTUALLY DID IN THE BIBLE

This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

ACTS 2.16-18, citing Joel 2.28-30

The single most convincing argument that women should be included in all levels of church leadership is that they were included in all levels of church leadership in the Bible. Given the numerous occasions on which women lead, taught (and taught men), spoke publicly, evangelized, prophesied, and were listed among the elders and deacons and apostles of the New Testament church it is impossible to believe that Paul’s limiting passages (1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2) were meant to negate all that had already (in many cases by Paul himself) been put into place.

Consider what women actually did in the Bible:

(note: because this article is being prepared for Westwinds, and because the point of contention here is not with the competence of women in leadership but with ascertaining the propriety of women in leadership, I will narrow the scope of my overview to the New Testament women who lead, leaving aside such remarkable First Testament women as Deborah, Huldah, and Esther).

Mary (not Joseph) is the first to receive the message of Christ’s birth into the world. She is honored and blessed by angels. She is also the first to sing and prophesy about the Christ child (cf. Luke 1).

The prophetess Anna receives honorable mention as one who speaks of the Messiah to those who have waited for Him (Luke 2.36-38).

Mary (the mother of Jesus) obviously had a tremendous impact on the way in which her son fulfilled his messianic purpose. Consider that many of the themes present in Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55) appear in much the same way in both Jesus’ teaching and James’ (Jesus’ half-brother) epistle (cf. Luke 4, James 1).

During Christ’s earthly ministry, a group that Luke calls the Women were just as well known as the Twelve (Luke 8.1-3, 23.49 + 55, 22.24). In fact, the twelve male disciples were a rather pitiful bunch when compared to Christ’s female disciples, who abandon Jesus in the Garden and are not rehabilitated until much later. Because of this Tom Wright has light-heartedly referred to these women as “apostles to the apostles.”

Mary (not Jesus’ mother, but the sister of Martha) caused near-scandal by avoiding her “women’s work” in the kitchen and instead sitting at Jesus’ feet. In that world, at that time, to sit at someone’s feet meant that you were a student and they were the teacher. Receiving this kind of instruction was strictly the province of men. Furthermore, you wouldn’t simply learn like this for your own personal edification, but in order to become a rabbi or teacher yourself. This, undoubtedly, is what really bothered Martha: her sister was neglecting her female role and adopting, instead, a male role as a student and apprentice.

The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet (traditionally, Mary Magdalene) was performing a priestly action – she was preparing Jesus’ body for burial – and Jesus recognized the sacramental nature of her offering (cf. Luke 7.36-50).

The Women were the last ones to leave the Cross (cf. Luke 24) at Christ’s crucifixion and the first ones to visit the Tomb after his burial (cf. Luke 24).

Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, taught Apollos (a Greek scholar) the way of the Lord more fully (Acts 18.26). This is significant, because in order for them to have taught a scholar, Prisiclla and Aquilla must have been well-versed (to say the least) in both Scripture and theology. Furthermore, four out of the six times this couple is mentioned in the Bible Priscilla’s name is listed first (Acts 18.18 + 26, Romans 16.3, 2 Timothy 4.19). This is ancient shorthand for signifying that Priscilla was more spiritually prominent. The fact that her name appears first when she and her husband instructed Apollos indicates that she led in that exchange (Acts 18.26 NASB and NIV).

Philip the evangelist had four daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21.9). This means they prophesied, which – in the first century – was always done in and among the church.

In 1 Corinthians 11.4-5, Paul says that women may both pray and prophesy when the church comes together (cf. 1 Corinthians 11.1-34). The context of this passage means clear that Paul is referring to public meetings where both men and women are present).

When Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he honored the following women for their services in the church: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Julia, and the sister of Nereus (cf. Romans 16).

In Romans 16.2, Paul refers to Phoebe, a deacon (a lesser officer in the church, charged with visiting the sick, taking care of the poor, and fiscal management of the church’s resources), a prostatis, which means “one who stands in front of, superintends, guards, and provides care for others.” Historically, we know that Phoebe was the courier for Paul’s letter to the church in Rome and was charged with the task of explicating it so the Romans could understand the complex theological reasoning. Clearly, Phoebe was a minister of the Gospel message and had some authority over – not only individuals, but entire congregations as a teacher and expositor.

Paul commends Junia for being outstanding among the apostles (cf. Romans 16.7). This shows that Junia (a woman) was [1] an apostle, the highest officer in the early church; and [2] therefore obviously met (at least) the qualifications for the office of elder, which was a lesser office within the church. Along with her husband, Andronicus, Junia was recognized as having gifts from God – “gifts” meaning things like evangelizing, teaching, preaching, establishing leaders, and leading churches.

In Philippians 4.2-3, Paul makes special of Euodias and Syntyche who helped him in the Lord’s work.

Paul reminds Titus that the older women should be “teachers of good things.” They should teach the younger women (Titus 2.3-5).

Paul commends Timothy’s mother and grandmother. We can reasonable infer that these two women taught Timothy the Scriptures since he was a child (2 Timothy 1.5, 3.15).

Clearly, women were active in the ministry of the first-century church. Because they were recipients of the Holy Spirit, they were just as much a part of the believing priesthood as were the men. We find them prophesying publicly, praying publicly, teaching publicly, leading alongside Paul (as well as other men), and leading male Christians.

Given these facts, how can we reasonably assume that Paul meant for us to completely silence women in the higher levels of ecclesial leadership? Even if he did mean that women shouldn’t become elders – which, again, I think we’ve established is not what he meant – Paul obviously felt comfortable appointing and employing women in the highest levels of leadership whenever he felt it was appropriate.

At best, Paul’s injunctions are flexible. Much more likely, Paul’s injunctions are merely situational.

He didn’t mean to keep women out of the highest offices of leadership. He himself put women in those offices and commended them for their high performance.

Concerning Women in Christian Ministry - II

THE ARGUMENT FROM CREATION

In the beginning, God created humanity to be His regents in this world. We were designed to represent God to all of Creation – to fill the earth and to subdue it, to have dominion.

In context of our argument for the full inclusion of women into the highest levels of church leadership, Genesis 1 must bear pride of place as the starting point for an understanding of mutuality and equality. This section of the paper examines the beginning of our Bible to see what God’s original design was for humanity.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

GENESIS 1.26-27

“Adam” is a generic Hebrew noun that means “human beings.” In Genesis 1 we read about God creating [human beings] first before differentiating them into male and female. That is an important theological note, and one often overlooked, for it speaks to the fact that men and women – though different – are equal in their position and authority before God.

God

|

Humanity

/ \

Male + Female

Let me reiterate:

the woman and the man are both blessed by God equally

Later on, sin takes its course and demeans and despises women but God does not. The original intention of our good Creator was for men and women to rule the earth in mutuality. In fact, in the creation narrative there is not even a hint of status or role differentiation between male and female.

The differentiations we see and feel in the world today exist because of sin. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and through their disobedience sin entered the world. God’s response to this Original Sin was heartbreakingly bad news:

[after the Fall God spoke to the woman and said]:

I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.

GENESIS 3.16

The Fall distorted mutuality by turning women against men and men against women; oneness became otherness and rivalry for power. Yet these words are not ironclad rule for the rest of history.

Sadly, some think that Genesis 3 is a prescription for a healthy relationship between a man and a woman; but this is not meant to be a prescription but a prediction. Fallen women yearn to dominate the man, and fallen men yearn to dominate women. The desire to dominate is a broken desire – a distortion of God’s original intent for men and women together to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1.28).

Dominion,

once distorted,

becomes domination;

just as mutuality,

once distorted,

becomes mercenary.

What is of vital importance to note, however, is that man’s dominion over woman is part of the curse of sin after the Fall and does not represent God’s original intention for male-female relationships. The curse betrays the fact that the submission of the woman to the man is not voluntary but forced. Since no one insists that all parts of the curse are binding in perpetuity, it is purely arbitrary to focus upon one part of the curse and universalize it as an eternally established decree governing male-female relationships forever.

On the contrary, the Good News of the Scripture is that the Fall eventually gives way to new creation; the fallen can be reborn and re-created. Sadly, the church has far too often perpetuated the Fall as a permanent condition. Perpetuating the Fall entails failing to restore creation conditions when it comes to male-female relationships. Both Jesus and Paul consistently taught and lead in such a way as to move from creation (oneness) through sin (fragmentation) into new creation (oneness once again).

God is One

(Deuteronomy 6.4)

God creates One Humanity

(Genesis 1.26)

One Humanity

becomes Male and Female,

who are One with God

(Genesis 1.27)

Sin separates Humanity

from itself

and from God

(Genesis 3)

Fragmentation defines Human existence

(Romans 3.23)

Jesus, the One,

(John 10.30)

comes to restore Oneness with God

and with Others

and with Ourselves

as True Humans once again

(John 17.20-23)

Since Jesus is One,

and God is One,

we are One once again

when we become One with Jesus

(Galatians 3.28)

Both Jesus and Paul see in Genesis 1 + 2 God’s original intention for humanity. Christ’s redemptive work brings this original intention back into play. Christian men and women are to live a life that moves beyond the Fall, beyond the battle of wills and domination. This is, undoubtedly, what Paul meant when he referred to the new creation:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

2 CORINTHIANS 5.17

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

GALATIANS 6.14-15

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

EPHESIANS 2.19-22

Paul’s point in these passages is that the implications of the Fall are undone for those who are in Christ. This draws us directly back to Genesis 3.16 to see that the otherness struggle between the sexes for control has been ended because we are now in the new creation.

We are being restored to the equality and mutuality of Genesis 1 + 2. If new creation does anything, it unleashes the power to under the Fall.

This cannot be overemphasized:

the Story of the Bible is the Story of New Creation.

Life in Christ creates mutuality, unity, and Oneness. If there is any place in the world where this mutuality should be restored, it is the church. Ironically, church is often the least redemptive place in the week.

That needs to change.

Instead of limiting women from the highest positions in church office on the basis of 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2, we should recognize that God’s original intention was for men and women to live and lead together as supported by:

Genesis 1 + 2,

John 10,

John 17,

Galatians 3,

2 Corinthians 5,

Galatians 6,

Ephesians 2,

and the promises of God to renew creation in:

Isaiah 65 + 66,

Ezekiel 40-48,

1 Corinthians 15,

Romans 8,

and Revelation 21 + 22.

Concerning Women in Christian Ministry-I

THE WRONG ANSWER STILL GETS SOMETHING RIGHT


Given that 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy seem to limit the role of women (at first blush, anyway), I have been asked how I could possibly consider my upbringing as anything other than un-biblical.

Meaning:

if the Bible says women can’t lead,
why did you think they could?

Well, the way we answered that in my home church was different than the way I’m about to answer it in this paper. If and when this issue arose during my earlier years (and it only ever came up when someone would read this 2 passages and ask for clarification; it never came up because there was a church in town trying to limit women…at least, not to my knowledge), we would simply re-frame those passages by pointing people to Galatians 3.28:


[In Christ] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no ‘male and female,’ for you are all one in Christ Jesus.


Our contention was that the old dividing lines were now no longer in play. To be fair, that’s an overly simplistic understanding of this text. I am now fairly critical of how we used this piece from Galatians for 3 reasons:

This rather vague text is insufficient to countermand the plain teachings of two other texts. Even if Galatians was meant as a “balance” to 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy, it doesn’t work.

This text has nothing to do with public ministry – it concerns our salvation and our standing in Christ

Obviously, just because Paul says there is no “slave or free” doesn’t mean that every slave who becomes a Christian can now just slip off his chains and walk around without any fear; likewise, Paul simply cannot mean that men cease to be men and women cease to be women because they become Christians. There must remain some difference between each of these parties even though it seems like he’s saying those differences are somehow resolved.

Instead, I believe that Galatians 3.28 is about something else entirely; and yet, that ‘something else’ still has great bearing on the status of women in the church. My beliefs about the key significance of this passage can be summarized in 4 bullet points:

since Paul is obviously not suggesting that all differences between Jew/Greek, Slave/Free, Male/Female are abolished we must figure out what he’s getting at when we talks about those differences being resolved

his use of “no male or female” gives us a clue as to his meaning…the verbiage used here is the same as that used in the Creation accounts, showing us that Paul is once again (as he has in many other places) calling us to be a people of New Creation

as we’ll make plain later in this paper, Paul recognizes that the Creation was made “good,” and was then corrupted, before being restored and remade into New Creation

Paul is a theologian of New Creation, as it is always the affirmation and reaffirmation of the existing Creation with which he is concerned
Paul is referring, here, to the fact that things now must align with things as they were originally intended

remember that the key issue of Galatians concerns circumcision which not only set Jews apart from Gentiles but men apart from women as people of special privilege

in contrast, Paul speaks about baptism as being a spiritual equalizer, in which no one claims either inferior or superior status
Paul is ruling out any attempt to back up male privilege via either Circumcision or Ethnicity

This is important for us because…

one of the key concerns behind this “women in ministry” issue is that those who limit women effectively elevate men
much like the Jews who claimed special privilege because of their ethnicity…

…or the circumcised men who claimed special privilege because of their cultic sacrifice…

those who claim women must be subordinate to men claim special privileges for themselves in all matters of family, society, and church

as such, the issue of women in ministry is not just a theological issue, it is an issue of justice

the way that 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2 have been used have not only limited women (a theological error and a hurtful slight against women) but they have also used the Scriptures to solidify their own power (a theological error and a root system for a wide labyrinth of sin)

Rather than discrediting 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2, I think Galatians 3.28 is better employed as a reminder to men that our power is not secured by our sex and that we hold no special privileges.

It not a rebuttal of 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2, but it does have some bearing on the issue of figuring out who God approves of to lead our churches.

Galatians 3.28 is a rebuke of men who keep power for themselves.

Moving on…

Rather than respond to the limiting passages (1 Corinthians 14 & 1 Timothy 2) I would like to begin by looking at the biblical passages that indicate both men and women are to be included in leadership roles within the church. I am confident that when we see the limiting passages in light of the whole text of the Bible they will fall into their appropriate place as specific instructions for particular situations rather than universal laws binding on every occasion.

If we choose to do it the other way, looking first at the limiting passages, it is much like trying to figure out what the Bible has to say about marriage by reading the passages on divorce.

This way, in contrast, will help us understand God’s intention and frame the limiting passages appropriately as variations within God’s plan.

To begin, let us look in the beginning…

Concerning Women in Ministry: Acknowledging my bias

ACKNOWLEDGING MY BIAS


I grew up in Vancouver BC,
a cosmopolitan, metropolitan city of more than a million people comprising a diverse range of ethnic groups, cultural enclaves, and world commerce.

The issue of equality in all matters between men and women was settled in Vancouver a long time ago.

I grew up in a Pentecostal church,
based in the Wesleyan holiness tradition that recognized women as full partners fully capable of holding every ecclesial position.

The issue of equality in all matters between men and women was settled in the Pentecostal/Wesleyan tradition a long time ago.

When I moved to Jackson, Michigan I was surprised to find out that there were some who felt strongly about limiting the role of women inside the church. I was doubly-surprised to find out that the church position I had just accepted was among those. To be honest, I had always thought that those who limited a women’s leadership capacity within the church were an anachronism. I imagined that those few who felt like women shouldn’t (or couldn’t) faithfully fulfill each position in the church were the equivalent of ecclesial red-necks. I also imagined that they had all but died out of the world.

I was wrong on both counts.

First, I was wrong because there are many good and godly people who love Jesus and hold faithfully to the Scriptures who believe women should be limited in their ministry. Based on their interpretation of the Bible, they feel like God has ordained that women always be in a subordinate position to men – both in the home, and in the church.

I could not disagree more (as will become plain). Furthermore, I strongly contend that this women-limiting position is not just a theological one but also one that concerns basic human rights and dignity. I think it’s unjust that we limit their roles.

I digress. The point, however, that I want to make clear is simply that those who limit the role of women are not “red-necks” or “idiots” or “misogynists” or “woman-haters” or whatever else. All of the people I have personally known who limit a woman’s role in the church do so because they believe that’s what the Bible teaches.

Of course, I’m convinced that is NOT what the Bible teaches, but the fact that their beliefs are based on their interpretation of Scripture deserves credit, respect, and some measure of thanksgiving. I wish all church conflicts arose from differing opinions on Scripture, rather than differing opinions on style, form, structure or whatever else. At least when we disagree on an interpretation of the Bible we’re all united in saying: what the Bible teaches matters most.

The other way in which I was wrong about those who limit-women is that I thought they’d all died out. I thought they were a small branch group of uneducated folk who just dwindled away like folklore. Again, I was surprised to learn that – in the United States, at least – this group is very much active and at work to convince others that (while women may be able to enjoy God’s pleasure and fulfill His purpose and destiny in their high and holy calling as mothers and wives) women simply cannot lead either churches or men.

There are two Scriptures that seem to limit the role of women within the church: 1 Corinthians 14.33-35 and 1 Timothy 2.11-15. I will deal with those passages in a moment, but would like to answer an early objection from my opponents before I get into the main body of my argument.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

An Introduction to "Monsters: the imagination of faith and fear" PART IV

Live boldly

That's what this book is about. Not the promise to conquer every fear, but the promise to conquer yourself and live boldly in the face of fear.

This is something I had to teach my son. Jacob was woefully afraid of monsters when he was younger. Having been unwisely introduced to vampires by a distant relative, Jacob used to lay awake at night in his room scared stiff with fear that he would be eaten in his sleep. The only way he would ever calm down was for me to climb into bed with him, hold him tight, and promise to protect him from all harm.

Dave McDonald, Vampire Slayer.

Despite my assurances that vampires were not going to attack him in the night, Jacob continued to be terrified unless I was with him. He imagined hordes of slathering, biting, minions scrambling up the vinyl-siding of our home and cutting open his bedroom window with their elongated fingernails.

In his mind, my son was under the heat lamp of a ghoul's buffet.

I despaired that Jake would ever get over his fear. Night after night I tried to reason with him, but to no avail. After exhausting every argument or line of rationality I could conjure, I decided to try another tact. I told Jacob about the sovereign power of Christ.

I don't mean to imply that I taught him theology in the strictest sense, or read bits of the Bible to him. Oh no, I acted out the confrontations between Jesus and the powers of this world. I told him (age-appropriate versions) stories of Christ and devils, of Jesus defeating the powers of darkness, of the final collision between Yahweh and the Satan, and of Christ's wonderful power to work miracles. I gave Jake a robust vision of the awesome power of his Savior.

And do you know what he said to me?

Daddy. You don't need to sleep with me anymore, because Jesus keeps the monsters away.

Jesus keeps the monsters away.

Yes he does.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Isaiah 43.1b-3a

What we need, more than techniques or tools or time-honored prayers, is a grounded understanding that "greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."

We need to know that God is with us, and that Jesus keeps the monsters away.

Over the next few pages we will explore how false gods can be de-throned, how the monsters can be de-clawed, how the apocalyptic beasts can be de-powered, and how the idolatrous monsters we make can be destroyed.

We will learn eventual and persistent fearlessness,
and immediate and lasting courage.

The Tricky Topic of Halloween | Reasons To Believe

The Tricky Topic of Halloween | Reasons To Believe

monsters artwork

For the "Monsters" atlas, I used royalty-free and public domain works of classical art and iconography. The art came from Albrecht Durer, Gustav Dore, and William Blake and the iconography mostly came from the Russian and Eastern Orthodox churches. I purchased frames from istockphoto.com and added a diffuse glow and slight distortion to each image (in greyscale). Because this was a short atlas (written all on my ipad in a couple of different hotel rooms), Caleb (my editor) and I decided we'd beef up the content with lots of artwork and casewrap it so it sort-of looked like a dr.suess book for adults.

here are some samples (there are over 100 illustrations like these in "Monsters," none of which were used more than 1 time a piece):

An Introduction to "Monsters: the imagination of faith and fear" PART III

Monsters in our lives

These biblical monsters bear a strong resemblance to our contemporary monsters. There is nothing new under the sun. We fear what they feared:

We fear the objects of authority;
we fear the unknown, what’s out there;
we fear retributive justice;
we fear the offspring of our own imagination.

The antidote to the fears of the Israelites was Immanuel: God with us. God never scolded his people for being frightened, but he constantly reminded them that he was present and powerful.

He still is.

You do not need to fear because "the Lord your God is with you."

You do not need to fear dehumanization at the hands of authority, because your worth is in God.

You do not need to fear for your life, consumed with anxiety, because God will protect you.

You do not need to fear for the condition of your soul, because God is good to all, and you are loved.

You do not need to fear the creatures in your mind because God can help you turn your imagination toward life, bravery, heroism, and goodness, and you can be powerful with him.

You are worthy,
protected,
loved,
and empowered.

An Introduction to "Monsters: the imagination of faith and fear" PART II

Monsters in the Bible

There is good biblical material to this effect, though I confess that the approach we're about to take in Monsters is likely very different than anything you might be expecting. Throughout the scriptures, diverse species of monsters appear—false gods (like Ba'al), cryptozoological fiends (like Leviathan), apocalyptic beasts (like the Beast from out of the Sea), and idols (like the Golden Calf)—and as they appear they strike terror in to the hearts of God's people.

Typically, we take this for granted: Of course Leviathan is scary, we think, he's a sea-born Chaos monster. But we never stop to consider whether or not these beasts are real or simply imagined. Ba'al, for example, was simply a stone statue. Asherah was contained in totem poles. No one has even seen a unicorn (mentioned, in Hebrew, in Job 39), nor was there any record of the Golden Calf laying waste to the Israelite's camp in the wilderness.

But, again, whether or not the object of our fears is real is less important than whether or not we're afraid.

The fear must be dealt with.

In most cases, I think we're safest to understand the descriptions of these creatures and cretins as either metaphorical depictions of evil personages (such as the dragon in Revelation, whom many understand to be a representation of the Roman emperor Nero, or possibly Satan), or imaginative descriptions of actual animals (the unicorn in Job 39, for example, bears a striking resemblance to a rhinoceros).

Whether or not these creatures were historical is less significant than the fact that the people within scripture were actually terrified of them. God's people were terrified of the false gods (even if they were just stone statues), Leviathan (even if it was just a crocodile), the Beast from out of the Earth (even if that was just a clever name for Diocletian), and the Ashtoreth poles.

Pre-release copies of "Monsters: the imagination of faith and fear"

An Introduction to "Monsters: the imagination of faith and fear" PART I

Two of my closest friends in Junior High were Cory Stafford and Chris Burns. Cory was an artist, Chris was a sax player, and I was a ninth grader with size 12 shoes. We used to get into incredible mischief, but never were we more imaginative, more outlandish than with our excursions into the Bad Place.

The Bad Place, Tynehead Park, was an underused green belt about a mile or so behind my house. In recent years, it's regularly used in all sorts of television shows—Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Galactica, the X-files, Alias—but back then, we three were probably the only ones who ever really ventured into Tynehead on purpose. With its full canopy of glowering trees, Tynehead was dark by about 2 pm and impassibly black after supper. The darkness there was palpable—like gallons of pitch, a paint pool, latex midnight—and it used to scare us immensely.

Such a profound emptiness deserved a name of its own. Hence "the Bad Place."

But the Bad Place wasn't uninhabited. In our adolescence, we understood that such a place needed—no, required!—an indigenous species. There had to be a caretaker to keep such emptiness unfilled.

And so we came to fear the Bad Thing.

For two summers, we bravely ventured into the Bad Place, simultaneously eager and unwilling to meet the Bad Thing. We ran from it when we heard it rustle in the thorns, and we screamed defiantly when we thought it had finally caught up to us.

It was only when we tried to introduce some of our other friends to the Bad Place that the spell was broken. They brought flashlights, made lots of noise, and quickly came to the conclusion that we must have been eating the wild mushrooms that grew on the feet of trees.

The Bad Thing was my first real monster, my first spectral adversary, and though I know—believe me, I always knew—it wasn't real, I was truly terrified in the woods with Chris and Cory.

We all have our monsters,
and whether or not they are real
is less important than whether or not we are afraid.

We all have secret and abiding fears, shades of doubt and fear-filled wonder, pecking away at our confidence and causing us to question our capability, our culpability, and our ability to live.

I want to tell you that by reading this book you will never hearken to those fears again, but, I can't. It would be untrue. Despite the fact that the most oft-cited command in the Bible is "do not be afraid," we always seem to find something new to fear. That fear eats away at us. It has real-life consequences, making us cower, search desperately for approval, and live powerless lives of victimization, isolation, and grief.

What we need to do is learn to live with courage in the face of our fears, while simultaneously working to de-power those fears. We need to know and understand that even in the midst of our worst fears coming true, God will still sustain us and lead us into a better future.

more in prep for the series on monsters, fear, and halloween

I sympathize with Garfield

...Mondays are always rough

Never trust your emotions on Monday
Never follow through with the impulses you have on a Monday
Never think too hard about what happened over the weekend on a Monday
Never do your finances on a Monday

Mondays are for rest and recovery
The pastor's saturday, 2 days late but welcome nonetheless
Mondays are for honey-do lists and morning cartoons with the one-remaining pre-schooler
Mondays are for t-shirts and dog-walking
Mondays are good days for drinking coffee on the porch and finding out what kind of a mess Lisbeth Salander has gotten herself into
Mondays are for TiVo'd episodes of MadMen and Boardwalk Empire

Real life can wait til tomorrow


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just to get you in the mood for "monsters..."

tough sluggin'

one of my favorite lines ever written came during the afterward of George RR Martin's A Storm of Swords: this one was a bitch.

ever since reading those words, i've been tempted to steal them and use them in reference to pretty much every teaching atlas we've ever done.

apparently, i run the scriptural equivalent of a kennel - every single one is a you-know-what.

but none, i think, more so than this current project Monsters, which is too bad because i've been itching to write this one for a long time. thing is, between just getting back from sabbatical and writing Shadowing God, and having to travel to houston, dallas, seattle, bellingham, and vancouver i was forced to write the bulk of Monsters in hotel rooms on my ipad.

thankfully, i've got a great editor in Caleb Seeling, and he's been helping me refine and retool my thoughts so as to approximate something like cohesive prose.

but now i'm coming to the end of the writing - should wrap all that up tonight - and then i'll be laying this sucker out in a big and beautiful A4 hardcover with plenty of illustrations (think Dr. Suess, for adults).

and it'll be worth it.

i love monsters, just as I'm loving Monsters now that it's taken shape and am confident you will too.

boom.

This week was bat-nuts

I am on a plane, my fourth this week, attempting to write a teaching atlas on my ipad.

I used to love my ipad, love it less now.

I miss my family, especially after sabbatical, and i miss my church. Its a good place, westwinds, and i have a wonderful home.

God has been showing me some tremendous and difficult truths this week, though, so i am grateful for the time away. Its just likehim to take us on a trip we don't want in order to speak something into us we wouldnt otherwise hear.

He's tricksy like that.

Two more days, three more flights, and then home to the two little monsters that matter and the beautiful woman who still turns a pastorly beast into a prince.


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free copy of "shadowing god" for anyone who wants to do a review

if you're interested in reviewing "shadowing god" on amazon.com, I'll send you a free copy of the book. just email me at david.mcdonald@westwinds.org

thanks!

a couple days with len sweet

thursday and friday Jvo and I were in manhattan with len sweet (author, futurist, and friend). len has had a significant impact on my life, and been my unofficial patron ever since i finished up at george fox university 4 years ago. he has fed me insights and intellectual tidbits, included me in his proposals and future plans, and - most astonishingly - always returned my phone calls.

we were meeting len to follow up on his visit to the winds this past spring. we wanted to hear him feedback on our unique strengths (as well as our weaknesses), and give him permission to speak critically about the church, our leadership style, our emphasis, and our spirit.

it was an incredible two days. len was fantastically affirming and - as always - very generous (both in his praise and through giving thoughtful gifts to Jvo and I).

of the many impressions he left me with, it was his generosity that impacted me the most. after a great morning, during which he treated us to a variety of life's finer things, i said to John: everytime i'm with len i'm reminded of how generous God is. it makes me want to do for others like len has done for us. i want to help others think through critical issues. i want to encourage others not to give up or change from the course they know to be "theirs." i want to give gifts that foster the imagination. i want to be like len being like Christ.

and i do.

thanks, len, for your investment in us and in the winds.

thanks, westwinds, for the freedom and permission to learn from one of the greats.

D

Time for another live stream solution

This past Sunday I noticed that our livestreaming app (ustream.tv), which we use to broadcast The Que (our weekend worship experience) over the internet has been selling ad space over top of our broadcast.

Not banner ads, mind you - full screen ads that completely obscure our video feed and give no opportunity for the viewer to close the ad.

At all.

You have to watch the ad, full screen, if you want to watch westwinds live.

Which wouldn't be so bad, except that the ads run about every 3-4 minutes (I saw the same ad 4 times this Sunday before I got up to teach).

And, it wouldn't be soooo bad if the ads weren't (a) a budweiser beer commercial, complete with girls in bikinis and mardi gras beads drinking, dancing, sweating, and touching; and (b) some ad for a sports coupe featuring a "well-endowed" woman with bleached blond hair who is being vigorously shaken by her driver (do I need to point out what kind of video footage is produced when a camera is aimed at such a woman's chest?) as he quickly jerks the car side to side, causing her to bounce jubilantly.

So bad.

So, this week, we're looking for a new video service. Any suggestions?


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