Wesley Report

Did Jesus Blow The Curve?

Shawn Wood is quite clear. Jesus has blown the curve. That's the analogy anyway. Wood says we have developed a "grade on a curve" theology when it comes to sin. We know we've fallen short of the perfect grade, but since we're not at zero like Hitler and Stalin, that God must be cool with that. But that isn't how it works. Only a grade of 100 passes, and in all of human history only Jesus ever made the 100. So we're essentially in the same boat with mass murderers.

Thankfully when we're in Christ, his grade is the only one that counts. But being in Christ means we should be becoming like Christ. Jesus loved his enemies, and moreover, he expects the same from us.

Loving our enemies isn't always easy. I never really struggled with this idea personally (or so I thought), but when I started working with at-risk youth I discovered how radical it really is. In some circles, forgiving enemies is seen as a sign of weakness. On more than one occasion, frustrated teenagers have given me looks of disbelief when I told them they're supposed to pray for their enemies and love them. Christians may be living under the new covenant, but plenty of folks out there never got the memo (or haven't read it) and are still operating under their own version of "eye for an eye."

Shawn Wood says that Jesus is trying to transform our hearts, and when we hold a grudge, it's a form of "heart disease" that prevents the transformation from taking place. I agree with him on this, but I'm sure some won't because it implies that our free will is somehow blocking a sovereign God. 

It's taking me longer than I originally intended to make it through Wasabi Gospel. When I read it the first time, I intended to post on the entire book three or four times and move on to the next book. Instead, I've found myself going back through it, chapter by chapter. If you're looking for an accessible 7 week group study in the Gospels, this book is a great choice. 

The next chapter is about money. Get ready to feel uncomfortable.

Is Salvation a One Man Show?

I had planned to move faster through Wasabi Gospel, but sometimes life just interrupts. That's okay, we're not on a rigid schedule anyway. So where was I? Right. Chapter 2. And boy does Shawn Wood (pictured) drop a bombshell at the end of the chapter:

...Jesus is the only actor in the one-man act that is the story of our salvation. We all try our best to sneak in a cameo appearance- but our actions have nothing to do with our salvation.

Really? Nothing at all? I'm not sure I agree with that.

Now that I've written that last sentence, some of you probably assume that I think people can save themselves. No, that's not my view either.

A problem with some Christians today is that they can't theologically walk and chew gum at the same time. (And by some Christians, I especially mean the Reformed community, but other Christians have problems with this too.)

Predestination vs. free will. All or nothing. God is sovereign but apparently not sovereign enough to limit his own sovereignty for his own purposes.

And in Shawn Wood's book, we revisit the tension between Christ's salvation and human response. (It wasn't even the main point of the chapter... it was more like a postscript.) But does Shawn really believe that our actions have nothing to do with our salvation?

What he's saying has two logical conclusions. Double predestination or universalism. Take your pick.

Wesleyan theology, on the other hand, emphasizes human response, but that doesn't diminish the work of Christ on the cross. If I'm drowning and someone throws me a life preserver, does my grabbing the life preserver change the fact that someone saved my life? Of course not.

I understand that Shawn wants to give Jesus all the credit for saving him. Jesus definitely deserves all the credit. But having salvation depend on my response isn't taking away from Christ's work, and it doesn't mean I played an active role in the salvation process. The reality of human free will, however, does guarantee that we are involved on some level. If someone offers me a gift, I have to receive it in order to enjoy it. And no thoughtful person will conclude that receiving a gift lowers the value of the gift (or the price the giver paid for it) in any way.

The next chapter is about loving our enemies. This one's definitely going to be interesting.

Three Levels of Forgiveness

Shawn Wood writes that there are three levels of forgiveness. The first one is forgiving people who say they're sorry and try to make amends. We say we forgive them, but we still watch our backs around those people (if we even want to see them again.) The second level is forgiving the ones who have hurt us and shown remorse. This level is usually accompanied by some level of restoration of the damaged relationship. Shawn says that this kind of forgiveness often includes the upgrade to forgive and forget. The highest level of forgiveness is called mercy, and means forgiving whether the offenders are sorry or not. From God's perspective, this level can even be preemptive. (Wrap your mind around that. Forgiving people before they hurt you. That's what Jesus did for us.) Shawn Wood says the highest level isn't so much about forgiving and forgetting, but remembering and still forgiving anyway.

I've never struggled with forgiveness in the same way I've struggled with some of the other commands of Christ. I'm an optimist and I hate holding grudges. That doesn't mean that I haven't developed street smarts. I don't blindly trust people who have hurt me, but my caution is fueled by wisdom, not by a grudge. There's a big difference.

This ties in to my Radical Methodist series. Real forgiveness is radical!

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. - Matthew 5:7 NRSV

Could this mean that our own forgiveness depends on whether or not we forgive others? (I know there are other verses that deal with this, but is that what this one is saying?) When you think about the people who have hurt you the most, what level of forgiveness have you reached? The low hanging fruit of level 1, or the top shelf stuff at level 3? Some other questions:

• Is the desire to avoid someone necessarily a sign of unforgiveness?
• Is it possible to achieve the highest level of forgiveness, yet still require the offenders to earn your trust once again?
• Are there really three levels of forgiveness, or only one? (In other words, can levels 1 and 2 really be called forgiveness?)
• Does forgiveness have to be unconditional?
• Do offenders have to receive forgiveness for it to be effectual?

When the Words of Jesus Hit You Right in the Gut

I'm going to admit, I've never tried wasabi. I'm not a big fan of Japanese food. Although I'm daring in other areas of my life, I usually play it safe when it comes to food. I don't generally wander off the beaten path and try new menu items at restaurants. I even avoid the newer sandwiches at McDonald's and stick to the basic Quarter Pounder with Cheese. I know, it's pretty sad. 

Shawn Wood has written a book comparing some of his experiences reading the words of Jesus with the first time he tried wasabi- a sort of Japanese "horseradish" that he thought would taste similar to butter. Boy was he caught off guard! (I've seen similar reactions from people who try real salsa for the first time when they visit Texas.)

If you grew up in church or you've read the Bible for a while, you probably know the four gospels pretty well. I've read them so many times that it's often easy to let my mind wander while I'm reading. There are times when I feel like it's mostly review... nothing really new. But Shawn Wood has helped me to realize how foolish it is to slip into that kind of "scripture familiarty". Jesus said some wild stuff, and if we take off our scripture "shock absorber" and read the gospels with a real open mind, his words will excite us, encourage us and scare the heck out of us all at the same time! 

Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be mining this book... mostly taking ideas that grab me and running with them. I'm inviting Shawn Wood to participate as well, if he has some time to jump in. I hope to ask him some questions over the next few days. If you're reading along in the book, you'll be on top of everything, but even if you aren't, you should find these topics very easy to follow. Just grab your Bible and read the scripture references, and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section. Later today or tonight, I'll jump into chapter 1. (It's on forgiveness.) For now, check out the following scriptures:

• Matthew 5:7
• Matthew 18:21-35
• John 20:22-23
• Romans 12:18
• Luke 6:27-28

An Interview with Adam Hamilton

I had the pleasure of interviewing Adam Hamilton yesterday. Adam is senior pastor of the 16,000 member Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS. He is the author of Confronting the Controversies, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, and Enough.

SHANE: First of all, your books and your sermon series are usually very practical. You seem to have a recurring theme of "things you always wanted to know about...." and you're not afraid of dealing with controversial issues. How do you decide what to preach and write about?

ADAM: I take one week every summer and go on silent retreat, spending time in prayer, taking with me the prayer request cards of the congregation, books that will help me think, and my Bible. Prior to that week I send an e-mail to the congregation inviting them to pray, and then to submit ideas for sermons they need, or they think their friends need. I ask them what theological questions they have that they would like to hear a sermon on. I ask them what dimensions of the Christian life they need help with. I ask them what parts of the Bible they feel I have neglected or they simply would like to hear more about. I ask what personal issues they are wrestling with, or what societal issues they would like to have me consider in the light of the scriptures. There are usually 40 years worth of sermon ideas they submit and I read over them all. I also meet with our staff and key leaders prior to the retreat and ask for their input. So the process is very collaborative. I read all of this input. I pray. I read scripture. I pray. I walk. I pray. I read other books. I pray. And eventually the ideas seem to flow. I lay out sermon series ideas - usually four years worth of ideas. I keep chewing on them, praying over them, and begin to add sermon titles and a few more ideas. When I'm finished with this week, I meet with our worship planning team, share the ideas, and they help me discern which are most needful for our congregation and/or which most resonate with them. Out of this comes a two year sermon plan. I revise and change this plan throughout the year.

SHANE: Your latest book Enough deals with the subject of money. How does a pastor preach and write about money without the appearance of a conflict of interests? For example, if people take a pastor's advice on tithing, his or her church obviously benefits financially. How does this affect the sensitivity with which you broach the subject?

ADAM: This is a good question. Enough came out of my desire not so much to raise money as to help people in an area of life most Americans struggle with. My "stewardship" series the last couple of years were more about doing pastoral care and discipleship than raising money. But the result was that people gave more generously and faithfully.

SHANE: Your latest book seems especially relevant given the current financial crisis. How do you think our handling of our personal finances has impacted our national economic situation? Is our pursuit of the "American Dream" responsible for the mess we're in?

ADAM: Yes, I think we are where we are because we've become confused about where life is found. When you get to the bottom of the current economic crisis, both on Wall Street and Main Street, what you find are at least four of the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, envy and pride. We continued to believe that joy is found in having  more stuff. Our economy was fueled by making it possible for American consumers to buy an ever increasing amount of "stuff" by borrowing tomorrow's income today. This is why a government bailout, while it may be important, will not ultimately solve the problem. We'll be right back where we are in a few years if we don't fundamentally re-think our relationship with money and possessions.

SHANE: You state in your book that tithing is possible at virtually any income level. Have you ever experienced resistance when you made that assertion? How do we let people know that God blesses our giving without falling into the "prosperity gospel" excesses?

ADAM: Yes, I've had people explain to me why they could not tithe at their income level. I listen patiently, and, when appropriate, explain how LaVon and I began tithing the year we were married - we were 18 years old making a combined income of $11,000 - $1,000 below the poverty level for a family of two that year. I was going to college full time and we had no support from our families. And we gave 10% to God and also sponsored a child through Compassion. I tell folks that I don't give because I think God will make me rich as a result. But I also share that our experience has been that we were never hungry, and somehow we had more left over each month than our friends who did not tithe. I could not completely explain this. I feel God has blessed us and entrusted us with greater responsibility because we sought to be faithful with the little that we had.

SHANE: Why do you consider it "countercultural" for Christians to not only live within our means, but below our means?

ADAM: Yes, our culture has for years invited people to live beyond their means - to buy the biggest house they could afford. To drive nicer and more expensive cars than they should have driven. And to live by credit to fund a lifestyle they could not really afford. There was no room for giving to God, to non-profits or to help family. But I think the gospel calls us to live simpler lives. Simplicity is a relative term. It looks different depending upon your income level. What I invite people to do is to live several rungs below their income level. LaVon and I try to practice this in our life. Our aim is to give away an increasing percentage of our income every year. Last year that was 22.5% of our after tax income. I hope by the time we retire it is significantly more than this. And, most of what we accumulate in our lives, we'll give away at our death to kingdom causes.

SHANE: How do John Wesley's example and teachings affect your views of money and stewardship?

ADAM: I think Wesley sets a great example, though not necessarily realistic for most of us. However, his dictum, earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can is one anyone can live by.

SHANE: A key theme of your book is contentment. How do we learn how to be content? How do we find a middle ground between the extremes of lazy complacency and an excessive interest in money?

ADAM: Gratitude is a key part of finding contentment. Gratitude helps trigger a change in our perspective. Our values have to change too - we begin to value time with people, we value doing meaningful things, we recognize that joy is usually found in simpler, rather than more elaborate things. Again, I think Wesley's dictum addresses your second question.

SHANE: Most people would consider you a moderate evangelical. There's an old saying that the problem with being in the middle of the road is you get hit by cars going both ways! Have you ever felt like that? In our denomination (and your congregation in particular) do you feel that you're a bridge-builder between the left and the right? If so, how? How do you think Church of the Resurrection with its diversity of viewpoints serves as a prototype for 21st century United Methodism?

ADAM: Wesley himself was a bridge builder - straddling the line between Catholic and Protestant, between high church and low church, conformists and non-conformists. In my book Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White I identify with the "radical center." I recently heard former British Prime Minister Tony Blair pick up this same theme. Yes, I have in the past felt that I was a bit of a misfit - not conservative enough for the conservatives and not liberal enough for the liberals. Increasingly, however, I find growing cadre of people who are drawn to this approach to the gospel - a holistic approach that holds in tension the best of the left and the right. I also think this is precisely the kind of approach to the Christian faith that 21st century young people are most likely to respond to. In addition, the country as a whole is currently moving in this same direction. Since this is a part of Methodist DNA, I feel like we've got a huge opportunity right now to be the church that reaches non-religious and nominally religious people.

SHANE: You recently preached a sermon on a controversial topic: homosexuality. Your position on this subject seems to have moved left over the years, but you show an unusual amount of respect for people on both sides of the issue and you even appear to be attempting to forge a "third way." What would be your advice to congregations that take far left or far right positions on this? Is it possible to take a traditional position on homosexuality and still be a congregation that effectively reaches gays and lesbians?

ADAM: I think it will be increasingly difficult to be a vocal proponent of the current UM position on homosexuality and effectively reach the next generation, or to effectively reach gays and lesbians. I think one might hold the current UM stance and not address the issue and reach them. One might, for the next five years (ten years in the south) articulate our current position with great compassion, and still reach young adults, homosexuals and their friends, family and co-workers. But the world is changing and I think the church will see this issue differently in the future. I'm convinced that all of the evangelical churches will wrestle with this issue in ten to fifteen years or they will have lost a generation and will themselves begin a steady period of decline. Sunday I asked our congregation to raise their hands if they have a close friend or someone they love who is gay. 90% of the congregation raised their hands. These folks already see greater complexity in this issue than the church does. They may still be a bit more conservative, but they will not tolerate churches that speak in ways that are cruel and insensitive about their friends. It's one thing to debate homosexuality as a hypothetical argument about someone you hardly know. It is another thing to consider a position regarding the life of someone you love.

My own journey and position on this involves several things: First, I continue to acknowledge that the scripture teaches that heterosexuality is normative and, to use Leslie Weatherhead's language from his book, The Will of God, God's "intentional will." The second is to recognize that there is a small portion of the population that seems to be shaped differently from that intention, either at birth or by early childhood, and usually not by a choice that was their own. For these heterosexuality will be very difficult to live into, even with the kind of "reparative therapy" offered by some. Next, after thirty years of daily Bible reading I have come to recognize that the Bible is a more complex document than most people would like to admit. It is both a book written by human beings who were shaped by their cultural and theological presuppositions, and the limitations of their knowledge, and it is a book through which God has spoken and continues to speak. This recognition gives us the ability to wrestle with the texts on homosexuality and to at least ask questions of them (did God really intend that homosexuals be stoned to death? Does God really see the gay children who we baptized, gave third grade Bibles to, confirmed and raised up as an "abomination"?) Fourth, we have a clear mandate, throughout scripture, concerning demonstrating love. We are to "do justice and to love mercy." Finally, what has most affected me and my views of this issue over the years has been my love of the children in our congregation. Having been in this church nearly 19 years, more than a dozen of the children I've baptized and watched grow up in the church later "came out" - I love these children (now young adults) and as I listen to their stories, and the way they've been treated by other Christians, I find myself being very protective of them. Likewise, in a congregation of 16,000 people, if we're reaching a representative sample of the community, 5% of these - roughly 800 people - are gay or lesbian. And I feel a great compassion and care for those in my flock that I know who are gay. So, both in my theological reflection about the nature of God, the nature of scripture and the nature of love, and in my personal experience with children and youth I care about in my flock, I find my views moderating on this issue.

I've tried to navigate a third way that says that we at Church of the Resurrection will agree to disagree about this issue - we've got folks on both sides. But we will continue to try to learn, grow and understand more clearly both the issue of homosexuality and how God looks at his children who are gay. And we will be a place where no one's children are turned away, or wounded by our church. I have tried to model how we might affirm the normative status of heterosexuality while seeing homosexuality with fresh and more sensitive and understanding eyes than we have in the past.

I still have a lot of unresolved questions about homosexuality, but what I've said captures the struggle, and the journey, I've been on.

SHANE: Now for a little fun. Suppose TBN calls and offers you your own television show. What do you tell them? If you had your own daily TV show, what would it look like?

ADAM: No to TBN! I have watched some of their programming and I would not be a good fit! They'd kick me off within a few weeks, I think. But if I had time, I would love to do a daily show to talk about Christian ethics, theology and practical Christian living on PBS. I would do a Q&A format - I love doing Q&A sessions at the church. And I would include short stories from daily life- I saw a news story last year about a concert violinist who started playing in the subway in some major city. They had a hidden camera on the guy to see if anyone stopped, but virtually no one did- they just kept hurriedly going about their business. And I thought, there's a short sermon there- how we miss out on the amazing beauty around us because we're in such a hurry. That's the kind of short stories I'd do! But there's no time. I'll leave that for someone else. The closest thing I've seen to what I would do is Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.

SHANE: You talk about Macs and iPhones a lot. What are you, an Apple snob?

ADAM: Ha! I suppose I am. I fell in love with the Mac in 1985, my first year of seminary. I saved up enough to buy a used Mac in early 1986 and I still have that original Mac sitting on my desk as a decoration (and it still runs!).
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Be sure to check out Adam's blog. Also, the sermon I mentioned near the end of the interview can be found here.

Simplicity and Generosity: Adam Hamilton Hits a Home Run

Fox Business Network host Dave Ramsey blurbs Adam Hamilton's new book at the Cokesbury web site. Hopefully Adam will be invited on Dave's show, because Enough also needs to be read outside of United Methodist circles. It's not a long book, but if you read it with an open mind, it will be with you for a long time. I don't usually want to reread books right away, but this one was different.

I respect Adam Hamilton partly because he has avoided getting sucked into the mainline ghetto of theological irrelevance. Like John Wesley, Adam has perfected a brand of evangelicalism tempered by mainline moderation and a practical accessibility. Wikipedia reports that membership at Adam's church has passed 16,000, so he's obviously doing something to connect with the people.

Enough will meddle in your life and make you examine your heart and your wallet. (The two are connected, you know. What does scripture say about where your treasure is...) By the time you're done with the book, you'll realize how easy it is in our culture to make an idol of the American Dream. Adam begins the book by pointing out that, on financial issues, we need to avoid judging others and instead shine the light on ourselves. Otherwise, we fall into the trap of using our own lives as the standard by which we measure others. How easy is it to assume that people who live more extravagantly than us are wasteful and people who live more simply are radical extremists?

Without giving away too much of the book, I'd like to point out a few things that really got my attention. Adam gives several definitions of "affluenza", the most striking one being "an unsustainable addiction to economic growth." If you've watched the financial panic on the cable news channels recently, you'll realize just how timely that definition really is. Adam also observes how credit cards have replaced layaway at department stores. Instead of teaching our kids that something must be completely paid for before taking it home, we're now instilling instant gratification as a core value that they'll likely carry with them the rest of their lives. That should be a cause for concern.

Adam says that Christians should live counterculturally- not just living within our means but actually living below our means. This frees up income to give to others and invest in the Kingdom of God. That one concept probably convicted me more than any other part of the book. He says that we should realize that our life's purpose is more than existing to consume as much as we can and get as much pleasure as we can. Our mission should be bigger than our own personal satisfaction, and we should see money as a means to accomplish that mission, not just an end in itself.

Adam gives clear steps to simplify our lives and set financial goals to help us accomplish our purpose. He points out that simplicity and generosity are connected and inseparable. Enough has solid discussion questions, and I think it would be great for small groups or for the dreaded "stewardship study" churches regularly do. (Hint: Don't call it a stewardship study. That sounds only slightly more exciting than counting the dentist's ceiling tiles during a root canal.) This book is too good to be called a stewardship study. But whether you read it on your own or with others, make sure you grab a copy. At ten bucks it's a great investment.

One slightly humorous thing I caught was how Abingdon's editorial policy (or maybe Adam's writing style) avoids pronouns for God but calls the devil "he" in a number of places. I'm trying to get UMPH to relax a little on that policy, but for now it's one of those quirks I'll live with. Abingdon is publishing some excellent stuff these days, and Adam Hamilton's new book is proof of that. But don't read it if you don't like being challenged.

Note: There's also a five session DVD study available.