the drum|rob fairbanks

On Those Who Abandon the Church

 I am reading Todd Hunter’s short book entitled, The Accidental Anglican about his journey from Jesus People to Anglicanism.  I am particularly interested because both of us started out in the same place.  In the first part of the book he lends a quote from James Lloyd Breck, Anglican leader from the 1800’s.  It is important to me because I run into so many “Jesus yes, the church is superfluous (that is a positive spin on their view of the church)" people. 

Here's the quote:

“It is base cowardice to run away from the church because she is not what she ought to be, and thereby leave her to those who care naught for her claims.” 

It kind of reminds me of Augustine’s line about the church: “She a whore, but she’s my mother.”  Always a tension, but for me, I can’t shake the wonder of the people of God attempting, even though haltingly, to live out the Jesus life.

What do you think of Breck's challenging words?

A multi-faceted Gospel (i.e. the “good news” is not as monolithic as we often make it) « Stirrings

I have been preparing for Christian Associates’ 2nd annual North American conference called “Connect.”  On Saturday morning at Connect, our 80 or so participants will wrestle with how we “embody the gospel communally.” The premise is that we default to expressing the good news in quite individualistic fashion, making it harder for normal people to really comprehend the beauty and breadth of God’s message in Christ for the world. The gospel is most clearly understand when embodied by communities that believe it and act as signs, foretastes and instruments of the now-and-not-yet Kingdom of God (as the great missiologist Lesslie Newbigin reminds us).

via dansteigerwald4ca.wordpress.com

A great blog by my friend and colleague, Dan Steigerwald.  He draws heavily from a short essay from Tim Keller as he addresses the many facets of the Gospel.

Let me know know what you think.

Hoopfest and the Crazy Parent in Me

Dateline: June 24, 2011

Hoopfest, Spokane, WA USA

Hoopfest in Spokane is the biggest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament on the planet. That means over 6,700 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 200,000 players and fans, 428 courts spanning 40 downtown city blocks!  When my city does an event, it does it big.  To the right are just a couple of views of it.

In the middle of that mass of people you will find none other than Robert and Tremayne Keith Robert Fairbanks.  Tomorrow, Trey’s (a true basketball name) team, “The Northside Ballers” will be battling for their place in basketball glory, or at least a win or two.

The real back-story is, these are the types of events when Robert’s (that’s me, wild-eyed dad of Trey) dark side occasional comes out.  It is not pretty when it happens and is often embarrassing.  Can you say, "Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde?"  Sometimes I have felt like David Banner turning into the Hulk, ripping my clothes off and turning green, only without the muscle transformation!  See, I hate to loose, even if I’m coaching, evening if I say that it’s no big deal.  Couple that with way too many idiotic parents thinking that their kid is Michael Jordan reincarnated and you create a potentially seismic event.

Ok, seriously, it really is a cool event and a wonderful opportunity for Trey and I to do something fun together.  

Ok, wait a minute, I need to do some self-talk: “Keep your eye on the target Rob, fun with Trey, you can do it…”

Anyway, please pray for me.  Having gone through this before, I will certainly need it!

The Church and the Kingdom

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

II Corinthians 5:16-21 

We are to be kingdom representatives to a world in desperate need of things that are from God, such as goodness, kindness, love, and ultimately kingdom access. Many think that the church’s job is to be a “hospital” or a “container” for Christians.  Erwin McManus captures the misguided attitude that many Christians hold saying,

“We somehow think that the Church is here for us; we forget that we are the Church, and we’re here for the world”.

If we intend to live fully as kingdom people we must recalibrate our thinking. George Hunsberger concludes this by saying,

“…the church’s essence is missional, for the calling and sending action of God forms its identity. Mission is founded on the mission of God in the world, rather than the church’s efforts to extend itself”.

Do you think I’m getting this right?  Is the church’s core orientation or identity to be missional?

 

The Missional Church as a Sub-culture or as Counter-culture

Too frequently the church morphs into the dominant culture in its values, while adhering to a sub-cultural external expression (a Christian ghetto mentality and appearance). The very opposite must happen. Howard Snyder addresses this nuance when describing the differences between being counter-culture and sub-culture stating,

“A sub-culture is in fundamental agreement with the dominant culture on major issues and values, but has distinct secondary values and characteristics. By contrast, a counter-culture is in tension with the dominant culture at the level of fundamental values, even though it may share many secondary characteristics with that culture. The church functions as a sub-culture, not as a counter-culture, when it fails to oppose the dominant culture at those points where the culture pays allegiance to alien gods rather than to the Kingdom of God.” (Howard Snyder – Liberating the Church)

The question that the church must broach is are we counter-cultural or are we forming a sub-culture?

If the emphasis is on sub-cultural ideas, we develop a local church context that lives by rules, insider customs and practices, that are often times completely foreign and many times off-putting to the prevailing culture. They are all secondary to living embedded and engaging authentically in the prevailing culture.

The real juxtaposition comes in the deeper arena of values, morals and ethics. Because the local community of faith represents (a sign, an instrument and foretaste) the kingdom of God in its community life, its effects upon society is to systemically prick the conscience when it violates the ethics of the kingdom. In other words, where there is hatred, love is demonstrated and spread; where there is injustice, the justice of the kingdom is cried out in protest and action; where there is war and threats of war, peace is proclaimed and activated; where there is the exploitation of the earth, conservation is enacted. (from a conversation with my close friend, Dr. Al Tizon). The local church when authentically being the church in a society testifies by its very presence and action to a greater kingdom. The church may look like and even enjoy aspects of the dominant culture, but its core ethics are (must be) forged from a different source. That source does not necessarily require a people to look different (what does a Christian look like???), but it does require a people to act differently, in the way people are loved, in the way resources are stewarded, and in the way differences are honored.

How often have you seen the church live out a counter-cultural life?  Where do you see it happen and what does it look like when it does?  

Theology Matters Pt 2

I believe that our theology does make a difference. There is a Rich Mullins song that states how important  our theological belief system is. He sang referring to the Apostles Creed, “I did not make it, but it is making me.” I believe that. Our theology is not irrelevant or unimportant, but it forms who we are and how we are to act.

If our theology does not move us to love God and our neighbor more, move us to declare the Christ to the world, and move us to step toward the poor, the disenfranchised and oppressed in a redemptive way, then it may be time to revisit what we believe.  In other words, it should make us different....more Kingdom oreinted.  

Is your theology having that affect on you?  Is your belief in Jesus affecting your thoughts and actions? 

Here is one of the most influential creeds in the church’s history (the one Mullins used to compose his song):

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

 the Maker of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

 

Theology Matters

I really like this short video clip.  The line that comes on first is, "Theology matters because...what we know about God shapes the way we think and live."

A second line, the statement at the end, "We are all Theologians," is so important.  Anyone who thinks about God is functioning theologcally.  

The critical followup question is: "Is what we know about God true?"

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.