the drum|rob fairbanks

Sowing Shalom - Common Good

I just got back from a conference in Chicago that specifically dealt with how Christian congregations can sow shalom into their local contexts.  It was fantastic.  Almost simultaneously, I came across this new site by CT.  It is worth looking at.

 

What are some of the ways your church has facilitated or joined in "common good" initiatives in your city? I would love to hear!

r

A New Kinda Church Planting - Bronzeville, Chicago

I was in the great city of Chicago this last week. While I got the chance to see a large swath of the city, I spenta good share of my time in a region called Bronzeville (southside of the city). When the Great Migration brought African Americans from the South to jobs in the North early in the last century, many found their way to this area of Chicago. It was the greenhouse for greats like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Nat King Cole, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Lou Rawls, Jesse Owens, Joe Louis and countless others.  It is crazy how many cultural greats have emerged from this area. Today, at least in part, Bronzeville can be described by terms like high unemployment and poverty, urban violence, and population density.

Into to this setting, my good friend Ronnie Harris has been called to  plant a church – a Kingdom outpost. Actually, it could really be said that he has been called back.  See, Ronnie is from Bronzeville and has returned from living away to re-embed himself into this community.

I could almost feel myself tremble at times observing the challenging context of Bronzeville juxtaposed against its historic grandeur.  You know, sometimes there is a mourning and awe at the same time.  The real thrill and allure however was as I got the privilege of hearing Ronnie share of his dream of seeing God’s Kingdom demonstrated through the founding of a local church that communicates and lives the life of Jesus in tangible ways.  When Ronnie describes the greatest needs of his community he doesn’t begin with the idea of putting up another church building, but by describing the need for jobs and the care and mentoring of youth and creating affordable housing and breathing cultural positivity (a gesture of biblical shalom) back into this once proud area. 

Ronnie sounds a bit like authors Hugh Halter and Matt Smay when they write:

"Church must not be the goal of the gospel anymore. Church should not be the focus of our efforts or the banner we hold up to explain what we're about. Church should be what ends up happening as a natural response to people wanting to follow us, be with us, and be like us as we are following the way of Christ."

By leading out by creating opportunities for business and job creation as mission, the fabric will be laid for a gathering of people that see the church less by its institution, politics and building, but by its influence and compassionate engagement with the “least of these.” 

It has been said that the Gospel is best displayed by a church community that loves Christ and lives like he is actually alive.  That is what Ronnie has bought into and what I get the chance to encourage as the leader of Christian Associates. I was able to spend time with Ronnie on his home turf and help pray and plan how this dream could come about.  So, when I use the word privilege in the last paragraph, it was not just a platitude.  It is the literal posture of my life. God is so good.

I am also tremendously appreciative for all of you who pray for and support me in this venture.  Your commitment has engendered a confidence in me to press on with this important work.

Thank you so much!

r

What Kind of Christian Are You?

Today I have a friend, Geoff Reinhart guest blogging.  He is an embedded church planter out of our church, New Community. The new church he is starting is called Chi Rho Community and is a missional church plant in North Idaho. Geoff describes himself as a wanna-be theologian and fly-fisherman. I like him!  :)

Here is his post.  At the end, let me know what you think. Enjoy.

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I have had a number of conversations in the last two weeks that all seem to circle back to the questions, “What kind of Christian are you? What do you believe?”  Labels are still strong in many corners of Christendom – if you say one certain thing, act specific ways, or are aligned or ordained through certain organizations, people think they can lump you into categories. Perhaps this is good at some level. I wonder, though, if on many levels Christianity shouldn’t be a little simpler. What kind of Christian am I? Uh, one that follows Jesus… What do I believe? Uh, I believe that Jesus is who He said He was. “I Am” are still two of the most important words in the New Testament. 

As I thought this through, Halter’s and Smay’s “The Tangible Kingdom” challenged me. The authors report on the observance of the current tensions in the church and how followers of one Savior can see things from such different perspectives:

Tensions can be characterized by seeing the church in two primary camps. One we’ll call “Jerusalem Christians” (those who see the person of Jesus through their traditions and the literal interpretation of doctrine) and the other “Galilee Christians” (those who see the Christian message through the person of Jesus and the narratives about his life). Often, Jerusalem Christians turn belief into dogma: arbitrary rules of life that people are held to beyond their common sense.

A few examples may help here. Jerusalem people are represented pretty heavily in the traditional evangelical camp. They hold doctrine so tightly that sometimes the life of Jesus gets obscured. For example, while in seminary my Jerusalem-oriented professor of New Testament said that Christian leaders should never drink alcohol. As any good Irishman would do, I raised my hand and asked the obvious question, “Didn’t Jesus drink and make wine?” I was asked to leave the class before an answer came. This man interpreted other scriptures so that he could create a case for grape juice instead of wine. I, on the other hand, was focusing on What Did Jesus Do? Others may piece together some scripture and conclude that Christians shouldn’t have non-Christian friends, yet Jesus was called a friend of sinners. Hundreds of thousands of Christians believe you can’t get into heaven without “praying the sinner’s prayer,” even though Jesus granted salvation to many without one reference to a person praying a prayer. Even postresurrection, there’s no precedence for praying a prayer as the ticket to eternity.

Galilean Christians are those who interpret the Bible through the life of Jesus. The Jerusalem people, therefore, tend to be more literal and conscious of correct doctrine, whereas Galileans try to develop a correct theological framework around the life and deeds of Jesus. Jerusalem Christians are more comfortable with black and white. Galilean Christians were forced to deal honestly with the grey areas. Jerusalem Christians strive for perfection in the minutest details, whereas Galilean Christians just want to make sure they don’t mess up on any of the “biggies.” (The atonement, justice, mercy, love, benevolence and advocacy for the poor, oppressed, and sinners, to name a few.)

So, back to the original question: What kind of Christian are you?  Honestly, my idealism has me pretty firmly in the Jerusalem camp, but my life application of the Scriptures forces me practically into the fold of Galileans. Here is what I have seen in the last few weeks: most of us who call ourselves “Christian” like to use statements that make us sound like we’re from Jerusalem, but as soon as life and sin hit close to home, we situationally shift to being Galilean. The fact is, we need to reside in the tension between Jerusalem and Galilee – both are important, and living peacefully with those who are stronger on the Jerusalem or Galilean “side” is possible.

I meet once a month with a group of men to discuss theology (“Theology on Tap” is one of the names we use to describe what we do). What makes this group so interesting are the varied backgrounds and beliefs of the participants. We can argue and debate our way through Trinitarian theology or cosmic origins and leave as respected friends (maybe the “tap” part is helpful here).

Is there consistency between what you say you believe as a person of faith and how you interact with the world in all circumstances? When or why would there be inconsistency?

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If you live in North Idaho and are interested in joining Geoff in his new venture, you can reach him at: Geoff Rinehart

Happy Anniversary Robi Ann!

31 years ago I tricked a naïve teenage girl into saying "I do."  We were children, really.  I am such a lucky guy to be in love with my best friend.  Though I travel far and wide, she is the reason I always ache to be home. It seems like yesterday we got married, but now that we have walked together and loved together this long, I must say that I find no greater joy than to grow old with her!

I love you my dear – more today than ever. Happy Anniversary!

Three One Tomorrow