The Ragamuffin Blog

Joyless Christianity? Really?

This week a friend asked me an interesting question.

Standing at the foot of a trail just outside Estes Park, CO, he looked at me and asked, “Aaron, how would you feel if Jesus returned tomorrow?” Without missing a beat, I responded, “Excited,” and after a little more thought conceded, ”And probably a little disappointed.” Now I know when my Savior triumphantly returns in all power and glory, there will be no lasting feelings of disappointment on that day. But as I consider the hypothetical possibility of him coming tomorrow and my knowing it, I have to admit I feel a bit of sadness.

Burned by the Church

This past week I was talking to a coworker about what it means to follow Christ. He had committed his life to Christ a couple years ago (he was actually led to Christ by Mosaic Lincoln's new creative director) but had fallen away from faith until just recently. He is very much a new, young believer. As we talked about the perseverance it takes to follow Christ he shared with me a statistic his pastor had told him regarding how many people fall away from Christ after making an initial decision to follow Him.

At that moment, another coworker who had been listening in leaned over and said, "There is probably a reason for that." I knew what was coming. This person has a well known reputation around work for being angry and argumentative about all things philosophical. To be honest, he comes off like a pretty miserable person and he seems to enjoy making others miserable. Everyone there knows I am a pastor, so I had been wondering when this guy was going to take a swing at me. Now was apparently his time.

"And what reason would that be?", I asked, bracing myself. 

"It's a sham!", he shouted. "The whole thing is a sham. It is no wonder people don't stick with it, they get smart and figure out organized religion is nothing but a hoax!"

Day 5 Video: "Relevance"

Day 5 - Relevance from Mosaic Lincoln on Vimeo.

This past week my good friend, Bryan Marine, and I set out to shoot today's 30in30 video in an old, abandoned church out west of Lincoln. We had to hike to get back to it, but it turned out to be well worth the effort. What we found was incredible. The place seemed almost untouched with its old pews, rotting organ missing half the keys, broken and twisted stain glass, and remnants of what was. It was almost hauntingly beautiful to step into something so hidden and so full of history. I thought Bryan did such an incredible job of capturing the experience that I just had to share it. Enjoy!

A Pastor's Response to Healthcare Reform

Like many Americans, I anxiously watched last night as Congress officially passed a bill that will overhaul the American health care system and cost an estimated $1 trillion dollars over the next ten years. As someone who is neither Republican nor Democrat, I found myself wrestling with a number of mixed feelings about this monumental event and naturally wondered what it might mean for my wife and I and our two girls in the future. I even wondered what it would mean for their kids someday.

I was unprepared, however, for the cyber onslaught that has since been unleashed by so many well intentioned, but justifiably angry republican Christians. I understand why many are upset. I share many of their concerns. But what struck me most was not their feelings of frustration or their disagreement with this huge decision that will directly affect most of our lives, but their use of spiritual and even Christian language to support and defend their political position.

That bothers me.

Perhaps we’d do well to keep in mind that God used Joseph to institute a highly controlled, big government program in Egypt to save the lives of thousands upon thousands. I’m not suggesting a direct parallel or that Obama is God’s instrument in a similar way today. But I am suggesting that we get honest about the fact that our cherished red-white-and-blue democracy is not a biblical mandate for governing a nation (or a church, for that matter). Be careful not to blur the lines between religion and politics, it is a lethal combination.

I think we would do well to hold in tension two realities: 1, it is not outside the realm of possibility that in the future God could choose to use something as bureaucratic and self-serving as big government to bring about good, just as he did in Joseph’s time. I am NOT suggesting that this is what is happening right now. But I can promise you that God is far more concerned with the health and survival of the poor and suffering than the taxation of America’s middle class (which by the way, represents one of the wealthiest segments of people on earth). Even if God has had nothing to do with the happenings in DC, that will always remain true. And although I personally probably wouldn’t have voted for this bill and am more than a little anxious about what all this might mean in the future, I rejoice over what this could mean for those who could not otherwise afford healthcare, particularly the urban poor and terminally ill.

2, more importantly, we need to turn to the wisdom of the scriptures that urges us over and over to not put our trust in those who hold power. Consider the words of Psalm 118:8-9: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” If you find yourself either suddenly inspired with great hope for the future or outraged that this could happen in our nation, you may be placing too much hope in the wrong thing. Jesus is the one and only true hope for humanity, the only one that will never fail us.  

I’ll admit that this whole thing scares me too. I worry about what it might mean over the next twenty years for our country and for my family. I worry about what it might mean for my kids and theirs. But God is bigger than governments and he has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what the future holds, He will always take care of us. And you know, perhaps it isn't such a bad thing for us to be reminded every now and then that we really aren't as in control of our lives as we'd like to think we are.  

My last word is for the leaders out there.

Last night I hopped online to find a frenzy of angry tweets and facebook statuses from pastors and spiritual leaders all over the country. Friends, please remember that your influence is no small thing. As leaders, your words are like a virus. For better or worse, they affect everyone around you. In times of anxiety and crisis, that influence multiplies as others look to you for clarity and direction. My question to you is this: what are you spreading? Are you acting as a voice of love and hope in this time of monumental change in which many are anxious and afraid? Or in your venting are you unintentionally spreading anger and cynicism to those around you, adding to their fear and unsettledness?

I urge you, my friends, to choose hope. Not hope in government or politicians or your own fiscal outlook for 2011 and beyond, but hope in Jesus. Look for your peace there. And help those around you to do the same. 

Another Church?

"Does Lincoln really need another church?" 

This is a question I get pretty regularly, and you know, it is a reasonable one. I was reminded of this a couple weeks ago when a groomsman at a wedding I was officiating asked me what I do. When I shared with him about Mosaic Lincoln, he was dumbfounded. For the next hour he drilled me with questions about church planting. It was a lot of fun! I have to admit I love these conversations; partly because I love talking about church planting but also because the conversation is never just about what I do, it's also about what's behind what I do: a love for God and a love for Lincoln.

When people from Lincoln ask me why in the world another church would be needed in a city like Lincoln, there are typically one of two assumptions behind it:

• 1, that existing churches are already sufficiently ministering to the entire city (a conclusion generally assumed by Christians)

• or 2, that having more churches in the city isn’t particularly desirable (a conclusion generally assumed by most everyone else).

Let's begin with the first. 

Lincoln does have a number of churches already, but are those churches effectively ministering to the entire city? 

Consider this:

• Statistics have consistently shown that while most Americans associate themselves with Christianity on paper, few are actually an active part of a faith community. That being said, nearly 140,000 Lancaster Country residents do not claim religious affiliation! Of those that do "claim" Christianity, stats suggest that as few as 25% are actually connected to a church.  
• Of Lincoln’s 30,000+ college students, less than 10% are reportedly a part of a faith community. 
• Between 1990 and 2000, Lincoln’s population grew 18%. Great to see that our city is growing! However, during this same time church attendance declined 2.7%. This reveals that while the city continues to add tens of thousands to its growing population, the reach of the church is actually shrinking.

A brief look at the stats above reveals that the vast majority of Lincoln’s 250,000+ residents remain unreached by the church. 

However, our second assumption we began with begs the question “Is that really such a bad thing?” This is perhaps the most important question.

As we’ve already mentioned, the vast majority of Americans say they believe in God. Most even consider themselves to be “Christian,” and yet fewer and fewer are going to church each year. This dropout is happening at an alarming rate, particularly amongst young adults. (Lincoln has roughly 100,000 between the ages of 20 and 40!) Just about every denomination is feeling the hit as fewer and fewer are showing up each week and as thousands of churches close their doors each year.

Can you see the profound disconnect here? – so many people are interested in Jesus, even believe in Jesus, and yet fewer and fewer believe that the church really has anything meaningful to offer them. People aren’t losing their faith in God, they're losing their faith in the church. At the very least, I think we can agree that something needs to change.

This is the "why?" behind Mosaic Lincoln.

(For more on this subject, check out Tim Keller's excellent article "Why Plant Churches?")

Belong Before Believe (part 2)

Creating a culture where people can belong before they believe is a practical application of our first core value: Mission is why the church exists. At first glance this might not seem like a big deal. After all, many Christians would nod their head in agreement with this statement. The mind of the seasoned Christ follower might even jump to relevant passages like the Great Commission in Matthew 28 or Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9. However, it is in praxis that this core value often becomes problematic.

Every church has got to decide which voices they are going to listen to. In most churches, it is the loudest, most persuasive, most powerful, or sometimes just the most deliberate Christian voices that get listened to. But the conversation is essentially the same: everyone vouching for their own preferred brand of Christianity. Mosaic essentially ignores these voices of religion in order to better hear the voices of humanity.

There are always any number of conversations going on throughout Christendom that church people consider to be of immense importance. The details of these conversations are always in flux - traditional/contemporary, emergent/emerging, modern/postmodern/post-postmodern, and a never ending plethora of theological asterisks. But as a movement whose very purpose for existing resides outside of its four walls, Mosaic just isn't all that interested in engaging in such "internal" conversations. We want to spend the best of our time, energy, passion and creativity on connecting people to God who wouldn't normally associate themselves with church.

This doesn't always involve a choice. After all, we are not a divided humanity. At our core we all desire, need and long for the same things. Mosaic speaks into those things that are true of us all. However, in those times when we must choose, we will always choose to ignore the voices of religion and internal religious conversation in order to begin new conversations with those who do not know Jesus.

Belong Before Believe

Mosaic puts great emphasis on being a community where people can belong long before they believe. This is really just a reflection of our value for those who don’t normally associate themselves with church. Have you ever walked into an environment and felt totally out of place?

I remember a rather memorable evening spent at a local gay bar. A friend of ours was performing that night and we decided to get a crew together to come out and support him. We had a really good time, but as a straight, church-going, rural Midwestern married man, suffice to say that it was a little out of my element. I had never been to an event MC’d by a drag queen, had never seen so many fashionable men under one roof, and I’m pretty sure there were a number of brilliant puns used seamlessly throughout the night that just didn’t register for me. I was out of my element. And as hard as I tried to fully immerse myself in the experience, and as wonderful as the company really was, I still felt like an outsider.   

I think that church can often feel the same way to those who aren’t familiar with it. Often times it is just assumed that people know all of the ins and outs. But sometimes what we don’t realize is that over the years, we’ve developed a highly complex (and often bizarre) subculture. This subculture has its own language, norms, values and rules – most all of which are unwritten. To someone on the outside looking in, it can look really strange at best, and uninteresting and alienating at worst.

Mosaic is a community that desires to deconstruct this sort of “insider” culture by creating an inclusive space where people don’t need to know the secret handshake or subscribe to a set of beliefs to be a part of the community. Everyone who wants in is already in. There’s no process. No membership. Just a community of people from all walks of life that recognizes and respects the unique journey of each individual, and who embraces that individual regardless of where they fall on the spiritual spectrum.

What this means practically is that at all times there are a number of people throughout the Mosaic community – people who serve on various creative teams, who are a part of small groups, who travel with us overseas and serve with us locally in humanitarian projects, who attend Sunday gatherings and who consider Mosaic their home – who are not professing Christians. And that is not just okay, but it is precisely what we desire to see happen.     

Our hope is that Mosaic will be a place where all can encounter God and pursue what He might desire for them on their time, when they are ready.

Epic Mistakes in Ministry

You ever think back to something you did and wonder to yourself, What was I thinking?! Perhaps it was your first ministry gig or one of the first times you were trusted with significant responsibility and you did something of such epic stupidity that it still makes your face hot to think about it?

When I was in my early twenties, I was hired as the part time worship pastor for a church plant in Lincoln, NE. I had previously sworn to never work for a church. As a wounded pastor's kid, I had spent most of my young adult life avoiding church people. So when I took the job, I did so with more than a little hesitation and with a big church-person-sized chip on my shoulder.

So you can about imagine how well I handled it when anonymous comment cards started coming in attacking myself and the worship team for (of all things) wearing hats on stage. All of the bad pk memories came flooding back as I remembered the people who had caused me to tuck tale and run from religion so many years ago. Adding to the fire was the fact that these comment cards represented a direct contradiction to the vision of our church (the reason I was there in the first place). I was primed and ready to flip.

Then one week I received a particularly scathing comment card. Its author took cheap shots at various members of the worship team for their unacceptable attire on Sunday mornings - particularly their wearing of hats - and what they believed that reflected about their character. And in true coward form, it was once again anonymous. I was livid. But ya know, it probably wouldn't have been that big of a deal if I hadn't been on deck to preach one of my first sermons that coming Sunday.

Instruction Manual for Life

This video is poignant, beautiful and packed with truth. Wisely invest 8 minutes of your life and watch it. And if you're a Jesus follower, grab a couple close friends and spend some time wrestling with the questions this modern day parable brings up and its implications on our lives and ministries.

I love this short film. It beautifully portrays our human tendency to resist that which is mysterious and unpredictable. Only in worshiping religion do we attempt to reduce the great narrative of God and humanity to a static, symmetrical cupboard of do’s and don’ts. Why are so many of us afraid to embrace and celebrate the God-given uniqueness of each person? How can we possibly think that God’s ultimate goal for us is to look, act, feel, believe and behave in exactly the same way? Like the young boy portrayed in this film, we will discover entirely new colors, shapes and dreams for our lives if only we are courageous enough to step outside the demands and confines of religious dogma and consider what the book really says about us and its author.

If only we will do this, perhaps we will find ourselves more gracious and loving with those who disagree with us. Perhaps we will find entirely new designs and colors and shapes along the way, ones that inspire, guide and empower those who don’t know where to start or who find themselves stuck in a world of black and white. Perhaps we will find ourselves drawn to the author who believes in us enough to leave so many pages blank, yet to be written by us, and us alone. Perhaps we all need to rethink the cupboards we have built for ourselves.

Predestined to be a Scientologist

This past week me and the protege crew spent a morning touring a Scientology center in, of all places, Hollywood. This has been on our "to-do" list for some time now and it was great to finally get to do it. Part of our reason for going had to do with our discussion about tribes, but the main goal was to experience what it felt like to be on the other side of high pressure evangelism. Unfortunately, they knew we were a group of Christians before we got there so I think we got the non-fat version.

Aside from a hilarious South Park episode (which they cited as an obnoxious headache), I really didn't know much about Scientology prior to my experience the other day. After our rather vague tour that primarily centered around what an amazingly swell guy L. Ron Hubbard was, I still feel there is a lot I don't know. The thing we were a part of was more like a introductory 'first experience' type thing. Although we asked a lot of questions, the answers we got were pretty vague and some actually contradicted things we had heard from those with friends deep into Scientology. It felt more like a PR session catered just for us, but I still learned some interesting things I thought I'd share.

Though you'd never guess it with their horrendous sci fi looking book covers, they are really good at marketing. They know how to draw people in, connect with them, and get 'em 'hooked' without ever having to address the truth behind the truth. And at least on the front end, I can totally see why Scientology has the kind of following it does. They boast about it being the one major world religion started in the 20th century (a rather odd thing to boast about, if you ask me), and frankly, it is exactly the type of religion you would expect to be birthed out of the 20th century. The things they champion are generally good: keeping street drugs out of the hands of kids; helping people become better leaders, better communicators, better human beings; encouraging personal health and success; making families stronger and homes healthier environments for kids to be raised in. These are all good things that most of us can agree on.

Their focus is intellectual and rational, they celebrate knowledge as progression (think "modern"), and interact a lot with popular psychology. They also acknowledge that God exists (something the vast majority of people are willing to agree with) and they will even go as far as to say that "if we miss God, we miss everything." Interestingly, their worship services look just like a church. They have a pulpit, the attenders sit in rows, they baptize babies, do weddings, worship together, even have a leather bound bible (though not called that) written by L. Ron Hubbard himself, filled with sermons for all different kinds of occasions.

They proudly admit to sampling from every major religion and then, perhaps most importantly, they affirm people's personal beliefs while giving themselves and everyone else permission to agree to disagree on most everything spiritual. We hung out with a woman who is an ordained minister and she outright said, "God is the most important thing there is. And there is only one God. There is not a god of the Jews, and a god of the Muslims, a god of the Mormons, etc. There is only one God..." (alright, sounds good, I am tracking with this lady so far...then she says,) "But what God is for me is probably very different than what God is for you."

Bam. There it is. They have essentially taken the things we can all affirm as 'good', championed those things and invested their resources in helping people with them, and then subtracted the one thing that every disillusioned Christian, atheist, apostate, and postmodern thinker has a problem with: the idea that one belief is 'right' and other beliefs are wrong. They have essentially created a community that both empowers personal development and acknowledges spirituality, without ever having to articulate what that spirituality is, allowing each person to define it for him or herself. From our brief introduction to Scientology last week, it almost seems to be the perfect man-made religion.