Dual Citizenship

At first glance, it seems like a question of allegiance; am I loyal to my country or not? The assumption here is unquestioning support of all of our country's policies and practices both foreign and domestic. The war in Iraq, a tax structure that favors unbridled corporate expansion at the expense of small business, while poor families live without adequate healthcare and children go without food; if I'm going to be a good citizen, I have to either embrace or tolerate (read, "look-the-other-way") these and many other current realities.

My more conservative brothers and sisters seem to want to wrap the Church in an American flag and declare the U.S. a Christian Nation whose only problem is simply remembering our spiritual heritage and returning to those roots; like a Prodigal nation-state coming home. Such a scenario, incidentally (or maybe intentionally) would restore the Church to a position of cultural and political power.

I'm not sure that's a good thing.

I'm not sure its that simple.

I'm not sure its Biblical.

On the other side of the aisle (in the Church and in Congress), my more liberal brothers and sisters want to separate the spiritual from the political. They want to throw out the bathwater of violence, hatred, racism and suffering inflicted on society in the name of Religion. And with it, all that is good; the transformational, healing power of love, grace, forgiveness and peace that the "Baby" Jesus brought into the world.

I'm not sure that's a good thing either.

I'm not sure its that simple.

I'm not sure its Biblical.

Honest, thinking, American followers of Jesus find themselves in a difficult situation these days. We have dual citizenship. We enjoy the huge privilege of living in a wonderful country that has, for a long time, enjoyed God's blessing. But that citizenship is secondary. We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was not being poetic or engaging in meaningless hyperbole when He spoke of a Kingdom. And he wasn't talking about a distant place we go to when we die; He spoke of a Kingdom that was "near," and "among you." What makes all this difficult is that sometimes the values and purposes of these two kingdoms collide.

Like right now.

One kingdom supports wanton, corporate greed. The other calls its citizens to generosity and sacrifice. One Kingdom would seek to extract every last ounce of resources from our planet. The other calls for stewardship and sustainability. One kingdom fights relentlessly for the protection of the unborn (a noble and just fight) while giving tacit support to a foreign policy of unilateral military intervention to confront perceived threats to our national security. A policy that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The other kingdom demands to know why we're so vocal about fighting the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, but so quiet about the genocide in the Sudan. Is the terror facing the Darfuri people any less important than the terror we faced on 9/11?

What's a Dual Citizen to do?

Please forgive me if it seems like I'm being too simplistic. I realize my argument so far seems to create an "either/or" dichotomy. I know its not that simple. I'm just trying to make the point that we need to think critically and act strategically as followers of Jesus.

The election season is upon us, and with it comes a chance to act. So let's act like good citizens. This is not a "get-out-and-vote" brochure. Its a call to exercise our responsibility to be wise and active participants in a political and social process that, while flawed, is still the best "flawed" system ever devised.

Personally, I'm trying to do five things that I believe show proper respect for the freedom I've been given both as an American Citizen and as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I'm trying to be as well-informed as I can about the issues that impact our world. Notice I didn't say the issues that "affect me." Kingdom citizens accept the fact that its not all about us; we understand that we have a greater responsibility than just lowering taxes and restoring prayer in the public schools. So...I read, listen, think, and discuss issues with those who support and those who oppose my ideas.

I'm trying to be Biblically rooted. I re-read the Old Testament prophets (highly political, by the way!) and I'm re-re-reading the Gospels; all in an attempt to better understand from a Scriptural perspective what God's agenda is.

I'm trying to order my thinking and my actions around a clear sense of Christian (though maybe not American) mission. In this context, answering the question, "what would Jesus do?' is probably the best thing a Follwer could do. When applied to the host of important issues these days, the answers will probably be difficult, but then Jesus warned us about this.

I'm trying to be constructively engaged. Active, nonviolent protests and boycotts can be good things, but coming up with alternatives to injustice and bad policies is better. So I vote, but I also volunteer my time and energy in initiatives and activities that serve the public good.

And I pray for a spirit of humility. Let's face it, this is all heady stuff we're talking about here. Wielding power is a risky business; whether its political or religious, power is like nuclear energy. It has enormous potential for good or evil depending on the motive of those controlling it. As much as I admire and respect Washington, Jefferson, King, Dobson and many others, I've never found a more compelling example than that of Jesus...who...

"though he was God...did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing, he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross."

A cup of black tea and a tent made of wool

Many people have asked about my departure from normal church, and while the story is not a juicy as a nervous breakdown or a moral failure, it is a good one so here you go...

About seven years ago I went to Turkey with a team of folks from the church where I served as a teaching pastor. We went to try and figure out what we might do to help believers in that beautiful country. We traveled the countryside as tourists and set up semi-secret meetings along the way with in-country missionaries (disguised as seed salesmen) and Christian Turks (who were being systematically persecuted). During our time there we had the privilege of experiencing the beautiful landscape and culture that was the stage for most of New Testament history.

While traveling, I was reading a biography of Paul and literally walking in his footsteps. In the more rural areas I noticed small black structures dotting the hillsides; they were tents made of woven, black goathair stretched over a wooden frame. I was told by our guide that these were identical to the ones the Apostle Paul used to make; hence the term "tent-making."

One afternoon I was sitting in one of these tents outside the ruins of Ephesus, drinking a cup of strong, black, Turkish tea when I struck me; Paul's ministry began when he left the "Professional" religious world of the Pharisees and followed God's leading into the Gentile culture. It was a decision that would require him to make tents for the rest of his life as a means to pay his bills. That income gave him the freedom to travel and plant churches. I was captivated by that insight and began to sense that maybe my calling was similar. Now let me be clear, in no way do I consider myself as gifted as the apostle Paul! But there was something about this caffeine induced epiphany (Turkish tea will do that to you!) that struck a chord in my soul.

This was the beginning-of-the-end for me as a professional religious person.

I returned to the states and resumed my work as a pastor in a large, evangelical church in Colorado Springs, but things would never be the same. Within a year of my return I was abruptly fired by the manager of the church staff for not generating enough in terms of numbers; my job was to close the back door of the church through which we were losing more people than were coming in the front door. I sucked at that, and got fired for it. Painful as the experience was, I would have to say it was the best thing that could have happened to me.

The event started me on a long journey into a wilderness where I'm still wandering today. I'm now a "tent-maker." And it's not a temporary gig until my church gets big enough to support me. I'm learning how (after getting an MDiv and spending more than 20 years as a religious professional) to make a living in the marketplace. I'm happy to do this because it allows me to live in a community I care about and serve people I deeply love.

My friends back in conventional churches treat me with a mix of pity and disdain; I think some feel sorry for me that I "failed" while others judge me for turning my back on the church. At this point, I'm not sure that any of them really understand.

So I press on.

I'm the proud owner of a small business; my "tent-making" skills led me to open a performance training gym for high school and college athletes.

And I'm trying to figure out how to lead a small, simple community of folks who like this nomadic lifestyle as much as I do.

And as far as I can tell I'll be making tents for the rest of my days.

Open sea

French pilot and author, Antoine de Saint-Exupery once wrote, "If you want to build a ship, don't summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs and organize the work; teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean."

Mike Frost suggests that gaining a new and compelling vision for "church" involves stimulating a similar passion; a desire for the Spirit to lead us into the adventure of true Kingdom Expansion.

Ok...so...why...
...in all my struggles to re-imagine "church" do I still feel as if I'm still standing on the shore, face to the wind, smelling the salt, longing for the adventure to start?

I'm really tired of all this sand!

This is what happens when you let your kids play college sports!

Heavy lifting and lots of carbs will do it to you!

GO COUGS!

The elections are coming! The elections are coming!

This post is for the eleven people who regularly read this blog.

We're on the threshold of yet another election season and I was wondering...

1. Does being a follower of Jesus obligate me to vote a straight republican ticket?

2. Do James Dobson, or Jerry Falwell, or_______(insert your favorite pastoral superhero) speak for all American Christians?

3. Are the Democrats really THAT scary?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, please continue. If you answered "no" to any of the above questions, humor me and continue as well.

4. What is the difference between traditional "American Values" and the Kingdom of Heaven?

5. What role should the Church play in politics? (trick question)

6. Why is "Liberal" a dirty word? (another trick question)

If you answered "yes" to any....o what the heck, you've come this far, just finish it!

7. What would Jesus do? (not a trick question)

8. What would Jesus do? (seriously, not a trick question)

9. What would Jesus do?

Your answer might change your vote come November. Might not.

There's a lot at stake these days.

Shalom

p.s. Check out; http://derekwebb.musiccitynetworks.com/ It will mess with your head...in a good way!

Fresh salmon, huckleberry pie and Holy Communion

I shared a meal last night with my church.

There were more kids than adults, more noise and chaos than silent reverence. There was no "worship set," and the only thing remotely resembling a pulpit was the coffee table that occupied the center of our circle. During our two hours together we laughed, changed diapers (several times!) talked about work, about schedules, about our needs, about freedom.

And we ate.

Every week that we do this I get a little anxious. I worry that there might not be enough to go around, but last night (like every other) there was plenty; fresh tomatoes, zucchini, chicken, steak, salad...

And salmon...

plucked from the cold waters of British Columbia not three days earlier.

And huckleberry pie...

berries picked that very afternoon off the flanks of Mt. Adams in South-central Washington.

After my piece of pie and before my third (that's right, third) helping of salmon, I jokingly suggested that surely this feeling must be what Jesus meant when He talked about the "abundant life." I thought more about my comment today and while still agree with what I said, I'm not joking anymore.

The simplicity of the whole affair obscures its significance. Everyone brought something to the table. Each contribution, in and of itself, was not enough for a meal. But combined, it was tasteful, colorful, filling...

and in some way, sacred.

Jesus told His followers to remember Him by sharing meals together, but we've reduced our observance of that command to a thimble full of grape juice and stale crackers.

Do you think...maybe...just maybe, we're missing something?

I'm not saying that the juice-and-cracker thing is wrong or empty of meaning.

All I'm saying is that maybe the richness of community, and the blessing of God's provision can be experienced just as deeply in wild berries and fish too.