Consumerism and Materialism

On the topics of consumerism and materialism, Soong-Chan Rah writes, "American Christianity has acquiesced to the materialistic values of American society and is no longer distinguishable in its values and norms from the excessive materialism of American society... The American dream becomes confused with biblical standards. As more and more wealth and possessions are accumulated by the Christian, there is an assumption that they are in the will of God and that more blessings are coming their way." - from The Next Evangelicalism

What do you think about those words? I am definitely not against individuality and prosperity, as some have accused me of. However, I am concerned that American Christianity in many circles has bought into the prosperity gospel, which I believe is heresy. But cultural Christianity seems to be more subtle than outright proclaimation of prosperity gospel. It creeps into our lives and families and churches, and we often do not even notice. We do not notice that, as Christians, maybe our lives are not all that different than nonChristians.

DMin update

Well, I just found out tonight that I received an A on my Overture II course! That means two classes down and... many to go. The comments from the professor were very kind, and I have to admit that I was very relieved to earn a good grade. I poured myself into these initial classes, and it feels great to be done with my first year.

The courses I took this year will serve as a comprehensive foundation for the remainder of the classes. 2010 kicks off on February 1 with an intense round of theology classes: Old Testament, New Testament, and Hermaneutics. Then, I will go to Seattle again in May for a Global Christian History course taught by Ray Bakke. Later in 2010 I will work on some specialization courses, which may take me back to Seattle again or possibly another international trip. I am interested in a trip to Rowanda in October to take an inside look at the reconciliation process following the genocide in that country.

As I progress through the program the classes will become more and more specific to my work in Pittsburgh. The specialization I have selected is urban youth ministry, and I am working toward publishing my research as a book during the process of writing the dissertation. I really love Bakke Graduate University and the DMin program. I have been stretched and challenged as a leader in ways that I never imagined would be possible for me. This has been quite an adventure so far!

Loss of Community

I read a great book recently by Soong-Chan Rah called The Next Evangelicalism. He develops many interesting points in the book which I will probably chew on over the next couple of months. He dedicates one chapter to individualism, which has captured American culture and the American Evangelical church. In the book, he writes, "The narcissistic individualism of American society finds a direct corrolary in the American Evangelical church. Our church life becomes an expression of an individualism, yielding a self-absorbed narcissism. Instead of the church becoming an expression of a spirtual life lived in the community of believers or a spiritual life expressed in the context of a neighborhood community, our church life becomes a fulfillment of our individual desires and needs. Elements of the worship service, including the preaching of the Word and the worship of God, become reduced to a form of therapy that places the individual at the center of the worship service. Excessive individualism in American society yields, therefore, the loss of community life."

A couple of things have seemed strange to me lately. Why do many Evangelical churches have to "generate" community through small groups? Is it because we live such an individualistic lifestyle in America that we have so distanced ourselves from others that we need to try to force community? Also, many well-meaning Christians have been calling me lately to get them in touch with "needy people" that they can help this Christmas. I do not see anything wrong with that, and I am happy to help them, but why do they not know any poor people on their own? Often American people try to distance themselves intentionally from poor people by choice in terms of where they live and work and play. Does the American Evangelical church reflect that same attitude?

Do you see a big difference between the American church and American individualistic culture? Do you think the American Evangelical church overemphasizes the personal aspect of Christianity at the expense of the cultural mandate of God? Do you experience authentic community? Are you in any authentic (not top-down) relationships with people who are marginalized by mainstream American society?

Another Podcast Site

You can also check out the podcast at www.journeymenpodcast.com.

"The Journeymen" Podcast

I've launched a new podcast with my friend, Steve Brennan. Check it out at http://journeymen.libsyn.com/ and let me know what you think. You can also find it on itunes.

Have a great day!

Bryan

Thanksgiving in Homewood

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. This was my first Thanksgiving as a resident in Homewood, and I am continuing to gain unique perspectives on life. I think I could probably best describe these perspectives by sharing what I experienced over the past four days. In the past we have typically travelled during this time period (last year we went to New York City), but this year we stayed in the Burgh.

On Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), we woke up in Homewood and watched the Macy's parade on TV. We drove to the North Hills (suburbs) for a huge meal with extended family. Then we drove back to our house in Homewood to spend the night. It was not really an unusual day. On Friday we had some extended family visit us at our house in Homewood. We decided to take them to the Frick Art and History Center located in Point Breeze just a couple of blocks from our house. Those couple of blocks present quite a contrast (the average home price in Homewood is $22,000... the average home price in Point Breeze is well over $300,000). The contrast is most dramatically emphasized by the huge Victorian Frick mansion on Penn Avenue and the accompanying grounds, which just might be described as the most affluent home and grounds in the entire city. The "garage" on the property alone has twenty or thirty luxury antique cars that are symbolic of the wealth generated by coal and steel barons in Pittsburgh during the industrial era. The family built an extra building to accomodate their extensive collection of fine art. The grounds also include a green house, a fancy restaurant, and a gift shop that was at one time a large building used as a play house for kids (it actually had a functioning bowling ally). Today the grounds draw visitors from all over the region because people are interested to peak into the lives of affluent people from a bygone era. While we toured the area I was amazed at the level of extravagence, and I felt at peace on the well-manicured property that in many ways represented the pinnacle of human success and achievement.

After the visit my parents took the girls with them to spend the night at their place so Julie and I had a date night. We went to the south side to eat out and go to a movie. We decided to watch The Blind Side, which many people have recommended to us as a must see. It really was a good movie, and I am hopeful that all of the young people that I work with are able to overcome difficult circumstances to become healthy and thriving adults (even if they don't become football stars). In one of the scenes from the movie, the young man serving as the main character is involved in a scuffle where gunshots are fired (thankfully he is not hit). That was probably the most dramatic scene of the movie. Julie and I went home and both experienced wierd dreams (don't movies do that to you?). At about 2:30am I was jolted out of sleep to the sound of gunfire that seemed to be right outside of our house. My heart raced, and I peeked out the window to watch as about five police cars circled my block in search of the culprit. I'm not sure if anyone was injured because I didn't hear anything on the news, but that was definitely the closest shots I've heard since we moved hear. I could not fall back asleep, so I read my Bible for a while. On that particular night, I read in Revelations about how Jesus wins... He comes back in power to claim the ultimate victory over all evil. I finally fell asleep with the thought in my head that God is in control, and in the end... God wins. We already know.

On Saturday we picked up the girls and went to a birthday party for one of the girls' friends in the suburbs. We had a great time, although I had a hard time forgetting about what what we had experienced over night. I don't think that anyone else at the party was quietly contemplating how to respond appropriately to gunshots (should I have called the cops... did anyone see me looking out the window... how can I keep my daughters safe from stray bullets). After the party I spent time with my one to one mentee in Homewood, and then we had a LAMP family over to our house for dinner. We had a great time connecting with them, and right after dinner five boys from the neighborhood stopped over to hang out. We had a full house as everyone visited for several hours. On that particular day our house felt like the hub of the community, with so many different people stopping by to visit. I think I answered some of my questions about the gunshots... this is what I'm supposed to be doing about the gunshots in Homewood. Maybe if the young people I interact with in Homewood grasp a positive alternative vision for their lives from a young age then they won't be interested in shooting guns a few years from now.

On Sunday we went to church at North Way Oakland, and then we had a nice relaxing afternoon. Then... more kids from the neighborhood stopped by. I can't wait until we have our basement finished! Then we can have more space for them. We were resourceful though... we played football in the school parking lot and then we all ate sloppy joes for dinner. After dinner I had the "boundaries" conversation with the boys (you can't come over every night)... don't know if it sunk in. We'll see.

All in all, it was an eventful Thanksgiving. We experienced community in the suburbs and in the city. We are building relationships with our neighbors. Kids' lives are being impacted by the work we're doing. That's always something to be thankful for.

A Work Day on Race Street

Last Saturday we helped a LAMP family with a work day at a house on Race Street in Homewood. Lots of volunteers made the event a big success. Thanks to everyone who contributed! You can still join us on the next two Saturdays as we paint and install flooring.