Taking a Break

I am going to take a break from posting until Fall.

I have too many big writing projects I am behind on, and I have had to do a little PRUNING of some good things so I have more time for the best things.

One of my writing projects is a major work I am doing on the Spiritual Exercises for Evangelicals.

Originally I thought I would post some of that work here, but since I am planning on publishing it, I decided not to put those thoughts on this site.

So, I will come back to posting sometime this fall.

Thanks for coming along on this Ignatian Way of Proceeding for a short time...

Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Passion of Christ (Week Three)

Experiencing God.

Encountering Christ.

Relational Connectedness with the Trinity.

I think this is the "normal Christian life" to borrow an idea from the old book by Watchman Lee.

Are we aiming too high?

Shouldn't we just set our sights a whole lot lower?

In Week Three of the Ignatian Exercises, the challenge is for a retreatant to have compassion with Christ's passion.

Com = with.

Passion = the suffering of Christ.

Compassion with jesus in Week Three is to share in the suffering of Christ, to have the empathetic connection with Christ in His suffering, to know Christ in his suffering. This is what the Apostle Paul says is his life goal in Philippians 3;10. Especially:

the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in death.

When was the last time you heard that one preached and explained in a way that made sense?

So, I am slowly working my way through the Passion narrative, trying to be with Christ in his sufferings, to feel, to know, to understand, to be with Jesus in all that he experienced. It is a bit odd to still be doing this "post-resurrection" but the schedule just didn't cooperate for moving through Week Three "pre-Easter."

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Normally we approach this part of the gospel with other agendas.

(1) The Apologetic Agenda: We want to go through the historical details of the story and show the horrible travesty of justice and how unjust the trial was. In fact, it was illegal at point after point. I have devoured apologetic treatments of the Passion of Christ. Intriguing exegetical stuff!

(2) The Theological Approach: We want to affirm the full biblical meaning of the events of the final day of Christ. We want to affirm the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning Christ. The Atonement discussion around the cross of Christ has grown heated lately. Important. Needed. Even useful. But we can't stop there.

(3) Spiritual Formation. But how do I engage with these passages and this story in a spiritually formative way?

When we get past discussion of the text itself and the historical backgrounds and the theological meaning of the text, then comes the time when we ponder the implications for the spiritual life. Often, we do this in a rather pragmatic way. Above all, we like to see the practical application of being forgiven and then forgiving others in this part of the Gospel Story.

Sometimes we can go a little deeper and consider the experiences of the characters involved in the story. Maybe we connect with Peter's experience, but if we do so, it is because we are finding a principle in Peter that we can generalize and from which we draw a personal application.

This time I have been asking - what is Peter feeling, thinking, experiencing in this encounter (on the day I wrote this reflection, it is as Jesus is before the Sanhedrin)? Impossible you say to know. If the text says Peter is sad, then you know. If the text says he is angry - than you know? If the text says Peter wept bitterly, then he wept bitterly. Otherwise, it is just pure conjecture on your part.

And to go even further (and here is where it gets very hard) what is Jesus experiencing during these moments?

Jesus is silent, we read. But what is he thinking, feeling, experiencing while he is silent. For the purpose of Week Three is to be "with Jesus" and in the words of Paul, "to have the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings."

But I try.

I move into the realm of questions, wondering, supposing, guessing… This very process of wanting to know Christ in his sufferings is good. I am engaging with a Person and not with Ideas about an event. The ideas are just a stepping stone to encounter a Person. They are needed but they are not the END POINT, only the means toward that end.

And it seems to me that as I seek to do this, I am moving into Relational Spirituality, Relational Christianity.

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Isn't this so subjective, my critic asks me. My friend is a good friend, but still, critical, a bit suspicious, certainly skeptical. He is only interested in objective truth.

What is Jesus I ask? An object to be studied or a subject to be known? (I must have sounded profound, for my friend doesn't answer.)

People are not meant to be objects. In fact, we think it is bad if we "objectify" another. We know we have done something wrong to the objectified one. People are subjects to be known and loved.

We Evangelical Deists have objectified Jesus. We have reduced Jesus to a set of true ideas. We may like ideas, even be moved by the idea… but it is an idea that is doing this and not a Person. Isn't this a lesser reality? Excited about an idea when we are invited to be Loved and Known by a Person who invites us to reciprocate.

Is there any difference between the following loves.

I love the Bible?

I love Jesus?

Tell me you see the difference?

The one can love you back?

Yes, it is wonderfully, mysteriously, messily SUBJECTIVE.

So I press on, seeking com-passion with Christ, to know Him in His sufferings.

Ideas still thrill me… they intrigue me… some of them irritate me… they occupy my time… they receive some of my best energies. But the idea has ceased to be the END. Now, it is only a MEANS to a much greater End. Encounter, Experience, Friendship, Intimacy, Connectedness with Christ.

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I think this is what Thomas Aquinas meant, in part, when after he experienced God near the end of his life said, "All I have written is but straw." And he never wrote again. One of the most brilliant theologians and prolific authors of words encountered God and never wrote again!

I think this is what Pascal was describing when he wrote, "fire, fire, fire…" and kept the words sown into his jacket, near his heart, for the rest of his life. Personal Encounter with the Living God.

So I continue reading, reflecting, wondering, asking questions, seeking to imagine with my poor faculties - what was Jesus experiencing. And how can I be com-passionate with Christ's passion?

30 minutes… then 60 minutes… then longer… I have to stop… I am skirting the edge of mystery… and still feeling so far away from com-passion.

Tomorrow is another movement in the Passion of Christ. His torment and pain will grow stronger with each passing narrative movement. I was barely able to be with Christ today. What will I possibly do tomorrow.

But this is my desire…

and I continue to be an Evangelical on the Ignatian Way of Proceeding.

For a few more days, at least, that way of proceeding is the way of com-passion.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Some of my Best Friends are Deists

Some of my best friends are Deists.

Unfortunately, they also happen to be evangelicals.

So they are kind of like…ummmh… Evangelical Deists.

You know what a Deist is! A Deist is a person who believes in an Almighty (or thereabouts) Deity who created the world, created the operational principles of the world, set things in motion and then stepped back from day to day involvement in the world.

So a Deist is left with a creation that runs, more or less smoothly (with sin, it can be much less smoothly) according to principles. Learn the principles, follow the principles and things work out pretty well. Ignore or break the principles, then things go poorly. The old image of the Divine ClockMaker is used to illustrate this. The world principles operate much like a finely designed CLOCK works.

But when it comes to a sense of relational connectedness, personal experience, and real encounter with the ClockMaker -- sorry, it just isn't there. Just the "clock" and its principles of operation.

Well then, what is an Evangelical Deist?

Before I answer that, I'll bring in another related idea provided by Parker Palmer in his little booklet, Leading From Within: Reflections on Spirituality and Leadership. Palmer talks about "functional atheism" by which he means, a "theist" who lives and acts as if God makes no real difference and that if anything good is going to happen, it will because the person works hard to make it happen.

There are a lot of evangelicals (and evangelical leaders in particular) who can talk a real good game about God, but when push comes to shove, they are really Evangelical Deists. They have great theological ideas, wonderful biblical insights and sound moral behavior… and that is about it.

When you start talking to them about a "felt Presence," a real and genuine "Encounter," and a lived "Experience" with Christ… you get a blank look. Because they don't have much of it. They have leaned how to live with really good biblical ideas that order and guide their lives. But not living with a Real, Loving Person with whom they feel connected.

They may talk about Jesus, but they mainly and merely are preoccupied with right beliefs about Jesus.

In fact, think how we even define THEISM AND ATHEISM?

A theist is one who believes in God and an atheist is one who does not believe in God.

I disagree!

I think these are very inadequate definitions.

A THEIST is one who is in relationship with God and an ATHEIST is one who is not in relationship with God. It is not only about belief systems (as important as these are)… it is about personal relationship. Evangelical Deists (i.e. Functional Atheists) have for the mainly reduced relationship to a matter of correct ideas about the Person. That is a tragically deficient view of relationship.

Philip Yancey tells us, it can be pretty hard being in relationship with the Invisible God and therefore (here is my extrapolation) it is a lot easier, especially for men, to connect with ideas and deeds. So we develop, invest in and argue about extensive theological systems . . . and we spend our lives doing good things…more programs, new ministries, great projects. We do it all in the name of Jesus… but we experience Christ in minimal ways.

No wonder so many leaders don't finish well, that some don't finish at all, and that so many evangelicals are slowly dropping out of the faith. They are dropping out of Evangelical Deism which has simply not satisfied the deepest need of the heart that longs for God.

Dallas Willard observes that you can be an evangelical in excellent standing and have little or no authentic encounter with Christ. As long as you have the T's of your theological system crossed and the I's of your biblical interpretation dotted, and are living a reasonably moral life - that is all you really need to have. YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE ANY KIND OF CONSISTENT, POWERFUL, TRANSFORMATIVE RELATIONSHIP. YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE/ENCOUNTER/FELT PRESENCE of Christ.

Erwin McManus wonders where is the manifest PRESENCE of GOD in our churches? He wonders that because, often (usually) it is not there. We settle for speaking truth and doing good… not in being friends, intimate with Christ.

We say we are following Jesus, but in reality, we are more like Deists who are following biblical principles and doing biblical deeds and not in much of a relationship with a PERSON named JESUS.

I wonder -- how long can we believe true ideas and do good -- if we constantly fall short in being in relational connectedness with Christ.

We just consistently settle for much less than the full depth and range of Christianity. And when life gets hard and we see our evangelical constituents around us wavering, then we give inadequate responses... usually telling them they need to be more grounded in IDEAS. And that is the problem that has led to the other problems. Too many Evangelical Deists are only grounded in ideas and not sustained by intimate relationship with Christ.

When the going gets tough, you need more than an idea to get you through. You need the Love of a Friend... not just the idea about the love of a Friend. You see how thorough and widespread is our Evangelical Deism. No wonder we slowly deteriorate into Evangelical Atheists (those who have ideas about God, but little relationship with Him).

I am intrigued with John 17:3. Now this is eternal life; that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Knowing God. This is not mere intellectual assent to proper ideas about God (vital but not sufficient). It is personal knowing of another. This word used here is ginoskoe (with both o's having the long o sound). That word is sometimes used as a euphemism for sexual intimacy.

I've been the Functional Evangelical Atheist for long parts of my church career. I've been the Evangelical Deist in good standing, but terribly empty. Now I am an Evangelical on the Ignatian Way of Proceeding, looking to daily encounter, experience, enjoy and love God. This is the stuff that then energizes and sustains my following and my missional service in the world. This is the biblical reality . . .

Without it . . .

In the next post, I'll pick up this theme and illustrate it by talking with you about some experiences I had as I walked through the Passion Story of the Third Week.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com