What Teens See As We Talk About Rob Bell

The world of Christian tweeting and blogging has been up in arms over of this weekend’s reveal of Rob Bell’s new book “Love Wins.” Now I am not going to weigh in on the theology behind this book. Instead, I want to ask the question, what does this mean for our youth? And is there a teachable moment within all of this conversation?

We all know we live in a postmodern pluralistic world, in which are teens are told daily that they should adopt this type of worldview. Some have argued that the best way to counter act this movement is to teach better and stronger Christian theology. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that teaching Christian orthodox theology to teens is a must in today’s world, but I also believe that teaching them to ask questions and enter into conversations with those of a different worldview is also essential.

While in college, I was a part of and lead, a yearly mission team to Brigham Young University where we entered into theological conversations with Latter Day Saint college students. During these dialogs, we were a part of many deep theological conversations and many different topics. As equal as important, were the times when we were not talk theology, but played ping-pong or volleyball, because it was in these times that we became more than “Mormon” or “Evangelical Christian.” Believe it or not, it was in both of these types of moments that friendships were formed, faith was developed, and that God moved.

When I was done with my last year of college, my friend and I drove out to Provo, Utah and spend some time with Latter Day Saint friends we had made on the previous spring break. During our four days with them, we ate together, played a lot of volleyball, and talked deep theology. I remember at the end of one of the three-hour theology conversations I had with one of my L.D.S. friends, my friend was very frustrated. Not with me, but at our conversation, so she hugged me and excused herself. The next day we met up for lunch and with a group of people, and believe it or not, we continue our conversation right where we left it that night. Two years later, I got an invitation to her wedding.

As an outsider looking in at all of the conversation that has happened around Rob Bell’s new book I have been discouraged, because all l I see is a lot of condemnation, a lot of apathy, and a lot of defensiveness. As I sat on my computer reading blogs and tweets from “respected Christian leaders,” I could not help but think, it is no wonder our kids are leaving the church, we look like a bunch of angry birds fighting over a piece of bread. Why would teens want to be a part of a community that acts in this way? Where is this community that Jesus prayed for asking, “may they be one as we are one.”

When I talk to teens, the main concern that they have in talking to their friends about Jesus or standing up for what they think is morally wrong, is being viewed as intolerant. Now, we can throw around phrases like, “it’s not intolerant, it’s truth,” but whom are we kidding? Condemning someone to hell, or trying to prove we are “right” is not Christian; it is more Pharisaical.

Yes, today’s teens need good orthodox Christian teaching, but they also need to be taught how to be in conversation with those who might believe different then them without being seen as “intolerant” or “unchristian” (for those who are wondering, yes this is a play on the word and book “unchristian” by David Kinnaman). The reality of it is, is that we are no longer in a modern world were if we prove we are “right” people will flood into our churches. There needs to be a relationship formed first. As cliché as it sounds, “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

If teens were to see what is happening on twitters and blogs around the Christian world, all they would see is arguing, not caring and not Jesus: and guess what, they are turned off by it. Teens need to see a community and church that isn’t arguing with itself as we all seek God. They need to see a diverse community, who in their confession of Christ seek God who is revealing himself to his creation, together. A community that realizes it is not about what we believe, but what God has done and is still doing.

So ask yourself, when teens look at my actions, and me what do they see?

Is the Practice of Remembering Forgotten?

Today our country celebrates Presidents Day, to remember the deeds of United States’ forefathers George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While this day might just be an excuse for many in the U.S. to shop and have a day off, this day’s intention is remembrance. Yet, I wonder if remembering is something that we have forgotten how to do?

In the Christian faith remembrance is something that walks somewhat of a fine line, because of the redemption of Christ, who takes away our sins. For that reason, Christians are encouraged not to remember the “sins” of their past because they have been forgiven and transformed, yet we aren’t suppose to forsake the practice of remembrance.

In the Old Testament Jacob has this encounter with a man. Now some believe this man to be just a man, while others believe this man to be an angel or Christ himself. Who the man is, isn’t the point. The point is that within this experience, Jacob has an encounter with God that changes his life; seen by the fact that the man changes Jacob’s name to Israel.

Jacob was a man that had a hard time remembering God’s promises, has seen throughout Jacob’s life. So what happens in the process of Jacob’s encounter with God? He is hurt by the man and left with a limp for the rest of his life. It is as if God is saying to Jacob, I will make sure you never forget this event, because within this event I have redefined you, I have given you a new name.

In the Lutheran Church, and in most Reformed churches, people are baptized as infants. During the baptism parents, sponsors, and the church body confess that they will help raise this child “in the faith.” The beauty of this event is that within it is the confession that we cannot save ourselves; God is the one who saves us. The hard reality of this event is that one cannot personally remember it. In my church, we have instituted milestones to help children remember God saves them in their baptism, but there is something to be said for remembering your own rebirth and encounters with God.

I have been thinking about his a lot lately, partly because I think it affects the theology of Confirmation, and partly because I have noticed that many of my own students and families have a hard time remembering their own baptism or the confessions they made on their child’s baptism Sunday.

Today I went to a local mall to purchase some running shoes, which were on sale because of the President’s Day holiday. As I checked out, the man behind the register and I started talking. Within our conversation I stated, “It is really busy today.”

He replied, “Man it has been busy all weekend.”

As I left the store I had a thought, even a national day of remembering has been made into a day of consumption and busyness (like some other famous holidays, ie. Christmas). I wondered to myself, how have we as a nation forgotten how to remember? Has the practice of remembering become totally forgotten?

Honestly, I think it has, and I think the scary thing is that it has affected our church more than we would like to admit.

When I talk to any youth pastor in Orange they tell me that one of the main reasons that students do not attend their youth groups is because of busyness. Even in my own church, we have full attendance in our Jr. High program, because it is tied to Confirmation. Yet, what I have noticed is that as soon as students are confirmed, church and youth group take a back seat to everything else (school, sports, hanging out with friends, or TV). What is ironic about this, is that confirmation is suppose to be a way for a child to “remember” and “confess” faith in a God who came to them as an infant, but as soon as they are confirmed they and their families seem to “forget” and go on with their lives.

So in conclusion I ask, how might we take back the practice of remembering what God has done for us? Because as we can see from the story of Jacob, when we encounter God he changes us, affects us, and calls us to remember; even if he has to force us too.

The Search for Intimacy, or Meaning?

Yesterday as I got in my car to run to the store and grab some stuff for my wife for Valentines Day. As I started my car the radio came on broadcasting the usual FM setting, NPR. I was quickly surprised at the conversation that came over my stereo, as the interviewer asked the interviewee, “So, you send flower, notes, and even write songs for people who call and ask for them.” It turns out that for a small payment, you can send yourself flowers, love notes, or even a personal love song made by someone sitting behind a desk. As you might guess Valentines Day is one of the company’s largest moneymakers.

As the interview came to an end, my mind became a little sad. I thought about all of the people who would sit lonely in their homes, longing for any human connection. I thought about what brings someone to send himself or herself flower or a love note, just to feel loved. Then my mind took another turn, it drifted to my high school students who I sat with earlier that afternoon at a local restaurant. I could picture one girl sitting in the group texting her boyfriend, while another talking about how they wanted to ask a girl to be their valentine, then it came to me we are all looking for meaning in the form of intimacy.

This year our youth group has been asking the question, where does God’s story and yours collide? Behind this question is the assumption that God not only cares about our story, but also wants to affect it, to change it.

During a worship night a couple weeks ago, we put up two large pieces of art paper. One with the phrase “God Is,” and on the other “I am.” As the night came to an end, I got up and walked to the pieces of paper. What I saw when I read the phrases strung across that was both honest and beautiful. As I stepped back to get a better view of the large paper hung on the wall, at the center of the “I am” paper was a triangle with a circle around it. In the center of the of the triangle was the phrase, “child of God.”

Now, this phrase was no less or more beautiful then the other statements, but reading it I couldn’t help but smile, because in it I saw God’s movement. At some point along the way God had revealed himself in a powerful way that not only provided clarity, but meaning and definition. This person realized that at the center of the Godhead there is life, community, intimacy, and meaning.

I have to wonder if somehow we have missed the mark in youth ministry at how we communicate God’s intimate love. I think we have fallen prey to offering programs, not Christian community that flows out of the life of the Godhead, community that not only offers meaning, but intimacy.

Here is the scary reality, until we provide that life-giving community, students will look elsewhere. And to be honest, who can blame them.

For that reason, I end with a question. How is your ministry working to become a God bearing community, that offers a live giving community that flows out of the Godhead?