Today in History

I recently found out the birthday of Anabaptists is January 25th. I was glad to hear this because that is also my birthday and I recently chose to become a Mennonite, which are heirs to Anabaptism. As I write this, it is January 25, 2012. 


485 years ago in 1527 Felix Mantz was drowned at Zurich by the magistrates under Zwingli. Mantz became the first Anabaptist martyr when he would not deny his true faith in Jesus Christ and would not recant believers-only baptism. The reasons he was being put to death was because he had broken the law by being re-baptized (Everyone was baptized as babies. This was a good way to track and control society), he was spreading revolutionary ideas, he was meeting secretly with other like-minded Jesus followers, and he was going about re-baptizing others.


I was talking with a young man the other day. He is in that in-between place. He's not sure what he wants to do with his life. He hasn't got all the answers yet, and he's still in the process of forming how he thinks about things. He asked me what church I go to. I told him Mennonite. I think that is the first time I've been asked that question since I've become Mennonite. I told him about the martyr's like Felix and that the Mennonites come from a 500 year tradition of Anabaptists that take seriously what Jesus said in the Bible and try to live out His teachings in their lives.


It brought to mind my teenage years. I remember when people would ask me that question. The denomination I grew up in was not that well known by the general public at the time. (I'm finding that is the case for Mennonites. Or worse, many people have false conceptions of Mennonites.) I would answer by telling people all the things we were against. "We don't go to dances. We don't go to movies. Playing cards are out. No drinking, smoking or going with girls that do." I remember telling a girl friend I couldn't go to the school dance with her because of my church. I'm sure she thought I was a hypocrite when I changed "my beliefs" later that year and went to most of the dances the rest of my high school career.


At 47 I'm probably still like this young man. I haven't got all the answers figured out yet. One thing I'm going with for now is that I'd rather be for something than against. It seems to me these 16th century revolutionaries were for something. The established religion around them seemed to be against. Anabaptists were the first reformers to be martyred by Protestants. I wonder why they were such a threat? Consider this quote from Stuart Murray’s The Naked Anabaptist: “The Anabaptist movement began as a loose-knit coalition of groups who were forming in various places across central Europe – the sixteenth century equivalent of the ‘emerging church.”


Anabaptists are becoming popular these days. I was impressed to see an alumnus of the Mennonite University my daughter is considering attending next year, Eastern Mennonite University, was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. I read Leymah Gbowee's book, Mighty Be Our Powers, then watched the documentary, Pray The Devil Back to Hell, about her and the amazing women's movement that brought peace to Liberia.


Just the other day I saw an article about a Mennonite church that is small, but they wanted to encourage artists in their community. The Church (the big one - Jesus' universal church) has not done well with the arts in the last couple hundred years. This church started a bi-annual Arts festival that attracts artists from all over the world. All mediums are showcased. It is a witness to the Kingdom of God.


Everywhere I look, Mennonites seem to be leading the way in peace making, discipleship, evangelization, environmentalism and academic theology and philosophy. I'm glad to know I share a birthday with a revolutionary movement that seems to be coming into it's own at just the right time.

Tim Tebow, John 3:16, and Vampire Christians

Warning: This post may be boring or offensive. It is primarily a post about theology and culture and it may be about your theology and culture. Stop now if you like. Just sayin'.

I am a Denver Broncos fan. I have been all of my life. I grew up in Greeley Colorado and cheered for Orange Crush, The Three Amigos and the Mile High Salute. I spent hours watching the Broncos in training camp at the University of Northern Colorado in my home town. I remember when John Elway, "the Messiah," was drafted. After four losses in the Super Bowl, my Broncos won on January 25, 1998, my 33rd birthday; beating the venerable Green Bay Packers! I have two pirated DVD's of that game (which I have watched several times) and a football with all the (replicated) signatures of that team. I was with my parents that night. We cried tears of joy.

The Broncos won the Super Bowl again the next year and then John Elway retired. I've lived through Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, and Kyle Orton. So when Tim Tebow started playing with some magic and fire he was easy to like. What's not to like? He's the real deal. Besides being a hard worker and passionate, he's nice; he's kind; he gives to others, and he's humble. I like Tim Tebow. I think he will work on his liabilities as a football player this off season and come back better. I'm looking forward to watching him develop as a Bronco.

My college roommate was a Chiefs fan. Everything I said about growing up a Bronco fan, he has a similar telling in his story. He grew up in Kansas City. He is a successful pastor now; in a large, protestant, evangelical church in Denver. Yesterday I was lucky enough to watch him via a webcast, speak at a conference. Best I can tell, it was about church growth. He did a great job. He is a good speaker and a good preacher. I am proud to call him my friend. He told a great joke at the beginning of his presentation. It was about Tom Brady (quarterback for the New England Patriots who just beat the Broncos in the playoffs) going to heaven. One of those guy meets God jokes. Brady and God were talking about Tim Tebow. It ended up making Brady the butt of the joke in the punchline. It was really funny. My friend told the audience he is from Denver. I could have sworn he glowed when he talked about Tebow. I never in a million years saw that coming. He used to hate the Broncos (He was a Chefs fan, obviously!)

Has anyone wondered why Tim Tebow is so popular? I know, "all he does is win." And, he's a good role model and a Christian. But isn't it just a little crazy the cult following that has happened? I heard after the playoff win against the Pittsburg Steelers that the most googled phrase was "John 3:16." I've had conversations with friends, acquaintances, and strangers about NFL football in recent days that never happened pre-Tebow (That word is credited to Bishop Chris Epting).

I've been reading a book by Scot McKnight entitled, The King Jesus Gospel. He contends that since the Protestant reformation there has been more of an emphasis on Salvation (Justification by Faith) than the whole Gospel of which salvation is a part. I won't do it justice here, but basically since the 16th century things have snow-balled with movements like revivalism in the 17th and 18th century and evangelicalism of the 20th century contributing to what now is a "decision" focused religion with little discipleship. For many it has come down to four steps: 1. God loves you. 2. You're messed up. 3. Pray this prayer and accept Jesus. and 4. You're in! The book goes into more depth than this (I should hope so) and I would highly recommend it. McKnight has put into words what I have always sensed but couldn't put my finger on. It has been very refreshing. Thanks to Scot McKnight for writing it.

So what does this have to do with Tim Tebow, you ask?  I think he's a poster child for this culture of "decision religion." He is just being himself, but we are making the big deal about it. He's just at the right (or wrong) place at the right time. We are looking for a hero. Or better yet, validation to prove we are right. Throwing for 316 passing yards and averaging 31.6 yards per pass is evidence that heaven is for real. And better yet, our version of it (I've got a great trick for keeping elephants at bay, but I digress).

I've heard people call this "fire insurance" or "sin management." It's a decision mainly, a transaction, with very little transformation. No wonder most non-Christians have unfavorable things to say about Christians. Dallas Willard, in The Great Omission writes, 

"The gospel of sin management produces vampire Christians who want Jesus for his blood and little else... At the heart of [this] theology is the individual forgiveness of sins... The current gospel then becomes a gospel of sin management. Transformation of heart and character is no part of the redemptive message. Moment to moment human reality is not the arena of faith and [Kingdom] living. [There is not] a coherent framework of knowledge and practical direction adequate to personal transformation toward the abundance and the obedience emphasized in the New Testament."

McKnight writes that the Gospel is about the entire career of Jesus, and not just good Friday. I'm trying to think... Who would be a good role model of the whole Gospel? Tim Tebow is not a bad choice. Too bad we cherry pick the things in his life to high-light like we choose our favorite Bible verses.

Rules to Live By (or, Chinese Take Away)

I have a handful of rules to live by. These are not big rules about huge topics like religion, ethics, morality.  These are micro-rules. Practical situations that come up from time to time. One of them is never buy anything from someone who calls you first. Did I say that I haven't always followed these rules perfectly? Well, I don't. I've got this time-share with a recurring maintenance fee, and I've gone on 3 too many of those weekend trips to Branson Missouri where you have to sit through the "90 minute" sales pitch. We've also got this deluxe vacuum cleaner in the closet (actually, that turned out pretty good, but that is because my wife is the one who bought it).

Another rule is avoid Chicago O'Hare Airport if at all possible. This rule was reified with several cancelled and delayed flights, a couple of O.J. Simpson type races from one end of the airport to the other, and the infamous jumping from the moving train story after my wife had stood at the closing door between us yelling, "You idiot," right before we were to lead a marriage retreat weekend together.

Another rule is Rarely is there a crisis. You would think in my profession I see crises all the time. Not so. Basically, we as humans just think we are in a crisis, but we aren't. People call my office all the time and want to get in immediately. We aren't always able to accommodate them, so we schedule them when we can and put them on the waiting list. Many times, they call and cancel the appointment they made saying they feel better, or things have gotten better. We live in the safest period in history. My question is why is there so much fear? Autopsies show for the general population an enlarged adrenal gland and overworked sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Rarely in my life has there been a valid threat to my physical safety. Why are so many of our bodies acting as if there is all the time?

The rule I was thinking of just recently is don't give in to the Chinese Buffet temptation. I do of course, but always regret it. I was craving chinese food the other day while taking my 14 year old daughter to a friends house in a city 45 minutes north of where we live. I used the handy dandy iPhone maps app to find a chinese restaurant on our route. When we got there we found they had a buffet. We could order from the menu and have a one dish lunch served to us hot, but this was more expensive than the buffet where you could choose from many options. I'm too much of a tight-wad to follow my rule. The same thing that always happens happened. The buffet food was cold and unappealing. It didn't taste good either. Later, I felt sick. I wish I had followed my rule.

These idiosyncrasies seem to get in the way of efficient living. My wife and I went out to lunch the other day. It just so happened to be Chinese food. Luckily it was not a buffet. When we were finished she excused herself to the restroom and I began planning the payment. The check said we owed $13.44.  I had a twenty dollar bill and five ones.  I left two ones as the tip and joined my wife at the cash register as she came back. I asked her if she had 44¢. She gave it to me. I had $23.44 ready to give the cashier, hoping for a $10 bill back. She informed me that the waiter had filled out the check incorrectly and the bill was $15.73.  I motioned to my wife to come back to the cash register as she had wandered closer to the door in anticipation of leaving. When she came close I asked her, "do you have $2 dollars... and 50¢, no, 60¢?" My math was obviously failing me in the moment of crisis. Finally, I counted out $25.73 and handed it to the cashier. My wife says incredulously, "How much did that cost? I said, $15.73." As the cashier was handing me my "Monkian $10 bill", my wife rolls her eyes as she turns to the door and mumbles, "Oh brother."