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Radical, by David Platt
Really believing in Grace
This past Tuesday, Donald Miller discussed on his blog the problem in Christianity with leaders creating and then suffering from a graceless culture. It seems Christians claim to believe in the grace of God, but then in their own judgment of one another and of others they create a system that does not acknowledge that grace–Miller uses as an example Ted Haggard, who crusaded against homosexuality before being caught in a drugs and homosexual sex scandal, not to condemn Haggard, but to point out how a leader can create the very system he or she will be subject to.
Down in the comments section is the following:
Tom says:
Hannah,
I understand. I am a youth pastor and have always valued authenticity. I try to be open with my students and parents so that they understand that I am a real person with real problems just like them. The best relationships I have had with both students and parents are ones where we can share each others burdens together.
Pleas understand that when I say Youth Pastor I am not just an immature kid fresh out of college, I am a 33 year father who has been married for 9 years. Recently I was “talked to” by my senior leader about making a post on Facebook where I simply opened up that I felt lost sometimes and wished I had more formal education. I was told to be careful what I post because it didn’t inspire confidence in me to our parents.
Sorry, but I as a postmodern who grew up in church, I am tired of being confident in my leadership. I am tired of buying into the idea that the elders and pastors had it together and I am just the weak one who needed to step it up if I wanted to be used by Christ.
There was no greater influence on my faith then when I was able to find Christian leaders who where willing to admit that they don’t have it all together. These are people I could “do Life with”. These where the people that I actually learned from and helped me see Christ and learn to lean on him through my struggles, not to try and hide my struggles in a vain attempt to appear holy.
I don’t have a problem with “ministry”. I have a problem with the “Office” of ministry. We are all called to be ministers not necessarily to peruse a career in it.
I am not sure how much longer I will remain in “the ministry”. My wife and I are looking at opening a coffee house and starting a small gathering of believers who want to lean on each other and help our community. So in essence we are looking at leaving “the ministry” for “ministry.”
Tom’s story sounds very familiar to me. How many times have we all witnessed human frailty claimed by our Christian leaders only when claiming it served them? Why do we all persist in creating facades in our church communities–shitty facades, at that–when those are the places wherein we should be the most honest? Looking in from the outside, I wonder if Christians (especially church leadership) really believe in grace at all.
I want to strive to be a person of grace, who can, then, rely on the grace of my community when I need love and support.
Canceling the Written Code…
Colossians 2: 8-15
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
This is the scripture we read through this week. Commentary to follow.
