Faith in Context

Will Social Networking Change Religion the Way Gutenberg Did?

It is well known that Gutenberg's invention of printing technology greatly encouraged, if not made possible, the Protestant Reformation with its emphasis on each individual reading the Scripture and finding the truth about God for themselves. It shifted the focus of the Christian religion from social conversions in which a clan leader or a price or an emperor decided for groups, large and small, if they would follow Jesus or not, to individual salvation. It gave birth to what may well be some unintended consequences, such as today's extreme forms of individualism.

What if a new communication technology becomes more dominant than the printed page? How will that change Christianity and other religions? The Internet, web sites, Email, Facebook, Twitter and texting are already beginning to move into the church. Two or three or more generations from now, how will this technology have changed the nature of faith itself?

Leonard Sweet has written more about the impact of contemporary social trends on Christianity than just about any other author around and his brand-new book is Viral: How Social Networking Is Poised to Ignite Revival. It is a must read, in my opinion.

Sweet points out that Christ was "a master Storyteller ... a crafter of parables for the artists of everyday." He uses the parable of the mustard seed to explain the situation that is about to begin. He points out that the mustard plant was an invasive plant like dandelions in your lawn. "The subversive mustard weed is nearly impossible to get rid of. Once it takes root, it takes over and invites every insect, pest, and rodent to live within its leaves. It spreads quickly and can grow and thrive almost anywhere." (page 188)

He asks, "What does infectious faith look like? It erupts in amazing beauty and resilient brilliance. It pricks with an occasional thorny thistle. It incites passion, spreads love, breeds kindness, generates compassion. While it infests the mind and heart with Jesus, it revives the body with the Holy Spirit. ... The Body of Christ." (page 189)

"Jesus was a master of stories and ... a healer of the body ... a holistic blend of mind/heart, soul, and physical body ... [a[ living organism." What will happen when a generation of young people invest the Jesus way of life with house churches, Skype Bible studies, Second Life enterprises, Facebook pages, and Twitter streams of prayer? What will be the common expressions of faith among my great-grandchildren? What is your speculation? Please share ... and read this book.

How to Change the World

How does Christianity impact today's world and make significant changes? This is the focus of the new book from James D. Hunter (professor of religion and culture at the University of Virginia), To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (2010, Oxford). He summarizes the history of three contemporary Christian movements:

1. The Christian Right who are motivated by a religious vision of the right ordering of society and "see modern history as a decline from order to disorder."
2. The Christian Left who are driven by compassionate concern for the marginalized and impoverished and see today's society as deformed by social injustice.
3. The "neo-Anabaptists" who believe that the New Testament calls the followers of Jesus to a life ordered around Christian community, not cultural dominance, and are equally dismayed by unrestrained tolerance of the Christian Left and the unrestrained free market advocated by the Christian Right.

The Christian Right has become the most visible and numerous of these three approaches to changing the world, but because of its aggressive, confrontational tactics and widespread cultural naivete has not realized many of its goals. The Christian Left is much smaller in numbers but more influential because of its adept approach to social change, yet it may have been more completely co-opted by its political allies in the Democratic party. The "neo-Anabaptists" are the fewest in number and almost invisible, yet increasingly influential. (See The Politics of Jesusby John Howard Yoder.)

Hunter points out the facts well known to sociologists: massive rallies, angry speeches, and maverick figures do not make much real change in any society. The Civil Rights Movement was able to pass landmark legislation ending Jim Crow only because quiet allies in the Kennedy-Johnson administration and the Congress, as well as universities, research centers, labor unions and established churches joined in. Change in America and any other truly democratic society becomes a reality as new ideas become widely adopted among the professional class and institutional middle management.

Evangelical Christianity has largely failed to take this reality into consideration. They have failed to make a compelling argument to the educated elite about abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, etc. And they have been inconsistent in applying the same Bible ethics to capital punishment, war, health care and immigration. (Unlike Catholic social teachings.)

Hunter's book could be seen as a road map for the Christian Right to take advantage of its more dominant position and define the new politically correct ways of thinking. Will they take it?

[I confess, I am turned off by the politics of both the Christian Right and the Christian Left and tend to see myself among the "neo-Anabaptists" where my spiritual heritage comes from.]

Unknown Figure, but Powerful Biography

To me this is a "must read" for anyone who cares about Biblical faith and issues of race and social justice. It is hot off the press, a biography by a professional historian, Lewis C. Sheafe: Apostle to Black America. You likely have never heard of Sheafe, he was a community activist and a pastor for both Baptist and Adventist churches from the 1880s through the early decades of the 20th century. He had the ability to gain the respect of key leaders on both sides of the race line at a time when America was retreating from the idealism that ended slavery just prior to his birth. To him, a heartfelt relationship with Jesus centered in Bible truth was just as important as working for social change, the betterment of the poor, etc. In fact, the two were entirely fused!

The value of this biography is its careful research, readable narrative and attention to the sociological and religious context of Sheafe's life. It will speak to your soul as well as your mind. The author is a good friend, Dr. Doug Morgan, professor of history at Washington Adventist University (Takoma Park, Maryland) and coordinator of the Adventist Peace Fellowship. I do not know if it is up on Amazon.com and the other online booksellers yet; if you have difficulty finding it, let me know and I will share more information about access as I get it. But, do not neglect to read this book, even if you are not interested in the history of the Adventist movement or the Baptist church.

Dan Brown's Novels: Major Source of Religious Information

The Da Vinci Code  has sold more than 80 million copies. One trade journal says that is more than any other book in print, ever. I think he may mean since the publishing industry started keeping track of sales several decades a go and he probably is not including the Bible in that. Nonetheless, the novelist Dan Brown has become a major source of religious information in the western world, especially among the unchurched.

The Da Vinci Code  explored the feminine side of the spiritual. Angels & Demons plays around with the new physics and what it may or may not tell us about God. (The movie version was recently released.) Brown's newest novel is The Lost Symbol. What is it really about? There is an interesting clue in a new book by Simon Cox, a writer who has made an industry of pulling together factual information related to each of Brown's novels.

Cox quotes from the Encyclopedia Britannica summary of the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, often called Mormons: "Mormon doctrine diverges from the orthodoxy of established Christianity, particularly in its polytheism, in affirming that God has evolved from man and that men might evolve into gods." Then, Cox makes a very interesting observation: "No better description could fit the concept that Dan Brown is exploring with the pages of The Lost Symbol." (Page 183, Decoding the Lost Symbol: 2009, Simon & Schuster.)

Not All Print Media is Disappearing

Bible Study Magazine is a new journal that comes out six times a year and just completed its first year with the Nov-Dec 2009 issue. Interestingly enough, it is published by a software company, Logos Bible Software. So there are currents flowing the other way!

This journal is very well done. The graphics are exceptional; highly useful as well as beautiful. For example, page 30 includes a graphic that quickly tells you how many early manuscripts of various ancient writings are available to scholars today: 6,000 of the canonical New Testament, but only 650 of the runner-up, Homer's Iliad, and just 4 of the Gospel of Thomas. On the next page a chart shows the number of manuscripts from the 5th century and earlier for each of the books of the New Testament.

The journal tends toward a high view of Scripture and excellent, contemporary scholarship. It includes interviews with practitioners of Biblical preaching and teaching, as well as articles the focus on books of the Bible and short passages. It is very useful, in my opinion, for anyone who takes seriously teaching Bible lessons in SS, leading a small group, preaching regularly to the same congregation, etc.

My hat is off to a software producer that sees a continuing role for print media in its mix of products. I think this kind of multi modal information service is probably the real future for publishing, computers, the Internet, etc.

For more information: www.biblestudymagazine.com

PS: I paid for my own subscription. The publisher gave me no incentive for my opinion.

A Comic Book Version of the Bible

Charles Crumb has published a comic book version of Genesis and seems to be working toward publishing the entire Bible in this format. It is notable because, unlike other products that have been out for some time, this is an adult publication that includes the entire text of Genesis with a drawn frame for each phrase or verse where the action changes. This is serious comic book art, not those little 8-page handout versions that some SS and VBS publishers provide.

"R. Crumb," as he signs his work, is the last person one would think of to initiate this project. He has a long history of producing cynical, profane and even X-rated comics for Mad magazine, etc. He is an institution of sorts in popular culture. He is an agnostic, not a believer, and the reviewer in The New York Times Book Reviewnoted some ways in which this may have influenced his treatment of Genesis. The text follows the King James Version, but relies more heavily on the English translation of Genesis done by Robert Alter.

What does this mean?

There is good and bad news for Jesus followers. On the one hand, the Bible is becoming available in more and more genre's of popular culture, including those more accessible to some of the segments least connected with conventional means of conveying the gospel, such as the church and Christian broadcasting and publishing. (You will not find R. Crumb's version of Genesis for sale in most Christian bookstores.) On the other hand, the Bible is open to manipulation by producers who are not "people of the book" and will use it for their own purposes. The precedent has been set by Americans' long insistence on the primacy of the King James Version. It is a cultural icon as well as word from God.

What Do You Make of The Shack?

It is at about 40 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. It has sold more than five million copies. It is a novel entitled The Shack by a first-time author, originally self-published with the help of two pastors that raised just $300 for a marketing budget.

Summary by Jenn Cavanaugh, reviewer for Youth Worker Journal: "God sets aside a weekend to lead Mack, a man overwhelmed by a family tragedy, into a more trusting relationship with Herself. Yes, Herself. All three persons of the Trinity take turns reconstructing Mack's notions of God. His image of God as a white man is among the first challenged. Discourses on freewill and theodicy transpire over meals and yard work. Putting words in God's mouth is a risky business, and the lapses into trite Sunday School formulas are precariously balanced by more winsome moments. The result is an extremely human rendition of God but a generally orthodox and thought-provoking one. [It] serves as a rendezvous point for any whose pain has obscured a sense of the presence, or goodness, of God-with-us."

It is important to keep this phenomena in perspective. The circulation of this volume is still way below that of The Da Vinci Code, although, in fairness, that book had an established author and a major publisher behind it. And there are evidently no published demographics on who is purchasing The Shack. Nonetheless, Why do you think this book has become so popular? Is it being read by people outside of church circles?

Revised Blackaby Classic is Coming

Experiencing God  by Henry Blackaby is a late 20th century classic in Evangelical spirituality. There are seven million copies in circulation and it has been translated into 45 languages. Soon the publisher will release a revised edition with both Blackaby and his son as co-authors. Largeparts have been re-written (the publisher says about 70 percent) and there are seven new chapters. Many of the stories and illustrations have been replaced by more recent events to make it a more contemporary. The original was published in 1991, but actually included a lot of material from earlier years because it represented a compilation of decades of teaching and preaching by Blackaby, a Canadian Baptist pastor and seminary president.

As I read the new revision, I found the familiar outline and the basic, sensible, clearly organized material. Many of Blackaby's original, personal stories are retained. There is a reason why this is a classic. It is a very straight-forward textbook on what it means to live as an ordinary, middle class Christian in today's world. It is a clearly-stated journey into contemporary Evangelical spirituality. It knows nothing about social justice or environmental stewardship. It makes no attempt to deal with the complexities of a the postmodern mind. It includes many small indicators that assume a certain kind of middle class lifestyle. But, it is not hostile to new generations of Christians who see social action as an essential ingredient in faithful living. It is foundational to those concerns. Used with other resources, it still provide an essential piece in the development of discipleship with both new Christians and those who may have never built a spiritual foundation for their lives.

New Biography: A Woman Activist, Missionary

A biography of Hannah Moore has recently been published. Who is she? Why is that important? Hannah Moore was a Christian antislavery activist and missionary who gave her life to helping the poor and downtrodden, and eventually joined the Adventist Church. "The case of Hannah More" (sic) appears in Testimonies for the Church by Ellen White and plays a role in one of White's many pleas for the church to engage more fully "our duty to the poor." (See Volume 1 of Testimonies, pages 666-680, which also reproduces some of the correspondence between Moore and White.)

Moore lived during the mid-19th century, a time when single women rarely had careers, yet she served as a Congregational missionary among the Cherokee in Oklahoma and the Mende in West Africa. For a period of time she ran a mission station by herself at Kaw Mendi. She had disputes with her superiors and became acquainted with the survivors of the Amistad slave mutiny in Africa. The biography resulted from finding a large supply of her correspondence.

Toward the end of her life, in her late 50s, Moore became an Adventist, her employment with the Congregational mission board came to an end and she traveled to Battle Creek, hoping to find a job with the Adventist Church. Despite pleas on her behalf by a pastor's wife who arrived on the same train with her, also moving to Battle Creek, and at least one church leader at the request of James White, no position was opened for her. She ran out of money and when to live with relatives in northern Michigan. The Whites found out about her discouragement and offered to pay for her to travel back to Battle Creek and live in their home. Before details could be worked out and the journey made, she fell sick and died in the winter of 1868. The Whites were greatly distressed by this. "Sister Hannah More ... died a martyr to the selfishness of a people who profess to be seeking for ... eternal life," she wrote. (Testimonies, Volume 2, page 332) And states, "I was shown [in vision] that the neglect of her was the neglect of Jesus in her person. Had the Son of God come in the humble, unpretending manner in which He journeyed from place to place when He was on earth, He would have met with no better reception." (Ibid, page 140)

There are some interesting hints in the White material as to the precise nature of the lack of enthusiastic reception in the Adventist community. She describes Moore as an "intellectual" (Pamphlet 123, page 3) and wrote that Moore had "resources of knowledge" that "exceeded those of anyone residing at [Battle Creek]." (Testimonies, Volume 2, page 141) In her review of the new biography, Camille Forman says, "Moore was a feisty woman in a time when women were expected to be pious and submissive." (International Bulletin of Missionary Research, July 2008) Is it possible that "the brethren" at Battle Creek were not interested in another talented woman with decided views?

Ellen White pointed out that this kind of covert bigotry is demonic. "Nothing is more treacherous than the deceitfulness of sin. It is the god of this world that deludes, and blinds, and leads to destruction. Satan ... disguises these temptations with a semblance of good." She makes the specific application, "Had the church emerged from darkness and deception into the clear light, their hearts would have been drawn" to Moore. (Ibid, page 142) "The hypocritical Pharisees prayed and fasted, and observed the forms of godliness, while they were corrupt at heart." (Page 143) White could not let the topic go, returning to it several times. "Not one in twenty of those who have a good standing with Seventh-day Adventists is living out the self-sacrificing principles of the word of God," she observed at one point. She connected the Moore tragedy with a wider problem. "We see outcasts, widows, orphans, worthy poor and ministers in want." (Testimonies, Volume 1, page 632, 678)

Maybe the Battle Creek Adventist community learned the lesson. When Mrs. S.M.I. Henry, a minister with the interfaith Women's Christian Temperance Union, joined the Adventist Church some years later, she was welcomed and given employment. But let's not miss another historic reality going on here: Hannah Moore and Sereptima Henry and Sojourner Truth are examples of how Christian activists of the 19th century were attracted to the Adventist movement. There was something about the Advent hope and the wholistic mission that resonated with these people, especially women, despite the fact that a prophetic voice had to be raised from time to time to herd it in the right direction.

The book is available from Amazon: Hannah Moore: A Biography of a Nineteenth-Century Missionary and Teacherby Isabel Weigold (2007, iUniverse, New York). It is available both as a paperback and at half the price as an Adobe eBook.

Neighbors and Sabbath

Alex Boraine is a South African clergyman and lawyer who was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to be deputy chair of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, serving under Chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He served for many years in the Republic of South Africa parliament and taught for a few years at NYU law school. He published an autobiography recently, A Life in Transition.

The first chapter is about his childhood. He remembers that among his neighbors, "There were also the Browns, who were Seventh-day Adventists. I hadn't the slightest idea what that meant, except that we could never play with Roy, their son, on Saturday, which was regarded as a holy day." (page 9)

He says nothing more about his perceptions, but his comments raise some interesting questions: When Sabbath-keepers keep their children from their friends in the neighborhood on Sabbath, what does that teach the neighbors about the Sabbath? Why did nothing get through to the children other than a kind of default message? Does the fear of going too far end up in a lack of proactive friendship that causes the Sabbath-keeper to come across as simply "strange" instead of principled and in possession of a valued concept--resting from the stress of life, the struggle to get ahead, in a weekly retreat for spiritual, physical and emotional healing of themselves and all creation? How could the Browns have handled this in a more creative, proactive way?