A Song for America

My Christian walk has been a rebellion against pledging my allegiance to anything but Christ. One of the reasons I became a missionary was so that I could travel the whole world without ties to any certain nation.

I hate the word “patriotic”
I refuse to say the pledge of allegiance.
I don’t put my hand over my heart when the national anthem is sung.
When people call America a Christian nation, I have to stifle snide comments about pop culture, consumerism, oil-wars, and political scandal.

Imagine my surprise when last Saturday, I realized that…

What Garbage has to do with Christmas

Today I experienced true poverty for the first time since arriving in Southeast Asia.  Up until now, I’ve seen different standards of living that, before I experienced life overseas, I would have thought were poor but have come to accept as simply different. Today for a split second, I saw a naked man digging through piles of garbage, waist deep in stagnant water, while we were driving in Jakarta. It was less than a second, but my mind held the image for a long time. It’s still with me.

Yesterday, I would have said that other parts of the world are mostly just misunderstood by Americans. I would have said that we label countries third-world that simply value different things… like air conditioning, indoor plumbing, or non-dirt floors. Those things are not necessities. Those are just things that we take for granted.

But I wonder about that man.

Does he have a family? Will he catch a disease from that water? If he does, will he die? Why does no one help him?

Christmas music is playing as I write this entry. It surrounds me as the musician joyfully sings, “He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love.” How come all I see is this man when all I can hear is “Joy to the World?”

I think God is reminding me that He came here. The most glorious being EVER became incarnate on earth… the same earth where this man digs through rubbish… the same earth where I try to ignore that man.
No matter how broken this world may seem, we can still shout, “Joy to the World” because He is here. He did not leave us to die hopeless. We might be digging in the trash right now, but there will come a day when the incarnate one returns to heal and restore.

We celebrate Christmas because he came here in flesh. We have hope because he is coming back to finish what he started.

-Rachel

Tarshish

I’ve been reading a LOT lately. Between our 90 day Bible reading plan, “Under the Unpredictable Plant” (the book assigned by my PRIME mentor), and novels for entertainment, most of my free time is spent reading. I feel like I’m back in school, but this time, there are no grades or teachers to set deadlines. It takes significant will power to continue to read 10-16 chapters of the Bible a day when the Hobbit seems like it takes so much less effort. No matter how great “Under the Unpredictable Plant” is, it is still heavy theology and requires thinking.

Apparently, I don’t like to think.

Feel free to click "read more" to read about that? haha.

Prosperity Gospel (part three: reason)

I've always been more heart than head, but that doesn't mean I neglect logical thought. One of the reasons that I study theology is because when done correctly, it should inform ministry practice. The more we learn about God, the better we understand how our lives should practically reflect truth.

Everything we do has a message. The pastor from the case study probably doesn't realize what the prosperity gospel communicates on a deeper theological level.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, God is “the supreme or ultimate reality: as the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe.” To further elaborate, “supreme” is defined as “1) highest in rank or authority 2) highest in degree or quality, and 3) ultimate, final.”

Logically speaking, if God is the loftiest being ever, and Jesus is God, no one deserves more than him. In fact, if someone was entitled to more than him, that person would be the loftiest being. They would be God. What the prosperity gospel is actually saying is that Jesus and the Father are vending machines to serve us. It is a reversal of status in which God becomes lower than his so-called followers.

If Jesus was a homeless nomad who was mocked as he was murdered. Why would his followers prove their faithfulness by respect and wealth?

If we choose to accept the prosperity gospel, we must abandon all doctrines associated with God’s supremacy and the Atonement. If the logic behind Christ’s atoning sacrifice is that he is perfect and the incarnation of God on earth, then the prosperity gospel stands as an affront to his perfection. If, as the prosperity gospel states, blessing is wealth and honor, then the cross was the opposite of Kingdom come.

This pastor must re-evaluate the logic of his teaching.

So do we.

Every time we allow ourselves to feel entitled, we risk idolatry. The worship of ourself is so tempting.

Prosperity Gospel? (part 2: Historical Traditions)

For those of you who are following this case study analysis, this is probably one of the most academic, no-fluff posts on this blog (unless you read my senior project research project... which if you did, I'm impressed). I don't expect many to read this, but I thought that the history and traditions surrounding the case study give important insight. Through reflection upon historical missiology and theology, the benefits and limitations of this approach become apparent.

Click read more if you dare ;)

Prosperity Gospel? (part one: Scripture)

Okay everybody, get ready for a slew of theological posts. I haven't written anything too academic lately, but I've always been passionate about seeking to better understand our God. My professor Dr. Kent Eilers says that theology is simply faith seeking performative understanding. In other words: it has real effect on the way we live daily life. This case study analysis is an example of something I have been dealing with not only in South East Asia, but my own cultural context as well. I want to clarify that this is only one instance and does not depict our full (and many wonderful) church experiences overseas.

So without further adieu, click read more and get the full story.

Wind, Rain, and the Nomadic Life

3 months, 17 beds, 12 flights and counting.

Colin and I are sitting at the Brunei international airport Coffee Bean waiting for our connecting flight back to Manila. The shop is packed with Kiwis (New Zealanders), Australians, and various other white people. It’s like we’ve all subconsciously congregated to be under the comfort of the trendy lights and drink our expensive lattés.

I suppose that’s unfair.

I’m drinking a frozen Mocha…and really, everything is expensive at the airport.

I digress.

It’s at moments like this, when we are in the in between, that I feel most like a wanderer. I imagine it being like the calm in the eye of a storm where the wind ferociously rotates around a tranquil center. If I could feel the wind, I would simply be dealing with my environment instinctually. But right now, I am in expectation. I have experienced the rain and this moment of “peace” is anything but… because I know what is coming. Or, to be more correct, I imagine what is coming.

Click "read more" for further explanation.