Author: Fred Shope

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Falsetto Spirituality

In Soul Graffiti, Mark Scandrette writes, “A fascination with the supernatural can be a sign of spiritual fragmentation, a falsetto spirituality that strains to reach beyond the normal”. As I pondered that statement, I realized that it is so true in much of what is called Christianity.

The obvious examples of this “fascination with the supernatural” are those who run from place to place seeking signs and wonders and “fresh anointing” from God. The supposed moving of God can keep arenas, and ministry accounts, full for months as people swarm to experience a touch from God to lift their lives above the ordinary sameness of their daily lives. While some would consider these events on the fringe, there are other examples that hit a bit closer to home.

Mainstream evangelicalism is concerned with showing people how to have their best life now, with programs that will enable folks to experience a life that rises above the ordinary. Church leaders are given opportunities to learn the secrets of success from The CEO: Jesus. Congregations strive to be extraordinary and have bigger and better facilities and programs. Supernatural power that gets prayers answered and our needs (wants) supplied is constantly sought.

Even those of a more conservative, fundamental bent are not immune to a hunger for the supernatural. They seek a home far away in heaven, a home where the physical no longer matters, a place to escape this broken world. Many of the rules and regulations in fundamental groups seem designed to limit contact with this physical world and its “corruption”.

I’m not saying that the supernatural does not matter. I am awed when God performs genuine miracles of healing, and when he provides for his people in supernatural ways. I rejoice when prayers are answered and when godly leaders influence others to follow Jesus Christ. I too believe that this world is broken and corruption runs deep.

What I am saying, and what I think is the point of the quotation from Scandrette, is that the normal, ordinary parts of our lives matter. We are called to follow Jesus here and now, not in a future existence outside of this world. Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom was here, that the King had arrived. Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world, but it does have an impact on this world. We have been given the commission and privilege to participate in the work that God is currently doing in this world.

If we look around us with eyes that can see, we can notice how God is working in the day-to-day of our lives. In fact, I think the really supernatural and miraculous thing is that the Creator of all things uses broken, ordinary people like us to do the work of restoring his creation, a work that will finally be complete when Jesus returns. The work of the Kingdom is not just those things that we see as “spiritual”. It sometimes involves getting dirty and dealing with ordinary things. But, then again, Jesus used ordinary things. He used spit and dirt to heal a blind man, for goodness sake! Why do we think we have to “rise above the ordinary”.

Look for God at work in the ordinary, and ask him where he wants you to fit into what he is doing. Don’t run after the supernatural. Remember, many times a falsetto voice doesn’t sound very good.

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TGIF

I just finished reading Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy B. Tyson. It’s his story of growing up in small town North Carolina during the days of the civil rights struggle. It’s a compelling read for anyone interested in learning more about the history of race relations in the United States, particularly North Carolina. There are things in the book that have been ignored by most historians. When the movie comes out, go see it. My daughter, Jennie worked as a location assistant so you’ll see her name in the credits.

Here’s the good stuff this week:

Check out these milk reviews and try not to laugh so hard that it comes out your nose. Thanks to Bob Hyatt

Pam has issued herself a writing challenge. The first post is here.

This link came from Michael Spencer at Jesus Shaped Spirituality. Brandon D. Rhodes shows how Ghandi was wrong.

John Frye reminds us to listen.

Jeff McQ is leaning.

The great battle: Change vs. Tradition.

Jared has a great post on our call.

Dan Kimball has found an interesting musical group.

Have a good weekend. If the Church Basement Roadshow is coming to your area, go. You won’t regret it.

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Just Wondering

I was thinking this afternoon (that’s dangerous, I know) about Jesus statement to his disciples that they could expect to be hated and persecuted because he was. When I was growing up I was always taught that this meant if I didn’t dress like the world, didn’t listen to the same music as the world, and didn’t hang around with worldly people, then those folks would hate me, make fun of me, call me names, etc. It would be okay though, because Jesus had been hated, been made fun of, and been called names. That message is still being preached in some churches around the country.

There is no question that Jesus was hated and persecuted by some of the people in his day. Heck, they even put him to death! But, I started to think about the folks who did the persecuting and the reasons why. Amazingly enough, it was not the “sinners” that hated Jesus, made fun of him and called him names. Those were the very people who followed Jesus. They were the ones who hung on his every word and who believed that he was the Messiah.

It was the religious leaders who hounded Jesus wherever he went, always looking for a way to trip him up and get him in trouble. They were the ones who said Jesus had a demon and implied that he was an illegitimate child. And, they called Jesus names like drunkard and glutton because he hung out with the “sinners”. Wait a minute. I thought the sinners, the ones who drink and party, are the very people I’m supposed to stay away from so my “testimony” isn’t damaged. I mean, heaven forbid someone should see me go into a bar or attend a party where “lost” people are gathered. They might start calling me a drunk or something like that, or at least might think that I’m not a very good Christian.

After all, I’m supposed to be a follower of Jesus and he would never put himself in a position where others would see him hanging out with the riff-raff and think badly of him. Would he?

Wait, you mean…?

Hmmmm.

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The Church Basement Roadshow is coming

On Tuesday, July 29, The Church Basement Roadshow will be at the Portico, which meets at Johnston Memorial Presbyterian Church at 729 E. 36th Street in Charlotte. The doors open at 6:30 PM and the show starts at 7:00. If you are in the Charlotte area come by and check it out.

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TGIF

After Wednesday’s post, my son Josh reminded me of the really important things. God has blessed me with success in coaching (five state final fours, two state championships), opportunities to touch the lives of young people, a loving family, and a questioning heart that seeks to know God better. Yeah, I definitely think I like the back roads better.

Here’s what I liked this week:

Molly explains pro-life.

Bob Hyatt has a Zen moment.

Brian Jones thinks we need a new name.

Pam reviews Lord Save Us From Your Followers.

iMonk chronicles his journey.

Have you heard of the churches for guys?

Please don’t say you’re the only one who hasn’t seen this.

And they say young people are apathetic.

Michael Spencer learns from the little.

Check out this video that Frank turned me on to.

Len at NextReformation has some good thoughts on Feeding the Beast.

Discovery on Mt. Ararat!

No matter how much things change, they always stay the same.

Tradition!

Enjoy your weekend. Tomorrow we’re off to Asheville for Bele Chere.

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TGIF

When I said, “Oh, today’s Friday”, my son reminded me that in the summer every day is Friday, or Saturday. That is so true. The days just sort of melt into each other. Thankfully this summer is going by slowly. It’s still a month before we go back to school.

There have been some interesting thoughts floating around the blogosphere lately:

Todd Hiestand wonders where to start.

The Thinklings are encouraging.

Element in Nashville is doing something really cool.

Tall Skinny Kiwi has some advice for anyone visiting Europe.

Brother Maynard has a list of 100 books.

John Armstrong weighs in on the pluralism debate.

Bob Hyatt has a good post on touch.

Molly has stripped things down to the bare bones.

We went to downtown Rock Hill tonight to watch a movie on an outdoor screen. Tonight’s film was To Kill a Mockingbird. Great movie.

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Jesus and “Us”

There’s a guy in our town who puts religious messages on a sign from time to time. The current sign reads, “The last two letters in Jesus is us”.

I’m not quite sure how to think about it. I’m don’t know what message he is trying to get across. My first reaction was, “Typical American evangelical Christianity. It’s all about me.” After further consideration I thought that there is a sense in which the message of the sign is true. Jesus did die for individuals and individuals follow him.

On the other hand, there is a sense in which following Jesus is about so much more than the individual. I firmly believe that we are Christ’s disciples in community and that we need each other. I’m much more generous in my thinking about what form that community can take than I used to be, but I still believe we are called to be on this journey with others.

So, I’m kind of muddled in my thinking about this. What do you think?

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TGIF

I didn’t see any hummingbirds fighting over the feeder today. Could it be that they have learned to live together in harmony? Probably not. This has been a busy week and I’m a bit behind in my reading, so the list of interesting stuff may be a little short.

The Watchman is playing some sweet music.

Christian Reformed Mafia has some interesting information.

imonk deals with Scripture translations.

Scot McKnight disappoints a lot of politicians.

John Armstrong doubts the media.

Jeff McQ tells us what he really thinks.

Anthony Smith reflects on Cornerstone. Part 1 and Part 2.

Have a great weekend.

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Hummingbirds II

A while back, I wrote about the hummingbirds that come to our feeder. A couple of days ago, I was sitting on the back porch and a hummingbird came to the feeder. It was interesting to watch because it spent all the time looking around to see if another bird was going to come chase it away. The poor thing never did get any nectar because it was afraid of the other hummingbird.

I got to thinking how often we are like that hummingbird. We are afraid to really follow Jesus because we are afraid of being attacked, by non-Christians and by Christians. Those of us who grew up in more conservative circles know what it’s like to always worry about doing something that will “harm your testimony” or “offend another Christian”. When I first began to realize that many of the things I was taught when I was younger were more in line with the culture that grew around the American Church in the past century than with what the Bible teaches, I still had times of looking over my shoulder in fear of what people might think or say.

That is not a Christ-honoring way of thinking. Jesus has set us free from the expectations and opinions of others. He has called us to follow him, not any system or philosophy concocted by human beings. A quick glance at the history of Christ followers shows the diversity in the ways we are called to follow. Beyond what we find in the New Testament, Jesus did not give us an exhaustive list of how to live our lives. Yes, there are certain principles that inform our lives, the most important being love God and love others. But there is a lot of life that is not as cut and dried as some would like to think.

Galations 5:1 Paul tells us that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. Galations 5:13 does tell us that we are not use our freedom as an excuse to sin, but much of the time that verse is misused as a weapon to get people to do what a particular group or person wants them to do.
We are free. Free to follow Christ in the way that he calls us, without worrying about what other people think. What can they do? Take our things? It all belongs to God anyway. Will they refuse fellowship? We have fellowship with the Father. Will they try to damage our reputation? What reputation? We’re all broken people in need of God’s grace and none of us is better than another. Will they take away our position? That frees us up to pursue another avenue of service. The worst they can do is kill us. If they do that, then we are with Christ. If we realize that all we are is because of God’s grace and that Jesus loves us no matter what, we can then be free to live our lives as the Holy Spirit leads us and become more like Jesus according to his schedule, not ours or any body else’s.

Don’t be like the hummingbird. Spend time drinking the nectar of God’s amazing grace instead of looking around to see who might attack you.

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TGIF

After two weeks off, TGIF is back (no applause, just throw money). It’s July 4, and it was fittingly hot here in the sunny South. Question: Do they have July 4 in England? Answer: Yes, but they don’t celebrate it.

I had a lot of blog reading to catch up on after we returned from our trip. I’m not going to even try to link to all of the good ones. These are just a few of the highlights. If you want to read more, just check out “Sites to See” at the bottom of the page. If you have a great blog post and I don’t include it, feel free to leave a link in the comments. 🙂

Barb is talking missional.

Camille puts down some good thoughts.

Molleth is a conscientious objector in the Culture War.

The Wittenburg Door has a good article about Mark Driscoll.

Jake Belder has a good reminder for us this Independence Day.

The Gospel Driven Blog has some consolation for us.

Pam writes about the loneliness of church.

Michael Spencer has a great post on economic discipleship.

Jeff McQ wants to know your favorite lines from “The Princess Bride.”

Here’s a great idea for getting to know your neighbors.

Jonathan Brink tells a story about a guy going into a bar.

Dan Kimball writes about organs and music.

Enjoy the holiday weekend! Tomorrow Jan and I celebrate 28 years of wedded bliss. (I think she deserves a medal for putting up with me this long.