Glocal Christianity

Unity in Community

What does it mean to be a unified Christian community? It's interesting to note that when the issue of unity comes up in the Acts of the Apostles, musical conformity NEVER rates a mention. Nor does language, dress, social structure or even, dare I say it, theology.

So what does rate a mention? Read it for yourself, "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

To be unified was to share one hope and one wallet, to share one love and one way of life.

In a sense I exaggerate, there is a sort of theological conformity expected here. But it's  theology of a very basic and very practical kind, a theology that requires no college degrees, that even a child can understand. To be unified as Christians means to trust in Christ and to live like Christ, together, with one another. Our unity should be gauged by how we live Monday, not by how we sing Sunday.

Military Robots and War Ethics

With the increasing autonomy and numbers of robots in military conflicts these days, I think its time for Christians to start asking the ethical war questions: 

• What, for instance, are the implications for Just War doctrine?
• Can a robot make a moral decision? Can it judge proportionality?
• If not, how can increasing autonomy be ethically justified?

And then there are the nuts and bolts questions:

• Can a robot kill humans in self defence or must a human life be at risk?
• Can a robot exercise autonomy where collateral damage risks exist?

I hear echoes of Asimov.

Just War doctrine rests on a presumption that combatants are human. With the robotization of war now upon us, that presumption must now be abandoned. So what now? A new ethical mindfield is opening up.

For more on military robots and robot ethics see: 

Governing Lethal Behavior. A technical report on robot ethics by Ronald C. Arkin
Robot Ethics. An informative blog post on robot ethics
Robot Wars are a Reality. News article from the Guardian
Roboethics. Information on robot ethics conferences and workshops
Ethics of Autonomous Military Robots. A blog covering security and security technology.
The Ethics of Killer Robots. A blog covering nanotechnology and robotics.

Is Sunday so special?

Previously I have said that sometimes the most effective way to reform Sunday worship services is to pay less attention to them. Here is a word from the apostle Paul:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (Galatians 4:8:11)

Elsewhere, in his letter to the Romans, Paul softens this by saying the weak should not judge the strong, that those who consider every day alike should not condemn those who consider one day sacred. But the overall impact seems to be that we should focus on everyday worship, not Sunday worship. What happens for you when you hear that?

Is incense ok for Christians?

Last week I was over at a friends house and was asked about incense. I can't remember the precise question, but I do remember my off the cuff answer: if Jesus was ok with receiving frankincense and myrrh as a birthday gift then I am ok with it too.

More that ok with it in fact, because I just restocked with some frankincense incense sticks today. Not sure if you have ever tried this but I like to burn frankincense as I meditate and pray, as an affirmation of Jesus as messiah. I also like the aroma.

Thinking of this reminds me of an Old Testament incense recipe:

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the LORD. (Exodus 30:34-37)

A bit too Old Testament you think? Well here is something newer.  

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. (Revelation 8:1-4)

There, so angels do it too :-)

The scope of Christian ethics

I am not quite sure how to put this, but I am wondering if Christian attempts to formulate ethics applicable to the whole of society don’t have a wee bit too much of a Christendom aroma about them.

For example, one of the common objections to Christian pacifism is the question, “What if everyone did this?” Well, they’re not. 100% conversion of society to Christianity has only ever been achieved by violence. QED

Or take the issue of homosexual marriage, would it really be the end of civilization as we know it if homosexual marriage was legalized? It seems to me that the more critical issue is this: would churches be forced to do it by the state?

In my own situation I constantly mix with people with very different values, with very different ethics. I don’t feel threatened by that. What I do feel is important though is to teach my kids to differentiate, to understand that we think and act differently when it comes to some issues, like what movies they can see at age 6. I have to say, well those are their values but these are ours.

In other words, I only expect Christian ethics to be held by Christians. Conversely, I expect non-Christians to have non-Christian ethics.

Have you ever run into a situation where someone confused your suggestion that they were not really Christian with a suggestion that they were not really ethical? I have and I find it very problematic and a huge barrier to the gospel. Being a good citizen and being a good Christian should not be equated too lightly. Similarly, popular ethics and Christian ethics should not be equated too lightly.

Some questions about Christian practice

How would you speak of Christian practice? What does it mean to be a practicing Christian? Most explainations I have come across leave me dissatisfied, as if something essential is being left out.

For example, in the Purpose Driven Life megachurch pastor Rick Warren breaks down Christian practice into worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission. That seems comprehensive enough at face value. But much is lost in his seeker sensitive approach. Where for instance is the biblical emphasis on sending out?

Another example, at Religion Facts all sorts of Christian rituals and practices are listed, pratices including evangelical alter calls, catholic exorcisms and orthodox icon reading. Yet it misses Christmas, one of our best known rituals! And nowhere is peacemaking mentioned, something which was a core practice for the majority of the earliest Christians.

What is deeply disturbing is I have to dig deep to find a Christian site talking of faith, hope and love as a practice. My websurfing and reading suggests to me that our theology is overly academic, overly impractical. Where is our theology of prayer, our theology of peacemaking, our theology of Christian experience?

Listening to God, self and others

There are many ways to incorporate listening into your spiritual practice; here are three broad ways.

Listening to God. If prayer is a conversation with God then surly we should listen to God as prayerful as we talk to God? I often begin my prayers with the words of Samuel, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:10) Some times I listen through scripture, lectio divina style, other times I just listen, simply listen. Not just in solitude either, it is also good to listen in the midst of action.

Listening to self. Of course, self awareness is an important dimension of spiritual practice too. In this I am guided by the words of the Psalmist, "Search your hearts and be silent" (Psalm 4:4) Listening to self is a journey into humility but also a journey into self discovery. You have a unique relationship with God because you are unique. Some personal contextualization is required here.

Listening to others. Then of course, we should listen to others. God challenged Cain, "Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10) We should not be deaf to the pain of this world. In practice this means listening to other cultures, including Christians from other cultures, and listening to other religions, including the irreligious. Listening is essential to loving.

Listening to enemies as a spiritual practice

Jesus said, love your enemies, but what does that mean in practice?

In my experience love begins with listening.

If we only listen to those we agree with, what credit is that to us? Even terrorists do that! But if we wish to make a difference in this world, if we want the world to become a listening world, we need to lead by example. We need to become excellent listeners, active listeners … listening to those we disagree with.

So, what has that meant for me? In practice it has meant actively listening to militant Atheists and Goddess worshippers and gays and gun lovers in all sorts of different contexts. It has meant listening to all sorts of people with all sorts of objections to Christianity and Christians like me, sometimes for quite valid reasons. At times it has even meant engaging with militant Hindus who openly justify violence against Christians. It has also meant listening to Christian fundamentalists who’ve called me a heretic, who’ve acted very unloving towards me and been very disinterested in listening and understanding.

It has not always been easy; sometimes it’s been real hard; many times I’ve slipped. But when I’ve listened, I’ve found amazing things can happen. I’ve found that listening can be contagious. I’ve found that enemies can become trusted friends. I’ve found that even when enemies remain enemies, the experience of persevering has helped to strengthen my faith, deepen my humility and soften my heart. I’ve found that I’ve learned heaps, about others, about myself and about God.

Above all, I’ve found listening can be a deep and practical discipline in loving.

So let me suggest, in our conversations, to always listen in order to understand, to listen before expecting to be listened to, and to listen for our listening and loving God in the process.

How to pray, every day

In my online researches I recently stumbled upon an Anabaptist version of what others have called the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office, and what I would call a guide to daily prayer. It is called Take our Moments and Our Days. What I like about this Anabaptist version is the threefold rhythm of "the call to praise", "the call to discipleship" and "the call to intercession" which beautifully expresses the tripolar spirituality of Augsburger.

Is justice our only concern in Christian ethics?

It seems to me that, given mercy was so prominent in the teaching of Jesus, we have to say either justice is not the only important consideration in Christian ethics or ethics is not the only important consideration governing Christian action.

Or to put this another way, restorative justice trumps retributive justice in any form of social engagement that can meaningfully be called Christian.

What do you think? And what could be some of the potential implications for Christian discussions on civil law, commerical law, international law, professional and personal codes of conduct?

Top 5 social and ethical issues

What do you thing are the top 5 social and ethical issues facing us today? What gets you worked up? Global warming? Slavery? Abortion? Pornography? Sexual Promiscuity? War? Torture? Corporate Greed? Homosexuality? Persecution? Paedophilia? Gun Control? Racism? There are many more social and ethical issues I can think of. I am sure you can too. I would like to hear your thoughts. Which do you think are the 5 most important and why?

Is it "pro-life" to assassinate an abortionist?

This evening I was pondering the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, a late term abortion provider, as he served as an usher in Lutheran church in Kansas. This is so screwed up on so many levels, I just don't know where to start. Just how is assassination pro-life?   

What makes an action a genuine practice?

I have been thinking over a comment Donald Schell made in Spirituality & Health:

As some Christian clergy and laity work to reclaim a language of Christian practice for the sake of Christian formation and community, I wonder how willing we are to ask ourselves and our congregations to submit to the sheer repetition and steady attention that would make anything we do together in church genuinely a practice? Is our church culture too expert-driven and so focused on what we know and what we’ve been taught that it separates us from the learning opportunities (and confusion and frustration) that come with real practice?

There is a danger in rote learning, in repeating without understanding. But there is also a danger in spontenaity, if it is persued with the same habitual mindlessness. True practice requires our attention. I am reminded of the challenges of Jesus. Do we have the eyes to see? Do we have the ears to hear? True discipleship requires discipline.

Christ beyond our imaginations

In the New Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton observes:

"Every one of us forms an idea of Christ that is limited and incomplete. It is cut according to our own measure. We tend to create for ourselves a Christ in our own image, a projection of our own aspirations, desires and ideals. We find in him what we want to find. We make him not only the incarnation of God but also the incarnation of the things we and our society and our part of society happen to long for." 

"Therefore, although it is true that perfection consists of imitating Christ and reproducing him in our own lives, it is not enough merely to imitate the Christ we have in our imaginations." (p155-156)

Meditation on Christ, therefore, should include the deconstruction of our own pseudo-Christs. It reminds me of the Zen koan, "If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him." It speaks of our propensity to cast idols in our own image rather than let God be God.

Prayer. Do You Ever Get Distracted?

"Stand resolute, fully intent on your prayer. Pay no heed to the concerns and thoughts that might arise the while. They do nothing better than disturb and upset you so as to dissolve the fixity on your purpose.”

Evagrius Ponticus, The Praktikos