Deconstruction vs Hope

I spent several days at Pepperdine University last week for their annual Bible Lectures. I've been a handful of times, this being my third straight year in attendance. Hanging out with a few thousand other Christians is an uplifting experience. Plus it's an easy assignment to be in Malibu for a few days -- though I must admit there is no place like home.

I heard several good classes, including one taught by our own Kym Dildine. She did a marvelous job with her material about raising Christian daughters. I hope we can find a way for her to share her material not just with the parents of daughters but with all parents. Folks, we need to be aware of the pressures placed on young people. Too many parents are way too naive about their children. Kids have always gotten into mischief, yes. But the destructive nature of some of the "mischief" available in today's world can seriously scar a young person for life. Thanks, Kym, for sharing constructive ideas so well.

I also heard 6 of the 7 the keynote addresses. We have some great speakers within Churches of Christ, and Dr. Jerry Rushford (Bible Lectures coordinator) always does a great job of getting quality voices to speak to us. Over the years those lectures have shaped a generation of churches -- for the better!

I have to admit, however, that I have grown weary of a trend among keynote speakers in recent years. Not all, but most, seem to feel the need to apologize for our church heritage. There was a need for this -- at one time. For a season we needed prophetic voices who could deconstruct our heritage, poke fun at our inconsistencies, and cry about the wounds caused by well-meaning yet misguided brothers and sisters.

Maybe it's just me, but I no longer feel the need to beat ourselves up. Do we have a future or not? We don't want to define ourselves in the same manner as our forebears. But aren't many churches and church leaders now defining themselves in a manner contra their past? In other words, they are still allowing their past to define them. Rather than waking up and seeing that our world has moved on, they are still trying to fight the ghosts and demons of a previous generation.

Again, maybe it's just me, but I'm ready for the voice that wants to see the world as it is and step boldly and incarnationally into that world. But if we are constantly looking over our shoulders, how can we ever move forward proactively? I'm not asking that we deny our heritage. I accept who I am -- a Christian member of a Church of Christ that identifies with a grouping of a cappella churches called the Churches of Christ. Knowing who I am allows me to interact freely with the rest of the Christian world -- this doesn't limit me in that. But it does give me an identity, a family to belong to. Just as the human race has clans and families, so too the Lord's church has families and groupings. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as we don't speak the sectarian language of anger and division.

It might just be me, but I'm ready to address a world that needs Jesus. I'm tired of trying to "fix" the church. Hello, people! I'm guessing that the real problem in churches represented at Pepperdine is not legalism or sectarianism. I'm guessing that the real problem centers around materialism and idolatry. We have become so comfortable in our "safety zones" of following Jesus, that many of us have abandoned our mission to the world.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm ready for hope. I believe that just as Pepperdine's Jerry Rushford succeeded in finding voices to speak to our church's generational needs, he can also find the voices that speak to this new need for a fresh vision, for hope.

Oh well, time for a coffee from Starbucks.