tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90071602024-03-23T13:21:43.657-05:00the grenzianRobb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.comBlogger1275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-51607777688814035552012-12-03T16:17:00.003-06:002012-12-03T16:17:36.183-06:00Farewell, Old FriendAfter 8 years of (mostly) being here on Blogger, The Grenz is moving to Wordpress to be a part of my new platform, <a href="http://www.robbryerse.com/">RobbRyerse.com</a>. Come join the new conversation.<br />
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.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-34852171486746062232012-11-28T08:36:00.000-06:002012-11-28T08:36:53.805-06:00My Experiment with a Simple Diet<div>
We have started new Experimental Collectives at Vintage. Right now, we are focusing on simplicity, realizing that Jesus invites us to find a whole new way to think about our money, our stuff, our clothes, our time, our anxiety, and our stress. Jesus invites us to a more simple life in which we find our security in God. </div>
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We decided to focus on simplicity in November and December very intentionally. If there is any season in which we need to experiment with less, it is the holiday season. And so, we've gone at our cultural pressures head-on.</div>
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The Experimental Collective that I am in is using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433672960/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1433672960&linkCode=as2&tag=thegrenzian-20" target="_blank">Jen Hatmaker's book 7</a> as its jumping off point. 7 tells Jen's story of radically addressing seven areas of excess in her life. It's a really interesting read. In our collective, we decided to each pick an area of excess and try to simplify it. We took two weeks to prepare - one to pick an area and one to make a plan. Now, we are spending a month living out our plan and experimenting with simplicity.</div>
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Here's what I'm learning so far:</div>
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Having things intentionally simple does not necessarily mean having things easy. I'm beginning to think that simplicity may not be the opposite of complexity. Things may be simple and still may be complicated. It's paradoxical, I know, but most of the best truths are.<div>
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I'm beginning to think that because simplicity is related to peace and beauty, its opposites are actually clutter and chaos. Things in my life are least simple when they are out of control. </div>
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I chose food as my area to simplify because food is out of control in my life. I eat when I'm happy. I eat when I'm sad. I eat too much. I eat too much of the wrong stuff. I feel better when I eat. I feel worse about myself when I eat. Food has become chaotic in my life. It is out of control. There are no boundaries. I feel like it has been mastering me instead of the other way around. </div>
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And so, for the next month, I am experimenting with radically simplifying my diet in hopes of bringing food under control.</div>
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Here's how I'm going to do it. I've decided on twelve foods that I am going to eat and three drinks that I'm going to drink. (I know that Jen Hatmaker only ate seven foods for a month. This is my experiment, not hers.) For the next month, my diet will consist of:</div>
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Chicken</div>
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Fish</div>
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Sweet Potatoes</div>
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Potatoes</div>
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Spinach</div>
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Broccoli</div>
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Tomatoes</div>
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Apples</div>
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Avocados</div>
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Eggs</div>
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Whole Wheat Bread</div>
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Dark Chocolate</div>
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Water</div>
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Tea</div>
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Red Wine</div>
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My hope is that during this experiment, I will learn that food doesn't have to be the master of me. I can make good and consistent choices. It doesn't have to feel chaotic and out of control. I'm also hoping to lose a little bit of weight - I've never been fatter than I am right now.</div>
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This experiment in food simplicity won't make my life easier or less complicated. This morning when I was fixing oatmeal for Vanessa and the kids, it would have been easier to just fix a fifth bowl instead of frying up an egg for myself. This simple diet will make grocery shopping and menu planning for the family more complex. I've read Jen Hatmaker's story and the stories of some of my friends who did the 7 food experiment. I know it's not going to be easy.</div>
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But I think it will bring me some peace and beauty. And that's why I'm doing it. That makes it worth it.</div>
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Here we go.</div>
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Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-13997289621083543792012-11-26T18:16:00.001-06:002012-11-26T18:16:52.246-06:00I Did Not Write Fundamorphosis To ...I've written several times about why I wrote <i>Fundamorphosis: How I Left Fundamentalism But Didn't Lose My Faith</i> (<a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/09/am-i-all-alone.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/09/dont-believe-fear-mongers.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-heroes-of-my-story.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I've talked about some of the process and what I hoped to accomplish by telling my story. Today I thought I'd flip the coin and talk about some of the things I didn't write <i>Fundamorphosis</i> to accomplish.<br />
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These things were not my goal:<br />
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<b><i>1. I did not write </i>Fundamorphosis<i> to convince you to agree with me.</i></b><br />
The book is my story not yours. I hope that some of you will find yourself in it, that it will resonate with you in some way. But I don't judge the success or failure of Fundamorphosis based on how many people I persuade to agree with me. I don't mind if you disagree with my theological conclusions. I'm ok with it if you think I've gone down the wrong road. I'm cool with you saying, "Yeah ... I just don't agree with that." I think there is something much more beautiful than theological homogeny. I love the variegated beauty of truth expressed in the church. In fact, I think the church will be weaker and uglier if everyone thinks and believes like I do.<br />
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<b><i>2. I did not write </i>Fundamorphosis<i> to make you emergent.</i></b><br />
I self-identify as "emergent." That is a label that is anathema to some people. I've been told that the emergent church is "dangerous" and is the precursor of the one world religion of the AntiChrist. It's also a label that some think is already outdated and no longer useful. One friend who was a leading voice in the early emergent church conversation told me not to use the term at all. And, for a lot of people, it's a label that means absolutely nothing. As a proud member of gen-x, I'm supposed to eschew all labels, but I kind of like self-identifying as "emergent." And I don't mind if you don't.<br />
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<b><i>3. I did not write </i>Fundamorphosis<i> to make you hate fundamentalists.</i></b><br />
This book is not a polemic against fundamentalism. I tell my story and highlight what I think is wrong with fundamentalism, but I try to be very careful not to denigrate fundamentalists or their faith. I have a deep respect for fundamentalists like my grandfather, Bob Ryerse, who risked much to stand on their principles and resist what they thought was encroaching modernism in the church. As I say in the book, I could not be who I am if I had not been who I once was. I am not angry or hateful or bitter. I'm just glad that God has moved me on.<br />
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.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-36360927305207101992012-11-23T10:40:00.002-06:002012-11-23T10:43:20.072-06:00The Most Loving ThingI often hear a certain line of reasoning from my more conservative Christian friends that goes like this:<br />
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I'm not homophobic for opposing gay marriage or for believing that homosexuality is a sin. In fact, I'm actually loving. Because the most loving thing you can do is tell the truth. And I'm telling gay and lesbian people the truth that they are sinning.</blockquote>
This is the argument used by guys from the Westboro Baptist Church in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/russell-brand-westboro-baptist-church-video_n_2166670.html" target="_blank">this</a> fascinating interview with Russell Brand. And it's the argument that's been used by one of my commenters on <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/10/some-thoughts-on-national-coming-out-day.html" target="_blank">this</a> blog post.<br />
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This argument is built on one presupposition: <i><b>the most loving thing I can do is tell the truth. </b></i>If that statement is accurate, maybe my more conservative friends have a point. But if it is not accurate, then they've got some serious re-evaluating to do.<br />
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Since my conservative Christian friend accept the Bible as their authority for faith and practice, let's go to the Bible and see what it says. Does the Bible say that telling the truth is the most loving thing we can do? Did Jesus teach us that the greatest love is truth telling?<br />
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Nope.<br />
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Jesus was pretty straightforward about it when he said, "Greater love has no than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."<br />
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The greatest love is not truth telling. The greatest love is personal sacrifice.<br />
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So, if my conservative Christian friends want to love gay and lesbian people, as they claim they do, they will do what Jesus says. Let's unpack his statement a little more.<br />
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Jesus says that the greatest love is to lay down your life for your <i><b>friends</b></i>.<br />
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This begs the question, do you have any gay or lesbian friends? For a long time, I didn't. And when I didn't, I just lumped LGBT into a group and assumed that I understood what they thought and believed. This approach underscored the us-vs-them mentality that makes true love very difficult. And then I started to get to know people as people, listening to their stories, and developing friendships. And that has made a huge difference. I've written about this <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-opposed-gay-marriage-and-i-repent.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Jesus says that the greatest love is to <i><b>lay down your life</b></i> for your friends.<br />
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Jesus himself is the example of this kind of love. Not long after he said these words, he was arrested on trumped up charges, railroaded through the legal system, and executed. As you read the accounts of his death, you get a sense that Jesus was willingly going there, that he knew something greater was going to come as a result of his death. You get the sense that it is an act of love.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMeKKmVKfK11nAuvMB_KzqMkCI6vUxLZ3dtNiUlNT-h_dsyP1i0kRC3IuiUp5ZSu7yMKLRb8TpevwmdCawtN7qOCTLuUhDBDkUYj9pbb0JnLB8xqjywAl91uoZPE4-Qj7Jp7I/s1600/letting-go-open-hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMeKKmVKfK11nAuvMB_KzqMkCI6vUxLZ3dtNiUlNT-h_dsyP1i0kRC3IuiUp5ZSu7yMKLRb8TpevwmdCawtN7qOCTLuUhDBDkUYj9pbb0JnLB8xqjywAl91uoZPE4-Qj7Jp7I/s320/letting-go-open-hands.jpg" width="320" /></a>Laying down your life sometimes means making the ultimate sacrifice. But loving sacrifice does not exclusively mean death. To lay down is to relinquish, to surrender, to willingly put aside. This reminds me, again, of Jesus, who, in the words of apostle Paul, "did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing." He gave up what was rightfully his. He set it aside. He opened his hand and let go of what he had once held. He relinquished what he had for a greater purpose. Namely, love.<br />
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So, if you love as you claim, what are you willing to relinquish for your gay friends?<br />
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Are you willing to relinquish your own comfort?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your own sense of what culture should be like in America?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your notion of a "Christian nation"?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your perceived right to say what you want?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your slogans and your signs?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your definition of marriage?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your pew and make room for new friends at your church?<br />
Are you willing to relinquish your political agenda?<br />
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So many followers of Jesus are tight-fisted about the things they perceive as their rights. But, it seems to me, that the posture of Jesus, the posture of love, is not a fist but an open hand. It is not hate but love - actual self-sacrificing love.<br />
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.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-11123856264746546692012-11-20T13:30:00.000-06:002012-11-20T13:30:07.307-06:00Guest Post: My Adoption StoryI am guest posting today at <a href="http://www.amomentcherished.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Moment Cherished</a>, the wonderful blog of my friend Tiffany Darling. Check it out:<br />
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<span class="s1">I started dreaming about adopting when I was a teenager. </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="s1">I grew up in fundamental Baptist churches where political issues were painted with the same broad and often simplistic brush as everything else. The only political issue that really mattered was abortion. I was taught that all true Christians were pro-life, and all pro-lifers should do everything possible to end abortion. And so I wore my “God is pro-life” t-shirt. I attended rallies and marches in Washington DC. I read books by Randall Terry. And I dreamed of one day adopting a baby who could have been a victim of abortion.</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="s1">Fifteen years later, my dream came true. <a href="http://amomentcherished.blogspot.com/2012/11/adoption-guest-post.html" target="_blank">Read more ...</a></span></blockquote>
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Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-2408339404063302022012-11-19T12:13:00.000-06:002012-11-19T12:22:20.700-06:00WhirlwindI've been thinking about the past couple of weeks, and only one word is coming to mind - whirlwind.<br />
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Let's recap what we've been up to:<br />
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaho-F6lgD4usGsdqNAlvG7MohpOiDTnFTyJeLhpL9FMMZfDO-sYfLtnmiBR4k1FZWzfd0hyD6r3kDOudWmMx3IWRD_9Le8_EeRm9_9eJOQ9kpDEKpGrGeecZmL_TGXnCwOqJ/s1600/fire_glory_whirlwind_over_lyford3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaho-F6lgD4usGsdqNAlvG7MohpOiDTnFTyJeLhpL9FMMZfDO-sYfLtnmiBR4k1FZWzfd0hyD6r3kDOudWmMx3IWRD_9Le8_EeRm9_9eJOQ9kpDEKpGrGeecZmL_TGXnCwOqJ/s320/fire_glory_whirlwind_over_lyford3.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>I published a book. <i>That's kind of a big deal, right?</i></li>
<li>Vanessa and I took up all the tile in our kitchen. <i>Well, mostly Vanessa because she's just that awesome.</i></li>
<li>I did several media appearances. <i>Though I haven't been invited to be on The View yet.</i></li>
<li>We had floor guys stain the concrete in our kitchen and living room. <i>Color me disappointed.</i></li>
<li>We dropped a book bomb on Amazon to get Fundamorphosis to rise up the bestseller lists. <i>Which was a lot of fun.</i></li>
<li>We started our new Experimental Collective. <i>I'm going to radically simplifying my diet very soon.</i></li>
<li>Because of the floor guys, we cleaned dust off of - literally - everything we own. <i>Literally. I'm using the word "literally" correctly in this sentence. I don't mean "figuratively."</i></li>
<li>Vanessa and I had meetings at school over a rather concerning issue. <i>And don't ask for more details because I don't think I'm going to share them with you.</i></li>
<li>We also had a very tense conversation with the floor guys. <i>They're not getting a recommendation from us.</i></li>
<li>My sister and nephew flew in from Michigan. <i>Awesomesauce.</i></li>
<li>We had a party to celebrate the launch of the book. <i>More awesomesauce.</i></li>
<li>My nephew, son, and I drove to Dallas to watch the heart-wrenching Browns-Cowboys game. <i>It sucks being a Browns fan. (I almost included the word "sometimes" in that sentence, but let's be honest, it always sucks being a Browns fan.)</i></li>
<li>At the game, we met up with my other sister and her husband who flew in from DC to watch the game. <i>Getting to see both of my sisters in the same weekend is very cool, even cooler than the very cool Dallas Cowboys Stadium.</i></li>
<li>We drove back from Dallas. <i>Color me tired.</i></li>
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And there have been several things I haven't had a chance to do yet, like hold the newest member of the Vintage family, Master Eli Stripling. And smoke one of the amazing cigars Aaron gave me. And read my newest <i>Sports Illustrated</i>. And sleep enough.<br />
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It has been a whirlwind.<br />
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And that is why I am so happy that it is this week. The week of Thanksgiving, one of my favorite weeks of the year.<br />
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I'm going to get a chance to sleep in.<br />
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And hang out with my kids.<br />
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And watch the parade and football.<br />
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And eat the best meal of the year.<br />
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And reflect on all for which I am thankful.<br />
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And rest.<br />
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The whirlwind times can be fun, but I've learned that it's really emotionally unhealthy to spend all of my time in the midst of the crazy. Bill Hybles once called it "addicted to crisis living mode." This week, I'm getting off of crisis living mode and shifting back into living mode. And resting is the best way I know how.<br />
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<b><i>How about you? What do you do to get out of the whirlwind of crisis living?</i></b><br />
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.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-52106322296683226032012-11-07T05:24:00.000-06:002012-11-07T05:24:20.339-06:00Guest Posting: Fundamentalist, InterruptedI am guest posting today over at <a href="http://www.stufffundieslike.com/" target="_blank">Stuff Fundies Like</a>. Check it out:<br />
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When I was in high school, some of my friends and I wanted to play some basketball in the church gym on a Sunday afternoon. I called my uncle, the chairman of the trustee board, and asked for permission. He said, “No.” Sporting events weren’t allowed at church on Sundays. I could hear his TV in the background. He was watching the game. </blockquote>
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For two summers in college ... <a href="http://www.stufffundieslike.com/2012/11/fundamentalist-interrupted/" target="_blank">Read More</a></blockquote>
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Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-70258002084413999722012-10-31T09:08:00.001-05:002012-10-31T09:08:34.477-05:00Thoughts on Confidence and CertitudeI've been thinking a lot lately about the difference between confidence and certitude. These are not yet fully developed ideas but rather a few random thoughts that will likely develop into something more substantial in time.<br />
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I have railed against certitude. I think certitude is the fundamental problem of fundamentalism. Certitude is knowing something with absolute certainty. It is firmly believing that something is true. Emphasis on the <i>firmly</i>. When someone believes with certitude, he or she knows without any possibility of being wrong, without any qualification, without any doubt.<br />
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Certitude is rigid. And it produces a rigidity of lifestyle, both for the person with certitude and projected upon the people he or she comes into contact with. I make the case in <i>Fundamorphosis</i> that certitude produces legalism which, in turn, produces judgmentalism. Certitude is unbending, unwavering, unquestionable. It seems to me that certitude puts its focus on the person who knows. <i><b>I</b></i> am certain. Certitude knows.<br />
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Confidence, on the other hand, seems a bit different to me. Confidence is an act of faith. It is the attitude of a person who puts his or her trust in something. It believes the thing to be true but it does so with more fluidity. It has an object outside of itself. I don't know, but I believe. I'm not sure, but I hope. Against all odds, I will trust with optimism and confidence. Certitude knows, but confidence hopes.<br />
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I write all this because I don't want people to have the impression that my rejection of certitude is a rejection of truth or the Bible or God. It is not. It is a rejection of a philosophical system that helped produced a ecclesiastical structure that for me ended up being dangerous and detrimental. I am no longer certain, but I am still confident, not in myself but Jesus.<br />
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I like way Bono puts it in U2's song <i>Stand Up Comedy</i>:<br />
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I can stand up / For hope, faith, love<br />
But while I'm getting over certainty<br />
Stop helping God across the road / Like a little old lady<br />
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.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-35726867981470706482012-10-25T09:42:00.000-05:002012-10-25T09:42:55.385-05:00The Heroes of My StoryI re-read my book <i>Fundamorphosis: How I Left Fundamentalism But Didn't Lose My Faith</i> over the last couple of days. I had gotten the proof copy in the mail and wanted to go through it, looking one last time for typos and mistakes. I found several. It's an imperfect book. I'm an imperfect person.<br />
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What struck me as I re-read my own story was the people along the way who have made such a difference in my life. They are the heroes of my story. They stood by me. They listened. They gave me counsel. They didn't always agree with me, but they let me be myself.<br />
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I thought today I would pay tribute to some of them. Here's to the heroes of my story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_8-zeskn1BZVOKzqGEr5uNsSAbvtDXM9Es-Xp6hQb1vIx814TyBGzwK5XDCo3HkQUeL4aR1Hc_4nkIKUogeX4q71oUHklIe6tW6-O-TNiB9uhbENBoHBBXzNjpUNtoBVvVYJ/s1600/ted.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_8-zeskn1BZVOKzqGEr5uNsSAbvtDXM9Es-Xp6hQb1vIx814TyBGzwK5XDCo3HkQUeL4aR1Hc_4nkIKUogeX4q71oUHklIe6tW6-O-TNiB9uhbENBoHBBXzNjpUNtoBVvVYJ/s200/ted.jpeg" width="100" /></a><b>Ted Boykin</b><br />
More than a professor, Ted was my friend through my formative college years. He was one of the first people to encourage me to be myself while simultaneously encouraging me to be better than I was. The amazing thing about Ted is that I know that there are - literally - thousands of other guys out there who feel exactly the same way about him as I do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRcfswp2kTjpR_Je0tJSSjx5PJQRVR98hYHtqqyyOKOmb5w0Dcmp2w8szoMpCYztyEAOXT49sGAIcySk9K4i0cOOnTTGK_XfWF2q9tM9yrdeGTzyxz3fLs03FoxhNNio7c3rd/s1600/carter.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRcfswp2kTjpR_Je0tJSSjx5PJQRVR98hYHtqqyyOKOmb5w0Dcmp2w8szoMpCYztyEAOXT49sGAIcySk9K4i0cOOnTTGK_XfWF2q9tM9yrdeGTzyxz3fLs03FoxhNNio7c3rd/s200/carter.tiff" width="100" /></a><b>Dr. Rembert Byrd Carter</b><br />
For thirty years worth of students who went through Baptist Bible College, Dr. Carter served as our intellectual and theological authority. He taught us as much as he scared us. My relationship with Dr. Carter was complicated. We didn't always see eye-to-eye, and I think I disappointed him in a lot of ways. But he loved me and listened to me and encouraged me. I still miss him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q5lHx5RbuEDxBAPljr3TSDv7MOFtNXbRlv0YH97WzrkX4cTRL2qQpeMwjMcBWcP-Yqh-nLAii-1jezTdNHyofnwQ-EEaJWLXzQJxrhp02ZkbEuVdaPTgrjgSVluu8XyE_jQY/s1600/stan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q5lHx5RbuEDxBAPljr3TSDv7MOFtNXbRlv0YH97WzrkX4cTRL2qQpeMwjMcBWcP-Yqh-nLAii-1jezTdNHyofnwQ-EEaJWLXzQJxrhp02ZkbEuVdaPTgrjgSVluu8XyE_jQY/s200/stan.jpeg" width="100" /></a><b>Stanley Grenz</b><br />
I never had the chance to meet Stan Grenz. I know him only through his books. He has so influenced how I think that I named this blog after him. Those who are familiar with Grenz will recognize his influence throughout my book. Grenz was one of the first writers I encountered who took postmodernism seriously and sought to develop a faith expression of Christian theology in a world that had changed. He changed my life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AOUPy3LXJMMXvnnfea-6a9kSYbr05tOd7uy02lOUYy7oNaRLxDIMUKcQpsvK-DuUqJCSQlAX-_zyMPJn5hee5d8aSFouo8BcHuSMTh-jeexmiIwWyduQKZaCJKScLx6RaEeM/s1600/aaron.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AOUPy3LXJMMXvnnfea-6a9kSYbr05tOd7uy02lOUYy7oNaRLxDIMUKcQpsvK-DuUqJCSQlAX-_zyMPJn5hee5d8aSFouo8BcHuSMTh-jeexmiIwWyduQKZaCJKScLx6RaEeM/s200/aaron.jpeg" width="100" /></a><b>Aaron Marshall</b><br />
<b>Bryan Johnson</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta2Jlo9dhx1zJc9uI4bvl4_RVoOy59bZg_9zUtfVyVgPxryNiXrdhMydUI6xNmneJ8TFePRI-97HyhJfidjfSK351Z41ZbR5g_LFfP8uDq7nQTjFVTuIcL-k0qO-trCCAwVjq/s1600/bryan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta2Jlo9dhx1zJc9uI4bvl4_RVoOy59bZg_9zUtfVyVgPxryNiXrdhMydUI6xNmneJ8TFePRI-97HyhJfidjfSK351Z41ZbR5g_LFfP8uDq7nQTjFVTuIcL-k0qO-trCCAwVjq/s200/bryan.jpeg" width="100" /></a>When I started to admit that I was undergoing a fundamorphosis, Aaron and Bryan were the ones to whom I turned. Aaron had been my best friend since college and Bryan had quickly become a close friend when we all pastored churches in Michigan. When I expressed to them my doubts and my dreams, they didn't laugh at me or dismiss me out of hand. They encouraged, supported, questioned, and dreamed too. I don't tell them enough how much they have meant to me. I would not be where I am or who I am without these two friends.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfB6VEDur2MAgPK4R2K0oO8TWs4AgoyPCmMmmBVmjw6wDOB59ezluO9MLMA4ZPX4upCwOXJDPc91weIBbrHCVDTKvwtZKVSwLZAaufyh-NDPWXJcQLhjwoQgahho8q0i-o2o_/s1600/brian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfB6VEDur2MAgPK4R2K0oO8TWs4AgoyPCmMmmBVmjw6wDOB59ezluO9MLMA4ZPX4upCwOXJDPc91weIBbrHCVDTKvwtZKVSwLZAaufyh-NDPWXJcQLhjwoQgahho8q0i-o2o_/s200/brian.jpeg" width="100" /></a><b>Brian McLaren</b><br />
Many years ago now, the doubts I had about fundamentalism sent me into a deep spiritual depression. My path to recovery involved reading <i>A New Kind of Christian</i> by Brian McLaren. I have written about it <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-best-week-ever-or-what-to-say-when.html" target="_blank">before</a>, but suffice it to say, Brian saved my faith.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP62xckT_coPO1B1kvl8p6MTclghsKq9jAGVITt_GeXR9mQF2RiYVzKsr52UJvTqbjscKU2GeFECnaFL8QC9rOthbGlX1TO76CgX1DShUj8df62CzWCyPQGJcbsx2-xDEhCEp1/s1600/boss.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP62xckT_coPO1B1kvl8p6MTclghsKq9jAGVITt_GeXR9mQF2RiYVzKsr52UJvTqbjscKU2GeFECnaFL8QC9rOthbGlX1TO76CgX1DShUj8df62CzWCyPQGJcbsx2-xDEhCEp1/s200/boss.jpeg" width="100" /></a><b>Russ Warner</b><br />
When I was a teenager, I was hyper-sensitive to the hypocrisy I observed all around me in my church and Christian school. My consistent reaction to the Christian leaders in my life was, <i>If that's what Christians are like, I don't want anything to do with them</i>. Until I met Russ Warner, Boss. He modelled for me a kind of faith expressed in love that was magnetic. He made me think, <i>If that's what Christians are like, I want in. </i>He taught me how to follow Jesus, and I'll be always grateful for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5491q8kAB_g0ujEdijmAOBan7GUSfvIQZ5ZMYAv7jenbrBWQqtB8QdocjG8aqC8oACXEVgv4g5Gng3Wk1e-f2kuxNGlFFWA26o9mjGh0DJPyitDYPmZDhCSUnO8HOoePhbKV_/s1600/vanessa.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5491q8kAB_g0ujEdijmAOBan7GUSfvIQZ5ZMYAv7jenbrBWQqtB8QdocjG8aqC8oACXEVgv4g5Gng3Wk1e-f2kuxNGlFFWA26o9mjGh0DJPyitDYPmZDhCSUnO8HOoePhbKV_/s200/vanessa.jpeg" width="100" /></a><b>Vanessa Ryerse</b><br />
There is not enough paper in the world for me to write about all that Vanessa has meant to me during my fundamorphosis. She has walked with me every step of the way. She has given me the space to struggle and doubt. She has given voice to my fears. She has been willing to make enormous sacrifices for my dreams. She is the best companion and friend I could imagine having for this journey.<br />
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<b><i>How about you - who are the heroes of your story?</i></b><br />
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Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-81554977210595459552012-10-23T14:25:00.001-05:002012-10-23T14:27:18.613-05:00Trading One Fundamentalism For Another<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not the first person to leave fundamentalism. In some ways, my story is not all that unique. What makes it somewhat different than many similar stories I have heard, however, is that when I left fundamentalism, I <i>actually</i> left fundamentalism. A lot of people don't do this. They just trade one fundamentalism for another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know people who have left the kind of Christian fundamentalism I grew up in. They grew tired of trying to live by the standards of no swearing, no alcohol, no movies, no rock music. They wanted to smoke a cigar or try a different Bible version or got a divorce. And so they left their independent, fundamental Baptist church. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for many of these people, the passion they once </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">exerted</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> toward the issues of Christian fundamentalism got redirected into something new. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DYcfZLbjBL9shr1bBMsOS4ZnP27yCRnmpw87qjcE44290qc53L8gUOetg2PQdKcXVKm3tHHYa8rkx_wDhu5rvldtSYMp1qLWTREYPwB40-leRnDeZ1ZCYv9YcOeXzO9vpN_T/s1600/35j6o3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DYcfZLbjBL9shr1bBMsOS4ZnP27yCRnmpw87qjcE44290qc53L8gUOetg2PQdKcXVKm3tHHYa8rkx_wDhu5rvldtSYMp1qLWTREYPwB40-leRnDeZ1ZCYv9YcOeXzO9vpN_T/s1600/35j6o3.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some became fundamentalist atheists - just as confident and mean-spirited as ever, but now with a new target.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others became neo-Calvinist fundamentalists - trading in the pope-like pastor of their independent Baptist church for a new infallible authority, like Mark Driscoll or John Piper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others became fundamentalists about some other cause - seemingly caring more about organic food or homeschooling or their political party than either Jesus or other people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They may no longer self-identify as fundamentalists. But they are still fundamentalists.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fundamentalism, whether it is Christian fundamentalism or another variety, is built on <i><b>certitude</b></i>. Fundamentalists know with unshakeable confidence what they know. This certitude produces <i><b>legalism</b></i>. Since they know these things to be absolutely true, then life absolutely has to be lived this way. Legalism produces <b><i>judgment</i></b>. People who don't live this way can and should be condemned for their failure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fundamentalism is a philosophical approach to life built on certitude that produces a rigidity of lifestyle and an attitude of judgment. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is possible to abandon the superstructure of one particular brand of fundamentalism without dismantling the underlying foundation. When that happens, people just slide from one kind of fundamentalism to another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My break with fundamentalism was more fundamental than that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, the breaking point was not superficial things like language or dress or having a beer. For me, the breaking point with fundamentalism came when my certitude gave way to something far more compelling - authenticity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's what <i>Fundamorphosis: How I Left Fundamentalism But Didn't Lose My Faith</i> is about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span>Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-71542059341463682632012-10-11T10:46:00.000-05:002012-10-11T12:15:13.011-05:00Some Thoughts on National Coming Out Day<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More than two years ago, I gave myself a deadline. October 11, 2011. National Coming Out Day. I decided by that day I would have researched and come to a conclusion on the sticky issues of homosexuality and Christian faith. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I had plenty of time to unpack the views of sexuality I had inherited from my fundamentalist upbringing. I thought I had plenty of time to read books and articles on both sides of the issue. I thought I had plenty of time to have the necessary conversations with friends to broaden my perspective with the wisdom and insights of others. I thought that by giving myself a deadline, I would have the sufficient motivation to tackle a complex issue and make it simple in my own mind.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought wrong.</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">October 11, 2011 came and went. And I remained silent because I was still unsure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I definitely was unsure of the veracity of all that I had been taught. I grew up in fundamentalist churches where just about everything - including human sexuality - was black and white, cut and dry. "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" was not just a lame joke. It was gospel truth. Over the last decade, I have questioned much of what I was taught. I've struggled with what to hold on to and what to jettison. I've even written a book about it all. I said to Vanessa the other day the one thing I am not unsure about, <i><b>Human sexuality is way more complicated than we were ever led to believe growing up in church and Christian school.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I was also unsure of where I was headed if I abandoned my fundamentalist positions. I know that I don't want to stay in the simplistic world of my upbringing. But I'm not sure what's ahead. I hear the voices in the debate and I just don't know who to follow. I hear the voices from some who have changed positions on homosexuality, but they are just as angry and judgmental. They are just judging a new group of people. I don't want to go there. I hear the voices of those whose journey has led them to completely reject the Bible, the church, and even God. I don't want to go there. I hear the voices of those whose lives are dominated by politics, seemingly pinning all of their hopes to the election of one candidate or the defeat of some party. I don't want to go there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm living with a lot of uncertainty right now. That freaks some people out, but I'm kind of enjoying it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being unsure of something is no reason to do nothing. I don't live by certitude anymore. I can embrace the mystery and still live by faith. And so, in faith, I began over the last couple of years taking a few small steps:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I expressed my support for same sex marriage.</i></b> I don't want to rehash all of it here, but more people read this blog post than anything else I've written here on the Grenz: <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-opposed-gay-marriage-and-i-repent.html" target="_blank">I Opposed Gay Marriage, and I Repent</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">I attended my first gay pride parade.</i> I see in the example of Jesus, someone who didn't avoid going where people were. He traveled through Samaria even though it made his disciples uncomfortable. Jesus wasn't uncomfortable with being with people. Going to the gay pride parade this year was my way of experimenting with this idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I have lots of conversations with lots of people.</i></b> Holy crap, do I have conversations. In fact, a week does not go by that I don't have a conversation related to homosexuality and the Christian faith. Some people want to ask me what I think. Some want to share their stories with me. Others want to quote Bible verses at me that they think I have forgotten. More than most other issues, and not by my choice, but this is one topic I spend a lot of time talking about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>I cultivated relationships with my gay friends.</b></i> When I was a fundamentalist and had all the answers, I didn't have any gay friends. It was very easy for me to make assumptions about what people think and feel when I hadn't actually heard any of their stories. That is not the case any longer. Friendship goes a long way toward ending demonization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking these steps this year has certainly enriched my life. And it has made me more prepared to say something today, National Coming Out Day 2012. I know I'm a year late, and I still don't have it all figured out. In fact, I'm beginning to think that I may never have it all figured out. But, I am ready to say the following things:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I'm still struggling with the biblical passages.</i></b> I have read all of the arguments on both sides. Some days the arguments for "homosexuality is a sin" resonate with me. Some days they don't. I wish this wasn't the case. I wish I had a clear sense of what I think. But I don't. When asked the point blank question, "Do you believe homosexuality is a sin?" My honest and true answer is "I. Don't. Know." Everyone's just going to have to be ok with that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CGo5u5Pm5xy4OJ8g7W3_hx1c4HzgyRMj0hpwhgBYi5KljBZ8K2I9s1jALHjmlthkUQkfUkb8pVekfPXdywksDx0r_KFFRCRf8oGdwyLrEx3NzHNnI76Or5LMOCUyRcJqPigX/s1600/Jesus_writing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CGo5u5Pm5xy4OJ8g7W3_hx1c4HzgyRMj0hpwhgBYi5KljBZ8K2I9s1jALHjmlthkUQkfUkb8pVekfPXdywksDx0r_KFFRCRf8oGdwyLrEx3NzHNnI76Or5LMOCUyRcJqPigX/s320/Jesus_writing.jpeg" width="246" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I believe in equality for all people, regardless of sexual orientation.</i></b> Regardless of whether or not homosexuality is a sin, I do believe that all people - all sinners - are entitled to honor, respect, and equality. I support marriage equality, employment equality, health care and legal equality, adoption and foster care equality. Again, I'm not going to rehearse this part of my journey. You can read about it here: <a href="http://thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-opposed-gay-marriage-and-i-repent.html" target="_blank">I Opposed Gay Marriage, and I Repent</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>I want to know people as people.</b></i> I've grown weary of grouping people up and making assumptions about what they think and feel based on the label I've placed on them. That approach may work for the political pollsters, but it is not the way of Jesus. Jesus talked to people. He got to know them. He listened to them. He met them where they were. That's what I want to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>I'm intentionally opting out of the condemnation game.</b></i> This is may be the most significant and most radical way I've changed when it comes to homosexuality and Christian faith. Regardless of the pressure I feel from both sides of this issue, I'm not going to be in the business of condemning anyone. I just don't think it's my job, and I'm refusing to do it. I am not going to condemn my gay friends. And I'm not going to condemn my fundamentalist friends either. I have resolved to follow the lead of Jesus and say to all, "Neither do I condemn you." If Jesus refused to condemn, then so do I.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am certain that my fundamentalist friends will think I am a compromising apostate. I am sure this blog post will generate angry messages and a few unfriendings on Facebook. This makes me sad, but it has become the sad reality I've lived with for the past year. <i>(And yet, what I have experienced is really nothing compared to what many LGBT folks have faced.)</i> My hope is that I can run a bit of interference between my fundamentalist friends and their gay and lesbian neighbors. Even if I don't convince them of where I am coming from, maybe they will hesitate just a little bit before proffering a blanket condemnation of a whole bunch of people they don't know. And maybe they'll be inspired to get to know some people who are very different than them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am less certain what my gay and lesbian friends will think of me. I'm not ready to self-identify as an "ally" or as "gay affirming." But I am ready to be a friend. I am ready to listen. I am ready to love. And, I am ready to wish them a Happy National Coming Out Day. I hope that will be enough for now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span>Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-38491901682003979162012-10-04T16:48:00.000-05:002012-10-04T16:59:25.015-05:00Uncomfortably Numb: a reflection<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am one of those people who sometimes has a hard time admitting how I feel. In fact, I've realized over the years that I will feel something for a period of time before I have the words to express it. This can be very frustrating for Vanessa. She's very good at taking other people's emotional temperatures. There are times when she'll ask me if I am upset about something, and I will tell her "No," only to realize later that I actually am. Before I have the words to name my feelings, I have a hard time admitting and expressing them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night, I discovered the words to describe how I've been feeling lately: Numb. Uncomfortably numb, in fact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Vintage, we have killed small groups. We've abandoned the traditional Bible study model of small groups and replaced them with what we're calling Experimental Collectives. We've identified that a lot of people know more about the Bible than they are putting into practice. We don't need more Bible studies, necessarily. We need laboratories in which we can experiment with living out what we already know. The point of our gatherings is to <i>do</i> something together.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouKu15xcoI0PZn5Lcl_lOASBlNjuQHaMtDKYi7nMpht24rBCANKcK6lhkGkcQkvNcfHrh4E_7f0wCs63DtuasqSMXTBhCtQ7cGcIvj0Uw_qcxcL-qV9yzaRJL8I-Wqrmt0mYt/s1600/parr.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouKu15xcoI0PZn5Lcl_lOASBlNjuQHaMtDKYi7nMpht24rBCANKcK6lhkGkcQkvNcfHrh4E_7f0wCs63DtuasqSMXTBhCtQ7cGcIvj0Uw_qcxcL-qV9yzaRJL8I-Wqrmt0mYt/s320/parr.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My collective right now is focused on finding authenticity through silence. The way of Jesus is for me to be who God created me to be. But often, life is too busy, too hectic, too noisy for me to be who I really am. If I have the chance to still myself, maybe I'll have a better sense of myself. Maybe I'll be able to hear God's voice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night, we talked about the physicality of stillness. Being still isn't just a verbal thing. It's emotional, spiritual, and even physical. What I do with my body matters. It doesn't just reflect my attitude, but what I do with my body can actually help to shape my attitude. It was a good discussion, which led to our time of silence together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took off my shoes, lit a candle, and sat on the floor. I was very conscious of how what I was doing with my body, which muscles were tensed, and what my posture was. And then, in the midst of my prolonged stillness, I began to gain some understand of how I've been feeling lately. I've felt numb. Not a physical numbness like when my leg falls asleep. It's an emotional and spiritual numbness. I've been feeling the lack of feelings. I've felt like I am going through the motions. I've lacked an excitement and a passion for most things. I haven't liked how I've felt lately, and I didn't like naming my feelings as numbness. But it is true and authentic. This is really how I've felt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wondered if I could feel anything. So I put my finger over the flame of the candle. It burned. It hurt. But it felt good to feel something. That's what I have been missing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Numbness happens for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes we feel numb because we've been wounded. In my life, I've had two major surgeries on my right kidney. The second one, in fact, was to remove it. I have an eight inch scar on my side from where the doctor wounded me, cut me open. It's long healed, but the area around that scar is still numb. I don't feel anything there. I probably never will.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think that's what's going on with my soul right now. I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I've been wounded. Friends who don't want to understand me. People I thought were friends who have rejected me. People whose commitment to our church community wains. Unkind things said to me and about me. Some of the hurts have been big. And some have been minor. But they have all contributed to a certain amount of scar tissue building up around my heart.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm scared to be vulnerable with people because I don't want it to be used against me.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm scared to try to lead because some people won't go with me.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm scared to invest myself in friendships that are just going to fall apart.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disappointed. Rejected. Let down. Criticized. Misunderstood. Helpless. Alone. These are not enjoyable emotions. I don't want to feel these things. I'd rather feel nothing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or so I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soon as I named my feelings as numbness, I realized that I'm uncomfortable and unhappy feeling this way. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news is that, in the past, when I was able to name my feelings, I was then able to deal with them. I could process them and move through them toward greater emotional health and wholeness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I experiment with different postures of prayer and silence this week, my expectation is that the numbness will fade and I will again experience the pangs of hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Do you ever feel numb spiritually and emotionally? How do you handle it?</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-79889583875949203072012-10-03T10:49:00.001-05:002012-10-03T10:49:26.053-05:00Grace Happens: bumper sticker truth<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shit happens. This we know. We've all experienced it. The letter from the IRS. The scary diagnosis. The moment of terror when your child goes missing. The critical words of someone you thought was a friend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shit happens. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of you would prefer that I not call it "shit." That's a bad word, a dirty word, a swear word. It's offensive and can make people feel uncomfortable. All of which is exactly why I use it. Lets name this stuff for what it is. It's bad, awful even. It's offensive that we should have to put up with it. It's shit. And there's no escaping it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But some people would like to escape it. They drown their sorrows in alcohol. They hope the shit will just drift away like their cloud of marijuana smoke. They don't like the story they are living so they dive into the stories of others on reality TV shows. Work, raising the kids, sports, church - they are all ways to try to get away. For some, escape is the only way to deal with all the shit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others think that it is futile to try to escape the shit. So they wallow in it. It defines them. I've got friends who seem to relish in the drama. It gives them something of significance to live for. But eventually, it just gets old. And all your left with is shit.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJPD-0E7IQMjmkj4aRlkMZh14X3-Rd6i9pPucCpJTLCx5I3WZl0IJxdaYN95UlSx8jCouJXGwoUx-EzCnpajcVijp9d3srOZ4XgmE6CMISgOiMxXOsK93MY27_Fa0GTyeziBD/s1600/grace+happens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJPD-0E7IQMjmkj4aRlkMZh14X3-Rd6i9pPucCpJTLCx5I3WZl0IJxdaYN95UlSx8jCouJXGwoUx-EzCnpajcVijp9d3srOZ4XgmE6CMISgOiMxXOsK93MY27_Fa0GTyeziBD/s320/grace+happens.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As undeniable as "shit happens" is, there is another parallel truth - grace happens. As sure as bad news is to come, so too is good news. For every critical and cranky person, there is one who brings encouragement and help. As dark as the night gets, the morning light always pierces it. Grace happens.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sitting next to a lake in twenty minutes of silence, grace happens.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watching a group of my friends gather around the communion table together, grace happens.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being able to listen to my friends tell their stories without feeling the need to condemn or fix them, grace happens.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tossing the football around with my son and seeing him make a great catch, grace happens.</span></li>
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<li>Belly laughing at one of my daughter's jokes, grace happens.</li>
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<li>Having a quiet glass of wine with my wife at the end of a long day, grace happens.</li>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoying a good night's sleep, grace happens.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These things are all grace. They are unexpected, undeserved moments that bring me love, peace, and hope. In a world that often feels very shitty, they are gentle and necessary reminders that love wins over hate, peace wins over chaos, and hope wins over despair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fundamentalism I grew up in taught me to focus on the negative - other people's mistakes and errors, how the spiral of human history is headed downward. It taught me to focus on all the shit. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm learning now to focus on grace instead. I just like my life better when I do. Shit happens. But grace happens too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You can get a GRACE HAPPENS bumper sticker by contributing 10 bucks to the <a href="http://igg.me/p/102641?a=588782" target="_blank">Fundamorphosis Indiegogo campaign</a>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b><i>How have you seen grace happen in your life?</i></b></span></div>
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Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-26814323040070500022012-09-26T13:35:00.000-05:002012-09-26T13:35:50.140-05:00Don't Believe the Fear Mongers<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tis the season. There are fewer than 50 shopping days until the election. The political ads are upon us, and men with deep, scary voices are in high demand. It's the season of fear mongering. If you vote for the wrong guy, then senior citizens will have to eat dog food, children will die, and America will cease to exist. This is the most important election of our lifetimes.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web04/2011/10/6/11/enhanced-buzz-32045-1317914921-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web04/2011/10/6/11/enhanced-buzz-32045-1317914921-32.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/scared-bros-at-a-haunted-house">Amazing Pics of Sacred Bros at a Haunted House</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it's all a lie. It's all fear mongering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Political marketers have learned a basic truth about human beings - </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fear is a remarkably effective motivator. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we are scared, we will act. Give us an enticement, and we might do what you want. But scare us, and we will definitely be moved to action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fundamentalism of my youth understood this truth too. Fundamentalism uses fear to keep people in line. Like the adults in the movie <i>The Village</i>, the fundamentalist churches I grew up in created boogeymen to scare us from stepping out of line. Here are some of their most popular incarnations:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Slippery Slope</b>: If you question any point of the faith, you will end up questioning and abandoning all the faith. The best way to keep the faith is to never start down the slippery slope in the first place. Therefore, no questions.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> No doubts. No problems.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience Is Opposed to Truth</b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: People who abandon the faith put experience ahead of truth. They let what they have gone through in life determine what is true and false. The danger, we were told, was that they would end up interpreting the Bible in light of their experiences rather than the other way around. Subjectivity would become more important than objectivity. (The </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">real</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> danger was never mentioned. This approach leads people to repress and deny their own realities, producing not just hypocrisy but, often, very emotionally unhealthy people.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People "Out There" Don't Love and Respect Jesus and the Bible Like We Do</b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: I could write a lot about the remnant mentality of fundamentalism. The fundamentalist churches I grew up in was inherently distrustful of any other denominations or faith traditions. If you were to leave fundamentalism, you'll inevitably end up caring less about Jesus and the Bible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fear mongering is really effective at keeping people in line. It works. That's why political operatives and fundamentalist pastors use it. Until you realize that they are all lies designed to keep you from being truly free. I am living proof that a person can leave fundamentalism and not be consumed by the boogeymen they told us existed. My questions and doubts did not take me further from God. In fact, they led me closer to God. Being honest about my experiences didn't undermine my commitment to truth. It revolutionized it. Leaving fundamentalism didn't mean that I left Jesus and the Bible. In fact, my reverence and love for both has never been richer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most dangerous thing that the fear mongers face is someone standing up and saying, "No. That's not true. That's nothing to be scared of. It doesn't have to be this way." I wrote <i>Fundamorphosis: How I Left Fundamentalism But Didn't Lose My Faith</i> to share that very message. The fear mongers are still shout loudly into their bullhorns, but we don't have to believe them any more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>How about you? What lies were you told by fear mongers in church?</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-89597710868427387382012-09-21T16:52:00.001-05:002012-09-21T16:53:34.140-05:00Am I All Alone?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZoDvbHV9P3tWaGHiLWJZrz7BvCR4Dn9G2Xy3YMc4iLtwMLhSJg-1HqB_m-sPZuOm-d8D2QmBSoSgaekqNRd6uX_RYluNPCb6N8rTi8UvlRcLXr976jNSeVUKM959P6L8GkD7/s1600/alone-in-a-crowd-way-station-one-20055.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZoDvbHV9P3tWaGHiLWJZrz7BvCR4Dn9G2Xy3YMc4iLtwMLhSJg-1HqB_m-sPZuOm-d8D2QmBSoSgaekqNRd6uX_RYluNPCb6N8rTi8UvlRcLXr976jNSeVUKM959P6L8GkD7/s320/alone-in-a-crowd-way-station-one-20055.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Am I the only one that thinks this way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Am I the only one that feels like this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must be crazy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if I should speak up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Am I all alone?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the scariest things for us as human beings is being alone. I am not talking about spending some alone time or being by ourselves to refresh our batteries. Most of us don't fear that, and even more of us desperately need it. I'm talking about that terrifying sense that I am all by myself in this. I am alone in life. Alone on my journey. The only one who thinks this way. The only one who feels this way. Surrounded by people everyday, but alone - emotionally and spiritually.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I started to realize that I had to leave fundamentalism, I felt very alone. My whole life revolved around the church that I pastored, the denomination I had grown up in, the network that contained all of my friends and family. At first, I suffered in silence. I was alone with my doubts and questions in an internal dialoge that ended up spiraling me into depression. Once I began to talk about what I was thinking and how I was feeling with a few trusted friends, I knew that the journey I was on would take me far from where I had always been. I left my church. I left my denomination. I left my network.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I felt very alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many years later, I wish I could say that I don't feel alone anymore. But that wouldn't be true. There are still days, weeks, months even, that I still wonder when I'm going to find a tribe of people like me. More and more, however, I get flashes that they are out there. Today was one of those days. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had two conversations that reminded me about how important and encouraging it is to find others who are like ourselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One conversation was with a person trying to make his own way in the Christian music industry in Nashville. He talked to me about how he's been rejected but he's still pursuing love. We talked about his daughter whose struggling to keep her faith in Jesus while she comes to terms with the hateful way her gay, lesbian, and transgender friends are treated by Christians.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other conversation was with a pastor without a flock. We talked about being authentic. I shared with him about one of the loneliest times in my life - when I woke up on my 30th birthday with the sense that I was wasting my life pastoring the church I was. He nodded his head with understanding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we feel all alone, the most powerful thing we can do is share our stories. Finding community isn't about finding people who see things exactly like I do. It's not about finding carbon copies of me. Finding community is about finding people who will hear our stories with understanding and share their own with vulnerability. When we share our stories with one another, we make a connection that pierces our loneliness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wrote <i>Fundamorphosis: How I Left Fundamentalism But Didn't Lose My Faith</i> in part for this very reason. I am not the only pastor who has felt like preaching the sermon I wanted to preach would get me fired. I am not the only person in a fundamentalist church who went along with beliefs and traditions I didn't personally buy into so that I didn't lose the opportunity to keep serving people I loved. I am not the only Christian who has struggled with questions and doubts, left unspoken for fear that everything I'd always known would come crumbling down around me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want others - pastors, Christian school teachers, church folks, former fundamentalists, and those who love them - to know that they are not alone. You are not alone. I know how it feels. I've been there. Somedays, I'm still there. But I'm also discovering a way out, a way to new life and hope beyond what I dreamed possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may feel alone. But don't be scared. We're actually in this together. Let's share our stories and bring each other hope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>How have you navigated the scary feeling of being all alone?</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span>Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-6982924185464302962012-09-19T13:36:00.001-05:002012-09-19T18:14:18.994-05:00Everybody Has a Story to Tell. Help Me Tell Mine.<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I recently read the following: Writing a book is hard. Editing a book is even harder. Selling a book is the hardest.</span><br />
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I started writing <i>Fundamorphosis: How I Left Fundamentalism But Didn't Lose My Faith</i> over two years ago. I had had the idea for the book for a while - telling the story of my own theological transformation. Leaving fundamentalism and starting a new church required that I reevaluate everything I believed. I needed to sift through it all, getting rid of the chaff and keeping only what truly resonated with me. Vintage Fellowship and, ultimately, <i>Fundamorphosis</i> is the result of that process. </div>
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I've had some people ask me for more information about the book. So that you know what to expect, here's a description of <i>Fundamorphosis</i>:</div>
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The first section tells about the emotional struggle of leaving fundamentalism. What would it be like to leave behind the belief system and network with which I had grown up? Why was it imperative that I find some new way of having faith?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The second section deals with what I would keep from fundamentalism and what would have to be jettisoned. It's a section about theological method - not so much <i>what</i> I believe but <i>how</i> I believe.</div>
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The third section discusses the shape my theology now takes. It has four loci: </div>
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<ul>
<li><i>Community</i> - I believe that God is a community of Father, Son, and Spirit</li>
<li><i>Story</i> - I believe that God is found in the narrative of Jesus revealed in the Bible</li>
<li><i>Transformation</i> - I believe that God ought to make a difference in my life</li>
<li><i>Hope</i> - I believe that God is up to something in my life and in the world.</li>
</ul>
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<div>
I finished the manuscript in May and then spent the summer in the editing and rewriting process. That was a surprisingly difficult process through which I learned a great deal of humility. The book is better because of it. The book is now in the production and publication stage. My publisher, Civitas Press, is a small, independent Christian publisher without the market departments of the big boys. Much of the selling of the book will be up to me. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And since that's the hardest part, I'm now looking for help.<br />
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With than in mind, I've started an Indiegogo campaign to help raise money for the marketing and selling of <i>Fundamorphosis</i>. Indiegogo is a crowd-sourced fundraising website. You can donate securely and receive some really cool perks as a thank you. Of course, they get a small cut, but the donations go straight to me. They will enable me to do some important things to help get my story out into the ongoing conversation about the future of Christianity in America. If the Indiegogo campaign is successful, here's some of the things I've got planned:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>A full-blown website devoted to <i>Fundamorphosis</i></li>
<li>A <i>Fundamorphosis</i> podcast in which I interview people about their own theological transformations</li>
<li>Speaking engagements to tell my story</li>
<li>A launch party to celebrate with my friends who have been such a help and encouragement to me during this whole process</li>
</ul>
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--</div>
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So, I want to put the big ask on you: Will you help me get the word out about <i>Fundamorphosis</i>? I'm not going to say no for you. Please, check out the Indiegogo campaign and donate what you can. Follow this link and learn all about it:</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/fundamorphosis?a=588782" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Fundamorphosis Indiegogo Campaign</a></div>
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<i><b>Everybody has a story to tell. Help me tell mine. </b></i></div>
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Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-9042202915171196572012-09-17T14:59:00.000-05:002012-09-17T14:59:41.604-05:00Let's Change the World<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Generally
speaking, I have always felt misunderstood. I don’t know if everyone feels this
way, but I’ve always sensed that most people just don’t get what I am all
about. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was growing up, I always said I wanted to go into politics. I think some of my friends in high school thought that this was fueled by narcissism and pride. Twenty years later, when we
started Vintage Fellowship, some folks refused to support us, saying
(not to my face, of course) that I was being driven by hubris. These kinds of statements hurt, but being misunderstood is a part of life, I guess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, no
one’s motives are completely pure, but I can say with a clear conscience that my
motivation - whether to be involved in politics or to pastor churches – has
always been a desire to help people. I want my life to make a difference. I
want to help to make the world a better place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://budgetsaresexy.com/images/change-the-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://budgetsaresexy.com/images/change-the-world.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That sounds
really stupid when you say it out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We make fun of
beauty pageant contestants for talking this way. And we roll our eyes at
celebrities who use their fame to promote their latest cause. But many of us,
maybe all of us, are wired to care about our world and the people in it. We
were created for community, and we all have an innate sense of the power of our
interconnectedness. Many of us have listened carefully to the internal impulses
we sense to do something great with our lives, to live for a purpose greater
than ourselves, to make a difference.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 11.6pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surveys have shown that most journalism students are entering their
field because they want to change the world. In the post-Watergate world,
shining the light on corruption and telling the untold stories through
journalism seems like one of the best ways to do that. Many musicians and
artists, photographers and poets have the same motivation, wanting to bring
beauty into the ugliness of the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 11.6pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not sure I can think of a more noble purpose for a life. Beyond the pursuit of comfort, beyond the rush for new and better and more, beyond the struggle for notoriety and success, there lies something more profound - making a difference in the world - leaving the world a more peaceful, more beautiful, healthier place.</span></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 11.6pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="text-indent: 11.6pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>How about you? Do you want to change the world? And what are you doing to make a difference?</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 11.6pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-58871630515321807472012-09-14T09:09:00.000-05:002012-09-14T09:09:03.690-05:00The Customer Is Always Right: Entitled to Condemn, part two<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though Jesus so clearly tells us not to judge, why is it still so common? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do we give ourselves permission to condemn those with whom we disagree? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do we take so much glee in putting down those who are in another camp? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do we so relish being judgmental?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Growing up in and eventually leaving fundamentalist churches that were known for being judgmental has left me asking these kinds of questions. But it's not just common in fundamentalist churches. It's common everywhere. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I've begun to think that part of the problem is the ethos of American Christianity. There is something about the way we do church that helps to foster a culture of condemnation. I think part of it is the <a href="http://www.thegrenzian.blogspot.com/2012/09/free-to-judge-entitled-to-condemn-part.html" target="_blank">fierce independence</a> that is ingrained in us as Americans. I also think that part of it is American consumerism.</span><br />
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<a href="http://resurrectingraleigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/consumer.jpg?w=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://resurrectingraleigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/consumer.jpg?w=300" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consumerism in the American Church</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The American
church is plagued by consumerism. The myriad options before us and the
messages told to us by commercials and advertisements have convinced us that we
can have anything we want, any way we want, any time we want. We are not just
consumers of cola and clothes and cars, but also of church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am fairly
brand loyal in some of my shopping. I will always choose Coke over Pepsi, a
pair of Nikes over a pair of Reeboks, and a Mac over a PC. If asked, I’d
probably disparage Pepsi as tasting nasty, Reeboks as being cheaply made, and
PCs as being unstable and unreliable. Ultimately, these are just my opinions
about these products and no one is really harmed when I express my sentiments.
Likewise, I tend to have lots of opinions about music, movies, and television
shows. I love U2, Hugh Grant, and </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mad Men</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. But does that make other
musicians or actors any less talented or interesting? Not really. I am simply a
consumer in the marketplace, making decisions about the products of these
companies and the works produced by these artists. In the marketplace, I have
every right to spend my money, time, and energy in the way I see fit. In the
marketplace, the consumer is king.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But theology
is not a product, and church is not a marketplace. Pastors and theologians are
not celebrities. Sadly, the Christian media industry has changed this. I can
compare and rank the books of Max Lucado and Rob Bell like I would the movies
of Brad Pitt and George Clooney. It feels natural to criticize a church service
like I would a TV show. And most dangerously, when there is an author with whom
I disagree, I can discount, not just her writings, but also her character,
ministry, and even her standing before God. Consumerism makes me the final
arbiter of what is good and acceptable. And it fosters within me a critical and
contentious spirit of those with whom I may disagree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Independence
and consumerism might produce big ratings, big book sales, and big
congregations. But they also can produce a big problem – church cultures in
which people believe that they can act and think and speak like independent
consumers. The customer is always right, and if the customer wants to think and
say something critical and condemning of someone else, who is going to stop
him?</span><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you think contributes most to church cultures of condemnation?</span></i></b><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-27881670140591044522012-09-13T10:41:00.000-05:002012-09-13T10:41:39.603-05:00Free to Judge: Entitled to Condemn, part one<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my upcoming book, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Fundamorphosis" target="_blank">Fundamorphosis</a>, I write about the transformation I underwent when I exchanged my fundamentalist upbringing for a new kind of Christianity. One of the factors that spurred on my own fundamorphosis was the judgmentalism that was so prevalent in the churches I had grown up in and even pastored. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we disagree with someone, we think that we have the right, even the responsibility, to pronounce the harshest of condemnation upon him or her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I began asking myself, <i>if Jesus so clearly told us not to judge one another, then why are we so prone to give ourselves permission to do it anyway?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a lot of answers to that question. But rather than looking at it purely from the perspective of individuals, I've been thinking about how systemic judgmentalism is. We have a church culture of condemnation - not just in fundamentalism but all across the American church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where does
this church culture of condemnation come from? Why is it so common in
fundamentalism and in the broader Christian church in America? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think that the perceived need to judge
others is deeply rooted in the ethos of the American church experience. I think
that this attitude of being entitled to condemn is the fruit of two
well-documented and yet troublesome trends in American Christianity: the air of
independence of American churches and the consumerism of American church
attendees. Today, I'll talk about the air of independence, and tomorrow I'll talk about consumerism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Independence of the American Church</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Americans are
fiercely independent. Our forefathers and foremothers sailed out into the great
unknown with only the prayer that a distant land may exist in which they would
be able to live in religious and personal freedom. They birthed a nation with a
declaration of its independence. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
are woven into the DNA of what it means to be an American. Some two hundred
years later, it should not be a surprise that we remain committed to the value
of independence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The unintended
consequence of carving out our own corner of the world is that in many ways, we
cut ourselves off from the world. This is especially true for people who were
seeking religious and ecclesiastical freedom. They held with suspicion the
denominational and church structures of the old world. New churches were
established that did not have the deep roots of the past and were therefore
unaccountable to them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While certainly, it is noble to purse the freedom to
worship without the bounds of a state or dictatorial church, it is also
dangerous to remove and relinquish all ties to our past. If we are completely
independent, than we are also free from the guardrails that a greater respect
for church history would afford us. Without these guardrails, we can end up running rush-shod over anyone we want. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Americans, we think that our independence is our greatest value. When we value independence so highly, we can develop an attitude of superiority. And, if I am superior to others, than it just makes sense that I judge them as well. In all of this, we easily forget that other things - like grace, understanding, and longsuffering - are of greater value in the kingdom of Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>What's been your experience with systemic judgmentalism in the church? Where do you think it comes from?</i></b></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-48277661111558845782012-09-12T10:34:00.000-05:002012-09-12T10:34:17.945-05:00The Tyranny of the To Do ListUnlike my dear wife, I am not given to insomnia. When I'm tired, I can go to bed and get to sleep very quickly. In fact, through much of my adult life, going to sleep is one of my coping mechanism for dealing with stress. All of this is why I'm a little freaked out that I haven't been sleeping well lately.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/339458890632543148_w0nKWi63_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/339458890632543148_w0nKWi63_c.jpg" width="320" /></a>Several times in the past few months, I've found myself wide awake in the middle of the night, thinking about what I have going on, decisions I need to make, and things that need to get done. This creates a spiral of despair.<br />
<br />
I'm worried about all I have to do.<br />
Which means I don't sleep well.<br />
Which makes me not at my peak the next day.<br />
Which means I don't get as much done.<br />
Which makes me worried about all I have to do.<br />
Which means I don't sleep well.<br />
<br />
I can't live like this. And so, I've been thinking about why I've felt overwhelmed lately. I don't think that the problem is that I have too many hats to wear. And I don't think the problem is that I have too much to do. Instead, I've come to think that the problem is how I've making my to do list.<br />
<br />
When I sit down to make a to do list - and, by the way, I use the iPad app ToDo to do it - I end up listing absolutely everything that pops into my mind. As I'm thinking about what needs to be done today, I also end up thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow and next week and three weeks from now. It's not unusual for my to do list to have 80 or more items on it at any given time. These can range from the very important - <i>Submit Fundamorphosis manuscript</i> - to the very unimportant - <i>Get that damn Payphone song out of my head.</i><br />
<br />
Rather than being an aid to efficiency, my to do list actually makes me want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head. As long as something comes to mind, I don't want to forget it or risk neglecting it by not putting it on my to do list. But I can't sustain a happy, effective life when the sheer size of what I have to accomplish leaves me feeling paralyzed.<br />
<br />
Here's the strategy I employing now. In addition to my master to do list, I have begun a second, daily to do list. It's purpose is simple. The only things that go on this list are items that answer this question:<br />
<br />
<b>What do I have to do today that will let me sleep well tonight?</b><br />
<br />
I know that I want to sleep well tonight. I don't like how I feel when I am too overwhelmed to sleep. I want the sense of rest that comes with accomplishment. And so, following Steven Covey's habit, <i>Begin with the End in Mind</i>, I've started to give myself a list of things to get done today that when 9pm rolls around and Vanessa and I are pouring a glass of wine will make me feel like I've made a dent and can relax. This helps me to better prioritize. It helps me to manage my activities. And it keeps me from being overwhelmed by having an agressive yet attainable goal for what I can accomplish with my day.<br />
<br />
Today's list had 14 items on it, including writing this blog post. I can get that done. And it will feel good tonight when I did.<br />
<br />
<i><b>How about you? What do you do to manage all of your responsibilities?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
.<br />
<br />
<br />Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-62412731535469626302012-09-08T09:56:00.000-05:002012-09-08T10:02:21.060-05:00Hope for the Depressed PastorOn his blog today, <a href="http://www.thomrainer.com/" target="_blank">Thom Rainer</a> sites a Lifeway Research survey of <a href="http://www.thomrainer.com/2012/09/pastors-are-hurting.php" target="_blank">pastors about depression and loneliness</a>. What they found is that depression among the pastoral population is very common.<br />
<br />
I didn't need a survey to know this. I know this from experience.<br />
<br />
I am often lonely and depressed as a pastor. Recently, Vanessa and I did some research into our personalities. We learned that people with my personality take criticism so personally that it can actually be paralyzing. It's not that I don't think criticism is helpful or valid. I do. But when criticism comes, it triggers something in me that makes me want to climb under the covers and stay there.<br />
<br />
But when I think back on the most depressed and lonely I have ever been, it wasn't necessarily criticism that sent me in that direction. It was the evolution of my theology that put me out of sync with my fundamentalist church upbringing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIociA32LmtpYemqhxSzl2Osircs0dH2XM3A7LKXy-QkX-ph8RPsAiwMHhvuesoYIMdudH9phlwRDMDcQ5Y-O8oSPmK6d6gJeoqB1GXKu70zlcnl8EjJ4gfa5vBTxj2GW9RY9Ew/s1600/hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIociA32LmtpYemqhxSzl2Osircs0dH2XM3A7LKXy-QkX-ph8RPsAiwMHhvuesoYIMdudH9phlwRDMDcQ5Y-O8oSPmK6d6gJeoqB1GXKu70zlcnl8EjJ4gfa5vBTxj2GW9RY9Ew/s320/hope.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I was pastoring a fundamentalist church in Michigan before we moved to Arkansas to start Vintage. Through a series of events - most notably, turning 30 and preaching through Genesis - I realized that I felt like I was wasting my life and spinning my wheels. I was faking it on Sunday mornings. I was pretending to be excited. I was pretending to believe the pat answers of fundamentalism. I was pretending to have all the answers.<br />
<br />
This lack of authenticity sent me into a spiritual and emotional spiral that I didn't pull out of for months. I credit the patience of Vanessa, the words of people like Brian McLaren, and the renewed hope of doing something risky like starting Vintage for helping me climb out of my hole.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of reasons why we talk about authenticity so much at Vintage. I think, for instance, that faith requires authenticity. In other words, we can't be Christians unless we are real. But I also push Vintage to be a place where people can be themselves because that's what I need. When we started Vintage, I was fond of saying that I needed to pastor a church that I would go to even if I wasn't be paid. I have to be authentic so that I don't go back to that very dark place.<br />
<br />
I've got a lot of sympathy for depressed pastors. I've been. I'm sure I'll be there again. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess. And let us hold out hope for one another.<br />
<br />
.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-63182022854073434952012-07-30T13:43:00.000-05:002012-07-30T14:01:20.392-05:00The Best Week Ever, or What to Say When You Meet Your HeroesLast week was one that I will not soon forget. I had to be in California for work, which normally means that my coworker and I will try to catch a baseball game. This time, though, we decided to get tickets to see Conan O'Brien. Unfortunately, Conan tapes his show in the afternoon, and there was no way we'd make it in time from the home office to LA to use our tickets. I was sorely disappointed. Until I saw someone post on Facebook about Rob Bell doing an event from the Viper Room in West Hollywood. No to baseball. No to Conan. Yes to Rob Bell.<br />
<br />
We got to the Viper Room and spent some time laughing at all the guys who looked like us - slightly chubby with trendy glasses. It was like we had come home. Right at 7pm, Rob took the stage. He spoke for over an hour and then answered questions. Mine was the last one of the evening. You can watch the video of <i>Still Painting</i> <a href="http://www.livestream.com/robbell" target="_blank">here</a>. After he got done speaking, Rob hung out and talked to people, including me and my friends. I told him about how we give away <i>Velvet Elvis</i> on our church website, and I told him that he was one of the patron saints of our church community. I asked him to come and speak at Vintage sometime. We'll see if we can make that happen. He was funny and gracious, and I hope it's not the last time I get to interact with him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6DeKiBTRQ3SnJNgoHhOiqAkGW6ujyJ3VP9aglA51n0whnbwd0LhCnPlr9tIZo-ec7Y6RsMzmqUlgcSAQGAPVfsuM0GVOlEfcTBFA30EajU3UJdEcIDfsb4UYut8QmU67Y6J5/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6DeKiBTRQ3SnJNgoHhOiqAkGW6ujyJ3VP9aglA51n0whnbwd0LhCnPlr9tIZo-ec7Y6RsMzmqUlgcSAQGAPVfsuM0GVOlEfcTBFA30EajU3UJdEcIDfsb4UYut8QmU67Y6J5/s320/IMG_0587.JPG" width="320" /></a>Rob is a controversial guy. No one denies his unbelievable talent as a communicator. He is enrapturing when he speaks. His books are conversation and engaging. His videos - Vanessa calls them a cross between a sermon and music video - are mesmerizing. But Rob is quite polarizing. His book, <i>Love Wins</i>, got him labeled a heretic by many. My posts about <i>Love Wins</i> are among the most trafficked on this little blog. People either love or hate Rob.<br />
<br />
I am in the love category. Rob, through his work at Mars Hill Bible Church, has helped me to see how a church can create an environment in which people can bring their doubts and questions. He has modeled a way and thereby helped me to be a better practitioner of the kind of faith that is less focused on the theological arguments of the past and more engaged in helping people to wrestle with the questions of today. Short of <i>Butterfly Theology</i>'s arrival on the scene, no book has better summed up the kind of church Vintage is trying to be than <i>Velvet Elvis</i>. I am who I am as a pastor and Vintage is what it is as a church because of Rob Bell.<br />
<br />
I was on a bit of a high on Wednesday and Thursday, pumped up and excited about having spent just a couple of minutes with Rob. Thursday began with the mixed feelings of excitement that I would head home at the end of the day but also dread that I would be on a red-eye all night before finally making it back to Arkansas on Friday morning. I got through the day and boarded the plane at 10:30 pm PT with the realization that I was not getting upgraded to first class, which meant that I would spend the next several hours cramped in coach and probably unable to sleep. I was texting Vanessa about my complaints when Brian McLaren walked down the aisle of the plane.<br />
<br />
Brian McLaren is kind of the godfather of the emergent church. He's the author of many books. He is not as well-known as Rob Bell, but he is equally as controversial. He has set forth a roadmap whereby the church can leave behind its intertwinedness with modernity and engage more fully with postmodernity. In Brian's case, this has meant an embracing of interfaith dialog and science, and it has led him to positions on hell, homosexuality, and politics that make him not-so-popular with evangelicals.<br />
<br />
But I love him. When I was going through a deep crisis of faith, it was Brian's book <i>A New Kind of Christian</i> that saved me. Without Brian, I doubt I would have left fundamentalism. Without Brian, I think my faith would have died rather than emerged. Without Brian, Vintage Fellowship would not exist. Without Brian, <i>Butterfly Theology</i> would be a very short book. He is my hero. And he too is a patron saint of Vintage.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZKsGrZGJkx8SkvpjwBJCV2fKlmHQWXW4AUPXuq6s1VLYEGZYMXdytq5RhXCe71mFEOyKG1WLwvB67KQyjVHsZtB-zrv3IZfoM_YOyyKZZAQRK1ZApM7hDVIgdd2wbxqdTOvC/s1600/IMG_0592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZKsGrZGJkx8SkvpjwBJCV2fKlmHQWXW4AUPXuq6s1VLYEGZYMXdytq5RhXCe71mFEOyKG1WLwvB67KQyjVHsZtB-zrv3IZfoM_YOyyKZZAQRK1ZApM7hDVIgdd2wbxqdTOvC/s320/IMG_0592.jpg" width="320" /></a>And he was sitting three rows behind me on the plane. When there was a lull in the passengers boarding, I went back to talk to him. I asked the guy sitting next to him if we could change seats so that I could talk with Brian. Brian suggested we talk when we got to Atlanta. That was a better idea than me chattering away while Brian tried to sleep on the red-eye. I returned to my seat and had a hard time getting to sleep.<br />
<br />
When we arrived in Atlanta, Brian and I connected in the terminal and headed to Dunkin Donuts for coffee and breakfast. We spent over an hour talking about a whole host of things. We talked about the future of the emergent church and seminaries and how to respond to critics and how Vanessa's theological transformation mirrored my own and mutual friends. Brian could not have been more gracious to me. He listened and asked questions and wanted to know my story. He offered me counsel and affirmed me in my journey. I felt the same way about meeting him as I did about Rob - I certainly hope this is not the last time our paths cross.<br />
<br />
I hope that Brian is a words-of-affirmation guy because I showered him with them. Thinking of how much they have impacted me, I wanted to just yell titles of his books at him - <i>GENEROUS ORTHODOXY!! THE STORY WE FIND OURSELVES IN!! THE LAST WORD AND THE WORD AFTER THAT!! A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY!! </i> But I was able to restrain myself. I did tell him that in a very real and literal way, he had saved my faith. I told him that he had been my mentor ever since I left fundamentalism. I told him that I had learned to have an irenic spirit from him. We talked about me sending him a copy of <i>Butterfly Theology</i> and how we could get him to Vintage to speak to our community. My fingers are crossed.<br />
<br />
In the last ten years, two people have impacted my life, my thinking, my ministry, and my theology more than any others. Those two people are Brian McLaren and Rob Bell. They are my heroes. In the span of four days, I met both of them.<br />
<br />
I fully expect to meet Bono any day now.<br />
<br />
.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-91987538458934715612012-07-23T13:12:00.000-05:002012-07-23T13:12:30.975-05:00Your Kingdom, My NeighborhoodIn our Experimental Collective group yesterday, we took 10 minutes and wrote poetic prayers about our longing to see God's kingdom realized in our neighborhoods. You would think that 10 minutes wouldn't be enough time to write something meaningful. But it is. As people around the circle read their poems to the group, it was a vulnerable, affirming, moving experience. I hope everyone in the group will put their poem out there for others to read. But since I'm the kind of leader who won't ask others to do something that I am unwilling to do myself, here's the poem I wrote.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
Your kingdom come<br />
Your will be done<br />
Where do I go?<br />
What do I do?<br />
<br />
Fingerprints left all over town<br />
On doorknobs and shopping carts<br />
On dollar bills and steering wheels<br />
My fingerprints are on my keyboard<br />
And on the screen of my phone<br />
Your fingerprints are everywhere<br />
<br />
Unique, each telling a story<br />
Genetics and DNA and family backgrounds and places and experiences<br />
All conspiring together to make you who you are<br />
And I don't know you<br />
<br />
What brings you joy?<br />
What keeps you up at night?<br />
What do you want to do with your life?<br />
What does your future hold?<br />
<br />
There is much that I can learn<br />
There is much that I can do<br />
What is holding me back?<br />
What is keeping me inside?<br />
Why is my head down, my mouth closed, my ears ringing?<br />
<br />
Your kingdom come<br />
Your will be done<br />
Where do I go?<br />
What do I do?<br />
<br />
.Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-58442298891670141362012-07-10T20:42:00.000-05:002012-07-10T20:44:41.470-05:00Humor Over Hate<i>White Flour</i> is an absolutely beautifully illustrated children's book written by David LaMotte and illustrated by Jenn Hales. It that tells the true story of how the Coup Clutz Clowns effectively disrupted a Klu Klux Klan rally in Knoxville TN. As the story goes, when the Klan showed up for their march, they were met by a gaggle of Clowns dressed in colorful, exotic costumes. When the Klan began to shout "White Power," the Clowns retaliated with a host of whimsical retorts, including "White Flour," "White Flower," "Tight Shower," and, my favorite, "Wife Power." <span style="background-color: white;">Flummoxed by the unexpected opposition, the Klan ends up abandoning their march, and the Clowns celebrate with a parade of their own.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">After it came in the mail, I sat and read <i>White Flour</i> with my eight-year-old daughter. As we got started, I had to explain to her who the KKK were and what they meant by "White Power." She was a little freaked out to learn that there are people out there who would hate someone like her just because her skin is a darker tone. I was glad that her world hasn't yet included this kind of blatant prejudice. And I was also glad that she thought the KKK members in the book looked stupid and cowardly underneath their white robes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The story itself is endearing and charming, even if some of the rhymes are a bit forced and wooden. The illustrations make up for the rhymes, however. They are gorgeous. My daughter wanted to linger on many pages and look at the details.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Best of all, the message of <i>White Flour</i> is that humor can win over hate. In our culture of 24-hour cable news where it seems like people just constantly shout at one another, it was refreshing to read of a group making their point with irony and laughter. Nowadays it seems like everyone is angry. Maybe we can learn something from the Coup Clutz Clowns and from the biblical wisdom that a soft answer turns away wrath. Maybe there is a more effective way of diffusing our political and cultural opponents than shouting louder than them. Maybe there is a more effective way to bring about change than dropping bombs - literal and metaphorical - on people with whom we disagree. Maybe we need to learn to laugh at the absurdity in both ourselves and others.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.whiteflourbook.com/" target="_blank">White Flour - official website</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.davidlamotte.com/" target="_blank">David LaMotte - author</a><br />
<a href="http://www.patinacollaborative.com/" target="_blank">Jenn Hales - illustrator</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007160.post-91081942543101708342012-07-10T10:16:00.001-05:002012-07-10T10:16:29.313-05:00Experimenting with Sacred SpaceWe are starting something new at <a href="http://www.vintagefellowship.org/" target="_blank">Vintage</a>. We are obliterating small groups as we have known them. No longer are we going to get together to do Bible studies and spent more time yapping. We are abandoning the old small group convention for this radical idea that we actually do stuff together. You know, not just being hearers of the word but doers also. We are calling them Experimental Collectives, and we're relying heavily on the wonderful work of our friend <a href="http://www.markscandrette.com/" target="_blank">Mark Scandrette</a> to help us reimagine what it means for us to gather together during the week.<br />
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Our Oversight Team and a few others are spending the next six weeks or so immersing ourselves in our new approach. We have formed a collective that will help us to dive deep into the areas we will focus on throughout the year: authenticity, simplicity, purpose, freedom, and community. Last night, we met and began to explore authenticity. We talked about what our true identity is before God and the things that keep us from living in that identity. We also talked about the things that can help us to reconnect with our authentic selves: nature, solitude, creativity, silence, and stillness. We spent 20 minutes together in silence. It was moving.<br />
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We also decided together to do an experiment this week. We decided to find or create a sacred space for ourselves. We all need places in which we can be still. We all need holy ground where we can be quiet before God to pray and listen. This week, we're each going to try to find where that place can be in our lives.<br />
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Here are some ideas I've got about how to find or create a sacred space in your life:<br />
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<b>Find or make a beautiful place.</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4o5UdQSH8nUqLGHpvj915roqJueAbh0fAJc2CaPNSAFhFJ0GHTKj6tcoKBW2Pd7fq-p-35Fr8fJ9vh-3LwKXy5ApNRyB2IlEObEuxpsZdh4b_tThuAHMn_yKYLzVZdTzfiBWz/s1600/DSCF1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4o5UdQSH8nUqLGHpvj915roqJueAbh0fAJc2CaPNSAFhFJ0GHTKj6tcoKBW2Pd7fq-p-35Fr8fJ9vh-3LwKXy5ApNRyB2IlEObEuxpsZdh4b_tThuAHMn_yKYLzVZdTzfiBWz/s400/DSCF1384.JPG" width="400" /></a>Several years ago, I stumbled upon a small stone chapel not far from my workplace. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. I started eating my lunch there three or four times a week. I talked with God more during that time than many others in my life. It was holy ground to me. But sacred spaces don't have to be stone chapels. They can be a bench in your backyard garden or a comfortable chair in the corner of your room with a side table for an icon, a candle, your Bible, and your prayer journal. Sacred space can be the spot on your back porch where you sit quietly with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and a cigar. Look or make a place, that when you go there, your heart aches a little bit. Don't worry about what other people think. Your sacred space needs to be beautiful to you and connect with your soul, not anyone else's.<br />
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<b>Engage your senses.</b><br />
Candles. Incense. Art. Gardens. Music. Rosary beads. All of these things have a way of transporting us. Go to a museum. Visit the local botanical garden. When you sit down in your chair, light a special candle as a way of signifying that this time of sitting is something different. Breathe deeply. Touch. And see and smell and listen to what is around you. God is all around you.<br />
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<b>Walk.</b><br />
Sometimes a sacred space can be a path that you hike once a week. Or a prayer labyrinth that forces you to slow down and enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Getting out in nature and exercising your muscles actually opens you up to be more aware of where you are and who you are. If you are the kind of person who really struggles sitting still, maybe an intentional walk alone would be a better way to create a sacred space in your mind.<br />
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<b>Be intentional.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Sometimes, sacred spaces happen on accident, but for most of us, if we are going to quiet ourselves in stillness before God, we need to do it regularly and consciously. Maybe that's everyday. Maybe it's every week. Maybe it's just good to know that it's there when you need. Don't let your scared space be something that produces guilt or shame because you don't go there enough. Guilt and shame are not from God. Sacred spaces are an invitation to enter into our true selves before God.</span><br />
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How about you? Do you have any experiences with sacred spaces? Have you created a place in your home to be still? Do you have some place special, some holy ground, that you go to when you need to be quiet and think and pray?<br />
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<br />Robb Ryersehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02701156780977117796noreply@blogger.com0