Adventist Motorcycle Ministry

AMM is a ministry to support our Adventist churches and reach hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists and family around the world who otherwise may never know the message

of salvation.

http://www.adventistmotorcycleministry.org/

It’s Really All About God

Review by Nathan Brown

In our increasingly pluralistic societies, one of the most urgent questions facing Christianity—and Adventism—is how we relate to those who believe differently. Too often, the traditional approach seems to have been to dismiss these others—anyone and everyone who does not believe as we do. But our increasing interaction with those of other faiths forces us to re-examine these assumptions. Life is often not as black-and-white as we might like it to be.

Samir Selmanovic is one voice who can help Christians—and particularly Adventists—wrestle with these issues. Writing overtly as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian and pastor, his book It’s Really All About God is published by a large mainstream press, Jossey-Bass, but highlights a number of distinctly Adventist contributions to Christian faith and how these also connect beyond Christianity.

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Relevance, Part 3

A couple of things have happened in the last few weeks that inspired me to begin this series on relevance.  This will be the concluding post - but you may find this theme throughout much of what I write (both in the past, and in the future).  When I preach, when I write, when I do just about anything, I ask myself, what is the point?  And this becomes the question I have to ask about God, His Word, and His Church - what is the point?

For me, I've found meaning in God.  The Bible was a little more challenging - but once I moved past the cultural distortions, I have found great relevance in those words.  I'm still wrestling with the Church though.  I'm wondering, what is it that people are trying to do there?

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Exporting Adventism

Overseas not long ago, I had an interesting interaction with an Adventist pastor. I had just finished telling him about a person who had expressed to me a desire to begin keeping Sabbath and to be baptized. I would have expected him to be thrilled with the news, as this individual had been an ongoing ‘project’ for him for some time. To my surprise the pastor appeared disappointed, annoyed, and even a little angry.

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Event: Idea Camp Coming to Portland

Idea Camp followed us on Twitter a few days ago, but other than liking the name, I didn't think much of it.  Then, last night, two of my friends invited me to the Facebook event listing for the Portland event.  Now, I don't know about you, but I get a lot of "invites" on Facebook, and most aren't worth my time, but since I recognized the name, I took a look.

If you're familiar with the OpenSource software movement, or the openspacee format of the un-conference, you'll recognize this format.  I've attended various tech events locally, and have been thinking the Church needs to embrace this format of reaching out to our culture, but I haven't had the time to make it happen - yet.

In a nutshell, what this does is to take your online social networking into the real world - and vice versa...

But here it is, live, and coming to PDX!

More details here: http://theideacamp.ning.com/page/icpnw-details

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Different economics

by Nathan Brown

Most of the biggest news stories from this year so far have been focused on economics. From stock markets, exchange rates, interest rates, oil prices and food shortages in some parts of the world, many of the economic systems and implications we as a society have tended to take for granted are being brought into focus and questioned, particularly with regard to sustainability. As Christians, we are asked the same questions but these questions offer us the opportunity to urge some different answers.

One of the first realisations is a reminder that much of the current economic systems of our world—based as they are on greed, exploitation, injustice and absurd over-consumption—is wrong. That may not be the easiest thing to say. In times of stress, people tend to stick to what they know.

But the economic theory upon which so much of the way we live our lives is that which “inspires our pursuit of as much resource use and waste production (also known as economic growth) as possible, as fast as possible” (Brian McLaren, Everything Must Change). The comparative privilege enjoyed by most of us in the developed world is subsidised at the expense of the rest of the world. We need to be prepared to recognise it for the wrong it is, and use the stresses of economically difficult times to prompt us to consider how we, individually and as a society, might do things better.

As part of this process we need to ask ourselves if our lives and even our faith are so entangled in the economy as it is that we are unable to imagine other ways of ordering our lives and our world. Those who promote and profit from our economic systems have powerful voices, tuned to convince us of their importance and pre-eminence. Indeed, the prevailing economic forces can be described as

a religious movement of previously unheard-of proportions. Progress is its underlying myth, unlimited economic growth its foundational faith, the shopping mall (physical or online) its place of worship, consumerism its overriding image, ‘I’ll have a Big Mac and fries’ its ritual of initiation, and global domination its ultimate goal (Brian J Walsh and Sylvia C Keesmaat, Colossians Remixed).

In the face of rampant market-driven capitalism, it becomes increasingly clear why Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24, NLT). He went on to urge that we should not worry about what we should eat, drink or wear—and the list would probably be longer if the Sermon on the Mount had been preached to 21st-century consumer in a shopping mall rather than to rural peasants on a hillside—and reminds us to look first to God who “already knows all your needs” and “will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matthew 6:32, 33, NLT).

But even as we ask some of these questions of our own lives, we need to be quick to realise that the poor and already disadvantaged are always first to suffer in whatever stresses impact society. We must be asking how we as individuals and as churches can reach out to those who are hurting financially and emotionally in our communities and around the world.

Giving is the ultimate rebuttal to an economy built on getting and having. We must resist the temptations that uncertainties bring to try to build walls of protection around ourselves. Instead, as Jesus recommended, by our generosity and faithfulness we demonstrate that our treasure is to be found in the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 6:20). Even in various end-time scenarios—in which economic turbulence often seems to figure—we must shift the focus away from mere self-preservation, whether spiritual or physical.

Adventist writer Chris Blake offers an inspiring alternative vision of the people of God responding to potential crises:

Let God’s people transition to new models of transforming grace of Christian community. Christianity has never been about isolationism, and never will be. . . . In the midst of imminent collapse, Adventist homes open to the dispossessed and fearful. Adventist churches and schools become cities of refuge and outposts of mercy. Sanctuaries house the homeless. Playing fields plough up into gardens. As a world self-destructs, chapter 2 of Acts emerges before our wondering eyes. . . . This is our finest hour (Swimming Against the Current).

iGod, tieGod

I want God to tie my shoes.

And while he’s at, to buy me some shoes. Lots of them. And pants and shirts and suits and ties. All to keep in a nice house, to wear to a good job, to compliment a life well-appointed with success, purpose, fulfillment, happiness, and blessing.

Of course, the Cousin of Jesus said something a bit different. “I am not worthy to tie and untie the shoes of The One, Jesus Christ.”

John would be happy to fit Jesus with some shoes (make his paths straight?). To be the tailor of God. To be about Jesus’ success, purpose, fulfillment; to bring him happiness and to bless him.

I recognize a tendency in my own life, and in the lives of many Christians everywhere, to seek God as nothing more than an Opening Act. God as the one who plays before me (on the cross?) all in order to usher in the majesty of me. And bearing a cross certainly does not fit into my schedule of events.

He is my foundation, but I am the house.
His written word is the place I go to support my vision of worship, of religion, of life.
His Spirit’s purpose is to magnify my ministry.
God is the solution to my problems.
God is the safety net, I am the high-wire act.
He is the one who blesses my career, my romance, my dreams.
He is the champion of my conservatism, my traditionalism.
He is the champion of my liberalism, my progressivism.
He is, handily, the steroids that boost whatever it is I want to do and be.
He is Human Growth Hormone.

And so (changing metaphors) I shape my own, selected, God Playlist, with the tunes that fit within the song of my life. This is My God.

Or, more accurately yet, iGod.

I suspect a lot of disappointment/fulfillment with life is tied to who is tying the shoes and whose shoes are being tied?

Are you Lovable?

The American theologian and bible exegete, Ellen Gould White, writes: “No other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.”

Lovable Christian?

Jesus says the mark of a growing disciple is lovability (John 13:35). The first fruit of the Spirit is lovability (Galatians 5:22). God is, above all, lovable (1 John 4:16).

In a recent Barna survey, just 16% of non-Christians said Christians “consistently show love.” More than 8 of 10 would not say that followers of Jesus are lovable.

Contemporary Franciscan Richard Rohr observes:“[R]eligion has always distinguished education from transformation. Being informed is different from being formed, and the first is a common substitute for the second.”

Could it be that more colorful brochures, slicker sermon presentations, more “relevant” worship services, and better (doctrinally) informed church members won’t amount to much GC (great commission) success? Perhaps we need to be formed, not informed. Perhaps we need to move the 16% figure to 96%. Perhaps we need to go ahead and believe the words of our New Testament, "You can give your body to be burned, but if you are not lovable, this amounts to nothing."Perhaps we need to stop arguing—for God’s sake, and the sake of people—and, instead, become the strongest argument in the gospel’s favor.

What do you think?

Who Picked These Delegates?

There was A REPORT FROM THE 2007 NAD YEAR-END MEETINGS in the January 2008 Adventist World. There were devotional sermons and reports from various evangelistic efforts. There was also a Secretary’s Report concerning membership data. When deaths were tallied (33,947) and missing members accounted for (77,985), North American membership totaled 1,050,210. There were 38,275 baptisms and professions of faith in 2006, and Secretary Roscoe Howard reported “steady growth”, or a 1.72 % increase in membership from 2005 to 2006.

What are readers to make of the report by George Johnson Jr., Associate Director, Office of Communication, North American Division that “on Sunday the nearly 340 delegates to the session said they were, in effect, tired of business as usual and wished to depend on the power of the Lord to accomplish great things—far larger than many may have believed possible”? I’m also “tired of business as usual”.

What happened last year? Was there any attempt to justify money spent on evangelistic efforts? How many children under the age of 14 were baptized? How much was spent on Adventist education? Is a 1.72% an acceptable growth rate? These are just a few of the questions that beg to be answered.

NOTE: Comic modified from Dilbert, by Scott Adams

Big Wedding, Little Marriage

by Alex Bryan

The cost of a typical wedding these days can be enormous. $20,000, $30,000 and a whole lot more. Flowers, music, venue, food, pastor (that’s a big ticket item right there for sure), announcements, dresses, suits, ties. This doesn’t even take into account the honeymoon or all the gifts given to the bride and groom.

So, if more money is being spent on weddings than ever before, why are divorce rates not plummeting? Why are marriages not happier and more long-lasting than ever before? Why is this not the golden age of martial bliss?

How about this: what if a couple took half (say $15,000) the wedding costs and applied this to post-marriage counseling? What if they invested in mini-honeymoons twice a year for the first ten years of marriage? What if they took that money and found ways to invest in the strength and beauty of their relationship?

Switching gears now. Enormous amounts of time, money, energy, prayer, creative action are put into evangelistic meetings. Sermons, music, brochures, venue, Bibles, materials and on and on. So we should be in the evangelistic golden age of the church…. But the opposite is true. The non-churched statistics grow each year. We are not doing better. We are losing the battle.

An idea: what if we took half the money and energy and brainpower we put into “reaping events” (meetings designed to help people make “decisions” for Jesus) and instead invested this in training and equipping church members to build authentic relationships with people, create opportunities for them to serve the community, and invested heavily in their own growth as disciples of Jesus? What would happen if we put the majority of our money in SOWING AND WATERING instead of GROWING AND REAPING?

While wedding days and evangelistic meetings have their (important) place, I wonder if marriages and marriage to Jesus would be a whole lot better with greater emphasis on relationship-building over the long haul.

Photo credit: Martina Konietzny Photography

Christo-fascism

Fellow US Christians (and other interested parties), please allow me to offer this bit of perspective.

Whether we can fully appreciate it or not, it is unmistakably arrogant, malicious and inflammatory for a Western, non-practitioner of Islam to use any derivation of the term "Islam" (e.g. "Islamo-fascist" and "Islamic Terrorist") in an attempt to designate America's enemy in the so-called War on Terror—and unless you are a follower of Islam any assumed right to rebut this point goes a long way toward substantiating my assertion. I can make this assertion as a non-Muslim in humble 'others-interest,' because it is a self-critique, but for a non-adherent of Islam to try to defend the practice of constructing such labels is an act of self-absorption predicated on the hegemonic idea that we have the unassailable right to characterize anyone else however we see fit. If that's not arrogance, then the word has lost all meaning! All one can do as a non-follower of Islam, is take a moment, consider the possibility and pay attention to how Muslims themselves perceive what we do.

In last Saturday's New Hampshire Republican debate and again in Thursday's South Carolina rematch, most candidates sought to treat Ron Paul like he was the crazy uncle at the dinner table, belittling him for pointing out that Islamic discontent with America doesn't ferment in a vacuum. Though reactionary in instances, it has cause, and perhaps, justification. (Note I said discontent, not terrorism, has justification.) Why do so many refuse even to consider such a rationale? All it asks of us is to put ourselves in the place of the majority people of the Middle East? Why is Arab and/or Muslim humanity so hard for us to concede?

What brought all this to mind for me was the exchange in last weekend's debate in response to Huckabee's characterization of the Bush administration's policies as "arrogant" and evincing "a bunker mentality." The conversation reminded me of a Seinfeld sketch of Kramer arguing with himself, "I'm not arrogant; you are! No you're arrogant, not me! But let's not forget those good-for-nothing Islamic terrorists! They're the transcendent bogeymen of the 21st century!"

How dare we freely associate the hatefulness of terrorists such as Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden with the faith of over 1 billion peace-loving people who walk in the way of submission to Allah? With all the indisputable, documented atrocities perpetrated by the Western world over the last two millennia in the name of Christianity—up to and including the war on the Middle East—have we ever once dubbed the proponents or perpetrators of the Crusades, Colonial Expansion, the Inquisition, the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Jim Crow, the Holocaust, the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or South African Apartheid "Christian Terrorists"?

No! Emphatically no. And we never will. Why? Because we believe that such historical "excesses" (isn't that such an wonderfully disingenuous term), though unapologetically supported by Christians of that time and place, do not reflect the beauty of the fundamental tenants of the Christian faith. And since those in power continue to be predominately of Christian heritage, we get to tell our story however we want to remember it.

It wouldn't be arrogance that we won't afford Muslims the same right to define themselves—would it?