Searching for More

This blog "by the Way" has largely been dormant for the past year or so. Seasons change in which people are led to write posts. In the meantime, I invite you to come read my personal blog at www.SearchingforMORE.com. There I write about my search for true community in Christ. Feel free to visit.

And before you go, know that there is a lot of good stuff on this blog if you go back through the archives. Some good, some not so good. Mostly good, though! Check out the archives link to the right --->

What is the Purpose of Church?

[The following quote is from a book I reviewed in the previous blog post Against Christianity. I will make a few follow-up comments, but I am inviting dialogue about this. Please feel encouraged to leave your thoughts on the blog.]

The mission of the Church can be described as a double movement. On the one hand, the Church is called to withdraw from the world, to be a counterculture, a separate city within the world's cities, challenging and clashing with the world by unapologetically speaking her own language, telling her own stories, enacting her own rites, practicing her own way of life. Though she shares considerable cultural space with the world, the Church is not an institution in the world alongside other institutions. She is an alternative world unto herself, with her roots in heaven, formed by being drawn into the community of Father, Son, and Spirit.

The Church is not, however, simply a counterculture. She has been given the subversive mission of converting whatever culture she finds herself in. She works to the end that her language, her rites, and her way of life might become formative for an entire society. She withdraws from the world for the sake of the world. Having been drawn into communion of the triune God, she participates also in the mission of the triune God.

Christianity cannot carry out this mission, because Christianity proposes only ideas; it does not form a world or a city. Christianity offers the Church only as a new sort of religious association, not as a new, eschatological ordering of human life. So long as Christianity reigns, the Church cannot really be separate; and so long as Christianity reigns, the Church can never convert anything.

This author hits the nail directly on the head. I, too, am fed up with what we have created and called "Christianity." It is a false religion based loosely on the truths of Scripture, but largely upon the desires and ambitions of men. I am done with Christianity. I am ready to renounce it and begin a new life as a simple, non-religious, follower of the Son of Yahweh, known to us as Jesus (or Yeshua). He is God. He is Truth. He is Life. He is the Way.

I extend an open-handed invitation to all others who wish to pursue real life in Christ. Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Let us run with endurance the race Father has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. What we call "Christianity" and the "Church" will for the most part inhibit our running of this race. It is time to become the true Church of Jesus. It is time to be real disciples of the Messiah. It is time to begin living out its true purpose. No longer shall we build our own kingdoms and followings. Let us focus on Jesus and his mission. Are you with me?

Love,
Jason Duncan

P.S. If this resonates with you, feel free to email me and share with me what Father is doing in you. If it doesn't please feel free to share your thoughts, but know that I am not interested in arguing.

Against Christianity

I recently finished a book called Against Christianity by Peter Leithart. It was given to me by a good friend whom I know to be a dedicated follower of Jesus. I was intrigued by the book's title and its chapter names (Against Theology, Against Sacraments, Against Ethics, For Constantine). I started reading it on a plane ride home from Baltimore and was quickly drawn in, but admittedly confused.

I don't recommend the book unless you just WANT to read it. It is poorly written and the author makes no effort to explain or define the terms he uses and it makes for a roller coaster read. At one point you think you understand his point and then the next you feel as if he has asked someone else to write a section. That being said, it was a very interesting book and does, in fact, have some great points. The best chapter is the last one: "For Constantine".

Allow me to tell you what I THINK the author was getting at throughout the entire book. Then I will throw you a few quotes I thought were really good.

Leithart--I think--uses the term "Christianity" to define the western version of religion whose book is the Bible and whose God is Jesus. There is a failed attempt in chapter one to define the term, but he gets off track with some contrasting explanations and never finishes his definition. He uses the term "Christianity" disparagingly (and I applaud his point). According to the author, the Bible does not even teach the concept of Christianity. And he is right! What we know as Christianity is not--I repeat NOT--described or taught in the Scriptures. This is a worthwhile point and can explain the title of the book.

He goes on through the next few chapters talking about how the modern religion of Christianity is against sacraments, ethics, and theology. It took me until the last chapter to think I was "getting" his point. If the book had not been recommended by my friend who gave it to me, I wouldn't have finished it. Again, it is not because of the content, but because of the poor writing and lack of explanations.

It was the last chapter that was best for me. I plan to post a large quote from this chapter on the blog here. So stay tuned for the latest quotes from this book. I'm sure it will be good conversation starters.

Here are some random quotes that I rather liked. They are out of context, so may sound a bit more in-your-face than they are intended, but they are worthy of consideration.

The Church is neither a reservoir of grace nor an external support for the Christian life. The Church is salvation. (p. 32)

The Church's competitors are nation-states and international political bodies like the United Nations. The Church's ethos and culture are not just a challenge to the other "religions," but to the ethos of americanism and the culture of globalization, insofar as such an ethos and culture exists. But we do not preach the gospel faithfully. We preach Christianity. And therefore we avoid the clash. (p. 34)

The gospel announces a new creation. The gospel brings nothing less than a new world. If we are going to stand for this gospel, we must stand against Christianity. (p. 40)

 Christianity does not offer a new language, but only some religious words and phrases to add to the stock of the existing language. (p. 52)

Reformed Protestants generally adopt only one physical posture in worship--sitting to listen to a sermon--and therefor we are trained in only one spiritual posture. We are trained to accept as a matter of course that it is possible to think our way through life--all of life. (p. 83) 

Perhaps Ephraim Radner is correct. Perhaps the Spirit has abandoned the Church. (p. 120)

I will post some quotes from the final chapter (For Constantine) in a follow-up blog post. Check it out.

Love,
Jason Duncan

Under Deconstruction

Ever wondered what it is that the stickman is shoveling on the "Under Construction" signs on the highway? Me too. I took the liberties of altering the sign a bit by adding the nice little "fumes" and re-titling the sign: "Under Deconstruction."

Deconstruction is defined as "A process to carefully dismantle or remove useable materials from structures, as an alternative to demolition. It maximizes the recovery of valuable building materials for reuse and recycling and minimizes the amount of waste."

I am applying this term to my spiritual life in this way. For many years I was taught a certain way to interpret the Bible and the religion called Christianity. I even went on to get a degree from a certain university that upheld this certain way of understanding and interpreting the Bible. Lately, I am growing to mistrust my own understandings of interpretation. In a very real sense, I am going through a period of deconstructing my hermeneutic (way of interpreting the Bible). What I used to believe about the Bible is being carefully dismantled to remove useful truths as an alternative to walking away from everything. I want to maximize the recovery of valuable truths of the Bible and minimize the amount of waste that has accumulated in my old hermeneutic. In simple terms, I am shoveling through all of the crap and trying to find the things worth holding onto that I am absolutely sure of (And there is not much left, I'm afraid!).

Like me, I bet many of you built a nice safe little sanctuary of biblical understanding with a precept here, a doctrine there, and a bit of inferring here. This safe little place can become a very dangerous place because it lies to you and tells you to rely on your understanding and tells you that you do not need the Spirit to lead you. If you open up to the Spirit's leading, then you cannot rely on your understanding anymore. Rather, you must acknowledge your ignorance and limited ability to comprehend the things of God and rely totally upon the Spirit for truth and knowledge. Read Philippians and pay attention the how Paul threw out all of the old religious crap (he said "dung") and committed to only know Jesus and his love for us.

Recently we had a discussion about a well-known story from the book of Acts with some good friends. This was the first time I actually practiced a distrust of my own understanding in the face of questions about the Bible. Certainly, I could have given an answer--one that I have preached many times before. However, I simply found myself not trusting my own knowledge. I re-read the portion of Scripture in question and found that what it DIDN'T say spoke much louder that what it DID say. Admittedly, I wanted to be sure of myself in my answer, but I simply did not know the answer.

Why is it that we in the West want to have an answer for everything? It strikes me as arrogant that we followers of Jesus find it hard to say "I don't know". I know it is hard for preachers to say I don't know--I used to be one. I was "paid" to know. Now I am growing comfortable in not knowing many things over which I used to fervently debate. What I am finding great joy in is being absolutely sure of the love of God. That is what I know. That is what I can rely on. That is what I can trust. I don't know anything else.

I invite all followers of Jesus to join me in this deconstruction. Hang this sign on your heart and wait for Father to build his love in you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Your brother in Jesus,
Jason Duncan

We're Selling Freedom (And It's Free!)

One of the coolest thoughts I've had in a long time came to me as I was sitting at a table talking with someone at the Spring Family Retreat. It was with someone who only recently was introduced to this idea of walking in a relationship with God without the need for a religious institution. During the conversation I was struck with the overwhelming sense that Father was saying to me that what we are offering is freedom. Freedom from religious performance. Freedom from guilt and manipulation. Freedom from empty rituals. Freedom from an endless list of religious activities that seem to rob us of time. This person already knew and loved Jesus, but seemed to be tired of the religious machine offered by many churches. When people realize that they are "allowed" to leave the institution, they seem to come alive with joy at the thought of living in true freedom.

All of this made me think of a story from American history that relates to our current situation in the church.

In 1863 during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the United States and in the Confederate Sates. This executive order earned Lincoln his nickname as the Great Emancipator. A story is told of a newspaper interviewing a recently "freed" slave in the south. "What do you think of the Great Emancipator? He set you free." The slave responded bluntly, "I don't know nothing 'bout no Great Emancipator and I don't know nothing 'bout no freedom." This slave either didn't actually know about Lincoln's proclamation or he simply chose not to take the risk of exploring his new freedom.

In many corners of the church we have turned into slaves. We are slaves to the system and lifeless substitutes for community. We have spent millions of dollars trying to improve the system with bigger buildings, more high-powered AV equipment, more polished speakers, etc. It is the same way that slaves tried to get better living quarters, tried to get the slave-drivers to treat them better, tried to get a better workload when all along they were free. Just like the slaves on the 1860s, we spend time trying to improve our current situation rather than embracing our freedom. Why? It is dangerous. For a slave to embrace freedom and claim the truths of the Emancipation Proclamation meant certain dangers and risk of death. The slave-drivers and owners did not want the slaves to be free. This would topple their businesses. This would spell immediately financial ruin for these rich slave owners. And today what are the consequences of leaving the machine of modern Christianity? We risk losing friendships. We risk losing family members' approval. We risk being ostracized in our neighborhoods and communities. We risk being called "arrogant" or "heretics." We sometimes even risk financial loss.

Freedom is worth it. There is much to gain. I know the first Great Emancipator. I know of the proclamation He issued on Calvary. I know how hard it is to risk the escape, but I was willing to do it. Life is fuller. Life is freer. Freedom smells sweet. As we exit the machine of modern Christianity, we risk a lot--much like the slaves in 1863 who had just been set free. I plead with you not to deny your freedom in Jesus. Many gallons of blood were shed to prove that the Great Emancipator was justified in freeing American slaves. A war tore our country apart. Likewise, blood was shed by Jesus to free us from the tyranny of slavery to sin. Let us not again become so entangled with empty rituals and lifeless laws and deny the freedom we have been freely given.

Your underground railroad conductor,
Jason

Reflections from 2010 Spring Family Retreat

On the weekend of April 16-18, 2010, 100 people gathered together from all over the Western hemisphere to participate in a retreat at Hillmont Camp in White Bluff, Tennessee just west of Nashville.

The retreat was hosted and organized by the Way Network, a community of followers of Jesus based in Gallatin, Tennessee. Jason Duncan headed up the organizing and helped make the retreat become a reality. Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings, hosts of the weekly podcast The God Journey, were in attendance to help guide some dialogue about living loved.

We had in attendance people from Tennessee, California, Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, and Indiana. Three lovely ladies flew all the way from London to be with us, too. Friday evening we got all checked in and played a cool game of People Bingo so we could get to know one another better. After the game we "schooched" our chairs all in towards the center of the room in no particular order or design so that we could all be together to hear from and talk to one another.

Wayne began the weekend's dialogue by asking us why we came and what we expected. There were as many different reasons for coming and expectations for the weekend as states that were represented. It was great to hear what Father was doing in and around us. We broke up for bedtime around 10:00 PM. Many stayed way past that time to carry on small group conversations about various topics. A group of about a dozen people stayed up past 2:00 AM talking about Jesus with Brad. (We paid dearly for that the next day!)

Saturday brought a beautiful morning with a great breakfast in the Hillmont dining room. We all sat at tables where we were encouraged to sit with folks we didn't know--which was easy because most of us didn't know each other anyway. Jason Duncan had prepared "starter" questions for us at each table that we could use to jump start conversations around our meals. After breakfast we all gathered in the worship center for another group discussion. A few of the musicians were playing in the worship center so we all joined in and sang a few songs before our discussion time. The discussion revolved around more pointed ideas about what Father is doing in and around us. It was great to sit and dialogue--even with 100 people--rather than sitting and being lectured to. In addition, the lack of a regimented schedule or agenda for the weekend was quite refreshing. It allowed us time and opportunity to talk with others whenever the Spirit prompted us. It was very relaxing.

After lunch, the kids and about a dozen adults spent the early afternoon up on the ball field with "Coach" Eric Anderson. He brought lots of fun equipment he uses as an elementary school PE teacher. The kids had a blast--and there were LOTS of kids. It was so good to see so many kids. After the games Eric brought for us to play, we played a big game of two-base kickball. It was a blast! About 3:30, thirty of us piled into one of the classrooms at the camp and set up a mini recording studio for Wayne and Brad to do a "live" interactive podcast. They started the conversation and invited us to chime in with questions and comments. They are planning to run it on The God Journey over the next two weeks.

Saturday evening, we enjoyed another dinner getting to know new people. Afterwards, we all hung out in different pockets of the retreat center talking, singing, praying, or whatever Father led us to do. At dark, we started a little campfire where some of us sat around and laughed and talked as others sat nearby and played old rock-n-roll, some country, and some worship songs on our guitars.

On Sunday morning, we gathered for our final meal together as a group and then gathered in the worship center for our final group conversation. It was a magnificent conversation about life, living loved, and the meaning of the cross. You are encouraged to listen to Wayne's "Transitions" series on the Lifestream website. (Click here to go to the site.) On this free MP3 download, you can hear Wayne's teachings on the cross and what living loved really means. It would be a good follow-up to many of the conversations we had over the weekend.

As we departed without much fanfare, hugs were shared and contact information was exchanged. Lots of laughter and a few muffled cries were heard as we departed, not knowing whether we would see each other again this side of eternity. Only Father knows if He intends for us to reunite again any time in the future. Some would definitely hope that we will. Only He knows.

Thanks to all who came and shared their life, their gifts, their ideas, their passions, and their love with us. Jesus is the most important person among us all and He is the One who united us. Praise Jesus from whom all blessings flow.

20 Questions (#20)

Well, we are finally at the end of my list of questions and answers to make us think about our spiritual growth. I hope that this has been helpful, even if only a bit. Remember that you can see all 20 Questions on our blog at theWay247.blogspot.com. Here's the last one (for now...)

20. How often do I REALLY think about other people and their relationship with Jesus?

As we grow in Jesus, shouldn't we naturally think more and more about people in terms of their place in the Kingdom? Specifically their relationship with Jesus? One would think so, but I find it very rare to meet followers of Jesus who think of people in this light. I, myself, am even embarrassed to admit that I typically do not think of people in these terms.

What I usually find is people who typically only think about others' relationship with Jesus when on a mission trip or a door-to-door evangelism blitz of their community. We are all eternal beings made in the image of God. But we mostly only see people in terms of what they give us. We are nice to people from whom we get things--or hope to get things. we are indifferent or down-right rude to those from whom we can get nothing.

As we grow in the Spirit, we need to put on new glasses--glasses that will allow us to see all people as special, image-of-God, precious souls who need a relationship with Jesus. The Kingdom of God exists in other places besides our comfortable church. We need to expand our view and begin regularly seeing people the way Jesus does--from a Kingdom perspective.

Your friend,
Jason Duncan
theWay247.com

20 Questions (#19)

We are approaching the end of my 20 Questions designed to help us contemplate our personal spiritual growth. This question was originally intended to be my final question, but it has been weighing heavily on my heart the past few days, so I thought I'd go ahead and write about it today. Maybe it is because you needed this message today...

#19. Is my desire to please Father fueled by love or by fear?

I don't know about how it was for you growing up, but I heard a lot about "fearing" God. Many preachers, teachers, and kind-hearted elders told me about the need to fear God. Sure, a good number of them tried to explain to me that the word "fear" wasn't about being afraid, but more about "respect". Nevertheless that message never really made it to my brain. I suppose it goes back to the old saying that actions far outweigh your words. You see, even though I was taught to have respect for God, I grew up afraid of God because of the way older Christians acted towards Him. I was told by people very close to me that no sin would enter into heaven. I was told that I must ask for forgiveness for EVERY sin I committed or I would not be forgiven. I saw people mortified and scared after sermons about repentance and hell who would sob as they "rededicated" their lives in fear of being cut out of the Book of Life. This kind of theology drives us to fear God--real fear (i.e. being afraid of or scared of God). The natural outcome of this kind of theology is people either try to please God for fear that He will "whack" us for our sins or we give up on Him totally because we know we aren't that good enough and could never please Him anyway.

What I find conspicuously absent from much of the teaching I received as a young Christian is the love of God. While there are over 120 verses in the Bible that refer to our need to "fear God" there are over 500 that refer to the love God has for us and our love for him. The most poignant sections of Scripture about love comes from John's first epistle when he says the following things about God and love. Do not its familiarity keep you from focusing on its profound truth.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

I find these verses so very refreshing. I no longer fear God! Love is greater than fear. Love is a superior motivator for God's children to please him. God--who is Love--drives fear out of me. God does not desire me to tremble at the thought of judgment or punishment. Rather he desires me to live in love. No father wants his kids to obey him out of fear of punishment. No. No. No. We want our kids to respond to us in trust and obedience based on a love relationship. God feels the same way. Love must come first.

I sincerely regret that I used fear of God (i.e. being afraid or scared) as a motivator to get people to fit into my mold of what being a Christian really meant. Father has already forgiven me for this stupidity, but I hope that those upon whom I used this will also forgive me and see how much better a motivator love is. My prayer is that Jesus' church will stop focusing on the "fear" of God and begin overwhelming people with the love of God. Love is the most important thing. Period.

Love,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

Christian Leadership

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of [the twentieth] century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will not be one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.

-A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963)

From the "Are You Kidding Me?" Files

In the Friday, March 19 edition of the Tennessean newspaper, a front page article in the "Local & Business" section of the paper, the headline reads: "Churches consider ban on trespassers."

I read the article with interest that quickly turned to disgust and a feeling of absolute bewilderment. [click here for article] Two different Nashville churches were interviewed as the subject of the story. One was a Church of Christ and the other was a Methodist church. The denominational affiliation is unimportant; what they said was the shocker.

I am a follower of Jesus, so my perspective is from one as a brother to these churches who were interviewed. I can only imagine the perspective of those who do not follow Jesus at all. Allow me to share with you one of the 60+ comments left on the newspaper's Web site about this article:

Religion is the biggest fraud in the history of man. I see the hypocrisy continues, maybe after they remove all the undesirables they can make things all pearly white and pure the way Jesus would want it. 

What was it that caused this person to say such a thing? Allow me to summarize the article for you. Some area churches have experienced vandalism, drug deals, and homeless "invasions" on their properties and they want it to stop. The Metro Police Department has offered to area churches the ability for them to sign a waiver, allowing cops to arrest anyone caught on church property after 10:30 PM, charging the individuals with a misdemeanor. If the church does sign the waiver, police must first call church leaders to authorize the removal or arrest of "trespassers." One of the churches interviewed has already signed the waiver while the other one is considering it.

Here is the most shocking quote from the article. It is from an elder's wife of the church who has already signed the waiver:

We have people gathering on our front steps engaging in what appears to be drug deals. We have vandalism on an almost constant basis. One day, we even had a homeless guy walk in on us during a meeting.

WHAT? You mean that the world is actually coming to your doorstep and into your meetings, yet you want them to stop. Why? Does this mess up the bleach-white clean religious world you want to live in? Heaven forbid a homeless person actually mistake your building as a place where he come come to receive help! Oh, the horrors of modern churchianity!

Another quote from the article is just as disturbing. In talking about a homeless man that had taken up residence on the church's property, a representative of the church who had not yet signed the waiver said this:

It was really sad because we were literally watching him kill himself with alcohol. We did everything we could to help him. We offered to help him go to rehab, but he couldn't accept what we offered. He was a good man, but his life was not progressing and we didn't want to see him die on our property.

This type of attitude toward the world is exactly what has caused the church to lose its respect and relevance in our culture. We continue to live our lives with blinders on, thinking that the only ones worthy to be a part of our "clubs" are those who look, dress, act, and smell like us. Heaven forbid a homeless man dying on the property owned by the church. So what if he refused to go to rehab? Does that make him any less worthy to be called our friend? Does it make him less worthy of receiving the love and care of folks who claim to follow Jesus?

I can't really think of anything more to say. Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.

-Jason