Pastor Paul's August 16 Newsletter Article

Pastor Paul’s Letter to the Church at Weatherford

You didn’t know this, but I’ve been known to abuse ink. In fact, every pastor is an ink junkie. Have you ever seen an empty bookshelf in the Pastor’s Study? Haven’t there always been more books at the parsonage? Yes, we’re all hooked on the fresh smell of ink and paper. The younger ones among us hide it better with eBooks, but they still go to the Library or a bookstore occasionally just to get that “smell of ink” fix.

Right now I’m getting some books I’ve been lacking for a while. There are some prayer books I’ve missed out on that I picked up. I also got the books for the Confirmation Class, even though I do hate that half of the copies are on back order. I even received the books for the Advent Study I’ll be teaching when the temperature makes us long for the days we’re cursing now... at 40% off thank you very much!

Currently I’m reading “Peaceful Neighbor, Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers” by Michael G. Long. His basic premise is that just because “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was targeted at 3 and 4-year old’s, doesn’t mean it’s as deep as a puddle. The show’s pace is slow. The tone is soothing. But that may be all that’s benign in the neighborhood.

Fred Rogers’ is a Presbyterian Minister and it informed everything he did. One of his professors at Western Theological Seminary (Now Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) was Dr. William Orr. Orr taught him the most basic tenet of the faith that “Jesus reveals the character of God. Not altogether unconventional in his theology, Rogers believed Jesus is the second person in the Holy Trinity, the one who reveals the innermost character of God the creator. But far from conventional, Rogers also held that God, as revealed by Jesus, affirms exactly what the advocate embodies (and the accuser rejects); that every human is good, valuable and lovable.” (page 30)

I must admit, this is not at the core of most theological understandings of sin. Luther and Calvin emphasized the sin of humanity. Reinhold Niebuhr emphasized the sin of the society and structures humans develop. But while saying every human is good, valuable, and lovable, Rogers isn’t saying people misbehave, people act badly, even cruelly.

Instead he often said, “There’s a good guy and a bad guy in all of us.” One of his songs went like this, “the very same people who are good sometimes / are the very same people who are bad sometimes.”

Jesus teaches us to inherit eternal life we must, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Mr. Rogers wants us to take that a step further. He knows that not only do we treat one another badly sometimes; we treat ourselves badly too. He wants us to love our neighbor as we love God. God already loves us no matter what.

Let’s face it, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood never seemed very realistic to adults. This is probably one reason why. Nobody loves anybody like they love God… but wouldn’t it be nice to live in that neighborhood? There’s one place to start…

See you in church, Paul

Who I Need in God's Church

I am currently rereading the Rev. Ken Howard's "Paradoxy, Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them." I am enjoying this read because it deals with what it means to persevere as a church during a time of schism. The second part of the book draws heavily on Howard's experience as Rector of St. Nicholas Church since it became a parish (a permanent congregation) of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in 2003.

According to his page on the St. Nick's website, "this book examine [sic] the dead-end conflict between conservative and liberal Christianity and proposes a new paradigm of Christian community intended to help church's survive and thrive in the coming religious realiagmment. This new "Middle Way" is based in large part on the experiences of the St. Nicholas community."

What strikes me today is what he writes about his experience at St. Nick's, a congregation that he describes as "members who in terms of theology, run the gamut from those who gamely call themselves near-fundamentalists to those who would label themselves radically liberal."

If we were to have any success with our exploration, we will have to be open-minded yet rigorous, confident yet self-critical, creative yet provisional. We will have to be open to the possibility that we all might be a little wrong, that our adversaries may be a little right, and that there will likely be surprises out there for all of us. We will need to open our hearts and minds to a newer and more expansive reality, and to what our friend C. S. Lewis called a "deeper magic."

He then invites the reader to "enter the wardrobe" to see what we will "find on the other side." To earnestly seek this "deeper magic" we need to go together.

Does this frustrate me that not everyone agrees with me? From time to time, it does. I imagine what others might consider "my personal heresies" frustrates them too. But what do I learn if the the church was filled with nothing but "Mini-Me?" Speaking for myself, I don't need a church of people who think like me.  I need people who do not think like I do so I can learn from them, and hopefully they from me.

The greater truth is that what we share is more than what divides us. Let me say that again, what we share is more than what divides us.

As for my personal experience, one of my best friends from seminary and I deeply disagree on one of the touchstones of separation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), allowing congregations and Presbyteries the ability to consider gays and lesbians for ordination to the offices of Deacon and Elder. We disagree and we know it. We have tried to sway the other to no avail. We have even stopped trying because we know it is to no avail. So what keeps our personal and professional relationship in tact? Two things, a deep personal love and relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and love for one another as friends and colleagues.

This who I need in God's Church--Christians, people who in the words of Luke 10:27 "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" I need people who put this above all else.

In a time of schism, one part of the church chooses not to associate with another part of the church. It's an ugly word, but then again it should be because of the pain and sorrow that are inseparable from it. In this time of schism, I hope that we will all take a moment before taking the last steps before separation. I hope we can all put our relationships with our Lord and with one another above all else. Let us put love of God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, before love of dogma. Let's remember this begins at home and not with a mythical dreaded "them."

Let us remember what it says in Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The day approaches, let us meet it together.

You can get "Paradoxy" here or at your favorite bookseller.

Quotes from "Paradoxy" are taken from page 100 of the print version.

Unpacking

Friends,
Unpacking has been the theme of the last two weeks. The kitchen is almost unpacked and the bathrooms have most of their stuff in them. The master bedroom has some boxes, but most of the important ones have been unloaded... that is the ones that have been found have been unpacked.

That's the thing about packing, finding the stuff to unpack it is nearly as difficult. It wasn't until yesterday that I found my Presbyterian Worship Planner Volume 2 (on CD-ROM) in a box at the church. Though I still haven't found the pictures I hang in the office; and God knows what I'm going to do with twelve more boxes of files and stuff now that the bookshelves are full.

The other things that are becoming unpacked is life in Marshall. The annual Fire Ant Festival was last weekend and there's a wedding this weekend (Congrats Marla and Robbie!). I have a conference in Fort Worth around the corner and meetings with the folks who do worship, hospitality, and stewardship on the horizon. Just to put one more piece of love on the marquee, I will be installed as Minister of Word and Sacrament on November 7th.

But you know what else I have, I have Georgia practicing the organ in the background and there's something wonderful in hearing her play "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" knowing that it is true, our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' hope and righteousness.

It will be some time before we finish unpacking. There will be some stuff we will throw away and more that we will put in the storage shed in the backyard, but as we do, we have hope, and it is a wonder.

Share and Enjoy, Paul

An Example of How My Father Was Right

In my last blog, I talked about my Dad and Family Systems Theory. Let me just point out that even though I thought his decision about not sharing all of his family was not good for the family, he wasn't always wrong. He told all of us to wear underwear.

Embedded video from CNN Video

So this girl gets her yearbook and discovers that she is on display for all to see. The School says it's not her euphemism, it's a shadow. Her mother says the school should recall and republish the yearbook. The girl says that she didn't wear panties to school that day because she didn't want panty lines.

Forget about asking why she was allowed to leave the house without panties! It's the obvious question, but I think there is one better. Shouldn't we be asking someone why a high school junior is wearing something to school that causes her to worry about panty lines?

High school sure has changed since I graduated almost 30 years ago.

Bixby, Bixby, Look Who's Sixty!

This is my attempt to add 20 years to "Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Forty" yet do it without success.

Happy Birthday Dan Krotz. By the time you read this, anyone reads this for that matter, it will be too late to warn you of the unexpected Birthday Party. Congrats and hooray.

For those of you who do not know Dan, he is a wonderful man, a great friend, and a spur to intelligencia everywhere. He's smart, well read, and wickedly funny. If you think this is a bromance, well, my wife would just say "duh."

He's also committed to the economic development of people all over the world. He has helped establish markets (from macro-and-micro-economic to farmer's markets) from Africa to the Berryville Square. He's a good neighbor around the corner and on the other side of the planet.

If you get the chance, read his on-line novel Coffee with John Heartbreak. It's a very funny and insightful look at the particular and sometimes peculiar small town life of Berryville, Arkansas--with a little bit of crime drama and an appearance by the Holy Spirit.

Also, if you are looking for a good book or antique, checkout Sow's Ear Antiques on the Berryville Square or online. Dan and Susan are happy to hear from and help out everyone who comes into their store--both virtual and brick and mortar.

God bless Dan! Happy Birthday!

You Are Cordially Invited!

Thursday January 22, I will be facilitating a discussion called "The King of Kings and The Lord of The Rings in Song and Story." It is a discussion of Tolkien's LOTR series through the glasses of its songs and poetry.

Tolkien did not write LOTR as a Christian alegory as some believe. It was written to provide a British Mythos. Tolkien believed the Brits really had no mythology of their own. He (and he was a professor of literature) contended the King Arthur mythology was a French divice implanted into the British conscienceousness. He wanted to change that.

But while Tolkien did not want to write a Christian alegory, he could no sooner write outside of his believer's world view than a fish could breathe on dry land.

Reading the series, I was taken by the poetry and songs sung by all of the Characters. I believe there are parallels between Tolkien's songs and verse; and the psalms, verse, and even the hymns we sing today.

The party is at Sow's Ear Antiques on the Berryville Square at 6:30 tomorrow night. If you're in town please drop in, wine and snacks will be served.

Some Things Never Change

Reading The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, I ran across this gem from 1937 where Tolkien is trying to get paid for some color illustrations to the first American edition of The Hobbit. Quoting page 20, "At the moment, I am in such difficulties (largely owing to medical expenses) that even a very small fee would be a blessing."

Dang, some things never change.

New Blog Idea-What Do You Think

I am considering a new blog that could become an interesting book idea, The Rock and Roll Devotional. The idea came to me late last night-of course without all of the proper warnings that should accompany a late night idea.

Before I went to bed, I started to consider a paper I wrote in seminary, The Gospel According to Lenny Kravitz, figuring one of the songs/parts of the paper to become an entry for this blog. Then it dawned on me that this may not be such a bad thing for a new blog.

Before going off on this endeavor, I want some input: What do you think? Is this the sort of thing you would read? Are there any publishers out there willing to spot me seed money?

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Today, I sent this email to an Editor at Westminster/John Knox Press:

While I suspect someone else has brought this to the Editor's attention, I want to point out an error I found in "The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin" Vol. 1.

On page 217, citing John 8:11, my copy reads "...'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin more.'" Within the text of the sermon that follows the references to this verse cite it properly.

As you can imagine, it caught my attention...and my imagination.

In Christ,Rev. Paul A. Andresen
First Presbyterian, Berryville, Arkansas

When I read it the first time, I thought Coffin might have been going for one of those "gotcha" twists. I love a good twist, and that one got me paying attention. In the end it turned out to be an error instead of a "gotcha." Oh well, mistakes happen--I make enough of them to be sure of that much.

Still...imagine if you will...

The Wisdom of William Sloane Coffin

"Had Jesus heeded both his parents and the religious authorities of his day, instead of saving the world he would have become the best carpenter in Nazareth. Were our chldren to heed us and the religious authorities of our day, they'd all become nicely packaged citizens--safe, polite, and obedient."

This pearl comes from "Credo" by William Sloane Coffin (Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, page 131). Coffin was Head of Staff at the Riverside Church in New York City during a tumultuous time in the life of our nation.

When I read this, I know what I think he is saying. What do you think?

Review of "The Shack"

I have just (I mean about two hours ago) finished reading "The Shack" by William Young. To answer the question "Did I like it?" will betray one of the concepts of the book. The book tells the reader that people make things far more complicated than God intended, and I agree. But there are several elements I want to review so I will make it complicated. With that, let's go--

As a theologian, I actually liked what the book accomplished as a theology primer. If you have read any other review, you will know that there is a thread of trinitarian theology throughout it. As I was reading it I was thinking to myself, "ooh, there's a great example of perichorisis," and "now that's a cool way to look at the economic trinity," and "there's the great look at the immanence/transcendence of God." In that regard, it is a very interesting and evocative view of trinitarian theology. It's not complete, and I wouldn't recommend citing it while writing ordination exams, but as a place to start, I liked it.

I also give Young credit for tackling some very difficult concepts of physical representation of the Trinity and modalism. This could not have been easy, and so cudos for even trying. I believe he succeeded in this as well as anybody can given the milieu of the novel and limits of language.

But being a jaded man, as literature, I think the novel was simply average. There was a tone of emotional manipulation that left me uncomfortable throughout my reading. The front cover of my trade paperback version tells me "The Shack" is our generation's "Pilgrim's Progress." The back cover tells me that the author "suffered a great loss as a child and young adult" without telling the reader the nature of the "loss." The novel itself is anchored by A Great Sadness with those words in italics throughout the text.

By the time I got to the 4th chapter, titled A Great Sadness, I felt as if I was being dragged through an emotional muck, much of which was supported not by the text of the novel. The most grieveous example being the author's use of literary devices including a "Foreword" and "After Words" which were not the notes of the author but of the narrator. As a writer friend of mine once wrote, this is the difference between the "author" and the "authorial I." My friend recognizes and revels in the device, blowing out the fourth wall (itself a device). Young seems to use it to manipulate the reader.

Further, the package itself invites the reader to get more copies for friends and book groups and tells of the windblown Media Group's difficulty in finding a publisher and their subsequent efforts to get "The Shack" made into a movie. I don't think Bunyon had to resort to that in the first printing of "Pilgrim's Progress." Add to that info about the book's tangent projects found on the fiinal leaves and I wonder if the popularity of this novel is the phenomenon the publisher will have you believe or if this is the best marketed Christian book of the past ten years.

All in all, it is a page turner, it is entertaining, and it is very moving. I laughed, I cried, yet I felt manipulated by the author more than moved by the characters. There is a theological value to the work which makes this a great youth study, women's group book, or even a supplemental text for a high school theology class. It is a good place to start, but it should by no means be the end all of theological instruction or relationship development.

cover photo taken from amazon.com

One more note, as I say I am jaded, this is more to my woe than an insult toward people who really like the book. Still, it is my bias, my jading and my blog.

Blogroll

I don't know what blogs you read. But I want to share a couple with you:

Coffee with John Heartbreak: (from the blog description) Coffee with John Heartbreak is the first draft of a "novel" about life in Berryville, Arkansas. John Heartbreak is a bookseller. He is married to the fabulous Mrs. Heartbreak. Your name may appear in this "novel." You are free to comment about such inclusion and your comments will be incorporated into the text. Chapters are added as often as time and circumstances allow. A print version of Coffee with John Heartbreak will be available Summer 2009.

I enjoy reading John's blog as much as I enjoy reading every book in the store. Go ahead, go back to Chapter One and give John a read. It's a very pleasant diversion, unless perhaps you're from Iowa. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Also check out what he has to say on his blog at the Carroll County News: The Ubiquitous Pig.

When you visit this blog, be sure to check out his comments. They are insightful and hilarious.

Also, be sure to check out the store at Sow's Ear Antiques.

Photo from John Heartbreak profile on Blogger.