Having been in full-time pastoral ministry close to three decades (and all at the same church!), I've definitely seen my share of trends, fads, and movements sweep through pockets of our church. At first, you would think that these "upswellings" would be impossible to predict. But in retrospect, we should have seen quite a few of them coming from a long way off. For example, the small groups movement that arose in the Seventies seemed to be a reaction or correction to the impersonal, institutional nature of the mainline churches from the previous decade or so. And the charismatic renewal that spread like wildfire in the late Seventies, followed predictably by the prophetic phenomenon in the early Eighties, were perhaps corrections to an overly knowledge-based and experience-lite emphasis in many congregations. The re-emergence of social activism in the late Nineties till today arose in reaction to the predictable movement from the inner life to spiritual narcissism. Even the current exploration of the ancients' writings and spiritual disciplines today is no doubt an attempt to re-balance the focus on doing with being.
EvergreenLA has been around nearly 80 years and has witnessed or at least felt the effect of most of the trends, fads, and movements that have transpired. Like an ancient Sequoia, this church has witnessed the coming and going not only of thousands of people over the years, but of a plethora of activities. During the turbulent Sixties, EvergreenLA preached against racism, war, and injustice. During the Seventies, it struggled to find the balance with the small groups movement. The frustrated pastor, who wanted to see a radical commitment to small group life, left with some young idealists and eventually formed a radical Asian American Christian community that, in its heyday, produced the seminal worship songs that Asian American churches embraced in the late Seventies and throughout the Eighties. But in the end, he became overly controlling and it became a dangerous cult.
The Eighties also ignited a small but fervent group of those who began to speak in 'tongues' and to anoint the sick with oil and pray for miraculous healings. Pastor John Wimber (The Vineyard Christian Fellowship) was teaching an evening class at Fuller Seminary called "Signs and Wonders" and numerous EvergreenLA young adults flocked to it, whether registered or not, in order not to miss experiencing the weekly miracles that seemed to be in abundance there. Some went even further, becoming adherents of the radical Kansas City prophets stream, straining to catch what fresh revelation that the Spirit of God was apparently making known. Others from EBCLA went in a different direction, getting trained by the Vineyard's Living Waters program in deliverance ministries. Freedom from demonic oppression, sexual brokenness, and other typically top secret sins was all the rage in that sector. There was even a sliver of 'generational healing of curses' that also occurred at that time.
In the late Nineties till now, there have been two prominent movements in evidence here at EvergreenLA. The first is the desire to cultivate greater intimacy with God and thus a deeper spirituality. Some began to experiment with ancient spiritual disciplines that heretofore seemed off limits because they had Roman Catholic roots. Now however, Baptists were hooking up with Catholic spiritual directors, retreating to their monasteries, reciting their liturgies in dim, candle-lit rooms. The second is the compulsion to look for Jesus in the eyes of the down and out, to follow Jesus into battle against unjust systems and apathetic saints.
Yes, this old church has seen all of that. And she has also witnessed one sad but consistent thing that all of these diverse movements have had in common. Can you hazard a guess?
Whatever some of the people got extremely into and excited about, they all eventually began to judge everyone else who didn't share their interest or passion. If you weren't into what I was so into, then you must not be as right with God as I am. Or as the people who share my pursuit. Over and over again, regardless of what it was, I have seen subcultures within our church begin to criticize those who (a) didn't speak in tongues, (b) didn't march in the streets with them, (c) didn't study the Bible with their method, (d) weren't regulars at the healing prayer sessions, (e) refused to join an intimate-sharing small group, (f) didn't have a prayer journal or embrace times of silence and solitude, or (g) weren't taking on evil, injustice or poverty. I think you catch my drift.
My prayer is that, however the Spirit chooses to move and whomever the Spirit chooses to move among, we would all display the fruit of that Spirit's transformative ministry within and among us. Because no matter how much any of us might like to claim that whatever we're into is something God is doing, God's Spirit doesn't inspire envy, anger, or dissension. God's Spirit will NEVER divide the Body of Christ. That's the 'fruit' of fallible, sinful human beings. When the Spirit of God is truly at work, there is amazing unity amidst mind-boggling diversity. And the fruit of the Spirit's true work is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and self-control. When the Spirit is allowed to bring forth that fruit from all of us and each of us, there can only be a supernatural unity, even though there are many different passions at work in the church.
These many, many years at EvergreenLA, I've learned to judge a tree strictly by its fruit.
Comments (25)
I am with you, good post pK. Interestingly I have also been in my career/industry over three decades and have seen its share of fads and trends, what's hot and what's not. I do what I do well, decades of sales reports and P&L statements have confirmed that for me, but my products are tangible while yours are not. Yours is definitely a tougher business. With so many today seeing dire straits; hope, faith and charity may be the only products remaining for them to hold onto, amen?
I had been of the view that if someone didn't participate in certain activities of the church, they were missing out, but you rightly pointed out that each person's experience is different, so I can't be too overly concerned about anybody's experience other than myself. of course, I could share the benefits that I've received from my involvement in some ministry, hoping that it would bless them in some way, but I can't tell them how they'd benefit had they been involved as well
Welcome back PK. I've noticed you've used the analogy of the tree quite a bit this year. Good point.
people will be people... it's not reserved for Manny...
amen
I've seen churches focus on a state-of-the-art worship experience, only to lose focus on Biblical truth.
I've seen churches focus on back-to-basics Biblical teaching, only to lose focus on the "experience".
I've seen churches focus on small groups, only to lose focus on the rest of the world.
I've seen churches focus on social justice and missions, only to lose focus on the community within its four walls.
To me it's like trying to sleep with a blanket that's not as big as your body - you keep pulling it to cover one part of the body that is exposed to the cold, and you end up exposing another. No matter how good and how blessed by God, a church will always be missing something, and as soon as you try to focus on it, there's some other need that will go unnoticed or unaddressed for a time.
Not saying we should just accept that as it is, but it's a common problem.
@murlough23 - I love your analogy of the too-small blanket. We might be talking about two slightly different but clearly related aspects though. I'm trying to say that we need to steer clear of the tendency to judge others by what we're into. But your point is well-taken.
@sedaqah - Yeah, I think I was just doing mental word association based on what your post was about. We were also discussing a similar topic in our Sedaqah Group last night, which is what got me thinking along those lines. Church A that judges Chuch B based on what "trend" that other church isn't following probably doesn't realize that Church B likely has a strength that Church A is lacking. It may work this way for individuals, too.
amazing post. thanks!
Glad for your posting Pastor K, I was around in the 90s with the vineyard movement and music, again your wisdom comes through about how a house of God can't be divided against itself. We really need to take the plank out of our own eye before we judge others and remember that God calls each of us differently depending upon our gifts and your message here justifies this call and reminds me to stay focused on Jesus and no one else, but remember that we must encourage and not cut/judge one another in our church to do the will of God for each.
Rock on with your messages, wish you can come by Hope for another guest sermon.
@Souled_Out@revelife - Now which Hope was that? And who are you again? You've got me scratching my head on both counts! Don't make me draw blood!!!
thanks for a wonderful post. I completely agree. I think many churches have been guilty of this, and so have many people.. we all want the best for the people around us, we think that there are certain ways to experience Christ and if we do not see people getting involved then we just begin assuming. If we all bear fruit, that is what matters.
@sedaqah - I attend Hope Christian Fellowship on SG blvd. on your way home if you drive up on SG blvd.
I don't think you know me personally, but I did use to attend sunday night services when your church had them long long ago when I was back in college at CSULB. But my name is Steve.
Again, good to see you back. Hope all is well.
@Souled_Out@revelife - Of course! Pastor Jeff's your pastor. Hope to run into you someday soon.
I really agree with the spirit of what you're saying in this post. At the same time, I feel like I've felt more and more the difficulty, if not impossibility, of this kind of unity. I've been wrestling with what happens when what you're "into" becomes more than a fad or trend and is formed into a full on commitment to a way of living and being that feels like it's in direct conflict with other people's understandings of Christianity. What happens when a person or group of people experiences such a theological paradigm shift that it's hard to say with intellectual honesty that they're part of the same body (I say this as someone who's experienced many paradigm shifts over the years)?
I suppose this is where a person says that the unity of the Body of Christ is an idea that requires a leap of faith...I think I just see more and more what a big leap that is. When two groups mutually exclude each other from their notion of the "true church," at what point is it wishful thinking to say they're part of the same spiritual family?
Great post! You provide a spot on description of the move of the Spirit at EBCLA and in the Body of Christ as a whole. From the time I became a Christian, I was motivated by a desire for an authentic experience with God that took my faith out of my head to a place where I can see lives transformed. Having been a part of some of the movements you have described, both at EBCLA and other places, I have hurt a lot of people by words and actions motivated by a legitimate desire. A lot has happened since then. I have integrated some of the things I experienced in these various movements and I approach new movements with a combination of openness tempered with a critical eye that factors in such qualities as humility and wisdom. I found that much of that authentic experience I have desired has come from come from my need to seek forgiveness from those I have hurt with my good intentions.
So when and how are we to judge? (a genuine and heartfelt query rather than rhetorical posturing)
@Blooki - Ok, good question. I honestly don't know how to answer that without sounding like I've got the exact right answer to your question. What I shoot for is to look for the kind of fruit that's coming forth. Bad fruit = bad tree. Good fruit = good tree.
I'm glad you pointed this out PK. It's often too easy to look down upon other churches/ministries/Christians who don't 'get' the whole social justice aspect of things. It's definitely a toxic perspective that has no right to be paired with God's ministry.
I do realize that everyone isn't called to do everything, but it's frustrating when people choose not to explore the various aspects of Christianity, and settle with whatever is convenient for them.
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." -- Matt 7:18
When we're too fixated on producing fruit, the tree begins to rot... unnoticed.
@sedaqah - OK, perhaps we're assigning the word 'judge' to different contexts here. What I'm concerned about is when we may err on the side of being too much of a peacemaker or tolerant (assuming that's even possible).
To take a concrete example, two good friends of mine now married were living together prior to tying the knot. I never broached the topic because I had little doubt that they weren't going to get married, I believed that the primary reason premarital sex and cohabitation are to be avoided is so you do not become too intimate and joined with a man/woman who may not become your spouse in a covenantal union and I just plain wasn't bold enough. They both confided in me recently that they wished that I had spoken up and found it troubling that I was so lax about the issue. Granted, hindsight illustrates for us after the fact that this instance probably the best case scenario for judgment/rebuke/correction to occur, but we all know that the average case scenario is never so easy.
I know such an example is very tangential to the main issues you've shared about, but I still find them related in that all Christians (I would hope) know that they have room to grow and parts of themselves that aren't bearing fruit (even when you account that we are all individually made and called to be different parts of the body of Christ). Your suggested rule of thumb is great, but what do we do with trees that have good and bad fruit? How and when do we know to prune one another? God's love contains perfect wrath as well as perfect mercy. Exactly what did Paul mean when he said that we are to judge the world and even angels (1 Cor 6)? These are the questions I struggle with as I, on the one hand, wish that we could all recapture the original glory that we were made for while, on the other hand, know how prone my heart is to slip into self-righteousness and dividing the world into those who are right and those who are wrong.
@sedaqah - BTW, my favorite part of your entry was, "When the Spirit of God is truly at work, there is amazing unity amidst mind-boggling diversity." Unfortunately, I think most of us haven't come across something that has boggled us nearly enough.
Good post PK. I start to feel that your teaching and thoughts soften my prideful heart. I still have a lot of questions about which one is the right way but it is pointless. I always remind myself of the 4 gospel as the big picture of Christianity.
Hello Ken,
You made your site simple yet elegant. I see that you have a strong desire to serve God. Now is a good time! I recommend the one true God, Jehovah. He has an important message for all of us: 21 YOU cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; YOU cannot be partaking of "the table of Jehovah" and the table of demons. (1Corinthians 10:21) (NWT)