An Aid To Memory

Happy New Year’s Eve! I will be hanging out with Jonathan and Jennifer, playing some NTN Trivia, and going to Mass before all of that.

It is also time to change the calendars. It is hard to believe it is that time of the year again. The calendar on the left is my liturgical calendar that has all of the Church seasons, feasts, and fasts. The calendar on the right is a John Sloan calendar. Sloan draws very evocative paintings, paintings that remind me of ideal rural settings. I can almost lose myself in them. It is no surprise my two calendars involve art and liturgy. I am really a romantic at heart, much like Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Happy New Year’s Eve! I hope to get a post up tomorrow about New Year’s Day and the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God.

Over at Titusonenine they are discussing mega-churches and the corporate/secular model of running a church. Rather than make a long comment over there, I thought I would just post here. Jump into the conversation over there if you find it interesting; I do!

I am not much into mega-churches, or churches that imitate that model, that may not happen to be "mega" yet. Supposedly I am an anomaly: a 27 year old who finds seeker-sensitive mega-churches to be boring and lacking meaning.

Let me explain. I do not find mega-churches entertaining. I don’t love the music, and I don’t like sitting through a 45 minute self-help message loosely centered around the Bible. Why? They are imitating secular culture, which I don’t exactly care for. I don’t find our culture that bows toward the will of the lowest-common-denominator (Brittany Spears sells more records than Johnny Cash these days) that entertaining, so I don’t find a model that tries to imitate it entertaining either.  I don’t get "warm-fuzzy" feelings from the services either. I know some folks find mega-churches very meaningful and entertaining, and I am in no way judging them, but they just never worked for me.

My friend Derek has commented over at T19 saying:

More of us young people are coming to liturgy and liturgical language.
We want language with history and integrity too it. I often feel like
the Baby-Boomers sold us out in terms of music and language–seeking to
change and bury what they didn’t like.

He is right. The baby-boomers have sold us a church-model that many young people just can’t understand. After all, many young people are in some sense victims of the same culture the mega-churches imitate. Why would we want our churches to be as vacuous as the culture around us? This is why if you read about recent trends in evangelical thought, the emerging evangelical model is smaller churches with *more* symbols, not fewer, and towards deeper, meditative experiences as opposed to "church as entertainment/church as programming-provider." I have issues with this new "emerging church" too, but it does show that mega-churches don’t appeal to all young people and are actually the product of people who were young in the 70s, and are now middle-aged. Nothing against the Jesus-freaks and recovering Jesus-freaks, but you did give us the mega-church, seeker-friendly model.

All of this is why I sought out the Anglican church and eventually the Catholic Church. A lot of younger people I know don’t like huge churches centered around a long sermon devoid of any symbols and connection to the historical church. Interestingly, the young people commenting over at Titusonenine (Benito, Derek, Stuart) are actually defending a more liturgical church and dislike the corporate model.

Ultimately I think the seeker-friendly model misses the point. If I want a good self-help program, I’ll check out some solid psychology books (some written from a Christian perspective, yes), rather than listen to a sermon by Dr. Phil. If I want good music, I can find some stuff online or over at Napster, not by going to a church that is imitating early 1990s adult contemporary music. As Hank Hill told a trendy pastor who played rock music, "Can’t you see you’re not making Christianity better, you’re just making rock n’ roll worse." I blogged about this Trendy Christianity a few months ago, and that post is relevant to this post. If I want solid-worship, I won’t be attending a seeker-friendly church either. If I want worship that has a history before the 1970s, is full of symbol, and leaves me in awe of God, I will go to a Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, or Anglican service, not a church that looks like a conference center. In other words, if I want the things mega-churches provide, I will go to the original, not the imitation.

Yes mega-churches bring folks in, but is "getting people in" the point? Yes and No. If they stay and are truly committed to Christ, yes that is good. If they come for the programming and stay for the programming, no. Also, if they come and stay and have a heterodox view of Jesus, then I answer "no" again. Jesus didn’t dumb down his message just to get people in. People need to stay for the real gospel message, and the real Jesus, not a warmed-over, Madison Avenue version of the gospel. I don’t recall the Bible speaking of using any of these tactics. I can’t imagine the Jewish temple operating this way, let alone New Testament churches! I attended a contemporary "seeker-friendly" church for about 12 months, and the turnover rate was very high. Yes new people were coming in, but they were replacing people leaving. As you can tell, I was one of these people, since I only stayed for 12 months. The youth pastor once said in the middle of the service, "the worship service is not for us, but for visitors!" He got his wish: the church was always filled with visitors.

To be fair, at least mega-churches are trying to get people to know Jesus. Sometimes I feel like we assume that people will find their own way to Jesus without any effort on our part. As sacramental Christians, we should be ashamed, since we actually believe God works through the physical world, which includes us! While I believe huge churches are unhealthy, I also think tiny ones can be as well. One Episcopal church I attended was in an area that was growing geometrically, and every other church was busting at the seams, yet this parish (in a brand new building) managed to attract maybe 100 people a week at all services combined. So while I think small churches are nice, churches that are so small that they cannot pay their bills must evaluate what they are doing wrong, because nobody likes a closed church.

I still think mega-churches, despite getting the question right (how can we get people to come to know Jesus?), provide the wrong answer, which is embracing secular culture. I think the right answer to solid church growth (i.e. low turnover, highly committed people) is being purposeful about the message of Christ, and standing for something. In other words, we must be welcoming and ready to explain what we believe (and help visitors with the liturgy). When my brother and I first walked into an Episcopal church, and into a Catholic church, we would have been thoroughly lost if not for what we had studied beforehand. A little brochure in the pews, and some materials out front would be helpful. Also, studies show that inviting friends to church is usually why people begin attending a church, and that is easy enough, at least for those who are purposeful about their faith.

Standing against culture when it errs often helps a church grow as well, according to studies. The mainline protestant churches have found this out the hard way, with declining membership. Despite a 30-year decline, at seminary I still heard the claim that "if we just embrace [fill in secular academic trend here], people will flock to our denomination." While demographics play a role in mainline decline, many members have left as the leadership moves farther and farther away from anything recognizably Christian. In the end, nothing works better than Christ.

While these ideas are not exactly fancy, and are easier said than done, I think they are at least faithful to Scripture and Tradition and not American secular or academic culture. There we have it…no fancy programming, no paying people to attend church, no self-help stuff, no embracing every up-and-coming academic trend, just a model of growth that Christians have used for hundreds of years. Oh yeah, it helps to pray!

Vitamin D consumption could dramatically reduce breast, colon, and ovarian cancer rates, according to a  40-year review of scientific literature. At risk of skin cancer and need to avoid the sun? Vitamin D tablets costs about 2 cents each. An ounce of prevention could maybe save us billions in medical costs. Who wouldn’t like that?

Iran suggests OPEC reign in output and oil futures rise a dollar (and gas futures rose 7 cents). Conserving oil, buying cars with better gas mileage, and demanding Congress tell the auto-industry to make cars with better gas mileage are all important steps to take, not because of the arguments of environmentalists, but because of our national security.

Where is a lot of this oil money going to? To nations that promote terrorism and oppress their people. If the neo-conservatives at the White House want to really make a dent in worldwide terrorism, they should start by choking terrorist funding by instituting conservation efforts. If they really want to promote democracy, they would take steps to lower the price of oil, so that anti-democratic regimes wouldn’t have the money to fund the status quo. Of course, this is just common sense, absent sometimes in politics.

Today is the 2nd day of Christmas. I encourage everyone to continue celebrating Christmas at least until Epiphany. This means keeping the tree up, playing Christmas music, looking at/keeping up the lights, and even still giving gifts. It is the best way to beat the post Christmas let down, and to take part in the Church Year. 

I have started a little personal tradition of progressively lighting a votive for each day of the 12 days of Christmas. I have 3 green, 3 red, 3 blue, and 3 white candles. Every day I light a new one with a different intention, while keeping the other ones lit with their intentions remembered.

Image on right: Taken by me on Christmas day

Unless noted ALL photos on this blog are taken by me, and are copyrighted to me (I don’t like to say it, but I have to say it).

Looks like Santa came…He must have come while we were at midnight mass, which was lovely by the way!

Santa left a few presents under a glowing Christmas tree!

Image: Taken by me. I used a tripod and something like a 5 second shutter speed, as well as changing the white balance setting to "Tungsten."

Today the Bountiful impoverished Himself for our sake;

So, rich one, invite the poor to your table.

Today we receive a Gift for which we did not ask;

So let us give alms to those who implore and beg us.

This present Day cast open the heavenly doors to our prayers;

Let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness.

Today the DIVINE BEING took upon Himself the seal of our humanity,

In order for humanity to be decorated by the Seal of DIVINITY.

from Nativity Sermon of St. Isaac the Syrian

I always love the Christmas season, for a variety of reasons. At Christmas time, those who usually scorn tradition embrace it. Those who lampoon old "churchey" music, listen to the classics. Those who want nothing of liturgy or formality yearn for it. Those who only pray extemporaneous prayers avail themselves of classic Christmas Prayers. I know that growing up Christmas had a magic that no other time of the year had, a magic that I wanted all year-long. Then I found the church year! At my first Easter vigil as an Episcopalian, I remember remarking, "it feels like Christmas!"

Also, we Catholics (and Orthodox and Anglicans) can take heart: Christmas is a season! Christmas lasts (in the current Catholic calendar) until January 8th (the Sunday after Epiphany). Traditionally, Christmas celebrations continue until the Epiphany. From Christmas until Epiphany makes 12 Days…thus the 12 Days of Christmas. Technically, Christmas begins on December 25th, despite the fact that for most Americans the feast ends after the afternoon gorging on Christmas Day. I am not putting down those who do not celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, just gently reminding everyone that Christmas need not end on December 25th. So while everybody else is experiencing the post-Christmas blahs, your celebration has just begun. This is especially important for me this year. I have been very busy lately, and am just now settling into the holiday season. I have included a few Christmas photos from my recent family gathering, and a Christmas lights trip. While I know they are secular photos, I still think they capture a little bit of the magic of Christmas.

Finally, this holiday I have discovered some excellent holiday (Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany) tunes including, "I Sing a Song of Bethlehem," "God That Madest Earth and Heaven," "Once in Royal David’s City," and "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella," all from the wonderful CD 50 Most Loved Christmas Carols. I include the lyrics to "I Sing a Song of Bethlehem" below. The tune is "kingsfold" which some may remember is the tune for the song "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say."

O sing a song of Bethlehem, of shepherds watching there,
And of the news that came to them from angels in the air.
The light that shone on Bethlehem fills all the world today;
Of Jesus’ birth and peace on earth the angels sing alway.

O sing a song of Calvary, its glory and dismay,
Of Him who hung upon the tree, and took our sins away.
For He who died on Calvary is risen from the grave,
And Christ, our Lord, by heaven adored, is mighty now to save.

From Cyber Hymnal

Sorry, but my post on the emerging church has disappeared, probably because of a sixapart (typepad) problem. The typepad system was down when I noticed the post was deleted. I will try to get it back up. I just wanted you all to know I didn’t remove it.

Just the other night, some friends and I were discussing the “emerging church” and what it means. Also, Pontifications has written an article on the “Emerging Movement” I found interesting.

The Emerging Church is an evangelical movement that is trying to bring the church into the postmodern era. It is in many ways a reaction against 1970s and 1980s evangelicalism, which accommodated to secular culture so readily. It is marked by less emphasis on reason, more emphasis on actions, and an appreciation for mystery. I used to identify with the movement. I have compiled a few thoughts on the matter. I recognize that the emerging church is a broad movement that cannot be easily pinned down simply by my experiences with it, or those the Pontificator highlights. However, I still want to offer some basic thoughts. I became interested in the emerging church movement while moving out of my evangelical protestant phase. I saw the weaknesses of classical evangelicalism, yet modernist liberalism wasn’t the answer for me either. Both shared similar rationalistic assumptions. The emerging church movement showed me that Christianity need not be hyper-rationalistic and individualistic. I came to this conclusion with the help of the Church Fathers and Catholic and Orthodox writers, but it was nice to see evangelicals getting in on it as well.

I started by reading works by Robert Webber and Brian McLaren, who identify with the emerging church. As an Episcopalian and former classical evangelical, I enjoyed a lot of what I read, mainly because the emerging movement rejects a purely mechanistic way of looking at religion, thus (in theory) rejecting the assumptions behind protestant liberalism and protestant fundamentalism. Plus, emerging folks tend to appreciate catholic worship, and are open to exploring the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In fact a fundamentalist article online calls the emerging movement “dangerous” because it has led so many into the Catholic Church (I am used as an example in the article). The Emerging movement also encourages dialog with other cultures and faiths, something new to evangelicals, but not to Catholics post-Vatican II. So I consider the movement to have many positive feature.

However, I do not identify with the movement any longer and see its many weaknesses. At the end of the day, the “emerging church” movement is just another evangelical fad, even though it is often billed otherwise. It’s “hip” to be emerging in evangelical circles these days, and some emergent types come across as arrogant because they are “in-style.” Yes, the emerging church is a reaction to the evangelical obsession with being “hip” in the 80s and 90s, but their goal is still to be hip and relevant, just in a postmodern way.

The movement (like other evangelical fads) takes a cafeteria approach, and even though emerging folks may like icons and candles (as pictured), and speak highly of tradition and ritual, they still ultimately believe and do what they feel like, submitting solely to their personal magisteria, making them eerily similar to the mainline modernists they disdain. Plus, the fascination with things Catholic is trendy now, but when it is not cool anymore, will it be discarded? I suspect that in 5-10 years emerging worship will look as outdated as any other evangelical fad, as a future generation of evangelicals pokes fun at the hokey “emergent church” of the turn of the 21st century.

My real “break” with identifying with the movement came when I read two of the newer books by McLaren and Webber. Webber essentially says that having the main worship service on Wednesday (to accommodate those who can’t get up on Sunday) is just fine, despite apostolic tradition saying otherwise (not to mention losing the resurrection day connection). He encourages a cafeteria approach to worship and theology, suggesting that infant baptism may not be a good postmodern practice (although some churches may still choose to baptize infants, if it is in their tradition to do so). While Webber tries to be Catholic to some degree, McLaren makes no such claims. In his book The Story We Find Ourselves in: The Further Adventures of a New Kind of Christian, one of the characters gets rebaptized after being baptized as an infant, because she wasn’t conscious of her first baptism. After reading these suggestions (not to mention other troubling things in these books), I knew that the emerging church may have a fascination with old forms, but the substance is still “believe-what-you-want” evangelical protestantism. Emergent Christians are fully willing to embrace secular postmodern thought just as the earlier evangelical generation so readily embraced modernist secular thought. Being cool and relevant still trumps 2,000 years of tradition.

I will grant that many in the movement truly are evangelicals moving closer to the Catholic faith (and away from 19th century fundamentalism and hyper-rationalism), and the emerging movement is the way they are getting there. So in that way I am glad that the emerging authors have helped others and me toward the Catholic Church. Also, I think the movement is showing evangelicals that tradition, rituals, mystery, and dialog are beneficial things. The real problem is that the emerging movement is in the evangelical protestant tradition, and therefore things like mystery, ritual, and tradition are reduced to fads (and optional fads at that). Yes it is good that evangelicals have moved beyond the fundamentalism of the early 20th century and the sappy accommodation to culture of the late 20th century, but replacing two protestant movements with another movement kind of misses the point, no matter how close the new movement is to the Catholic Tradition.

The point of emerging is to eventually become emerged. Being emerging for too long is like being stuck in the birth canal when you can just leave and enter the real world. In the end, better to be emerged than emerging.

Now is the time to try Firefox if you haven’t already done so. It is the fastest, most-secure web-browser out there. I have used it for a year and rarely use Explorer anymore now that Firefox comes with the Google Toolbar.

The link below includes the Google Toolbar, which is *not* spyware. It is a helpful tool. I have it on both browsers that I use. It allows you to search from the toolbar, translate words into different languages with a mere mouseover, and gives a "page-rank" for each page you visit, which allows you to determine the page’s popularity. This feature is extremely useful for those who run webpages or blogs. Click below to get Firefox now!

The Christmas season wouldn’t be complete without tacky holiday decorations. I kind of like tacky things, but at Christmas time, not only do I like them, but I expect them. Here is the dollar store decoration now hanging on my wall above the television. Enjoy!

I may (as I come across them at home and in other people’s homes/yards) add a few more to the tacky Christmas collection. I took the photo on a higher ISO setting to make it look even older and tackier.