Some Locks Are Meant To Be Broken
Just went into the local convenience store and noticed a new addition to the decor, an inch-thick shield of plexiglas between customer and clerk. The lady was attentive and tried to say something, and I did not comprehend. She spoke with a thick accent, but I can usually adapt to such broken English. However, her safety coccoon rendered antiseptic any attempt at communication or human contact. I simply cupped my ear and quizzically smiled. She pointed to the barrier and asked, "You no like?" I replied, "No, but I understand."
The store is less than a half mile from my home and church. We are in a rapidly transitioning neighborhood. Those with upward mobility are moving further into the suburbs. Hispanics and Asians are replacing them. The homes continue to generally look nice, although some may have a dozen or more occupants. More common are graffiti, broken-down cars, and pedestrians walking the streets. In this once quaint community, crime has become a problem. A fearsome tactic of the gangs is the home invasion, in which they simply storm a house in the middle of the night to terrorize and pillage. And, so the corner convenience store is not a safe place to work. A young lady making $8 per hour should not be expected to risk her life. I'm sure the owners feel fortunate to have a capable employee. The plexiglas, antiseptic transaction, and empty feeling all become unfortunate necessities.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to be in another community on Sunday morning at church time. Running out of time, I was driving around looking for a place to worship. I drove by a nice little church where people were filing into the door. They had a chain-link fence with razor wire encircling the property with a sliding gate entering the parking lot. I kept on driving.
I hate barriers.
02.06.08 (11:09 am) [
edit]
posted by:
PerfectJoy (
reply)
post date:
02.06.08 (8:39 am)
I know exactly what you mean. Just the little things can make such a big difference as well. The other day, I walked by an old chapel set upon the newer church grounds. Looking at the windows for the beautiful stained glass, all I could see was the plexiglas that protected it from vandals. It reminded me of the chapel that was on the church grounds that I used to attend. Beautiful stained glass set back in the 1800's and you really could not enjoy the beauty of them from outside. Why people would want to try and destroy them, I do not know. All I know is that once inside, they are beautiful to see. Another reminder of what wonderful things you can find inside.
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
02.06.08 (11:37 am)
I'm surprised you don't require security around your pulpit to protect yourself from your congregation!
posted by:
auntconi (
reply)
post date:
02.06.08 (2:34 pm)
Reply to: bawdy
hehehe, er I mean,
tsk, tsk, tsk ... now please be good you guys!
;)
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
02.06.08 (2:45 pm)
Lousy... Seems like at churches, at least, ought to be left off the Hit List...
posted by:
LadyG (
reply)
post date:
02.06.08 (3:31 pm)
So sad that it has come to this, that churches are not even safe from vandelism.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (7:24 am)
Reply to: PerfectJoy
I know a beautiful stained glass window, a work of art, can be shattered and ruined in an instant. And so I understand the sad need to protect them.
I have a big problem with churches that see the need to fortify themselves in protection from their communities. The church is for the community. It's purpose is to be of ministry and a change-agent of that very community, in New Testament terms the church is to be a shining light upon a hillside. However, for some of our congregations, the church comes to be a fortress locked away from the community. I think this often happens as the community changes, and the church ages but stays the same in make up. The members of the church move away from the community, but continue to drive back for worship on Sundays. They are no longer a part of the community that surrounds the building.
S, a church with gates and fences and security guards makes a statement to the people of the community. "We are threatened by you." "You are not welcome." "We do not love you and do not care about you. Leave us alone." If I were in that community, alone and lost, I would resent such a presense.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (7:26 am)
Reply to: bawdy
Protection from my congregation. I've never been physically injured by a snore or a wandering mind.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (7:27 am)
Reply to: auntconi
No worry about Bawdy. He is one of my favorite heathens.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (7:32 am)
Reply to: surrogate
It is bad for a church building to be the victim of vandalism. However, such is the price to be paid for being located in a community. I think it works against the mission of the church to lock yourself away from the community. A church should be inviting in its statement to others. If the members are intimidated and fearful of their community to the point they put up fences, then I think it is time for them to turn over the responsibility of ministering to that community to someone else. Don't want blacks, Hispanics, and lower-class people in your church? Then move to a nice, white, safe neighborhood and let someone else give it a try.
Show me a church with a security fence around it and a locked gate, and you show me a building that has ceased to truly be a church.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (7:36 am)
Reply to: LadyG
I'm aware that several factors of life can bring a person to have no respect for the property of another, even sacred property. Perhaps your family and immediate community has set such a sorry example. Perhaps drugs and alcohol have clouded judgment. And, perhaps that particular church has made a sorry statement to you and your community- "We are afraid of you and we do not love you; leave us alone, or we will call the police." Give me some neighbors like that, and if they are persistent and loud with their dislike of me, I may be tempted to express to them my dislike of their presense.
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (1:01 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Haha..surely they sit at the edge of their seats, hanging on your every word.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (1:47 pm)
Reply to: kurtmaddox
No problem. Just toss out the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus Christ as God in the Flesh and Saviour of the world, and historic Christianity tried and affirmed through the centuries. Perhaps you could start your own religion? Or, you could continue to label yourself a Christian, but just redefine the word.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (4:29 pm)
"No problem. Just toss out the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus Christ as God in the Flesh and Saviour of the world, and historic Christianity tried and affirmed through the centuries. Perhaps you could start your own religion? Or, you could continue to label yourself a Christian, but just redefine the word."
Pretty sure of yourself there Dave. And, by the way, the term Christian has been defined a dozen different ways over the centuries and all of the definitions have one thing in common: They ignore the fact that Jesus was a Jew. Period.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (7:46 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
It sounds a bit more harsh than I generally like to communicate. And our mutual friend, kurt, perhaps should be treated more kindly. But he's a big guy; he can handle it. What I've written is succinct, and expresses some basics of the Christian faith that cannot be compromised. As to how Christianity should be defined- the words of Jesus and the scriptures give a quite exclusive understanding. All roads do not lead to God. He is the narrow road that leads to life.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (9:05 pm)
"What I've written is succinct, and expresses some basics of the Christian faith that cannot be compromised."
Dave, arbiter of truth.
I ntice that when Kurt writes something that might take real thought and something other than your automatic response, like that incredible comment he wrote in response to you on my blog a couple of weeks aqo, you ignore it. Is it that if something doesn't fit what you "know for sure" it's not worth debating?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.07.08 (9:20 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
Truth is not relative.
As for debating: We've covered this stuff, in detail, and with passion. Still, I was thinking in this particular instance, I'd decide not to just laugh it off or respond with a wise crack, and actually engage with some straightforward honesty. I believe in absolute truth. I believe Jesus Christ is God's ultimate expression. I do not believe all religions are equal. That's pretty straight, I think.
Now, this comment from kurt on your blog: Perhaps I was busy, or perhaps I was on vacation, but for some reason it did not register with me. Sorry. I really should make a better effort to be engaging on other people's blogs. You are very good at it, and so is kurt, and at one time I think I made a better effort to do so.
I endeavored to do so with kurt a couple of months ago, and he informed me that he has decided not to discuss controversial issues on his blog anymore. That hit me pretty hard. I guess maybe I'm still dealing with that when he comes along and seeks to engage me in debate?
posted by:
spook102956 (
reply)
post date:
02.08.08 (9:28 pm)
I can understand your driving on by the church that was all fenced in but I hope you didn't use it as an excuse not to find a place to worship with others. I hope you found another church. I think it's neat to go to church when your on vacation, try another denomination, etc.
posted by:
spook102956 (
reply)
post date:
02.08.08 (9:30 pm)
When I was growing up our small church did not lock it's doors, ever. That was until some kids (I'm sure they were kids) got in and made bicycle tire marks up and down the hallway and scattered popcorn kernals and liquid dish soap all over the kitchen. It was sad when we had to start locking the church.
posted by:
spook102956 (
reply)
post date:
02.08.08 (9:36 pm)
Sorry so talkative. This summer some vandals stole copper wiring off 11 of our new church's air conditioning units--totally ruined the units. There were 12 units on that side of the building, the last one they didn't touch. My husband is landscaping that side of the building and was the first to discover the vandalism. The pastor asked him, "I wonder why they didn't touch the 12th one? My husband replied, "Probably b/c it has a hornet's nest in it." We all had a good laugh at the thought that possibly the hornets scared them off--they didn't touch the units on the other side of the building either. But now our wonderful pastor prays for the vandals during the service.
posted by:
spook102956 (
reply)
post date:
02.08.08 (9:37 pm)
When I was growing up our small church did not lock it's doors, ever. That was until some kids (I'm sure they were kids) got in and made bicycle tire marks up and down the hallway and scattered popcorn kernals and liquid dish soap all over the kitchen. It was sad when we had to start locking the church.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.11.08 (7:20 am)
Reply to: kurtmaddox
kurt,
I'll be the first to admit I do not have all the answers. I am not polished with debate, I have barely a rudimentary knowledge of the original biblical languages. The Bible is a complex aggegate of books written over many centuries by many quite different personalities with varied objectives. It contains all kinds of literature, most not meant to be taken literally. It is amazing in its honesty, reveling its characters with all their weaknesses. I am doing a read through of the Bible, and again am struck with just how much contradiction is allowed to exist in this book. If there were something dishonest or sinister in the intent, I would think redactors and collectors would have carefully edited out the inconsistencies. Yet, they are there, most often without apology.
The Bible gives a progressive story. It tells of God's loving pursuit of sinful humanity, His intent to provide for us the clearest opportunity for salvation. You know that, kurt. He chooses the people of Israel to be a kingdom of priests, in purity and fidelity to share the message with the world. They fail miserably. Ultimately, the Messiah is born of this nation. His story is the highlight, and the thread of the Bible. His death and resurrection provide opportunity for salvation for all mankind. The church takes up the mantle once held by Israel, with the commission to go into all the world. The epistles of the New Testament further refine and define this mission. And, the final chapter is a glorious and mysterious account, in figurative and apocalyptic language, of the culmination of human history.
What a great book! I think its honesty is testimony to its inspiration. And I think, if you could find a way to read it with your heart and not just your head, you would find it to be the Word of God.
I have answers to your questions. They will not satisfy you. A good book of biblical scholarship would probably give more thoughtful reply, perhaps by McDowell or Stott or an old favorite of mine named Frank Stagg.
I conjecture that you have family and friends who have moved past the insistance that the Bible be neat and tidy and make perfect sense. They love Jesus, and find the message of the scriptures to be a great comfort, to be the words of God. These people have something that you begrudgingly admit to be good, even attractive. And, in respect to them, you do not enter into this kind of conversation on your blog. Maybe you should explore more deeply what they have, deep inside? Like I've tried to say, the message of the Bible, and the message of Christ, is not intended so much to hit the head as it is the change the heart.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
02.11.08 (7:25 am)
Reply to: spook102956
I did find another place to worship on that day. However, what would have been wrong with myt aking a day off? I do follow the biblical admonition of Hebrews 10:25, and assemble with believers regularly. Because of my particular connection, sometimes I get a bit irritated with fellow believers. I need to get a way. Solace becomes my way of rejuvenating, re-energizing. Maybe everybody, once in a while, needs to simply skip church? A radical idea coming from a Baptist pastor, I guess.
