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Date: 02/25/2006Views: 73
I’m busy writing a newsletter on the deeper significance of things than we normally realize, and came across this quiz entitled “nothing is what it seems!” follow this link and then “play the html quiz.” If you take the quiz and tell me how you do, I’ll tell you my score 
have you ever noticed how there are some people that seem to understand things, maybe even know what to do in most cases and there are OTHER people who just seem to “do it” and don’t really seem to have an understanding or plan for what they are doing?
case in point: a theology of a transformational gospel.
western/northern people understand this gospel. they have well thought-through theologies of a holistic gospel, one that is more that just “heaven after you die.” (of course, there are many who don’t embrace this as well). they have thought about oppression, and their churches/denominations may even have powerful statements or programs to this effect.
southern churches don’t always think it through. in fact, they often have pretty crummy theologies when it comes to things like this (the extreme popularity of the “health and wealth gospel” here bears this out). BUT, they actually deal with it, on a daily basis. a transformational gospel isn’t a matter of theory. it’s a matter of necessity. nice sounding theologies don’t feed people.
i propose that we learn from one another!
revolutionary, i know. of course, we all know what the 2/3 world church can learn from their experienced/wise neighbors to the north - they’ve got everything figured out ;) but - and i tread on thin ice here - is it possible that the west/north could actually learn something from the south??? is it possible to put aside everything the big powerful people “know” to actually learn from people who don’t seem to know much?
i have this feeling God smiles a lot on the “foolish of this world.” because God likes those who “do” - who may not have everything figured out, but listen to God’s voice and respond in obedience. Those who love God and neighbor, who care for widows and orphans, who make disciples.
Plans, strategies, theologies, and books are nice. and those in the south can certainly benefit from some of these resources. but i would encourage those of you in the north/west to learn something from those who are getting their hands dirty with the business of the gospel on a daily basis. The best teachers aren’t those who have everything figured out, they are the ones who are learning and invite others to join them in the process.
may we all learn from one another this way.
In engaging and learning from other cultures, one factor that we have learned to be on the lookout for is misattribution. This is when we interpret the behaviors of others (particularly other cultures) according to OUR values.
Example: at the Amahoro Conference in Uganda, some of the western delegates felt that their east African counterparts were often asking them (sometimes subtly) for money. Whenever they shared their stories, there always came the part about their needs. To the westerners, this was a turnoff and frequently left them with negative feelings about the whole encounter (even though they had truly enjoyed the rest of the conversation). My NieuCommunities Teammate Luc pointed out that in these other cultures, mentioning money and your need is NOT inappropriate. They are so much more holistic, and your money situation is as much a part of you as your family, where you live, what you do, etc. The westerners were misattributing - interpreting the behaviors of the east Africans based on western cultural norms. In this case, they therefore misunderstood the interaction.
While this most often occurs cross-culturally, it happens with our “own people” as well. Why? Because we each have PERSONAL values too. So, we use these as lenses to judge the actions of others. This came up earlier this year in our community. Though there are many Americans (same culture more or less), we each have our own perspectives and decisions regarding how we spend our time. We ran into a little friction when people started expecting others to use time according to THEIR values. Ex: “you are wasting time watching tv.” Well, maybe you have decided that you have 3 hours free per day and you don’t want to use any on tv. BUT maybe I have 6 free hours, so watching tv for 1 is ok? Or, you spend your free hour reading, I spend my free hour watching tv. Don’t hold me to what you have decided for you, because I have a different value for my time. It was a good reminder that we need to understand the values that shape and drive the behaviors of others.
So, when you find yourself judging someone for what they do (or don’t do) or how they do something, ask WHY? Are they just doing it differently than me? If so, you have an opportunity to learn why they do what they do. What do they value or believe in that leads to that behavior. I think if you do, you will find yourself understanding people a lot better, and probably yourself at the same time.
especially the look on the person’s face…
(click on image to see it bigger)
You so often hear that Jesus came to die. Well, maybe it’s more accurate to say he came to live! I LOVE this from Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy (p. 35):
Jesus came among us to show and teach the life for which we were made.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Our lives are supposed to look like his. He lived the life we are created to live. How amazing it would be to live so intimately with God, so sensitive to God’s Spirit.
Why can’t we live like that?
get your attention with that one?
ok, you may go to heaven after you die. BUT, it also exists NOW. It’s the spiritual realm in which God lives. Do a word search of heaven and heavens in the Bible, and see how often it is talking about the future and how often it is talking about the present.
“Your Kingdom Come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” does not mean that we are asking for the end times, for all life to end. It means we are begging God to make things on earth like they already are in the heavens. In the heavens, things are as they should be. We see glimpses here and there.
Implications? For one thing, going to heaven after you die isn’t the goal in life. Knowing God now, and developing the relationship you will have with God forever comes closer. And, it’s not a place made for humans to get their reward for a good life. It’s the place where God lives and we will live with God. It’s about GOD, not us!!!
I mean, besides all the angels playing harps imagery, what do we really know about heaven anyway? Mostly that it is being in God’s presence. Isn’t that partially attainable now, since Jesus made the way and God’s Spirit lives with us?
Let’s talk about heaven for now, not later.
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