Jeremiah 6:16
This is what the LORD says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths, "Which is the way to what is good?" Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, "We won't!"
I am convinced that September 12, 2001 was a defining moment in American history. It was one day after 911 when every American, including church leaders and churches, were shocked by the tragic events that took place at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the downing of Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA. It was not the first time that planes had been weaponized to shift the hearts of people across this nation. In both incidents, the Japanese use of kamikaze planes at Pearl Harbor and the Islamic Jihadist use of commercial airlines on 911, started America down the track of redefining its identity. The three main questions are: Who are we as a people? What is our national purpose? What kind of people do we want to be?
On September 12, 2001 the number one book, “Purpose Driven Life,” by Pastor Rick Warren, of Lake Forest, California, became an instant best seller. Why? Because, like Pearl Harbor, American’s didn’t understand why others didn’t like us. Every American in the last 17 years has been engaged in the struggle of redefining “Who” we are as a people. The American church has been engaged in this same “struggle of identity.” Whether we are traditional, contemporary, post-modern, relevant, purpose driven, missional, large versus small, home group based or institutional based, denominational, non-denominational, movement oriented, and a myriad of other conversations have all centered on the same questions: “Who are we as a people? What is our purpose? What kind of people do we want to be?” During these last two decades, we have engaged in this national debate and have found ourselves all struggling with our perspectives on history, politics, ecclesiology. mission, politics, cultural engagement, improving language, clarifying definitions concerning what liberty and equal justice are and from whose perspective. And additionally, what it means to be human has been a very important conversation to have. Though it is important to note, collectively none of us have been able to forge a new path forward. Everyone from the least of us to the most celebrated among us are divided, play the blame game, demand that our perspective be validated or try to retreat behind our screensavers or stained- glass windows.
In the supposed spirit-directed perspective, people are grasping for a prophecy, a scripture, a leader, or even an anti-christ figure to help them make sense of what’s going on and how to plan a life that offers a hope and a future - whether it’s a “better life on earth or let’s get out of this mess and get to Heaven” - point of view.
Our inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes have led all of us to believe that our nation, our cities, our institutions, and our culture are in trouble. However, reshaping and redefining, both personal and corporate transformation, has always been a part of the Gospel; for example, becoming a new creation through Christ is the Gospel (See II Cor. 5:17). Events like the tragedy in New York, DC and in PA. could be viewed as God trying to call us to repentance (for what we’ve done as a nation) like He did to ancient Israel before it was carried off by the Assyrians or the Babylonians. God’s purpose in giving us the scripture was to assist us in praying, listening, discerning and engaging ourselves into making “all things new”. In my humble opinion, it’s all about changing mindsets (See Rom. 12:1-2). Our conversations should move beyond “moving church furniture around, or whether we have a good lighting director or develop a worship team that can reach Billboard or the Grammys”. Our focus should move beyond issues of power, authority, or how we can restructure our church culture.
Our focus should return to “What does it mean to be a follower of Christ versus what makes a great leader?” Let me be clear, no facet of a nation or it’s institutions can preserve or protect themselves from a culture that is engaged in an “identity crisis” or settle for them the question: “What is the meaning of life?” Every church, regardless of its ecclesiology, theology, eschatology, affiliation, structure, use of technology, or distribution of power needs to wake up and become engaged in the conversation. Just know, short term, quick fix notions will not work. Just be aware that this defining moment will require bold choices from all of us.
From my own personal observation, historic American values are re-emerging. We are a nation which is based on the idea of “We the people” which means each of us have the responsibility and authority for both our own and collective destiny. The point of the American Revolution, in the eyes of the Founding Fathers, was to create a new nation whereby the people had the power. They simultaneously feared both too much democracy, and too much autocracy. Therefore, they created a Republic with written protections. So as our conversations proceed forward, notions of what it means to be a Democratic-Republic without a monarch, a politician, a pope, or a hireling minister that attempts to be “The Voice” over the “collective voice” of the people will be revisited and challenge those who grasp for power. "We the people is an age old historic American value that will re-emerge again and again and always challenge our institutional thinking as we try to "perfect" a more perfect union.
From my own personal observation, historic American values are re-emerging. We need to remember, our National Constitution was written by disruptors of the institutional status quo in their day. It also is a document that was designed to keep this revolutionary movement going. Even though it was written in a time of dehumanization and slavery many of the founder's wanted to ensure "equal justice for all" as a disruption to “white privilege” which has the been the subject of much the civil rights debate. This is why the Native American and African American current perspective has become a prophetic voice in the conversation of what does "we the people" mean and ask why our institutions of power are used to preserve "white privilege." If these kinds of conversations make you uncomfortable just put on your seat-belt, it’s only beginning and has nothing to do with the church’s OWN self-improvement courses! A friend of mine related to me that in 1995, God told her that He was going to dismantle the Church as we know it now and rebuild it according to His original plan. The anticipated glorious “revival” will not come until that happens. God is not going to bring a revival to our nation to just revitalize the same old structures that have gotten us into this mess. Any student of revival knows that revival is not about doing “business as usual.”
There is a reason God is asking us to look at the old ancient paths. I Cor. 10:11 says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” We need to look at all sides of history - not just the one we like. All of ancient Israel’s history was an example of what not to do. Even though, Israel heard and read Isaiah 43:18-19 “Behold I will do a new thing” they left out the part of “remember not the former things or consider the things of old.” The proper perspective on this text is simple. Someone once said, “He who wins the war gets to tell the story.” The Old Testament is a story of one tribe’s perspective. The tribe of Judah’s perspective. Phrases like “Judaism” or “Jews” represent the tribe of Judah. They are not representative of the entire nation of Israel’s perspective. The Old Testament is the perspective of “Second Temple Judaism”. Jesus’ whole entire life, work and ministry challenged this perspective and resulted in the institutions’ rejection of His perspectives. His perspective challenged their national beliefs and value systems. He was truly an institutional disruptor. His personal mission was to “the lost sheep of the House of Israel and to leave the (99) and go get the (1) lost sheep” which redefined “who, “what” and the “why” of their corporate understanding as a nation.
When The Apostle Paul penned I Cor. 10:11, he was exhorting people to challenge what it means to be the people of God and “Who we are individually and collectively.” What kind of people do we want to be? Despite all the Christian claims of our American narrative, our national history is a story that has dehumanized and marginalized the Native American and African American people. All of us do not share a common story. The American Church has been complicit in “institutionalizing” racism. You can make all the appeals to Heaven you want to - God is not listening and has kept His mute button on because we, like addicts, are living in denial. America nor it’s people are our nation’s problem. Religious addiction and giving our responsibility and authority to people who want power over us is the problem (See Exodus 20:19; Matt 20:25-26; I John 2:26-27). We don't need unaccountable leadership in our government or in the church. Are you listening? Currently, God is engaged in deconstructing our histories, our theology, understanding of scripture, structures, definitions of ministry, politics, powers and institutions. Like Ancient Israel we can rearrange how we do our sacrifices, in and out of tents, building and holy places, focus on centralization or decentralization, change the role of the priest and redefine who is accepted or not embraced in community. However, nothing will change until we understand that God has left the building (see Acts 17:24–25; 1 Cor. 3:16–17; 6:15-20). Just saying!
Recently, a Native American friend of mine, Mark Charles, summarized what I find an accurate summary of what God is speaking to the Church today. He recently tweeted…
“If I'm reading my Bible correctly, the gospel tends to be:
Good news to the poor,
Disruptive to the status quo,
Offensive to the rich,
And terrifying to those in power.”
Good news to the poor,
Disruptive to the status quo,
Offensive to the rich,
And terrifying to those in power.”
Here’s a few scriptures we should consider in our ongoing conversations:
Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Jeremiah 23:1-2
You leaders of my people are like shepherds that kill and scatter the sheep. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD
Ezekiel 34:2
"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock .You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. "'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
John 10:11
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
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