the church geek

The following post, as is with all posts on this blog, is solely my own personal opinion and is not meant to be the position of my church. They are also preliminary thoughts.

Well, it has been fascinating to watch the shake-out today across the blogosphere following the actions of the General Assembly last week. Drew offers a post that points to various pro and con posts that have appeared today around the web, and our own denominational leadership offers this pastoral letter to its churches.

What is somewhat surprising is that at least in terms of national media the actions of last week were nowhere near as news-worthy as the ones that happened at the previous General Assembly in Birmingham AL. That year, the national media picked up on the news that the PC(USA) had received a “Trinity Paper” and erroneously reported that the PC(USA) had completely abandoned traditional language for the Trinity. In terms of media attention, there was a lot more damage control to do following that assembly than there will be following this one.

Of course, based on the actions of last week, the denomination is in for another long battle over the standards for ordination surrounding the ordination of GLBT officers (deacons, elders, and ministers) as replacement wording for what is known as ‘amendment b’ has been sent for approval to our local presbyteries. Churches that thought about but did not initiate proceedings to leave following the last GA, will surely be much more serious about doing so this time around, especially since all previous denominational statements about homosexuality were declared moot by this assembly.

Now as to the meat of the argument on the amendment in question, in case you’re not up on these things, our current ‘amendment b’ (G-6.0106b) states:

Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic and confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to life either in fidelity withing the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.

Some have argued that ‘amendment b’ as it currently stands is about much more than homosexuality, that it really is about all ministers holding to a standard of sexual faithfulness. Now, in theory as one reads the amendment that may very well be the case, but in practice it’s simply not true. In my own experience, I was single, dating, engaged, and then married at various stages during my ordination process and no one dared or bothered to ask me about either my fidelity or chastity during any stage of that process. Surely if this was of concern and someone cared enough, they would have asked me?

Anyway, the new proposed ‘amendment b’ states:

Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450) establishes the candidate’s sincere efforts to adhere to these standards.

What I find interesting in this proposed replacement of ‘amendment b,’ which has to be voted in the affirmative by the majority of presbyteries in order to take affect, is that in effect it puts those who argue against it in a rather difficult place. In fact, to do so could very well be interpreted to say that one places a higher value on a certain sexual ethic than on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And that seems to be a place where very few people will really want to be.

ShareThis

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A deeply sorrowful story, with a few slivers of hope. This story is not quite a good as the author’s first book (The Kite Runner), but it is still a richly detailed and compelling work set in war torn Afghanistan.

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Not done yet with it, but the best part of this book is the eye-opening interpretations of scripture, especially key new testament texts. The weakness so far, is that it fails to deal with the issue of violence in the Old Testament, glossing over it on its way to achieve its narrative purpose. Still this is an important, compelling, and ultimately convicting work about who our true Lord really is.


View all my reviews.

ShareThis

Want to know what happened at GA? The GA junkie offers a very good one page analysis here.

ShareThis

Here I offer a few glimpses into my experience at GA:

1.) I’ve mentioned this already, but it bears repeating again. For me one of the great joys of going to GA was meeting up with, as we called them, the “imaginary friends” I only knew by way of the blogosphere. Some of my spare moments at GA were spent in conversation with these folks at the Presbymergent booth, at the Tuesday evening party, during a bloggers dinner, by way of twitter, and in brushes with folks in the hallways of the assembly center.

2.) It was moving to have people extend words of concern, sympathy and support when they discovered that I was a commissioner from East Iowa. Once people found out I was from Cedar Rapids, they inquired as to the state of my home, my church, and our city. Many offered to send resources as well as mission work teams. It was such a blessing to know that the wider church will be there and available to help us in our recovery.

3.) Once I broke the ice speaking at the microphone, a few other opportunities presented themselves for me to speak on the floor of the assembly. One particular moment was when I offered an amendment to a resolution that offered thanks for the Presbyterians and PDA for their work in Katrina, Rita, and Wilma recovery efforts. The approved amendment offered a word of thanks to those whose help was extended, not just through PDA, but though local congregations in hurricane affected areas.

4.) One extremely frustrating moment was on the floor of the assembly when one item of business was tied up in parliamentary procedure and motion after motion for what was close to two hours only to find out that in the end what was being argued was not going to have any significant or practical affect. The argument was merely symbolic, in the end a complete waste of time, and the primary reason our Friday evening session went until 11:30 p.m. In this and many other cases (the debate on ‘amendment b’) it became quite clear that those who know the rubrics of Parliamentary procedure are able to wield power over those who do not and that the stated clerk’s advice can significantly set the course of the assembly’s action.

5.) Turns out that the election of Bruce Reyes-Chow as moderator was a harbinger of things that were to come later in the week for the assembly. The election of the candidate of ‘change’ foreshadowed other significant votes - changing the church’s official stance on homosexuality and sending a replacement “amendment b” to vote in the Presbyteries. Thankfully the second nuclear bomb that would have totally blown apart our denomination by changing the language of marriage in our constitution was not dropped by this assembly.

6.) At the same time there were moves to ‘center’ the church on issues such as developing resources that better reflect the diversity of the churches teaching and opinion on abortion and sex education, on balancing what the denomination has to say about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and the acceptance of a “commissioners resolution” which encourages extending a means for gracious separation to churches who wish to leave the denomination.

7.) There is more to say, but for now, one final highlight was the honoring of Rev. Cliff Kirkpatrick who served our church as its Stated Clerk for the last twelve years; which is longer than I’ve been Presbyterian! During his service to the church, Cliff was often a lighting rod for those pained by the various problems of our church. However, I have only experienced him as a capable, affable, and faithful servant not only of the church but of Jesus Christ.

ShareThis

Well, today I broke the ice and got up and spoke on the floor of General Assembly. I suppose for some that’s not such a big deal, but if anyone knows me well, they know I’m quite an introvert. In fact, I was a TSAD at Richmond a few years ago and didn’t bother to speak on the floor at all; for me its way too intimidating.

I stood up to speak in favor of an amendment to an overture on the dialog between Islam and Christianity that sought to strike the language the assembly was grappling with on what we could or could not say about our different or common understanding of God.

What I hope came across in what I said was that making ‘no statement was a whole lot better than making some sort of inarticulate statement.’ (Which is unfortunately what passed in the final overture.)

The funny thing is that the particular amendment that I spoke for was one that I myself had been preparing to propose in the first place…the dude that spoke before me stole my amendment!

As to speaking at the microphone…not only is it intimidating to stand and speak before thousands of commissioners and observers, when you are 6 feet 5 inches tall, the microphone stand is far too short to make it feel like a comfortable place to speak from! Regardless, I’m glad that’s over…but I’m sure I’ll find another spot to speak again.

ShareThis

This morning, my wife, e-mailed me a letter to the editor that appeared in our local paper. It comes from Susan Sperry or Metairie, LA:

I want to offer some support for what you are going through. It’s your Katrina. But I can assure you that you will rebuild, and you won’t miss your stuff as much as you think. OK, I still miss my shoes, but that’s about it. You can clean and repair more belongings than you think. Support each other and accept help. It’s almost three years since I lost everything, and I’m OK now. It’s a hard road but you all will be OK, too.

As I drove around before I left town late last week, I noticed two guys in a truck with Louisiana license plates (please note that a sighting of a LA plate in Iowa is about a rare as finding an alligator.) I’ve heard stories of churches throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast calling up churches in Cedar Rapids saying, “Y’all helped us out, now what can we do to help you out?”

These notes and gestures of compassion from the Gulf Coast are incredibly moving. As my wife said in response to Susan Sperry’s letter “I’m just floored that someone took the time to reach out to our community and encourage us like this.”

Thank you.

ShareThis

One of the joys of being in San Jose at GA is meeting up with folks I’ve only known virtually.

So far at this Assembly, I’ve met up with Shawn, Steve, Mark, and Brian (Mr. Tribal Church.) It’s been fun to have these virtual friends materialize right before my very eyes.

Another virtual friend, whom I can now add to that list is Bruce Reyes-Chow. Not only did he materialize before my very eyes, my hopes and dreams for him to become moderator also materialized before us last night.

In her usually insightful and thoughtful way, Jan offers some great thoughts on what this perhaps means for our denomination; a ray of hope and perhaps a new day dawning.

Congrats BRC and let us all hope and pray for a new church for a new day.

ShareThis

As promised, here is the Wednesday Roundup. As they say, better late than never.

1.) JK Rowling offers some thoughts on living the good life. Dr Geoff Pound has put together a nice collection of Stories for Speakers and Writers.

2.) Having grown up, I’m no longer a big fan of Garfield, though I sure did love it as a kid. Garfield minus Garfield, however, makes it all the more interesting.

3.) My candidate of choice takes a bit hit on the blog Faith and Theology. I’m not really sure I get the point of the argument, so maybe some astute reader of this blog can go over there then come back and elucidate it for me?

4.) Some thoughts on ministry and people, from the blog with the best name ever “Letters from Kamp Krusty”

5.) Here is your recommended photo of the week.

ShareThis

Wednesday’s Roundup will come tomorrow…I was quite busy this morning straightening up around the house after most of the contents of our basement ended upstairs last Thursday following our little basement flood. Then this afternoon I decided to re-install Windows Vista on my laptop, prior to going to GA. Lori comes home soon after three days away, so the Roundup will just have to wait until tomorrow.

ShareThis

This question is to all you presbyterians out there: What resources have you used in working with your deacons?

ShareThis

It is with great sadness that I write a post in memory of one of “the church geek’s” most faithful readers, Richard Johnston, who died on June 6th from severe head trauma sustained from an accident in his home.

Richard was an elder extraordinare at the church where my wife is a pastor, First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids. I got to know Richard personally when Lori and I asked him to help us sell Lori’s condo and to buy our first home together. I so much appreciated his patience, wisdom, sense of humor, and character as he carefully listened to us and helped us work through all the difficult decisions that come with buying and selling a home.

It was a time of great transition in our lives as I was preparing to settle in to start my first call at Knox Presbyterian Church and as Lori was serving her congregation in the midst of a transition in pastoral leadership. Richard always went beyond the call of duty, spending time with us beyond the business that needed to get done, listening to us, and helping us think through these changes in our life.

Whenever I ran into Richard, he always took the time to ask how things were going in my ministry at Knox and to encourage me in my work as a pastor. He often would comment about a post he had read or a picture I had posted on my blog. I always enjoyed my time and conversations spent with him.

Richard served the Presbytery of East Iowa in many different capacities, most recently as Moderator of the Presbytery. He and I were appointed to be two of East Iowa’s four commissioners to serve at this year’s General Assembly, and so it is with a heavy heart that I prepare to leave for that duty on Friday knowing that Richard will not be there to serve alongside us.

I thank God for the gift that Richard Johnston was to me and to so many others. He will be sorely missed by those who loved and cared for him.

ShareThis

The following was written by my wife, Lori Wunder, and originally posted on her facebook page.

First, thanks to everyone who has asked how my home and church came out in the flood. Here’s an attempt to give everyone the longer version of what happened. And, my fellow Cedar Rapidians can add their own comments/perspectives to the story…

We all knew it had been a wet winter and spring and that the ground was saturated, but I have to admit, I don’t remember worrying that the flood would be this extensive. On Wednesday evening, we had a funeral at the church for a wonderful member who died very suddenly and tragically the week before, so our attention was on that. But then the “500 year flood” talk started and the map began circulating on the internet. First Presbyterian Church is on Fifth St. and Third Ave downtown, so five blocks from the river. On Wednesday, our staff spent time trying to figure out if the mandatory evacuation downtown included us or not, and if we would be able to have the funeral at all. At the same time, our building manager extraordinaire, Eric Stark, was busy moving things onto tables, etc. in our basement and putting sandbags around the doors. The funeral went as planned, although with a lower attendance than we had hoped since roads and bridges throughout the area were already beginning to close.

ShareThis

This week my current hometown, Cedar Rapids, has been affected by the most devastating river flooding in the history of the city. It’s far beyond anything that has ever been seen here and greater than what most imagined would happen. Other communities like Iowa City and Coralville are also currently experiencing flooding beyond anything they’ve experienced before.

One thing I’ve been hearing over and over again, on the radio, on the TV, in the newspaper, and by people just chatting about what has happened is this; “This is our Hurricane Katrina.” While damage is certainly beyond what people here could imagine, I absolutely object to this statement and to this comparison.

Folks, this is NOT our Hurricane Katrina. Why is that? Well, here are at least a couple of reasons:

1.) We have not had less than three days to convince an entire metropolitan area of over a million people that they need to move out of harm’s way before a hurricane passes, followed by a week of search and rescue operations over an entire urban area totally submerged in flood waters.

2.) We have not had a dozen hospitals, scores of nursing homes, a handful of housing projects, or thousands of people who because of a lack of resources and access to public transportation could not leave town before the levees broke.

3.) 90% of our city will not stew in flood waters for several weeks as we wait for the Army Corp of Engineers and others to try to figure out how to dam up breached levees before the water will even begin to recede from the area.

4.) Search and recovery efforts were not severely hampered by rioters and looters nor by others seizing the moment to create a situation of mayhem, nor were there significant political conflicts between city, state, and federal officials that got in the way.

While we are experiencing a disaster that is beyond comprehension to many of us here in Iowa, it is no where near the magnitude nor level of circumstance that makes a comparison to New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina anywhere close to appropriate.

ShareThis

1.) The PC(USA)’s General Assembly is just over a week away. There are many things I’m looking forward to and one of them is the Church Basement Roadshow which happens to be passing through town on the first Friday of GA. Check out a preview of CBR here.

2.) While I wait patiently for my economic stimulus check to arrive in the mail, this post on God’s Politics makes me wonder if there aren’t better things that both the government and I could do with the money.

3.) Jan, as always, has another good post. She looks at the difference between two coffee houses in the exact same location, one successful and the other one not, and asks what the church can learn from this.

4.) A while ago, I asked some questions about doing youth ministry. The internet monk has some great suggestions that I think are spot on.

5.) Today’s photo creatively and humorously depicts the current reality of major river flooding in northern and eastern iowa.

ShareThis

One of the greatest bands from the eighties, Journey, is back with new frontman, Arnel Pineda, from the Philippines. Pineda’s voice is eerily reminiscent of Steve Perry, one of the greatest rock voices ever. Pineda’s story can be found here. (H/T: Smart Pastor.)

ShareThis