Review: Keep Christianity Weird

I was standing at Koorong (bookshop) with a handful of books and saw this near the counter. I'd recently read an article by Michael Frost that I liked, so I thought I'd grab the book while I was there. I'm glad I did, but I'm not sure I would have mattered much if I hadn't.

His underlying thesis is a solid one. Christianity has become so mainstream now that we don't stand out anymore. And even though our society might be taking a dim view of Christianity, we still seem much the same as the rest of the world around us. So, let's keep Christianity weird. I like his thinking, and I like his warning

I don't want it to be misconstrued as a call for the church to be zany or wacky. I think our world is tiring of stupid stunts and religious mania. And Christians have been more than willing to look like maniacs. p150

The examples that he lists here are ridiculous and, if I'm honest, a little disturbing. So it's not that type of weirdness that he is promoting. What he is promoting is this -

First, we're weird because our identity is found in God, not our own egos. Second, we're weird because, in following Christ, we embrace an entirely unconventional ethic at odds with the values of this world. And third, we're weird because we believe some crazy supernatural stuff. p154

But this is near the end of the book. There's a bit to get through before we end up here.

The opening chapter, "Here's to the crazy ones" was a great encouragement. Here I am reminded that some of those who have had the greatest impact are those who were just a bit out of the ordinary, the square pegs who don't fit in the round hole, but who do the job anyway. These are the stories that encourage me to be a bit weird.

In chapter three we read about Jesus and some of the weird things he did. This isn't a list of miracles, but rather some of the things he did that were counter-cultural. Chapter four lists some examples from church history that highlights some seemingly weird things Christians have done, while chapter five shows what may have helped to kill the weird. Then in chapter six we are encouraged to see things in a different light.

In a world where beating up your enemies or pushing and shoving those who get in your way is normal and acceptable, praying earnestly for the defenseless is weird. In a world where you only ever speak up for yourself or your own rights, giving voice to the voiceless is strange. In a world of busyness, hustle, bustle, and social media, kneeling in a circle with brothers and sisters and focusing a whole day on worship and prayer and reflection is utterly bizarre. p138

Was it worth reading the book? Absolutely. But it's strength might also be its weakness. You see, I think that those Christians who have a deep interest in social justice will read this and be greatly affirmed in what they think. That's not a bad thing, but I don't know that this will challenge them to think deeper about where salvation can only be found. On the other hand, those who have a deep commitment to theology and doctrine will probably only see this as another call to live better rather than anything about serving and trusting Jesus. (Which is a shame, because they are probably the people who most need to read this book.)

Is it possible that we could be interested in both? "When in doubt, follow Jesus." 149

At 170 pages, it's not a long book to read, and Frost has written in a style that makes it easy to keep reading. In that he has done well. You certainly won't lose anything by reading it, and some of your thinking might well be challenged. So get it, read it, and learn from it.

If you're in Australia, you can probably skip chapter two. It's interesting, but too specific to USA.

Praying or Preying? What will you be remembered for?

My title comes from reading an article in the Houston Chronicle titled "Preying on Teens". It is subtitled, "More than 100 southern Baptist youth pastors convicted or charged in sex crimes."

In the article, I was introduced to Chad who was hired and ordained to be a youth pastor. Chad had a good message for his youth group about abstinence, but he also preyed on some of the girls under his leadership which made abstinence impossible. Not surprisingly, Chad was fired by the church - though perhaps not for this.

What is surprising is that these church leaders who fired Chad didn't say anything to the next church who hired Chad to be their youth leader. You'll never guess what happened next.

Actually, you probably will.

I encourage you to read the article. It can be a little confronting, but such is the reality of our world.

Read it and learn two things.

This is why screening is important. 

When someone wants to be a leader with PYV (Presbyterian Youth Victoria) we ask them for some referees that we can talk to, and we ask which church they previously belonged to. In talking to referees we are able to learn about the character of the person who is applying for a leadership role. This is important. I might only know this person as an acquaintance. Maybe we've met at a camp or two and I have an impression that they are interested, and growing in godliness.

When I call their pastor, or youth worker, or an AFES leader, I get to talk to someone who works with them much more consistently. If those people have some concerns, then they will carry more weight than my initial impression. And that is as it should be.

We ask about a previous church so we can call someone from that church to determine if there were any circumstances that are important for us to be aware of. In Chad's case, if the second church had called the first church, and the first church had been honest, at least one girl would not have been abused. And if we can protect that one girl, we will.

In Victoria, we are required to have a screening program in place for anyone involved in ministry to youth or children. We will take that seriously.

What not to do if you're attracted to someone in your youth group?

I'd like to think that any youth leader would know how to answer this, but apparently not. And we can't say, "Well, they're just immature adults in a sexualised society" as though that makes it all ok. This article refers to Chad, who was 30 when he was doing this, and Gary, who was nearly 40 when he started cultivating his victim. She was 13.

There are reasons we tell youth leaders not to have one to one phone or messenger conversations with teenagers. There are reasons we tell youth leaders not to be alone in a room with a teenager.

Ensure your relationship to each of the young people under your leadership is above board.

You will destroy your reputation, the lives of the people involved, their families, and possibly the church community if you mess this up.

We are in a time now where such sins will not be covered up, where church leaders cannot cover it up without facing significant consequences themselves, and this is absolutely as it should be. May we never return to times when such cover-ups happened.


Another thing to note:

Are teenagers safe to disclose abuse in your church?

Do teenagers in your church community know that they can talk to someone if they are asked to do something they're not comfortable with? Or if they think their leaders are acting in ways they shouldn't?

You will probably say to me, "Of course. We always let them know they can talk to us if they have any concerns."

That's great. But I'd challenge you to be specific. Talk about sexting. Use the right terminology (you might need to find out what the current terms are). And if parents tell you they don't want their young teenagers dealing with this, get them to read this article. You see, if the 13 year old girl knew that what her youth pastor was doing was wrong, maybe she wouldn't have waited until she was 16 before she did raise the issue.


Friends, let's do all we can to help people grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And let's do all we can to keep these people safe.



Photo Credits:
Phone - Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
Couple - Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

Review: "Boundaries for Leaders"

When I began in ministry, I read quite a few books on leadership. I also attended a number of leadership conferences and other gatherings had 'effective leadership' as a main emphasis. For the most part, I found it all thoroughly depressing. I heard about church leaders who seemed to be able to make a significant change to their ministry and the people they worked with overnight and now everything was roses and daisies.

I'd leave these conferences excited about what I could do - and then after a few months I realised that all I had was thorns and dead dreams.

Today I finished "Boundaries for Leaders" by Dr Henry Cloud. This book doesn't change my opinion of leadership books, but it's wasn't bad to read something like this again. And, there are a number of stand out comments that I did find really helpful. Most of which are a reminder of things I've read before, but I think that might be the great strength of books like this - I need to read them again and again or I forget the things I need to change and return to my old ways, which aren't always effective.

Here are the comments I want to remember:

From making the coffee to making computers, people have what it takes to get it done, if the right ingredients are present and the wrong ones are not. 42

Remember, never leave your brain at home. . . But as a leader, don't lead in ways that suggest to your people that they might as well leave theirs at home too because they can't use them at work. 48

Research shows that a "getting better" orientation goes much further than a "being perfect" orientation. 72

The act of "paying attention" to what I need to do differently and better next time can't happen if I'm afraid of what you might do to me now. 73,4

Find and focus on the things that you can control that affect outcomes. 130

(And) there are too many forces in the business environment that you cannot control to ever give up the ones you can. 139

A team is not a "group of people". A team is a group of people who have a shared purpose or goal. 165

 

Chapter 10 "Boundaries for Leaders" makes the book worthwhile, I think. Not that the other chapters are bad, just stuff I've read before. 

My advice is to plug in to sources outside of yourself and your organization. Get coaching, join a leadership group or forum, avail yourself of continuing education, attend a leadership conference, and so forth. 205

Don't define yourself by outcomes. 209 (some helpful reminders under this heading)

Remember, you don't need new ways to fail. The old ones are working just fine. And until they are addressed, they will continue to work. 229

 

 

There is also a discussion about giving feedback which I thought was particularly helpful. Not because it tells me that we need to give feedback - I know that. But more because it highlights the very different personalities we all are and how this should affect the way we give feedback. If I only ever give feedback in the way I prefer to hear it myself, there's a good chance people will completely misread what I am attempting to achieve. 

 

I haven't lost anything by reading this book, so I can't say 'Don't read it'. If you're looking for some wisdom on leadership, you can certainly find some of that here. And the things that stood out for me will be different for the things that stand out for you. 

 

But if you have read some other books on leadership and need a refresher, just jump to chapter 10. Maybe have a quick look at page 175 too. You could do worse.