Christian Books

I read books suggested by Christianity Today concerning the
state of the religion in America today.  It is a frequent topic.
My interest was sparked by the (temporary) popularity of
Rob Bell's "Love Wins."  I gave that a separate review in this
blog, entitled: "Love Wins; Jesus Loses."  Enough said.

My interest is now due to the tremulous state of my present
denomination in the bigger picture.  The Episcopal Church
is busily progressing itself into extinction.  An excuse offered
by its leaders is that it is simply sharing the decline of all major
denominations, for a host of reasons.

"Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe," by Mark Driscoll
and Gerry Breshears, is a pure, unapologetic dissertation on
orthodox Christianity.  This is bedrock theology, in language
we can understand.

"What We Believe and Why," by George Byron Koch, is an
offbeat, unedited attempt to find the areas of common ground
among all Christians.  Then he hopes that we can agree to
disagree about that which divides us, and get on with the
important job of spreading the good news.

"Bad Religion:  How We Became a Nation of Heretics," by
Ross Douthat,  reviews the history of Christianity in the past
century or so, played against cultural and political upheavals.
He concludes, unsurprisingly, that we have to get back to basics.

"The Searchers," by Joseph Loconte, is a charming and poignant
story of those who are looking for godly love in all the wrong
places.  He advocates meeting them where they are and leading
them to see the light that Christianity offers.

"One Nation Without God?" by David Aikman begs the
question as to whether the U.S.A, is a Christian nation.  Instead,
he traces the religious influence throughout our history.  Like
the other authors, he offers hope for rediscovery of our
Christian legacy.

Where Are the Easter Eggs?

Our little Episcopal church
Has a Christmas pageant every year
Featuring members of the Sunday school
Costumed as the nativity characters.

This being a pageant,
They do not speak.
Instead a narrator reads
The gospel story according to Luke.

The church is filled
With a capacity crowd of 200.
Many young families attend
Whom we have not seen before.

Everyone oohs and aahs
As the participants troop down the aisle.
Mary is often a head taller than Joseph;
The cute little angels steal the show.

A communion service followed
The pageant this past Christmas Eve
Which was a mystery to some in the pews
Who did not understand what was happening.

At one point in the service
People turn to shake hands
With all around, saying,
"The peace of the Lord be with you."

When I turned to face
The family standing behind me,
I shook hands with a little fellow
Who was licking a candy cane.

His hands were sticky, of course,
But I decided to grin and bear it.
Then I heard him ask his father,
"Where are the Easter eggs?"

There, my friends, is a great mystery.
Why did the parents bring him,
When his only church experience
Will be Christmas and Easter?

Are the parents themselves
Nostalgic for childhood holiday events?
Do they feel that showing up twice yearly
Will suffice for including God in their lives?

We are to judge not, saith the bible.
Yet if we could reach such families,
The church would be filled each Sunday
And the children would hear the Good News.

Christianity Lite

Mainstream churchgoers like Christianity Lite.
It fits comfortably into American culture.
It emphasizes love and good feelings.
It relieves us of guilt and fear of judgment.

Our pastors preach uplifting sermons,
Telling us to feel good about ourselves,
Urging us to do good, as it were,
To our unfortunate neighbors in need.

Jesus figures in Christianity Lite
As a kindly and loving teacher
Who was misunderstood, and met a bad end
At the hands of evil authorities.

But we can brush aside the sad story
And concentrate on how he returned to love us all
No matter who we are, or what we do.
We don't really have to believe in him as a god.

Sin is a pejorative word that we never use.
Some of us may engage in inappropriate behavior
At times, but so long as it does not hurt others,
It may easily be forgiven.

We like to hear excerpts from the bible
That give us peace and comfort.
Other than that, we are not likely to
Read any of the stories by ourselves.

We have heard some quoted passages
That are harmful and just plain wrong.
Jesus and the saints could never have said such things.
They must have been added by narrow people later.

We like to read books by scholars
Who tell us what aspects of Christianity
Are false and useless, and need not be believed,
So that we may feel free to pick and choose.

The only problem with Christianity Lite
Is that there a whole lot less of us,
Whereas those bigoted megachurches
Seem to pack in hosts of new believers.

Higher Ground

Last year, the movie: "The Kids are All Right"
Examined a crucial cultural conundrum.
This year, the movie: "Higher Ground"
Explores the role of faith in a secular society.

Vera Farmiga both stars and directs,
Thus contributing a matchless performance.
She mirrors the struggle of a reasonable person
Attempting to cope with an unreasonable church.

If you are not Christian, and see this film,
You might immediately exclaim
I knew that's what they are like:
Ignorant, misogynistic, judgmental creeps.

The portrayal would justify all those epithets.
So much so that it almost seems like a parody.
Yet such travesties do exist, and as such
May be looked upon as representative of the whole.

One critic refers to the church as evangelical,
Another calls it mainline,
When in fact it is neither, but the very worst
Kind of fundamentalism cult.

What makes it a cult is the attempt by
The pastor and members to practice mind control,
And to silence or ostracize anyone who strays
From their norms of belief and behavior.

Any thinking person would flee the scene,
If confronted by such a group.
That's what the heroine has to do
In order to obtain mental stability.

Most telling, the end birthday scene
Is attended by the parents, aunt, and
Grandparents of the little birthday boy,
All of whom have divorced their spouses.

Love Wins; Jesus Loses

In Rob Bell's bestseller "Love Wins"; Jesus loses.
It is a shallow invitation to the unchurched
To receive God's forgiveness
Without paying any price in return.

To draw readers into his web,
Bell uses the familiar "straw man" device
Wherein disreputable theological concepts are
Posted as targets for annihilation.

In his universe, there is no saintly afterlife
Generally referred to as heaven, and
Hell is simply a bad patch we all experience
Here on earth, due to inappropriate behavior.

According to Bell, we will obtain a happy
Life today if we simply surrender to
"God's story" for us, although he is
A little vague as to what that might be.

We should be able to find God everywhere
In everything, if we just look around us.
Strike a rock, and God magically appears, as
When he gave water to the wandering Israelites.

Jesus does not come off as very important
To the story except as a channel to God
For all persons, regardless of whether or not
They have ever heard of Him.

Yes, Jesus died on the cross, writes Bell.
That is an example to us as we suffer
Our pain for things we have done wrong,
And can be resurrected like he was.

Forget about judgment.
We will never be judged by our misdeeds.
Instead we have ample time to repent them,
Both now, and after death.

In other words, you can't lose.
God will always love you
No matter what you do.
Eventually, we will all be reconciled with Him.

This exegesis may strike you as being
About as substantial as a box of marshmallows.
Consumption of same may be satisfyingly sweet,
But you're left with nothing but a cloying aftertaste.

"Love Wins" is another attempt to lure
Folks into Christianity by making it sound
As easy and painless as it can be.
What happens after they arrive in church?

Willow Creek, the Illinois megachurch
Found in a survey of its members, that
Those who stayed were profoundly unsatisfied
With their knowledge of the faith.

This, then, requires what we call Christian Education.
Where we explore the depth of our faith
With all its contradictions and ambiguities,
And thus come closer and closer to the real God.

The Dennis Canon

The Dennis Canon of The Episcopal Church
Was an afterthought, proposed near the
Conclusion of the 1979 General Convention,
And adopted in haste, perhaps irregularly.

Simply put, the Dennis Canon asserts that
The property of each parish is held in trust for the diocese.
This means that the parish does not own
The property that it paid for over the years.

So if a parish decides to secede from TEC
To operate independently, or in another Anglican province,
It can be evicted from the church building and grounds.
The diocese may then sell or otherwise dispose of the property.

Until recently, state courts supported the Dennis Canon
On the basis that TEC is a "hierarchical church."
Lately some deals have been struck where the
Seceding congregation "buys back" the property from a diocese.

Beware, then, if your parish is dissatisfied
With a theological path that TEC is taking; and
Thereupon refuses to perform certain ceremonies
Instituted and prescribed by the diocese and TEC.

The parish may then be accused by the diocese
Of abandoning TEC, and be forced to vacate the premises.
The clergy may be deposed from holy orders
And charged with committing a hate crime.

Many Episcopal parishes are now involved in litigation
By their respective dioceses to capture their property,
Although their sin has simply been to register disagreement
With actions and doctrine of The Episcopal Church.

The validity of the Dennis Canon has not been
Examined sufficiently to justify its application.
So far, courts in various states have avoided
Getting into the wrangle that would ensue.

The Wicked Witch of The West

One has a great deal of trouble
Discerning the motives of the present
Presiding Bishop of what is now known
As The Episcopal Church.

Parenthetically, it used to be titled
The Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.,
But that designation vanished after the 1979
Publication of The Book of Common Prayer.

PECUSA never was a corporation,
Rather, a voluntary association of Anglican dioceses,
Formed after the American Revolution,
To meet periodically and formulate common rules.

A presiding bishop was elected to, well,
Preside over the triennial general conventions.
Wary of an authoritarian structure, the founders
Gave that person no primatial authority.

Now the incumbent in the post seeks
Absolute control over an ecclesiastical hierarchy,
Through rules that would permit her to
Direct bishops and clergy in doctrine and liturgy.

She is now unable to remove them directly,
But she has attempted to depose dissenters from Holy Orders.
She would have all matters of faith under her authority,
Thus becoming an infallible American pope.

Her current objective is to force all clergy
To perform certain ceremonies under church auspices,
Which, if they refuse as a matter of conscience,
Would result in their removal from office.

She has also set about cultivating
Like-minded Anglican primates in other lands,
As a possible worldwide alternative,
To the collapsing Anglican Communion.

It is said that this person regards herself as a prophet,
A proclaimer of a new interpretation of the Christian faith.
As a prophet, a radical, a revolutionary,
She must sweep aside any resistance to her mission.

So far, the results have been a major schism,
Establishment of a rival Anglican Church in North America,
A wholesale departure of members, and a marginalization
Of Episcopal thought and culture in American life.