from the VCC Newsletter on 10/8: Sages in the Information Age

Last week I mentioned  you can learn virtually anything on the internet these days, there is very little that is hidden, but for us to become the sages of wisdom this generation needs requires us to be very authentic and transparent about what we do or do not actually know.

Today I want to focus on sages as role models. Having information does not automatically come with the wisdom to process the information. For example, someone who knows a lot about his or her medication should not dispense it to others. In addition, someone should not perform surgery, even an M.D., because they watched hundreds of TED talks and Youtube videos. Most of life is not as serious as surgery nor as consequential as medication, still most of us have made more than a few costly mistakes with too many zeros at the end.  We all need sages, those who have made their own share of mistakes and can help us process the information. We need teachers, not to dispense information, but to help us make sense of the myriad of information at our disposal. We still need pastors, not to tell us what the Bible says, but to help us make sense of each chapter and verse. Yet many people today do not trust the experts but are instead looking for noble sages. These persons don’t need to have all the answers. They are the people we trust because they are living the life we want to live; we trust the way they process the information we bring to them. Sometimes they are our parents, and sometimes they are just trusted persons we perceive as being thoughtful, intentional, genuine, and full of peace and joy.  In other words, they reflect the fruit of the Spirit.

In that same spirit, Sages avoid the trap of comparison. When they need to compare or contrast things in life they pick lessons from nature, old stories, fables, and parables to avoid pitting persons against one another. In doing so they rarely make statements about groups of people or assumptions about another person's motives. This unwillingness to rush to judgment gives the us confidence that there is no agenda but only an honest pursuit of truth.

So let’s talk about how that plays out in real life. Sages evaluate science, politics, religion, philosophy, justice, and wisdom, not on the basis of their own experience nor from the vantage point of their own beliefs, but from honest discussion on the merits of what is presented. They rarely make value judgments and avoid labeling persons or ideas. It’s not because they lack their own assessments or opinions, but they demonstrate the validity or invalidity based on the issue at hand. They can logically follow the reasoning and point out the strengths and weaknesses of whatever is being considered. If the discussion is evolution they do not dismiss evolutionists as stupid or evil, nor make assumptions about their agenda. Sages reason through the strengths and weaknesses of the discussion and point clearly toward alternative views without making hurtful or demeaning statements. If the topic is political they do not leap to party ideology nor dismiss people’s views on individual discussions by party affiliation. Sages consider the discussion based on the merits of people’s opinions.  Recently someone I know found himself in a conversation about abortion. He is ardently pro-life. The person he was talking to was undecided but trusted his judgment. After a long discussion about the rationale for and against abortion, the young person thanked him for not getting upset, for hearing him out, and for not making the discussion political. Later, that young person told others he was pro-life, not because of political or religious affiliation, but on logical merits. Within earshot of my friend, he proceeded to make several of the points earlier discussed. What was most impressive was how the other young people listened to their peer and thanked him for not being political, demeaning women, or being dismissive of their viewpoint. They felt heard, not lectured, and they agreed the merits of the discussion leaned pro-life.

Next week I would like to talk about how we validate the Bible without arguing or demeaning others. A hint: it doesn’t begin with just knowing what it says, but instead it begins with the collection of writings, the genres, and even methods of study. We will discuss the history as well as the content of the Bible.

From the VCC newsletter on 10/1: Sage Advice for the Religion of None

Sage Advice for the Religion of None

Last week I spoke about the post-Christian transition in our society, and the move from organized religion toward superstition (or unorganized religion).  In it I stated the two main reasons were, one, the rejection of authority, and two, a lack of critical thinking.

Rejection of Authority

One of the primary issues for the deterioration of authority is the general lack of integrity, transparency, and honesty exercised by authority figures. In the past, those in authority had the luxury of controlling information, so they could reject anything that posed a threat to their authority and the status quo. Because they controlled the information they also controlled the narrative. Today with the free exchange of information and ideas anyone can become an expert in anything. Those in authority, teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, clergy, etc., are no longer the dispensers of truth. Instead we have entered an age where leaders can be fact-checked. Even while they are speaking. Even while they are asking for allegiance. If those listening find a lack of clarity, honesty, or integrity in the information, suspicion begins to creep in.  This suspicion is then reflected on the institutions the speaker represents .

Our new role of leaders in the church has ceased to be providers or dispensers of information.  Instead their roles have become that of “biblical sage.” The very concept of a sage is one we lack in modern society. For all of our technology and information, we are not known for wisdom and maturity. We live in an age where there are few fathers, few loveable daddies, and way too many sperm donors. It’s like this: when my kids were little they looked up to me to give them answers about life. As they grew they began to hear other voices and tested them to see what was true. All too often, when I didn’t know the answer, I gave them plausible answers. I stated them as fact, and they believed me. Eventually the competition of other voices caused them to challenge my plausible answers with facts, or different opinions. If my answers started coming up empty, it gave rise to even more complicated questions. My authority was at stake in their lives, most of which was dismissed as growing up. But the truth was this: because I didn’t do research, and instead gave plausible answers, my kids began to doubt my authority and knowledge, and eventually they sought information from other sources that seemed equally as plausible (the internet, teachers, friends, etc). Truth became more subjective than objective and even my role as sage came under fire. I clearly lacked wisdom. While all of this may sound normal, the problem reaches farther than just parenting. The same people who don't do the research at home, don’t do the research for subordinates, laity, students, and anyone else under their authority.

Moving forward, the greatest need is not for the church to reassert its authority nor prove the authority of the Bible, but for the body of Christ and the leaders to be honest, integrous, transparent, and diligent in our handling of God’s Word and the discharging of duties as father’s and mother’s of the faith (2 Timothy 2.1-8). Telling people, "I do not know" is better than giving plausible answers that can be fact-checked and found wanting. But eventually, we must be able to give an account for the hope we have (1 Peter 3.15-16). We are called to be childlike, not childish. We must mature in our faith and become the sages of wisdom among a vast sea of “experts.” The biggest part will be making sure our answers and our character line-up with the advice we give and the things we say we believe.

Next week I want to continue this thread on authority with more ways for us to engage the world as sages of wisdom.  

From the VCC Newsletter on 9/24: The Rise of the Religion of Nones

“The religion of none” is a fastly growing faith in America. A quick browse of the internet will reveal numerous studies that point to a rise in the number of people in the US, Canada, and other western societies who claim “None” under religious affiliation. The assumption of most polling organizations is that faith is in trouble and secularism is on the rise. I don’t agree. Today I am encountering more people with a pagan worldview than a secular one. Typically those who abandon Christianity are not believing in nothing, they are trading organized religion for superstition (disorganized religion). If you look at these studies carefully people have not stopped believing in the supernatural world; they have traded faith for a faith of their own convenience, with their emotions (or sometimes their own reasoning) as the final arbiter of truth. This “cafeteria spirituality” is free to believe Jesus is the Son of God, yet doubts the Bible that teaches that he is. They can redefine morality to fit cultural acceptance, thus making many Christian values essentially immoral while embracing behaviors that have been viewed as perversions for millennia by every culture in history.  The absence of Christianity (or any organized religion) does not lead to atheism or agnosticism; it leads to superstition.

Some would argue the transition in American religion from Christianity to “none” is a  new invention and that superstition is hanging on because of Christianity. Yet if we observe China as an example, we see a different story.  China has been committed to atheism as the official position of the Chinese Communist Party since 1921 (the party itself being the only official political party of China since 1949). They have had more than 69 years of freedom from religion, and yet most people are not actually atheists, despite their documentation. In the 1980’s, when I was teaching conversational English to Chinese students at Texas Tech University, I found that my most ardent communist students were not actually atheist, despite their insistence, but rather the most superstitious people I had ever met. From lucky numbers to being haunted by ancestors, these Western educated, hardcore Mao Communists were not actually atheist or even agnostic. They had fallen into patterns of believing a hodgepodge of unconnected spiritual ideas. Fast forward to my trips to China in 2006-2007, I encountered this same superstition. Even now in 2018, among the Chinese students in America, this same superstitious outlook prevails.   Instead it has been nurtured in the hands of atheism.

My point is this: the primary exodus from the Christian church is mostly about two things. The first is the rejection of the Church and the Bible as an authority. The second is a lack of critical thinking coupled with insistence on dogmas that are not specifically biblical but philosophical and theological when it comes to topics like science, politics, and social issues.   I hope you will join me as we look at a world reverting to superstition and secularism, and how we can engage this world in meaningful dialogue, especially with those who have left the church.