Jason's Blog

I am back now from a week of travel. I learned a lot, was reminded of a ton of things that I all too quickly forget, and reconnected with some friends from around the country.

I’ve gathered up these ideas from listening to  B. B. Taylor -

Don’t listen to  stories that are too shallow.  They make life into less than it really is.

Let the Bible tell you what stories are most important.

Any story that I will take to make  my story must

1. Honor people not like me.
2. Let me argue with it.
3. Level with me about the cost of love.

The Bible tells us a story like this– where Jesus comes to honor, serve, wrestle, and ultimately love those who would follow him to death. After everything else, there is new life.

Today, I had the chance to hear Dallas Willard speak. He has such great insight. Here is the thought that I’d like to share with you– “people come to the kingdom of God through exile.”

When everything else falls apart, when our little kingdoms are ruined and lost, it is then that we can die and God’s life can live in us.

Unfortunately, most of us live like kings– making all our decisions based on what is best for us. We can be servants only when we have resolved that the only kingdom that matter is God’s. When his kingdom is before us, we can serve others fully and joyfully.

I am in San Antonio at the 2009 International Renovare Conference. I had the priviledge of hearing Eugene Peterson speak last night. He had a lot of great things to say about the Jesus Way and many of the ideas in the talk are covered in his book by the same name. But one thing he said really caught my ear. To be on the Jesus Way we have to be personal and immediate and relational. Jesus was all of these things. He called people by name, he was truly present to their needs and concerns. He made friends with his followers.

None of this is new but I find it to be a good reminder. We sometimes can drop down and make following Jesus, or his teachings into a program. Or we look at people as problems to be solved. Lord, forgive us when we do that (and when I do that).

In passing, Peterson noted that for children everything is personal, immediate, and relational. They are not interested in programs. They like to play. They live in the now. They give hugs, they crave being with friends, and even their parents. Sadly, over time they grow to be impersonal – less relational – more distant.

Maybe this is at the root of why Jesus said that we are to change and become like little children . . .

May you experience life the right way—the Jesus way.

I do hope that your summer is off to a good start. Mine has been pretty event filled. I was able to get away with my family to the Hill Country for a few days before kicking off our summer classes. Now that we are up and running with new adult classes, I am back to blogging.

I’ve been reading After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty somethings and Thirty Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion, and I have to applaud the author Robert Wuthnow for conducting such careful research and comparing his own work to other statistical surveys.

One study that he looks back at is the World Values Surveys that have been conducted since 1980 in about 65 countries. Repeatedly, they have asked repeatedly to rank on a scale of one to ten whether the following activities are ever justifiable:

• Claiming government benefits to which you are not entitled
• Avoiding a fare on public transport
• Cheating on taxes if you have a chance
• Someone accepting a bribe in the course of their duties
• Homosexuality
• Prostitution
• Abortion
• Euthanasia – ending the life of the incurably sick

The answers, of course, are interesting. Among American young adults (ages 21-45) who attended church regularly in the 1980’s, the statistics show a positive correlation. Those who went to church believed that all of the above activities are never justifiable.

However, Wuthnow notes, “by 2000 that pattern had changed” (p. 147). What’s interesting is to note exactly how things have changed.

Homosexuality, prostitution, abortion, and euthanasia still show a positive correlation. In fact, there are noticable gains on all fronts. Those who go to church think such activities are morally wrong.

But it’s not the case with money.

Wuthnow has looked at the stats and feels its unfortunate that going to church doesn’t seem to change how people think about “bribes or other matters of financial ethics” (p. 148).

Claiming benefits, cheating on taxes, avoiding payment for services rendered, and bribes are now morally gray areas for church attenders.

Does this surprise you? I think it’s quite a commentary on our society- especially since the study was conducted pre- recession.