What to say?

This is my last week as the pastor of Dublin Bible Church. After 6 1/2 years of learning how to serve, the day has all-so-quickly approached. We believe firmly that it is time to accept the next assignment.

There are so many things that I wish I could have to do over again. Too many mistakes, too many careless words, too many selfish decisions. But ... that's why they call it "learning." We have learned so much in our time here - about ourselves, about ministry, about the Body of Christ. You have patiently endured that learning process, and we are forever grateful for that.

We have also seen amazing things happen - people come to faith in Christ, fruitful ministry here and in far-away Kenya, deepened relationships, and maturing faith. When we reflect back, the list is surprisingly long. And we are forever grateful for this, too.

Despite the heartbreak of goodbyes and the anxiety of facing unknown challenges (and the aggravation of moving!), we have a firm peace in the midst of all this. It's a deep sense that we are following the Lord's guidance, which steadies us against all the winds blowing about us. It is what allows us to make the tough decisions to say our goodbyes, to endure the financial setbacks, and to face the unknown with results beyond our control.

We pray that we will be able to see the folks of DBC again in the near future. We know we'll still be just a call or email or text message away, and we also know what we will one day be reunited forever. But we still pray for the chance to see your faces again soon.

After our farewell luncheon on Sunday, we will still see you here and there before we physically move (date to be determined). So, we'll likely say goodbye a few dozen times more. They don't get any easier for us, no matter how many times they are repeated.

We love you very much.

Anecdotal Theology

As I continue to do research for my thesis, I am at the point where I need to read more from authors who disagree with my conclusions. It's only good scholarship, and it's actually very helpful. The authors I'm reading are not stupid - they have sound logic and intelligent points. I think they make some fatal logic errors here and there, but they are not blithering idiots.

The authors I'm now reading are arguing for egalitarianism with respect to gender, and against complementarianism (equal in Christ but different in role) and against patriarchy (or authoritarianism). Sadly, most of the authors throw complementarity into the same category as patriarchy, then attack patriarchy, and conclude that they've successfully argued against all of the views that oppose them. This is not always the case, but it is predominates these writings. Their underlying view is that all views other than their own prescribe only one thing: odious, overbearing male domination. They make it sound like they are the only ones who truly believe that men and women are equal in Christ.

The other thing I've noticed is how many of these authors use personal anecdotes to justify their conclusions. One will talk about a female friend who was dominated by an overbearing husband who claimed to be Christian. Another will talk about a woman she knew who was a strong leader, but pushed down by insecure men in authority. And so on. In almost every case, they use the anecdotes to explain how they came to their own conclusions, or at least how they began to question the more traditional views. The stories they cite are sad and compelling. They ask, "How could God's plan be like that?!?!?", and therefore assume that the only choice is to reject all views that recognize any significant difference in gender roles in Christ.

They do not cite anecdotes of abuses in the other direction, which would lead to a stalemate of bad stories. They never stop to ask if the anecdotes are fair examples of true complementarity or patriarchy. They don't acknowledge positive examples of the views they reject. They come across a bad story, and then paint an entire scholarly view with that negative image.

And then they begin the job of showing how Scripture supports their view. Rather than start with Scripture, they start with the worst possible examples which do not truly represent a particular view, then look at Scripture. Not every one of them in every case, but so frequently that they undermine their own scholarship.

(By the way, the view I espouse is complementarity, with an important nuanced difference from the standard names associated with this view.)

I see the exact same thing happening in politics, and in particular with the healthcare debate. Find a bad story, paint the entire "other" view with that unfair example, and then argue against the entire view based on that bad example. And I see both sides of the debate doing this. It is dishonest dialog.

And I see the same thing happen with a variety of Christian and moral issues. People can use anecdotal stories of bad consequences to justify all kinds of unbiblical behavior, from premarital sex to homosexuality to abusing one's spouse to gossip to greediness, and on down the line.

The Bible never uses anecdotes to draw conclusions. It uses anecdotes, and hundreds of them! But the conclusions of the Bible are all drawn from one place and one place only: the character of God. Everything, even the Old Testament Law, is based on the character of God. That's the only unchanging standard upon which we can base any important conclusions.

As you consider your moral decisions, your theological views, or even your politics, rely on God's character, not anecdotes, to draw your conclusions.

Angry?

I'm not going to tell you how you should feel about the newly passed healthcare legislation. I'm not going to tell you which view you should hold. I'm not going to tell you what I think about it. Not here.

I just have two simple questions for self-examination.

1. If you are against the premise of the legislation, what have you been doing up until now to personally help those who can't get health insurance no matter how hard they try to earn their own keep?
2. If you are for the legislation, are you abdicating anything to the government that really should be the ministry of the Church or jurisdiction of God?

My point is simple: The entire issue can make us so insanely polarized and argumentative that we fail to examine ourselves against Christian principles on the issue. We are so sure "the other side" is wrong that we don't feel the need to take a deep look at ourselves.

The biggest issue is not really which healthcare plan we have or who's in control of it. As important as those issues are, the biggest issue is this: Are we, as the Church, helping the helpless in our society?

If you oppose this plan, you are not excused from personally helping the helpless.

If you favor this plan, you are not excused from personally helping the helpless.

(I prefer the word "helpless" rather than "needy," in order to reflect the biblical principle of not sharing much charity with those who are unwilling to work.)

Let this debate give you pause to reflect: Regardless of how I feel about this plan, am I personally fulfilling the biblical claim on my life regarding the helpless?

Changes Coming for the Kinsers

As we announced Sunday morning, Lynne and I have made the difficult decision to move back to the Kansas City area. What makes this decision so difficult is all of the loving relationships we have here in Dublin. However, we still see the Lord's hand in this move, and as much as we are sad to say goodbyes, we eagerly await what He has in store both for us and for you in the coming years.

The reasons for the move are many - too numerous to mention here. There are, however, some reasons that stand out.

First, we have not lived near our parents for 21 years, and we now have a terrific opportunity to do so now. Both sets of parents are doing well, but we are seeing the need for us to be able to assist them more readily. By God's timing, both sets of parents have independently decided to move closer to the Kansas City area this year.

Second, we have had a long-time desire to return to the Evangelical Free Church of America. It is the denomination I first served in, and provides a great balance between the flexibility of local decision-making and the synergistic benefit of networking with like-minded churches. I still have many connections in the EFCA, and personally benefit from the resources they make available.

Third, we believe that the long-term health of Dublin Bible Church would be best served by a different pastor. We have no question at all that God brought us here and that He has done some great things in us and through us. We have no regrets moving here or doubts that we were supposed to be here for this time. But we see that my particular style of teaching and leadership is effective for some, but not as effective for others within our community. That limits the impact of DBC. We believe DBC can have deeper impact with a pastor who possesses a different mix of gifts. We believe that it's the best thing for DBC for me to step down at this time.

Fourth, I may have the possibility of sitting under the mentorship of a very godly man and experienced pastor with this move. I believe this will be very helpful in my personal, spiritual, and ministerial growth.

The elders of DBC have been fantastic during this decision-making process. We included them in our process when we began to seriously consider this new opportunity, and they have simultaneously shown us personal support and advocated for the best interests of DBC. We admire the way they have served both you and us.

There will be an opportunity for us to say goodbye properly and personally. When that is arranged, we will let everyone know.

We ask that you pray fervently both for DBC's transition and for our transition. Your church is going to need everyone pulling together in order to discern who the Lord will bring to take you into your next chapter.

We are not, however, severing our relationships with you. Communication today is so easy and affordable that we anticipate being able to be in regular contact with you. Of course, we would never use that privilege to undermine the relationships that you will be building with your new pastor.

Our plan is to remain on staff until April 11, and we anticipate moving sometime in May or June. We also plan on shedding many tears between now and then.

We love you, and we continue praying what we've been praying for years on DBC's behalf - that God would bring about His best for this church family. We firmly believe that He can do so through this time of transition.

Walk-in Promises

It's not uncommon for us here in the church office to have people unrelated to our church just drop by and ask for financial assistance in some form or another. It's never an easy task to determine if we can help and for how much. We certainly cannot afford to meet every request, and there are some who are obviously just working the system. It's the real needs for those who will not squander our help that we try to help first.

But there's one interesting recurring theme among many of these requests. So many times I've heard the one making the request say that they will be sure to join us on the coming Sunday, or even attend regularly. Some will go so far as to say they've been meaning to try out our church for a long time. And not a single one has ever made good on that promise, whether we help them or not.

I'm not bothered by that, because 1) I've learned to pay no attention to such promises, and 2) our help for them is in no way related to whether or not they will visit us. Some think we'll be more likely to help them if they make that promise, but actually I'm a little less likely to help when they promise to attend because it makes me think they are trying to manipulate the situation. Rightly or wrongly, my skepticism kicks in. We will choose to help someone whether or not they show up the next Sunday.

We'd love to have people visit us, whether or not we've helped them financially. But I have no interest in someone attending in order to secure some financial assistance. Attending our church is not doing us a favor - but we pray that the opposite is true, that their attendance does them a big spiritual favor.

Which got me to thinking...

I wonder how many people in churches all across the country are attending churches merely in order to secure some form of assistance from the church, whether it is financial, emotional, or even spiritual. As if attending was doing the leadership a favor, they attend only to keep the handouts coming. They "purchase" their benefits by showing up. I know of no one (other than Christ) whose mere attendance is that valuable!

The church should be a place where people find help for physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. No question. But it is an organism, not a dispensary. All forms of help from the church come from the Body functioning as a body. Sometimes, people are not in a place where they can help others much, but ideally, the Body is an interactive set of relationships from which we find help from one another, and ultimately from the Lord.

Attendance in church should normally be an effort to be a functioning part of that body, not "payment for services rendered." You don't do me any favors by showing up - but you do me tremendous favors by praying for me and with me, comforting me when I'm sad or sick, speaking God's truth to me, and being my true friend.

If you ever find yourself attending a church as a mental bargain for services rendered, stop. Keep attending, but stop attending for that reason. Your mere presence, quite frankly, isn't that valuable. Attend for far more valuable reasons: To be part of a living body.

An idea to try for your Quiet Time

If you have a Quiet Time (or "devotional", a time set aside everyday to be in the Word and in prayer), you might try a little variety and stretch the ways you look at Scripture according to the different learning styles. We tend to read Scripture according to our natural learning style, and miss out on how other learning styles can focus on aspects of truth that our own style might miss.

I'm not talking about a "reader response," where everyone determines "what Scripture means to me." Each passage of Scripture means one thing, but the depth and breadth of that one meaning cannot be contained in just one style.

I've tried doing this off and on, and have learned a lot about the Word that I would not have otherwise.

Verbal / linguistic: VL learners learn primarily through words in written form. They like to do word studies or see how the grammar conveys meaning. They need to read to learn best. Even if this is not your style, try taking a key word from a passage and studying it. Use a Bible dictionary, a concordance, or Bible software to see the range of meaning and how else it's used in Scripture.

Logical / mathematical: LM learners like numbers, patterns, and logic. They analyze the meaning and the structure of things. They like theological implications, and learn best when they see it all come together. Try looking for conceptual patterns in a passage, or look for how one thing is compared to another. Look for how the author logically develops his point.

Visual / spatial: VS learners have to see it in order to know it. They think more in pictures and images. Even if you're not artistic, try drawing the meaning of the passage, or one element of the passage. Visualize what the scene must have been like. Look for visual descriptions or items in the passage. Search the internet for pictures that convey the meaning of the text.

Rhythmic / musical: RM learners have to hear it, especially if it's music or poetry. Lots of kids' songs teach this way - and it's amazing to see how much kids can learn through a song. RM's get as much or more out of the worship music than the sermon. Find songs that are based on the passage you're looking at, or songs that convey the meaning. Then with the song, explore the passage. Look for auditory events in the passage - a voice, a sound. Imagine the sound effects if the scene were played out in a movie. Find a psalm that relates to the passage and read it through.

Body / kinesthetic: BK learners have to move or touch in order to learn. They learn by doing. They learn better when they are not forced to sit still while learning, even if it's just fiddling with a rubber band in their hand. Look in the passage for all the movement that occurs. Consider how to "do" what the passage says rather than intellectually inspect it. Sometimes, I'll use Playdough to fashion something from the passage just to engage my hands in the learning process.

Interpersonal: Interpersonal learners learn in groups and by discussing. How about doing part of your Quiet Time with someone else? Or, after having your QT, make it a habit to discuss what you're studying with someone else. When you read alone, imagine how you would discuss this passage with someone else. Also, look in the passage for relational elements - how the passage affects relationships.

Intrapersonal: Intrapersonal learners learn by being alone and having time to process. They don't say much when the teacher asks for an immediate response, but give them time to ponder and write out their thoughts, they usually have more to say. They reflect inward in order and see how the Word affects them personally, and learn when they see that connection. Take time to just be alone with the Word, not writing, not praying, but just contemplating the meaning, examining yourself against the word. This requires a distraction-free environment to be effective.

Don't try to do all things every time. Mix it up. In fact, I will take one passage and spend one day looking at it one way, and then another day looking at it another way, taking an entire week for just one passage. I find that to be a very rich exercise. Then, after a few months, I set that aside and go about Quiet Time in a different manner.

What I have found is that I understand God's Word more richly, more deeply, and more broadly than if I stick only with my natural learning styles (I'm a LM and VL). I've even had fresh ideas for teaching that connect more readily with those who have a different learning style than I do.

Jesus told us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. I've found that using the different learning styles helps me do just that.

Also, if you scour 1 John 1:1-4, you can find all 7 learning styles. Look for them!

Don't Mind the Rules; Mind the Mind

In our youth group Bible study in Romans we have recently covered chapters 12 and 13. Chapter 12 has one paragraph in it with 29 imperatives (verbs that tell us what to do). In chapter 13, we are told to submit to our governing authorities.

This can start to feel overwhelming - so many commands! So many rules! I thought we were set from the the law (Rom 6)!

And then throw in the mix that we should not submit to our governing authorities if doing so would cause us to violate God's will.

So we discussed with the youth how it is possible to take on all these commands and live them, plus how to know how to handle the "exceptions."

If we try to treat all of this as a list of commands like a law, we will end up in the exact same place as the Pharisees were in (and, sadly, it's a place where too many in the modern Christians find themselves today).

What Scripture really wants us to do is to understand God's mind on the matters of life, to know what He thinks about things, and to learn to think the same way. And then ... live according to God's mind on the matter. We don't obey rules - we obey a living God. If we try to accumulate rule after rule, then we'll eventually bog down and likely fall into legalism. The rules serve the purpose of revealing the mind of God. That's what we need to obey.

Learn the mind of God more than accumulating rules. Learning His mind means studying His revelation and developing a relationship with Him. But the more you learn the mind of God, the less you need to worry about rules and the more you can say, "The entire law of my life can be summed up in two commands: Love the Lord my God with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. In this, the entire law of my life is contained."