Index:
1. Reflection on Financial Peace University
2. Reflection on the State of the Church
3. Reflection on Clergy Conference "Living in Communion: What Does It Mean?"
4. Reflection on Freedom
1. Reflection on Financial Peace University
I am a firm believer in the adage that if you give someone a fish you have fed him for a meal but if you teach him how to fish you have fed him for a lifetime. Even before the current financial crisis hit the economy, seventy percent of Americans were living on the financial edge with too much month left at the end of their pay check. Looking out over the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homes in our neighborhood I realize that for every 10 homes I can see, 7 of them are in financial trouble, regardless of their income. With that perspective in mind I wondered about what St. Mary’s could do to help all of these folks. When I learned about Financial Peace University, the answer was clear.
What is Financial Peace University (FPU)? From the information guide about FPU we learn that it is a tool that supports churches by equipping them with a biblically-based accountability class that will train individuals to manage their resources. The class is taught by Dave Ramsey (more on him in a moment) via DVD, followed by a small group discussion. Each of the thirteen classes lasts two hours, one hour of instruction and one hour of discussion. It is in the small group discussion where genuine behavior change takes place. The group members encourage one another to apply the principles they are learning. The objective of the small group is not to pry into everyone’s business; it is simply to walk together as each family learns and applies the principles that will enable them to walk in financial peace. Over the course of 13 weeks, class members learn about super saving (common sense for your dollars and cents), how to relate with money, cash flow planning, breaking the chains of debt, understanding credit bureaus and collection practices, budgeting, investments, unleashing the power of generous giving and much, much more.
So, who is Dave Ramsey? He is a personal money management expert, an extremely popular national radio personality, author of the New York Times best-sellers The Total Money Makeover, Financial Peace and More Than Enough, and the founder of Financial Peace University. Ramsey learned about this subject through the School of Hard Knocks. By age twenty-six he had established a four-million-dollar real estate portfolio, only to lose it by age thirty when the banks called his debts. He has since rebuilt his financial life and now devotes himself full-time to helping ordinary people understand the forces behind their financial distress and how to set things right-financially, emotionally and spiritually.
What are the benefits derived from FPU? Consider these:
• The Average family pays off $5,300 in debt and saves $2,700 during the 13-week period. This is an $8,000 positive change in a family’s financial position.
• Financial stress is reduced.
• Couples begin to communicate about money, priorities, goals, and more.
• Singles are empowered and encouraged to find accountability partners.
• Families begin to live out the biblical principles because application is emphasized throughout the class.
• Biblical stewardship is woven through all 13 lessons, guiding families to manage 100% of their resources.
• Families discover the power of generous giving.
When I shared with the Vestry the information about FPU and how this would be a marvelous outreach, evangelism, and stewardship tool in our church and in our community the Vestry overwhelmingly gave its support to offer FPU at St. Mary’s. I have agreed to coordinate and facilitate the classes. Fortunately, Fred Winter has agreed to work with me as a team.
We are scheduled to start with two free preview sessions that will last about 40 minutes each. The first will be December 7 at 2 P.M. and the second will be December 14 at 1 P.M. Both will be held in the Parish Library. These will be great opportunities to learn more about FPU and get a feel for what it is like. After these sessions, materials will be ordered and the classes are scheduled to begin Monday, January 5, 2009 from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. in the Parish Library and go every Monday evening through March 30, 2009.
The cost of attending FPU is $99.51 (retail price is $199) for each family unit. (A family unit is defined as an individual, a married couple, or an engaged couple who has set a date for getting married within one year of their enrollment. A married couple is defined as a male and female.) For this price the participant receives the FPU Membership Kit which includes a FPU Workbook, an Audio CD Library including all 13 lessons for reviewing the classes once the video has been viewed, Dave Ramsey’s best-selling book, reproducible budgeting forms, the FPU Envelope System, two FPU Bonus CD-ROMs, Tip Cards, Debit Card Holders and a lifetime membership. This means that once someone is a member, that person or spouse can retake the course, or any part of it, as many times as they would like anywhere that is offering FPU for their lifetime.
Who should consider attending FPU? Anyone who is struggling with personal financial debt and/or issues, young couples considering marriage, college students to learn how not to go into debt, or anyone who is interested in how to better manage their finances would be well advised to attend.
Think about it; imagine what the people of God could do for the Kingdom of God if they were debt free.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim
2. Reflection on the State of the Church
Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 3
One of the biggest surprises I’ve had since coming to St. Mary’s was to realize that the Diocese of the Rio Grande is not as homogeneous as I had the impression that it was. Oh, there was the occasional voice of caution that there were some liberal parishes that were pressuring then Bishop Steenson to accept their agenda, but I was thinking that the diocese was mostly of the orthodox/conservative theological perspective. I was recently at a meeting of clergy where the main concern expressed was about “false shepherds”, i.e. clergy, leading their congregations astray from biblical truth. Up to the time of that meeting, I was unaware that there was such anxiety among the orthodox clergy. When it came time for me to share, I told the clergy that their concerns were revelatory for me. Then I went on to share what I will now share with you.
When I was interviewed over the telephone about the position as Rector of St. Mary’s, the very first question that I was asked was the first question I was going to ask the Search Committee. The question was, “If you were the Rector of St. Mary’s, would you attempt to lead this church away from, or out of, The Episcopal Church?” (My question was, “Is the leadership of St. Mary’s looking to leave The Episcopal Church?”) My response was an unequivocal, “No.” That was also their response to my question. I went on to explain that the genius of The Episcopal Church over the centuries has been that it could include such a wide spectrum of views under one roof. As more and more conservative/orthodox people leave The Episcopal Church, the weaker The Episcopal Church becomes, not just in numbers but in its theology. The conservative/orthodox voice must be heard at the table in order for our church to continue to exist. Unfortunately, it will not be heard if all of the conservative/orthodox folk leave.
If I am unhappy about where The Episcopal Church is heading, I have to be engaged in the conversation to have any impact. If I “jump ship” then I have removed myself from the process, and I will have no voice or vote at all. I will have no way to change what I think is going wrong in the church. We can only correct the church from within. I love The Episcopal Church, its history, its theology, its traditions too much to give up on it. Like John Wesley, who never left the Church of England, I cannot see myself leaving The Episcopal Church.
I know that there are some of you who are unhappy, even distressed, about what is going on in The Episcopal Church at the national level because I’ve spoken with you. I’m as unhappy as anyone. I cannot tell you what to do, but I strongly urge you to pray and think hard about staying in the church and as a member of St. Mary’s. We need to join together to preserve what we cherish about our church. No bishop can tell us what to believe or how to order our life together. No bishop can order me, as the Rector of St. Mary’s, to do what I cannot in good conscience do. We will maintain the faith once delivered to the saints at St. Mary’s. We will make our voice heard at convention. We will do what needs to be done in order to be faithful to our Lord, Jesus Christ.
From the time of Jesus there have been divisions, fights, heresy, and schism in the church. St. Paul quarreled with Barnabas and would not take Mark with him on a missionary journey because Paul felt that Mark had abandoned him in Pamphylia and had not continued with him in the work of evangelization, The Acts of the Apostles 15:36-40. In 54 A.D. there was a big powwow in Jerusalem over whether or not believers in Christ had to circumcised. It was decided that circumcision was not required, Acts 15:1-29. Over the centuries the church has had to deal with Gnosticism (one needed some secret knowledge of God for salvation), Montanism (in a prophetic trance God spoke through the person) which led to schism as these folks broke fellowship with the church, Modalist Monarchianism (which held that the Persons of the Trinity were not permanent but transitory modes of God’s self-expression), Arianism (Christ was not God but a creature), Apollinarianism (Jesus took a human body and soul but not a human spirit so he was not fully human), Nestorianism (there were two separate Persons in the Incarnate Christ, the one Divine and the other Human, as opposed to the orthodox doctrine that the Incarnate Christ was a single Person, at once God and man) and countless other “isms.” These were all countered from within the church.
What we are facing today is another “ism” that must be refuted from within. Christopher Webber, in his book, Welcome to the Episcopal Church, has a chapter on “The Church’s Teaching.” He warns against a strong tendency toward individualism. He cites a woman named Sheila, who describes her faith as “Sheilaism.” She says: “I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith is Sheilaism. Just my own little voice.” Here’s how the “Sheilaism” gospel goes: Church beliefs or doctrines are fine, as long as they agree with my own opinion. The Bible is fine, as long as it says what I want to hear, or what relates to me. I believe in God, as long as he’s kind, loving and supportive, not if he is judgmental or what I consider vindictive. The only moral ethic we need from the Bible is that we love and are kind to our neighbor; that, and perhaps a list of “social justice issues” to provide an agenda for church programs or church mission. You see, life changes, cultures change, cultural needs change. What the Old Testament or St. Paul says was immoral in their day need not be immoral today.1 Then there is what I will call “Schorism.” Although this ism didn’t originate with the Presiding Bishop, she is its most prominent proponent. This heresy contends that Jesus Christ is not the only way to the Father. For the Christian, Jesus is the way. For the Jew, the Torah is the way. For the Islamic believers, the Qur’an is the way. This is not what Jesus tells us, John 14:6.
We believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life; the only way to God the Father. If this was not true then we are wasting our time as a Christian Church. There is no benefit to being a Christian. If this is not true then, Paul tells us, “we are of all men most to be pitied,” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 for his complete point. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Whatever Sheila or Jefferts Schori say to the contrary does not change that truth.
So, dear friends, do not be discouraged. The faith once delivered to the saints is alive and well at St. Mary’s. We gather in joyful thanksgiving for the salvation from sin and death that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord every Sunday. Come and catch the Spirit.
1. Peter J.A. Cook, "Three-fold Failure: How the church got to its current condition," The Living Church (May 18, 2008), 23.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim
3. Reflection on Clergy Conference "Living in Communion: What Does It Mean?"
I’ve just returned from a day and-a-half clergy conference at Holy Cross Retreat Center in Mesilla Park, Las Cruces, New Mexico. I wanted to share with you what we spent most of our time discussing on September 23 and 24, because it is an issue with which I’ve been wrestling since the last clergy conference last year.
The theme of the conference was, “Living in Communion: What Does It Mean?” To provide a balanced view of our subject we were blessed with the presence of Bishop Robert M. Moody, retired Bishop of Oklahoma and Bishop Paul E. Lambert, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, Texas. As you might suppose, Bishop Moody represented the more liberal part of the Church and Bishop Lambert the more conservative. Bishop Lambert is one of the “Common Cause” bishops who are committed to remaining in The Episcopal Church and representing the orthodox position.
Even before the bishops were introduced I jotted down some thoughts in anticipation of their presentations. As I put pen to paper, this is what appeared. “I grew up in a church which prided itself on being so broad and inclusive that anyone could be heard and felt that they were at home in the Episcopal Church (from the late ‘50s through the early ‘70s). Today, we have a polarized church with low levels of trust and broken communion. We need the Holy Spirit to lead us back from the edge of self-destruction.” I hope that doesn’t sound too pessimistic, but I was thinking of recent departures from the diocese by St. Clement’s and, most recently, the Rev. Harold Trott and the congregation of the Church of Our Savior in the South Valley and the happenings at St. Marks On The Mesa.
On the previous evening, we began our work by developing a list of questions that we, as clergy, wanted the bishops to address. These included:
• What does the “Church” mean?
• What does it mean to live united in Christ and under Christ?
• How do we live with other people with whom we do not agree?
• How to respond to leaders who say things contrary to our understanding of the Gospel?
• Communion – common union – what does this mean?
• How do we define diversity – what are the boundaries?
• How can we call ourselves “Anglicans” and yet abandon Anglicanism?
• How does the House of Bishops hold its members accountable?
• Is the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral still in effect?
• Why is there such a level of anger? Where is the understanding and appreciation of each other?
• How do we live in community when we are polls apart theologically?
These questions were, obviously, too wide- ranging to be addressed effectively as a group, but they did give the bishops some grist for the mill.
Bishop Moody gave a compelling argument of engaging others under the title of “Speaking to the Greeks”, based on the account of the apostles dispersing and, some of them, daring to speak even to the Greeks about Jesus. This led to the corollary of asking who are the Greeks today? In the ‘60s it was people of color, in the ‘70s it was women, today it is gays, lesbians and transgender folks. He gave several powerful anecdotal stories of individuals discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. He also told us of the time in the ‘60s when he was listening to Pope Paul II speaking in Washington, DC on the Mall. What he heard the Pope say to the over 200,000 member crowd was, “Human life is precious. It is the gift of God whose love is infinite. And when God gives life, He gives it forever.” These brief sentences had a profound impact on him and made him realize that in an unexpected place, from an unexpected person, we might hear something that is life-giving. How true!
Bishop Lambert’s approach to the subject was quite different, beginning by presenting his frustration with the debate today. He is frustrated by the expense of the litigation in the church which is so great that The Episcopal Church will have no reserves left by the end of this year. The cost of this is that the mission of the national church is not being accomplished. From his view, today we are a church of issues, hamstrung by the issues, not a church about Christ and growing the Kingdom. He is left saying that “What we are doing, yelling at each other, isn’t working!” We need to be defined by a commitment to our faith, not our commitment to issues. He has declared that he is not leaving the church because there is too much work to do. Using one of his colorful illustrations he said, “When I signed up for this rodeo, I decided to ride it until the bell rings.” Ultimately, we have to talk with each other. He stays because we are the Church, the body of Christ, whose mission is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ (Book of Common Prayer p. 855). To be the Church is to be at unity. We violate this principle when we walk away and violate the communion.
Bishop Lambert stays because this is God’s Church, not ours, and we are defined by the Cross. Jesus died to bring us back into unity with the Father. What happens to us is not as painful as what happened to Him. He stays in obedience to God. He stays because he is a Catholic Christian, not a member of a denomination who leaves at the drop of a hat. He stays because we have the same Father; we are related. We engage with others who disagree with us because we are family. When asked what it was like to be a bishop in The Episcopal Church, he drew from a quote from President Johnson when he was asked what it was like being the President of the United States, and replied, “It’s like a jackass in a hail storm. Sometimes you have to stand there and take it.” So, we have to remember that the Church is not our community, it is God’s community. What we have to do is to figure out how we are engaged in that community. We have to be able to compromise our pride to engage in the community. This takes discipline and intentionality. We have to be intentional when we engage. We have to remember that we are not going to change anyone’s mind. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can move hearts.
From these two addresses, we moved into questions and answers and, then, into smaller group discussion. Like a good sermon, all of this left me thinking.
As I’ve stated before, I am committed to my understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ. I will ride this bronco until the bell rings. I live in community, as diverse and troublesome as it sometimes is, because that is what I choose to do. I continue to struggle with the theological polarity, which sometimes bewilders me and makes me want to scream. I do so in the assurance that this is God’s church. His ways are not my ways, which, I am sure, is a good thing. I do so in the belief that God is in control and I’m just along for the ride. We need to pray for the Church, asking our Lord to correct it where it is in error and to bless it where it is being faithful. I invite you to join me in this prayer as we grow together in Christ.
To view pictures of the Holy Cross Retreat Center and of both bishops, visit our website and look under About St. Mary’s and Recent Photos. Click on the image for more information.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim
4. Reflection on Freedom
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
On July 4th we will celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in which the founders of our great nation declared our freedom from tyrannical British rule. We are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth and, I believe, in the history of the earth. The Bill of Rights, adopted by the original thirteen states in December, 1791, guarantees certain basic human liberties, such as the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of the press, the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, the freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, to name but a few, which make the United States of America the envy of the world.
But are we really free? Because we live in a sinful and broken world we need laws to maintain civility and order in our society; to coerce us, really, to be good, as our elected legislators decide what is right and wrong. Without laws we would live in chaos. As citizens of this nation we have agreed to forfeit some of our individual freedom, freedom to do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it, for instance, to ensure the safety and order of our society.
Jesus, when speaking to the Jews in the passage from John, was telling them, and us, how to be truly free. Naturally, he was not speaking about political freedom, which is limited freedom at best, but of spiritual freedom. Jesus was in a tense debate with certain Jews in the Temple who, although we are told had believed in him, were intent on destroying him. The Jews he was speaking to could not see that they were in need of liberation from the law. Knowledge of the truth is the objective apprehension of things as they are rather than as we want, or desire, them to be. Here, truth is knowledge of who Jesus is and, after Easter, acceptance of what He accomplished for us by His death and resurrection.
The truth Jesus mentions is the revelation of God in Himself. It is the truth that the death and resurrection of Jesus is what saves us, by grace, from sin and death, not the law. This was God’s will for us which Jesus came to accomplish. The way to spiritual freedom, then, is to surrender to God as revealed in Jesus. It is to acknowledge in complete thanksgiving and utter joy that Jesus has delivered us from the power of sin and eternal death. Freedom from sin and death is the only freedom that concerned Jesus. Doing things now out of love for Jesus is the self-committal, or surrender, of faith. This is the way to a vibrant Christian life. We cannot will this love for Jesus or attain this freedom on our own because if we could will it we would not need grace; we would not need Jesus. So, conversion cannot come from within the person. Instead it must come from outside of us; it must be done to us. The only one who can do that is the Son who confers His status as the only Son of the Father on those who become children of God through faith. This sets us free from the bondage of sin, really free, and our conduct will reveal that Jesus is, indeed, our Lord.
This July 4th, as we watch the sky light up with fireworks and listen to patriotic music in celebration of our independence, let us not forget that all that we have and all that we are comes from our heavenly Father who also gives us perfect freedom in Christ, Jesus our Lord.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim