تابعة بوذيّة يسوع?

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الإيمان من آباءنا

أنا عادة [وريت ووت] من المواضيع أنّ يدوّم حول دماغي لفترة. هذا وقت ما من استثناء.

ل بعض فترة في حياتي يتساءل أنا يتلقّى يكون حول حيث أنا أسقط في هذا شيء يدعى "التاريخ من الكنيسة." أكون أنا [هرتيك]? دعات أنا يتلقّى يكون أنّ. أكون أنا تقدّميّة? محافظة? نصير للمرأة? ليبراليّ? [أنببتيست]? [أبن-ثيست]? دعات أنا يتلقّى يكون كلّ من هذا ودعاتبنفسي كلّ من هذا في مراحل مختلفة على طول الطريق.

قد خدم أكثر من هذا تصنيفات أن يتضمّن أو استثنيت ي من بعض [غرووب وف بيوبل] أنّ كان إمّا يفضّل أو [نوت-دبندينغ] على السياق. يحيل هذا كلمات بشكل خاصّ منظرات خاصّة أنا أمفصل [فروم تيم تو تيم]. بحزن, عرفت أنا لا غالبا ل ماذا أنا أتمّ.

عندما تصارع أنا مع الإحساس من يكون لاهوتيّة [بسترد-ووندرينغ] ما مجموعة في أيّ وقت علانيّة قبلني داخل [كمّونيت-ي] هم قبل الظّهر [ستروك] ب كيف منحرفة منظورتنا قد أصبح. كثير كنيسة يريد [فولكس] أنا أكون حوالي أن [تلك بووت] كنيسة خلفيّات: "ما تسمية أنت نمات فوق داخل?" يبدو أن يكون السؤال أنّ عهود عليا.

ماذا حدث إلى "أنت سيعرف شجرة بثمرته"?

أنا أفكّر هو مهمّة أن يمفصل ماذا أنا أصدق حول يسوع, التجسيد, إلهة, ثالوث, معمودية, مشاركة, الجسم مسيح, عدل/تبرير/[ريغتيووسنسّ], وال [كينغدوم وف] إلهة. أنا أفكّر هذا مهمّة لأنّ في يتحدّث هو خارجا, أنا أكوي خارجا العلم خلق أنّ أنا آمل أن يمسك كإجراء من الثمرة من حياتي. I hope to read the scriptures, the culture, my experience, and the voices of my community with the intent of letting them shape me into a follower of Jesus. In reading all these things, I try to hold Jesus and his message about the kingdom of God at the center.

Too often, these things have been left up to only a few people in the church–most of them white men, with the exception of Augustine who was African (thus the title of the post’s lack of reference to mothers). This is another reason I think theology is important. It is important for us in our rising global context to continue to articulate our faith in shifting situations and with the inclusion of a diversity of voices (on this point I am keenly aware of my status as a white man in usamerica).

So, I hang on to the importance of theology.

At the same time, I am sick of doctrines determining communities of faith. What will it take for us to congregate based on geography instead of on socio-cultural, economic, ethnic, and doctrinal sub-groups? Maybe, once we have sucked the earth dry of oil and our cars are rusting in our driveways and we have to walk everywhere, we will be forced into rethinking our understanding of who our sisters and brothers are in “local” communities.

What if our faith was “articulated” in our actions, our artistic expressions; the fruit of the Spirit playing out in our relationships, economics, ecological impact, and our politics?

What if I don’t label people I don’t agree with theologically, and instead try to come alongside them to work with them in embodying the kingdom of God? What if they don’t believe in the kingdom of God that I articulate? Can I still love them and encourage the areas I see them participating (even unknowingly) in the kingdom life?

As I write this post I think about my own father and mother. These two folks have a very different picture of a lot of the doctrines that I hold as central to the Christian faith. We disagree, yet I see them loving people, living sacrificially, serving with humility, and finding their own ways of articulating their faith. While I don’t always like their articulation, I love the Jesus that shows through their lives.

What if our faith is less our words and more our actions? After all, I don’t think Jesus ever mentioned “wrong” doctrines as keeping anyone out of the life of God’s Kingdom (for that matter, right doctrines don’t seem to get anyone in–though they may help a little along the way).

A couple of days ago I was at an “emergent-ish” conference. I was disappointed when applause followed a clarification about the school I attend. A speaker made note that my school was certainly not affiliated with a more conservative evangelical church of the same name. I appreciated the clarification, as there is always a lot of confusion concerning this topic. But I was appalled that there was a sort of pride in the audience’s response to this declaration. Where was the humility and kindness that we had been articulating throughout the conference?

As we stumble toward different articulations and embodiments of God’s kingdom, I hope that we can maintain integrity between our words and actions. Without this integrity we are simply putting a different face on the same old song and dance that we say we are sick of. What will it mean for us to hold the same openness and humility toward those in the communities we have emerged from as we hold for those who sound a little more like the communities we want to become? Can we have the humility to see everyone, no matter the theological articulation, as siblings?

Aren’t we all, more or less, just messed up daughters and sons of the same God? When Jesus talks about the kingdom as here among us, I don’t think he means among the ones who “get it right theologically.” I think he means, it’s here for, in, around, and through us all. None of us is completely “in” the kingdom. We all need grace to come alive to the rebirth and redemption that God is working on behalf of the entire world. If this sounds a little too “universalist” for some, please don’t judge me by my articulation…

Peace.

Interview: Becky Garrison, Satirist

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Reputable Peace

There has been a cry ringing in my heart over the past few weeks, “Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” I hear it on the television, look at the faces in the newspaper, read the stories on the blogs. “Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” And I know this much is true.

As a general rule, I am opposed to oppression of any kind. I can sympathize with the protestors around the world crying out against China’s oppression of the Tibetan people. I certainly prefer unanimous vocal outrage and creative interruptions to the alternatives of brute force. The voices ringing out now, the cameras focused on the situation, the stories being documented – this mass outcry against oppression was not around when Europeans were stealing the homeland of the native Americans, or shipping African slaves over to forcibly cultivate that land. “Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” It is a cry that can not, in good conscience, be ignored.

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

There’s something about the plight of Tibetan Buddhists that tugs at the hearts and souls of people worldwide. The Dalai Lama is a highly regarded spiritual leader, the reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion come to serve the Tibetan people. He promotes peace, compassion, non-violence, tolerance and mutual respect, and he appears to live his life in this sphere. It is no wonder people are drawn to him, his religion, his politics and his people.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 (NIV)

However, there is a flip-side to Tibetan Buddhism. There is work involved, and peace comes with a price. The Tibetan people serve multiple deities, some of whom are full of vengeance. Their religious practices are in part, to appease the deities en route to obtaining enlightenment. Monks create intricately detailed mandalas to house deities and guide meditation. Followers walk the streets of Tibet endlessly spinning prayer wheels in an effort to gain the attention of the Buddha of Compassion. Tibetans perform physical rituals, such as stopping to bow every few steps, in an effort to relieve personal suffering. Street children, widows and crippled men line the streets

Every person whose heart is moved by love and compassion, who deeply and sincerely acts for the benefit of others without concern for fame, profit, social position, or recognition expresses the activity of Chenrezig. (Bokar Rinpoche)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)

Tibetans are enslaved in a religion where deities are feared and atonement comes through repetitive actions. “Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” Followers of Christ, on the other hand, were set free through acceptance of his sacrificial atonement on our behalf and granted the gifts of grace and peace and hope. Tibetans strive for alleviation of suffering. Christians learn to rejoice in their sufferings, or so we are told.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:1-11 (NIV)

Here’s where I get stuck.

Christians have been given the gift of true peace through a relationship with the Son of God. We do not have to do good works to earn our salvation, but through Christ’s sacrifice and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to love other people with God’s love. When we fail to live up to the standard Christ demonstrated for our life, or when those around us mess up, there is still grace… grace that reminds us we are human… grace that reminds us we are loved… grace that picks us up, dusts us off, and encourages us to keep going. It truly is a wondrous faith.

Why, then, is it that the world is not enamored with faith in Christ?

Why is it that the world seems so taken by Tibetan Buddhism?

Why isn’t Christianity the religion of peace?

In the geopolitical sphere, the United States is the most powerful nation in the world. At 85% reported adherents, we have the largest national Christian population in the world. Yet our global reputation of arrogance greed and selfishness proceeds us. The United States represents herself as a Christian nation, and she is judged accordingly.

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49 (NIV)

Now, those of us who live in the United States know that many good and giving actions are undertaken by US Americans, and our government, both here and around the world. However, all of these good things are overshadowed in the eyes of many by negative actions and attitudes. We live in the most influential nation in the world, and 85% of us adhere to the teachings of Christ, yet we are unable to live out his principles on a local, national or global level.

“Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” I’m afraid, my friends, that neither are we. Our commitment to our national culture supersedes our commitment to our faith. We do not live in an oppressed nation. We do not serve an oppressive God. Yet we allow ourselves to complacently exist in a culture that focuses on self and satisfaction of personal desires.

We have to find ways to stop pursuing a cultural faith and start living the way of Christ.

The world is watching and, so far they are unimpressed.

Logan Laituri: Courageous Coward

Today we kick off the new interviews section of Jesus Manifesto by interviewing Logan Laituri.

JM: Hello Logan, tell us a little bit about who you are.

Well, I can’t imagine answering that question without briefly addressing who I was. I grew up in Orange County, CA, which to me seemed to be the materialism capital of the world. Being lower middle class, I felt very disadvantaged. My folks did an awesome job providing for us, though, and I fell into the youth group routine after I was arrested for shoplifting at 14. My parents had split up and I apparently felt that was a great way to get some attention. For four years in high school, I almost literally wore my religion on my sleeve; I put it on while I was at church and took it off as soon as I was home. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my church (and still do, I return every time I’m home), but I saw a lot of superficial faith, and I really thought that was all there was to being a Christian. My faith was just a series of things I was not supposed to do (drink, smoke, have sex, etc.). Christianity was a simplistic, restrictive lifestyle that I followed very intermittently. I took that perspective with me when I signed up for the Army a few months before I graduated.

Looking back on my past, I am very grateful for the things I learned, the easy and the really difficult lessons alike. I completed my Military Service Obligation (MSO) a few weeks ago, and I am hoping to start college next fall. In the meantime, I am working for peace in every way I can find. Currently, I am employed as a developer for a very small but ambitious nonprofit. Additionally, I am very active in an organization called Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), because as a Christian, I feel it is imperative that I reject war in all forms, and I also happen to be an Iraq War veteran. I might be a unique member in that I came to these beliefs not as some political reaction to the war, but as a direct response to the call of Christ to be nonviolent; to love, not destroy, our enemies. I always hesitate to call myself a pacifist, however, because the root of the word implies that such a person is passive. Nonviolence, and similarly Christianity, is quite a vigorous endeavor, far from being docile or merely a reaction to the culture around us. One should take close notice that in the Beatitudes, the folks who most directly reflect God’s character (who are called ‘children of the Most High’) are called to make peace (not keep, or enjoy or just promote it); to deliberately and actively create peace where there is none. I hope that I am known as a peacemaker, as a blessed son of God.

Yours is an interesting story. There are (thankfully) many peacemakers in our world, but you’re the first peacemaker I’ve talked to who came to their nonviolent convictions while enlisted. What led you to the conviction that you cannot love your enemy while trying to kill them?

The first time I considered that I might have the wrong take on the Bible was many months after I had returned from my combat tour in Iraq. I had met a family that really lived out the word of God everyday. They knew the Bible was not just a Basic Instruction Manual Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E.), it was a romance novel describing the dynamic relationship between the Creator and His creation. When I sought advice about various issues, the father of the family almost had a script it seemed. Every question I brought before him was answered by a simple “It’s about love Logan.” A four letter word contained the solution to every problem I could imagine. It seems a bit too simple minded, but in a world that is as individualized and materialized as ours, you realize that it really is very complicated to apply that ideology. Christ even said that we would be persecuted and cursed because of it!

When I began to accept the truth in what he had taught me, I knew I had to objectively consider whether I could fulfill that great commission while employed in very indiscriminate forms of violence as a forward observer in the US Army. When I returned to him to ask his thoughts on justice and war, the story changed. He expressed his belief that we were serving divine justice in the Middle East through our violence against Muslims. I had had discussions with other Christians within the military and heard similar thoughts, but none of them jived with the repeated exhortations by our King to love our enemy. Regardless of where I went with nonviolence, my mentor reminded me, he would respect and support me, as it was a decision he had never been asked to make, and he could sympathize with the immense pressure I faced in concretely answering no to violence and yes to grace. As much as I could explain the roots of the Christian practice of vicarious suffering (wherein we adopt our neighbors’ sufferings as our own, never forcing that yoke upon their shoulders), it will forever be a bit of a mystery, a sacrament of the Church, that must not be displaced from it’s centrality in Christian discipleship.

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Stepping into the Wind: A Pentecost-Inspired Writing Competition

We want your words. Jesus Manifesto is inviting you to submit an original article exploring the theme of Pentecost. In particular we want you to explore the theme of Pentecost in light of the world’s struggles. In the so-called “first” world, Christendom is fading into memory. In the so-called “third” world, new religious realities are emerging as Pentecostalism, Catholicism, and Islam compete for souls. Meanwhile, our world is growing increasingly diverse as immigration patterns and globalization intensify both the interconnectedness and the fractured-ness of our world. Ours is a world where urban poor in US cities carry cell phones while urban poor in other cities live amidst disease and intractability.

How can Pentecost provoke our imagination for the 21st Century? In 1000 words or less, we want you to stoke the embers of our imagination into flame.

PRIZES: We’re awarding one $50 prize for each of our categories (doxis, praxis, culture, aesthetics, and satire) with a $150 grand prize for the overall best general submission. That’s $400 total in prizes.

Winners will be announced on June 1. The winning submissions, along with the 2^nd place submissions for each category, will be published in JM in June.

DEADLINE: Pentecost 2008 (May 11)

REGISTRATION FEE: $7

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: Prizes will be offered for each of five categories (doxis, praxis, culture, satire, and aesthetics).

1. In DOXIS, we explore the big questions of the faith…questions of theology and philosophy and hermeneutics and the like.
2. In PRAXIS, we explore the hands-on nature of the way of Jesus. How do we follow Jesus in the American empire? What does this look like for our lives, our ministries, our churches? This is the hands-on of our faith.
3. In CULTURE, we apply our lens to the world around us as we explore sociological trends, postmodernity, politics…you name it.
4. In AESTHETICS, we explore beauty through our senses: images, music, film, poetry, and the culinary arts. We’ll entertain any artistic submission.
5. In SATIRE, we revel in the absurdity of our lives. Without being mean-spirited, we want to use humor to wax prophetic.

JUDGES:

Mark Van Steenwyk (General Editor of JM)
Mike Cline (Co-Editor of JM)
Kim Roth (Co-Editor of JM)
David A. Zimmerman (author, Deliver Us from Me-Ville)
Eliacin Rosario-Cruz (Community Catalyst at Mustard Seed Associates)
Jamie Arpin-Ricci (church planter and co-director of YWAM Winnipeg)
Becky Garrison (Senior Contributing Writer for The Wittenburg Door)
Jason Evans (co-founder of the Ecclesia Collective)
Charlie Wear (publisher of the Next Wave)
Mark Scandrette (director of Reimagine, author of Soul Graffiti)

SUBMISSION INFO: Submit your articles via the form below:

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Introducting our Newest Co-Editor

I am thankful to all of those who offered to step into the role of co-editor. I feel blessed to be a part of such a strong writing community at Jesus Manifesto. I hope that the addition of two co-editors will only serve to strengthen that community and deepen the quality of our content.

I am pleased to announce the latest addition to the editorial team: Kimberly Roth. Kimberly is a great writer with a particular interest in culture and aesthetics. There are writers and there are Writers. Kimberly is a Writer. With her help, Jesus Manifesto will be stronger and deeper.

Here’s Kimberly’s bio:

Being a highly career-oriented individual, Kimberly Roth parlayed a degree in philosophy and sociology into a skyrocketing job as an Executive Assistant - coffee, anyone? Exercising her day-job to conceal a covert life as an armchair theologian and pop-culture guru, Kimberly spends way too much time rambling on at www.barefootbohemian.blogspot.com. She lives in community, which means there is both a married man and a baby in her home… neither of them belonging to her, or to each other. Kimberly owns more music than she can listen to, hordes more books than she can read, and is a self-proclaimed yard sale queen. She also loves the show Clean Sweep and does not see the irony in the situation. Kimberly likes to explore the deeper side of life: the infinite superiority of front porches to back yards; comparisons and contradictions between Southern and Christian hospitality; why Jeff Tweedy is a genius despite singing in jibberish. One day she will write from the porch of her dream home, where all will be welcomed and the sweet tea will flow in abundance. Her passion is to see the gospel of God’s kingdom preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and that those who call ourselves Christians in our nation, who have had our share of the preaching, will learn how to live that kingdom out with one another.

My name is Jonas

We’ve been flooded with congratulations over the past few days. Our son Jonas entered the world on Friday morning. We arrived home Sunday afternoon and are trying to figure out our new life together as a family.

I thought you all might be interested in some pictures:

This first picture demonstrates Jonas’ natural state. These early days of his life on the “outside” have been filled with sleeping and eating. So far, he hasn’t been too fussy, though he had some bouts with gas that left him a bit disagreeable. In days ahead, when he demonstrates the darker depths of his human nature, I will remember this look on his face, sigh, and respond with love.

In my opinion, Jonas has a skeptical look on his face in this picture. Some would say that the intense pensiveness of his aspect supports the notion that my son is a genius of the highest caliber. That, paired with a rather robust name like “Jonas Elliott Van Steenwyk,” indicates that he is likely to be a theologian or philosopher. With my gentle tutelage, he will balance his intellectual side with an activist flair, making him something of a William Stringfellow or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Such speculations may seem premature, but I think the picture speaks for itself.

This final picture is of Jonas and his proud parents. Amy really outdid herself in birthing Jonas. The labor was fairly long (22 hours) and without pain medication. She struggled through labor with resolute determination and good spirits. This was due in part to the support of our friend Kirstin and Amy’s mom, Mari. Kirstin has attended a number of births and was a boost to Amy’s morale. Mari is a nurse and a mom, so her relationship with Amy paired with her nursing skills were hugely helpful.

I helped as much as I could…but for the most part I felt helpless and small. In the end, my respect and love for Amy have deepened and my love for my new son is fresh and new.

Baby Van Steenwyk!

So if Mark’s status messages on Facebook and Gmail are accurate, Jonas Elliot Van Steenwyk has finally arrived on Earth after nearly 8 years of Mark and Amy trying to conceive a child.  They were toying around with the process of adoption when this beautiful blessing decided to show up. Early word on the street is that Jonas was born weighing 7lbs, 12 oz. and is 21 3/4″ long.

Now let’s just hope Jonas turns out to be more like Amy than Mark.

Feel free to write them a congratulatory note or a joy-filled comment. Mark may kill me for posting this on his “According to Mark” section, so the more celebratory remarks the better. Otherwise, my chances of staying on as co-editor for more than a week fall drastically.

Congrats Mark and Amy! We’ll be expecting a picture soon.

Book Review: Tim & Jesus Go to Church

The book would make for a great sitcom: a pastor roadtrip across the United States, critiquing several church along the way. Henderson believes that evangelism requires listening to “the good, the bad and the ugly about Christianity in order to be a better minister.” So he invited Jesus, the Son of God and supposed “founder” of Christianity, to observe how modern American Christians are doing with the movement he started. Their travels took them to an urban outreach church, an Emergent church, a new monastic community, a liberal mainline church, and to an evangelical megachurch.

In the book, Tim and Jesus discuss everything from preaching to music to location. Every step of the way, Jesus asks, “Why do these churches have such different ideas on what it means to follow me?” As a reader, I was drawn into the dialog and experiences. In a way, the book offers very few easy answers. But it does show that while each of the churches has an honest approach to following the way of Jesus (except maybe Osteen’s Church), each community can learn much more from the way of the master.

Because the book revolves around the five communities that Tim and Jesus visit, I thought it to be appropriate to share the highlights of their experiences of each. In particular, Jesus has a lot to say:

City Light International Street Mission

Tim and Jesus fist visit City Light International Street Mission, a small urban Pentecostal community in Nashville. The book is generous in their description. You could tell that both Jesus and Tim were weirded-out by the raw emotionalism and “pentecostal bells and whistles” of the worship service. But they were soft in their criticisms.

At one point in this section of the book, Tim states: “You could tell that the Mission doesn’t have the funding to reach out to these folks…but they do it anyways…that is commendable.” (22)
Jesus affirmed their heart for the poor: “When they serve these friends of mine, it is like they are serving me.” (22)

But their experience wasn’t entirely positive. At one point during the very loud and frenzied worship service, the pastor started prophesying that a “new move of the Spirit” would visit the church and spark a new revival for the healing of the nations. At the end of the prophecy, Jesus stood up and said: “I have already told you. The Kingdom of God is among you. Stop looking for signs and wonders, and follow the gentle leading of my Spirit.” Afterwards, Jesus got rebuked…and one elder attempted to “deliver” Jesus from a “spirit of rebellion.” (45-47)

The Livingroom

Next, Tim and Jesus visited The Livingroom, an Emergent-style church in Chicago. Tim thoroughly enjoyed himself, but Jesus fell asleep during the music portion of the gathering. He said: “It was so atmospheric. What is it with urban hipsters and their mellow music? At least the music at City Light was joyous…and City Light even had a song of lament.” (68)

During their visit, the pastor gave a sermon about social justice…and how the Gospel was more about what you do than what you say…and that what you say isn’t really that important if you show love. Afterwards, Tim and Jesus got into a deep conversation about whether or not they agreed. Tim tended to agree with the statement, but Jesus disagreed: “I was sitting there listening to this pastor tell his flock how I wasn’t very interested in preaching and proclaiming the Gospel. That upset me. Can’t he read? Doesn’t he notice how much RED there is in the Gospels?”

Humility House

Humility House is one of a growing number of “new monastic” communities. Located in a poor part of Denver, Humility House practices hospitality, care for the poor, and engages in the occasional protest. There community is made up of about 12 members–8 of them living in the house.

Tim felt that the community was warm and inviting, but didn’t “get” what it was they were hoping to accomplish: “I affirm their community and that they help a few people out from time to time, but this isn’t the sort of model that most Christians can follow. And it could put off a lot of seekers.”

Jesus disagreed: “These are my kind of hippies. These sorts of radicals really connect with an important part of my message. But they never seem to stick around for very long. How many of my brothers and sister hippies are still going strong from the movement they named after me in the 70s and 80s?” Later on, Jesus writes: “I wish they wouldn’t always be so dang serious. There is a time for simplicity. But there is also a time for drink and song.”

Trinity United Methodist Church

Tim and Jesus connected with the mainline church the least. This was the shortest section of the book. They visited Trinity United Methodist Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Tim felt bored the whole time. Jesus tried to mingle with folks in the foyer after the service, but no one seemed to be interested in him…just the idea of him.

Lakewater Community Church

Finally, Jesus and Tim visited Lakewater Community Church in Dallas, Texas. Lakewater has 30,000 members and proclaims a soft-message of prosperity and hope. Tim had lots to stay about the techniques this church used to draw in lots of seekers. But Jesus didn’t like his visit much. He writes that “the leaders of this church reminded me of the folks who crucified me.”

After the service, Jesus was able to make an appointment with the pastor. But the meeting was cut short. The pastor didn’t believe that Jesus was the REAL Jesus. After all, this Jesus was much too shabbily dressed to be the REAL Jesus. On his way out, Jesus shook out his sandals on the step as he and Tim made their way back to California.

Closing Thoughts

The book was pretty well written, though I could tell from Jesus’ sections that he hadn’t written a book before. His insights were the most insightful, but I found I could relate with Tim’s perspective more easily. Clearly, the two men had their favorite communities, and a couple that they didn’t like. But there are so many communities out there that you can’t really get a sense of what sort of church either would say is the “ideal church.” But I suppose that is the point. We’re not supposed to be discontent with out communities as we strive for the ideal. Instead, we are called to be as faithful to Jesus as we can in the sorts of communities that we find ourselves in.

This was a work of satire. No such book exists. And while Jesus doesn’t take road-trips to visit churches, I would like to assume that he is present, in some way, at all sorts of Churches. Are we listening to what he has to say?

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