An Online Who's Who

The release of Generation Rising: A Future with Hope for the United Methodist Church is right around the corner. It will appear in both print and e-book editions simultaneously, and I posted not long ago about some of the online retailers who will be carrying it.

Several of the contributors to the book have a web presence, and I thought it might be helpful to point to those folks.

They include:

Sarah Arthur, a writer with a background in youth ministry who is the author of Walking with Frodo and The God-Hungry Imagination. Sarah maintains a website that focuses on her writing and speaking ministry. You can find it here.

Shane Raynor, a blogger and editor for MinistryMatters.com, who is well-known to those who spend any time in the Methodist corner of the blogosphere. Shane's personal website can be found at this link.

Rev. Kevin Watson, a pastor from the Oklahoma Conference who is the author of A Blueprint for Discipleship. Kevin writes a widely-read blog called Deeply Committed that can be found here.

Dr. Doug Powe, who holds the E. Stanley Jones Chair in Evangelism at the St. Paul School of Theology. Doug's most recent book is Just Us or Justice? Moving Toward a Pan-Methodist Theology. His faculty bio page at St. Paul can be accessed at this link.

Dr. Joy Moore, who teaches homiletics at Duke Divinity School and serves as the Associate Dean for Black Church Studies and Church Relations. Joy's faculty bio page at Duke is available here.

Rev. Jeff Conklin-Miller, a pastor from the California-Pacific Annual Conference who serves as the Director of Youth Ministry Initiatives at Duke Divinity School. A webpage on Jeff's work at Duke can be found at this link.

The other contributors to Generation Rising include Presian Burroughs, Arnold Oh, Julie O'Neal, Rev. Timothy Eberhart, and Rev. Eric Van Meter.

In a previous post I listed the chapter topics in connected with each of their authors. You can find that listing here.

Living in the face of Evil and Suffering

A recent poll indicates that 4 in 10 people believe that natural disasters are a sign from God.

That's true, of course. Natural disasters are a sign from God.

But not the way you might think.

What I mean is that natural disasters are not a sign of God's selective punishment of individuals, communities, or nations. But they are a sign of the world's broken, fallen nature. Such occurrences fall into the category of what moral theologians call natural evil. They are examples of the way in which nature exhibits the characteristics of something less than the fully restored state that God intends and, indeed, that God the Father is bringing about through Christ Jesus.

Another main category of evil is that of moral evil. Here evil is likewise a sign of the creation's brokenness, but with moral evil the wrongs committed are not due to the forces of nature. They are due to us, those who have been created in the very image and likeness of God. The difference is significant, because natural evil finds expression in the impersonal forces of nature simply operating under the conditions in which they exist -- whether the shifting of tectonic plates, the mutation of cancer cells, or the chase of a hungry lion after her prey.

But moral evil is not impersonal at all. It is inescapably personal, whether it is found in the individual acts of a single person or the warring madness of whole peoples. If natural evil is a cause for deep grief, then moral evil is tragic in the true sense of that word. Capable of loving God and loving one another in ways possible for none other among God's creatures, men and women find themselves mired in acts and habits that run directly opposed to that incomparable gift.

To go back to the poll that began this blog post, I would go so far as to say that all expressions of evil - and not just natural disasters - are signs from God. That's not because evil and suffering are indications of God's desire for us but rather just the opposite. The suffering that results from evil has been given its proper context by the cross of Jesus Christ. And because Christ himself has undergone the suffering of inflicted evil, all other expressions of evil and suffering have been put on notice. Their reign has been declared at an end, even if their effects are still experienced to a degree.

I write about how Christians can understand this truth and live according to it in my recent United Methodist Reporter column. You can find a better teaching on this same matter in the Apostle Paul's connection between the existence of evil, the suffering of the creation, and the hope of coming redemption in Romans 8:18-25 --

     "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. for in this hope we were saved. Now who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Are acts of natural and moral evil signs from God? Indeed. They are signs of the coming redemption, the labor pains of a creation that is being reborn in Christ Jesus into a state where such evil will no longer be known. And by God's grace we can begin to live into such an existence now, however imperfectly.

Shane Claiborne and Jesus

Sometime ago, I wrote about Shane Claiborne and the work of the Simple Way Community in Philadelphia. Shane came to speak at Duke Divinity School back in 2009, and I used the opportunity to pen a few thoughts (which you can access at this link).

The term often used to describe the kind of Christianity that Shane and others practice at the Simple Way is "New Monasticism." I'm deeply interested in monasticism - both the new and the old varieties - for reasons that are both academic and practical. In the early middle ages, it was the monastic communities in Western Europe that helped to sustain a church that might have fallen apart otherwise. We live in much different times, but I think the church has its own set of very difficult challenges to its survival in our culture. Monasticism of the kind Shane Claiborne practices may offer us some lessons about real faithfulness.

I wanted to mention Shane in this post because of what I see as a possible greater migration of New Monastic practices into Methodism of late. Robin Russell at the United Methodist Reporter covered some such activities in a news article not too long ago. And Kami Rice offers this this article in a recent issue of Interpreter Magazine as well.

If you really want to check out something that will stick with you and not let you go anytime soon, click on the link to Shane's article in Esquire, "What if Jesus meant all that stuff?"  Read it, wait a little bit, and then read it again.

Joy Moore on the vitality of the UMC

Sometimes you come across quotations from people that are so apropos they can be offered without any comment at all.

Here's one such quote from Dr. Joy Moore, who is the Associate Dean for Black Church Studies and Church Relations at Duke Divinity School.

Dr. Moore recently wrote in Good News Magazine:

"The greatest evidence of the lack of vitality in the United Methodist Church might not be survey results but our commercials. Consider the tag line of the insurance company that speaks of vitality as intentional responsibility to care for others while our tagline is 'open.' Absent is a simple use of expressions of a called-out community demonstrating the biblical values of justice, community, and peace. Our acts of charity, justice, and even community have not been submitted to the reign of God evident in Jesus Christ."

- Dr. Joy J. Moore, "Seriously Talking Back,"

Good News Magazine (March/April 2011), p.17.

In her article, Dr. Moore is echoing some sentiments that I have voiced myself in the past. She is an excellent preacher, which I can say from the experience of having listened to her in worship. And as the quotation above suggests, she's got a real willingness to look at where the church is situated in relation to the current culture and make some pretty fearless critiques -- but always in the hopes of helping us to become more faithful.

Dr. Moore is also a contributing author to Generation Rising: A Future with Hope for the United Methodist Church. Her chapter in the book is entitled, "Preaching: Telling the Story in a Sound-Bite Culture." It's a fast-paced, high-energy introduction to the kind of narrative preaching that Dr. Moore sees as more faithful to the Scriptures and more formative for the church.

The book will be out in mid-April, but you can pre-order it here.

Walking with Jesus

The season of Lent is intended to be a journey for Christians. It's a journey we travel with Jesus. We know that the end of that journey is going to be difficult -- we'll walk triumphantly with Jesus into Jerusalem, but then we'll have to undergo the anguish of watching him arrested, beaten, and finally crucified.

Because of all these things, Lent is a hard journey. It involves great suffering. The suffering is Jesus' own to bear, but a part of Lent's difficulty for us is that we know we only add to that suffering when we abandon Jesus in the hour of his greatest need. And that means that we suffer, too, out of our weakness.

The end of the Lenten journey is not the cross, though, as monumental as it is. Lent's end comes on Easter morning, where the cross is overcome by an empty tomb -- a grave that could not hold Jesus but from which he arose, truly and bodily, as his power of life defeated the forces of death.

I think there are some things about Lent that make it tough for Christians today to really understand. One is the reality of redemptive suffering, which is a thought that modern people tend to recoil from. Another is the terrible intimacy of Lent, the truth that wherever we are as Christians, we are together. We live in a world that tries incessantly to individualize us. And there is a great deal that is demonic in that. Because we've been knit together into the body of Christ, though, we are forever joined to one another and to him.

My new column in the United Methodist Reporter takes a look at some of this stuff. Hope you'll check it out.

New UMC membership numbers

New statistics out from the General Council on Finance & Administration give an idea of what the total church membership numbers are for the United Methodist Church. The associated news story is available at this link.

The good news is that the membership of the church has risen over the past five years, totaling almost 12.1 million people. Increases in Africa and the Philippines have been behind the rise in the level of membership. In the five years from 2004 to 2009, total UM membership in Africa, Europe, and Asia rose from 3.5 million to 4.4 million.

Unfortunately, the GCFA statistics show that the membership in the U.S. church has continued its decline, where total figures dropped 1.2% to 7.8 million members.

There has been a lively debate in the church about the importance of numbers ever since I entered the ministry a decade ago. The point is often made that the number of people in the pews is not an accurate reflection of the spiritual vitality of any single congregation, let alone a whole denomination. I think that's certainly true. People can be attracted to join an organization - church or otherwise - for any number of reasons. And in that sense, membership does not equal discipleship.

On the other hand, I've always thought the Acts of the Apostles offers plenty of evidence that one of the fruits of a faithful proclamation of the gospel and a robust ministry is that people will hear the word of God, receive the grace of Jesus Christ, and find themselves transformed. We Christians are a missional people, and God desires that we would show our faithfulness by gathering sheep into his fold. So that means numbers really do matter, so long as we're aware that numbers of people should reflect real disciples who exhibit a living faith in all aspects of their lives.

I think that's happening in the United Methodist Church in many places around the world. It's happening in some places in America as well, but not everywhere and not to the degree that statistics would show a rise rather than a decline in our church's membership. That means that we've all got a lot of work to do, in our own lives and in the way we are practicing ministry.

Help for Japan

The Japanese people are in a terrible situation right now in light of the earthquakes, tsumanis, and nuclear threats that have been inflicted on their country in the past few days.

If you would like to offer material assistance to the Japanese situation, here are a couple of ways you can do that:

Donations to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for Japan relief assistance can be made here. (Note: A news release from UMCOR has said that the relief agency will not be operating directly in Japan but will be directing donated funds to partner organizations already working there.)

Donations to the American Red Cross for Japan relief assistance can be made here.

Also, I neglected to post anything about the earthquake disaster that struck New Zealand earlier this year, which was an oversight on my part. Clearly, the people of Christchurch need lots of assistance as well. If you would like to donate for New Zealand relief, you can do so through the New Zealand Red Cross here.

I hope that in addition to any material assistance you might offer, you will also consider keeping these affected nations in your prayers as well.

New information on Generation Rising

I mentioned awhile back that I would offer periodic updates on the book I've edited that will be coming out later this spring, Generation Rising: A Future with Hope for the United Methodist Church.

As we've moved closer to the actual publication date, Abingdon Press has been providing online booksellers with the information needed to list the book on their sites.

I wanted to point my readers to those booksellers so they can be aware of how the book can be obtained online.

Here are a few of those links:

-- For Amazon.com, go to this link.

-- For Barnes & Noble's online store, go to this link.

-- For Christianbook.com, go to this link.

-- For Cokesbury's online store, go to this link.

-- For the online site of LifeWay Christian Stores, go to this link.

One other note: After my American readers, my website gets by far the most traffic from the United Kingdom. (Thanks, British readers!)The U.K. version of Amazon.com has its own entry for Generation Rising, which my British readers can find here.

The book is - I'm happy to say - still on track for an April release. If you'd like to see the product page at Abingdon's own website, you can find it by clicking here.

2011 Arkansas football: Looking ahead

Hard to believe, but NCAA college football spring practice period is already upon us. The Arkansas Razorbacks will begin their spring practices on March 15th, and they'll wrap up with their Red & White game scrimmage on April 16th.

So it is worth making a few notes as we look ahead to the fall season...

Extending Expectations: Last year Hogs fans were excited heading into the fall 2010 season because we had a QB with a cannon for a right arm and a cupboard full of talented receivers. This year, we'll go into the fall 2011 season featuring a QB with a cannon for a right arm who also happens to be mobile, along with a cupboard full of talented receivers. Oh yeah, we've also now got an established tailback who recently ran a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash and managed to benchpress 415 lbs -- and who also would have led the SEC in rushing last year if it weren't for some player from Auburn named Cam Newton. And the defense is a lot better. So yeah, you could say that Hog Nation is excited about this fall.

Razorback Football Live on TV ... in April: The best news about the Hogs' spring practices? The intrasquad Red & White Game on April 16th will be shown live by ESPN. So tune in and watch the red team vs. the white team. I guarantee an Arkansas victory.

Schedule Nailed Down: The Hogs' 2011 schedule has been finalized, and you can access it here.

The Low-down on the SEC's best players: ESPN's Chris Low has been counting down his list of the 25 best players in the SEC from last season. He's into the top 10 now, and so far two Razorbacks have made his list: TE D.J. Williams comes in at #17, and RB Knile Davis registers at #10. (Click on the links to read Low's take on each player.) You've got to figure that Ryan Mallett is yet to come in Low's list, which was only down to the #8 player as of this posting.

I'm a little disappointed that Low has included anyone from the Hogs' stellar wide receiving corps, but I think there's probably a reason for that. Get this: No Razorback receiver had a 1000-yard season last year, but five of them caught for more than 600 yards (including TE Williams). That's pretty remarkable, and it shows how well QB Ryan Mallett spread the ball around last season. The Hogs featured Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton, and Greg Childs at wideout last year, and any single one of those guys could have easily been a 1000-yard receiver if he had been the featured receiver on a team less stocked with talent at the position. In fact, if Childs had not gone down with a season-ending injury with several games still left to play, he might have managed 1000 yards even while sharing catches with his teammates.

The good news is that every one of the four WRs will be back this fall, and they've got a great QB to throw the ball to them in Tyler Wilson. My guess is that, a year from now, Chris Low's 25 best player list will include more than one of them ... and maybe all four!

The Way Too Early Prediction for 2011: It's a little silly to do this in the middle of March, but what the heck. I'll make a stab at calling the final record for the 2011 regular season.

My prediction: 11 wins, 1 loss.

Okay, so I know it's bold. But just look at how the schedule stacks up. It's entirely possible, if our guys stay healthy. Eleven wins will almost certainly get the Razorbacks back to a BCS bowl. Whether it would get them into the SEC Championship Game is another story. Here's my justification:

On the plus side ...

-- The Hogs get to play a Cam Newton-less Auburn at home;

-- Arkansas gets to trade Georgia off the schedule in favor of Tennessee, and the Vols have to travel to Fayetteville in a year before Derek Dooley is likely to have them back as a winning program;

-- The teams most 'on the rise' in the conference are Mississippi State and South Carolina. And fortunately for the Hogs, both have to travel to Arkansas this year;

-- Two of the Razorbacks' conference road games are Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Hopefully that explains itself.

On the minus side ...

-- Arkansas plays Alabama in Tuscaloosa next year. Yes, Tuscaloosa, the place where you are always forced to play against an opposing team of 18 players - the 11 who are wearing the Crimson Tide's uniform, plus the 7 referees wearing striped shirts who are blatantly biased toward Bama. I'm convinced that there are four places in the SEC that are head-and-shoulders above all other stadiums in terms of how difficult it is for an away team to get a win: the Swamp, Neyland Stadium, Death Valley, and Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The first three are tough because of the crowd environment, the team's historical reputation, and the way the home team just seems to feed off of both those things every time out on the field. Bryant-Denny is tough because the refs do everything they can to make sure Alabama wins. You can point to individual instances of that happening in games at other places over the past few years, but it never happens as consistently as it does at Alabama.

-- The Hogs have to go to Baton Rouge to play LSU at the end of the season. Someone once told me that when LSU fans have a little too much fun before the game, they are prone to throw batteries at the visiting team's fans. Batteries. Now if that's how tough it is to watch a game in Death Valley for the away team, just imagine how tough it is on the field. Anyway, I figure we can win either the LSU or the Bama game next year, but probably not both.

On the iffy side ...

-- I never know how to feel about the Texas A&M game, which has become an annual matchup played in Dallas. Historically, Arkansas dominates the rivalry series going back to Southwest Conference days. And we've won the last two since the series was revived in 2009. But I just don't know A&M as well as I know our SEC foes, because they play in the Big XII. And they looked a lot better this past year than the year before. One of these times, they're going to beat us. I just hope it's not this year.

Okay, so that's all the news that's fit to print. Go Hogs!

Prayer for Ash Wednesday

O God,
maker of everything and judge of all that you you have made,
from the dust of the earth you have formed us
   and from the dust of death you would raise us up.
By the redemptive power of the cross,
   create in us clean hearts
   and put within us a new spirit,
that we may repent of our sins
   and lead lives worthy of your calling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- United Methodist Hymnal, 353

The Springtime of All Life

This week Christians celebrate Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent.

My most recent column in the United Methodist Reporter looks at the origin of the word "Lent" and offers some thoughts on why Lent is such an important season of the year for Christian disciples to observe with true commitment.

You can access the column at this link.