Trans4m

The fire of Revolution

Jeremiah was a true revolutionary - actually the model revolutionary in many ways. Jeremiah was called by God to address the injustice and immorality that had come to characterize Judah in their complacency. It was an unpopular but true message. Jeremiah knew that people did not want to hear what he had to say, but he still had to say it - he could not hold it in - it burned in his belly! Jeremiah says, " ... these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke. And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!" (Jeremiah 20:8-10). We need more Christians today who see the injustice and immorality in our culture and, like Jeremiah, cannot remain silent. I am not talking about bashing sinners and labeling the lost ... I am talking about calling the Church and Christians to account! Jeremiah was prophesying against God's chosen people, not the pagans of the day! The same was true for Jesus, Jesus didn't bash sinners and call them names and blame them for everything that was wrong in the world - he treated them with love, mercy and compassion. But for the self-righteous religious leaders Jesus had a message of condemnation that ultimately got him killed! Do you have anything burning in your bones? If not, why not?

Update!!

Addressing my previous post, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a personal call from Brannon Howse and we had a very productive and pleasant talk. I admire his integrity in calling me and us being able to set the record straight. So I guess that answers my final question in that post.

Responding to Spiritual Insurgents

Recently a man by the name of Brannon Howse, some conservative, self-appointed protector of Christian Orthodoxy, engaged in a blatant smear of Bethel Seminary and our Doctoral program. He posted an extremely negative article on his website that was riddled with blatant factual errors.Click Here to Read the Article He also bashes Erwin and Alex McManus. Rather than contact me as Director of the program he chose to malign, he just dropped his dirty little bomb and ran. I'm not sure he has the integrity to respond to any of my responses or emails to his article. Below is my Response to him:

Mr. Howse:
I am the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Bethel Seminary. It is truly unfortunate that in an effort to be sensational you have done an incredibly shoddy job of fact checking. But then facts might get in the way of a good story!

First, if you cared to notice, Bethel College is now Bethel University (for almost two years now).

Second, the Bethel Doctor of Ministry for Emerging Leaders does not mention the "Emergent Church" any where on it's website. It is designed for "Emerging Leaders." Webster defines "Emerge" as "To come out into view; to become manifest." This Doctor of Ministry Program is for younger leaders whose leadership potential is coming into view and becoming manifest. I think I remember some Bible verses about teaching young leaders who can teach others as well.

Third, Mr. Howse, you erroneously linked Leith Anderson and Erwin, stating that together they are launching the Doctor of Ministry in "Emerging Church Leadership." This is patently false. Erwin's cohort has been meeting since May 2005 and its focus is Entrepreneurial Leadership while Leith's cohort is beginning in July 2006 and is focusing on Equipping Leaders for Larger Churches. Neither one of these cohorts in our Emerging Leader program can at any point be linked with the Emergent Church movement.

Funny, for someone who takes such pride in biblical interpretation and proper hermeneutics, when it comes to creating a sensational story I guess a little eisegesis can be overlooked. Mr. Howse, if you are a man of integrity, you will admit your errors and formally apologize to Bethel University, Bethel Seminary as well as Alex and Erwin McManus. To hide behind the guise of an "opinion piece," as if that releases you of your personal responsibility for maligning the character of Bethel Seminary and our programs is flimsy indeed. If you are serious about wanting to be a protector of orthodox faith and practice, you might want to go back to your Bible and look up some of the verses on gossip. You might start with Paul's admonition to " ... Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear (read) them ... Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:29-32).

Mr. Howse, had you cared enough to contact me as the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program we could have enjoyed a mutually edifying conversation on this subject and you could have avoided writing gross distortions of fact regarding Bethel Seminary. My contact information is below should you yet care to act responsibly and contact me for an apology.

Sincerely in Christ,

Dr. Samuel D. Rima 

Secret #2 of Successful Revolutionaries

Another secret to being a revolutionary Christ-follower is to always give your best effort. Obviously, if we are living everyday as if it might be our last, we will give our best efforts to whatever it is God has us doing at any given moment in time. Paul was able to say, "I have fought the good fight." The words Paul's uses here for fought and fight refer to an athlete, most likely an Olympic athlete, who agonizes in the competition, every fiber of every muscle straining for the finish line. Most Olympic athletes know that they will likely never have the opportunity to compete in another Olympics, so they make the very most of the opportunity and give it everything they've got. It has been amazing to watch the winter Olympics and see St. Paul skier Lindsey Kildow experience two serious crashes, yet pick herself up to ski yet another event - that's giving it your best effort! We need to realize that every experience and opportunity we face, no matter how mundane it might seem, is a part of God's shaping and using us to advance his Kingdom. Revolutionaries make the most and give their best effort to everything they put their hand to.

Secret #1 of Successful Revolutionaries

One of the first secrets for being a successful revolutionary is recognizing and embracing the reality that life is short and uncertain. This is something the apostle Paul understood and embraced, which enabled him to live every day as if it might be his last. Having experienced numerous ship wrecks, stonings, betrayals, beatings and deprivations of every sort, Paul knew that if he was going to do something for God it had to be TODAY, because there might not be a tomorrow. As a result, when Paul neared the end of his life, he was able to say with calm and confidence, "The time of my death is near. I am being poured out as an offering ... I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished the course" (2 Timothy 4:6-7, Rima paraphrase). Paul was the kind of guy who "left it all on the field" and as a result God used him to turn the world upside down! I think sometimes we get stuck living in the "Someday Syndrome" where every day is filled with good intentions about what great things we'll do for God ... Someday. But revolutionary Christ-followers know that there might not be a tomorrow, so they live every day as if it were their last. We have no guarantees for tomorrow. I just read about Christian pianist Anthony Burger, who collapsed and died on February 23rd in the middle of a performance on a Christian cruise. David Bloom, up-and-coming NBC network reporter died unexpectedly while covering the war. He woke up one morning, walked out of his personal carrier to stretch and collapsed and died on the desert floor - no warning. My own nephew, Justin Rima, 18-years-old; had just won the Seattle International Film Festival for best short film, incredibly gifted and talented, fell sick in October and by New Years Eve he had passed away from a failed lung transplant. But Justin had been living like a revolutionary. He wasn't waiting for more formal education or special invitations. He was already writing and directing films on Teen suicide and family relationships that were making a profound difference in the world! Justin's example reminds me to live like a revolutionary ... like every day might be my last.

Revolutionary Reading

I recently finished reading Frederick Douglass's classic memoir, "Narrative of the Life of an American Slave," as well as Nelson Mandela's epic "Long Walk to Freedom." Both books are written by men facing absolutely impossible odds. The chances of changing either American slavery or South Africa's Apartheid astronomically low. These were deeply rooted social systems protected by the status quo and the existing government structures. Changing them would require nothing short of a revolution. Slavery and Apartheid could not be changed by simply tweaking the system! In spite of the impossible odds of success, both men saw these respective unjust systems outlawed during their lifetimes. But there is still much to accomplish in both areas.  Another area where I believe we need to see a metaphysical revolution take place is within the local church as we know it today. It seems like an impossible task - to cut ourselves lose from centuries of deeply ingrained attitudes and governance structures that have stifled the body of Christ. But nothing is impossible with God!

Leading the Revolution

This past weekend I spoke to about 100 college students and a few high school seniors at the Iowa Student Leadership Conference in Des Moines. The conference is an offshoot of the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. and is sponsored and hosted by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley and his wife Barbara. It is for college students who have been nominated to attend because of their current leadership and potential for future leadership. It was truly an inspiring and energizing event to be a part of. I spoke four times from Second Timothy on the theme of "Leading the Revolution."  I spoke about the need for leaders to live as revolutionary Christ-followers in our crumbling culture. Many of the students were interested in the Bethel Masters in Transformational Leadership and they wanted to talk about how best to make an impact for Christ in our world. Every time I spoke they were incredibly attentive and actively engaged; taking notes and tracking with everything I said. It was an honor to be with this group of students and so encouraging to see Senator and Mrs. Grassley interacting with these kids by leading a small group throughout the weekend. Our theme was taken from 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and I sense God used the time in a powerful way - at least I know He did in my life. After being surrounded by these students for the weekend, I am encouraged and excited about how God is raising up the next generation of leaders to advance His cause.

Revolutionary Love

I will never be a true revolutionary until I consistently experience and express a revolutionary love. Before I will be a radical and reckless revolutionary for Christ, I must be able to say with the Psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever." (Psalm 73:25-26) Until I can honestly echo this affirmation I will be conservative and hold back on being a radical follower of Christ because I will fear losing some of the things I presently desire. But when God is all I desire and seek; when there is no longer anything on this earth that I desire or am striving for, then I will be able to lay it ALL on the line to see God's kingdom advance on this earth. Father, this day empower me to love you with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength and to love my neighbor as myself. In Jesus Name!

One Dimensional Revolutionaries?

One of the essential characteristics for being a true revolutionary, it seems to me, is the ability to truly think outside of the box. Though we talk much about "transformational" leadership and institutional transformation, I am afraid that we often end-up merely rearranging the deck chairs on the proverbial Titanic! The reality seems that we often struggle to think outside of our present paradigms. We are so embedded or enmeshed in the current paradigm that we have become, according to Herbert Marcuse, one dimensional in our thinking. Rather than discussing and debating new paradigms, we spend our time debating changes to the existing paradigms. For example, rather than discussing the biblical underpinnings and theological assumptions inherent in the local church as we know it, we debate different "styles" within the current paradigm. I think this reflects our one-dimensional nature. To be truly transformational revolutionaries we must think more multidimensionally -- outside of the box!  Marcuse says that existing paradigms, by their very existence, perpetuate their own existence and, as a result, there "emerges a pattern of one-dimensional thought and behavior in which (new) ideas, aspirations, and objectives that, by their content, transcend the established universe of discourse and action (read that established paradigm) are either repelled or reduced to terms of this universe (paradigm). There is a certain centrifugal force that keeps pulling would-be revolutionaries back from the outer limits of new ideas, to the center of existing realities, so that in the end we simply find ourselves tweaking the status quo rather than transforming it. It's not easy to be a revolutionary ...

The Original Revolutionary

This morning I have been reminded that God is the original revolutionary. The American Heritage Dictionary defines "Revolution" as, "A sudden or momentous change in a situation," and a "Revolutionary" as someone, "Marked by or resulting in radical change; One who supports or engages in revolution." In my Advent reading this morning from Matthew 1 and Luke 1 it is clear that God truly turned the world upside down when he sent Jesus Christ into the world. Not just the means by which He came, but even the preparation for his coming was revolutionary! Reading the genealogy of Jesus this morning I was once again struck by God's revolutionary plan for the world. In Jesus' lineage are Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba - none of these women represent particularly bright spots in history, yet there they are in the lineage of the Messiah. Of particular note is Tamar, who posed as a prostitute in order to seduce Judah, which she successfully did. Judah then attempts to buy her silence unsuccessfully to cover-up his illicit behavior. When Tamar's pregnancy is revealed, Judah proceeds to act like the typical self-righteous religious person and demands that she be put to death for her act of prostitution, at which time Tamar reveals a few of Judah's personal possessions given to her as a pledge until Judah delivers the fee for his sexual encounter with the prostitute (his daughter-in-law).

Amazing! what is the likelihood that Judah would ever qualify to serve on a church board today? And yet Judah is blessed by his father, Jacob (Gen. 49:8-12) and made the primary ruling tribe among the twelve tribes. The tribe from which the Messiah would one day come. Obviously God does not hold Tamar and Judah up as paragons of virtue, rather as examples of humanity whom God has the power to redeem and use for His glory in spite of their fallen nature. God introduces into His revolution of redemption the power of grace, mercy and forgiveness. With the coming of Jesus, all bets were off and everything - I mean absolutely EVERYTHING - was turned upside down. Jesus was the most revolutionary Revolutionary the world has ever seen! It was God's (and Jesus') thoroughly unconventional means that caused people to sit up and take notice -- they intuitively knew there was something warmly and even frighteningly different about Jesus and His followers. What do they think about us? It is time for us to be Revolutionaries who are living the revolution for Jesus sake. What will you do?