Sense and Non-sense

WWII … Korea … Vietnam … Iraq Desert Storm … Iraq again … Iraq-Afghanistan … I rode the streets of Anderson, IN 65 years ago with Eugene Dawson and several other college students celebrating the end of WWII. Since that time we have been in at least six major wars plus numerous minor skirmishes, and off the record experiences like assisting Afghanistan (Osama bin ladin) in preventing Russia from defeating Afghanistan (under Bush 41).

Since WWII we have gradually let ourselves be dominated by a “corporate and military elite which furthers national foreign policies that make for war-proneness.” The people in authority and those who make foreign policy decisions have as their economic and political interest the development of a strong military posture by developing bigger and better weapons systems.

War-readiness is now regarded as an appropriate policy; we call it “national security.” Because of the huge allocation of money for military contracts, many in industry, labor, and the research community, we have whole regions of our nation that have become economically dependent upon huge military contracts. And that is considered “legitimate.”

This military elite also has access to a huge public relations and advertising budget which they use to elicit public support for their policies. One CBS program back in the 80s described “The Selling of the Pentagon“ and tried to demonstrate the presence and power of such a propaganda force in America.

Lest you think that mere tripe, consider the power and influence today of Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) on our college campuses, and the more recent move to establish Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp programs at the High School level. Or, consider those forces today that regularly influence you to support the Pentagon and its policies, all of which are oriented by definition to military solutions to problems.

Is this a problem? I believe it is. Once the public has been thoroughly propagandized by this militarist point of view, public opinion can be mobilized by politicians for their own political uses. The fact is, a peace-maker view today is considered unpatriotic. The Republican Party has in particular become the party of Military choice and the budget they protect most is “military spending and defense” although even our top generals now tell us we can’t win our present military engagement by military means! Even segments of the church, which should be the conscience of the country, now think so completely in military terms that they consider Jesus followers liberal, left-wing propagandists.

Have 65 years of wars and armaments brought us greater security? The last 65 years has brought us into a “military economy” that has a shortfall for infrastructure, for jobs etc etc. In fact, supporters of this continued spending pattern are denouncing the President as a “Socialist” because he dared to recognize the health needs of the citizenry (it takes a whopping 6% of our national budget, against 57% for total military causes.

General Ike warned us of this very situation in his second inaugural address some half century ago, but the tail is now wagging the dog and I no longer recognize the country I have loved all my life.

I believe there is a better way than using such an old and dilapidated theory of peace through violent means. It makes “sense” to use ethical principles of non-violence to create a peaceful and productive world for everybody; it is non-sense to repeat the same old failed policies of history.

From Warner’s World
Walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Who Owns Allah?

2009 carried a news story reporting the lifting of a ban on a Catholic Malayan newspaper. The Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry insisted the newspaper could not use the word "Allah" for God. Jeremy Reynalds, reported that nine days after imposing a ban on the Malay-language section of the Herald, a Catholic newspaper, Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs lifted the ban - but "mandated that the publisher must not use the word "Allah" for God in its Malay section until the matter is settled in court“ (Correspondent for ASSIST News Service KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (ANS, emphasis added).

Reynalds recognized this is serious political business, but does it not strike your funny bone that any government, whether secular, Islamic, or Hindu) can control use of the word and franchise God? Lawrence Andrew, Editor of the newspaper, told the news service the letter made clear that the conditions set out by the government in an earlier letter still stand: “The publisher must print the word "terhad" ("restricted" or "limited" in Malay) on the cover page of the newspaper to indicate that the weekly can only be sold in churches, and is meant for Christians only” (emphasis added).

The Malaysian government has continued to prohibit that publisher from using the word "Allah" as the Malay translation for God, and the Catholic agency finds it expedient to comply with the local law. On the other hand, thinking that anyone can legislate, or franchise, or control, the usage of the word for God is, as suggested, “as simplistic as the British Bus Driver who refused to drive the bus that had a statement on the side of it saying there is no God.”

When people refuse to recognize God, Jesus reminded them, the very rocks will cry out in recognition of Him. In what was called a biblical version of a soap opera of suffering and diagnosing of God, Job found himself with more questions than he could answer when God finally resplied to him.

Job found himself needing to answer a few questions like,
1. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?
2. Who stretched a measuring line across the earth’s foundations and measured it?
3. On what were its footings set and who laid its cornerstone?
4. Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?
5. What is the way to the abode of light?
6. Where does darkness reside?
7. Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?

Job did not have the answers, obviously. Truthfully, we know a lot more today than Job‘s generation. But, with all our scientific discoveries, we have a l-o-n-g way to go before we can either capture God, own the franchise, or control the usage of his name, authority, wisdom, or justice.

Whether one is a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu, or whatever else there may be, we have very little chance of buying God’s franchise or exercising ownership of the words recognizing him. Simply put, he is not for sale. He cannot be copyrighted, nor can he be controlled for personal purposes. God is beyond the legal options of mere humanity.

Worth noting is the thought that while Christians believe in a very different “God” than the followers of Mohammed, Christians have as much right to the word “Allah” as does Islam. Allah is merely the Arabic word meaning God and there were many Christians using that word in their worship predating Mohammed, until he determined to revise the story, settle some scores, and take up the sword, which he did successfully, by recreating God and using the sword.

Something to think about is that while Mohammed became a devout believer in a system of beliefs “about” God, he never experienced the grace of God and never developed any concept of a merciful God of grace and forgiveness. Nor, did he ever gain control of the franchising of the name of Allah/God.

Warner‘s World
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Socialized Murder

The word “Jehovah” means “Covenant God.” That, according to H. C. Heffren, is the distinguishing difference between Christianity and all other religions. That Covenant relationship is lacking in Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, et al.

It is true native Americans believed in a sort of animism. That is to say they believed everything had a spirit. If they went over some rapids in a river, they dropped something in the water to appease the spirit of the rapids. Then they could go and scalp somebody. Their religious offerings had nothing whatsoever to do with changing their lives.

This same principle applies to all religions other than Christianity. For example the people of India measure their length in the sand for hundreds of miles, and drink the filthy water of the Ganges, and perform all kinds of things to appease their gods, but they go back and live in the same state of degradation and spiritual darkness as before.

You can’t do that, however, when you come to the God of the Bible. Your belief changes your life. Walk before me, and my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me (Exodus 19:5). Jesus summed it up for a certain lawyer (Luke 10:27), offering two points that he said will thoroughly satisfy the demands of both the Law and the Gospel: 1) love God supremely, 2) love your neighbor as yourself.

The Pauline gospel (if you will allow me to call it that) affirms not a word from Paul but the words of Jesus (Galatians 5:14): For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF (NASV).

This is totally inconsistent with American political patriotism, which has given itself to theories such as “preemptive strike” and “just war” (used by Bush-41 to invade Iraq).

Although America spends 57% of its annual budget on military related agenda, and American military distribution spent 46.5% of the 2009 global distribution against 14.7 by the rest of the world, we continue to support military spending, knowing full well it cannot guarantee our security.

How do you define insanity, someone asked. The answer was, taking the same path and expecting a different result. War is the most insane of insanities, but we protect it as if it were divinity itself. The biggest defenders are those who make the most money from the production of weapons of war - “socialized murder“ (yet we abhor socialism).

From Warner’s World, we are
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Books Rather Than Bombs

STONES INTO SCHOOLS by Greg Mortenson, author of THREE CUPS OF TEA is a worthwhile read IF:

you are interested in promoting global peace;
if you are interested in reconciling broken relationships;
if you believe books is a better way to promote global harmony than bombs;
if you are interest in human relationships and knowing people better;
if you are interesting in learning more about the Afghan-Pakistani part of the world;
if you are interested in increasing harmony between Christians and Muslims;
if you enjoy good stories and a well written book;
if you are interested in better understanding Islamic culture;
if you have interest in knowing more about U.S. military involvement with the Terrorism in that part of the world and … need I go on?

If any one of the above is true, this is book for you to read (388 pages). I am fortunate to have a sister-in-law who spent her life in diplomatic foreign service married to a Foreign Service Officer who was a Government expert in Chinese Affairs. She reads endlessly, new books, and sends them on to us. Thus, my delight when I found STONES INTO SCHOOLS, having just learned of it online.

Mortenson heads an organization called Central Asia Institute, which has established some 145 schools, mostly for girls, in remote northern Afghanistan and Pakistan. This humanitarian effort focuses on building relationships, empowering communities, and educating girls.

THREE CUPS OF TEA tells how this ordinary American stumbled into his redirected life of humanitarian service. STONES INTO SCHOOLS picks up the story when Mortenson gave his spoken word and handshake - a commitment to a Kirghiz tribal leader who had heard of his work. Located in one of Afghanistans most remote and difficult areas in the Wakhan Corridor, it takes a dozen years to fulfill that promise of a school in this “farthest out” location, building other schools en route, in stair-stepping fashion, to reach his primary objective of fulfilling his promise to his friend in that “farthest-out” community.

The book is interesting reading and easy to read, well researched and filled with references and helpful information like numerous internet sites for further information (e.g., www.stonesforschools.com), a glossary of terms of less-understood words, even suggestions for taking further action.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Tom Friedman of the New York Times (a prize-winning author) both recommend it, and the Admiral offers it as required reading for soldiers under his command, to enhance their understanding of fulfilling their duties.

The book is a Penguin Group, Viking publication of 2009; it is available at bookstores, libraries, and places like Amazon.com. Trudy Robin of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Such acts of one individual can illuminate how to confront a foreign-policy dilemma more clearly than the prattle of politicians.”

I found it personally enlightening and certainly concur!
From Warner's World, I remain
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

You Think God Can't Use You ... ?

IF you ever feel like GOD can't use you, here’s a thought …
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer.. AND
Lazarus was dead!

Now! No more excuses!

From Warner's World, I am
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Singing Songs of Faith

One of the reasons so many people like to read the Psalms of the Bible is because they can find hope there. The writer of the sixteenth Psalm gives us an example. He saw a flicker of hope when he considered the nobility of people in whom God takes delight. He wrote, “As for the saints in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight” (Ps. 16:3 RSV).

The Apostle John concluded that “everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he [God] is pure (I John 3:2-3). William G. Schell penned a song of faith that I have sung for decades. As desperate as life sometimes seems, Schell reflects the audacity of the Christian hope: as followers of Christ, we look [by faith] beyond the circumstances of our mortality and we see a resurrection.

In that resurrection, we see life conquering death [eternal Spring]. As believers, our hope guides our faith and lifts us like a Boeing 767 high above the smog of hopelessness that we observe around us. Suggested Schell:

Blessed hope we have within us is an anchor to the soul,
It is both steadfast and sure;
It is founded on the promises of Father’s written word,
And ‘twill ever-more endure.
Chorus:
We have a hope within our souls,
Brighter than the perfect day:
God has given us His Spirit,
And we want the world to hear it,
All our doubts are passed away.1

Harold grew up in a parsonage, son of pioneer Church of God pastor-evangelist E. H. Arendt.. Like the Psalmist, Harold observed Godly people and noted their saintly lives. He saw how God blessed them. Filled with this “blessed hope” that Schell described so well, Harold chose the life of faith.

He worked his way to a solid education. He drove truck, then became a baker. He clerked in a grocery store and did piece work in a factory. He proved dependable and non-assuming and persevered to obtain his Doctor of Education degree, after which he invested his life in public education.

With quiet devotion, Harold poured his best years into his pupils and his faith. One day, a telephone caller informed him “I’m the boy who started the fire. I’m now a teacher in the public schools and I thought you would like to know that you are the one who inspired me to be a teacher.”

Harold remembered when their star football player admitted starting a fire in a box of shavings in the new industrial arts facility. Harold had, without fanfare, walked directly to the sink, filled a bucket with water, doused the flames and quietly returned to his desk. It came to light only when the troubled youth admitted “I had never seen you excited and I wanted to see what you would do when you were excited.”

Harold’s quiet consistency aroused that young student, inspiring him to become a teacher like the man he admired. Hope has inspired multitudes to new levels of living beyond themselves, filled with hope in the One who promises hope as “the way. . .the truth, and the life“ (John 14:6, NASV).

Hope began with our eternal beginnings. Hope inspires human hearts. Moreover, people are inspired when they see hope shining through the windows of a human life that is open on the God-ward side. As the songwriter said, “We Have a Hope.”
_____
1 William G. Schell, “We Have a Hope.” (Anderson: Warner Press, Inc., 1989), p. 727.

This is Warner's World and I am
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Our Common Water Rights

I grew up on Lake Michigan, accustomed to an abundance of water. I spent parts of my life living in West Texas and California where I learned to appreciate the value of water. I know what it is like to live in a city where motorcycles race on the bottom of the lake that supplies our water supply; I know what it is to endure water rationing because of being down to a 45-days supply (for 65,000+ citizens).

As an aside, the city where I currently reside is just recovering from the worst major oil pollution in history. I woke up smelling the stench and wondering. Later, I stood above the river at the doctor’s office and watched the flowing river contaminated with oil spill, observing its coating effects along the shore line. On the other hand, I visit our daughter in Winchester, KY. where a foreign (for profit) corporation owns the Winchester Municipal Utilities (water). When I found this op-ed, it was of special interest to me, as I believe it is especially essential to our future global relationships. I quote the author:

“I grew up in the water world. My dad worked for the water department in Dallas and served as director of Austin water and wastewater. He was the water readiness White House consultant in preparation for Y2K, served terms as President of the American Waterworks Association, and now volunteers his time building wells and bathhouses in impoverished Mexican border towns. It was educational always having the inside scoop on the local water world.

“I knew when areas of town were quietly asked to boil their water. I knew when environmental groups sent him personal death threats for daring to extend water service to the suburbs. I knew when requests from “Middle Eastern University Professors” for the full schematic of the city water system had to be reported to the FBI. And I always dreaded “take your kids to work” day if that was a day he was visiting the wastewater treatment plants.

“So it’s been interesting to hear him talk about the looming water crisis that he says no one in the water world has any clue how to fix.

“It’s World Water Week and the focus is on how to provide clean drinking water to people around the world. More than 1.4 million children die from drinking-water-related issues every year — clean water is a necessity for life. But even as the awareness of the worldwide need for clean water grows, few people realize the growing toxic menace in our own tap water.

“But the truth is that pharmaceutical drugs and personal care products increasingly are found in our water systems. Few or no discharge standards or monitoring systems currently exist to regulate these items. But trends occurring in local rivers and lakes — fish dying, mutating, or changing sex en masse — have sparked scientists to look into what is actually in our water.

“The culprits — drugs and medical wastes, contraceptives, anti-depressants, blood pressure medications, antibiotics, perfumes, musks, soaps, cleansers, sun screens, and thousands of other chemicals now manufactured for human use and health care. These are chemicals our water works systems don’t test for regularly and so they aren’t removed from our wastewater. But they are impacting our world in a big way.

“We think we are “getting rid” of those old pills we flush down the toilet, or we don’t care about the hormones we pee away. Maybe if we thought about it, we’d assume that these things are removed by wastewater treatment plants. But there aren’t even systems in place to test their presence in our water, much less federal standards regulating their levels. So into our local waterways we pour antibiotics and endocrine inhibitors causing superbacteria to breed and schools of fish to literally change sex (leading to no more baby fish).

“Then we return this water to our treatment plants where these chemicals are still not dealt with before they return to our drinking water. We are exposing ourselves to low levels of antibiotics, Prozac, and estrogen on a regular basis. And the health implications are only beginning to be understood. What happens to young boys who are raised on a cocktail of estrogen? What about people suffering from blood clots for whom hormone therapy could equal death?

“Solutions are difficult. Drug and cosmetic companies lobby hard against any regulation of their products and dispute any studies showing possible harmful effects of these chemicals. It would be impossible to restrict people from dumping pills down the toilet, or from merely using the toilet to eliminate their chemically laced bodily wasted. Testing standards would require the government’s involvement (which the lobbyist are fighting against), and developing treatment plans would cause the cost of clean water to skyrocket. (And just fyi, bottled water has all the same problems.) So you can see why the water world fears this impending crisis.

“We promote charity causes to help dig clean water wells in other countries, but our very affluence has turned our own water into an untreatable toxic mess. The world water crisis is scarier than we think.”

Julie Clawson obviously gives us something to think about (03-26-2010). She is the author of Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices (IVP 2009). She blogs at Julie Clawson.com; emerging women.us; as well as at Sojourners on the Faith and Justice Conection.

There is abundant and accurate information available for everyone willing to take the time to look for it. It is a bigger issue than tree huggers. It will not be resolved by calling such writers Scare-bears, theological leftwingers, or closet socialists. It is an issue that ought to capture the attention of Christians interested in being good stewards of our global resources.

May we all take more interest in conserving clean water and may we never allow private interests to buy up our common water rights!

Walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

The Marketplace

Just ran across this, a quote from a better writer than me (George MacLeod):

"I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap; at a crossroad so cosm opolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek ... at the kind of place where cyniocs talk smut, and thieves curse, and the soldiers gamble. Because that is where he died. And that is what he died about. And that is where churchmen ought to be, and what churchmen should be about."

Some people read my blogs and comments and think "man, you sure are opinionated." Wow! Well, when you read my opinions from Warner's World and elsewhere, know that behind those opinions about so many political issues, church matters, people perspectives, et al, this is where I stake my claim and fly my flag. This is where I come from and who I am ...

At warner's World,
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Runaway Military Spending

Associated Press, Monday, June 2, 2008; Page A03
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On leave from the violence he survived in Iraq, this young Marine was so wary of crime on Cleveland streets that he carried only $8 to avoid becoming a robbery target. Despite his caution, Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, was shot point-blank in the neck during a robbery at a bus stop.

Feeding and breathing tubes kept him alive 4 1/2 months, until he died of an infection May 18, 2008. Marines provided an honor guard at his funeral at Sacrificial Missionary Baptist Church and carried the casket to his grave at Western Reserve National Cemetery near Akron. He was buried there the same day as a Vietnam veteran, two from World War II and three from Korea.

Two men were charged in the attack. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said officials were reviewing the case to decide whether or not to seek the death penalty. “It is an awful story," said Alberta Holt, the young Marine's aunt.

Crutchfield was attacked Jan. 5 while he and his girlfriend waited for a bus. He listened to the commanders' warnings that Marines on leave might be seen as a robbery targets with pocketfuls of money, so he carried only $8, his military ID and a bank card.

"They took it, turned his pockets inside out, took what he had, and told him since he was a Marine and didn't have any money, he didn't deserve to live. They put the gun to his neck and shot him," Holt said.

Ean Farrow, 19, and Thomas Ray III, 20, both of Cleveland, were charged in the attack, police said.

I do not in any way justify this dastardly deed by these two young men, whose lives are now irreparably ruined except for the grace of God. I know so many just like them and this story illustrates a problem we have. America is not yet a “police state” but it is a profitable “military economy”--unnecessarily.

Neither do I justify our making America a military economy. Note for example: the Global Peace Index 2009 attempts to rank nations on various indicators of peace. The ten nations listed most peaceful were: New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Austria, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Finland, Slovenia (and Japan’s PM is currently apologizing for the agonies caused by the Japanese in WWII). Don’t see us, do you?

The United States was listed as medium - neither “very high” nor “very low.”

U.S. Military spending has forged upward since 1998 (if not earlier, says Chris Hellman: “The Runaway Military Budget: An Analysis (3-06). Since 2001 it has surged from just over $400 billion to almost 900 Billion 2010 dollars ($700 billion congress approved for 2008 and $126 billion pending before house & senate (at time of reporting).

The Global Distribution of Military Spending as of 2009 was (percentage of global spending):
United States - 46.5%; rest of world, 14%; next ten combined, 20.7%, and
Russia, 3.5%,
United Kingdom 3.8%,
France, 4.2%,
China, 6.6%.

Chris Hellman who writes on such matters for the government noted that with inflationary adjustments the 2007 request for military and nuclear “exceeds the average amount spent by the Pentagon during the cold war, for a military that is one-third smaller than it was just over a decade ago.”

Yet, some legislators want to peg our military spending to our Gross National Product, regardless of need or purpose. As an aside we note that Osama bin ladin likes to take lots of credit for the Afghan resistance to the Russian invasion, but he could NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT “great Satan” friend turned enemy (U.S. Military Complex).

”I can think of few subjects “ wrote Hubert Humphrey (Forward of 2nd edition of World Military and Social Expenditures by Ruth Sivard) “that should be of deeper concern to all humanity than the problem of how to restrain the world’s military colossus and turn the race for arms into a race for peaceful development.”

To the respected Senator, may I add,
Especially…
when our military continues to add to “overkill” capabilities that are not needed.
Especially…
when those military expenditures are robbing the budgets of the poorer nations of the world and leaving them without adequate funds for taking care of their own vulnerable and impoverished.
Especially…
when our Industrial Complex gets fatter and our middle-and-lower income peoples are doing without needed basics more and more.

From Warner’s World, What does it say about our national priorities when fully 57% of our national budget is devoted to systems of violence, agression, and military might? Yet, some charge socialism because Health and Human Services gets 6%.. How absurd!

I am walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

42 years Married

Derl Keefer became my friend in the early eighties when he accepted a call to pastor First Church of the Nazarene in Three Rivers, MI. Currently Derl serves as District Superintendent for the State of Wisconsin Church of the Nazarene. Today--8-16-08--is Derl and Karen’s wedding anniversary--42 years. They have a ways to go to catch up with me, but they have a good chance of making it, of that I am sure (I have 63 by the grace of God).

Derl shared this sermon outline with me once. He will recognize it and know that the end comments are mine. He called it “Building a Strong Marriage“--Luke 6:46-49 and writes:

As I travel to work daily there is a new house under construction. I’ve watched it being built from ground level. The foundation was dug and tons of dirt was taken away. Concrete, building timbers and all the other construction materials began to resemble a structure that looked like a big home. It is a work in progress, but it is going to be a beautiful home of about 4,500 square feet.

A marriage is a work in progress. Constructing a marriage that lasts a lifetime takes a lot of building material to make it strong and beautiful. We need to build on the solid rock of life and not on the sands of time. Some of those building blocks are:

I. Experience.
A. Experience builds Confidence
B. Experience builds Trust
II. Encouragement.
A. Strength individually
B. Courage together
III. Energy
A. Action planning Together
B. Accomplishing Together
IV. Endurance
A. To carry through despite hardship
B. To not yield despite hardship
V. Enthusiasm
A. Is inspired by God
B. Means totally Committed to one another

I suggest it takes a few years for any couple to develop experience and find the encouragement and energy to endure. Beyond that, it takes enthusiasm, which as Derl knows, has do to with “en theos - in God” or life in God. As he says it means inspired and filled with God and it means total commitment to one another (sometimes it takes a while beyond the purely physical enthusiasm to develop that bond of character).

Marriage is more than a flash fire of enthusiasm and youthful energy. The net result of his five E-words is a solid house on a firm foundation, filled with character and inhabited by grace-filled people. Blessings on you, Derl and Karen, and may you take pleasure in The Father's smile of affirmation. And may your example firm up the foundation of faltering marriages wherever you go. Communities across the country are out of kelter because of damaged and weak homes and we take courage from examples like yours. Know that we love you …

From Warner’s World, you are
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

"Peace Doesn't Buy Much"

Having worked for Larry DeShazer in Portland, Oregon in 1948-49 I have always been fascinated by the story of his brother, Jacob DeShaser, which follows.

On April 18, 1942, Army Corporal Jacob DeShazer boarded a bomber plane with his pilot, Lieutenant William Farrow, and a co-pilot, navigator, and rear gunner. Their mission was to bomb Tokyo and its surrounding cities. When the mission was accomplished, they were to land in enemy territory, elude the opposing forces, and await further instructions. The bombing was a success, but they never received word as to where they were to land. With fuel running low, Lt. Farrow gave the order for his crew to jump. DeShazer landed safely, but was taken prisoner by ten Japanese soldiers shortly thereafter. His life was spared, but he was tortured ruthlessly before receiving solitary confinement in a filthy prison camp.

DeShazer remained in captivity for almost two years, struggling with starvation and illness. After one of his fellow prisoners died of dysentery, Japanese authorities increased the rations of food and allowed the prisoners to have reading material, including the Bible. Because there was only one Bible, DeShazer had to wait six months to get his turn with it. Finally, when his turn came, DeShazer read the Scriptures over and over again. Though raised in a Christian home, he had never accepted Christ. On the final day he was allowed to have the Bible, he read Romans 10:9 once more, confessed his belief in Christ, and begged for forgiveness. DeShazer had been converted to a follower of Christ.

Immediately he realized this demanded changes in his life—both while in a prison camp and beyond (should he ever be released). In an article on DeShazer's life for Today's Christian, Elsie J. Larson shares what happened next:

Bad habits and attitudes don't just go away when a person accepts Christ. One day after the exercise period, DeShazer's guard hurried him toward his cell, shoved him inside, slamming the door on DeShazer's foot. Instead of opening the door, the guard kicked the prisoner's foot with his hobnailed boots. DeShazer desperately pushed the door until he could free his foot. His mind blazed with rage. However, Jesus' words came to him: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them, which despitefully use you."

Nursing his foot, DeShazer wished for a while that his mind would go blank; instead, all the Scripture God had helped him memorize flooded into his mind. Calming down, he decided, God commanded me to love. What a wonderful world it would be if we would all try to love one another. I'll try.

The next morning was the test. DeShazer greeted the guard respectfully in Japanese. The guard gave him a puzzled look and said nothing. Every morning, the prisoner offered friendly greetings and received no response. Then one morning the guard walked straight to DeShazer's cell, and spoke to him through the door. He was smiling. DeShazer asked about his family. From that time on, the guard treated him with respect and kindness, and once even brought him a boiled sweet potato. Another time, the guard slipped DeShazer figs and candy.

A year after his conversion, in June 1945, the Americans were transferred to a prison in Beijing (Peking). Conditions were worse than in Nanjing (Nanking). DeShazer nearly died of starvation and disease, but he grew spiritually. Like the prophet Daniel, he knelt and prayed diligently.

On August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, DeShazer woke up about 7 A.M. and was impressed to pray for peace. At 2 P.M., the Holy Spirit told the prisoner, "You don't need to pray any more. The victory is won." DeShazer thought this was a better way to receive world news than waiting for a radio report. Immediately, his thoughts turned to his captors. Wondering what would happen to the Japanese people, God gave him the answer: he was to eventually return to Japan and teach them about his Savior.

In 1948, Jacob DeShazer returned to Japan with his wife, Florence, as a missionary. By that time, Army chaplains had distributed more than a million tracts containing DeShazer's testimony titled, "I Was a Prisoner of the Japanese." Thousands of Japanese people wanted to see the man who could forgive his enemies. In his first few months in Japan, the former [bomber] had spoken in two hundred places. Soon he, with his wife Florence, helped Japanese Christians to establish churches.

Although the church planting was going well, early in 1950, DeShazer longed for a revival for Japan. He fasted 40 days, praying for the salvation of the Japanese.
A few days after he ended his fast, a man came to his home and introduced himself—Mitsuo Fuchida, flight commander of the 360 planes that attacked Pearl Harbor. After reading DeShazer's testimony, Fuchida had purchased a New Testament, read it, and had accepted Christ. DeShazer welcomed him as a brother and counseled him to be baptized. Within a short time, Fuchida became an evangelist, preaching in Japan and all over the world.

In 1959 a dream came true for DeShazer when he moved to Nagoya to establish a Christian church in the city he had bombed. Because of one shared Bible, the man who first came to [bomb] Japan…returned on the wings of a dove to spread the "peace that passeth understanding" in that country for the next thirty years.
Condensed from Today's Christian, © 1997 Christianity Today International.

As I see it, peace does not buy much these days. It seems that $2.4 trillion of the global economy is dependent on violence, according to Global Peace Index, referring to “industries that create or manage violence” - or the defense industry (bold added).

As Jorn Modslien admits, (“The Purchasing Power of Peace“, BBC, 6-3-09), Military might delivers geopolitical supremacy, but peace delivers economic prosperity and stability. And that, the report insists, is what is good for business (bold added).

Sickeningly immoral but true … From Warner’s World
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

NO Mosque ... Until ...

This week President Obama gave his belated support of the NYC mosque near ground zero. I supported his policies in general and have minimal quarrel with them. However, I will stand in direct opposition to his advocacy for the mosque, believing his statement only clouded the issue.

Like the President, I believe in America’s freedom of religion policies, with our separation of church and state. Because I believe all human beings are created in the image of God, I believe all humanity deserves respect. Consequently, I accept Muslim people just like I do everybody else.

I believe in freedom of religion, as I said, but I also demand the right to worship God in ways I believe pleasing to him. The question of the mosque is a thorny conundrum and may not be resolved for years to come, even if accepted as legal.

Personally, I believe it is a political positioning to gain public acceptance, which I believe is undeserved. Through the centuries Islam has conquered repeatedly--(conquered - converted) by the sword, which is just one more reason America maintains separation of church and state.

Neither the Church State nor the State Church are legal in the U.S. That was part of the struggle of the Protestant Reformation vs. Rome. The Orthodox Catholic church is still the State Church in Russia and has legal powers to prosecute Pentecostals and other Christians that challenge their status. This is little different than Pakistan where Islam rules as a Church State. Protestant Missionaries in that country are frequently killed, imprisoned, or otherwise abused because the Muslims claim the Christians blaspheme Islam and Allah by their very sharing of the Christian gospel.

In our earlier days, Roger Williams went to Rhode Island and established the Baptist denomination because it was not allowed where he lived previously. Those were times when denominations fought one another. If memory serves me right, Maryland was opened up to Roman Catholics, who were not tolerated in other states. Non-Christians were frequently persecuted, as were Quakers. Areas of Pennsylvania finally became a haven for Quakers.

In other words, our separation of church and state was so that Christians and non-Christians, as well as differing Christian denominations, could all stand on equal ground without interference. It was not freedom FROM religion but freedom OF religion (or no religion), without any superior Church state (Vatican) or state church (Anglican Church or Germany‘s Lutheran Church) having superior legal standing. All are free to worship according as their group understands.

I accept that. Moreover,I appreciate the wisdom of our forefathers in preparing the way. I can accept the worship of Allah, on that basis (I too believe in one God and do not object to the Arab word for God--Allah). However, the general consensus seems to be that the followers of Allah do not allow me to worship according to the dictates of my conscience; the only reason they presently accept us in America is because they are legally bound by our separation of church and state.

The problem is an internal problem for the members of the Islamic Faith; it should not be our problem.Their rules of conduct allow for Sharia (religious court); historically they have conquered by the sword, crying “death to the infidel,” meaning decapitation or conversion for us non-Muslims. There is no place for this in American life, although British Courts are already compromising the freedom of Christians.

Thus, I conclude that for myself I will continue to disagree with building a mosque at grand zero, or any other place for that matter, until Islam rejects Sharia, the sword, and terrorism. They can call me an infidel, but I see them as a cult of violence. When they cleanse the hatred, hostility, and violence of terrorism from their forms of religious faith, and will discuss conversion rather than decapitation, then I will be agreeable for them to worship according to the same privileges by which I enjoy freedom of worship as an American.

I harbor no animosity toward anyone. As John C. Calhoun once said, I look up to no man, or down to any man. If this is not acceptable to them, they should not be here, no matter how much better the economics are.

from Warner's World, I am
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Where Was God?

Paraphrasing something a friend said, our uniqueness in the Church of God is found in what we teach and believe and not in our history.

Now that may offend some but I believe it is true. We spent so much time digging out the uniqueness of our history and our calling that we isolated ourselves from the greater history of what God was doing all the time.

F. G. Smith wrote a book in the early 1900's called "Revelation Explained." In it he gave his rationale for the prophetic calling of the Church of God into existence. The congregation where which I grew up is just 8 miles from the Smith’ homestead and members of his family attended our services. As the “Church of God” we were sure enough that we were right that we had little intercourse with other churches in town; they were of Babylon.

The Church Prophetic interpretation of Smith & Company gave our Movement a strong sense of destiny, strong enough to lead me into 60+ years of ministry, but it contributed to our further isolation from the larger Christian community. It fueled the doctrine of "come-outism," which only helped to further isolate us for more than two decades after Smith's book. It continues to infect us in negative ways in some quarters yet today.

The frustration I, and others, have with this approach is that our history is more deeply connected on a far greater level with what God was doing throughout the history of the church, especially into the late 1880's. I find it interesting that about the year 1560 Dietrich Philips, a Mennonite, preached a sermon of considerable merit entitled “The Church of God. It constructively reacted to the confusion and miscalculations of the Munsterite Anabaptists (also denounced by Luther) and vigorously affirmed the Apostolic church.

Jeff Frymire wrote a paper at Fuller noting the strong connection between our history and the Second Great Awakening that began at Cane Ridge, which he wrote about on his blog. Jeff suggested, and I believe him, that our own history found further expression in the revival movement of Charles Finney (D. S. Warner attended Oberlin College during Finney’s latter years and was obviously influenced by him).

These connections place us squarely in the middle of the great Holiness revival of post-war America. The movement of the Holy Spirit at Bangor 1883 was the same kind of experience that occurred at Cane Ridge, KY. The message of Holiness and Revivalism was the same message as Finney preached - all of which changed the face of America--literally.

As part of the Church of God, we were in the middle of all that--part of a larger movement, but not the center of it. God did in us, through the revival of the nineteenth century, only what he was doing in others. How exciting to be part of God’s greater movement! That is far more important to our puny existence today than trying to find a dubious interpretation of scripture to somehow fortify our existence.

As I read Patrick Nachtigal’s latest publication, Mosaic, he made me understand just how much our church family has grown, and how diverse and multicultural we are in 2010 (Mosaic, pp. 286-87). These are not code words for liberal socialism and other such political imageries, they are expressions of growth and spiritual change (Thank God! We are no longer so lily white and anglo-American).

It all means we still have unfinished business--what God was about all the time: 1) inviting people to follow Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life); 2) and, calling people to Kingdom living, under the sovereignty of The Almighty.

It could mean we have some repenting of our own to do, for getting sidetracked in peripheral issues of self-interest. When we get through repenting, perhaps we will be ready to return to the mission God launched when he sent his “only begotten” some two millennia ago …

From Warner’s World,
this is walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

The Worth of Publishing

D. S. Warner succeeded as an itinerant evangelist, but had he not joined the spoken word with the written word, there would be no Church of God Reformation Movement today.

Former Editor Harold Phillips--Miracle of Survival/44--pointed to Warner’s role of pen-preaching: “he wed them into powerful instruments for the spread of the truth to which he was committed.” That marriage produced a people that was no people. Volunteers became “flying ministers” in voluntary cooperation until they became successful publishers as well as viable reformers!

The printed Gospel Trumpet became a variety of in-house curriculum materials consumed by the growing church. To sustain this ministry, GT Co. developed the large retail business we remember--greeting cards (Sunshine line), worship folders, books et al. After 116 years, Vital Christianity (Gospel Trumpet) expired and the company downsized under Church of God Ministries.

E. E. Byrum, put Amos Radabaugh on the road early selling the books they published. Byrum & Company grappled with the need for subsidizing publishing needs, knowing the reformation was not financially sustaining itself. They developed and sold more products than the Movement could buy, to subsidize church publishing needs. God blessed. The church grew. The Publishing Company thrived. But, attitudes changed!

That 1971 audience at the Anderson School of Theology Lectures failed to grasp the significance of the question when T. Franklin Miller asked, “In this closing decade of our first century as a movement, [h]ow do we see the future of the use of literature? . . .In the last three or four years , several large Religious bodies have found it necessary to discontinue publication of their official journals and magazines (emphasis added), some of which were in Publication for many, many decades (“Projections”/11/1971).

Miller pressed his point: “What do we see in the future of the publication of VITAL CHRISTIANITY And the Church of God? How do we see the future of book publications? Are the destinies of our church’s publishing house to be determined by whatever attitude we take toward freedom of independent action and loyalty to the movement?”

Editor Phillips cautioned readers. Editor Newell reprinted an editorial from the 1928 GT with this suggestive title: “Voluntary Cooperation or Disintegration.” Reformation Review later reprinted that editorial again--peeking into our past--without comment.

For my part, I heard and made a few complaints over the years: “They sell Holy Trinkets!” … making “gobs of money” … taking advantage of the church … Agency in-fighting … salary rivalries like common CEO’s. Some pastors complained that the General Assembly made for useless business meetings - a “waste of time!” I never thought God’s business a waste of times, but … what do I know?

Intentional Bible-based “cooperation” replaced practiced voluntary “disintegration.” Free-wheeling independence reigned supreme. Freedom of choice was in. Institution was out. We lost our passion for Publishing our message. We lost sight of how the Publishing House filled the that launched and nurtured us for those first 75 years. No longer appreciating the sacrifices of our elders, we ignored the benefits to our children, youth, families, congregations, outreach, et al.

National reorganization produced more efficiency on our bare-boned skeleton, but we only swapped one administration for another. Our legacy lasted this long because D. S. Warner followed his commission from God to proclaim unity and holiness--spoken and written, and because others of us volunteered--sacrificed--gave until it quit hurting.

Our 20-20 rear view is better but, our foresight is still self-centered and non-visionary. Can we fill our niche in God’s world without correcting our failures? Can we fulfill our mission without the passionate publishing that birthed us and now attempts to proclaim--minister through supplementing individual and congregational witness? Consider the contract D. S. Warner wrote out to God, December 13, 1877:

In signing my name to this solemn covenant I am aware that I bind myself
to live, act, speak, think, move, sit, stand up, lie down, eat (underlined
twice), drink, hear, see, feel and whatsoever I do all the days and
nights of my life to do all continually and exclusively to the Glory of God.

He would wear nothing but what honored God. He would have nothing in his possession or under his control but such as he could “consistently write upon ‘Holiness unto the Lord.’”

It might help us if we wrote out our contract with God, but we might need to revise it to “Whatever it takes” … may we again become the committed global fellowship that our Lord envisioned.

We still have Chog Ministries, we still have a mini-sized Warner Press, we have Reformation Publishers, and we have numerous State Papers (which we don't utilize as well as we could). We have more methods of communication than anytime in history. Our world is a global neighborhood--wired online. We need the best of online communications as well as the best of printed publications. Will we today use what we have as well as our forefathers used what (little) they had … or, will we fail in our mission?

The printed page may not compete time-wise with online publications, but there is a real need for the printed page--if we have the passion. Without it, we will neither restore the “move” to the Movement or be prophetic. It is a great time to be alive; but, it is up to us!
_______________
* For a detailed account of our publishing history, read Steven V. William’s Religious Publishing and Print On Demand, available at Reformation Publishers, $20.

From Warner’s World, this is walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

For What It Is Worth

The father of a wealthy family took his son on a trip to the countryside for a week. Intending to show his son how poor people live, father and son spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what could be called a rather poor family.

Returning home from their trip, dad wanted to know, “How was the trip, son?”
“Great, dad!” replied his son.

“Did you see how poor people live?” asked the father.
“Oh yeah,” said his son.
“So,” asked dad, “what did you learn from the trip?”

“I saw that we have one dog and they have four,” replied the son. “We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

Dad was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me just how poor we are.”

For what it is worth, this is Warner’s World … walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Code Words for Socialist Sympathizers

Political conversations and considerations are causing me to look closer into the Old Testament and consider some of the teachings there regarding issues of poverty, treatment of the poor, immigration, et al. With some of that idling in the corners of my mind, verses from Exodus 22 created something of a stir for me.

V21 (RSV): “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (sounds to me like we are to treat strangers and others as we want to be treated).

V22: “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot . . .”

V25: “If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him: you shall not charge him interest. (26) If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. (27) For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.”


Those verses started me searching further. In the center column references I found the following for immediate reference; so I pursued them.

Leviticus 19:33 and 25:35 - And if a stranger sojourns with you in your land; you shall not mistreat him ... And if one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. (36) Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.”

Deuteronomy 10:19 - “Therefore love the stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Zechariah 7:10 - “Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.”

Malachi 3:5 - “And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and the fatherless, and against those who turn away an alien--Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.”

You expect the Bible to judge sorcery and adultery, and even lying (perjurers), but to equate them in the same sentence with those who exploit workers, widows, the fatherless et al, may surprise some religious and political pundits.

It is easy to find support for social justice in the words of Jesus, but it may surprise some of my Christian friends to learn that Jesus was only upholding the standards from throughout the Old Testament. It is true, the Old Testament said an “eye for an eye” but that was to insure justice rather than to punish.

It is also true that the Old Testament social system allowed for special provisions that covered many of the needs commonly found in our Welfare safety net today (read the story of Esther and Naomi), but space does not allow discussing that here. It is also true that Jesus lifted the bar a notch with the word love.

So, when Glen Beck and others define words like tolerance, social justice etc as mere code words for Socialists, Communists, and other nasty liberals of that ilk, I conclude that one of two things is true. Either they do not know what they are talking about, or they oppose the teachings of the Bible.

From Warner’s World, we are walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Forgiving Others

You might think that everything necessary to our understanding of this theme has already been written, but Six Stages of Forgiving Others offers a fresh, as well as timely, approach (Georg Karl, Pleasant Word, 2009, $12.99).

The author begins on the streets of his hometown of St. Joseph, MI. (24 miles south of my hometown) experiencing the brutal murder of his close chum, one of that community’s outstanding young Christian leaders, the son of the pastor at First Baptist Church. Is it possible to forgive such a tragedy without being disabled by crippling anger?

Such experiences shape our lives around the globe today, encompassing personal issues, broken marriages, angry relationships, as well as centuries of conflict between feuding Middle-eastern nations that keep the globe in turmoil. The author observes the family of the victim--wounded parents--picking up the pieces and finding God to be as good as His Word and life worth living.

With that powerful example, the author pursues the meaning of forgiveness, our need to forgive, and the problems involved. He concludes Section One with the divine possibility of forgiveness.

Section Two works through what he calls the six stages of forgiveness: willingness, ability, the decision, action, overcoming, and re-labeling. Re-labeling gave me some new insights to think about.

Section three concludes the book with four chapters under the heading of "HELP FOR THOSE WHO FORGIVE." Obviously, this author, a pastor of 21 years (Vincennes, IN), believes strongly in God. Equally strong is his conviction of the ever-present workings of God in our day-to-day lives, who brings joyful and grace-filled living. Undergirding this life is the truth revealed in the Bible.

I endorse this book because I believe forgiveness is a timely subject, although global affairs tell me the problem is as old as Adam and Eve. I found George’s writing style easy for me to follow in all but a page or two.

Some of his two-liners I found especially compelling: “Our failures are chained to us until we are released by forgiveness” (10). “Forgiving each other, much like ministry itself, is dependent upon God’s achievement” (44). Preemptive forgiveness is God’s nature, in which people are called to participate” 100).

I liked the way he frequently sorted issues by juxtaposing them: “People are blessed by forgiving and cursed by revenge” (27) “Forgiveness is not an innate human capability but a divine possibility” (41). In addition, he gave me new understanding with contemporary terms like “preemptive forgiveness,” which he suggests is what Jesus practiced, and that makes it our standard for Christian behavior.

Six stages of forgiving Others is found under the Pleasant Word Label. Author Georg Karl has served in fulltime ministry since 1981, with 7 1/2 years as Associate at West Court Street, Flint, MI, and the past 21 years as Senior Pastor at the Church of God in Vincennes, IN. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University and the Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, IN. I number Julian Karl, Georg’s father, among my longtime Warner Camp friends.

The book is available from numerous online discount bookstores like Amazon and Wine Press, as well as The AU bookstore in Anderson, and local book stores like Parables in St. Joseph, MI. Of course, you can always order it directly from the author for $12.00 + $1.50 shipping: Georg Karl, 1408 East St. Clair Street, Vincennes, IN 47591.

Reading this will fortify your inner life, help you build stronger relationships, and ultimately bring what I see best described in that Hebrew word Shalom.

From Warner‘s World, we are walkingwithwarner.blog spot.com

Mission with a Church

Here is a brief review I copied from Jesus Creed blog by the miracle of the computer; it speaks for itself. Michael C Thompson blogs at Grasshoppers Dreaming and reviews this book by Reggie McNeal. I add a concluding remark.

Sitting at a recent church conference at which Reggie McNeal was the featured speaker, I remember this excited and humor-filled preacher unapologetically declare, "The church doesn't have a mission; the mission has a church." I knew immediately that what he had said was right, and that it would require a paradigm shift for most leaders and congregations in Western evangelicalism.

The truth of the matter is that church simply isn't working according to the plans and strategies of the Western world, even though we are "doing church" better today than ever before. The explosions of faith that are happening (and they are happening at staggering rates) are coming in places like Africa, India and China. Pentecost is still being actualized in our world, even though it is lost within much of our own borders.

It is on this state of affairs that former pastor, speaker and church consultant Reggie McNeal offers Missional Renaissance. In one sense this is a follow-up to his book The Present Future (2004), where he begins to challenge the church culture of our modern world. For many church leaders that book articulated much of what they themselves were feeling about the church. Now, McNeal wants to push the conversation further with an investigation on what it means for the church to become missional rather than institutional.

Let me say this outright: This book is a must-read for Jesus-Creeders. It is a natural follow-up to the concepts which are laid forth in the continual command of loving God and loving others, and sees the external movement of God on every page of Scripture - making biblical exposition necessarily linked to kingdom work. In McNeal's own words, "The missional movement understands that both truth and love must be present to reflect the whole heart of God for people" (32). Demonstrations of the gospel must now take precedence over proclamation of the gospel in order for our culture to grab hold of it.
The book itself is structured around A Missional Manifesto (Chapter Two), and then three paradigm shifts which emerge from the concept of a missional church. After each of the three "Missional Shifts" there is a subsequent chapter which challenges church leaders to "change the scorecard" of what it means to be successful in this new era of being the church. These chapters are important, for they provide a natural and necessary link to what missional church ideology might look like when manifested in the local congregation.

The Missional Manifesto of Chapter Two is McNeal's description of what a missional church looks like. Admittedly, there is some difficulty in providing an adequate explanation for a movement which is defined only by the limitless bounds of the Holy Spirit, but McNeal's attempt is a good one: ". . . the missional church is the people of God partnering with God in his redemptive mission in the world" (24, emphasis in original). This way of thinking is particularly challenging for those of us who have grown up in church, and who retain certain particular ideas of what church should look like and how it should approach its mission. However, it is clear that such an approach has not yielded the fruits of the kingdom, more often leading to communities which wait for the world to come to them than taking the gospel into the world. (Remember, Jesus said we would still be in the world.)

The first "Missional Shift" is From an Internal to an External Focus (Chapter Three). Here McNeal challenges the church to envisioning the church as something that people go do once a week to something that believers embody in every moment (44-45). He goes so far as to summon congregations to "quit evangelizing" (47) - a semi-tongue-in-cheek statement intended to shake our understanding of what it means to reach people with the kingdom. The goal of this shift is to move from congregations that are "attractional" to "incarnational" (49ff.).

The second "Missional Shift" is From Program Development to People Development (Chapter Five), which probably scares most church leaders to near-death. Simply explained, McNeal posits that our current attempts at church limit the opportunities of engagement and spiritual growth, by 1) limiting the opportunities to grow (only one hour per week for Bible study), 2) limiting the availability to serve (only church activities are using spiritual gifts), 3) limiting engagement with God (worship gatherings being overly focussed on watching faith being done by the 'ministers'). This desperately needs to change into a development of people for kingdom work.

The third "Missional Shift" is From Church-Based to Kingdom-Based Leadership (Chapter Seven). One of the big questions which McNeal raises here is what would happen if pastors moved from being "Directors" who are project managers to "Producers" who coordinate and provide opportunities for others to engage in kingdom work (139-141). Again, I can think of many pastors and church leaders who would shudder at the loss of control and prominence in their congregations. But, doesn't that reaction help prove McNeal's concerns as valid more than not?

At the conclusion of Chapter Seven, McNeal offers a section of "Frequently Asked Questions" in which he briefly responds to many issues and concerns which he repeatedly hears as he interacts with church leadership. I will admit that I have some of the same questions in my mind . . . and a few of the same concerns. Yet, the vibrance and vitality of the type of church which he describes, modeled with the same Spirit which was unleashed on the first believers and still demonstrated in places around the globe, cries out to the longing soul that there is something more for the church. There is something greater for the people of God who want to see the mission fulfilled.

One of McNeal's introductory points is that "God doesn't postpone his mission, waiting for the church to 'get it'" (36). The work of the kingdom was ongoing before we started holding our congregational meetings, and it will continue on even though all of our church lie dusty and empty. The unpredictable and unstoppable Spirit of God continues to move forward, and is not waiting for our modern evangelicalism to figure it out. Thus, appeals the author, we have to change our focus and get on board if we want to participate in this reality. When the church gathered together in Acts 15 to make critical decisions for the community, it wasn't as if the Spirit of God paused and waited to see what was going to become of the Gentile Christians - the kingdom moves and we must constantly struggle to keep up (what a tremendous struggle that would be, right?).

Thus, while there might be some finer points of theology and exegesis which we could examine as we pulled this book apart, it appears that McNeal has a solid grasp on what Scripture is summoning from the people of God. Simply, this is because he works from the foundational step of loving God - loving others as the key to biblical wisdom and devotion. Perhaps there are questions and scenarios which he will not be able to answer, nor will his thoughts about church fill in all of the gaps that exist in a world of unending possibilities. But rather than provide us with a methodology or programming that yields great promises of ecclesiastical proportions, he desires to see the church become the people of God that experience the wild imagination of his Spirit at work in the world he made and has promised to redeem.

I did not hear him but I know Reggie McNeal led a workshop at our North American Convention a while back. As I read this, I thought to myself, if we took this very seriously as a Movement, we would not be having discussions about matters like autonomy and such. We would be seriously exploring more effective ways of achieving God’s mission in this broken and fragmented world.

From Warner’s World, we are walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Wikileaking Afghanistan

Wikileaking Afghanistan: Disaster Is Not a Good Thing, But Knowing About It Is by Nathan Schneider

The leak represents no less than a historic act of civil disobedience; consisting of 92,201 U.S. military internal records, this is the largest leak of classified material in history.

While people make a political football out of this story, I suggest this a good thing because it further exposes the inhumanity of supporting war as an acceptable means of political and social development. The United States, in policing the world, has produced the CIA and all kinds of ngo special forces that perform all kinds of deeds, some of which are no better than the enemy they are trying to defeat. Our citizenry is often made party to crimes at hand, without having any choice in the matter.

I am sorry if it produces loss of life on the part of our military forces, or of the Afghan people. We need to help them help themselves, but we ought not to be complicit in unnecessary, immoral, and otherwise wrong actions taking place.

As citizens have a right to freedom of information. America is not yet a dictatorship, or a police state. If we continue in the direction we have been heading for many years now, we shall soon be a politically-controlled police state led by the Pentagon and the war industry complex.

From Warner’s World, we are walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

A Model Pastor

While at camp meeting recently, I spoke with Andy Hannich and Kurt Pudel. Kurt is a young German, raised at St. Joseph MI. He is a successful business man, devoted layman and part-time publisher in Alberta. Andy is a native German who emigrated here a few years ago to pastor the Washington Avenue Church of God in St. Joseph.

I talked with these men, both much younger than I, about the strong German influence in the Church of God Movement. A person not often thought of that way is Dr. Albert Kempin, the man under whom I sat during my first year of Bible College in Portland, OR. 1948. Fellow student Bill Neece calls him a good role model for young preachers-to-be.

A. J. Kempin pastored among many of our early generations.
He wrote widely--five books, numerous tracts, and free lancing resources. He served as an editorial contributor to Gospel Trumpet Company for four decades--1920s-l960s. He remained popular and in-demand doctrinal writer, as well as frequent contributor to our curricular resources.

Dr. Kempin pioneered in educational studies.
Otto F. Linn was our first Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, but Kempin joined Aubrey Forrest and other young Movement leaders in forging ahead educationally. He overcame his early educational shortfall, worked his way through a Bachelor’s Degree (Temple and Taylor Universities), a USC Master‘s degree, and a doctorate from East Los Angeles Bible Seminary, where he taught for two years

Later, he taught part time at Pacific Bible College in Portland, and served on the committee that established Arlington College, CA, (now Azusa Pacific University),. He was the founding Dean at the Arlington school.

Albert Kempin devoted his best years to pastoral ministry
Albert became a premier pastor in some of our earliest urban churches, areas we frequently failed to reach adequately. He became a pastoral leader in the classical meaning of the word “pastor.“ He possessed a sterling character, he earned a quality education; and he remained a cultured gentleman, always comfortable with urban life.

Although urbane and at home among scholars, parishioners found Albert comfortable, gentle, authentic, genuinely gregarious and real. People of all ages loved Albert, yet he left a large legacy as a “friend of youth.”

Pastor Kempin modeled good pastoral relations
His personal papers reveal correspondence with an elderly couple writing their former pastor and confessing their obstinate hostility toward him during his years with them. In spite of the difficulty of those years, and the shattered pastoral dreams resulting from the unwarranted opposition, the true shepherd’s heart graciously accepted their confession and gently led the process through true Biblical reconciliation for all concerned, including the congregation.

Although I had been in that congregation, and had an acquaintance with that couple, I never knew of the distant relationship until I read the letters--a true pastor with a pastor’s heart. He truly loved people.

A.J. Kempin exemplified the best in Church Ministry while mentoring others.
Albert Kempin modeled ministry for others. He mentored leaders like Harold Phillips and William C. Neece. Going to San Diego First in 1931, he found a young Sunday School Superintendent that helped him triple that Sunday School. That young man later relocated to Anderson, IN. and became Editor in Chief at Gospel Trumpet Co., Dr. Harold Phillips.

Pastor-Evangelist, Wm. C. Neece, knew of Dr. Kempin as a teen and met him in Portland. Dr. Kempin invited Neece to Portland to study at Pacific Bible College, and helped him line up a West Coast evangelistic schedule. Today, the elderly evangelist reveres Kempin “as one of the most outstanding, and scholarly preachers, I have ever known. His sermons were rich and deep--packed with helpful information.”

Throughout the life of Albert Kempin, he remained a person “called to preach!”--passionately and purposefully. His sermons and writings were primarily doctrinal in nature: filled with hope, anchored in Scripture, and applicable to life. Deeply in love with the Church of God, Kempin nonetheless modeled a highly visible ecumenical ministry--purposefully practicing what this Movement long proclaimed only verbally.

Young Albert became one of five living children born to Albert and Johanna Kempin. This German-Lutheran couple emigrated to Philadelphia from Villainous, Lithuania when Albert was a small boy. One day, his mother walked past a church building. She heard lovely music and walked inside. From then on, their lives centered in the High Street Church of God (German). At eleven Albert heard his call to preach. Two experiences later enabled him in following that call: his confirmation at 14 and his conversion at 18.

He began pasturing at Camden, N. J. at 24. He met Mary Schiele at Boyertown Camp Meeting and they began a lengthy correspondence. On June 14, 1927, Albert and Naomi married and moved to Williamsburg (NYC). They later spent 4 years in Lansdale, PA. Their “move West” in 1931 led to their lifetime of Church of God ministry up and down the West Coast, and to the Church of God.

Referring to young Daniel in one of his books, this statement captures the passion with which Albert and Naomi Kempin ministered to-and-through the Church of God reformation movement: “If a person has grown mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and in experience, he can keep his feet on the ground while he towers above his fellows in service” (Daniel for Today/47/bold added).

Daughter Naomi resides in Portland with her retired husband. They worship and work with Ray Cotton at Portland’s Hope Community Church; Naomi will read these lines with a great pride (she cared for her father during his final invalid years and knows the church loved her parents).

From Warner’s World, we are walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

Business as Usual ... ?

Everyone knows the Church of God Reformation Movement began, at least in part, as a reform toward church unity, and as a reaction away from stifling denominational bureaucracy. Patrick Nachtigall suggests “as with the early pioneers, nobody in ministry today really wants to be part of an inflexible bureaucracy” (Mosaic/111).

In an interview with Ministries Council Member Bob Moss, Patrick shares Bob’s suggesting we no longer have a real sense of mission (one you could write on a 3 x 5 card in a sentence). Moss claims the best recognized voices of the Movement have gradually fallen quiet, like the demise of the Gospel Trumpet magazine, the voice of the church. Patrick surmises, “But as the movement grew, so did the spirit of autonomy.”

There’s that word “autonomy.“ It catches my attention when Bob Moss declares “At the General Assembly level is where I see disengagement at its worst” (Mosaic/113). I have observed that since entering pastoral ministry in 1951. I observed inadequate and distorted information (to say the least) disseminated to the General Assembly. I‘ve watched disengagement by fellow pastors who went to Anderson but complained that “GA was only a business meeting,” and skipped it and spent their time visiting (failing to represent the congregations that in many cases paid their way!

As a pastor, I often heard this libertarian (anarchical) view expressed in relation to GA budget items, especially Global Missions. I suggest the reason we have the current missionary support system that we have is because too many pastors felt it their right to pick and choose what they wanted to support and ignore. Many withheld support of institutional agenda (like Pensions for example), although it benefited them it was NOT “foreign” missions. Pastors were not happy when their favorite projects didn’t receive enough. Of course, the churches followed their leaders accordingly.

I have observed such bickering for decades--anti institution pick-and-choose. THEN, we streamlined our national organization. We tightened and shrunk it to minimize competition and turf wars developing through the years (we wanted to be lean and mean). We appointed a Chief Administrator to oversee and rally us together, but note what happened.

The first Administrator didn’t please enough people; he was too far out, too liberal, too expensive, too visionary; too something; now we have a man elected to a position nobody in his right mind would have. When he listens to us and attempts to draw us into conversation regarding our covenantal relationship as the Body of Christ, we interpret that to mean he is “making us a denomination ” and if things go too far “I’m out of here!”

We insist that “we are an autonomous body,” (and we are if you mean we have no Bishop telling us what we believe and how to behave as congregations etc). But, if you consider our core teachings on “unity” and the church as the “Body of Christ,” what did Paul mean when he portrayed us as a body interrelated to each other, with many organs but one body? We may not practice Methodist Connectionalism, but neither do we believe in total autonomy.

I am not yet convinced that “Anderson” fully understands their obligations in two-way communications; it usually seems pretty much one way--theirs, even if they listen. On the other hand, neither do I view “Chog Ministries” as a mysterious controlling entity that is determined to transform us into a denomination, tell us how to divide our monies, and determine how much we must give in support (if they are, they just as well forget it, for it will never happen). My experience is that “They” are only trying to help us (all of us) do what we need to be doing mutually as the Body of Christ.

No one in Anderson is trying to denominationalize, nor are they wanting to tell us how much our cooperative support must be. Under the Mind of Our Lord, we are NOT AUTONOMOUS organs (that would be suicide) - we are MUTUALLY INTERRELATED AND INTER-DEPENDENT. Ed Foggs tried to help us understand this for twenty years before he retired.

I do believe “Anderson” BADLY HANDLED the building of Warner Auditorium, the demise of Warner Press, and the debacle at Church Extension, although the church itself never accepted its full share of blame. As for Patrick Nachtigall’s book, Mosaic could be summarized in a couple of points. 1) As long as there are lost people with broken lives that God loves, we have a mission to fulfill (not our mission, but God’s mission according to John 3:16). 2) As long as there are people living unhealthy and unholy lives, and existing in brokenness and dividedness, we have a message of holiness (wholeness) and unity to share with them--until Jesus comes.

Christ said he would build his church, so that is not our job, but we have a heap of kingdom living to live up to. While we work at our structural relationships for facilitating our work, let us give thanks for progress made and give heed to Paul’s admonition: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19, KJV).

Even if we maximize our engagement, there is still little danger that we will run out of the Lord’s work before he returns. However, I don't see us acting as if we realy are on mission; it is too much business as usual.
From Warner’s World, this is walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com