The Medium is the Message

This post just received the coveted, "Longest Post in this Blog" award...

In the Colorado Rockies a couple of years ago while hiking with my then 7 yr old son, we found ourselves in the middle of a stream trying to navigate our way back to our family. At one point our trail divided with one way being noticeably more difficult to hike than the other. I asked my boy which way we should go. Not hesitating, his eyes lit up as he pointed toward the more demanding path and said with confidence, “This way, cuz it’s harder.”

I’ve been on a different kind of hiking trip the past couple of years. After a long stint in church planting I arrived at a point where the path was divided. Though I’m still unsure of whether I chose the harder or easier way, the path I chose was in a direction away from an intense local church ministry and more in a direction where I’ve spent time (not like as in “did time”) in lots of different churches preaching or leading worship. These churches range in size from the modest to the mega. All of them have good, well-intentioned people. (Not including the days that I was at their church.) All of them are effective in one way or another. Many of them are very similar to the kinds of churches that I have planted in that they are very contemporary. As I’m beginning to notice some common denominators I thought I would share them. I will simply tell you what I see and hear. Believe me, this is not directed at any one church or denomination. I hope this isn’t judgmental. I hope it is making a judgment. (There is a difference. Not to suggest that I’ve never been judgmental!)

Bottom line: The more churches I visit the more I realize we are less and less wrestling with heart-formation and more and more obsessing over how to market(i) ourselves.

The Medium is the Message
In his prescient observation of media and culture over 40 years ago, Marshal McLuhan(ii) appropriately coined the phrase, “the medium is the message”. In other words, the way in which something is communicated says as much or more than what is being communicated. The way many growing, contemporary churches are communicating (i.e. stunning graphics, upbeat bands, hip clothes, awesome productions, etc…) says that church should be relevant, that the gospel should be contemporary and contextualized. I’m a proponent of being a student of the culture. I think great effort should be made to come up with a medium that contextualizes. I get that. I’m on board. But the scales are in danger of being tipped. Over-contextualizing leads to positioning, posturing and marketing. I don’t think that’s the business we’re in. I’m left in some cases to wonder whether we have decided that the strategy to reach our media-savvy generation revolves around packaging a cool, hip religious experience rather than life transformation through Jesus Christ.

Why Market a Cool, Hip Religious Experience?
Possible answer one: So, we can emulate the cool, hip, and successful churches… which, of course, is nauseating. (Both the emulating and the jagged pill-of-a-word, “successful”.) Success seduces. Caught up in accomplishment it becomes nearly as difficult for us to discern our errors as it is for a bird to discover impurities in the air that it flies in. We fly faster and faster while we slowly choke on the pollution of our hearts... our motives… our agendas.

Possible answer two: So, that the world thinks we’re normal. We seem to have the perspective that if we’re cool, trendy and ultra-relevant then the world might want to be like us. This is, of course, seriously misguided.

Possible answer three: We’re unsure how to communicate about deep issues such as holiness. The simple introduction of the word evokes all kinds of different responses. (i.e. You mean sanctification? Rules? Perfection? A continual growth toward God or your one timer? American Holiness or Wesleyan? Etc, etc…) And so we’re skittish to even discuss it.(iii)

Possible answer four, closely related to number three: It’s easier to package some microwavable, anecdotal information(iv) than it is to wade into the mystery of heart-formation. And that’s what this pursuit of Jesus often is, a mystery. It doesn’t happen overnight, which doesn’t make it particularly easy to package. It’s really not systematic, despite lots of classes with the word systematic attached to the description. The truth is, at times it feels less like aiming at an actual clear target and more like swinging at something under water. How do you market that?

The Long Apprenticeship of Holiness
Here’s what Eugene Peterson says, “There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.”(v)

The long apprenticeship of holiness is the cure to our self-aggrandizement. The long apprenticeship of holiness collides with us at the corner of image-management and who we really are. It redirects our attention away from the external, peripheral, marketing issues deeper into the “inclination of the soul” issue. This apprenticeship, or more accurately finding Jesus in the apprenticeship, is not easily quantified by powerpoint(vi) on a 3-point, fill in the blank sermon, or a 3 part series. If so we probably wouldn’t be referring to it as the “long apprenticeship”. The long part should give us a clue as to what we’re dealing with, namely our impatience and reluctance to struggle with the classic disciplines and concepts of the faith. Concepts such as Humility, Doing the inconspicuous with conspicuous passion, Serving, Obedience, Depth, Sustained suffering, Truth, Intentionality, the Spirit-filled life, Delayed gratification, Submission and others. Most importantly, the reality that as the Holy Spirit helps us deal with these issues that authentic, real interior heart change is possible!

A New (Old) Approach
So, where does that leave us? Can a relevant medium and holiness co-exist? Yes, I believe so but only when the former is subordinated to the latter. The relevant medium, the way we communicate (i.e. marketing, stunning websites, graphics, cool, hip, environments, etc…) must be the servant and not the master. So, while I’m disappointed in how easily we get caught up with peripheral issues, after time, I realize this disappointment is the hunger that drives a leader to go deeper and forge territory with a new (actually 2,000 year old) perspective. A perspective that reminds us that putting the emphasis on the exterior might manage an image but it will not transform a soul. This is a great day to be a fresh, authentic, revolutionary leader reminding our people it’s not what’s on the outside that makes us clean; it’s what’s on the inside. (Seems like that should be in the Bible somewhere.)

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(i)Not marketing as in the buying and selling of goods in a market place. Marketing as in advertising or positioning. It doesn’t have to but often this leads to an emphasis on the external or peripheral.

(ii)I’ve not read McLuhan exhaustively but enough to know that he’s almost as insightful as he is difficult to read. I found this website to be a good general introduction to McLuhan.

(iii)But (big breath) I would rather be in a church motivated by the Spirit, seriously wrestling with the concept of holiness and all its ramifications and possibly making a mistake or two in semantics than listening to the cold-hearted-theologian who would dot every “I” and cross every “T”. Truthfully, I’ve come to believe that articulating holy living isn’t supposed to be easy. Good grief. Holiness is not a campaign slogan. It’s an epic novel. It’s not a walk in the park. It’s a scaling of the highest peaks. (That last sentence is something I heard Tom Noble of N.T.S. say more than once.) My friend, Leon, says, “Pastors don’t preach it (holiness) because they don’t understand it. Congregations don’t demand it because it’s too pricey, but neither do they understand it. The natural consequence of the lack of discipleship programs in the local church is dwindling crowds, which in turn result in another committee with two sub committees that must try to analyze why and how the church should be positioned in the community.”

(iv)Which does your church emphasize, information or formation? Information leads to things like modifying our behavior. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but I don’t think that’s the goal of the NT. Dallas Willard says, “What sometimes goes on in all sorts of Christian institutions is not formation of people in the character of Christ; it's teaching of outward conformity. You don't get in trouble for not having the character of Christ, but you do if you don't obey the laws. It is so important to understand that character formation is not behavior modification.” Dallas Willard interview from Christianity Today

(v)pg# 16, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society

(vi)Just so I don’t date myself, I haven’t used powerpoint in years but I know it’s the universal word to imply video presentation of any kind. When I say Media Shout or Pro Presenter just doesn’t sound as clear. Then again, in retrospect this whole endnote is an attempt to impress you with my knowledge of video presentation software… see…? I’ve got issues…

PeaceMakers

Blessed are the peacemakers...

Not blessed are the peace keepers...

Making peace has always been harder than keeping the peace.

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If heaven were to do again,
And on the pasture bars,
I leaned to line the figures in
Between the dotted starts,

I should be tempted to forget,
I fear, the Crown of Rule,
The Scales of Trade, the Cross of Faith,
As hardly worth renewal.

For these have governed in our lives,
And see how men have warred.
The Cross, the Crown, the Scales may all
As well have been the Sword.
Robert Frost

Giving

One of my favorite authors, Eugene Peterson writes in his book Run with the Horses,

"Giving is what we do best. It is the air into which we were born. It is the action that was designed into us before our birth. Giving is the way the world is. God gives himself. He for any of us. We are given away to our families, to our neighbors, to our friends, to our enemies - to the nations. Our life is for others. That is the way creation works. Some of us try desperately to hold on to ourselves, to live for ourselves. We look so bedraggled and pathetic doing it, hanging on the dead branch of a bank account for dear life, afraid to risk ourselves on the untried wings of giving. We don't think we can live generously because we have never tried. But the sooner we start the better, for we are going to have to give up our lives finally, and the longer we wait the less time we have for the soaring and swooping life of grace."

And in a seperate but related issue... world hunger crisis

Judgments

Author, Ann LaMott says, “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”

In the church one of the more difficult things to do is to pass judgment on something or someone without coming across judgmental. Much of the reason why it’s difficult is because you cannot control how the other person will react. You can have all the pure motivation in the world but it may not stop them from receiving it wrongly. Tension from this kind of interaction can be so strong that it causes many people to shy away from any kind of perceived judgment call. Which at times is understandable but as a whole is unfortunate. Reading Dallas Willard recently reminded me that we cannot give up the important discipline of discerning motives, choices and ramifications of those choices in others to simply avoid being perceived as judgmental. So, how do we talk about the issues without attacking someone’s self-worth? Here’s one thought to keep in mind… Recently Pastor Mike Breaux of Willow Creek Community Church reminded me of what I’ll call the ‘flow of authority’ that is,

Authority
Accountability
Acceptance
Affirmation

When you’re subordinated to someone else you will often be subjected to his/her authority and because of that you will be accountable to provide something. If you provide something then you may be accepted and if you do it long enough you might receive affirmation. (But really, the bottom two are optional in the way it normally works in our society. Even in the church!) Now think about how Jesus viewed subordinates… radically different! In fact for Him, in almost every situation, it worked just the opposite. Initially he affirmed, then accepted, then held people accountable and finally called on their obedience in light of His authority.

So, which way does it flow for you? Do you demand respect because of your authority? Or do you approach it as Jesus did?

What I’ve learned, painfully sometimes, is that in those relationships where I approach people the way Jesus did… in a reverse ‘flow of authority’… I’m much more likely to be able to speak into their lives without hurting them or ostracizing them. It is not easy. It takes practice. It’s tense sometimes. But you will be healthier when you attempt to live in truthful, grace-filled tension because of sound judgments rather than forgoing them altogether. Now, even if you do that well it still wont stop some people from labeling you as judgmental. At that point, all you can do is to commit them to God, love them and not to relegate them to some kind of sub-class of humans that surely God hates. If you’ve already done that then read the Ann LaMott quote again… and start over.

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Branding Christianity

The outside is something of European glory
With steeples, bells and angels holy
The inside is old and barely swept
With years of tear and miles of debt
(this is a poem i wrote a few years ago. maybe it fits for the subject of this blog)

Well, I know I’m not the only one but I am completely and totally frustrated with yet another story involving a minister/quasi-political figure caught in a scandal. My frustration is not so much with Ted Haggard himself* as it is with the whole ‘system’ we currently find ourselves in. (i.e. the media, politics, preachers, etc…). I’ll just get straight to the point: I don’t like the idea that by virtue of me being a Christian I am generally lumped in with the current ‘branding’ of Christianity that is so often portrayed. This really isn’t an attempt to speak from any position of authority or to point fingers in judgment. It is an attempt to give voice to the concerns that I have and that I know many new believers have about this situation. Oh boy, buckle up… four things at least… The key players in this ‘brand’ often appear to be more concerned with:

A. Conforming to external standards rather than living an authentic life. Put another way this group is failing to “walk the talk.” And it’s embarrassing! When we value authenticity we say, “Hey, I’m messed up without Jesus as well. I don’t have all the answers either. And because of those things I’m not going to pretend that I’m better than I am… or better than you are.”

B. Legislating morality rather than pursuing inward purity. In many cases now Christians are perceived to be people who spend their time imposing rules, laws and belief structures on others. Look, legislation is not inherently bad and I hope we have good laws but c’mon, the world will not know we are Jesus-followers because of the great laws we impose. They will know we are Jesus-followers because of our love. Didn’t Jesus talk more about the internal than the external? Wasn’t that a major point of contention between himself and the religious leaders of his day? One more question: What if we took all that time, money and energy that went into passing new laws, boycotting new products and issuing statements and put it into striking up honest, humble dialogues with our neighbors? There are no amounts of laws that we can pass that will make us more moral.

C. Power rather than serving. Why do we continually fall into the trap of thinking that power comes from the rich, those in the media, those who are ‘connected’ with the politically ‘in’ crowd, etc…? To try and answer my own question a bit, I think in part we do this to influence our society. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it continually comes off as being like Jimmy Terp. (Jimmy Terp was in my grade school for several years and was a pretty nice kid except he was so smart he had to win every argument. He even tried to tell me that he knew more about snakes than I did when we were in the 2nd grade! Can you believe the audacity of the guy?) That’s what the current brand of Christianity looks like to the world – the kid who is so arrogant that he thinks he knows all the answers. And worse, he won’t stop until he wins at any costs. This is called, “winning the battle but losing the war.” When will we remember that those who are “last are first”, that “unless something dies it cannot come to life” and that it’s okay to lose an argument? (When’s the last time you heard any preacher/politician admit to that?) Yes, it’s counter-intuitive and it feels like we are being hammered to death at times but Christianity is an anvil that has worn out many hammers!

D. Belief rather than passion. Oh, boy, I feel strongly about this one. Christianity is weakened when it is defined only by its doctrines, statements and bylaws. The first believers were called “people of the way” not “people of the set of beliefs” or “people who believe this and that but not that or that”... It was “people of the way”. Put simply the way of Jesus is a better life. Please don’t misquote me here – beliefs are important and they serve a purpose. Without beliefs we’d be lost but the new brand of Christianity frequently gets ‘the cart in front of the horse’. (The old stumbled at this point also as any look at the history books will tell you.) When belief structures receive supreme billing eventually walls get built up. I think it’s safe to say that the average media-watcher around the globe is now under the perception that Christianity is about ‘wall building’. Rob Bell, author of Velvet Elvis, says it better than anyone when he asks, “What do we do with walls…? We defend them.” He goes on to say that a better perspective may be of a trampoline. Because what do we do with trampolines? We jump and we invite others to jump on with us. Jumping on trampolines is scary and fun. You never quite know how or when you are going to land. It’s much more difficult than building walls. As believers the great majority of our time shouldn’t be going toward defining and defending who we are… a great majority of our time should be saying, “Hey, come on and jump with me. Let’s learn together.”

In summary, if you are reading this blog and you are not a Christian… you’re probably smart enough to know this already but don’t get caught up in the current branding going on in the media… If you want some direction, purpose or freedom… or if you just want to dialogue… find someone who subscribes to some of the aforementioned points, who is humble, who is willing to admit that a relationship with Jesus is the focus and not a religion about Him.

peace,
j

*Officially, and unofficially for that matter, I will say that I am deeply saddened for the Rev Haggard and for his wife, family and church. It’s amazing how someone in so much of a public spotlight could take such a fall but the truth is between the lust for power and the deceptiveness of sin nothing really shocks me anymore.