An Interview with Bruxy Cavey

Nov 11, 2008
bruxy_cavey

Bruxy Cavey

By Joel Black
OK, so here is my first post at Eclectic Christian (other than my self-introduction).

The original interview is posted at Irreligious Life but I am more than happy to share it here because it is SO good.  Bruxy is the teaching pastor at The Meeting House and the author of The End of Religion.

I.R.: Let’s begin with a fun question. Tell us in one sentence or less what you have learned from the following people:

Bruxy:

N.T. Wright: We must be vigorous to understand Jesus in his Jewish historical context or else we will tend to project our own ideals into his teaching.

Homer Simpson: Somebody other than God really understands me.

Brian McLaren: Gentleness and Respect really do look good on a person.

Your wife Nina : Brains and beauty really can coexist. (And/Or… Good humour needs no secondary justification. It is self-justifying. Laughter is just good.)

Your best friend (Greg): The simple life is the good life.

Modandas Gandhi: Jesus’ teaching should be taken seriously.

The Dalai Lama: Smile!


I.R.: Here are some questions about your book.

What is the book about?

Bruxy: Jesus.

I.R.: Why did you write this book?

Bruxy: I’m not one of those people who have always wanted to write a book. To be plainly honest – I hate writing. But I love Jesus, and I want to do my part to get his message as wide an exposure as possible. At our church, The Meeting House (www.themeetinghouse.ca), we felt together that it could be useful to gather up some of the teaching we’ve been processing over the years and make it available in book form. Some people will learn about Jesus best by being invited to a lecture. Others will learn best in dialogue. Others will read a book. So I was commissioned by my church to write The End of Religion as a tool for our church to use to help better communicate the message of Jesus

I.R.: Who did you write the book for?

Bruxy: There are lots of books written to Christians about how to explain the Good News of Jesus to their non-Christian friends. I wanted a book to function as a bridge-builder between Christians and non-Christians; a book that was addressed directly to non-Christians yet which Christians could also read and be challenged by.

I.R.: What do you hope is the outcome for writing this book?

Bruxy: My hope is that The End of Religion can function as a kind of meeting place for people of diverse spiritual backgrounds to come together and talk about this central figure of history and his radical spirituality. I have already received wonderful feedback about how this is happening in book clubs and other venues and it does my heart good to know the book is being put to such good use.

I.R.: In the book you talk about the “Water and Wine Scandal.” Jesus’ first public miracle at the wedding in Cana is an illustration of how he undermines religion. Can you give us another example from Jesus’ life where he undermines religion?

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off | church life | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by IrreligiousLife

Introducing Joel Black

Nov 11, 2008

Joel Black

Joel Black

Hi, I’m Joel Black and I started blogging at IrreligiousLife to provide a place for all of us to learn together how to follow Jesus. I have five children (4 boys and 1 girl) and my oldest is 5 years old!  They are great kids and I am so proud of my family.  I enjoy playing sports and am a beginner triathlete. More importantly, and more relevant to the conversation here at Eclectic, my wife and I are continually readjusting our lifestyles and re-evaluating our lives as we try to follow Jesus. My work as a “church planter” in Japan and my own experience as one whose life aim is to follow Jesus has forced me to think a lot about the Christian church. Most of what you will see from me here on this blog will be taken from books I am reading and from conversations with my wife. We are enjoying this journey together even though we are not always on the same page.  We often do end up on the same page eventually but that also is part of the joy of our journey.  I am looking forward to joining in the conversations here at Eclectic Christian as well!

The title for my blog, IrreligiousLife, was taken from The End of Religion: Encountering the Subversive Spirituality of Jesus by Bruxy Cavey (which I highly recommend) . . . and inspired by Bono who once said:

“I often wonder if religion is the enemy of God.

It’s almost like religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building”

1 Comment | Eclectic Christian | Permalink
Posted by IrreligiousLife

Halloween: A Beautiful Picture of Grace

Nov 7, 2008

By Tim Melton
halloweenWell Halloween has come and gone and I am grateful that this year I heard far less “crazy Christian Halloween talk” than I have heard in previous years. Maybe it was the distraction of the coming presidential election that kept most American Evangelicals from thinking about the horrors of Halloween, but this year I didn’t hear anyone talking about burning Harry Potter books, or praying against Satan, or dressing their children up as Bible characters.

This year, instead of absenting ourselves from a “pagan” holiday, our church had a community festival. That’s right. On October 31st, All Hallows Eve, Surfside Presbyterian Church had blow-up games and dunking booths. We gave out candy and had a box maze and a pie eating contest and all kinds of kids and parents came and dressed up like princesses and superheroes and some even dressed up like monsters. It was a great time for all and a blessing to our community here in south Myrtle Beach. I thought it was great.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I don’t know why really. It just has. My childhood memories are filled with bags of candy and Charlie Brown’s “The Great Pumpkin”. I loved it…and I still do. As a matter of fact, out of all the American Holidays, I think that Halloween may be the best at exemplifying the Grace of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at it.

On all Hallows Eve, people disguise themselves, dress up like monsters, and go up to a door with an empty bag. They knock on the door and hold out the bag and a neighbor opens the door. The person smiles and says, “Wow, you’re scary! Who are you? Are you a Vampire?” The little kid nods. Then the neighbor laughs and gives the child encouragement, and pours candy into their empty satchel. Doesn’t that sound like the Gospel? It does to me.

The Gospel says that we are all evil monsters who have nothing to offer anyone. We are poor and empty and hiding, walking around begging for someone to fill our empty hearts. Jesus moves into our neighborhood and bids us come in to sup with Him. We knock on Christ’s door and He opens up His home and His heart. “Wow, you’re scary! Who are you supposed to be?” Jesus asks. “I’m a Vampire. I’m a Witch. I’m a Monster,” we say behind our masks. Then Jesus fills up our hearts with the Grace of God, not because we deserve it or because we’re cute, but because we really are monsters and desperately need what He has to offer.

That’s why Halloween is a great picture of the Gospel. It’s a picture of me going to Jesus. Empty, desperate, hiding, and receiving gifts that I cannot buy and love that I cannot earn. That’s why, at my house, we call Halloween by it’s appropriate name – “Grace Night: A night for monsters to come out of hiding.” For years, this is what I have taught my children. They don’t know that Halloween is a night for “pagan Satan worship”. They think it’s a night to worship Jesus. A night to remember the Grace that we have been given and a night to give Jesus thanks for welcoming Vampires and Witches and Monsters into His loving arms. And all we need to receive His grace is a beggars’ desperate posture.

So next year, when October 31st rolls around, be sure to dress your worst and go door to door begging for candy. Just remember, it’s not Halloween. It’s Grace Night. Don’t forget to bring an empty bag.

2 Comments | Halloween | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Tim Melton

What Of This Kingdom of God?

Nov 6, 2008

by Joshua Hearne

He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
(Luk 13:18-22)

So what do we do with this?

The Kingdom of God slips in the back door when you’re not looking. You turn around and it’s not there. It’s always in that place where your eyes don’t go. Always eluding your definition, analysis, and explanation.

The Kingdom of God is that imperceptible something that produces evident and clear fruit. Though it’s tiny, it is the seed of great healing and redemption. From this overlooked seed comes great fruit and great change.

The Kingdom of God does not have a flag, border, capitol, zipcode, or budget. You cannot legislate the Kingdom. You cannot take a census of the Kingdom. You cannot politicize the Kingdom. You can try but I think you’ll find that when you get there you’re not “there” anymore.

The Kingdom of God is like a handful of sand. It may rest on your hand but grasping causes it to slip between your fingers. Seek it and you might get lost. Nail it down and you’ll have a board and nail but no kingdom.

What, then, can we say about this Kingdom? This Kingdom of God?

It is alive in the world right now. It is sowing seeds of redemption and harvesting change. It is the community of all those who place their trust, albeit sometimes irrationally, in a figure who promised redemption and healing and was both God and Man. The Kingdom of God is the Church Universal. That same entity that the Apostle’s Creed calls “The Holy Catholic Church.” It is the collection not of all those who agree with some set of propositions but, rather, of all those whose faith will not let them go. It is alive in those who preach redemption, reconciliation, love, justice, mercy, and peace. It is life for those who have departed from death.

Plus, it’s a scandalous thing. It’s a weed that grows in your backyard when you’re not looking. It’s the crabgrass that breaks up the sidewalks that run in your mind. It’s an infection. It’s a virus. It’s like a dandelion in the hands of a four-year-old–ready to be spread out into the world by being destroyed and scattered. When it grows and begins to be noticed, it’s inviting the fowl of the air into its branches. The Kingdom is associated with all the wrong people at all the wrong times and there’s nothing that we can do about it–except sit back and laugh at the ridiculous way that grace and mercy works in our world.

We can be amazed at how a gated community that has the right reputation can be like an alabaster jar full of dirt and death. It may be that the gates to our communities aren’t keeping them pure but, rather, making us into swamps full of death and decay. Mind you it’s respectable death and socially adept decay but it’s still death and decay. But, then, just as we start getting comfortable with a new set of rules and a new law, the Kingdom breaks down those barriers, too. There’s no room for blame or us/them in the Kingdom. The Kingdom doesn’t have time for it–it’s too busy freeing captives, healing the sick, and giving sight to the blind.

So what can we say of this Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is at hand.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus, because we’re mucking it up by ourselves down here.

1 Comment | creative writing | Permalink
Posted by jhearne0

O sing unto the Lord a new song!

Nov 4, 2008

By Michael Bell

worship

worship

As regular readers to this blog may know, I have the privilege of collaborating with Peter Heath on the occasional song. The internet is a wonderful tool that lets us do that even though he is half way around the world from me.

Here is a new song by Peter (with a little input from me). Read the lyrics, listen to the music, and let us know what you think. The song lends itself quite well to congregational worship.

So, live from the the Evangelical Community Church of Abu Dhabi, here is:

Everything I Want – by Peter Heath

You are perfect, holy, Infinite love and mercy
You are purest of light, I am a shadow of You,

You are perfect, holy, Wonderful grace and beauty
You are purest of light, Glorious, awesome God

You are everything I want, Everything I need
You’re beyond my reach Until you reach for me.

You are everything I want, Everything I need
Oh, draw me in Till you are all I see.

Listen

Comments Off | creative writing, music, worship | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian

Using the Internet to fulfill your vision

Nov 2, 2008

By Michael Bell

Fifteen years ago I was approached by young man name with a vision. His name was Mark Orr, and his vision was to use technology to connect Mission Agencies with young people who were looking for Mission experiences. Mark was President of an organization called Student Mission Advance, and he was convinced that traditional methods were not effective enough to help young people find the best fit with a mission agency.

Student Mission Advance in Canada served as a communication pipeline between Mission Agencies and young people. They would go into Universities and meet with Christian clubs, speak at chapels in Bible Schools, and meet with with young people at Churches, all with the goal of presenting missions and the opportunities available from Canada’s mission agencies. In short, their vision was that of being “Mission mobilizers”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off | church growth, my work, vision | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian

Next Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.