Justice Revival! April 18, 2008
Posted by Zack in Ohio | 1 commentWednesday night, I caught the first day of the Social Justice Revival at Vineyard Columbus, which continues through tonight. Here are some pictures:
Close to 100 churches participated, led jointly by Jim Wallis’ Sojourners and pastor Rich Nathan’s Columbus Vineyard church. Jim Wallis is an evangelical lefty progressive with a background in radical politics. Rich Nathan is an evangelical conservative who voted for Bush. The event is a tipping point in the decay of 20th century political categories.
As the church was filling up, a Vineyard church member sitting to my right told me: “They’ve been saying on the [Christian] radio that Jim Wallis is a communist.”
“What does that even mean?” I asked?
“I think…that he’s against…well…capitalism,” she said.
Then another Vineyard member sat down to my left. He’s away in grad school at a Christian university in Florida now.
“Why did you come all the way back for this?” I asked.
“The more I learn, the more I believe our economic system just isn’t sustainable,” he said, “I’ve really begun to question capitalism.”
He has been meeting with a group of other Christians to read about economics and environmentalism. They watch a lot of documentary films too—his favorite was The Corporation.
The vast majority of the audience attending this “Social Justice Revival” were conservative Republicans. Especially after the controversy raised in the local Christian media, people must have had some misgivings about participating. Nevertheless, the massive sanctuary was completely full, with the crowd pouring into two giant overflow spaces as well.
Asking these folks to listen to Jim Wallis with an open mind is a little bit like asking the lefty Take Back America conference to do the same for John Hagee.
But with a little help from Jesus, they did exactly that. Listen here how that works:
Rich Nathan would give Jesus all the credit, but he is doing something incredible with his church and this Justice Revival. He is saying (if I might translate): “Enough of these silly divisions. We stand for justice and there’s nothing wrong with that. Our faith calls us to act for justice in ways that we’re just not doing now. We’re doing a great job of helping people 1-on-1 in our city. Jesus calls us to do that, and it’s also what keeps us honest and in touch with reality. But we can only help so many people 1-on-1. Do we want to limit ourselves to be a little oasis in the desert for a few, or do we want to be leaders in our broader community who use our numbers and our love to change all of society?”
Over a year ago, the first time I talked to Jim Wallis, back when I was just starting to learn about all this stuff, he told me about Rich Nathan’s church. He said, “It’s absolutely incredible all the things they are doing for their community.”
And I asked, “But why won’t any of these amazing churches speak on policy when it comes to economic issues?”
He related the conversation he has about policy with many church leaders about that very question of whether the church is called to be an oasis, or force that salvages the whole desert. Apparently, some of those conversations are bearing fruit.
Here are four more short audio clips to give you a sense of the terms in which this is all unfolding:
- It’s not enough to be an oasis in a desert:
- We need to make three great commitments of Jesus:
- #1 Commit to Jesus:
- #2 Commit to each other
- #3 Commit to the cause of Christ…
I did an interview with one of the Vineyard pastors about the incredible service work they’re doing in Columbus. Hopefully I’ll have that edited down early next week for you to listen to.
Tags: Columbus Vineyard, Jim Wallis, Justice Revival, Rich NathanRich Nathan blogs up to the his church’s “Justice Revival” April 15, 2008
Posted by Zack in Ohio | write a comment
I’m going to the “Justice Revival” at Vineyard Columbus tomorrow. This is a really exciting development in the ongoing “Revolution in Jesusland.”
The revival could be a fairly controversial event for pastor Rich Nathan to host at his church. It is amazing how radical churches can become without raising their members’ partisan hackles, so long as they don’t use certain words. As it turns out, “conservative” Americans are just fine with beautiful radicalism as long as you just stay away from certain hot-button signifiers. These churches are rejecting the left-right debate by dealing with substance instead of labels and hollow political terms. Nevertheless, by hosting an event that is dedicated primarily to “justice” instead of personal salvation, Nathan risks setting off a trigger.
Leading up to the event, Nathan is writing a series on Jim Wallis’ blog. Here are his first four posts:
- What doing justice means to my church: It is not enough if my church is known as a great worship center, or a great preaching church. The New Testament demands more.
- Is Social Justice a Distraction from the Gospel? The ultimate goal of the kingdom goes beyond the salvation of us as individuals (wonderful as that is) and involves the restoration and renovation of the entire universe.
- Lifeboat theology vs. Ark theology: God wants to redeem ALL of creation, not just a handful of souls.
- Border-blenders and Corner-dwellers: I look forward to a day when an evangelical church that does a Justice Revival not only doesn’t create any controversy, but hardly raises an eyebrow.
Worlds colliding around Columbus Justice Revival March 31, 2008
Posted by Zack in Ohio | write a commentFound this in the email inbox this morning from someone who works in Ohio progressive politics and saw me speak on the Revolution in Jesusland in Columbus a few months back:
Zack- Thought you might find this interesting: http://www.justicerevival.org A kid at a recent antiwar event gave me a flyer for it (megachurch-sponsored, 3-day event) -- it says "love god? end poverty." Flyer printed w/union label, so I was like, hmmmm...things coming together...fascinating.
Fascinating indeed! I’m really looking forward to this event. I’ve been to the incredible Columbus Vineyard church, have read and listened to a lot of pastor Rich Nathan’s stuff, and can’t wait to see how this event shapes up.
Tags: Justice Revival, Rich Nathan, Vineyard43% of white evangelical Christians in Ohio voted Democratic in primary March 12, 2008
Posted by Zack in Ohio | 2 commentsCleveland Plain Dealer article: 43% of white evangelical Christians in Ohio voted Democratic in primary, poll says:
Tags: 2008, ohio, primaryForty-three percent of white evangelical Christian voters in Ohio backed Democrats in last week’s presidential primary, according to a poll released Monday by religious and progressive groups.
The groups that released the poll say it demonstrates ideological diversity among a voting bloc that is widely presumed to be Republican.
Ohio evangelical voters from both parties told the pollsters that jobs and the economy were their top concerns - eclipsing abortion and gay marriage even among the Republicans - although social issues were still more important to Republicans than Democrats.
The Revolutionaries on Campus January 20, 2008
Posted by Zack in Ohio | 3 comments
Last Sunday, while in Columbus for Rootscamp, I met up with a staffer from Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), a para-church campus ministry organization sort of along the lines of Campus Crusade for Christ, Navigators or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
I don’t know all the ways that these orgs are different from each other, but CCO seems to be the one most representative of the Revolution I’ve been writing about on this blog. According to its organizational statement, “The CCO partners with colleges, churches and organizations to develop men and women who live out their Christian Faith in every area of life.” The org has a particular focus on teaching a “Christian world view” that allows students to maintain their faith without isolating themselves from the mainstream of campus life—and life after college. And they work in partnership with local churches so that students can make the transition from youth to adulthood while being part of an intergenerational church community (as opposed to spending 4 years in fellowship with only people their own age — after which it could be hard to go back into a regular church).
The “Christian world view” that CCO teaches seems to be very much based on Kingdom Theology, which is one of the intellectual foundations of the “Revolution in Jesusland.” Kingdom Theology teaches that Christians must work to redeem a broken world, including fixing broken lives and fixing broken communities and social systems.
The most remarkable thing about CCO (as well as Campus Crusade, Navigators and InterVarsity) is their level of staffing and organization. These orgs have from one or two up to a dozen or more staff PER CAMPUS chapter. Are there any campus orgs on the left that have anywhere near that kind of staffing level? I think the Center for American Progress’ campus network Campus Progress has just over a dozen staff total. Campus Crusade has more than a dozen staff serving the Ohio State University campus alone.
Talking to the CCO staffer, I was struck not only by the level of staffing and resources, but also by the sophistication and depth of the operation. Staff spend much of their time learning and studying with each other. And many spend their summers in an intensive program where staff and students live and study together while working on community projects.
The difference isn’t funding. It’s that these Christians are motivated by a big dream, one that makes sense to them. It’s a long term plan for the redemption of the whole world—to carry out “Jesus’ Redemptive Work and Salvation” as “the body of Christ.” On the left, it’s hard to get talented people to stay in local jobs that don’t lead quickly to big titles or big recognition. But Christian Revolutionaries can be clear about how something like mentoring just a handful of students on campus fits into their grand plan. Therefore, they are able to recruit and develop leaders from the ranks to do that important work and build long-term solid orgs.
Tag: CCOMega-Community November 26, 2007
Posted by Zack in Ohio | 3 comments
Yesterday, we were in Columbus, Ohio, and went to one of American’s most dynamic and interesting mega-churches, Vineyard Columbus.
Vineyard Columbus is an example of the mega-church phenomenon at its best. Some say large churches allow people to avoid community because they are so easy to attend anonymously. You can go, and have a powerful experience of worship with the great musicians and preachers that large churches attract, and run home without getting wrapped up in anyone else’s life.
Vineyard Columbus, however, is a pressure cooker of community. As we walked into the sanctuary, where a band and choir were already booming, volunteers handed us a magazine called The Mix that lists literally hundreds of small groups, classes, service opportunities and social activities for adults and children. Before the sermon, two speakers urged people to get involved by tapping into a small group or other activity. All around the church, there were directories of small groups on dozens of topics—so that any individual can make direct contact with a group in their area. The pre-sermon speakers reminded small group members that there were cards in the pews for inviting anyone they met at church to their group. And new comers were asked to raise their hands to receive a special welcome packet that included more information on groups and activities, as well as information about the church and a CD of worship music produced by the church.
That may sound like a lot of hype and marketing, but it wasn’t. It was totally low key. The feeling we had was of a large church that was bursting at the seams with community, and that if we lived in Columbus it would be the easiest thing in the world to become an integral part of it.
(Vineyard Columbus has also become a major social service provider in Columbus. I met senior pastor Rich Nathan at Sojourners Call to Renewal earlier this year and heard about the various programs that the church is running. To do the church’s community work justice, I’d have interview church and city leaders, and unfortunately I’m not able to now.)
As you can see from the pictures, the church is enormous. We entered through the far entrance and walked through two different sections where younger and older children have their worship services. Each was packed. There were plenty of adults around, but kids seemed to be doing a lot of the work of greeting people, distributing info and getting ready for the services. It looked like a great place to be a kid. I wonder what the culture is like among kids at these big churches that are trying so hard to live as radical followers of Jesus. Do the kids still have cliques? Is there a popular group that ignores everyone else? Or do they actually live differently?
The sermon, by Steve Robbins, was exciting and fascinating. I think Vineyard is firmly in the “Kingdom Theology” camp—but I’m not sure if this is true for all Vineyard churches, or just the one’s I’ve visited or listened to online. Robbins’ sermon was all about building the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth now.
The Vineyard is not a denomination, but a family of more than 1,500 churches, that have come together or have been planted as part of the Vineyard movement with a shared culture and set of values. (Many outsiders consider them a denomination.)
Robbins’ sermon focused on the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. He said that every time someone is healed of addiction, every time that broken relationship is put back together, every time that love overcomes violence…that the Kingdom of Heaven comes closer.
And he added to that: “Every time a structural, political evil that oppresses” people is undone, the Kingdom of Heaven comes closer.
He talked about how he grew up in a “suburban, affluent, white…and racist” community, and that the first thing God called him to change when he became a Christian was his racism. The message he got from God was, (paraphrasing) “If you don’t start valuing people as I do…and stop looking down on people who look different from you…then you’re not going to be able to know me.” (When he says “God told me…” he didn’t mean that he heard a voice from God, but that he had a set of experiences, probably involving a lot of Bible study and worship, that led him to that conclusion.)
Going to church at Vineyard Columbus yesterday led me to more thinking and research on several topics: the growing influence of Charismatic Christianity on mainline and traditional Evangelical Christianity, the importance of the (hippy) Jesus Movement on the Evangelical explosion of the 80’s, 90’s and present day and “Transformationalism“. And Steve Robbin’s sermon brought up some really tough issues for me regarding international evangelism. I was on a roll here, about to pack all those topics into one post, but for your sake I’m stopping myself and will hopefully pick up those topics in posts through this week.
(Pict from Vineyard Columbus website)
