Faith Journey

I've been thinking of how each of our faith journeys is so unique – we learn new things about God and the world on a daily basis, and our life events and the people we interact with also have a huge impact. Below I've written some of the spiritual themes that have been important to me or critical to my thinking at different points in my journey.  I've organized the post by groups of years followed by themes, important authors, and (sometimes) key Scriptures.  I could have added a whole section on how each of these themes has had a direct impact on my day-to-day life ("identity in Christ" coming just before the stressful medical school years, non-violence readings starting again shortly before a work crisis with someone who abused power), but that would have made it far too long!

Some of the concepts that were important to me early on in my faith journey are still critical today, like knowing my identity in Christ.  Some have evolved throughout the years, like my understanding of what God's sovereignty is and my engagement in spiritual warfare.  Some have expanded beyond my wildest dreams, like my understanding of grace and my confidence in Jesus as the living word of God.

I hear that some people's reaction to certain of the authors that I've read is to worry about a "slippery slope".  And indeed, during the first decade of the 2000s I was sometimes fearful of such a thing.  But perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

Turns out, my externals have not changed considerably in the past two decades: I still spend a several hours each week volunteering in causes both physical and spiritual. I am chaste.  I tithe and give offerings.  I read the Bible daily and also set aside specific prayer time each day in addition to praying throughout the day.  I may be somewhat more cynical when privileged people in wealthy countries ascribe their fortunes to God's provision, but I am more confident than ever of God's constant presence with us all, that Jesus is worthy of following to the uttermost, and that he will return to earth to restore all things. Maranatha!

1983 – 1991
Am I “in”? Did I really “pray the prayer” with sincerity? 
--Limited reading of "spiritual" material: Charles M Sheldon, Guideposts magazine
--Scripture: Good News Bible (denim cover!)

Contemplative prayer
--Joyce Huggett

1992 - 1996
Assurance of salvation, purity and sin, God's sovereignty -- meaning that God specifically orchestrates events and we should look to God to speak to us in a supernatural way

Spiritual warfare, Identity in Christ (including asking for forgiveness of self and forgiving others), healing prayer
--Neil Anderson, Brennan Manning, special church meetings (pentecostal, revival), John and Paula Sandford, Joyce Meyer
--Scriptures: Ephesians 6, also lists of verses proclaiming my identity in Christ -- that I am loved, have a purpose, am significant 

"Christian basics"
--C.S. Lewis, John Bunyan, Oswald Chambers, the Alpha course

Women in the Bible and in our world
--Gilbert Bilezikian, Kari Torjesen Malcolm

"God moments," verbal evangelism
--Henry Blackaby, evangelism training (Navigators, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association), David Wilkerson
--Scripture: “Romans Road”

Inner city ministry, overseas persecution, holism
--John Perkins, Floyd McClung, Christian Community Health Fellowship, Voice of the Martyrs

1997 - 2004

Continuation of much of the above, especially identity in Christ and verbal evangelism

--Christian Medical Association (plus more of the above-cited sources)

More "Christian basics"
--Augustine, Thomas à Kempis, Brother Lawrence, John Chrysostom

2005 – 2011

Missions and ministry, holism

--Lesslie Newbigin, David Bosch, Vincent J. Donovan

--Scripture: Word study of “salvation” and “saved” and their multiple meanings (both physical and spiritual)

Kingdom of God and eschatology

--N.T. Wright

Women and Men in the Bible and in our world (again)

--Christians for Biblical Equality, Junia Project, Katharine C Bushnell

Power: “power under” (vs. “power over”) and other concepts of authority

--Walter Wink, Greg Boyd, Henri Nouwen, Oscar Romero, Desmond Tutu

--Scripture:  Philippians 2

Grace

--Anne Lamott

Changing understanding of God's sovereignty: Lots of great things happen to those who are wealthy (in global terms) that they ascribe to God but are more likely due to an unjust system that favors them and hurts others.  God is present and wants to work with us and through us for change.

--Scripture: Matthew 5:45

Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Our understanding of God's direction and will is not only to be understood by a special “word from the Lord” but also through the wisdom we have gained and the godly character that has been formed in us over time.

--Scripture: starting the story in Genesis 1 rather than in Genesis 3

Expanded vision of spiritual warfare, principalities and powers
--Walter Wink, John White

2012 - 2015
Much of the above plus:
Non-violence (re-visited)
--Martin Luther King, Jr., William Stafford, Elias Chacour, Benjamin L Corey, Walter Wink

Testing theological concepts with the question, “Is it valid around the world?” Continuing evolution of my understanding of God's sovereignty – the Kingdom of God is indeed breaking out all over and someday will come in power and fullness, but meanwhile lots of horrible things happen to people.  God is still present.

How we read Scripture

--J.R. Daniel Kirk, Peter Enns, John H. Walton, Rachel Held Evans, N.T. Wright

--Key phrase: “Authority of Scripture” is a shorthand for “God's authority exercised through Scripture.” (N.T. Wright)

Everyone is welcome at the table (and I don't need to stress about who God might “let in”), recognizing followers of Jesus by the fruit of the Holy Spirit (not just orthopraxy, but the attitude of love in which our actions take place counting as much as or more than a merely verbal assent to orthodoxy)

--Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rachel Held Evans, Justin Lee

--Scripture: Luke 14

Below is a list of one or two of the books by some of the authors listed above that were formative for me. I have learned much by many authors and preachers and speakers and bloggers, many of whom are not on this list.

Neil Anderson, Victory over the Darkness

Gilbert Bilezikian, Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says about a Woman's Place in Church and Family

Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God

David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission

Greg Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation

John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress

Katharine C Bushnell, God's Word to Women

Elias Chacour, Blood Brothers

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
John Chrysostom, On Living Simply
Vincent J. Donovan, Christianity Rediscovered

Peter Enns, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament

Joyce Huggett, The Joy of Listening to God

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
J.R. Daniel Kirk Jesus Have I Loved, But Paul?

Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God
Kari Torjesen Malcolm, Women at the Crossroads

Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

Floyd McClung, Seeing the City with the Eyes of God

Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society

Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus
Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son

Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart
John Perkins, Beyond Charity:  The Call to Christian Community Development

John Perkins, Resurrecting Hope

Oscar Romero, The Violence of Love
Charles M Sheldon, In His Steps

Desmond Tutu, The Rainbow People of God
John H Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate

David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade

Walter Wink, Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way

Walter Wink, Naming the Powers

Walter Wink, Unmasking the Powers

N.T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God

N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

Poetry

"Nèg mawon" ("runaway slave," or "free man"), a famous statue in Port-au-Prince.  I'm not sure if this is the statue referred to in the poem below, but it's what I first thought of.  Photo taken from this blog.   I don't know the blogger but she has some great pictures!

I have been reading Open Gate:  An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry (ed. Paul Laraque and Jack Hirschman).  The poems are all originally in Kreyol with English translations.  The poem below was translated by the author.

Horizon of Gunbutts
by Patrick Sylvain

The history of my country is
in every link of chains
at the foot of Boukman's copper statue
overlooking a dusty town
at the depth of despair
with candlelights of anger
burning in every tired palm.

Low black clouds convert light
into darkness, the Man with a fat cigar
stands in front of the black mirror,
at Palais National where he plunders dreams
silently.  Leaving only rocks
and drifting dust behind.

The icebergs of nightmares are melting
in our imprisoned minds as we journey
along the horizon of gunbutts,
sticks and chains.

One by one, we are starting
to pull our shadows away
from burning cages.
There's a new man in the mirror
he holds a clock which is slowly ticking
like a dying breath.

His eyes and fat hands are
desperately searching for our dreams.
The sun is slowly conquering low black clouds
to establish a permanent noon.

Here is the same statue with the National Palace (spoken of in the poem) visible in the background.  The palace was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.  I found this picture here.

In Kreyol:

ORIZON KÒS FIZI
Patrik Silven

Istwa peyi-m nan
chak may chenn ki nan
pye estati an kwiv boukmann lan
k'ap konstate yon vil pousyè
nan kòtòf kalfou dezespwa
kote bouji kòlè boule
nan plamen ki fatige.

Nwaj chabon fè limyè
pran dèy, Nonm avèk gwo siga-a
kanpe devan yon miwa nwa
nan palè nasyonal pou l'vòlè rèv
trankilman.  Aprè pou li lèse wòch
ak pousyè k'ap viwonnen pou nou.

Blòk glas kochma pral fonn
nan sèvo-n ki prizonnen pandan
n'ap peleren anba orizon kòs fizi,
bout baton ak chenn.

Youn aprè lòt, nou kòmanse
deplase lonbraj nou
anba kaj dife.
Gen yon lòt gason nan glas la
li kenbe yon revèy k'ap mache
tankou yon souf devan lanmò.

Je-l ak pimba plamen-l
ap chache rèv nou ak fòs.
Solèy la kòmanse fonn nan dengonn
nwaj andèy pou l'tabli avi yon klète midi.

Here is the same statue with the partially destroyed National Palace in the background.  As this blogger (from whence came this photo) writes, one of the stirring phrases after the earthquake has been "Nèg mawon pap janm kraze," or, "The free man/runaway man will never be broken."  This is also often said of Haiti itself:  Ayiti pap janm kraze.  Haiti will never be broken.

Best Practices

I'm halfway through reading "In Their Own Hands: How Savings Groups are Revolutionizing Development" by Jeffrey Ashe and Kyla Jagger Neilan. The principles the authors discuss, the models used, and the successes seen are what we are using and seeing in Haiti - which is both very encouraging and also very frustrating (more below).

Principles: 

• dependency and handouts are not empowering
• poor people are very smart and careful with their money
• when teaching adults one should apply principles of teaching for adult learners (participatory with immediate practical application)

Models: 

• local trainers (who then naturally have cultural expertise)
• volunteer-based
• an "interactive training process that empower[s] participants to feel ownership over their knowledge." 
• most of the specific savings groups models mentioned (ROSCA, SHG, and now mutual solidarity) are ones that we've used

Successes Seen: 

• voluntary replication/multiplication
• a mentality change in the participants to one of pride in their knowledge and ability

I mentioned above that this is both wonderfully affirming and also frustrating. It is affirming because during my nearly five years of working with our Haiti team I see over and over that we are using best practices. It is frustrating because we are lacking a few critical ingredients to really do our work in the best possible way. The authors of the book brag about the low budgets they work with – but ours are far, far lower and do not permit us to do the more thorough training and follow-up as the authors do. 

We need a development director to help us to have the financial and personnel resources to continue to flourish. If you know of anyone that is skilled in this area and would enjoy the challenge of working with a grassroots organization that is doing phenomenal work, please let me know.