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Salvation as a line in the sand ...

Recently I did a series of posts on Salvation, you can read the introduction to the series here. This post is a follow on to that series.

Many Christians see Salvation as a line in the sand. It is the tool by which WE decided who is in and who is out. I remember the first time I attended the Salvation Army. Upon saying that I had enjoyed the Junior Soldiers lesson and wished to come back the first question was "are you saved?" It would be unfair not to mention that to be a Junior Soldier one had to be 'saved' and you had to be a Junior Soldier to attend the Junior Soldier classes.

It is a question we ask people, usually very subtly, when they enter our faith communities. Usually the question is asked to work out whether they belong in the church, therefore they are just church shopping, or whether they are 'unsaved', therefore we need to 'save' them. Salvation is therefore used as a fence. You are either in or out.

Hirsch and Frost, in their book The shaping of things to come, suggest that this understanding is called a bounded set. The group of people are defined by the boundary. They suggest that a missional church should be a centred set. That is that we should be defined by what is in the centre, God. People are not in or out. They are rather moving towards or away from the centre.

This however upsets our clear definitions. What about the person close to the centre but who is heading away from the centre? Or the person a long distance from the centre but beginning to move in?

Understanding the difference between the bounded and centred set is imperative for overcoming a sense of salvation as a line in the sand. The mission of the church is no longer about 'getting people across the line.' It is instead about journeying with people as they head towards, or away from, the centre.

What do you think?

The system ...

Today I got shafted by the system. Well, to be honest I don't know if I have been shafted yet, but the potential is definitely there.

The issue of when to fight an unjustice system is as old as time immemorial. We can think of many instances in history (usually recounted in big budget motion pictures) of when individuals have stood up to an unjust system and said "No more!" We can recall the quotes of those who have stood against injustice. "Injustice flourishes when the good remain silent."

Now I may have been slighted by the fact that my indoor soccer team could miss the finals because the stadium let the team above us play a team outside our league instead of the team in our league they were scheduled to play (and would have lost to). The stadium adjusted the rules to suit its economic interests. But in the scheme of things the injustice I felt is but a mosquito bite. But it gives me pause to consider the bigger issue.

The young man behind the counter was within his rights to throw his hands in the air and say "That's how it works. That's the system." That however does not make the system right. Nor does it absolve him of his responsibility. In fact he is complicit in the injustice of the system.

Now you might think I am too harsh on our young friend, who in reality is a really nice and friendly guy. But the issue is that being good, being nice and being friendly does not remove our need to act against injustice.

How can we allow unjust systems to remain? How can we be silent to the systematic abuses of power?

See, I told you, football can explain the world.

Networking

Today I attended a networking meeting.

Some people don't like networking. Their experience is that it is boring or a waste of time. Why get together and talk when we don't achieve anything? While this is a valid experience for those people I think they have missed out on the power of effective networking.

Effective business people will tell you that networking is vital to good performance. If you effectively network with those inside your organisation information sharing is enhanced. When tasks need collaboration and specialist input you already have healthy relationships upon which to work.

Networking effectively with those outside your organisation is just as important. For those of us in the community sector we need to partner with those around us. None of us have all the answers. None of us have all the services or resources that our 'clients' need. Effective networking, if nothing else, lets us know who to refer people on to.

I have been involved with a couple of effective church based networks. One was a youth pastors network. We met together monthly and discussed what we were doing and also planned joint events. The group was able to approach the local council and work in partnership with them on a number of projects.

Networks break down when we fail to communicate effectively. Without communication we begin to focus on our own agendas to the detriment of working together. If we communicate and say "hey this is what we are wanting to do" it gives others the opportunity to join us or at least understand where we are coming from. Failing to communicate leaves others guessing at our motives and suspicious of our activities.

Got any thoughts on networking? Been involved in any good, or bad, networks?

Concentration

Today I got to play some chess with a mate of mine. When we first started playing together I could not beat him. Every time we would play he would out smart me. We both stopped playing as regularly, chess in those days were a good distraction from our lives. Recently we have both had the chance to rekindle our friendly competitive spirit.

No more do I loose every game. Recently my friend would have to admit that I have held the upper hand. Today in our opening game I even managed to capture him in 'Fool's Mate' a move where you are able to win the game in 4 moves if the other player doesn't notice. It was a trick that he had used on me many times in 'the old days' and so I was pleased that it came off.

As we played our games drew into extended battles. A number of times I found myself with the upper hand. I had taken a number of his pieces and was in the stronger position. Yet I failed to capitalise. I took my eye off the pieces, I failed to concentrate and I stopped looking ahead. Funnily enough I lost.

It has reinforced to me the importance, in both chess and life, of concentration. If we take our eye off the board we will get bitten. If we loose our focus on the road ahead we will end up in the ditch. When life is going easy it is not difficult to loose concentration. Why bother planning ahead when everything is going well? The same is true of when times are tough. We are so caught up in the next move we loose the bigger picture and find ourselves chasing our tail.

Its funny how chess and life are so similar.

Salvation in the Lord's Prayer

This post is part of a series of posts on the topic of Salvation. Here is the introduction to the series.

Today I want to reflect on the picture of salvation that is given to us in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).

The Lord's Prayer is a great example not only of how to pray and what to pray for. It also reveals the heart of God, because in it Jesus is telling us what God cares about.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name" - It begins by reminding us of our place in the world. God is in heaven, we are not. (remember the point of the fall story.)

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" - The kingdom of God is meant to come on earth, it is not about getting to heaven. Salvation is therefore about this world, we are saved in the present not in the future. It also shows that salvation is meant for the whole of creation, not just humans getting to heaven.

"Give us today our daily bread" - When we reorient our lives towards God we find that God provides for us. But it is on his terms and not ours. God gives us what we need, not what we want. This may mean we have to go without, which doesn't sit well with our consumerist society.

"Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." - We tend to think of salvation as being about God forgiving our sins. But it also about being able to forgive those around us. This heals both us and them and creates real community.

"And lead us not into to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." - God gives us the power to overcome the temptation that plague us as humans. We are no longer forced to live by selfish impulse.

Do you really want to join Jesus in this radical and subversive prayer?

Sorry ...

This post first appeared on the Just Salvos blog.

As you are not doubt aware today marks the first anniversary of Australia's apology, through the Federal Parliament, to the indigenous people of this nation who were affected by and involved in the Stolen Generation. I say that you are no doubt aware because it has obviously been at the forefront of media coverage, bushfires not withstanding. The media has been falling, head over heels to report on the numerous ways that we have moved forward as a nation in this new sense of reconciliation. The media has highlighted the stories of individuals from the Stolen Generation who have used the Government's compensation money to turn their lives around. We have seen the massive investment in rural health clinics and support services for indigenous people living in remote locations. You have seen the coverage, haven't you?

Of course you haven't and neither have I. We haven't seen the coverage because there hasn't been any to see. It is not the fault of the bushfires either. There has been no coverage because their is nothing to report. Twelve months ago Kevin Rudd stood up and apologised on behalf of the nation to the indigenous people affected by racist Government policies. He committed the government to tackling the huge social problems facing our indigenous population. Not least to tackling the 17 year life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

On this day one year ago we all celebrated a watershed in reconciliation. It was to be as important, if not more important, than Mabo and Wik. The government was implored to back up the symbolic act of an official apology with real action. But there has been no action. Australia's racial discrimination act is still suspended with relation to the quarantining of indigenous Australian's welfare payments. The Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) has been scaled back in outback Northern Territory, meaning many indigenous people have lost that employment and are forced onto the dole. There has been no major spending increase on indigenous health programs or facilities.

Today the Parliament passed the Economic Stimulus package after amendments forced through by the minor parties and the independents in the Senate. Nearly a billion dollars is now to be spent on the Murray-Darling basin, one of Australia's most important water systems, because one elected senator stood up for his constituents. But who stood up and asked for real money to be committed to indigenous Australians? Who wrote to their local member or senator and asked that the stimulus package include housing for remote indigenous communities? Who asked that the job creation measures include the resumption of the CDEP and the employment that it brought for indigenous communities?

To say sorry was an important step. It was a watershed moment for our nation. But if it continues to be let down by a lack of action then as a nation we all suffer. It is time to Close the Gap.