Center for Faith & Culture

Magic Words from a Kangaroo

Like a lot of people my age, I grew up strongly influenced by Captain Kangaroo.  I hardly missed an episode and waited with anxious anticipation for the next installment of the series.  The Captain made my day!  He often referenced certain words which he called "magic words."  They weren't magic because he used them to perform slight-of-hand tricks like a magician.  They were magic because they encouraged viewers to treat others with respect and kindness.  The Captain insisted that Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, and Mr. Greenjeans begin requests with the magic word "Please" and accept responses with "Thank You."  I suppose that was my introduction to the basic building blocks of civility for human interaction.

Those magic words, please and thank you, remain time honored as simple reminders of the proper way we treat others.  It has been fun to watch our son and daughter-in-law teach our two granddaughters, from a very early age, the use of those magic words.  They're so cute when they show politeness!

I've been thinking a great deal about this important lesson in civility from The Captain as I've watched recent developments with friends of mine.  I'm not quite sure what to call it, maybe a conversation or a discussion or a debate or a disagreement.  Sometimes it looks more like an inquisition or a drive by shooting!  Regardless of what we decide to call it, it offers animated discussion, a high level of feelings, and a call for some sort of decision about opponents, especially as it relates to their level of spirituality or commitment to God.

I bring this development to the Faith and Culture page of Epworth Pulpit because it seems to stem from a question about how we Christians are to heed Jesus' call to be "in the world" but not "of it."  How are we to relate to our current culture without being squeezed into its mold?  More specifically, how do we engage our postmodern society with its new language and paradigms without letting them change our core Christian values?  Or, how do we translate the gospel message into this new language and these new paradigms without transforming it into something with which Jesus wouldn't want to be identified?

Every week this summer I received a book, an article, an email, or an email attachment about the Emerging Church Movement, particularly as it relates to the way things are going in the Church of the Nazarene.  To be honest with you, I have friends on all sides of this conversation/discussion/debate/disagreement.  So, I receive information about both sides of the issue.  The interchange interests me so much that I am teaching a theology course this fall with the Emerging Church Movement as one of our central discussion topics.  The Board of General Superintendents for the Church of the Nazarene recently offered us a statement for consideration.  That statement is referenced on the Congregational Leadership page of Epworth Pulpit.  The Congregational Leadership page also contains an article by Dr. Carl Leth with some important observations about the Emerging Church Movement.  I hope you'll take the time to read his article and offer your comments on the discussion board.

My purpose in this article is not to assess the cogent arguments on the two sides of the discussion.  My purpose is to call attention to the way we speak to (and about) one another as we participate in this discussion.  I'm particularly sensitive to this matter because I think it relates directly to the way we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, present ourselves to the world.  You see, the "in the world but not of it" admonition by Jesus applies not only to our theology, worldview, and value system.  It also applies to the way we talk to (and about) one another.  If we're not careful, we can betray the very gospel message we so carefully hope to promote.

Let me illustrate.  My university theology professor told a story in class one day that I've never forgotten.  It made a big impression on me because it was incredibly funny and at the same time seriously convicting.  The story was an actual student exchange in one of my professor's theology classes a few years prior.  The discussion topic for the day was the doctrine of holiness.  As students considered the various theological possibilities of the doctrine they began to take sides as to which positions were the most - how shall we say it - conservative, spiritual, holy, biblical, right.  The longer they talked the louder they got.  The louder they talked the more impassioned they became.  The more impassioned they became the less civil they responded to one other.  The moment finally arrived when the professor stepped in and cancelled class in order for students to regain their composure and temper.  Not to be dissuaded, the students took the discussion into the parking lot where a fist fight nearly broke out between these young theologians.  Over what?  Why the doctrine of holiness, of course!

That happened a long time ago in a place a long way from here.  However, if we're not careful we can repeat their mistake.  We can get so caught up in our understanding or our interpretation of the issue that we totally forget about things like:

• The bigger picture
• The fact that we might not have all of the pieces of the puzzle
• The notion that there might be another way of conceiving things
• The people involved on both sides of the discussion love the Lord and want to faithfully serve Him
• Our Christian witness to the world about the way we treat fellow believers.

Are the issues of this discussion important?  Yes, of course they are.  But, the way we engage one another is also important.  The worst thing we can do in any theological discussion is to become so narrowly focused in our own understanding, our own perceptions, our own interpretations that we can't conceive matters from anyone else's point of view.  Neither does it help to demonize the opposing side by assuming a more spiritual stance for ourselves and our side of the debate.  It's also counterproductive to tear off on a crusade without all of the facts.  Characterizing "the other side" with half-truths and innuendos hurts people all the way around.

In our discussion about the Emerging Church Movement we need to keep some important perspectives in mind:

• Society, culture, worldviews, and value systems are changing all around us at an alarming rate. The information age dumps more data on our door step every day than our grandparents used to process in a year.
• The philosophical ramifications of postmodernism affect the way people relate to one another, tradition, culture, and spiritual need. We may not like that but we can't put Jack back in the box. People think differently these days.
• People all around us are hurting, disenfranchised, and needy. Regardless of how much our culture and thinking processes change, the spiritual and emotional needs of humanity change very little.
• The gospel of Jesus Christ offers answers that work in daily life and for all eternity.
• Jesus wants a personal relationship with everyone.

So, we have a role to play in all of this.  Our responsibility calls on us to find ways to translate the gospel message into words -- and actions -- that speak to people's needs without transforming that gospel into something essentially different than Jesus intended.  Jesus is counting on us to do that effectively.

I know that's a tall order.  But, I also know that God's Spirit stands ready and willing to help us with this task just like He has helped people in the past who called on Him in their generation to make the gospel message relevant to their audience.  I don't know where we'll come out on particular discussion points about the Emerging Church Movement.  But, I do know that as we discuss things together, it's really, really important to speak to one another with those magic words from The Kangaroo.

I leave you with the words of one of Jesus' first disciples, "God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4:16b-21)