God and Mammon

I recently opened an email from a trusted source, only to find an advertisement from a company hawking en electronic giving technology for churches.  The tagline is, 

"Finally. A simple, easy and affordable giving solution for your church."

Which got me thinking.  

“Finally”??? 

Have Presbyterians all over the country been flooding the GA with overtures demanding relief from the arduous task of putting cash or a check in an offering plate?? 

Have parishioners been petitioning church treasurers to please spend more of the church’s money to obtain the offerings that the congregation has hitherto been giving the church for free?

Has the Goliath of Silicon Valley failed time and again over the last twenty years to satisfy the raging consumer demand for a “simple, easy and affordable giving solution” with regards to church gifts, tithes and offerings, only now to be beaten by the David of this vendor?

Who in heaven’s name decided that the church has a “giving problem” that requires the marketplace to deliver a “giving solution”?  Furthermore, who concluded that such a solution was to be found not in any teaching, discussion or study about the theology of giving (and more importantly, the theology of God’s generosity and faithfulness), but rather in computer-based technology that dangles promises of greater revenue in exchange for an open-ended commitment of parishioner’s offerings to using this technology?

Any practice that persuades and invites Christians to remove the spiritual discipline of tithing from the act of worship in community, and relocate it somewhere else in the building, away from worship – however financially profitable it may be in the short term – will surely corrode and erode the church’s engagement with the profound practices of tithing, offering, worshipping, and faith.  One does not “encourage a culture of generosity” by making the “experience” accessible and simple.  If that were true, every streetcorner panhandler would be a millionaire, since it is clearly simpler and quicker to pull money out of one’s pocket than it is to stand in front of an electronic kiosk (perhaps maybe even in line) and type in one’s identifying information, the amount to be given, the “confirmation” button, etc.  No, one encourages a culture of generosity by bearing sustained and joyful witness to a God Whose generosity and overwhelming love transforms people’s lives.  One encourages a culture of generosity by having members of the community tell stories of how God has upheld them through the direst of financial crises in their lives, and how 10% of what we receive from God is barely a token to return to Him in gratitude for His unfailing love.  People don’t want to give money because "it’s easy."  People want to give money when they learn, through acts of faith, how utterly faithful God is, and are thereby freed from their psychological and spiritual dependence upon Mammon. 

How can a Christian possibly characterize pressing buttons on an electronic screen as “user-friendly,” implicitly in contrast to physically surrendering actual money to God in the midst of worship as an act of trust and generosity?  Maybe next we should encourage members to stay home Sunday morning and watch the video stream of the service, since that’s clearly much “simpler” and more “user-friendly” than having to get dressed, load the kids into the car, find a parking spot, and get everyone where they’re supposed to be – only to turn around a little more than an hour later and “reverse” the whole sequence (but now with kids that are whiny and/or pumped up on cookies and kool-aid).

I realize that churches are going to do what churches are going to do, and I have no power to stop them.  I also realize that publications need money, and advertisements can be a helpful and lucrative source.  But that fact in itself does not thereby bless a practice of inviting a wolf into the sheepfold, even when the wolf is spouting promises of fatter sheep.  Every church that purchases a system like this chooses to assume a fixed expense (of monthly subscription and transaction fees to this vendor) in the sole hope  - but without any guarantee whatsoever - of increasing revenue.  Put another way, such a church chooses to surrender real, actual money ONLY because it hopes that, by doing so, it will receive even more money in return - even though it has absolutely no control or influence over the results.  

Which, when I stop to think about it, is a pretty accurate definition of “gambling.” 

Praying the Psalms

I recently began an online course through the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.  The course is called Prayer for Pastors and is taught by Dr. Gary Hansen.  It is a five-week course based on his excellent book, Kneeling With Giants: Learning to Pray with History's Best Teachers (IVP).  One of Dr. Hansen's many strengths is that he is a truly excellent teacher, and so very able to interpret and convey to contemporary listeners the thoughts and lessons provided by saints and teachers from many centuries past.  His book also comes with a workbook, for use in group settings.  This week we are praying the psalms, using John Calvin as a teacher.  At the risk of appearing immodest, I wanted to share the reflections that I wrote down today as part of our assignment.  I share them not because I think they are particularly insightful or illuminating in themselves, but rather because they testify, however awkwardly,
to the faithfulness of God in guiding, by His Holy Spirit, those who seek Him, and who seek the life for which He has made us.  If you read my reflections below, I pray that they may move you, by God's grace, to an increasingly deeper exploration of, and intimacy with, God's living Word to us.

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Psalm 62 - "For God alone my souls waits in silence..."

V. 1 - "For God alone."  This is the focus of the entire psalm.  God's singular, unique authority and power.  The strength, the point, the edge of this repeated affirmation is its explicit exclusiveness.  "For God alone" clearly means that my soul waits for no other, that my soul has no expectations of any other god, or resource, or circumstance, or event, or person.  This is affirmed in the second half of the verse, "from Him comes my salvation."  The psalmist acknowledges the grace and the deliverance of Salvation, and proclaims God -- and only God -- as the Author of that salvation.

V. 2 - "He only is my rock and my salvation."  Again, we have no strength or deliverance apart from God.  The clear implication here is that, when we find ourselves weak, when we are beset by difficulty and trial, when circumstance deals us a heavy blow, when our lives are buffeted by the winds of betrayal, or insult, or hurt, or reproach, or abandonment, or illness, or grief -- in those moments, God IS our rock (i.e., we can confidently trust in Him and depend on Him), and God ALONE is our rock (i.e., there is no other to whom we can go, who can provide for us the strength and stability and security and deliverance that our souls so desperately hunger for).

In these two verses, God is named "Salvation," "Rock," "Salvation" and "Fortress." "Salvation" means that God will deliver me, rescue me, save me from trial and trouble. He will remove me from, take me out from, whatever turmoil and danger I find myself in, and put me in a safe place.  There is movement here -- and human submission to that divine movement.  I must allow myself to be rescued.  I'm reminded of the Red Cross Lifesaving training I took in summer camp as a teenager.  One lesson they taught was how to save someone who is so out-of-their-mind desperate as to literally climb atop their would-be rescuer just to get out the water -- thereby submerging and possibly drowning the rescuer.  (The solution is to approach the victim underwater -- unseen -- and come up behind him, where you can get him in a cross-chest carry and keep yourself out of danger).  But God rarely works this way.  He does not force Himself upon us, but invites us to come to Him.  I must be willing to be rescued, and allow God to save me.

Hence, "my soul waits."  This is that surrender, this is that relinquishment of agenda, of control; "my soul waits for the Lord."  "In silence" = despite the apparent absence of immediate action or reply on God's part.  My soul does not trust in God's action, but in God, the person of the Almighty.  It is an attitude of deep humility, and one that is easily dismissed and ridiculed by the world - esp. in the face of apparent divine inaction.  Cf. the passers-by mocking Jesus on the Cross in Matthew 27:43, "He trusts in God -- let God deliver him now."  The heart that loves God and is given to Him will wait on God*, even in the desolation of silence, because it knows that its salvation comes from God alone -- and that, even though God appear to tarry in our eyes, there is simply no profit in seeking elsewhere, for in none other shall our deliverance be found (cf. Acts 4:12).  So we wait.  Patiently.  Expectantly.  Confidently.

O God, You are my God.
I am not worthy to be called Your servant.
Yet You have chosen, in unimaginable grace, to be my God.
Have mercy upon me, I pray.
Rein in the wayward desires of my heart.
Subdue in me the childish spirit of impatience.
Silence the voice of shame that turns me away from Your face.
Open to me Your arms of grace,
that therein I may find my only true life.
May I daily surrender to you every thought and inclination;
submit to Your gracious and loving hand of deliverance;
allow You to establish my feet upon the Rock of Your sovereign and unassailable grace;
and dwell in You, our fortress, our protection,
to love and serve You all my days;
through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


* Would that we might be as faithful and steadfast in this as many dogs have shown themselves to be, waiting patiently on their master's return after days, or weeks, or months -- in some cases, even years.

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As I wrote in my introduction (and as I typed them in above), these reflections are unedited, jumbled, and not particularly illuminating in themselves.  I share them only in the joy that I have known in experiencing the Spirit's gracious guidance when I have willingly and patiently surrendered myself to God's Word, and in the hope that you may be persuaded to pursue the same joy.  Thanks for reading.

Declining the Invitation to Culture Wars

I recently was directed (from Facebook) to a blog post in which the author expressed her dismay with the fact that GA was not providing childcare.  I don't know the author, but her response prompted me to write this overlong comment.  I don't know whether it will be posted (the blog is moderated).  While my response was to a specific incident, I felt that it addressed a larger concern in general, so I thought I'd include it here.  The author's blog can be found here.   My response is below.  Thanks for reading.

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Thank you for raising this important point. I think it’s still more often the case than not that event organizers tend to be from a generation where two working spouses were more the exception than the norm (although this will change as the years pass, of course). While the guidance they provided you shows that they’re aware of the issue, it may well be that, since their current life doesn’t revolve around childcare, they’re not really aware of how many other organizations have made the shift to default childcare arrangements. I think your comments will help to highlight this shortfall.

That said, I’m concerned by the tone of your comments and the unsubstantiated assumptions that you make. Your third paragraph knocked me for a loop. “Irate and close to tears”?? My wife and I are both clergy, with two young children, who frequently encounter this shortfall, but I can’t say that either of us have ever approached such a high level of emotion in response to this difficulty. We chalk it up to a failure to communicate and/or a lack of understanding (which, not surprisingly, is fairly common among sinners), and set about trying to make a helpful way forward.

You write, “This assumes all people wishing to attend have family or regular child-care providers who could provide this kind of long term care.” I disagree. Their guidance says, “Consider…” That’s a very sensible suggestion, given that their guidance to all interested parties necessarily has to be general in nature. Simply to offer a solution that may work for some situations is not at all the same as making as assumption that everyone is IN the same situation.

You then write, “I also read, “Your children are not wanted. If you have children, it is not important you attend. This is a meeting for those over 50.”” My dear sister in Christ, attributing such motives and feelings to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, without ever having spoken to them, without hearing their side, and not knowing who they are, is neither helpful nor upbuilding to the Body of Christ. It IS, however (I’m afraid), more and more common in our discourses in this denomination. As Christians — and ESPECIALLY as pastors — when we encounter something that we find personally disagreeable, our first (or tenth, or one hundredth) reaction should never be to ascribe unholy and selfish motives to those in question. NEVER. Rather, it should always be to seek understanding. [Yes, I know you wrote one email, and you haven't yet received a response. But that's one instance, and the number 'seventy times seven' comes to mind here.] Indeed, as Christians, if we make ANY assumption about others, it should be that they are operating from motives that are purer and more selfless than our own (Phil. 2:3).

You write, “I do not believe that it would be difficult to offer some form of child care at General Assembly. Other conferences do it all the time.” I am not familiar with your experiences, so I cannot comment on them. However, I have been very involved in church-based and privately-run childcare for ten years now, and I can assure you that, whether or not other conferences do it all the time, the liability and health code considerations alone make this a considerable challenge, before we even begin talking about hiring folks. For such a week-long operation in the state of Virginia, here are just a few of the attendant considerations:
– A certified director
– Facilities that pass inspection and are certified child-safe by social services and health authorities
– Background checks on all employees
– Strict guidelines concerning child-caregiver ratios that differ according to the age of the child (in increments as small as six months)
– Legal agreements signed by parents, including guidelines concerning the provision of routine and emergency medical care.
Childcare services are governed by state regulations, which can differ widely from state to state.  Virginia also has minimum square footage requirements per number of children.  That means if an extra child shows up, we're not allowed to "squeeze him/her in" if we've already reach the max number of children for that size room.  Even if only forty parents requested childcare, imagine having enough qualified people on hand that first morning to handle all those questions from all those parents at once.  I don’t know what Pennsylvania’s regulations require, but I would suggest that, before you say, “I do not believe that it would be difficult to offer some form of child care at General Assembly,” that you first make an effort to substantiate that opinion.

There's an old Native American saying about not judging a man [sic] until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.  (I think Jesus says something about judging others as well - cf. Matthew 7).  Sister, I don't know you.  I do know that you have precious children that you love, and that you want to parent faithfully and responsibly.  I know that you want our denomination to help you perform that ministry in support of your ministry to the Church.  That is all well and good, and commendable.  But please do not succumb to our culture's practice of baselessly ascribing impure, dishonorable, or ignoble motives to strangers whose opinion or practices or policies we find disagreeable (our legal system forbids this practice -- it's called an ad hominem attack).  Rather, seek first the Kingdom of God, which is ruled by love ("which crowns everything with harmony"), and if you must make assumptions, then assume that the other person's motives and thoughts are purer and more true than your own.  Seek understanding, rather than condemnation.  Assume innocence until proven guilty. 

I pray that you and your husband will be able to attend GA this year.  I pray that the Lord will provide satisfactory care arrangements for your children, that your voices will be included among the many who speak, that your ears will be among the many that hear, and that your spirits may be among the many guided by God's Holy Spirit to further, to increase, and to upbuild His Body, that God's Church in turn may be broken and poured out in love on behalf of a world struggling under the burden of sin.  Go with God.

Your brother in Christ,

Brint Keyes