Trying to follow

It’s YouTubesday again, which means will look at some videos. I’ve put five videos on the player below, all related to finances and the church. Here’s a quick rundown of what you have to watch below.

1. Nooma - RICH 01:29
   To most people in the world, what we have would be more than enough. Maybe what we have is enough.
2. Eight Dollar Hot Dog 04:25
   Are God’s children caring for one another? Pastor and author Chris Seay discusses the tension between eight dollar hot dogs and children dying every fifteen seconds because they lack access to clean water. Are God’s children caring for one another? [h.t. joe and people]
3. THINK OF ME 04:04
   A movie that was presented by Franis Chan and his church Cornerstone. This is the reason they decided against a multi-million dollar church building to instead build an out-door amphitheater for church. The rest of the money was given to help feed the poor around the world. UNBELIEVABLE! [h.t. shlog and Jesusland]
4. The African Dream: Ending Extreme Poverty 06:54
   This 7-minute short serves to promote awareness on Poverty in Africa - an issue of extreme importance that does not receive the mu This 7-minute short serves to promote awareness on Poverty in Africa - an issue of extreme importance that does not receive the much needed attention it deserves.
5. Consumerism! The Musical 05:01
   A satire and celebration of the culture we live in.

Originally Posted in February 2006

The story goes something like this:
A typical church in a well-to-do neighborhood is inspired by the stories shared by a visiting missionary. In an effort to contribute to the needs that the missionary has shared the church has a clothing drive and encourages members to donate their winter coats for those who don’t have a coat to keep warm. The drive is a wonderful success and the missionary sends word of how the coats have benefited the people she works with. This is a wonderful thing.
The following year, the church again encourages it’s members to donate their coats and clothing and again they fill boxes with used clothing and coats. Now we have a problem.

Why is this a problem? The needs of the community are being met, with coats and clothing coming their way. And to the degree that those needs are met it is hard to critique without being looked at poorly. Yet I will still address my concern about the church.

Let me entertain you with some questions:
1. Have you ever participated in a clothing drive?
Having heard about a need in the world, you recognized that you had more then enough for yourself, and you where compelled to share your possessions with those in need.

2. Look at your closet now. Does it reflect those same convictions that moved you to donate your clothes in the first place?

3. More specifically, if I looked at your closet now, would I be able to see your convictions reflected, or would I say you are a prime candidate for our next clothing drive?

See, the problem with clothing drives is that often they result in a “hand me down” sort of charity. We donate our old, out of fashion, and undesirable clothes and make room in our closets for the new wardrobe we’ve been eager to purchase. Not only do we physically clean out our closet, but do it in the name of “charity” as if these actions are a noble act of giving. (If I am not describing you, please don’t feel judged or feel the need to defend your actions). This is a “false charity.”

What am I suggesting instead? I would like to see convictions drive our actions, not events like a clothing drive. If you have two coats and you only need one, then you should give the other away. The next time there is a coat drive your only option should be to buy a new coat and donate that one to the coat drive, because the one you currently have you need. If you have more shoes then you need you should give them away, and if you have more clothes then you need you should give those away too.
A church full of people living out their convictions would have no use for a clothing drive (unless it was to collect new items), because every member would have already given away their excess.

“The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”*

A while ago I wrote a series called considering church, and discussed the Sermon:

I’ll be honest I like listening to a good sermon every now and then. I could list a few of my favorites for you; at some point maybe I’ll even provide links to mp3’s of sermon’s that really moved me. There is also a good bit of Biblical support for sermons. Jesus seemed to like to sermonize it up every so often; my personal favorite is the “Sermon on the Mount.” Paul had quite a few lengthy sermons, and the first thing Peter does once he has the Holy Spirit is give a sermon. The word “Preach” shows up in the NIV 123 times (according to Biblegateway). Paul even goes off about the Rights of an Apostle in I Corinthians 9 (which is probably where we get our justification for having a paid pastor). The idea of a weekly meeting for a sermon probably comes from one of my favorite passages Acts 2:42-47.

So by now your probably thinking my goal was to answer the question presented in the title: Why the Sermon? Your maybe even a little bit convinced, or you’ve at least added some Bible verses to support it. So if that’s all you wanted, stop now and read no further.

I still wonder “Why the sermon?” If we are going to follow the Acts passage we should be meeting together daily, and also going to each others homes and eating together; we should be selling our possessions and sharing everything in common. And maybe our pastors should even be doing miraculous signs.
If we are going to hear out Paul’s words to the Corinthians then maybe we should also be advocating for more circuit preachers. Maybe we should stop the calls for money and just be giving it.

 Read the original post and comments here.

I’ve mentioned before that everyone (especially guys) should be reading Ms. Magazine. The main reason is that it brings up a lot of issues that need to be addressed that aren’t being mentioned in major media. Issues such as sex discrimination, abuse, mistreatment, and the wage gap. These are issues that should be dealt with in our society, and particularly in the church.

So, how can we as a church begin to address these issues? I thought I’d start by taking the six points from an article entitled, Mind the Wage Gap, from the fall 2005 issue of Ms. and discuss these as they relate to the church, rather then to the individual reader.

1. Document
2. Do the Research
3. Collaborate
4. Learn to Negotiate
5. Talk to the Boss
6. Celebrate!

1. Document- As I said in an early post on the wage gap, I think there is some compelling reasons to make our salaries known. Particularly the fact that keeping it a secret has kept us from addressing the fact that women make 70 cents on the $1 that every man makes. I’m not sure of the most appropriate way to do it, but I think we should have more open conversation and documenting of what we are making in our churches. This has other implications, but as it relates to the wage gap, knowing what others in your field make will help you be aware of if you are being unfairly paid. Documenting also means letting it be known when you feel you were mistreated or unfairly dealt with as it relates to your wage. If any place should be a safe haven and a place to share those things, it should be the church.

2. Do the Research- This also deals a lot with investigating wages within your field and if you are being appropriately paid. Doing this research individually is fine, but I would imagine a church would be a wonderful central location for the results of research concerning wages could be held.

3. Collaborate- Caring after the orphans and widows has to do with a lot more then providing them clothing and shelter (though that’s good too). Sunday School and Soup Kitchens are good things, but wouldn’t it be amazing to see the church as a collaborating force to ensure women were treated and paid fairly? If ever a person would be distressed, it’s when they are being discriminated against, harassed, paid unfairly, or worse. The church, as a unified body, is just the sort of location and group to help address these sorts of situations.

4. Learn to Negotiate- Again, what better place to learn this then in the church. At the least, Churches should be resources centers for this sort of information. If someone had concerns about their unfair treatment at work, the church should be able to provide contact information and resources for learning how to negotiate, rather then just an offer to pray for the person.

5. Talk to the Boss- Probably the most intimidating and daunting task of the six steps for most people. Especially for single-income households, talking to your boss about your pay, or any acknowledgment of being unsatisfied with work, can be a very scary task as there is probably a great fear of getting fired. Once again, the church has an important role in this step. The churches role is to be a supportive and loving body in the midst of injustice. So, not only do we help empower and prepare people to ask for equal wages, we are also there to support them should their demands be met with resistance. It’s much easier to stand strong against mistreatment and discrimination if you have a loving supportive community around you.

6. Celebrate!- I’d urge churches to have Wage Parties, or maybe Against Injustice parties. When my house mate paid off his last school loan and became debt free, we had a celebratory party. It was a beautiful thing. Like a celebration after finding a lost coin or sheep, we should celebrate when unjustly stolen salaries have been given back. The church should be a place of praise and celebration, for fair wages as much as anything else.