I must warn you that this entry will be filled with my least favorite subject; History. It’s hard to walk through Philly without remembering a little US History, but I want to share it with you the way I wish I had learned it; Not what happened, but what it means to us, how it applies to us today, why we should still have hope today. Also, if I am successful, you will see how I apply it to the hope I have for Christianity today and the future of the church.
The History of The US, Part 1
“Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the Inhabitants thereof. Lev XXV X”
I stood behind the roped off area, staring at the word “Liberty” and wondering what it meant. Why was this word inscribed here, and not “Freedom?” Why not “Democracy?” Why not “Independence?” The light was shining through the huge glass walls, casting shadows on this broken American Icon. From my memory though, this word, “liberty” was much larger, kind of centered and solitary - the title of the story. But here, I stood and saw that the title was not Liberty, in fact there was not title, just a sentence taken from the bible. I learned for the first time what this story was really about. I had to wait for the crowd to clear a little before I could walk a circle, about 15ft in circumference, to read the entire quote. I read it slowly. “…all the inhabitants thereof.” I took a few steps back and read again, “Proclaim Liberty…” then read again, “…all the inhabitants thereof.” I finish my walk back to the front, back to the part that everyone wants to see – the crack. I am in Philadelphia, the Epicenter of the United States of America. I can see Independence Hall through the window. I am trying to keep Nicolas Cage out of my mind because I keep imagining him in "National Treasure," running through the streets carrying the Declaration of Independence. I want to reach out and touch the crack, really feel it, experience it. The Liberty Bell is silent because it chooses to be a voice beyond the hills and oceans. It wants to send a message greater than a loud ringing.
The Liberty Bell was commissioned to be created far before the Revolution, before the First Continental Congress, and far before the US even conceived the idea to separate from Great Britain. As it turns out, the bell was not known as the Liberty Bell, just the State House Bell. Also, there is no evidence that it rang on July 8th, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed and read. Yeah, that’s right, I learned in Philadelphia that the 4th of July Independence day was not the day that the Declaration was signed, but the day it was drafted. Funny the way we tweak history isn’t it? When the bell was first hung, in 1753, a hairline crack was discovered, which was accredited to a poor composition of metal. So, John Pass and John Stowe re-cast the bell. However, the crack reappeared. One more time, they re-cast the bell but it failed. History says that the bell’s final ring was at the celebration for George Washington’s birthday, in 1846, but one could argue that it is really still ringing today.
It wasn’t until the abolition movement that the bell began to represent something greater. The quote on the bell began to speak to the nation in a new way. The word Liberty means, “The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.” For the abolitionists, when you put this definition into the quote on the bell, this meant that all inhabitants of the land deserve to be free of oppressive restrictions imposed by authority. So, it became known as the Liberty Bell.
It began with the abolition, but the Liberty bell represented the same idea for the Civil Rights era and the Women's Suffrage movement. It was not only a US icon, but a world-recognized icon. From Nelson Mandela to Ghandi, the bell rings. Was it just the inscription that had such an effect, such a loud ring? No, the image of the Liberty Bell is the crack. The bell was re-cast three times before it was settled that it would always be imperfect, and it sat for years before that imperfection turned out to be one of the most powerful images in the world.
I think that when we look at the bell, we can learn to be content with our own imperfection. We can learn to stop trying to re-cast ourselves, and start to see that maybe our purpose wasn’t to ring out loud at all. This bell was made with the intention that it would ring. The people who hung it had no idea that one day it would represent an entirely different country, it would hang still even though it didn’t ring. I doubt that it was tradition to keep a bell that didn’t even ring. I mean, what do we do with cars that don’t drive? Or Printers that don’t print? But this bell somehow stayed around. Earlier I wrote that the bell chose not to ring. Perhaps it chose not to ring because it would be a lie to ring a bell with such a quote in a land that lacked true liberty. As I stood and looked at the bell on Saturday, I was heartbroken because 250 years after this bell was first hung, we still oppress the inhabitants of our land. Women are still not paid equally to men. The bell remains cracked. All races are oppressing each other. The bell remains cracked. Two people in love are not free to walk the streets safely, let alone marry. The bell remains cracked. Hard workers with great hearts only wanting the best for their family, only wanting a chance at a better life are beaten and hated because we have a broken system. The bell remains cracked. It chooses to remain cracked.
I left the building where the Liberty Bell stands, and later visited Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. I remember in 8th grade, we had a mock Constitutional Convention where we basically re-enacted the drafting of the Constitution. It took us a week. In reality, it took the founders one summer to create the Constitution. Yet, today it takes many years to agree on any single issue; Heath Care, Social Security, so-called border “security” - because so many terrorists have come from Mexico, right? I guess if you’re stuck in a small room with sweaty men and no air condition in the middle of summer in Philadelphia, you are in a rush to get your agenda over with. But do you know what our tour guide accredited for the short time it took to complete the Constitution? Compromise. What is Compromise? Doesn’t that mean that each side must give up a little something to arrive at an agreement?
I remember learning about “The Great Compromise”, the one that decided the way our Legislature would be set up. A lower house, based on population of states, and the upper house with equal numbers of representatives from each state, no matter the size. See, the compromises that our founding fathers came up with were really more of synergy than compromise. Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, describes synergy as, “Not my way, not your way, but the high way.” That’s really what the Great Compromise was – Synergy. We have lost that. Once again, we find ourselves in a political debate between presidential candidates that want to tear each other down, so that we will be left with polarized individuals, who nobody relates to. No candidate will be favorable. Debates are set aside for bitter politicians and talk show hosts to tear down the candidates for the littlest things. What if political analysts existed in the time of George Washington. Wouldn’t they be tearing him apart about the Cherry Tree? If we are looking for a perfect president, I say let’s forget it. Does Barrack’s church really matter in the end? Sure, Bill O’reilly can spin a million reasons why it matters, but when you look at all the great things that could come to America, with young people who are actually motivated to do something, does it really matter? So, Hillary exaggerated about snipers. Who cares, haven’t you ever exaggerated something? What does that have to do with our desperate need for Heath Care.
Still, I have hope. I have hope for our country and our future. I believe that we can get back to the core of Synergy. In the short time that the founding fathers met, they were able to include the opportunity for change in the constitution. Thank God they did, because the Constitution originally specified that plantation owners should have the right to have slaves. That was later changed.
The 9th amendment says, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” This means that just because it isn’t a right enumerated in the Constitution, doesn’t mean that a right should be denied to an individual. Aside from amendments limiting Presidential terms and Congressional compensation, the only amendment used to limit the rights of the people was the Prohibition of 1919, which lasted 20 years before it was repealed. The government has been given the ability to do something, to re-create our future. It is widely known that we need change more desperately now than ever, but the only way to do it will be to put aside agendas and compromise, Synergize.
Woe to The Church and Christianity
My greatest grievance about the current state of America is the role that the Church has played. The Church itself is a broken bell, attempting to define morality for the country - Ethics that supposedly come from the Bible. The problem is, that the Church itself is failing because it is not drawing from the morals of Jesus, but interpretations and manufactured morals. Just as Cheese Wiz is manufactured from a bunch of chemicals and crap and only the slightest amount of Milk, which comes from cows, which God made. Still, Cheese Wiz is not close to real cheese. But we love it. It’s easy to put on crackers, it’s convenient. But at the end of the day, we get fatter and more unhealthy. I have been so frustrated with the many types of churches there are, and even more frustrated at the similarities between them. We’ve spent so much time creating different denominations, when we all call ourselves followers of Christ. If we are all followers of Christ, then we are Christians- that’s it! I believe the Churches should just accept the cracks between the denominations, and stop trying to ring the bell – be bigger than a ringing.
Furthermore, I am frustrated that many leaders today are predicting doom for the church, asking us to basically give up on the idea of church. This is not the way either. In my frustration, I have been pondering a question that Jesus asked his disciples. I go back to it when I try to figure out what church really should be like. Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” How do I answer that today? I pray and meditate on it some. I read books about a new form of Christianity. Mostly though I try to read about Jesus’ life – how He did it, how He did church. I have realized that what would have been considered his "church" was the way he lived. I have developed a vision for what I believe is much closer to what He wanted for church. To understand it, we need to understand the very flaw of Christianity today, and to understand that, I must share another history lesson from way before the Americas were even discovered.
It’s 340 BC. The world is flat. Science is in its early stages. There is no real record of time. No true calendar exists. Aristotle, a student of Plato, has created the model of spheres – a theory that the planets and the Sun in the sky all revolve around Earth. From this theory, he develops a calendar that is adopted and widely used for the next 2000 years. In the early 1400’s AD, Nicolaus Copernicus created a theory that the Earth was not after all the center of the universe. Instead, it is the Sun that is the center. By now, it’s pretty clear that there is a problem with the current calendar because about every 100 years, winter is coming in the summer months but, rather than search for the reason, the Pope just re-sets the calendar every 100 years. Copernicus was never able to publish his works, but about 150 years later, Galileo picked up the works of Copernicus. Now, with the use of a telescope, Galileo was able to confirm the theory that Copernicus had come up with. However, when Galileo published this theory, he was tried at the stake where he renounced the theories. Ironically, his college roommate had become the Pope and forbid him from publishing such heretical ideas. It was 200 more years before the modern Gregorian Calendar was finally recognized.
What does this mean? For 2000 years, a calendar was widely accepted, though it was clear that there was a flaw in it somewhere. The flaw was a result of the very core, the most central base of what the calendar was built off of – the Earth. Still today, our calendar is not perfect. We have to have leap year every four years, but here’s a fact you probably didn’t know: leap years do not occur in years that are divisible by 100. But what about the year 2000? I remember a leap year! Years divisible by 100 that are also divisible by 400 ARE leap years. Is it clear yet that we still have a flaw In our calendar like we still have a flaw in our government, and our Church?
I find it interesting that here we are 2000 years after the death of Christ, and we have settled with a church that is flawed at its very core – We have a Christianity based mostly on the teachings of Paul, and not Christ. Like a calendar based on the Earth, not the Sun. Furthermore, it seems that we haven’t answered Christ’s question correctly - “Who do you say I am?” We haven’t grasped a peaceful, graceful, loving Jesus. Like the Calendar, I don’t think we will have a perfect Christianity, but I hope for a better Christianity. For now, I could settle with some sort of a theological leap year, as long as we don’t keep ignoring the fact that Winter is arriving when Summer should be arriving.
There have been changes over the years in the church, though. Some have progressed Christianity, some have digressed from the true Christ, and some have really not gone anywhere. There has been a movement that has been trying to define itself for a while now. It was called “Post Modern,” then “Emergent,“ and some other names, but this movement can’t seem to define itself. We know that involved in it is a new type of theology, but each time a new name is given to it, the Fundamentalist conservative church snaps up the name and says, “hey, look we have candles now too, this is Post Modern church. But we’re not changing our theology.” There is also a desire for true community in this movement. So many people are out there waiting for this movement to come to life. I have some thoughts on what is holding this movement back from its full fruition. This will be my last history lesson of today’s entry; The History of the Modern Church in my interpretation.
The Colonial Church: I have always had a problem with this church (by the way the name is just made up to represent this type of church. Don't try to research The Colonial Church). It is the church that looks a lot like the colonial American model. King George, representing Great Britain ruled over the American colonies the same way that a main church, often times - but not limited to – the “Mega Church” is the central focus of church, which is broken down into “small groups” or “Care Groups” or as my church calls them, “Sanctuaries.” We could probably even include church interest groups and various ministries in this category. The point is, these are the community events, the relationship builders. The problem is, too few people attend these groups. This is the most important part of true Christianity though - Community. We are focused around the large gathering. All that matters is that I show up to church on Sunday and listen to the pastor.
There has been a movement of people who agree with me on The Colonial Church. They’ve had a problem with its structure, and out of that frustration we have seen the development of
The House Church: I love the house church. It is the church I want to call my church, but I think it's missing something. When I go back to reading how Jesus did church, this is how he did it! He sat at dinner tables with the people. He communed with them. He broke bread with them. They shared stories and nobody was paid to do the music, or to preach. They shared. Still, as much as I love this, there is a need for more. People who attend this church often attend The Colonial Church too. This means they aren’t completely committed to either community, which leads to simple attendance. Simple attendance is just coming to get something, and not to give. So, why don’t we just get people to commit to a house church and that’s it? No, there is a reason for the larger churches. Let’s look at Jesus again: Sure they met in houses but we see large gatherings as well; The feeding of the 5000, the sermon at the mount, preaching in the synagogues. Yes, there is a power in larger groups. Do you remember what happened after the Declaration of Independence was signed? Yes, the war, but how was government structured after the war? The Constitution, right? No, we first had the Articles of Confederation. We went from the Oppression of the King to just the opposite – no federal law whatsoever. This turned out disastrous as rebellions were staged just to prove that as individual states, there would be no control in the land, no unity.
This brings me to my hope for the future of church:
Christ’s Church: In the same way that our current government structure is meant to stress the importance of the individual states, and out of the states, develop a federal government, I believe that Christ’s Church would be something like turning The Colonial Church upside down. Instead of focusing on the big gathering on Sunday, the Church is based on small groups, house churches, sanctuaries. This is the most crucial part of the church. This must exist like the calendar must be centered around the Sun, not the Earth. The big gathering on Sunday is important, but less so than community. In this structure, Christians cannot simply attend. This structure calls all to be active.
This Church structure is a church that requires little to no staff. I love how my pastor from Missiongathering, Rich says that Jesus doesn’t want to be #1 in our lives, he wants to be the center of our lives. If Jesus is the center of our lives, and a church calls themselves Christian, then everyone must contribute. If everyone contributes, there is no need for staff. We can be Christians and leaders and members and pastors in our every day life.
But people will say that they don’t have enough time for that type of church. My answer is simply, Yes you do. Small groups don’t require much - 2 hours a week maybe. A small group should not be a pot luck. Jesus calls us to a life of simplicity – not selling everything and living in a shack, but not wastefulness like a pot luck either. I love the House Church I’ve been attending, The Hawthorne House. Each time I go there, it is a simple meal of bread and soup and salad. Maybe a good beer or wine too. It’s simple though. There is such a power in sharing a table, sharing a meal with someone. The small groups will likely have leaders emerge, some of whom would choose to preach in the larger gatherings, leaving no need for one preacher. 2 hours a week, 2 hours on Sunday, and I say 4 hours on one day a month to commit to social justice. That’s 20 hours a month out of a possible 672. That’s only 3% of your time! If this were a test, you’d be kicked out of the class.
I am so sad that I cannot commit to calling myself a Christian because of the way the name has been tainted and even broken up. So, though I believe that this is the way Jesus would do church today, I would feel weird about calling it a Christian church. That is, unless it were a big enough movement to redefine Christian back to its true meaning - follower of Christ. It’s funny that the Dictionary defines the word Christian as “Of, relating to, or professing Christianity and/or its teachings.” Why isn’t it “professing Christ and/or His teachings?” True Christianity is what I want. The best way I can sum it up is in a poem I wrote a few years ago when I was inspired by Def Jam poetry, and I revised it today:
Religion
Religion makes war, makes hate, makes hunger
Religion makes outcasts, and sinners, even single mothers
Religion oppresses the Samaritan and the Jew
What does your religion say about you?
I want a Christianity that says I’m an activist
I want a Christianity that says I’m a Feminist
I want a Christianity that won’t let me be racist
Or judgmental or stand by and just face it
I want a Christ like I read about in the Bible
With the cross on his shoulder
Not the white guy with bleached blonde hair
That children follow like soldiers
I want a Christ that gets on his knees
To put his hand on my shoulder
He says “I’ve always loved you
And I’ll love you when it’s all over.”
These days, it’s all a sin
Because we can’t all be in
We have to be exclusive
A club for the elusive
Ones
Who try to hide their secrets In their rooms
and lock the door by the light of the moon
because in the dark, the Sun won’t see their secrets
But what they haven’t realized is
That the light of the moon
Is the light of the Sun
A reflection of The One
The true One who you can’t hide your secrets from
No, not this Jesus
He’s not Religious.
Religion makes war, makes hate, makes hunger
Religion makes outcasts, and sinners, even single mothers
Religion oppresses the Samaritan and the Jew
What does your religion say about you?
I don’t want a church that makes me fear sex
Because it will take away my soul
I don’t want a church that forces out my straightness
And makes me play gender roles
I don’t know a god who would send me to war
To kill another
One of His beloved, His creation, my brother
I don’t know a god who gives up on the addicted
Alcoholics, druggies, they’re all afflicted
With a horrible disease that needs treatment
We don’t have time to offer help
But we find time to offer resentment
Lock them away it don’t matter where they’re sent
We find a way to offer blame which creates division
Which we try to glue back together
With Religion
Religion makes war, makes hate, makes hunger
Religion makes outcasts, and sinners, even single mothers
Religion oppresses the Samaritan and the Jew
What does your religion say about you?
point at the top, my fear of heights just leapt over the cliff without me, because I was so awestruck by the view of an itty-bitty river below and the little white specs that kind of resembled the busses we rode up to the trailhead – I’m still not convinced that that’s what they were, they just couldn’t have been that small and far away. My photos remind me over and over again that yes, I did make that climb. 
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