For Clergy, Losing Faith Can Be an Occupational Hazard

For Clergy, Losing Faith Can Be an Occupational Hazard

I lost my faith while in ministry in a fundamentalist pentecostal denomination. And, I can say that it was definitely an occupational hazzard. I can so relate to the minister that said he had to put food on his table. It really is a horrible predictiment.

You can't have my Bible!

My recent post have been very biblical, mainly because I love scripture. The narrative speaks to me and gives credence to my faith. As it relates to my faith, I could care less if you can prove that Jesus actually did this or said that, or if an Old Testament story is a product of years of revision, pieced together from multiple sources making its historical reliability dubious at best, etc. While these endeavors have their place in responsible scholarship, my faith abides in a completely different realm. I am mythed by those who absolutely have to believe that the dots and lines of what we have today as scripture is inerrant and infallible and all those catch words that apply to the logic. If Jesus did not walk water then the bible is a fraud and God is dead.... 

To me, the bible is a narrative, a collection of stories that come to us as the products of a sacred community who have held these stories in the highest regard-- to tell us what God means to them. In this, I find a sense of belonging as I find my place within this very sacred community of people who believe that God is and that this God is intimately involved in human affairs.

Crisis in Bethany

The following is based John 11:1-45 Click here to read this in the New Revised Standard Version. 

(After writing this, I realized that it is extremely LONG! I would suggest reading it in several sessions.)

On May 14, 1988, a school bus full of children, teens, and chaperons was traveling down interstate 71 en route to Radcliff, Kentucky. They were on the way home from a church outing at a Cincinnati amusement park. 

As the bus was nearing Carrollton, Kentucky, a drunk driver in a pickup truck was heading the wrong way down the highway and slammed into the bus head on. The bus burst into flames, killing 24 young people and three adults. Thirty other people were injured in the crash. The pickup driver, Larry Mahoney, was a repeat drunk driving offender. He survived, sustaining only minor injuries. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.024), substantially higher than the legal limit in Kentucky. 

In just a few terrible moments more than 57 families were shattered and an entire community was in shock. Some lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents and others lost friends friends. Many had to help surviving loved ones recover from injuries and trauma. 

Many of the survivors and families of victims  traumatized by this senseless crash have spent the last 22 years rebuilding their lives through the hard work of emotional and physical healing . They have met together, worked together, and even fallen in love with one another. They are "average" people with inspiring and exceptional stories—stories about coping with heart-wrenching loss, giving selflessly of themselves to build safer communities and finding a way back to hopefulness. 

Dealing with Trouble

After these things and these acts of faithfulness, King Sennacherib of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.
2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem,
3 he planned with his officers and his warriors to stop the flow of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him.
4 A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the wadi that flowed through the land, saying, "Why should the Assyrian kings come and find water in abundance?"
5 Hezekiah set to work resolutely and built up the entire wall that was broken down, and raised towers on it, and outside it he built another wall; he also strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.
6 He appointed combat commanders over the people, and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying,
7 "Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him; for there is one greater with us than with him.
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." The people were encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.
2 Chron 32:1-8, NRSV

 Over the past several days, I have had the above scripture on my mind as I've meditated on the inevitability of trouble and crisis in life. It's a passage I've turned to often and I am sure I've blogged about it in the past. But, it is one of those that I think bears repeating. 

I wish trouble was not inevitable and that I could somehow find a solution that would enable me to avoid it 100% of the time. Unfortunately, it simply is not that easy. Sometimes we think that if we do everything right, crossing all our "t's" and dotting all our "i's", then we can avoid difficulty in life. But, crisis is indiscriminate, and while I do agree that we often bring allot of problems upon ourselves, adversity in life is absolutely unavoidable no matter how attentive and astute we live. Jesus, himself, told us this: 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33, ESV

In our lives, trouble and suffering will always loom upon the horizon. They are inevitable simply because we are human and because we live in an imperfect world. The presence of difficulties in and of themselves do not imply anything negative about us. The important thing, however, is how we deal with crisis when it comes. Thankfully God does not leave us to our own devices and the story before us can teach us allot about how to conduct ourselves in the difficult times of life. 

New Page Added to Site!

A new Book Review page has been added. The book reviews included (only one is added so far) on this page will be linked to my library at Goodreads. Check the page often as reviews will be added periodically.

Book Review: Lee Stobel's Case for Intelligent Design

Our Sunday school class recently began reading Lee Strobel's book, The Case for a Creator, and watching a DVD based upon the book. I just completed the book and it has been completely fascinating. Strobel is a gifted author and in this area, he appears to be very proficient; although, I must admit that I am somewhat ill prepared to attest to the veracity of all of his claims. All I can say is that from a layman's perspective, he makes some very compelling arguments.

We all have our areas of interest and science has never been one of mine. Consequently, over the years, I have intentionally shied away from debates over creationism, evolution, intelligent design, etc, not because I thought they were unimportant but simply because I lacked the interest/motivation to develop enough understanding of the subject to enter the debate. I must admit, however, that Strobel has brought these issues to life for me and I am amazed at the body of evidence (as presented by Strobel, which is admittedly somewhat one-sided), from a scientific and rationale point of view, that support the scriptural idea of creation/design and the very existence of God.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Incarnational Displays of the Divine

At our church, we are in the process of studying the Fruit of the Spirit, recorded by the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 5.

²³"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (vs. 22-23)

Over the past several weeks our Pastor has led us through a study of each of these fruit, defining them, discussing their respective qualities, as well as their practical application, relating them to various biblical stories and/or passages where they are clearly visible.

This series has been interesting, challenging, and above all, thought provoking. It has led my wife and I to re-examine our lives in light of these fruit, honestly appraising the extent to which we exhibit them in our lives as a whole. I'd be less than honest if I said that I've not suffered some deep conviction through this process, realizing that in many areas of my life, as it relates to these virtues, there's just so much room for improvement.