Barnabas File

(Spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker are included.) A friend once said, “In science fiction, no one is ever really dead.”  Through various plot twists and unique manipulation of natural laws, writers always find ways for deceased characters to return.  The Christian faith affirms that we are physical beings with an eternal spirit.  Christians affirm that those who have gone on before us not only live in our memories, but they are eternal beings who abide now with God. Even though George Lucas was not attempting to reflect Christian belief in his original Star Wars trilogy, in several instances those who have passed are still present and manifest themselves to the living when necessary.  The first to show himself was Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope , but in subsequent films Yoda and Anakin Skywalker appear to our protagonists. These are called “force spirits” or “force ghosts.” In Star Wars, force spirits are individuals who gained imm...

(Some spoilers for Star Wars:     The Rise of Skywalker here.) When he designed the original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas included a number of themes that speak to the basic concerns of humanity.  Although set “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” the protagonists are human beings dealing with universal human concerns.  One of these is family. In a similar way, the Bible tells the story of family--a biological family as well as the family of God.  Starting out with Abram and Sarai, we learn the stories of a very dysfunctional family.  They have problems with procreation, brother fights against brother, brothers sell a brother into slavery, and brother redeems and forgives.  The book of Genesis might well be titled “Observations of a Dysfunctional Family.”  The contention of sibling against sibling as well as rebellion against the Heavenly Father fills the rest of the Hebrew Bible. The Star W...

Although Bible commentators suggest that Luke was probably writing his gospel for a Gentile audience, the first chapter of the gospel links directly with the Hebrew Bible and prophecy.  Zechariah and Elizabeth are a righteous couple from priestly lineage who represent the best of that tradition.  There is a bit of humor in Zechariah’s encounter with the Angel Gabriel, his voice being silenced due to his doubt, and an older couple finding themselves pregnant, but the task they receive is serious--they will give birth to and nurture the new Elijah, forerunner of the Messiah. Elizabeth and her husband represent several things that we should take seriously as we consider the role of senior adults in the church today. First, they represent communal memory.  They remind us from where we have come. Senior adults today provide link to the rich heritage of faith not only of the Hebrew tradition but now the 20 centuries of Christian faith and practice. ...

In a recent webinar, Jim Kouzes said, “The question I get most often is: ‘Are leaders born or made?’     My response is always, ‘Yes, every leader is born.’”     He also shared research that indicated the overall percentage of people who have no leadership ability at all is 0.00013 percent!    That comes out to about one person in a million. Kouzes’ perspective is that practically everyone has the ability to become a leader.  He and his collaborator, Barry Posner, have developed a model of leadership development around five fundamentals of becoming a leader: Believe in yourself Aspire to excel Challenge yourself Engage support Practice deliberately The webinar I watched addressed the fourth fundamental--Engage Support.  Kouzes explained that becoming a leader is not a singular pursuit but one that takes place in a community of meaningful relationships.  If you want to develop leaders in your organization, ...

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is a remarkable film.     This retelling and revisioning of Fred Rogers’ encounter with a jaded writer for Esquire magazine requires one to hold reality a bit loosely, but the relationships and personal challenges it addresses are rooted deeply in reality. There is not a lot one can say about this film without spoiling it for the prospective viewer so let me place in within a context that pastors, clergy, and chaplains--those who practice pastoral care--will appreciate.  The New York Times review by A. O. Scott begins with this statement: “‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ celebrates the virtues of patient listening, gentleness and the honest expression of feelings.” For me, this is what pastoral care is all about. Fred Rogers was, as you probably know, an ordained Presbyterian minister.  His congregation was young children and their families.  His pulpit was the television screen, a medium...

My friend, Mike Smith, says, “Don’t say Baptists have never done a certain thing.     Baptists have done a lot of things.”     This is not only true for the Baptist tribe, but the Christian Church historically.     As we study the history of the Church, we observe a continuing evolution of thought and practice.    This is especially true in relation to what we call the mission of the church. Mission has been continually reconceptualized down through the last two thousand years. Missiologist David Bosch and theologian Han Kung suggested that the church has gone through several “paradigm shifts” in relation to its mission.  We might consider the changes in this way: The apocalyptic paradigm of primitive Christianity was based on the expectation of the imminent or impending return of Christ. The Hellenistic paradigm of the patristic period addressed this situation: “What do you do when Christ does not return as expected?” T...

The latest cultural putdown and internet meme seems to be “OK Boomer.” In  The New York Times,  writer   Taylor Lorenz defines this as, " Generation Z’s endlessly repeated retort  to the problem of older people who just don’t get it , a rallying cry for millions of fed up kids." She writes that teenagers use the term as a comeback to "basically any person over 30 who says something condescending about young people — and the issues that matter to them." Let me clarify at the outset that I am not a Boomer.  I am part of what is often termed the Silent Generation .  Born during World War Two, I was raised by those that I still consider the Greatest Generation, people who came out of two major wars and an economic depression but never gave up.  According to those who study such things, people of my generation “exhibit a strong loyalty to their personal beliefs and possess a strong work ethic.”  For the most part, the descri...

“Some see things as they are and ask why.  Others dream things that never were and ask why not?”--George Bernard Shaw One of the greatest challenges that Jesus seems to have encountered with his disciples was a lack of imagination.  He used parables and illustrations to explain his vision of the Kingdom and expand their perception, but their responses were often tied to the old paradigms; for example, “Who will sit on your right hand and your left hand the kingdom of God?” (see Matthew 20:20-28) Although Jesus built upon the Hebrew teachings about the Kingdom of God, they only provided a beginning point for him.  He was not interested in the preservation of the Temple in Jerusalem and its sacrificial practices.  He was not concerned about elevating the people of Israel to the top rung of civilization.  He could care less about the place of Israel in the world economy of the day.  Jesus was invested in fulfilling ...

The idea of how a church pursues missions has changed drastically in the last fifty years.    Although my perspective comes from being a Baptist in the South during that time, I believe that many of the changes have also impacted churches of all denominations across the United States in some way. The paradigm in which I was indoctrinated saw “missions” as something that was done somewhere else by people who were specifically called to leave their homes and do evangelistic and philanthropic work in strange and exotic places.  The denomination had overseas, domestic, and state mission boards who were responsible for this work.  The role of those of us in local congregations was to pray for the missionaries, learn about their work, provide the funds for them to pursue their ministries, and give them a platform to tell us about what they were doing.  There may have been a few local mission opportunities such as a “rescue mission” for the down a...

I was sitting in a conference room with several other people a number of years ago.     We had gathered to create an organization that would raise funds for Baptist collegiate ministries in underserved areas of the United States and Canada.     A consultant who was volunteering his time led us through a planning process called SWOT--strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.    The process made sense at the time, gave us some direction in the formulation of our plan, and I even used it in a couple of other settings, but I began to be a bit uncomfortable at the negative connotations of parts of the process. In recent years, I have come to use an Appreciative Inquiry process in consulting--one that identifies and builds on the inherent strengths of an organization.  I was pleased, therefore, when I discovered that someone had taken the SWOT approach and transformed it into an Appreciative Inquiry process. In The Thin Book of SOAR:...

The United States has provided the environment for many titans of industry--such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller--to flourish.     Although many of these individuals used extreme tactics to build their empires, they tended to become philanthropists in their later years and turned their attention to the good of humanity.     Most invested their income in benevolent causes, but few invested their knowledge.     Bill Gates is different. Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, at age 63 is now the second richest person in the world (behind Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon). In  Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates,   a new three-part  documentary   series on Netflix created and directed by  Davis Guggenheim , we are exposed to an in-depth look at the mind and motivations of Gates. Each episode introduces a challenge that Ga...

Several years ago, the New Yorker magazine featured a cartoon with several people sitting around a board table with the chairperson standing and holding a telephone.     The caption read, “Miss Jones, will you please send someone in here who knows right from wrong?”     Sometimes a fresh perspective if needed when it comes to ethical conduct. When we are young, it seems so simple doesn’t it?  We know the right thing to do, even if we don’t actually follow through.  As we grow older, situations seem to become more complex and lines appear to become fuzzy.  We often settle for the acceptable rather than the best in our ethical decisions. Every three years, I am required by the International Coach Federation to renew my coaching credential.  One requirement is a course on Ethics.  This deals not only with appropriate relationships with clients, disclosure of session content, and contractual obligations, but a...

Coaching in various forms is increasing, so it is getting more attention.  This means that change is at hand.  In a recent blog,  Edmée Schalkx   addressed “Trends in Coaching 2017-2022 ” and specifically noted what this means for users and coaches. As one who believes both in the effectiveness of coaching and its usefulness in religious settings, I suggest what these changes in coaching means for those of us who work with churches. First, faith communities will recognize that they need trained coaches. Churches, judicatories, and other faith-based institutions will discover that coaching promotes retention, provides focus, and maximizes use of resources.  With less to work with, coaching will increase the impact of the work of faith-based organizations in all areas of ministry. Second, seminaries will give more attention to teaching coaching skills and integrating coaching into the curriculum. Seminaries and church related col...

I talked recently with a judicatory leader who is launching an initiative to develop pastors as social entrepreneurs.   This type of minister would fill a pastoral role in a congregation but also initiate another ministry to serve the community that would be supported either through fees or grants or some combination of the two.  This would really be a bi-vocational or dual call for these ministers. Not everyone can assume such a role.  In How to Change the World , David Bornstein identifies six qualities of successful social entrepreneurs.  How might these apply to pastoral entrepreneurs? Willingness to Self-Correct.     A successful entrepreneur not only expects failure but is committed to learn from it.     Rarely in the church do we provide this level of grace.     Many of us confuse ourselves with God.     God is perfect, but we are not.     When we take a risk or try something new, ...