Another excellent article in the September 18, 2007 issue of the CHRISTIAN CENTURY is Anthony B. Robinson’s article “Courage to preach”. Robinson discusses two recent books on preaching, The Fully Alive Preacher by Mike Graves and Preaching as Testimony by Anna Carter Florence. Robinson’s discussion did make me write down the names of both books as possible Christmas gift ideas.

However, the main reason I found this article so interesting was because Robinson raised some important questions about what preaching is really about.

Robinson writes:

The focus of preaching is properly on who God is, what God has done, what God is doing. It is the good news about a God whose thoughts are not our thoughts, whose ways are not our ways. It is the story of God’s relentless love, scandalous grace and persistent purposes. We, preachers and congregations, come second.

Another interesting quotation:

Will Willimon points to something similar when he observes that good preachers love God more than they love their congregations.

Robinson’s article has really made me think, and it has made me ask myself if my preaching has lately been focused on God and how God is at work, or whether I have made myself or the congregation the subject.

If you read Robinson’s article, I would be interested in hearing your reaction to it. What is the most basic thing that a preacher should be trying to do in the act of preaching?

It is not often that you read a book review that at the same time makes a profound and thought-provoking argument and leaves you with no desire at all to read the book that is being reviewed. But this is the experience I came away with after reading William C. Placher’s review of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens in the September 18, 2007 issue of CHRISTIAN CENTURY.

Hitchen’s book, according to Placher, is frustrating because it is “full of mistakes” and “its author seems not to have read any modern theology, or even to know that it exists.” I was struck initially that it was sad that there is yet another book out there gleefully ridiculing Christianity (and other faiths) as not just wrong or hypocritical, but actually dangerous. I wondered why Placher or CHRISTIAN CENTURY would want to publicize a book like this. (Maybe you are wondering why I am doing the same thing by writing this post… if so, keep reading.)

Placher does two things that are very helpful for Christians to notice due to the current popularity of books like God Is Not Good. First, he helps us to realize that many of the people that Hitchens is arguing with are not actually people, they are nothing more than strawmen. Second, Placher makes an appeal to Christians who “have found ways to be religious without being either stupid or homicidal” to speak up. Books like the one reviewed by Placher thrive on stereotyping Christians. Yet, most Christians don’t fit these stereotypes. So, the simple question is: Why aren’t we speaking up? In Placher’s words, “folks like those who read the CHRISTIAN CENTURY need to put aside our obsessively good manners and shout, ‘Hey! Those aren’t the only alternatives! We’re here too!'”

I would highly recommend this book review, it is one of the most effective I’ve read.

I received a forward message last week that had a great one-liner in it.  Here is the line: “Remember, just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.”

We all know that a person who stands in their garage is no more a car than a dog who sleeps in its owners bed is a person.  However, we often act as if all that is required for someone to be a Christian is that they go to church for one hour a week (as long as there is nothing else that interferes with church, of course).

This email was a powerful reminder to me that being a Christian involves a commitment to becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Disciples are certainly people who go to church, and who profess faith in Jesus.  But they are also people whose lives proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

Who is your life proclaiming as Lord?

My passion is to be used by God to enable people to be transformed in the image they were created in. I find that God most effectively uses me to do this through the ministry of teaching. A parallel passion is to convince nominal Christians to become deeply committed Christians.

Because it is Friday, maybe all you can think of being passionate about is The Weekend! But, I would love to hear from you. What is your passion?

I am excited to announce that Melissa and I are expecting our first child. The due date we have been given is April 11th. This is something that we have been praying about and talking about for quite a while, we are both filled with excitement and anticipation. Though, we also recognize that there is so much of head of us that there is really no way to prepare for until it happens. We would appreciate your prayers for both mom and baby.

The book that I co-authored, Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today is now available. I don’t have a very good feel for where it is circulating (i.e. where you could walk into a store and pick up a copy). I know it is available in Cokesbury bookstores and it can be bought online through several book sellers.

Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition is primarily intended to be a small group study, though an individual could certainly go through it on their own. It is designed to have you read one of John Wesley’s sermons and an accompanying lesson that is intended to help you digest the main ideas in the sermon. There is a brochure about the book under the documents section of this blog, or you can click here to see it. (Note it may take a moment to load, as it is about 2MB.) The first link also takes you to the publisher’s website (Discipleship Resources) where you can view the Table of Contents and read an excerpt.

I was given a few free copies of the book, so I am going to imitate what I have seen a few other bloggers do: If you are willing to blog about this book, I am willing to send a free copy to the first person who emails me with their name, mailing address, and the url of their blog. In sending me this information you are agreeing to read the book and blog about it within a month of receiving it. If you are interested, send me an email at revkevinwatson@hotmail.com

You can also purchase copies online through Discipleship Resources (they are the publisher), or Cokesbury, or Amazon.com. Amazon’s website says 5-7 weeks for delivery. I am not sure why it would take that long, but it may be that Cokesbury or Discipleship Resources are better options.

This past Saturday I presented the keynote address at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church for their workshop called “Pathways of Faith: Practical Methods for Putting on the Mind of Christ.” The workshop was a great experience and the people who attended had some excellent questions.

In my address I first talked about spirituality in general and came up with a working definition. Then I talked about a specifically Wesleyan understanding of spirituality. I tried to lay the theological foundation for a Wesleyan spirituality, and then I used the General Rules as a framework for discussing the specific practice of John Wesley and the early Methodists’ spirituality. Then I looked at what contributions Wesleyan spirituality has to make to the church today. I argued that a Wesleyan spirituality helps us to find a Scriptural balance between faith and works, and a balance between works of mercy and works of piety. I also argued that Wesleyan spirituality argues for the current need for small group accountablity, or as Wesley referred to is, “watching over one another in love.”

If you are interested in my take on John Wesley’s approach to Christian spirituality, I have posted my presentation under the documents page of this blog, or you can click here to go directly to the paper. I definitely consider this a work in progress, so let me know what you think if you take the time to read it.

This Saturday, September 29th, McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church is having a workshop called “Pathways of Faith: Practical Methods for Putting on the Mind of Christ.” The workshop will be held from 8:30-4:00 on Saturday. I will be giving the keynote address on Wesleyan Spirituality. I am excited to have the opportunity to explore the unique contribution that Wesleyan thought has to make to the church. I was also a member of McFarlin when I was in college at OU, so I am looking forward to the chance to go home. If you are interested in the workshop you can find a brochure of it at McFarlin’s website that has information on how to register here.

I always enjoy those moments where you have tangibly accomplished something important.  Those moments for me were always the most obvious when I was in school, like finishing your last final exam of a semester, or graduating.  One of the hard things for me about ministry is that those moments seem to be much more rare.  I always have a bit of that feeling after the sunday worship service, but I also know how fleeting that is, because Sunday comes every week!

Well, I just had that feeling of “Ah, it is nice to be finished. ”  I just mailed my final year of commissioning papers off!  That means, God willing, that I have completed all of my written work towards ordination.  It is a good feeling.  Thank you, Lord.

Andrew’s comment to my last post The Importance of Community has helped me to continue to think about this vision of community. Yesterday I was reading Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America and came across a wonderful description of the Methodist class meeting, and the role that it played in helping people faithfully follow Christ.

Much like the Methodist class meetings of the eighteenth century, it moves beyond individual edification or emotional support to an intentional and disciplined sharing of the challenges of following Christ in an indifferent and hostile world. Coming together in regularly scheduled gatherings participants share the bumps and bruises of encounter with the world, as they comfort and strengthen one another. John Wesley believed that intentional and disciplined small groups could be a wellspring for faithful Christian discipleship…

In the sharing of temptations and weaknesses, and of strengths and accomplishments, participants can begin realistically to confront and acknowledge their bondage to sin as they learn to live as a forgiven and forgiving people. The intent is to create a social space and climate that encourages honest, caring relationships within a community of people who make time for one another, who celebrate and rejoice together, who know and serve each other, and who are accountable one to the other. (171)

Well said!