Keep It Simple, Stupid

I used to think that being intelligent meant being complicated.

It just seemed like the more complex, convoluted, and intricately byzantine a person could be, the smarter they appeared. When our culture places so much emphasis on cerebral intelligence (think of the value we place on IQ and ACT scores), it is no wonder that so many of us chase this distorted professorial image – the esoteric thinker, stroking his Rasputinian beard, waxing eloquently about something so mind-blowing and magnificent that none of us simpletons could possibly understand it.

We sit back in awe of such people, with a wonderment that approaches worship, and imagine all the good they’re doing in the world (while consequently feeling inconsequential about our own mundane contributions). “They are so smart,” we mumble, which often merely translates: “I have no idea what he/she just said.”

It seems this phenomenon can infect the Christian ranks as well. We often equate the verbose with the very smart, the opaque with the omniscient. If you really want the good stuff, we intuit, you gotta read the heavy-hitters - Aquinas and Augustine, Bonaventure and Barth, Schweitzer and Schleiermacher (no knock on any of these, by the way). When the Rahnarian run-on sentences become so long that we forget what day it is before reaching the fifth semi-colon, we rest assured that we’re really onto something sophisticated and fresh (though we haven't a clue what that is). 

It is perhaps not surprising that Soren Kierkegaard, nineteenth century Danish philosopher (and no dunce himself) suggested:

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obligated to act accordingly.[1]

Well, I don’t exactly share Kierkegaard’s conspiracy theory about theological reflection. I don’t think of Christians as scheming swindlers (well, at least not all of them).  But I do think he’s touching on something important.  It has to do with the relationship between simplicity and power:

Simple truths transform us.

This perennial axiom is nowhere more important than in our presentation of the gospel. It’s what Pope Francis was getting at when he said, “The message has to concentrate on the essentials, on what is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing.”[2] We should not be “obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines,” he urges. “Do not be preachers of complex doctrines, but rather be announcers of Christ.”[3]

So the question becomes, “What is the core, the essential, the most beautiful, the heart of the Christian message?” Try a few of these on for size, taken from Pope Francis’ exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel:

·      “In [its] basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead.”[4]

·      “Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us.”[5]

·       “The joyful, patient and persistent preaching of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ must be your absolute priority.”[6]

·      “The salvation which God offers us is the work of his mercy. No human efforts, however good they may be, can enable us to merit so great a gift.”[7]

·      “What is essential is that the [Christian] be certain that God loves him, that Jesus Christ has saved him and that his love has always the last word.”[8]

What Pope Francis is getting at here is of supreme importance. It’s a message that we’ve heard proclaimed and prescribed by every pontiff before him in the modern era. “The essence of Christianity is Christ,” Pope Benedict XVI said, “not a doctrine, but a person.” Pope John Paul II declared, “We shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person.”[9] “Nothing,” Pope Francis reminds us, “nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than the initial proclamation.”[10]

The point is that the most essential thing, the heart of the Christian message, the essential core of the Gospel is not complicated. It is not complex. It is not a doctrine even. It is a living, breathing reality. It is the simple presence of God among us. It has a gentle face and tender flesh. “Christian doctrine,” Pope Francis pronounces, “is called Jesus Christ.”[11]

The unparalleled brilliance of the mind of God shines forth in the humility of the stable, in the selflessness of a servant, in the scandal of the Cross. It is the simplicity of the Savior, not the complexity, which makes all the difference in the world. For Protestants and Catholics alike, our primary mission is the same – to announce, in word and deed, to each and every human being, the Person of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important (and more intelligent).

---

[1] Soren Kierkegaard, Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard, ed. Charles E. Moore (Farmington, PA: Plough, 2002), 201.

[2] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), 35.

[3] Pope Francis, Address to the National Ecclesial Congress of Italy (Nov 10, 2015).

[4] Evangelii Gaudium, 36.

[5] Ibid, 39.

[6] Ibid, 110.

[7] Ibid, 112.

[8] Ibid, 151.

[9] Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 29.

[10] Evangelii Gaudium, 165.

[11] Pope Francis, Address to the National Ecclesial Congress of Italy (Nov 10, 2015).

Practical Atheism and Pernicious Peace: The Silent Assassins of Our Age

In a 2012 Wednesday audience, Pope Benedict XVI made a penetrating observation:

A particularly dangerous phenomenon for faith has arisen in our times: indeed a form of atheism exists which we define, precisely, as ‘practical,’ in which the truths of faith or religious rites are not denied but are merely deemed irrelevant to daily life, detached from life, pointless. So it is that people often believe in God in a superficial manner, and live as though God did not exist.[1]

Pope Emeritus Benedict was not talking about the aggressive and vocal expressions of atheism that typically garner the headlines. This is not the kind of atheism that waves picket signs declaring, “God is dead.” This is a silent and seemingly innocuous, dare we say “practical” atheism that is particularly prevalent in the world today. It doesn’t deny the existence of God, it just relegates it to the margins of our busy lives. It doesn’t deny the Church, the Scriptures, and the Sacraments, it just asks that they be administered at our convenience. This atheism is not so much philosophical as it is practical.

Yet many in the Church today don’t see the problem. They go to church on Sundays (at least when it doesn’t conflict with a ballgame or practice), send their kids to Catholic schools, and insist on giving their kids “a firm foundation” by getting them confirmed (often independent of their kids’ feelings on the matter) before heading off into the wild, wild West of high school or college. Isn’t that what being Catholic is all about?

Sometimes I wonder if we have been lulled into a deep and dangerous sleep. At least this is how John Cassian described it in the fifth century.[2] Cassian, a master of the inner workings of the heart, noted that even those Christians immersed in religious life can so easily be soothed into the feeling of security when, in fact, their very souls are in danger. He called it pax perniciosa, or “dangerous peace.”

In the midst of reciting prayers and attending liturgies, at the center of the Church’s life and ministrations, Cassian observed many falling asleep in this dangerous and pernicious peace. He offered the piercing insight that “even the way of prayer can be dangerous if it never leads you to great love.”[3] Noting the same phenomenon in contemporary society, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore warns, “Our lives can come to resemble a Potemkin village – a façade of religiosity concealing our flimsy relationship with God and with others.”[4]

“Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns,” Pope Francis writes, “there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard.”[5] "Come on!" many will say. "Get realistic." "It's such a harmless vice, a permissible peccadillo in our busy age. I mean who, practically speaking, has time to make God the very center of modern life?"

St. John of the Cross reminds us, “It makes little difference whether a bird is tied by a thin thread or by a cord. . . Admittedly the thread is easier to break, but no matter how easily this may be done, the bird will not fly away without first doing so.”[6]

---

[1] Archbishop William E. Lori, “Who Matters Most?” accessed July 15, 2014 at: http://www.kofc.org/en/columbia/detail/2014_07_lori_chaplain.html.

[2] St. John Cassian was a brilliant mystical theologian of the fourth and fifth centuries whose formidable work informed the likes of St. Benedict, St. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits), St. Dominic (founder of the Dominican Order), St. Francis de Sales and even John Henry Cardinal Newman. Cassian’s mystical reflections were largely responsible for the codification and translation of the Desert Fathers into the Western Medieval Church. 

[3] Richard Rohr, “True Prayer Leads to Compassion,” adapted from Silent Compassion: Finding God in Contemplation (Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 2014), 15.

[4] Archbishop William E. Lori, “Who Matters Most?” accessed July 15, 2014 at: http://www.kofc.org/en/columbia/detail/2014_07_lori_chaplain.html.

[5] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), 2.

[6] John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, transl. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodrigez (Washington, DC: ICS Publications 1991), 143.

Relational Ministry by Bob Lehleitner

God’s plan to save the world was to become flesh,

sending his Son to be among us and to give his life for us.

I did not grow up in a Christian home.  When my father was transferred to Kansas City, God sent people to reach out to me.  They loved me, encouraged me to go with them to church, and enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Finally after four years, I accepted the invitation to church and met a girl who invited me to Young life Camp in Colorado. I was shocked to find that it was a religious camp. Mid-week I confessed my sins and opened my life to Christ as my Savior and Lord, becoming a new person.

That year, 1967, I started at the university and became a member of the church.  It was the wild 60’s and I was surrounded by temptation. Although I attended church regularly I was unsure about what next steps I should take in my relationship with Christ. Once again God provided for my needs thru a person, Richard Beach, our Youth Director.  As Christ took the twelve under His wing, Richard was my spiritual guide, showing me that the Christian life is better caught than taught.  Thru his life he taught me how to pray, study scripture, share my faith and lead others.  After a 3-month discipleship training program, I started my first group with the commitment to train others.  Several from that group went on to be full-time Christian workers.

Soon I began working as a volunteer leader with Young Life.  I went to all the school activities at Shawnee Mission South High school, met and became friends with hundreds of students and manifested the sweet aroma of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. To my amazement hundreds started coming to our meetings. We sang, had skits and heard a talk about a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Many were unchurched like me but most had gone to church never finding the answers to their questions about God. Many had a Catholic background and discovered Young Life as a refreshing addition to going to Mass.  It was much the same for students from every denomination.

Although I went to the Presbyterian Church, our conversation was not about our small differences. We majored in talking about the main things that all denominations hold in common.  Suddenly students who seemed disinterested in Christ were excited.  Atheists claimed faith, hedonists changed their ways, and students were following Christ. Soon they were in small groups to be discipled.  They were growing in their faith and reaching out to their friends. Before I knew it the high school students were starting Young Life clubs with the Jr. High kids.  As they went off to college they started groups there as well. 

It is time the church gave more attention to developing and discipling our youth. I was in awe recently when Pope Frances said much the same thing in calling the church to be less judgmental and stronger in sharing the good news of the Gospel.  In our city we are part of the “What If The Church” movement.  Once a year churches of different denominations exchange pulpits and serve the needy of the community.  The results are wonderful.

When Pope Benedict XVI retired, I prayed for the Catholic Church as they sought a new leader.  People wondered why I would pray for the Pope since I am a Presbyterian Minister. I said “I think the Pope is my brother in Christ and also the most influential Christian in the world”.   What if the Christian leaders around the world would get together in small groups to plan projects and love one another?  What would happen if the Catholic Church and the Presbyterian and the Baptist and Lutheran, Episcopal, and Pentecostal could be one?  We all know this is just what Jesus asked us to do in John 17. I believe that Pope Francis could get the ball rolling. We don’t need to wait for him, we can start today.  Let’s reach out to our brothers in Christ.  I know God would bless those relationships and the world would respond to such a witness.  We are all on the same team we need to start acting like it soon!

 Bob Lehleitner is a pastor at Colonial Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, (Quivira Campus). He’s been on staff 42 years and has personally led over 100 discipleship groups. He’s participated in non-denominational youth ministry for 25 years, was a Young Life leader over 10 years. Bob was the chaplain for the Kansas City Chiefs for 9 seasons and has helped manage multiple college Icthus campus ministries. He is husband to Gwen and father to Margi and Trey.

Christ Our Foundation

It is hardly imaginable for me to speak about anything else this week but the surprising announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will be resigning at the end of the month.  He literally gave his two weeks notice.  People have responded in wildly different ways, of course, but the key element in this news has been surprise.

No one was perhaps more surprised than Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria (see video below).  He was sitting in the consistory meeting of bishops where the pontiff first broke the news.  Arinze is a fascinating character.  Born in Nigeria, Arinze was converted to Christ from African tribal religion at the age of nine.  He entered the seminary at age 15.  He became a priest and later graduated summa cum laude with a doctorate in sacred theology from Rome.  At age 32, he became the youngest bishop ever ordained in the Catholic Church. 

Perhaps even more fascinating is that Arinze could very well be the next pope.  There are no guarantees with this sort of thing, yet many Vatican insiders suggest Arinze is a frontrunner.  No matter who appears in St. Peter’s Square as the next successor to St. Peter, I found Arinze’s reaction to Pope Benedict’s announcement to be among the most beautiful and grounded:

Some people may be so shaken [by the news of the pope’s resignation].  But my hope and prayer is that it will help many to become more mature in their faith.  Our faith is not on the pope.  It is on Christ who is the foundation of the Church.  Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  We all are servants.  We come and go.  Christ doesn’t come and go.  He stays.[1]

As we enter into the season of Lent, the ashes on our foreheads (today is Ash Wednesday) remind us that “dust you are and to dust you will return”(Gen 3:19).  Our lives are like grass, flourishing one day and gone the next (Ps 103:15-16).  Yet our common faith is not ultimately in priests or pastors, Young Life leaders or youth directors (however great they may be).  Cardinal Arinze reminds us that our foundation is not even the pope.  The hope that binds us all is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.  In this we stand united.  In this the Good News is proclaimed.  In this God’s reign will endure forever.

The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 10:8,13

---

[1]             Cardinal Arinze’s comments were taken from an interview conducted by Francis X. Rocca of the Catholic News Service on February 12, 2013.  

The Gift and the Giver

I am historically distracted by holidays - Advent, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, 4^th of July and Columbus Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day (which I inevitably get mixed up), Lent and Easter. I know what each celebration is supposed to be about but it is so easy to get caught up in. . . well . . . everything else! This Thanksgiving proved no different. We ate turkey and drank wine (both delicious). We watched football and played football (still sore).  We shopped and we cursed shopping (with the exception of Bass Pro Shop which was a hit all around). Yet I enter back into another week wondering if all the festivities left me, in a word, thankful? Do I find myself closer to my family, to my friends, to God?

This point was beautifully made by a 10^th century mystic who was asked by one of his disciples, “If you could choose one thing from God, either great joy or great suffering, which would you choose?”  After deliberating for some time, the wise sage responded, “I would choose great suffering.”  Utterly perplexed the disciple inquired, “Why?” The humble master offered up a tender smile and said, “Because then I could be sure that my choosing was not for the gift but for the Giver.” 

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that everything boils down to one essential gift.  “The gift of God is God himself.  The ‘good things’ he gives us are himself.”[1]  With all of the accoutrements and good tidings of the holiday season, it is so easy to lose sight of the one essential thing (Lk 10:42).  I pray (and ask for your prayers) that we might remember that Jesus Christ is the great treasure and the pearl of great price. Our greatest gift informs our greatest privilege. Our greatest gift is the same as the one expressed by the Bishop of Rome, “to help foster the growth of a living relationship with him.”[2]

By the way, it is National Bavarian Cream Pie Day.

---

[1]             Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. I, NY: Doublday, 2007, 136-137.

[2]             Ibid, xxiv.