The Great Christian Festival of Halloween and the Problem with Light Parties

Mostly, the various feasts and festivals that the Christian church has come to celebrate over the last two-thousand years trace their origins to either Judaism or the various pagan cultures in which Christianity took root in the early centuries A.D. In light of Christ, existing seasons and festivities were often re-appropriated as a celebration of some specific aspect of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and of the Christian faith.

Rather than celebrating the Jewish festival of Passover, Christians tend to focus on the events of Christ’s death and resurrection in what has become Easter (though an understanding of both will enrich one’s faith immensely). Pentecost Sunday has come to be a celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2 and is less focused on Shavuot as a celebration of the wheat harvest and Torah.

When it comes to Christmas, the roots of this Christian celebration are not Judaism but rather stem from the winter solstice celebrations of the Roman Empire, and then later, from various Germanic tribes. In this sense, there is some truth to the idea that originally Christmas and some of the pageantry of Christmas finds its origins in pagan celebrations.

But. But where winter solstice marked the darkest dark and the slow turning of the seasons with the promise of the coming of a new sun, Christians subverted this idea and celebrated the coming of a different Son into the darkness of our world. Light and life to all he brings!

Together the various feasts and fasts of the Christian Calendar invite us to orientate our lives around the life of Christ. They even invite us to re-orientate our sense of time around Jesus.

Over time though, secular society does what secular society does, and takes the various Christian feasts, celebrations, and holidays that we have, and slowly but surely commodifies, commercializes, and bastardizes them. In doing so, it’s not just that a particular Christian feast is undermined, but rather that our sense of life being a reality organised around Christ is slowly chipped away at.

We think less of time as a gift, one that allows us the opportunity to simply be - to be with one another, to share life - and to walk a long obedience in step with Jesus. We start see time as a utility and a commodity to be spent – to be leveraged towards maximum productivity. Instead of living in the anticipation of Christ’s coming in Advent, in the celebration of Christ’s birth in Christmas, in the revelation of Christ as Saviour in Epiphany and so on, the framing categories of our life become; work weeks, school terms, university semesters, quarterly reports, annual reviews, the end of the financial year. Ultimately this is anxiety inducing, rather than life giving. 

Selah

In highlighting this, my point is not to rally the troops in some vein attempt to fight against the secularization of Christmas in contemporary society. I’m not trying to organise a “We Say Merry Christmas, Not Happy Holidays” protest march. My point is both narrower and broader in scope. Narrower in that my concern is not how secular society treats Christmas or Easter, only in how we as the Church do. But broader in that if we as Christians settle for a secular perspective on the various feasts and festivals, we lose track of time as sacred, and with it the fullness of Christian vision and theological insight that the Calendar offers as a discipleship tool. We need a renewed appreciation of the Church's liturgical calendar.

Which brings us to the great Christian festival of Hallowe'en!

Under the pantheon of the Roman gods, and in the folk religions of the early Celts and Germanic peoples, festivals were held that marked the seasons. I’ve already mentioned winter solstice. The autumn festival marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. For the Celts this festival was known as Samhain (summer’s end).

These festivals were religious in nature in that as well as marking the season, they were also a liminal time where people imagined the boundary between this world and the otherworld thinned – fairies and ghosts and the souls of the dead could travel between the dimensions. With the souls of the dead supposedly able to return during these kinds of festivals, they became an occasion to consider death, to consider the under-world, to set a table for ancestors whose ghosts would return to visit their homes.

Traditions varied, and traditions evolved – one tradition included dressing as the dead or dressing as characters from the underworld and going door to door to collect treats or do mischief. This practice mimicked the idea that the gods were temperamental and couldn’t be trusted – you better make good sacrifices if you want a good harvest – otherwise they’ll give you nothing but mischief. Another was to carve pumpkins (originally turnips) into scary faces to scare off evil spirits.

The Christian Church looked at all of this and thought, we can do better than this, we’ve a new understanding of death, of what it is to confront death, in the light of Christ. The principalities and powers have been defeated, death is not the final word, the grim reaper is not in charge. And God is not a god of mischief, God is light and life and in him there is no darkness.

And so, the church inaugurated a different festival (as early as the year 609, and then it has evolved from there). Not a one-day festival, but a three-day festival known as All-Hallowtide. A festival designed to sit alongside or exist as an alternative to the various existing festivals of the dead and subvert them in Christ. Hallow means saints, thus we've All Saints Time, and it is a chance to consider and face the reality of death and fear of death we often carry. It is also a chance to remember those who have passed away, saints known and unknown. The three days are October 31^st, November 1^st, and November the 2^nd.

October 31^st – Hallowe’en: All Saints Eve, Hallow Eve, Hallow Evening. This day was an invitation to prayer, to renew one’s baptismal vows in the face our fear of death – I’ve already died in baptism, it is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me – and was a chance to reflect on our eternal hope in Christ: neither death nor Hades (literally the god of the underworld) are in charge and they do not have the final word in the face of death.

November 1^st – Hallow Day: All Saints Day. A time consider the capital “S” Saints and martyrs of church history and to consider their lives as exemplars to us in our own journey. Not celebrity  Christians to follow but faithful saints in the truest sense.

November 2^nd – All Soul’s Day. An opportunity to consider the lower-case “s” saints who’ve influenced our lives but have passed away over the course of the last year – friends, family, church members. And then more broadly, those who have influenced our lives but have passed away in years gone by.

All-in-all a chance for the Christian to face death, and, in doing so, to recognise that God is sovereign over death, faithful even in death, and that death has been unmasked as a false god.

Romans 8:35-39What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (You could say; shall any sort of mischief come between us and God? No way!) As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (I’ve been baptised, it is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me!) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, (or fairies, or zombies, or scary pumpkins, or mummy’s wrapped up in toilet paper, or trick-or-treators dressed as the Kardashians) neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow (especially about death, even though we try not to talk about in our modern world, we try and sweep it under the rug, the business of morticians and undertakers) – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below, nor anything else in all creation (not even a zombie apocalypse), will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Allhallowtide (All Saints Time) with Hallowe’en, All Saints and All Souls, is a chance to cultivate a proper sense of Christian hope and perspective in relation to death – to remember that death is not the final word! Jesus is the resurrection and the life, our promise of eternal life. The story is not over and in the fullness of time, all will be made well, all will be restored, all will be renewed, every tear will be wiped away – and in the resurrection will be re-united– we will gather to break bread together once more. 

And thus, we say; “where oh death is your sting!?!” Not because the pain of losing a loved one is not real, is not heart-breaking, is not without its own kind of sting. We say, “where oh death is your sting!?!” because death is not, ultimately, that which destroys but that which will itself be destroyed. The love of God will conquer sin and death – and resurrection life will prevail.

Which brings us to the problem of Light Parties, (or at least the potential problem of Light Parties – they are really good for little kids). The problem is that secularism triumphs when christians decide that we need an alternative to the Christian festival of Hallowe’en. Especially if the reason for it is a fear of rubber masks, face-painting, toilet paper, and cobwebs made out of cotton wool – the ghouly and ghostly get-up of Hallowe’en. Secularism wins when we decide that we can’t face death with our kids – and the cartoonish representations of death that come with it – and declare faith and hope and the victory of Christ in all things. Secularism wins when we celebrate Jesus as the Light of the World but only with glow sticks in the sanctuary.

Hallowe’en is an opportunity (with our slightly older kids – the ones that have moved on from Bob the Builder) to, paradoxically, through the use of masks, actually un-mask and disempower the various “boogeymen” that creep into our imaginations (as children – and as adults) and fill us with fear. Especially the fear of death.

We’ve a chance to face these fears – through the dressing up and running around, through the putting on and then the taking off of masks, kids get the chance to expose various monsters as make belief. And then, in conversation with parents to recognise that “there is a light that shines in the darkness, and is not overcome,” and “there is a power greater than death and it is Jesus.”

A Christian participation in All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Eve, Hallowe’en (even the “trick or treating” part of it) and also All Saints and All Souls day is not some sort of compromised glorification of the occult – rather – it is a good time for us to allow death and other things that scare us into our celebrations and conversations, especially with our kids, in order to then unmask them and speak of the life and power of Jesus Christ. When all the masks are taken off we can have conversations about things that scare us, about death, about the power of Jesus. We let the light shine in the darkness – and it is not overcome.  

And then after that, we follow this up with All Saints Day. “You know how people dressed up yesterday as monsters and mummies and Harry Potter characters and Star Wars characters and different super-heroes – do you know who the real superheroes in life are?”  “Nope.” Well let me tell you about Francis of Assisi, or Mother Teresa or your Grandmother and how she loved Jesus and loved people… They are the kind of super-heroes that God thinks are pretty cool. And then you follow that up with All Souls Day and a conversation about a loved one who’s died, and our hope in Christ of resurrection life and the renewal of all things. Death isn’t the final word.

Rather than let secularism subvert Halloween, we leverage Halloween as a Christian opportunity to subvert fear and death!

**I don’t really have a problem with Light Parties. They have their place. Especially with little kids. Have a blast whatever you do! I’m just trying to make a point. We don’t need to have a problem with Halloween either, if we have the conversations with kids that the festival invites. That said, the whole candy from strangers practice is weird.**

The Sermon on the Mount - A Theological Paraphrase

Matthew 5

^1-2 Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the mountainside and sat down to teach. In the priestly tradition offering ethics shaped by God’s word, in the prophetic tradition offering a vision shaped by God’s future, and in the wisdom-tradition offering a way of being grounded in the fear of the Lord. Further, as King and Messiah, Jesus invites all who are willing to realign their lives in step with a new and alternative arrangement of human affairs; the kingdom of God. All are invited to participate in this kingdom initiative and experience God’s plan for human flourishing. Jesus speaks first to the downcast and downtrodden:

^3-6 “Flourishing are those so crushed and despondent in life that they’ve no hope for the future. God’s kingdom is breaking out and they’ve every reason to put their hope in the Lord as they are on the cusp of new possibilities. Flourishing are those so incapacitated by grief that any expectation of ever knowing joy or comfort again seems impossible. God’s love draws near in Christ; they are moments away from God’s life-giving embrace. Flourishing are the humiliated, oppressed and powerless – those who’ve been denied access to basic resource. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it and God’s rearrangement of human affairs will redistribute access to all. Flourishing are those who’ve been starved of justice and denied a fair hearing. God’s heart is for every one of his children, that all would have a voice and would know the satisfaction of being heard and of receiving God’s righteous rule. Even now God is lifting the downtrodden.

^7-10 “Flourishing are those who extend grace, forgiveness and kindness to the world around them. God will return to them this same experience of love and compassion. Flourishing are those who have cultivated an inner disposition that is holy, whole, and wholesome. God’s presence, God’s voice, and God’s action in the world will be keenly obvious to them. Flourishing are those whose energy is directed toward initiatives and activities that bring to pass the shalom of God on earth. As agitators willing to confront injustice without mirroring injustice, they will find themselves enveloped in the loving kindness of God the Father; they are in step with God’s work in the world, they are part of the family. Flourishing are those so invested in God’s alternate arrangement for human affairs that it challenges the status-quo around them and results in persecution. The rule and reign of God’s kingdom will be their ultimate inheritance – breaking into their life now and experienced in full in the age to come.

^11-12 “Remember that, when the world hurls insults at you, tries to discredit you and crush you, all because of your commitment to live in a way that embodies my way of being in the world, you have a treasure trove of blessing in store. Not the trinkets and baubles of this age, but the fullness of life that is experienced as heaven invades earth. So, charge your glass and toast the discomfort, you’re walking the path that the prophets walked; death that leads to life.

^13-16 “Be like salt that preserves, enhances, and flavours, and like light that illuminates and reveals – both distinct and involved. As you model the way of being in the world that I’m championing, the impoverished will be lifted to their feet and inspired to honour God. Don’t take yourself for granted, don’t think you are insignificant, you’re a living expression of what the kingdom of God tastes like, a beacon of God’s light in the darkness, a living invitation to God’s alternative possibilities. 

^17-20 “I haven’t come to undermine, dismantle or expose the Law or the Prophets as wrong. Rather I’ve come as the embodied fulfillment of every pen stroke. So don’t discount any of it, every aspect will be summed up and accomplished in who I am. Everything the Law and the Prophets intended to bring into being – faithful representation of God, faithful whole hearted love of God, and faithful and consistent love of neighbour – will be brought to life in me. Therefore, anyone who sets aside even the most basic of commands and fails to understand and teach those commands in light of me, will have a lowly reputation in my kingdom. On the other hand, whoever teaches and practises my way of living – which is embedded in the heart of the Law – will be well regarded in my kingdom. Ultimately my invitation is to embrace an alternative arrangement for human affairs, a more heavenly arrangement, one that isn’t based on beating the Pharisees and the teachers of the law at their own game; rule keeping and the ability to tick every religious box of obligation. My invitation is to embrace a deeper consciousness of what it means to please God and to cultivate at the core of one’s being a radical openness and faithfulness to the will of our Father in heaven.     

^21-26 “For example, you know that murder is a destructive and dehumanizing way of living. The Law teaches this, and murderers will be subject to judgement. But what I want you to understand is that, even if one isn’t committing murder, inner dispositions of anger towards one another are life-killing too. To call someone out as ‘useless’ or a ‘fool,’ falls short of the loving kindness I’m calling you to embody. Expressed or not, hateful inner dispositions are dehumanizing and destructive in the here and now and will be subject to judgement and destruction in the age to come. I really can’t emphasise this enough; you need to make every effort to cultivate holy, whole and wholesome relationships with one another. Let’s say you’ve flown half-way around the world to attend some worship festival but then remember you’ve a relationship that is out of sorts with someone in your life. Get straight back on the plane, go to your brother or sister and reconcile, then fly back to the festival and enjoy worshiping God. Or, if you find yourself being taken to court, do your best to reconcile with your opponent on the way to court. Ring them up, apologize, come to an arrangement, do what you can to entrust yourself to the possibility of receiving grace and forgiveness from your adversary. It is a humbling, healing, and humanizing way of being, and is a lot better than being thrown into prison where you are to serve every day of your sentence.

^27-30 “You know as well that adultery tears families apart and damages lives. The Law is clear that this kind of behaviour falls short of God’s intention for marriage. Going deeper though, what I want you to understand is that anyone who looks at someone with covetous lust is committing adultery in their heart. Desire coupled with, or emboldened by, narratives of self-justification and entitlement demeans and degrades one’s actual marriage, one’s spouse, sex-life and circumstances. It fosters a temptation to bypass the hard work of faithfulness in marriage – the building, developing, and cultivating of a healthy relationship– and to instead grasp for that which is not your own as a fast-track to a flourishing life. But it doesn’t lead to human flourishing. It is a dehumanizing way to think about your spouse and someone else’s.  Whether acted upon or not it is an incredibly destructive way of orientating your heart. Again, I really can’t emphasise this enough! Covetous lust is so destructive that - even though I’m not literally advocating for this - you’d be better to have an eye gouged out or a hand cut off, than to experience the kind of total destruction that it leads to in life. 

^31-32 “In regard to divorce, you know that this is not God’s ideal and, generally speaking, undermines human flourishing. That said, if you’ve valid reasons for divorce – adultery, physical or emotional neglect, abandonment, or abuse – a certificate of divorce must be provided. In this somewhat primitive and patriarchal first-century world, this certificate will make it easier for a woman to remarry and find economic and social security. Keep this in mind though men, if you instigate a divorce without cause (for example, where there has been no sexual immorality), from God’s perspective your actions will result in your former spouse and her new husband being the victims of adultery, not the perpetrators.   

^33-37 “My alternative arrangement for human affairs even impacts everyday realities as basic as how we talk.  Back in the day the dishonesty and unreliability of people’s words necessitated laws calling people to keep their oaths and to fulfill vows made before God. Ultimately though, this simply served to create a two-tiered system of speech. An elevated degree of honesty, truthfulness or commitment if words were spoken as oaths or vows, and then lowered standards of unreliability and potentially misleading speech at every other occasion. This kind of duplicity in one’s speech will undermine human flourishing. Therefore, don’t worry about oaths or vows; I’m calling you to practise uncomplicated, truthful, straightforward plain speech. No finger-crossing, no innuendo, no subtle manipulation or veiled messages. This sort of talk is evil. Just let your yes be a yes and your no be a no. 

^38-42 “You know the laws that seek to prohibit escalating cycles of violence and retaliation – that limit recompense to like-for-like, eye-for-eye – well, my invitation is to a more radical way of living. When you find yourself in conflict with someone intent on evil, someone trying to get the better of you; don’t fight back. If someone is seeking to shame or dishonour you, though it feels like a slap in the face, resist the temptation to defend your honour, instead turn the other cheek and absorb the insult. If someone is taking you to court over an issue, give more than is being asked. Look to settle the matter quickly even if it sets you back. When someone imposes themselves on you with requests or demands that are really too much, roll your sleeves up and go further than is expected. Give freely to those who ask, lend generously to those who are looking to borrow from you. All-in-all, rather than attempting to achieve recompense through appropriately measured levels of retaliatory violence, find restoration and reconciliation through unselfish and uncalculated generosity which prioritises the needs or desires of other people even at the cost of one’s own resource or honour.

^43-47 “It’s very normal to love your neighbour but hate your enemy, that’s the way broken humanity operates. My way of orientating your life flips this on its head though. I want you to love your enemies and take the time to pray for God’s blessing on those who are set against you. Cultivate a heart that seeks the well-being of others, is willing to embrace the vulnerability of naked humility and to suffer the loss of one’s personal rights for the sake of another. Living like this you’re reflecting God’s family values as a true child of God. Whether corrupt or whether living in total denial of God, people love their own – loving those who love you is easy – you wouldn’t expect a reward for that would you? God’s loving kindness extends to everyone! Good or evil, righteous or unrighteous, the sun and the rain bring God’s blessing to all.

⁴⁸ “Be holy, wholesome, whole: even as your heavenly Father is holy, wholesome and whole.

Matthew 6

^1-4 “When it comes to the core spiritual disciplines of giving, praying and fasting, make sure you’re not working the angles, putting yourself in the spotlight to garner the kudos of others. This kind of behaviour – fake piety on display for the world to see – doesn’t impress nor bring any reward from your Father in heaven. When you are giving to those who are in need, don’t broadcast it to the world around you like some do; it’s not true generosity nor true love. These kinds of folks are actors in their own religious play who are performing for the applause of others and their own self-congratulation. It’s hypocritical. The only reward they’ll receive will be the esteem of those who are fooled into thinking they are devout. Instead, when you give to those who are in need, make sure it is unannounced; an uncalculated generosity that comes from the heart. Your heavenly Father sees this kind of giving done in secret and will reward you; his rule will be established in your heart rather than the rule of money; your priorities will move beyond self-interest to the world around you; you’ll experience the joy of being a part of God’s redemptive work in the world as resource is redistributed to meet needs; your ego will shrink; and you’ll begin to live free and light.

^5-8 “As well, when it comes to prayer, don’t use prayer as a way of impressing others. Praying out loud and at just the right moment, in order to be noticed by others, is an exercise in missing the point. When you pray like this the reward is nothing more than the high praise of folk who don’t realise they’ve been fooled by a self-indulgent piece of theatre. Instead appreciate prayer as an invitation to walk a path of faith, trust and mystery. Find a secluded place to pray, and in prayer open the secluded places of your heart to God. You don’t need any special techniques nor an impressive vocabulary, blabbering on and on doesn’t achieve anything. Simple prayers are fine as prayer isn’t something you have to “get right.” Rather, prayer is something that “gets you right.” God is a loving Father who hears and knows what you need before you even ask.  Though unseen, God hears every prayer and will reward what is done in secret. Every time you pray you’ll experience a realignment of your heart as you are continually reformed into the image of God. Prayer will re-shape you, your eyes will be opened to see beyond that which is overwhelmingly obvious and into God’s realm of faith, hope and love.

^9-13 “When you pray then, pray straightforward prayers like this: God of heaven who is loving kindness, the source of all life, the concerned caretaker over all things; let the holy, wholesome and whole realities of your dimension invade, energise, captivate, heal, and be established in our lives and world. Let us revere who you are and take your call to righteousness and shalom seriously. Let your rule and reign be established in our hearts, lives, families and communities. In all things may our allegiance be to you alone and may your alternate arrangement for human affairs come alive for all. Let us always be mindful that you are the one who sustains our lives, the source of every good gift; your words are life to us, fresh bread your blessing. Tempted as we are to stockpile, teach us to trust that provision for today is enough, and to appreciate that to give and to share is holy. Forgive us when we trample over others and fail to represent you as loving kindness in the world. And when a corrupt and damaging ordering of this world is imposed upon us, let us be quick to forgive. In all things, protect us from narratives that would beguile us into thinking we can find our own paths to human flourishing.

^14-15 “Remember, forgiveness is essential to a holy, whole and wholesome life; so fully entrust yourself to the forgiveness of God! This will mean forgiving those who’ve wronged you in life. Receiving forgiveness from God and extending forgiveness to others goes hand-in-hand. There is a flow and a rhythm to forgiveness a little bit like breathing. Breathing in God’s forgiveness enables you to live free and light. Breathing out or extending forgiveness to those who’ve wronged you does the same. If you don’t get the flow right you’ll feel suffocated in life; you certainly won’t be flourishing.  

^16-18 “When you go without food in response to the circumstances of life where feasting wouldn’t be appropriate – loss, grief, angst, heartache, despair – don’t put on a lugubrious face. The point of fasting is not to gain the attention of others by looking dismal, doleful and glum; the point is to be fully present to moments in life you’d rather escape. So, keep a straight face but don’t try and bury your heartache. Fast and be present to the difficult season you are in and discover that God is present to you. Like prayer it is an invitation into mystery. Your Father in heaven sees and having put one faculty of your senses to the side, you’ll begin to encounter God in other life-giving ways. Rather than derailing your life in situations where you may be tempted to make poor choices in an attempt to mask over heartache and loss; you will experience the life-giving reward of God’s sustaining presence.

^19-21 “Don’t orientate your life around the acquisition of wealth or possessions and the status, security, power and control that money supposedly offers. Ultimately you are pursuing a counterfeit kind of freedom and self-governance that is contra to that which God is calling you into. More than that, it is an illusion. Wealth and possessions are temporary and fleeting, as is the freedom to be your own man that they supposedly promise. They’ll eventually be lost to you, or you lost to them. Instead, orientate your life around the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Pray, fast, give and forgive your way into all that I am teaching. Let my way become your way of being in the world. Living like this, you’ll be storing up heavenly treasure that has a way of showing up in the here and now; God’s good and righteous rule in your life; a restoration into the fullness of the image of God as you experience holy, wholesome and whole growth in life; a deep trust and confidence in God; a flourishing life; an inheritance prepared before the foundation of the world. The kind of treasure that you seek to orientate your life around reflects the kind of person you are.

^22-24 “In life, how you see things determines whether you're living in the light or living in darkness. If your perspective is wholesome and generous, anchored in a revelation of God’s generosity towards you, you’ve a good eye and will live in a place of enlightenment. If your perspective is evil and stingy, supposing that God has been stingy towards you, you’ll be surrounded by darkness. To suppose that God is stingy – to carry this as some sort of illuminating revelation – is to have misread the situation; this kind of revelation is actually darkness. You’ll be tempted to make money your master, thinking it more generous than God and a sure pathway to a flourishing life, but God’s invitation to human flourishing is found in a different direction. You need to choose either God or money to be the master in your life; you cannot serve both. You will end up devoted to one and despising the other.

^25-34 “Therefore, on account of your willingness to live into my way of being in the world, and on account of your faith in God as the concerned caretaker over all things, don’t make the everyday things of life – what you eat, what you drink, or what you wear – your number one concern. Rather, orientate your life around my invitation into a holy, whole and wholesome way of living. Seek as your first priority the rule and reign of God in your life, the kingdom of God, God’s alternative arrangement of human affairs as an invitation to human flourishing. As you do this, watch how the things of life fall into place – God will take care of you! God knows exactly what you need in life. Look how God provides for the birds of the air, they are not anxious to store up supplies and yet they are fed. Look how God clothes the flowers, they are spectacular in their beauty and yet they are here today and gone tomorrow. You can entrust your life to God; you are more precious than the birds and the flowers and God will look after you. So, don’t worry about how it is going to all work out down the track; worry won’t prolong your life. Instead, with all the wisdom, insight and faith you can muster, make the best decision you can to walk my way in this moment – that’s worry enough for today.

Matthew 7

^1-6 “Don’t get your knickers-in-a-twist all stressed out about your brother and sister and how they are going in their walk with God, that’s their concern. Make the central concern of your life your own faithfulness to God. Why are you so quick to knit-pick, keen to point out a speck of dust in your brother’s eye, when you yourself have a log wedged in yours? It’s hypocritical, you don’t even realise how poor your vision is and you’re in no position to address your brother’s short failings. Address your own issues and then you might be able to lend a hand. Don’t be all judgy-judgy, criticizing and finding fault with everyone around you. That’s nothing more than personal insecurity masquerading as false piety. It’s another manifestation of worry about yourself, expressing itself as ‘worry’ about others. It doesn’t help anyone, and all you are doing is inviting that same sort of dehumanizing and sharp criticism to be levelled at you. It’s no path to human flourishing. That said, don’t throw discernment out the window. There are times when the instinctive generosity I’m calling you to needs to be stewarded with care. Your life is sacred and precious, as is the heavenly treasure I’m entrusting to you, this good news I offer. Don’t attempt to present it as a gift to people who are quite obviously set against you and the life I offer; they are likely to walk all over you, trampling you to pieces.

^7-11 “Ultimately the antidote to worry is a deep-seated trust in God’s willingness to take care of his children. My invitation in all things, is to ask of God – to search and enquire – to knock, so to speak, trusting that God will open a way for you. Earthly fathers, as flawed as they might be, know how to give good gifts to their children. If their child asks for something to eat, a burger or fish perhaps, they wouldn’t even think to offer them a stone or a snake. How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those that ask of Him! Trust in God who is loving kindness, overflowing generosity, and the concerned caretaker over all things. The energy you are tempted to exert in worrying will only serve to offer an illusionary sense of comfort. Rather, direct your energy towards God in prayer, attentiveness of heart, and small steps of trust, then watch as God guides you, provides for you, and births all kinds of newness in your life.

¹² “In every facet of your life, in the little things and the big, in the ways you engage with the world around you; treat other people in the way you would like to be treated. This sums up the Law and the Prophets. Everything else is commentary.

^13-14 “All-in-all then, I’m calling you to a way of life that’s not always the popular choice. The majority route sparkles as a wide road of easy-going self-centred living. Many suppose it to be the sure path to the good life and hurry down it without hesitation. At the end of the day though, it’s a way of being that leads to destruction. Instead, I’m calling you to walk through a narrow gate and along a narrow path where you’ll need to pay attention to every step you take. As you walk slowly, stepping carefully and embodying my way of living, you’ll experience an inner transformation that leads to a holy, whole and wholesome form of human flourishing. 

^15-22 “Of course, there will be no shortage of teachers offering counterfeit alternatives to the way of living I’m calling you to. Watch out for these folks. They may appear genuine, reverent, godly perhaps, but even though they look the part on the outside, on the inside they’re as dangerous as wolves. If what they teach doesn’t align with the way I’m calling you to live, it’s a forgery. No doubt they’ll have an audience, of course they will, but grapes aren’t found on a gorse bush and figs don’t grow from thistles; the fruit they produce won’t be healthy. Ultimately it won’t nourish, it won’t sustain, and it won’t lead to a flourishing life. It’s nothing more than a seductively pious invitation to the easy-going self-centred way of living I’ve already warned you about. Take no notice. Cast this sort of teaching aside. Trees that don’t produce healthy fruit are cut down and destroyed. Not everyone who professes allegiance to me is actually aligned to me. Some people know all the right things to say and all the right things to do, they declare me Lord, they prophesy, they cast out oppressive spirits, and they pray for miracles in my name; but they don’t actually know me. They are so close and yet they are so far. They’ve missed the heart of the matter; the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. They ministered in my name, but the objective was the establishment of their own name and reputation. At the end of the day I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you, away with you, this kind of ministry is evil.’

^24-27 “Ultimately, in offering a way of living that leads to a flourishing life I am extending an invitation to wisdom: practised, Christ-centred, kingdom-shaped, neighbourly, future orientated, enacted wisdom. Embodied in one’s daily life, my words offer a sure foundation upon which to build a life and those who do so are wise. While it is possible to build a house that looks the part on a foundation of rock or a foundation of sand, what’s beneath the surface will be put to the test when the rains fall, the streams rise, and the winds blow. Those who are wise will embrace my way and their house will stand strong. Foolish are those that disregard the wisdom I offer as their house will come falling down around them. My way of living is a sure foundation, anything else is destined to collapse."

^28-29 When Jesus finished teaching, he stood up and walked back down the mountain. It was no longer a small group of disciples that followed him though, large crowds were now walking with Jesus. People were amazed by what he taught and how he taught. Unlike other teachers of the law who simply passed down the established traditions of earlier teachers, Jesus spoke with an authority that brought to life God’s intention for human flourishing in new and surprising ways; an interruption to the status-quo and a paradigm shift for all of humanity.

 

Opting Out of the Christian Faith

People coming to faith in Christ, people walking away from their faith, people out-growing the version of church or Christianity they grew up with, people exploring, people opting out; none of these things are new or novel. What perhaps is, in our contemporary Christian context, is the publicized advent of these events. Especially when one considers the obsession (at least in some quarters) for a glamorous and alluring type of Christianity modeled cat-walk style in mega-churches. One that celebritizes singers, songwriters, and preachers, who themselves then curate social-media profiles followed by thousands (and hundreds of thousands). When folk such as this step away from their faith it becomes a press-release statement, as much a stage-based moment as their Christian ministry has been.

In recent weeks we’ve had a couple of these publicized announcements followed by the inevitable reactions one would expect in the world of social-media and in the world of consumer-Christianity publishing. I know none of these folks personally and have no desire to judge them or pass comment on their particular journeys. With all sincerity I wish them Godspeed as well as God’s grace and peace. I have my own beliefs that it is in God that we (them included) live and move and have our being, and that the declaration of the Hebrew psalmist in Psalm 139:7-12 (see below) is as true for them as for anyone else; where can I flee from Your presence?

I do, however, want to highlight a couple of reasons one of these folks offered for calling time on the Christian faith and make some brief comments. Part of their Instagram post read…

“How many preachers fall? Many. No one talks about it. How many miracles happen? Not many. No one talks about it. Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it. How can God be love yet send four billion people to a place [hell], all ‘coz they don’t believe? No one talks about it. I am not in anymore. I want genuine truth. Not the ‘I just believe it’ kind of truth.”

No one talks about it. Really? He’s mis-read the situation, surely? What bubble of the Christian world does he live in? Everyone is talking about these things! Aren’t they? Actually, not everyone is talking about these things. In certain contemporary church contexts ‘deeper’ issues of theology are rarely talked about. A clear statement of faith is produced that defines the boarders and discussion is dismissed.

I can well imagine this Christian minster feeling the need for robust conversations (very robust conversations) to be had in relation to each of these topics – over coffee, in church staff meetings, and in Sunday morning sermons – but finding that they are never addressed. They’re not glamorous topics that build organisation momentum or inspire people to greatness, so they are put to the side. As well, they are complicated topics and for many Senior Pastors (especially CEO types) fall in the ‘too hard’ basket. But for many people these are big issues that pastors in every context must address. Calling people to ‘just believe it’ isn’t enough.

In his book ‘A Churchless Faith,’ pastor and writer Alan Jamieson, points out that people who leave the Church have, on average, been congregants for sixteen years with 94 percent having been leaders. These people are not slackers who leave because they have been offended; rather they leave because of meta grumbles – deep rooted questions about the foundations of faith itself which are not being addressed.

Obviously, this is problematic. Left unaddressed, or worse when they are suppressed (which happens all too often), these issues become destabilizing. At best folk perceive the Church to have taken them as far in their faith journey as she can and opt out of a localized Christian community. Alternatively, they opt out of faith altogether.

Pastors (and everyone else), questions, doubts, suspicions and uncertainty are part-and-parcel of authentic Christianity. In fact, it is almost inevitable that there will come a season where these things serve as the primary catalyst for spiritual growth in one’s journey of following Jesus. What’s unfortunate is that the modern church doesn’t always make space for people to doubt or to question or to be suspicious. Organisational church growth tends to require unwavering commitment to the vision, the values, the mission and the culture of ‘the house.’ This tends to mean cultivating an environment of momentum, alignment, excitement and anticipation; an ‘atmosphere of faith.’ The demand therefore tends to be for uniformity and conformity. This becomes a pretty challenging context in which to ask big questions about faith, the nature of the church, Christian spirituality and what it means to follow Jesus. Questions and doubts can be wrongly interpreted as a “lack of faith,” “a bad attitude,” “divisive,” or even a clear indicator that someone is “backsliding.” This is problematic on so many levels. No topic should be off-limits, and space needs to be made to address the theological issues that are being wrestled with in our contemporary context. (You can read more on this here). 

Pastors (and everyone else), if you’re not sure where to start when it comes to thinking through some of these topics – have a look at these links. On miracles, this or this. On hell, this, or this, or this. On suffering this. On the Bible this, or this, or this. 

Finally, I think it is worth pointing out that what inevitably becomes a kind of minor Christian celebrity status for gifted singers, songwriters and preachers who are privileged (or perhaps inappropriately burdened) by the bright lights and big crowds of the main stage needs to be carefully managed. And by carefully managed I don’t mean stage managed by an artist development liaison officer; I’m talking about robust pastoral care. Most young singers, songwriters, and preachers promoted to the main stage are aware that they are their based on their gifts, talents and abilities rather than character, ministry experience and faithfulness to a long obedience in the same direction. Pastoral care is required in order to ensure their holistic development. But more is required than the character development championed by the adage ‘gifting will get you there, but character will keep you there.’

Character development is good, but more is required than gifts and character. Vocational Christian ministry needs to be appreciated as a professional vocation as it historically was (along with medicine and law). Too often though, professional contemporary church ministry parallels professional sport, a paid profession where skill and natural attributes bring you into the role. Instead (without discounting skill and natural attributes) it should be appreciated as a profession where professional training brings you into the role – theological training, professional ethics, a body or required knowledge etc. This won’t fix everything, but it should give rise to vocational Christian ministers more than capable of navigating issues such as those highlighted by this recent Christian minister opting out. Instead he’d be able to help others navigate these topics.

*Psalm 139:7-12. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Epistemic Bubbles and Echo Chambers

Yesterday I read, “A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” a joint statement signed by both Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. I found it bold, honest, and hopeful – certainly attributes necessary in our world today. It is the product of inter-faith dialogue between one of Christianity’s senior leaders and one of Islam’s senior leaders and is well worth having a look at. Reading the document, I also found myself reflecting on what sometimes feels like a very fragmented Christianity. 

Someone I was talking to recently mentioned that Rotary International is the largest organisation in the world providing and financing humanitarian services around the globe. I commented, “surely the Christian Church provides more humanitarian services than Rotary?” His response; “Perhaps, but the Church isn’t one organisation.” Touché. Jesus declares that it will be by our love for one another that the world will know the Church to be Christ’s disciples, but the Church often feels very divided.

In our Western context (and elsewhere), for better or worse, we’ve a plethora of options in relation to the local church we choose to attend. Seven or eight Great Traditions have evolved over the centuries and a multiplicity of denominations and non-denominational branches exist within each. Even within denominations there is a wide-range of local church expressions with different churches celebrating different cultural values and methodologies of church. Too often, as folk already thoroughly discipled as consumers, our choice to fellowship in a particular church community can subliminally (though irreverently) feel like a consumer choice that is quickly followed by a form of confirmation bias or post-purchase rationalization. This form of rationalization is the tendency to retroactively ascribe positive attributes to the choice we have made for option A (our church), while simultaneously amplifying the negative attributes of option B that we didn’t opt for (the church down the road). There is no need for us to do that. More, when I do that (or you do that), it has the potential to be a form of anti-Christ. It has the potential to go against the way of being in the world that Jesus calls us into. We need to be careful here.
   

Unchecked, post-purchase rationalization within ‘church world’, especially among pastors and leaders can lead to the development of epistemic bubbles and echo chambers, (something I covered over a few pages in my final doctorate project, which if you like, you can read below and find references for). Epistemic bubbles come about when informational networks form but omit certain voices from the conversation. In my doctorate project, which is contextualized to Pentecostalism, the examples I offer in relation to epistemic bubbles focus on the way in which Pentecostalism has tended towards a relational tribalism that, historically, has omitted conversation partners such as the theological academy, the ever evolving historical and theological perspectives of Church history over the centuries, and current and varied ecumenical points of view. More specifically, as Pentecostalism has evolved as a ‘contemporary’ methodology and expression of church, there tends to be a singular set of voices guiding conversations pertinent to faith and practice – that of the various mega-church pastors who lead relational networks and speak at each other’s conferences, seminars, retreats and events. The conversation is thus very one-dimensional with perspectives, practices and opinions continually recycled and re-enforced rather than challenged to adapt and evolve as might be necessary.
   

More insidious than epistemic bubbles, echo chambers are formed when, in addition to relevant voices being disregarded, potential conversation partners are actively discredited. Whereas an epistemic bubble merely omits contrary views, an echo chamber brings its members to actively distrust outside voices. One shouldn’t be naïve in thinking this is not a reality within church contexts or the Christian community more generally. There are many possible scenarios, you’ll be familiar with some no-doubt; Protestants who are anti-Catholic, ‘small’ church folk who are against mega-churches, pastors with no formal theological training pre-supposing that those with theological training should be viewed with suspicion, charismatics who see deeper teaching as cerebral nonsense, exegetical preachers who see Pentecostalism as hocus-pocus. And each of these could be reversed. More damaging than epistemic bubbles, echo chambers have the potential to become cult-like, with members isolated from outside voices that are labelled as malignant and untrustworthy, with the framework of trust being narrowed to exclusively insider voices.

When this shift to a narrow set of voices occurs, the Church ceases to function as a genuine sub-community (an expression of the Kingdom of God) within the wider society. Rather than existing as a community of peculiar discourse with practices of memory, hope, and pain that keep healthy human life available in the face of all the ‘virtual reality’ now on offer in dominant culture, local churches runs the risk of becoming a separated sphere of existence with their own dominant culture, set of beliefs and behaviours that members must submit to in order to belong. The church thus becomes its own empire rather than a subversion of empire and a prophetic sub-community of alternative consciousness.

All of this being a long-winded preamble from which to note; to the extent that the Church and the Christian community fails to cultivate unity within her own diversity – putting aside such artificial dualisms as faith versus reason, science versus Scripture, intellect verses heart, spiritual verses material, Catholic verse Protestant, contemporary versus traditional, worship versus Word, my local church versus the other church down the road, and a thousand and one other such possibilities – it will also fail to be known by its love for one another. Further, if love for one another is problematic, you can be sure that love of neighbour will be difficult and love of enemy neigh on impossible. Though hoping to exist as a catalyst of healing and a broker of peace in the world, the Church – inappropriately divided rather than beautifully diverse – will likely perpetuate as much brokenness as what it does restoration.

Colossians 3:12-17
¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

_______________________________

Below is a ‘cut & paste’ from my final doctorate paper, a couple of pages on epistemic bubbles and echo chambers. It may not make total sense disconnected from the rest of the project, but at the same time, might be of interest.

_______________________________

The Fruit and Consequences of Relational Tribalism

In the early days of Pentecostalism, relational tribalism was enacted via the voluntary association of faith missions and outreach projects – breakaways from established church structures and traditions. In the current contemporary context, tribalism is evidenced in the voluntary association of various leadership networks that associate around shared cultural values, modes of worship and methodologies of church – creating further insular subsets within and across Pentecostal denominational structures. It is not uncommon for pastors and churches to prefer participation in network events run by the mega-church ministries they aspire to become like, rather than gatherings organized by the official denomination or movement to which they belong.

In terms of fruitfulness, the tendency towards relational tribalism strengthened Pentecostal conviction and focus as the movement emerged and institutionalized in the first half of the twentieth century. Where other traditions viewed Pentecostalism with suspicion, like-minded cohorts allowed Pentecostalism to develop in its own identity while hedging against contrary voices. In a sense relational tribalism allowed Pentecostalism to find its sense of identity.

It must also be acknowledged, however, that relational tribalism is a strong contributing factor to the negative consequences of each of the other defining markers discussed in this paper [you’d have to read the whole paper for this to make sense]. A greater degree of ecumenical association and engagement with the varying perspectives of other Christian traditions in matters of theology and doxology throughout Pentecostalism’s history may have tempered or mitigated these negative outcomes. Foremost among the undesirable characteristics of relational tribalism is a narrow and even insular perspective on matters of faith and praxis that can lead to both arrogance and ignorance.

Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles

In his essay Escape the Echo Chamber, philosopher C. Thi Nguyen suggests two specific ways in which communities wrap themselves within impenetrable networks of intellectual like-mindedness that are ultimately unhealthy: via epistemic bubbles and through the creation of echo chambers.[1] Nguyen defines epistemic bubbles as “informational network[s] from which relevant voices have been excluded by omission.”[2] Within Pentecostalism, relational tribalism fosters an epistemic bubble in which discussions of theology, doxology, ecclesiology, and the like, tend to exclude other relevant and wise voices. Broadly speaking, the theological simplicity inherent in Pentecostalism excludes such conversation partners as the theological academy, evolving historical perspectives of church history and varied ecumenical points of view. More specifically, within the relational networks of contemporary Pentecostalism, there tends to be a singular set of voices guiding conversations pertinent to faith and practice – that of the various mega-church pastors who lead these networks and speak at each other’s conferences, seminars, retreats and events.[3] [The conversation is therefore very one-dimensional].

More insidious than epistemic bubbles, echo chambers are formed when, in addition to relevant voices being disregarded, other conversation partners are actively discredited: “where an epistemic bubble merely omits contrary views, an echo chamber brings its members to actively distrust outsiders.”[4] In their book Echo Chamber, Kathleen Jamieson and Joseph Cappella describe an echo chamber as cult-like, with members isolated from outside voices that are labelled as malignant and untrustworthy, with the framework of trust being narrowed to exclusively insider voices.[5] While Pentecostalism has at times given rise to cult-like movements, it is not the intention of this paper to portray contemporary Pentecostalism as a cult. It should be noted however that, given the need for control embedded within pragmatic methodologies, the general lack of deeper reflection that comes with a bent toward theological simplicity and the propensity towards epistemic bubbles found in relational tribalism [again, you’d need to read the rest of this paper for that to totally make sense], Pentecostalism should be aware of the potential of echo chambers developing and the dangers inherent to such chambers. When the perspective of the mega-church pastor begins to function as the voice shaping faith and practice within contemporary Pentecostalism, it is only a matter of time before other voices begin to be disempowered and discredited to the detriment of Pentecostalism.

When this shift to a narrow set of voices occurs, the church ceases to function as a genuine sub-community (an expression of the Kingdom of God) within the wider society. Rather than existing as “a community of peculiar discourse with practices of memory, hope, and pain that keep healthy human life available in the face of all the ‘virtual reality’ now on offer in dominant culture,”[6] the church runs the risk of becoming a separated sphere of existence with its own dominant culture, set of beliefs and behaviours that members must submit to in order to belong.

In The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann likens this establishment of a dominant culture requiring submission, to Israel’s movement away from the radically alternate way of being in the world that had been established under Moses and as a return to the pre-Mosaic imperial paradigm [Egypt], as reinstated under the kings of Israel.[7] This shift began under David but is more clearly evidenced in the life of Solomon: “the entire program of Solomon now appears to have been a self-serving achievement with the sole purpose being the self-securing of the king and dynasty… a program of state-sponsored syncretism, which if course means the steady abandonment of the radicalness of the Mosaic vision.”[8]

Brueggemann refers to this embrace of syncretism as the paganization of Israel, though in the context of a discussion about contemporary Pentecostalism, the metaphor serves to describe the potential for a secularization of the church.[9] In this instance, the size, reach and affluence of a large contemporary church, the culture and routinization of the church (which congregants are expected to buy into),[10] and the manner in which senior leaders are seen as God’s elected officials, serve to create a “controlled static religion in which God and his temple have become part of the royal landscape, in which the sovereignty of God is fully subordinated to the purpose of the king.”[11] The church thus becomes its own empire rather than a subversion of empire and a prophetic sub-community of alternative consciousness.

When the church becomes an empire, the less desirable traits inherent in relational tribalism tend to surface and flourish: theological errancy, ignorance, deception, blind-spots, self-righteousness, over-demanding expectations within the church, defensiveness, divisiveness, and a suspicion of any other opinion of, or expression within, the Body of Christ. All-in-all this amounts to a failure to reflect Christ’s wish in John 17 that his followers would be known by their love for one another. Thus, a re-imagined Pentecostalism needs to be mindful of the paradox that the church is called to difference – to be a peculiar people – at the macro level (i.e. in relation to the empire and the systems of the world) but not to tribalism at the micro level (i.e. within the Body of Christ).

---

[1] See “Essays,” on Aeon website, C. Thi Nguyen, “Escape the Echo Chamber” https://aeon.co/essays/why-its-as-hard-to-escape-an-echo-chamber-as-it-is-to-flee-a-cult (accessed July 30, 2018).

[2] Ibid.

[3] This tendency is seen in the work of contemporary Pentecostal pastor Paul de Yong, the pastor of LIFE church in Auckland, New Zealand. His latest book, God, Money and Me, includes ten endorsements of the book, its aims, perspectives, and conclusions. However, they all come from fellow mega-church pastors who are regular speakers at de Yong’s conferences (and him at theirs). There are no endorsements of support from recognized theologians or trained economists. See; Paul de Yong, God, Money and Me, (Auckland, NZ: Life Resource International, 2017), 3-6.

[4] See “Essays,” on Aeon website, C. Thi Nguyen, “Escape the Echo Chamber” https://aeon.co/essays/why-its-as-hard-to-escape-an-echo-chamber-as-it-is-to-flee-a-cult (accessed July 30, 2018).

[5] C. Thi Nguyen, “Escape the Echo Chamber,” refereeing to Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella¸ Echo Chamber; Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010).

[6] Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), xvii.

[7] Ibid., 24-25.

[8] Ibid., 23.

[9] Ibid., 24.

[10] See discussion in chapter three, Pragmatic Methodologies, in relation to this.

[11] Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 28.