confessions of an evangelical egalitarian

Today, I'm coming clean, as if any reading this don't know by now.

I'm an egalitarian.  I believe that God calls both men and women to serve him in all capacities of church leadership and ministry, and I reject the principle of male headship in marriage and family.

You may be wondering what a post like this is doing on a blog on worship.  That is a good question.  I think it's the perfect place, actually.  Because I believe that the worshipful response to God's self-revelation is for all believers, men and women, to use the gifts and calling of God on their lives in life and ministry.

I was raised to believe that patriarchy was God's plan for society, and that any professing Christian who disagreed was either deceived or deluding themselves.  After all, the Bible has spoken, and there are just some capacities that are boy's clubs.  It's so simple.

But we all know that in biblical interpretation, we cannot go straight from reading to application.  We have to interpret.  We're not throwing parts of the Bible out, we're doing our best to get it right.  We want to know what it is saying to us.  Today.  Right now. There are many who have done this and done it well, so I won't try to say it any better, (I would point you to the writings available at the Christians for Biblical Equality website) but I can tell you a little bit about my transition.

If you had talked to me during my years at Baylor University, I would have told you that evangelical feminism was a crock, a godless idea borne out of a rebellious society that was infiltrating the Church.  I said some horribly offensive things to some fellow students when they voiced opposition to my subtly extreme patriarchal views.  But my last couple of years, I began to slowly sink into a crisis of faith and the darkest time of my life.  Long story short, I began to question a lot of the old beliefs I grew up with.  And I found out, they'd become idols.

The scene shifts to Wheaton College.  I was a young theology student who still clung to his unexamined legalism disguised as garden variety conservatism.  But it didn't last long.  I found myself studying under a diverse collection of professors.  That alone was life-giving.  I found out for the first time that you can be a committed Christian and a Presbyterian, or Lutheran, or Mennonite or, yes, an egalitarian.

I can point to several specific instances when I literally felt the Spirit leading me away from patriarchy.  When confronted with the biblical evidence, there was no turning back.  I realized that no matter how I previously felt about patriarchy, I couldn't get there from the text. 

It's not always been easy.  Old habits die hard.  Just when I think I'm past all the old biases, they will reappear.  But I trust that the Spirit is working God's purpose out in my life and pray those habits will continue to disappear.

I remember being at an ordination service for my best friend a few years ago and watching the parade of ordained men dropping by the front and giving my friend and his wife their words of wisdom. I realized at that moment that, no matter whether the pointers were healthy or unhealthy, my friends were only hearing half the story.  I'm sure in the congregation there that evening, there were many, many women who God has gifted and called to full participation in pastoral ministry.  And we (the Church) haven't let them.  And they might not even realize it.

Some of you are thinking that your old pal Jonathan has taken an Aigner-sized cookie cutter to the Bible, so that I can magically make it say whatever I feel.  I don't know if I can say this strongly enough: I am a committed evangelical Christian, and I hold the Bible in very high esteem.  It is infallible, the final authority in these matters.  I've arrived here after a lengthy process with much prayer, study and reflection. 

The difficulty of this issue is that there are those who will distance themselves from me solely over this issue.  I've been told that I'm giving up my faith, under Satan's control, giving up my true masculinity, etc.  But I'm convinced that to oppose gender equality is to give up God's best for his people and is against the entire witness of Scripture.  I'm also embarrassed that I was once one of those very people saying those very hateful things.  And I'm not going out on a limb here.  There is a huge (and growing) host of evangelicals who stand here with me, even some of the most reliable and prolific male names in evangelical ministry and scholarship, such as N.T Wright, Stanley Grenz, Gordon Fee, Greg Boyd, Tony Campolo, Scot McKnight, John Stackhouse, Ronald Sider, and numerous others.

And while this injustice lingers, there's a lot of work to be done in the church by us men.  We need to get rid of the subtle rejections that say, "You're welcome as long as you don't stir up any trouble."   Or, knowing scoffs and smiles among us men that say, "Isn't it cute - the little girl wants to be in our club."  We have to stop treating our wives like they need to serve us while we come home from work and check out in front of the TV, regardless of whether she has outside employment.  And, most of all, the offensive terms we use to label strong and capable women MUST cease.  Permanently.  Right now.

We have to lay down our defensiveness in favor of some authenticity and empathy.  After all, throughout history, we've had the upper hand.  It's time we accept women as full partners in life and ministry.

thankfulness

For the most part, I'd prefer the Church not celebrate secular holidays. I suppose it’s okay to mention them in passing, but I really don’t see what the Church is doing celebrating civil holidays as if they had much of anything to do with God or creation or salvation history or any of those things. I was even in a Church recently (a liturgical setting, believe it or not), that sang some strange hymn about concrete and steel to celebrate Labor Day.

Hallmark holidays are even worse. Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are just distractions. Give the mothers a flower and the dads some kind of cigar substitute like a pen or a book, but don’t build the whole gathering around it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine to celebrate them with your family or community, but in churches, they can be, at least, distracting and, at most, idolatry.  

Check out my July posts to read about my stance on Independence Day.

I'm still not sure about Thanksgiving. Even though its origins had religious overtones, it’s little more than secular in our culture today. And even though the pilgrims were probably pretty thankful for those natives they ran across, the sentiment didn’t last too long, did it?

That reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite TV shows, FOX’s King of the Hill.

Bobby Hill: You mean Indians don’t celebrate Thanksgiving?

John Redcorn: We did. Once. 

On the one hand, if we're being honest, most of us like the holiday because it gives us a chance to eat ourselves silly and not feel bad about it. 

On the other hand, Thanksgiving comes at a good time to practice thankfulness, which is a discipline most of us need to work on.  But in the Church, giving thanks for the symbolic harvest we enjoy should always be done in light of God’s mercy and grace that over-abounds in our lives.  Further, it should be a time that reminds us as Americans, and especially as American Christians, of the injustices that continue to pervade and persist in our culture and around the world.  

May we skip out on the sap and sentimentality and fully consider how to respond to God's grace and provision in our own lives.  And that is the point where true worship begins.

look at Jesus

This has quickly become one of my favorite quotes, because there is so much packed into it. 

Jesus is absolutely in the middle.  If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus.  If you want to know what it means to be human, look at Jesus.  If you want to know what love is, look at Jesus.  If you want to know what grief is, look at Jesus.  And go on looking until you’re not just a spectator, but you’re actually part of the drama which has him as the central character.

- N.T. Wright

And if we want to know how to worship, look at Jesus.

where to begin

I enjoy reading Zac Hicks' blog often.  I don't always agree with him, but I appreciate that he is a contemporary church musician that understands the theology of worship.

Today, he reminds us that "worship songs should say far more about God’s love for us and far less about our love for God."

As I repeat so often, "response" is a key toward biblical worship, but it's the last step in corporate worship.  We must always start with what is true about God, for instance, God's love for us, before we can respond.  I would argue, however, that we must go back further beyond this point.  Something, of course, proceeds God's love for us.  His character is and has always been, apart from us.  We must begin with God's transcendence; his "otherness," and then recount His hand in salvation history and, further, into our own lives as individuals. 

Though I like to refrain from being cliche' with my hymn choices, "Holy, Holy, Holy" is one of the better and most accessible texts emphasizing God's otherness.

Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, holy, holy!  Merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy!  All the saints adore thee,

casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy!  Though the darkness hide thee,

though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,

only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,

perfect in power, in love and purity.

Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.

Holy, holy, holy!  Merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity. 

In this great text, we are over and over drawn to acknowledge the transcendence, the "otherness" of God (Lord God Almighty, song shall rise, which wert and art and evermore shalt be, though darkness hide Thee, perfect in power, in love and purity...).

From this point, we move to God's immanence; his work in human history. Here is a fabulous text:

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all Thy life receive;
Suddenly return and never,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.

Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

In this great hymn, Wesley immediately recognizes that the all-powerful, transcendent God has made himself immanent, working in human history (Joy of heaven to earth come down). 

The last element of congregational worship is our response.  It's extremely important, but it cannot happen without a clear understanding of why we should worship the Living God in the first place.  Here is one of my favorite examples of response: 

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessèd will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy throne,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

In this text, the congregants are prompted to respond to the truth of God's transcendence and immanence.  The only proper response is one of complete surrender to the Almighty Creator and Savior.

complete

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;

Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;

Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

-W.W. How

These are beautiful words that describe my grandpa, Garret Herbert Aigner, who joined the Church triumphant last summer at the age of 90.  He was a wonderful man who had a way of living the gospel in even the most mundane circumstances. 

Today on All Saints Day, it struck me in a new way that this man who was such a loving presence in my life is at this very moment in the presence of the Creator and Savior of the world.  As the pastor said this morning, he is "more alive than ever."


What a fantastic reality.  May we be more alive with every passing day we join those who have gone before.

truth matters

"It's truth, but it's not worship."

This was a line written by a fellow blogger to whom I responded by my last couple of posts.  Not to beat a dead horse, but this line has stuck with me over the past several weeks.

He was speaking about the text of the standard hymn "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy," which he claimed spoke truth about God, but that it wasn't worship.

I think this statement outlines the mindset that leads us to a place of complete narcissism in our services.  When our eyes are taken off God's attributes, we end up not affirming anything specific about Christianity.  Instead, we become consumed with how we feel about God and how God meets our needs.  There is little in the way of informed response at this point.

But a thorough engagement on God's attributes gives us the proper impetus for worship.  When I sing this text, for instance...

For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
...my heart is filled with a love and gratitude that leads me into the worship of God.  I'm pulled out of myself and into the presence of a transcendent God who has lowered himself and let me taste the kind heart of the Eternal. 

If there's no truth, I think it's safe to say there is no worship.  Singing songs about God, that draw on concrete knowledge given to us by revelation, are as worshipful as songs can be.

Hymns Aren't Better, part 2

The nice fellow (also named "Jonathan") to whom I responded in my last post has responded on his blog, and I would like to follow-up again.  Feel free to join in the discussion if you are so moved.

“Honestly, I have never been to a church that had a “vital traditional congregation.” My comment about the hymns was based on flipping through the thick book and realizing that there are songs that are no good lyrically in there. The point being that modern songs fall into that category. I’m pretty picky and would argue that some modern songs would fall into the once-done-but-now-thankfully-forgotten category, just as those unsung hymns.”

Again, my guess is that not being familiar with the standard repertoire is a real problem here. My guess is that some of the best hymns are those you’re not familiar with, such as those by Wesley or Watts. There are vapid hymns (though most of them are gospel songs by definition), though most of them have fallen out of use prior to the publication of any modern hymnals. “In the Garden” is the best example of one that has remained, and without apparent reason that I can see.

“Point one shows lack of knowledge when it comes to modern songs. There really is nothing wrong with that. If I was only familiar with poor modern songs, I’d stay away too.”

Point taken, and though I certainly don’t keep up constantly, I’m around the scene enough to here what’s happening. I am occasionally impressed by a text, that’s for sure.

“So, if they are music driven, it isn’t what drives me to those songs. To address the last sentence: the way a song is crafted is neither right nor wrong. It is.”

Well, I think we need to think more deeply about this, and I won’t go on and on here, other than to say that music matters theologically, as does everything else we do. There are theological connotations to musical setting. [What I mean is, music is not amoral, even if it is contextual.  It does have ethical, moral and theological connotations.]

“Point three I think is partially true. Because of the limitation by modern song form one cannot write as much theology into a song. But the same truth should resonate when singing the less verbose modern song. Songs like Hillsong’s “Desert Song” touches on good theology.”

You’re right in that not every song needs to be a deep theological treatise, but they should be a) correct, b) well-crafted, and c) solid.

“To address the last sentence I’m not arguing for CCM, I’m arguing for modern worship songs. Most CCM I can live without. I don’t even listen to it because after hearing a few songs there is nothing to draw me to it lyrically or theologically.”

I use the term to abbreviate. If it’s more inclusive, we can use “modern.”

“If you have looked at the songs I mentioned in this reply I hope you can come away encouraged that not all modern songs are bad, just as all hymns aren’t good, which was the main point I was trying to get across.”

You’re right. Not all the texts are bad. But there is more to consider. First, the best of hymnody is better than the best of “modern” and reflects a deeper theological concern. Second, never in the history of congregational song has it been the practice to only sing new songs and in a new style. New hymns were always being written and added to the ranks of the previous years. Now, the practice is to only sing new songs and to sing them in a vernacular style. There is, quite simply, no reason for this.

“If we search “new” and “song” in the Bible we will find we are commanded to sing a new song. Continually singing old songs is disobedience. If hymn style is important than more songs like Stewart Townend’s “In Christ Alone” and “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us” should be undertaken. It is our duty to obey Scripture and write new songs. Thankfully, God didn’t demand a style.”

When we are told to “sing a new song,” it most certainly doesn’t mean songs that are chronologically “new.” That is a complete “uninterpretation.” It means that we are to rejoice afresh in the love and grace of the Lord. And the traditional format, again, does not mean just simply “old.” There are new hymns being written all the time, as there always have been, in a classical or neutral style, instead of a vernacular, fleeting style.

:BTW just to give it a shot I found the article mentioned and looked at the list and read the lyrics to “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy.” It’s truth, but it’s not worship. It is us singing to us to remember truth. There is nothing wrong with that (as we are commanded to so by Paul), but I wouldn’t sing it call it a worship song. ”

Sorry, friend. This statement demonstrates the influence of contemporary understanding of “worship.” Worship is “reverential human acts of submission and homage before the divine Sovereign, in response to his gracious revelation of himself, and in accordance with his will” (Daniel I. Block). The contemporary definition is something like “speaking directly to God in a church service with simplicity and felling.” That is completely unbiblical and erroneous. Singing songs about God are concise reminders of God’s self-revelation can be very worshipful. Humbly listening to Scripture is worshipful. Reciting creeds is worshipful. These are all worshipful acts. Additionally, whatever we do in a service can only compose a tiny piece of worship, if that much. We are to encourage each other and listen to God’s self-revelation, so that we can spur one another on to actual, life-consuming worship.

In fact, there are some who would suggest what we do in a service is not worship, because it doesn’t demand anything out of us. I’m wouldn’t go that far, but words, even if we mean them honestly and authentically, cost us next to nothing. It’s the same thing if I were to tell me wife all the nice things I think of her, but I do nothing to actually show it, the words have no meaning.

It’s time we get this straight. You, me, and everyone. Singing songs about God, that draw on concrete knowledge given to us by revelation, are as worshipful as songs can get.

Here are some examples, if you'd like:
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
Built on the Rock the Church Doth Stand
O Worship the King
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
There Is a Fountain
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
The God of Abraham Praise
The Church's One Foundation
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation
Be Thou My Vision