Killing the cult of personality one minister at a time...
I met this morning with James Wright, the owner of Tilt Coffee Shop (where we meet on Sunday nights). He asked me to write down the story of The Living Room. What I have come to realized is how my story is intertwined with the "birth narrative" of our emerging community of faith.Central to my current pursuit in ministry is to kill the cult of personality that surrounds preachers and "professional Christians". I used to be a religious "player" - served at the largest Presbyterian church in the USA and was climbing the ladder to the top of some big steeple; that was until I was thrown off (thank you Jesus!). Now I'm back on the solid ground of mediocrity - and I love it!
Friends of The Living Room are aware of my story: how my then wife asked me for a divorce shorty after my severance ran out after being "resigned" from my job as the Associate Pastor at a large church in Florida (two years ago). I've been more than open about "my funk" with you - sometimes I worry too much so... who wants to worry about their "pastor"? don't we pay them to worry about us! That's part of the reason why I've chosen to do this ministry "part-time" - for me, the less financially dependent I am upon my church the better (though I've also realized that "time is money" and I deserve fair compensation for my time as your pastor).
Recently I had an amazing conversation while eating dinner at my new neighborhood bar/deli called Elliot Street. I sat down and struck up a conversation about faith and politics (two no-nos). I was a little afraid of what their response would be when I told them I was a minster. So much baggage related to my profession! But sometimes (in fact, more often than not) it opens doors for people to share important "stuff". Such was the occasion that night at Elliot Street. The questions flew... so, you're telling me you are a Democrat that voted for Obama, you're pro-choice and cool with gays AND... you're Christian (even paid for being one)!! It flew in the face of all they had assumed that it meant to be "Christian" - and to be honest it made me terribly sad. Why? Because they (and well, a lot more like them) assume that ALL Christians are conservative republican homophobs. That said - I want to be clear that the last thing I want is for people who come to The Living Room to believe the same way that I am personally committed. That would fly in the face of my commitment to kill the whole cult of personality around ministers. Catch my drift?
I am so thankful to be the pastor of this diverse, overly-educated, hodge podge followers of the Way. You've given me the freedom to be myself - "worts" and all (as Richard is fond of saying). Help me tell the story of The Living Room by posting a story about your experience(s) of The Living Room.
posted by Tom at
7:00 PM
2 Comments:
Enjoyed your message yesterday morning April 6, 2008 at our church. I need to e-mail you if I had your e-mail address. Is that possible? My e-mail address is basmith@sysmatrix.net
what would it look like if we, like God would marriage two different concepts or thought, like Jesus is Divine, but still, finite, human. Or Jesus, like being a jew and not livng by the law, women are property to be owned, but live a life contradictory to what that mean during his time, and seeing people and life outside of the law, women were and are created in the image of God. I mean what would that look like for us to do the same thing. This swirls around in my mind often. and jesus "all things are possible if you believe" (Mk 9:23) often accompany thise thoughts.
An atlantan business man, did the same thing in an article I read last week, his quote went something like this" I became very motivated by the ideas that preservation and development needed to be intergrated, not as two processes that oppose each other" creating place in his mind for development of land and preservation of creation. So, Tom, what I am hearing you say, especially in this blog, "killin the cult of personality" I wonder what it would look like if, we started imagine anew, seeing thing in ways that we were told would be dangerous for God and Christ, (like somehow we are their saviors)
allowing ministers a place to show their humanity, that they are somehow immune from death, divorce and anyting else that plagues the depraved. I am just wondering aloud, what would our world look like, politically, religiously, culturally, our lives, if for a moment, we would begin to see things anew.( 2 cor. 5, behold all things becoming new.)
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