Barry Dundas

My Friend Dred

My good friend Dr. Ed Cook died today. I met Ed over ten years ago when I was appointed to East Heights United Methodist Church. I can even remember the first question he ever asked me. Ed believed in the Socratic method, he liked to ask questions to push one's thinking even more than he liked hearing the answer. I was in a summer Sunday school class to introduce me as a new pastor. As I was telling my story I made the claim that I had discovered how Wesleyan I was by going to seminary. He asked me what specifically made me Wesleyan. Most United Methodists would just smile and say isn't that great, he likes John Wesley. It was really the only question I received that morning that challenged me to think on a deeper level. What was it about Wesley that I really loved? For the next ten years Ed continued to ask questions that would push my thinking.

Ed Cook was not the most dynamic human whoever lived, but he was brilliant and had a beautiful sense of humor. Because he was so smart and soft spoken, he often seemed intimidating to many people, but I found him to be one of the most compassionate and caring individuals I ever met. Our relationship jumped to a new level when he lost his dog Chysa. I sent him an innocent e-mail saying I missed him at church and I was sorry that Chrysa died. It started a chain of e-mails that discussed many things including a theology of dogs. I realized the depth of his capacity to love through our conversations. It was the first time I had practiced pastoral care by e-mail.

During my last few years serving at East Heights, Ed became one of my closest friends. He loved to talk about process theology and his passion for the environment. I often consulted with him on my understanding of scripture, especially the meaning of Greek words. Ed was a life-long learner who never lost his hunger to grow. He often used language that others could not understand, but his patience as a teacher was unending. There are many lives who are changed because of his love of teaching.

I don't know why we became such good friends. Ed was closer to my parents age than my own. His background in medicine was foreign to my experience. I was responsible for contemporary worship and he could never get the organ loud enough, but our spirits were and always will be connected. One of his favorite quotes came from Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." That is how he lived his life. That is the way I hope I can live mine. Ed, I miss you already. You have been one of my dearest friends. Don't phall down when you get to heaven!

Ash Wednesday Conversation

This is the first of what I hope will be a series of dialog posts between my friend Kevin and I. The topic is Ash Wednesday and begin when I made a comment on Facebook that I had been burning palms to prepare for the coming observance. Our plan is to have one of us write an article first and the other respond. You are invited to join the conversation with your own observations and questions. For more on this series, see my earlier post "Can We Talk."

Why I observe Ash Wednesday - Barry

I did not grow up in a church that made a big deal of Ash Wednesday. I can remember in grade school seeing classmates with ashes on their forehead and wondering why they didn’t clean their faces before coming to school. Someone explained to me that they were Catholic, but that did not help me understand. As an adult, there are two reasons I observe Ash Wednesday in the churches I have served. The first is that I believe rituals are important. We all have rituals in our lives, both named and unnamed. These rituals are symbolic actions that point to a greater meaning in our lives. They remind us who we are and often whose we are. Ash Wednesday reminds me that my own story is shaped by a much greater story, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I admit that nowhere in the Bible can you find the early Christians practicing Ash Wednesday. That does not mean the story is not Biblical. Tradition tells us that the early Apostles observed 40 hours between the death of Christ on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter morning. That time was extended to 40 days at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. Of course 40 is an important Biblical number reminding us of Noah in the Ark, Moses fasting before receiving the ten commandments, the Israelites wondering in the desert and Jesus own time in the wilderness. For us to spend 40 days intentionally examining our own temptations and sinfulness is very appropriate. It does not neglect or replace the need to confess our sins daily, but is a reminder of who and whose we are.

The second reason to observe Ash Wednesday is the practice of following the Christian year. The Christian year is not based on literal dates when events actually happened. I have never heard anyone argue that Jesus was really born on December Th or resurrected on a specific date in the spring. We don’t know the actual dates, but we do know the story of Christ found in the gospels. In the gospels this story has a distinctive rhythm that is centered around the cross and the empty tomb. To live out the Christian year is a reminder that our lives are ordered by the rhythm of God’s time and not the world’s time. So much of our schedule is dependent on the world. The work day, holidays, vacations even entertainment is on someone else’s schedule. The Christian year orders our life around the story of Christ. Once again it reminds me who and whose I am.

This Ash Wednesday we will once again take the palms that were waved last Palm Sunday and have now been turned to ash and place them on our foreheads as a reminder that the story of Christ never ends. It lives on in the lives of those who choose to be the body of Christ alive in the world.

Why I Don't Observe Ash Wednesday and other Church Traditions - Kevin

I agree with Barry that as a young boy, seeing the ashen cross on the foreheads of some of my classmates was a mystery to me. I think many church traditions can be that way. I didn't understand at all until a good Catholic friend of mine explained the whole thing. He explained that this began a period of self denial called lent where people in the church did their best to live their lives denying themselves of fleshy lusts for 40 days. While I think the self denial is admirable, I find the Catholic tradition of Ash Wednesday and lent an interesting albeit vain tradition to me.

By vain, I mean empty. And while wearing the ashen cross is a bold way to identify their faith in the cross and its redemptive power, it is vain in the fact that it is for show only. Jesus rebuked the religion of His day for their vain shows of faith. The Bible in Isaiah 64:6 calls our personal righteousness "filthy rags."

The Word of God is clear that when one is born again, Christ enters the believer through the power of the Holy Spirit and God accepts Jesus' righteousness in place of ours. That's why a ritual of the Catholic Church becomes a vain tradition. A person living a life of faith in Christ trusts in Christ's righteousness for salvation.

Rituals are not important to God. God wants real Christians to act like it all the time, not just observe right living for the 40 days leading up to Easter. Most of the participants I know are basically good people and they are indeed faithful to their church and its traditions, but the true change that is brought about by putting ones faith in Christ is negated by vain traditions that are for show only. There is usually no true repentance in their lives. The change that the Bible speaks of should come from the inside as Christ is formed in the heart of the believer. In the Old Testament, when a Jew was seeking answers from a penitent heart, he would pour ashes over his head as an act of contrition and humility. I believe most people today do it simply as an act of tradition. Now to be fair, they may not even understand all of the traditions of their church, nor the reasons behind the tradition.

The number 40 in the Bible is very important, but since neither Ash Wednesday nor Lent are found in scripture, the Biblical relevance of the number 40 in conjunction with Lent are unfounded. The idea that the apostles observed 40 hours between good Friday and Easter are also suspect and tradition only. In John 2:19-21 Jesus said He would raise the temple of His Body 3 days after it had been destroyed. If that isn't enough, Jesus prophesying in Matt 12:39; 16:4 and Luke 11:29-30 said the only sign given to that generation would be the sign of Jonah the Prophet, who as a type or illustration of Christ was in the deep, in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights, a full 72 hours. Since 3 is the number of God, I believe this is referring to Christ's time in the tomb. Since this happened during the Passover week, Thursday would have been treated as a Sabbath type schedule. Jesus was in the grave by Wednesday 6:00 pm and probably rose after 6:00 pm Saturday which to the Jews is actually seen as Sunday. If one does a close study of the feasts of the Jews one will see that Jesus had to be crucified around the passover (is He not our Passover?) therefore, only when Easter Sunday
falls at the end of Passover week is it actually the Christian Easter. No, again, good Friday is nothing more than a Catholic tradition observed by protestants as well.

That's why Ash Wednesday, lent, etc. is just empty church tradition to me. That's not to say that some of the participants aren't very sincere in their "acts of contrition and repentance" during this time, just that the traditions themselves aren't found in scripture and therefore vain.

New Testament Christians should live their lives in observance of Christ's love and indwelling presence all the time. That's the clincher for me. If Christ is present with me 24/7/365, then I should live my life with that knowledge all the time. My life shouldn't be marked by vain calendar dates that even the Catholic church admits it's not sure of, but rather as the Apostle Paul challenges in Colossians 4:5 that we are to "Walk in wisdom to them who are without, redeeming the time." God wants us to serve Him in newness, His mercies new everyday not in traditions of men that become vain in their repetitions. (Col 2:8)

My point is that you should allow Christ to become so evident in your daily life that the need for tradition and ritual to identify with Him becomes obsolete. If one has a correct relationship with Him, is in tune with the Holy Spirit's leading and spends time daily in God's Word, that alone will remind the Christian of his or her sinfulness and daily need for a Savoiur. If that is the point of Ash Wednesday and Lent, then I prefer a close walk with my Saviour to identify my sinful heart, so that I along with the Apostle Paul may cry "Oh wretched man that I am..." only to be rescued by the loving grace of my Saviour!

Can We Talk

Many months ago, a friend got me started on Facebook and ever since I have found that it is a dangerous addiction. I can easily increase my level of procrastination by spending hours checking on my friends. It has also become a valuable tool to re-connect with individuals who were once important in my life. Through many moves and life experiences I had lost contact. One of those friends is Kevin Kennedy. Kevin and I attended Hutchinson High School and Community College together. We became friends because of a mutual passion for our faith and call to ministry. Even as seniors in high school, we were both aware that God was calling us to be pastors. We did not however grow up in the same church. In fact our church backgrounds and history could not have been more different. I am a cradle Methodist. Not only were my parents United Methodist, so were my grandparents. I don’t know how far we can trace our United Methodist roots, but it doesn’t matter. We rarely missed church on Sunday. Kevin did not grow up in the church, but came to faith as a youth in a fundamentalist Baptist congregation. Where I cannot remember a time when I was not a Christian, he understands at his core what it means to make an intentional decision to follow Christ. We knew even in high school that our theology was different, but probably could not have articulated those differences very well. Besides, it didn’t matter. We were friends who choose to love each other as Christian brothers even when we did not agree.

It has been over twenty years since we lost touch, but just recently re-connected on Facebook. We both continued on our paths toward ministry. Kevin serves on staff at Riverside Baptist Church in Hutchinson and I am the Senior Pastor at Trinity United Methodist in Salina. He describes his congregation as old fashioned KJV Bible Thumpers and Trinity is about as liberal United Methodist as you find in Kansas. What we have discovered is that our differences from our youth remain but we are now able to articulate our beliefs to one another. We have been having great discussions through Facebook. The beauty of our discussions is that they are not debates but honest dialogues as we try to understand each other and how we live out our faith. Neither questions the other s commitment to Christ but we do have clear disagreements. Out of these discussions I suggested to Kevin that we take them public on my blog. We will pick topics and each write an article or a response from our own theological tradition. You are than invited into the conversation. We only ask that you do so respectfully. We understand that faith is always personal but we also believe it is possible to disagree without questioning ones integrity or motivations. We pray that this exercise will be both educational and thought provoking.

Happy Birthday Dad

My Father turns 70 this Sunday. I tell you this because I am not always good at remembering his birthday. I typically don't forget my mother's because it is near Christmas and I remember my brother's because it is on the 13th of the month and as a child I longed for the day he celebrated on Friday the 13th. I probably forget my father's birthday the most because of the type of person he is. He is so unassuming, never drawing attention to himself. I don't know how many times I have forgotten to call or send a card and he never even reminds me. He makes it easy to forget that October 19th is a special day. This year I will not forget. Seventy is a big deal and we are making a point to celebrate a man who taught me everything I know about being a dad. I know that sounds cliche, but in this case it is also true. I am truly blessed in having a great father.

When I think of my dad I am reminded of something that happened in the sixth grade. My parents had been taking me to wrestling tournaments since I was eight years old. It wasn't just wrestling, but every activity I was involved in, they were always there. They weren't pushy parents trying to turn me into a star athlete (I was far from a star). They went because I wanted to participate and they wanted to be supportive. At this tournament I was doing well, in fact I was ahead of my opponent 13-3 when he did a stand-up. I performed a move to take him back to the mat that I had done hundreds of times before, except this time my arm got caught, my elbow locked and my forearm turned into a 45 degree angle. I knew immediately that my arm was broken, but in my mind I thought, "Do I keep wrestling or should I stop?" A moment later the pain hit and my decision was made for me. My father said he could hear the crack all the way up in the stands. It was then that he did an amazing thing. My dad jumped the rail in the bleachers and came running to the mat to be my side. He went with me to the hospital and stayed by my side until the arm was straightened and put in a cast. Maybe that is what any parent would do but as a child it was more than that. I knew that anytime I found myself in trouble or hurting, my dad would come running to be my side. It was a defining moment in my childhood and in our relationship.

I love you dad! I hope you have a great 70th birthday celebration.

Pagitt Article

I found a fascinating article by Doug Pagitt and the response of the Republican National Convention to the nomination of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. He has some great questions for the religious right and their stance on women in leadership versus their support of the Republican ticket. He attended the RNC and interviewed many delegates on the floor. Here is a portion of the article.

The most surprising response for me was to the role of a woman as vice-president and as it related to the worldview of religious conservatives. I asked questions about how people who hold that women should not be in spiritual leadership over men (a view called "complementarian") would respond to having a woman vice-president and potentially president). If you are not familiar with the line of thinking, it goes something like this:

Men and women are created in a relational order. Men are under God and women are under men. This is not to say that women are lesser than men, but just as tools are designed for specific purposes so is gender a guide to relational order. The Bible is used to support this view specifically passages like Genesis 2:7, 21-24; 1 Timothy 2:12-15; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9; Genesis 2; 1 Corinthians 11:8-10; Romans 5:12-19.

This is not a totally fringe view. It is supported by the Southern Baptist Convention, the Presbyterian Church in America, and many independent churches. It is perhaps the most common perspective among the evangelical religious right.

There is an additional line of thinking that this vice-presidential nomination raises. It comes from reading Hebrews 13:17 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 in the same way as the above passages are read: "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account." "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right."

Many religious conservatives have used these verses to make the argument that God places our leaders over us, and to obey them is to obey God. For that leader to be a woman would mean that men would have a woman over them as a leader. This is a problem.

Many who hold to the complementarian view would say there is a difference between church leadership and governmental leadership. But this poses a problem for those who want to suggest that the president is God's appointed leader.

I raised some form of this question with the delegates I interviewed. I asked, "Do you think it will be a problem for religious conservatives who hold that women should not have authority over men and who do not allow a woman to be a pastor of a church or teach a Sunday school class with men in it? Will they have a problem with a woman vice-president?"

To a person the response was Yes, I am sure they will. But they will just need to get over it.

I was fascinated to think that this nomination could actually weaken the complementary view or the view of the president being God's chosen leader because of the commitment to support the pro-life ticket. It will be quite a dilemma for some religious conservatives who will have to choose between commitments. And there is no doubt that the support for Governor Palin rests squarely on her pro-life stance.

Olympics

Why do I love the Olympics so much? It is full of events that I typically never watch except once every four years when the games comes around. When was the last time you watched swimming or ice dancing? See what I mean. I don't even know the names of the athletes until I turn on the games. What I am trying to say is that I am completely disinterested most of the time in these sports and yet I love the Olympics. My first clear memory of the Olympics was watching Bruce Jenner in 1976 win the decathlon. I had never heard of Bruce Jenner or the decathlon (I was only nine at the time), but after watching him compete, I was ready to try Wheaties. Then came the 1980 Winter Olympics and the "Miracle on Ice." That is still the most powerful sports memory in my life (even better than KU winning the NCAA basketball crown). I would even argue that it was spiritual. I could name other moments like Mary Lou Retton winning gold or Kerri Strug vaulting on a sprained ankle to win the team gold or the Jamaican Bob Sled Team (Okay, I don't remember watching them but I loved "Cool Runnings").

So why do I love the Olympics so much? That was my original question. I don't think it is all about winning. I enjoy winning, don't get me wrong, but that is not it. It is probably a combination of things. It is watching these amazing athletes doing things I could never imagine and it is seeing thousands of people from all over the world coming together to compete in this incredible event. If we can come together for the Olympics every four years, why can't we figure out how to solve our differences and live together without resorting to violence and war. The Olympics remind me of how much we have in common rather than how different we are. I am not naive, I know we aren't going to just lay down our weapons and say "can't we all just get along." However the Olympics give me hope. It brings out the best in humanity and reminds me that we can do better.

Jurisdiction Day Four

It was a short night. After the election of Jim Dorff around 10:20 pm, we had a thirty minute recess, a couple more pieces of business and then the Episcopacy Committee met to discuss the Bishop’s assignments for the next four years. Everyone expected Bishop Jones to return to Kansas, but we all stayed for the formal announcement. It was almost 1:30 in the morning before the committee returned. Let’s just say we all were getting a little punchy by that time of the evening. What made the night short was a seven o’clock breakfast the next morning with the Kansas Area to celebrate the re-appointment of Mary Lou and Bishop Scott Jones to Kansas.

During breakfast a number of speeches were made expressing gratitude for a variety of things. One of the most poignant was made by Mark Conard as he noted the changes he has seen in the last twelve years in the Kansas delegation. Twelve years ago, an effort was made to unite our two conferences that was ultimately approved by the East but rejected by the West. It is probably an understatement to say that added a little tension between the two conferences. As Mark noted, not only could we not talk, it was difficult to share the same space. What made it worse was that the Kansas West Conference was split with an internal struggle over the same issue. We were not of one mind. It appears that over the last twelve years healing has occurred. There is a saying that says time heals all wounds, but I think that only tells half the story. Healing has come through the faithful leadership of God’s people in our two conferences and for that I am very grateful.

I attended the Bishop’s consecration service with three cups of coffee flowing through my system. After only four hours of sleep I didn’t want to embarrass myself by falling asleep in front of all those Bishops. One of the highlights was a youth choir made of students in the conference. They had close to 200 singers and did a great job. Speaking of music, once again the service was very traditional which was appropriate to the occasion and the setting. However the amount of music seemed excessive. I can’t believe I am writing this because of my history with contemporary worship. One of the biggest complaints from traditional worshipper about newer forms of worship is that there is too much music. I guess when it is not your music, there is limit to what you can take in worship. For me, five anthems and four hymns were about two songs past my limit. Even when the anthems were excellent and the hymns were familiar, it stopped being worship for me. I wonder if I would have felt the same if there was a live rock band and the anthems were all Rich Mullin songs. I already know the answer.

Ultimately the service brought an end to the conference as we completed the work we set out to do. Now it is time to catch up on some sleep.

Jurisdiction Day Three Addition

At around 10:20 pm on the 23rd ballot, we elected our final Bishop, James Dorff. It was a long and emotional day for both Jim and Cheryl and in the end I think it was a relief to both to have a decision made. Both were very gracious. The Kansas Area delegations showed amazing support all day for Cheryl. Before each ballot she was surrounded by prayer and often song. Is there anything more meaningful than to have friends and colleagues surround you with prayers of support and care.

I don't believe there was anyone supporting Cheryl who had a problem with Jim Dorff. He is qualified for the position. I think the disappointment was that once again all of the Bishops elected were men from Texas. I don't not have the data in front of me, but I believe that for the last three quadrenniums we have elected only males from Texas to the episcopacy. Are college of Bishops in the jurisdiction are beginning to look very similar. With the retirement of Joel Martinez we no longer have a Hispanic Bishop in an area where Hispanics are the fastest growing population. We also have only two female Bishops and have not elected a woman in the past twelve years.  We can do better.

It is now after 11:00 in the evening and we are trying to wrap up final business.

Jurisdiction Day Three

Friday began still needing to elect two Bishops with four candidates receiving significant votes, Mike Lowry, Cheryl Bell, Rodney Steele and Jim Dorff. Lowry was the closest to being elected and before the morning was over that happened. Just as the day before, I was surprised again that it was such a Holy Moment. I don't know Mike Lowry well or have any opinion about his qualifications for the episcopacy, but the announcement that the church had affirmed and elected him as Bishop was very emotional. After a standing ovation for Mike and his wife, the Conference again sang the Doxology with no instruments and in beautiful harmony. The experience is a wonderful metaphor for the church. We may not always get along or agree. We often fight like cats and dogs on certain issues, but at the end of the day, there is nothing more beautiful than the people of God joining together to sing their faith. The theme for Jurisdictional Conference is "Hope of the World," and it is in these Holy Moments that I have found my hope renewed.

The morning also included a retirement service for Bishop Benjamin Chamness and Bishop Joel Martinez. I did not have high expectations for worship, but it was surprisingly meaningful. The service was pretty ordinary, but the opportunity to celebrate the lives and service of these two men was moving. It gave us an opportunity to see a very human side of our Bishops and to say well done good and faithful servants.

After Mike Lowry was elected, Cheryl Bell and Rodney Steele were running neck and neck for the final slot, but the next few ballots changed the entire dynamics of the race. Jim Dorff started receiving more votes and eventually became the front runner.  Roberto Gomez dropped out followed by Rodney Steele. For the rest of the afternoon, Cheryl and Jim were locked in a stalemate with Jim leading by around 40 votes but still 20+ votes short of being elected. Instead of changing votes some conferences began lifting other candidates with their votes. Following the dinner break it has only become more of a mess with four new candidates. It is going to be a long evening.

Jurisdiction Day Two

The morning began with words of welcome, call to order and the first episcopal ballot. The exciting news for the Kansas Area is that Rev. Cheryl Bell had the third highest number of votes. Since we are electing three Bishops, she is in the running.  However in subsequent voting, she has dropped a spot is on the bubble. The question all of us were wondering is if she was a legitimate candidate outside of Kansas. The answer is an obvious yes. On the third ballot, Rev. Earl Bledsoe from the Texas Conference was elected. This was not unexpected, but it was a surprisingly holy moment when it happened. His wife was was sitting just in front of me and to be helped to her feet she was so overcome with emotion. As the standing ovation ended, the conference began to sing the Doxology. It was one of those moments where the Holy Spirit broke into the politics of the church.

Following the first vote we heard a State of the Church address and a Laity address. While neither was overly inspiring, I have to be honest that the Laity address was an embarrassment. It began with a "dumb blond" joke (seriously, you read that correctly) and was followed by an address that was so memorable that I could not tell you what was said. One theme that stood out in both addresses was that things are not going well in the UMC so we need to change and do better. Unfortunately that has been a constant message for 40 years. I get tired of hearing the same thing over and over. Maybe it is time to change how we talk about the church. Instead of lamenting how often we fall short, why not celebrate all the things we do right. There are churches that are thriving, lives being changed, ministries that are effective. We can do better.

The other issue of the day was the Bush Library and Institute at SMU. A motion was made to accept the library but to reject the Institute. Many speeches were made for and against, some very entertaining. However after the debate threw is hours behind schedule, the Jurisdiction voted to do nothing and the Bush Library and Institute can breathe easy.

In the evening we returned for more reports and ballots. There was a motion supported by a number of women's groups (and others) to remember that we need to be aware of our call to Holy Conferencing. The tasteless "blond" joke was mentioned as well as some poor behavior by delegates and one Conference who was already negotiating for their new Bishop. Rumor has it that they were making it clear that they did not want a female Bishop. I can not confirm or deny, but they were called out even if not by name. There are more ballots left this evening that I will report on if a new Bishop is elected.