Day two

The media is catching hold of the events of the conference as it ends today on “World AIDS Day.” (The Christian Post, ABC News, USA Today, and The Boston Globe, just to name a few). Day two was full of the ‘what now’ and ‘how’ stuff. Again, in standard Warren form, Rick shared how the C.H.U.R.C.H. can be mobilized by:

Caring and comforting those currently living with HIV/AIDS,
Handling testing and counseling,
Unleashing a volunteer force of compassion,
Removing the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS,
Champion responsible behavior,
Helping with nutrition and medication.

This comes in contrast to the Avoidance, Intolerance, Distance, and Superstition that the Christian Church has perhaps perpetuated. Similar to day one, day two was prophetic in the calling sense, exhorting us to take action in tangible, real, and felt ways. There are simple and immediate things that the Church can do, and there are compelling reasons why the Church should involve itself.

A couple pastors who have been involved in the fight for a couple decades shared their stories and experiences, giving encouragement that there are those in the Church who have been in this fight. A presentation by Edward Green, a PhD from Harvard, showed the effectiveness and strategy of the ABC Model of AIDS Prevention. His book, “Rethinking AIDS Prevention” details his argument, which is compelling, yet controversial. Gary Haugen, President of the International Justice Mission then shared how social justice issues must also be addressed if we are going to be serious about HIV/AIDS. “Good News About Injustice” and “Terrify No More” are excellent books that share the stories of forced child labor, sex trafficking, and bonded slavery and encourage all of us to be involved in justice issues, especially as Christians.

Rick then unfolded the Global P.E.A.C.E. plan that is targeted to attack the “Global [evil] giants,” in the world (drawing on the David and Goliath story). What are those “giants?” Spiritual Emptiness, Egocentric Leadership, Extreme Poverty, Pandemic Diseases, and Illiteracy & Poor Education. In summation the plan seeks to:

Plant churches
Equip servant leaders
Assist the poor
Care for the sick
Educate the next generation

It is impossible to do justice in this blog regarding all the teachings and sentiments surrounding these acrostics, so we’ll just move to some personal reflections.

The issue of HIV/AIDS (and I should also say other issues as well) has forced the Church to ask some serious ecclesiological questions. What is the Church? What is the Church’s calling? What is the mission and purpose of the Church? Many would state that the Church exists solely to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. I once heard a teacher whom I dearly love and respect, say (and I sum) that ministers are people that care only for the soul/spirit. He then listed things ministers are not: social workers, paramedics, counselors, etc. His driving point is that we as Christians, and especially ministers/vocational pastors, must stick to what we’re good at (or called to), and that is “spiritual” health. We must allow others to take care of the other aspects of humanity. I also heard another pastor, again, whom I greatly love and respect say that the most important thing we do as ministers is baptisms; meaning converts. In other words, proselytizing is the primary activity of the Church. There are people going to hell, goes the theology, and we must “win” them so they will go to Heaven when they die. We are “plundering hell to populate heaven.”

Those belief structures then led us to a somewhat pretentious (or sneaky) kind of social praxis. We feed the homeless, but we have to make sure we share a Bible, or smuggle a tract into the lunch bag, for what we’re really doing is sharing the gospel. And the “gospel” we share is something akin to “four laws,” or “five steps,” etc. We have then filtered our service, in some ways, to those who are not necessarily in the most need, but those who will be the most receptive to the message we bring that accompanies the service we provide. For the others, we “shake the dust of our feet.” In addition, a “proselytizing theology” caused a dilemma for some Christians who didn’t know if it was ethical, or okay to partner with others from different faiths in social work or justice campaigns. After all, how could we be “unequally yoked?”

Those sentiments are changing. In some ways, a new “social hermeneutic” is taking center stage in the Evangelical community dealing more holistically with humanity. The Church’s view on ecclesiology, evangelism, theology, and even Christology is shifting. (Barna writes about this in his new book, “Revolution”) I have made the observation that while much of the praxis of the Church has been “Christ-centered” it has not been “Jesus-modeled.” What I mean by that is simply this; bringing people to salvation, a personal relationship with Jesus, has been core to Evangelical evangelism. However, juxtaposed with the actual life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus, there are actually very few parallels to that focus. Think about it. How many times do you hear Jesus say, “You need to have a personal relationship with me so you won’t go to hell”? How many times do you read in your Bible that baptisms were on the top of Jesus’ ‘to do’ list? How many “converts” do you read about in Jesus’ life and ministry? How many times does Jesus leave the “healing” to the doctors, and only works on someone’s soul?

While social justice issues, serving the poor, caring for the orphans has always had a place in Christendom like one of the wheels on a car, these issues are becoming the very force of Christianity, the engine of the vehicle. Based on passages like Isaiah 1:17, 1 John 3:17, James 1:27, Ezekiel 34:4, 9-10 and countless others, this is the new “social hermeneutic.”

The final session was a message by Kay on “loving your neighbor.” Kay shared that it takes: repentance (instead of avoidance), acceptance (instead of intolerance), presence (instead of distance), and endurance (instead of superstition). I wish you could have heard her stories and testimonies of her time in Africa, and at Mother Teresa’s home in India. As she cared for the sick and dying, and wrapped her arms around the most unloved, most forgotten, left-behind, wretched human beings in the world, she got a glimpse of the reality of Jesus, His life, teachings, and command to us to love.

So, really, one word sums the entire conference, and the next several years of this new “revolution” (as Barna puts it): love. I think I’ve read that somewhere…

This week I’m at a historical event in the life of the church: The HIV/AIDS Conference, “Disturbing Voices: 40 million people are calling.” Hosted by Saddleback, this is the only conference of its kind in the history of the Church. I have some extremely abbreviated reporting (telling of some stories and data) and personal reflections. This was a big day, and many pages could be written. I’ll do my best to be concise.

Though Rick Warren is at the helm of PurposeDriven.com and Saddleback Church, perhaps it is accurate to say that his wife, Kay Warren, has been the driving force/voice behind this conference, and all that it hopes to accomplish. In this morning’s session, Kay shared candidly her testimony of the journey she has been on over the last three years regarding the issue of HIV/AIDS. Her honesty is both refreshing and challenging. The issue of HIV/AIDS was for Kay, (as is for many of us), quite taboo and was attached with a high level of stigma. Thoughts like, ‘this is a gay issue,’ or ‘this is an African issue,’ are of the tamest sentiments that filled her mind. Through an article in Time magazine and consecutive events that led her on a trip to Africa and a first-hand experience with the people that are infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, the issue was no longer one that could be ignored.

Rick was at a similar place. While his wife was emerging with a passionate new vision, he felt fully supportive, yet disengaged…for it was not ‘his’ vision. Again, their candor and honesty is refreshing and challenging. Through countless nights of “pillow-talk,” Rick soon began to see the importance of the HIV/AIDS issue, and the next several years included reading and research regarding the issue.

The word that echoed in the first session from both Kay and Rick was IGNORANCE. Many in Evangelical circles today still believe that the HIV/AIDS disease is an issue that only concerns gay people. Some even purport that it is God’s judgment on gay people!? (Just for the record, that sentiment is completely, theologically, ethically, logically, and absolutely absurd!...stupid, really, in the very literal sense of the word.) Very few also realize the scope of HIV/AIDS. This is literally a pandemic. One of the primary objectives of this conference was to educate the Church, and remove the stigma and false perceptions that Christians have regarding HIV/AIDS. They have done a good job to that end tackling the issues of ignorance, fear, reputable concerns, and the immensity of the problem. Perhaps the obstacles that exist regarding this issue will soon be removed as we become more educated, more aware, and more intelligent of all aspects of this issue, including the actual good that can be done in this vast chaotic sea.

And just for the record (again), HIV/AIDS is NOT a “homosexual” disease. While I don’t have the stats in memory, many (I am tempted to say a majority of) infections come through heterosexual contact, IV drug use, birth (child contracting through the placenta of the mother) or through breast milk (nursing moms); and for a vast majority, it is contracted in circumstances beyond the individual’s control or will. HIV/AIDS, is about injustice as much as it is about moral behaviorism.

In good “PurposeDriven” form, Rick then shared the reasons for why we must care about this issue (and I simply list them): 1) We are blessed to be a blessing. 2) Jesus modeled compassion. 3) The problem demands it. 4) God commands it.

So, the conference was underway. A short independent documentary film was shown that reported on the basic facts regarding HIV/AIDS (what the letters mean, how it is spread, etc.). Then, the second course of speakers…

Claude Allen, the Chief Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shared some hard facts and statistics regarding the issue here in the US and overseas. An “A.B.C.” plan, which is yielding good results, is being pursued as a more active focus of public policy. “A” stands for Abstinence, “B” for Being Faithful, and “C” for Correct use of Contraceptives. The only way to stop the disease is through effective, medically sound preventative methods. This plan/program, which is currently being implemented in some parts of the country, is yielding good results. Where these steps are not being taken, a “D” for Death, is being added to the acrostic. Allen is advising the president on the future of this and other plans.

Patrick (forget his last name), representing Ambassador Randall Tobias, US Department of State, appointed by the president as the Global AIDS Coordinator shared a short report as well. While the report was lengthy and as positively bureaucratic as bureaucracy can be, the most outstanding detail was the following. Initiatives are only “sustainable” (another key word for the day) through local populations only. In other words, it’s not about outside people coming in, fixing the problems, then leaving. It is about equipping local/indigenous populations in their current efforts to fight the disease. Currently, the only people “on the ground,” globally, are faith-based organizations (e.g. World Vision, and many others). Patrick shared that Tobias would have never taken the job if those organizations had not been there because he knew he would have failed. For the US Department of State, the bottom line is saving lives. It is through partnerships with the faith-based organizations that that bottom line is being realized, which is why being at this church in Lake Forest, CA, at this conference, is so crucial/critical to the Global AIDS work being done by the government.

Next up, Jeffrey Laurence, MD, the Senior Scientist at amFAR (Foundation for AIDS Research), an identifier (one of them) and the namer of the disease back in 1980. He gave more information on treatment, the strands of HIV/AIDS that have emerged, the use of ARV’s (Anti Retroviral drugs), and the success and failures of current treatment strategies. It was also fascinating to see the evolution in knowledge. Back in 1985, when treating patience, doctors would wear full body suits (they looked like blue space suits), before coming near patients. Now, of course, we know that transmission of HIV is extremely difficult and requires extremely intimate contact.

Jim Towey, Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives shared some discussion points he and the president have been having. Currently, the US is spending $15B on this issue, more than every other country in the world combined. Robert Redfield, MD and co-founder of the Institute for Human Virology at the University of Maryland talked about “global health equity” and how “disclosure” is the first step in treatment. Currently 50% of all the people with HIV in the US don’t know they have it, and many who know are not telling anyone about it. Breakout sessions with multiple doctors and researchers from places like The Institute of Human Virology (Maryland), Center for Special Immunology (D.C), Global Strategies for HIV Prevention (San Francisco), Harvard, AIDS clinics (Long Beach), and a dozen or so others all gave lectures and presentations on various topics.

After a break, Bill & Lynne Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church took the stage. With Kay Warren, the awareness to this pandemic came through a Time magazine article. For the Hybels, it came through a slightly different avenue. While doing a series of church-training conferences in Europe, Bill received an email from a person named “Bono.” Bill’s first thought was, “I thought that guy died by snow skiing into a tree.” [Laughter filled the auditorium…amusing as it was, it is slightly disturbing that Bill Hybels thinks of Sonny when he sees the name “Bono.”] In the email was a phone number. So Bill called, honestly not knowing who he was calling. In the short phone conversation, Bono was asking to meet with Bill regarding the HIV/AIDS issue, and wanted him to come to Dublin to talk. Confined by his prior obligations, he wasn’t able to make it, but asked, “Is it okay if I send my wife?” Bono agreed. Lynne had no idea. So, from Germany (I believe it was), Lynne Hybels gets on a plane and flies to Dublin, Ireland, and meets Bono [of U2…(just in case)] in a local coffee shop for a 1 ½ hour meeting. Lynne described herself as extremely nervous and uncertain as to what to make of this visit. Sure! Leaving the coffee shop, Lynne felt a thunderbolt had rocked her world, and transformed the direction of the next season of life. Soon after, a trip to Uganda confirmed in her the issue, the need, and the obligation to act. Long story short, they began down a road that would increase the awareness and action of Willow Creek Community Church regarding HIV/AIDS, and speaking and sharing at this conference has been a culmination of those two-three years.

This is only the beginning.

Some other key words through these sessions: Disturbed. Discouraged. Rocked. Broken. For both Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, a sense of “how did I miss this critical issue?” was prevalent in their presentations. While growing healthy and thriving churches, networking hundreds of thousands of churches across the world, they both feel a sense of guilt and remorse in their complete ignorance to the rising issue of HIV/AIDS in the world…and both have taken responsibility for their silence. They have both confessed their need to repent. I honor their honesty, and their humility…and their active repentance. Many of us in the room feel the same.

There are ~1400 attendees at this ground-breaking conference. 1400. Of those 1400, it appears as if almost 30% of them are from Saddleback, Lake Forest, CA. Of the remaining ~980 (give or take), over half of them are volunteers at their local churches and/or are already in HIV/AIDS work around the globe. That leaves ~500 pastors, which, if there is one per church, represents ~500 churches. Considering ~311,000 churches are represented between the Willow Creek Association and PurposeDriven.com (respectively from their website numbers, with possible ‘cross-pollination’), that’s only 0.16% of the churches represented. Not even 2/10ths of 1%. Even if we were generous with our numbers and counted all 1400 as representative of one church per attendee, we’re only up to 0.45% representation. Is the Church listening?

The above statistical calculation is unfair. Those are not ‘hard’ numbers, and I took no official role sheets. There are other organizations, clearly, outside of the PurposeDriven/Willow networks. However, the point is still valid…the Church has a long hard road ahead of itself as it strives to BE the Church it is called to be.

In addition to the clear need in Africa, both Rick and Bill shared testimonies of disclosure in their congregations. As soon as awareness was raised, the issue was discussed, and stigma was dispelled, many in their churches came forward, and were free to confess, “I have AIDS.” For many, that was the first time they have been able to say those words in a safe environment, free of judgment and ostracism. May that spur us, as has been mentioned several times today, “in the direction of compassion.”

I have saved the most impressing reality for last. Whatever you believe, theologically or ideologically about the HIV/AIDS issue, if you do not care, at the very least for the innocent children that are being left behind, millions of them, what good is faith? South Africa: 1,105,000 orphans. Nigeria: 1,900,000 orphans. Zimbabwe: 1,000,000 orphans. Tanzania: 1,030,000 orphans. Ethiopia: 740,000 orphans. Malawi: 520,000 orphans. … TOTAL GLOBAL orphans due to HIV/AIDS: 15,000,000; each one with a name, a face…the imprint of the Creator. With over 47 million PLWA (people living with AIDS), these numbers are expected to grow.

While “despair” is a word that is used to describe all of the above, the word that is NOT being used is “defeat.” The “spiritual effervescence” of the conference is one of positive enthusiasm, provocative hope, and unbridled passion. The Church is responding, and it is committing itself more and more to doing something about it. While the above poll can paint a gloomy picture, there are 1400 of us here! Hallelujah!!! 1400 of us are learning and being equipped with the passion and the tools to be the hands and feet of Jesus to this world that is in desperate need. Many have said this is the greatest opportunity the Church has seen in modern times. Many have said that this impossible task will bring God more glory. Many are believers here.

This was day one of the conference.

Tomorrow…day two.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6653825/site/newsweek/

The above video is a discussion with Chris Matthews of 'Hardball' and Jon meacham, the managing editor of Newsweek. The current edition of Newsweek is on the birth of Jesus; just in time for Christmas. This, perhaps, is a great depiction of a "Roaring Lamb" (cf. Bob Briner), a believer who enters into the culture to be a voice of reason and truth.

Welcome back to VIA!

I am so excited about the next season that God is leading us to called "Blue Letter Living." A key component in the philosophy behind internet savvy developments is the "linking" that websites are designed to do, making conspicuous, new pages, and sometimes new websites. These "links" are then designed to do multiple things: enhance your experience on the site; advertise; make navigating the WWW easier; entice you to new discoveries, new information, or even new challenges; and even allow you to see beneath the surface, digging deeper into any particular area.

Living for Jesus is much the same. There really are no areas of our lives that are isolated, secluded from outside reality. Following Jesus means that all over us there are "links," connections with other things, people, places, events, ideas, feelings, disciplines, etc. The "blue letters" in areas of community, integrity, evangelism, study, worship, redemption, and the Bible, will reveal to us there is more to this life than doctrinal truths, creeds, going to church, and other spiritual practices. There are mysterious links that, when clicked, open our eyes to new actualities, challenges our thinking about truth and reality, and fundamentally changes the paradigm of our lives. These connections cause us to be more of what God intended it to be. But for that, we must click.

Join us for the season, and most importantly, to find your place in this community of Blue Letter Believers.

Welcome to the VIAlogue. While dialogue is a discussion between two people, a VIAlogue is a discussion between people who want to live a different way of life. We are an eclectic group with different backgrounds, personalities, and experiences. Here, you will find people that are unsettled with the status quo, disillusioned with the religious establishment, others that are curious about spirituality, and still others who are passionate followers of Jesus. Common to us all are two characteristics:
1. We are ISRAEL. We are people who "struggle" with God. People who reject complacency and conformity, and are willing to 'get in the ring' with the creator of the Universe to discover and live out greather truth, and greater life.
2. We INQUIRE. We ask questions; lots of them. The brilliance of maturing in life and in faith, stems from the ability to seek hard after truth. Our questions are not rooted in cynicism, but rather from deep longing, and no subject is taboo. Here, you will find many questions asked, about all aspects of life, and many responses. Hopefully the entire discussion will provoke us toward a more abundant life.