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Sometime soon, Barry Bonds will break the all-time home run record . . .and I don’t really care. I am among those who believe this feat has been boosted by steroid use. A record doesn’t mean much if you aren’t playing by the same rules. Unfortunately, I also know that my attitude about this is not entirely consistent. No record in baseball ever takes place under exactly the same conditions. The playing fields are not the same. The level of talent is not the same. The baseballs are not the same. The training and health facilities are not the same. Most of those differences we have learned to overlook. In a scene in the movie “Chariots of Fire,” one of the runners who competed in the years that led up to the 1924 Olympics was rebuked for using a coach. This, it was held, violated the spirit of amateur competition. That sort of purist notion now seems naïve. Still, the use of steroids seems somehow different. Not only are an athlete’s training and equipment and preparation improved. The athlete himself is altered. It seems to defy the “givenness” of the sport, the limitations within which the athletes---and by vicarious extension, all of us---compete. Though this may seem to have nothing at all to do with congregations and the work of ministry, I believe, in fact, that it does. A core religious belief has always been the virtue of acceptance:
But we no longer live in a world where the only option for people is to make the best of what they have been given. The 1950s, it has been said, were the high water mark for religion in America. Neither before or since did Americans attend church in such numbers nor were things religious (including pastors) held in such high regard. It was also, however, a time when the value of acceptance of one’s “givenness” was coming to an end. In a recent book, The Age of Abudance: How Prosperity Transformed America’s Politics and Culture, Brink Lindsey argues that in the second half of the 20th century, America left the “realm of necessity” and entered the “realm of freedom.” Consider the following factoids:
Abundance created freedom. People discovered they had choices. Rather than accepting the “givenness” of any situation and making the best of it, individuals realized they could find ways to alter limitations. Not all freedom is beneficial. As Lindsey states it succinctly: “The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please: we ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations.” Yet, Lindsey concludes, Americans “live on the far side of a great fault line” separating them from all prior human experience. Many factors are offered for the overall decline in membership in mainstream American denominations. Among them: a media culture that is antithetical to Christianity; congregations that are focused on survival goals; pastors who are lacking leadership skills; members who are ingrown and apathetic. But could it be that a more basic underlying factor is the result of living on the other side of Lindsey’s “great fault line”? Abundance has led to greater freedoms, which, in turn, has led to higher expectations, weaker commitment, and less tolerance for imperfection. In a world of abundance, acceptance is viewed as passivity. Striving for perfection becomes the new virtue. Striving for perfection has unleashed a universe of products and potentials that have greatly improved the quality of life. But in the process, it may also have altered our understanding of such basic Christian concepts as unconditional love. When, for example, parents select their baby’s gender, has the nature of their love for their child been altered? I am aware that the Bible affirms many virtues in addition to the passive ones of faith, patience, humility, trust, and hope. In particular, the significance of love, forgiveness, and spiritual discernment seem ever more pertinent in a time where increased opportunities also create the burdens of decision and the weight of responsibility.
Things I didn’t know about Islam (did you?): Shia Muslims are awaiting the return of the Twelfth Imam (Muhammad al-Mahdi), the last direct descendent of Mohammed, who disappeared in 939 C.E. The return of this Mahdi or “Hidden Imam” they believe will herald the end of time and the advent of perfect divine justice. Muqtada al-Sadr’s followers are named the “Mahdi Army” implying that his cause is that of the Twelfth Imam and those who fight him are the enemies of the promised Mahdi. Al Sadr earned the name “Mulla Atari” during his seminary days for his tendencies to be more interested in video games than the intricacies of Shia law. Najaf in Iraq and Qom in Iran are the two primary religious centers for Shiites. In Qom today, there are three hundred seminaries and approximately fifty thousand seminarians, some from as many as seventy countries around the world. In addition to studying theology and philosophy, they learn about election campaigns and issues facing religious leaders in governing a modern state and economy. (from The Shia Revival by Vali Nasr) Greensburg, Kansas tornado recovery Through Lutheran Disaster response, we are assisting with the recovery of the individuals and families of Greensburg, Kansas in the wake of the May 4 F5 tornado that completely destroyed their town. Pastors in the News NPR has recently featured two first person stories of pastors and the sacrifices they made to enter seminary. One, a former interrogator for the U.S. military in Iraq, describes how he chose to enter seminary after realizing the limits of using force to make the world a better place. The other, describes the reality of living with student loans which may never be paid off. To listen to these stories, go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11784000&sc=emaf (military interrogator story) or http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11837081 (the plight of pastor with student loans). Pastoral Care Case Conference Interested in improving your pastoral care skills? Beginning in August, we are accepting new enrollees into a Pastoral Care Case Conference group that meets at the LFS office in Omaha once a month. Participants learn from pastoral care encounters that they and other group members have experienced. A time for meeting is still under negotiation. Contact me if you would like additional information. Churches with Unusual Names Face Problems (Satire from Lark News. Used with permission of Joel Kilpatrick and LarkNews.) FREDERICK, Md. — When Valley Christian Church sought a younger demographic and re-named itself The Living Room last year, an unexpected problem sprang up: 60 percent of calls and visitors to the church are now people thinking it’s a home furnishings store. Churches that have strayed from easily identifiable names are finding the confusion to be a headache. The Refuge, a congregation of mostly 20-something believers in Boise, often gets calls from law enforcement officers who want to drop off battered women, thinking it’s a shelter. The Gathering Place in Denver, a congregation of 250 near Boulder, gets dozens of calls a week from local New Age practitioners, especially leading up to the summer and winter solstices. "No, we do not offer drum circles, solstice celebrations or pagan ritual rooms," says the church secretary, rolling her eyes. She repeats the line at least eight times a day, she says. Some churches have chosen to install voice mail systems that clarify what the institution is, even though this disrupts the sense of personal care they wish to project. "Our creativity got out in front of our common sense," says the pastor of His Place, a newly re-named church in New England, where half of daily inquiries are now from people who think it’s a tavern or a strip joint. "People get pretty angry when they realize we don’t have a happy hour." The church board is thinking of going back to something more conventional like Family Christian Center. "It may be boring, but at least you don’t have to explain it," says the pastor. In Christ's Service, Roger Kruger This e-mail newsletter is an endeavor of Partners in Caring, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc. I envision it as a way to share ideas, resources, and conversation about the joys and struggles of ministry. I welcome your input. Feel free to pass it on to friends.
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The Problem with Abundance
In 1900, Americans spent nearly twice as much on funerals as on medicine. Working-class families spent more than 90 percent of their earnings on food, shelter, and clothing (and working children provided one-fourth to one-third of the incomes for these families). Less than 2 percent of Americans took vacations.
I am thankful for those Christian leaders living on the edge who are redefining what it means to be a congregation and a fellowship of believers. They are seeking out where the Spirit of God is moving. Many congregations, through a plethora of new programs, worship styles and service times, building expansions, mission projects, children and youth activities affirm choice and come ever closer to that perfect congregation that has something for everyone. But the Bond’s question always looms in the background. At what point does reaching perfection make it undesirable ---i.e., when does creating a better church make it no longer church? 
Among other things, we are providing a Camp Noah for the children of Greensburg to help them cope with their losses. One of the ways to support this effort is by participation in Healthy Families Walk, an event which supports the many programs of Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska. It will be held at Lakeside Wellness Center in Omaha on Sunday August 26. Pledges may be made to support specific programs, including Lutheran Disaster Response. Visit