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The Native American Nightmare

Nov 162012

We have fairly romantic ideas about the Pilgrims—English Separatists who came to the New World and eventually merged with the Puritans in order to establish the “city set on a hill.” And for good reasons. Their values played a major role in establishing the United States as a country with noble ideas about freedom, individualism, faith, and the American dream.

And one of the things that has made us great is the ability to see where we have failed to live up to the ideas we aspire to.

And to change.

One glaring issue facing the American church is how our forefathers and mothers treated Native Americans when they carved out our nation. It is a tragic story filled with hypocrisy, violence and cruelty that typically gets glossed over in the Thanksgiving narrative.

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Charles Robinson, founder of The Red Road. We had a wonderful chat about the challenges facing Native Americans who are Christians today.

In this very moving clip, he responds to the charge that Native Americans need to just “get over it.”

Where is the Church Going?

Contemporary Church, Video 2 Responses »

Oct 042012

Last week our Cornerstone speaker was Dennis Tucker, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures at Truett Seminary (Baylor). I got the chance to sit down with him and chat about where the church is going.

In the first clip he answers the question, “What will the church look like in 50 years?” In his answer he offers both his fears and his hopes.

In the second clip, he talks about how our faith is not so much about finding our purpose in life as it is in finding our place in the grand narrative of Scripture.

You can watch his Cornerstone talks here: http://www.youtube.com/user/hsuchapel

Another Ancient Prayer for Lent: Centering Prayer

Church History, Contemplative Spirituality, Video 19 Responses »

Mar 012012

In John 4, Jesus taught that true worship must be done “in spirit” because God is spirit. Now, granted, this phrase is quite nebulous and open to a wide variety of interpretations. But it’s still a good idea to contemplate what Jesus meant.

I believe a part of the answer lies in a very ancient tradition that turned to silence to solve this riddle. Those who were most serious about worshiping in spirit sought increasingly isolated places to simply be with God without any distractions. Though, as they soon discovered, silence itself could be one of the most challenging distractions of all. But once overcome, the ancients learned that God often chooses to relate to us using a vocabulary of silence on a path known as the “via negativa” or the “negative way.” In a grossly over-simplistic description, this refers to the notion of approaching God by stripping our prayer and worship of all images, thoughts, and even words–because all of these things limit God.

The “via negativa” attempts to let God be God by understanding Him through what He is not. In more practical terms, it refers to finding God in silence and solitude and stillness.

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