My Wife's Amazing Blog

Hey everyone, my incredible Laura Beth has begun a FUN blog about life in Uganda titled: Savoring the little things of life in Uganda and the address is: http://laurabethmc.blogspot.com/

Check it out for more of the day to day life things we experience here in Uganda. Her latest post is titled GLUTEN FREE LIVING : )

Orphans, Abba and Mission

I just came across this article in the July issue of Christianity today- WELL WORTH CHECKING OUT. I love hearing others speaking my language!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/july/10.18.html

Rethinking Orphan Ministry- Introduction

I have been involved with orphan ministry and visited or read multitudes of literature of various orphan ministries or those seeking to partner and work with orphan ministries to know that we as a people (and I'm speaking mainly of Christians) need to do some serious rethinking about orphan ministry, both those caring for orphans and those partnering or supporting.

My family and I are preparing to head back to the US for a 6 month leave, and in that time I hope to put much of what is in my head into writing (as well as on this blog). But first, I would really like some feedback from each person who reads this. Please help me with the following questions:

1. What issues do YOU think need to be carefully thought through by those who are working HANDS ON with orphans? Why? (i.e. Vision statement, cross-cultural baggage, etc.)

2. What issues do you think need to be addressed by those seeking to support/send teams/partner, etc. with ministries caring for orphans. (i.e. cross-cultural baggage, etc.)

And I guess finally, is there anything specific that you'd like to see this blog address on this topic.

I'm going to wait a good month or more before taking this up again, mainly in hopes that some of you will take the time to think on these things and answer, and also because our family will need some time to transition cultures!

Looking forward to taking this one up.

Keith

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part 4

Unity in Diversity- I find this little phrase to be marvelously beautiful and paramount to the various issues and concerns raised below. It's an incredible three words, something that seems so impossible in the context of a fallen world marred by both Division in Diversity and Division in Similarity. And even though there is a lot of talk about UNITY, it is often simply a lofty concept devoid of any genuine meaning or foundation. Yet I see this is absolutely foundational for the discussion taking place here.

How incredible that God has revealed Himself as ONE God, yet revealed in THREE persons. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet they are perfectly (and uncomprehendingly) ONE. Their diversity is seen most clearly in the way they relate to the world- or in their economies as Wayne Grudem describes in his Systematic Theology. In John 14 and 17 Jesus describes Himself as "in" the Father and the Father as "in" Him, and in John 17 He states that He shared the Father's glory before the world ever existed (vs. 5). This is an incredible Unity in Diversity.

Because of God's own Unity in Diversity, it should not be surprising that God's creation (the unveiling of His Glory) reveals an incredible unity in the context of extreme diversity, with so much of life here on earth dependent on the entire ecosystem.

The Word of God, the Scriptures, reveal an amazing unity in diversity, from the multiplicity of authors, cultures and history, to the various purposes which brought each book about, yet throughout the story of Scripture, there is amazing consistency and unity weaved throughout in such a way that only God Himself could accomplish such a feat. The ESV Study Bible does a wonderful job drawing this out in the context of salvation history.

The Church, the Body of Christ, follows the same pattern, revealed in Jesus' prayer in John 17, "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (vs. 23)." This "perfect" oneness is ONLY possible through what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection, the unveiling of the Gospel that alone can unite peoples, economic levels, tribes, languages, and nations into ONE incredible worshiping Body of believers, willing to lay down preferences, history and sin in order to love and serve one another, delighting in the unity in diversity reflected in His body.

Marriage also reflects the possibility of amazing unity in diversity, as the two become one (what a mystery!), pointing to the greater reality of the unity and diversity of Jesus and His Church (Eph. 5). Again, this true intimacy and oneness is found through the work of Christ, declared in the Gospel, as two redeemed people come to Him in desperate NEED for grace to love and forgive, both dying to self in order for Him to be glorified.

And finally, family reflects unity in diversity, when the Gospel turns the hearts of the fathers toward their children and the children toward their father (and mother) (Lk. 1:17) and God's own character is seen in the unity possible through individuals diverse in character, personality and giftings.

It is in the context of all of this that the doctrine of adoption should come as no surprise at all, that through the death of Jesus, God not only justifies sinners but also adopts them back into His very own family, where the true Father is unveiled (Jn. 14) and our King Jesus becomes our brother (Heb. 2:11-12) through the incredible work of the Holy Spirit.

We can not escape it. We are called to pursue unity in diversity, intentional multi-ethnicity, at all costs, as it is the call of the Gospel and the purchase of God through the blood of His own Son. We are also called to live out this adoptive relationship of diverse unified family through adopting fatherless children of all cultures into our homes and therefore churches. We are also called to celebrate the diversity of the Body, rather than force ONE ALL CONSUMING CONFORMITY that robs the beauty of unity in diversity, which is a celebration of the Gospel itself. Old and young, Spanish speaking and Luganda speaking, light and dark skin, "family" made up of many cultures, all coming together in worship of the Lamb who was slain to purchase a bride on the earth. What an incredible vision our Father has set before us!

May we each truly seek first this incredible kingdom of God, and truly the world will know that God did indeed send Jesus. He is, indeed, building His church. May we pursue unity in diversity at all costs. To the praise of His glorious grace.

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part 3

I once asked a very aged and respected Christian about the issues of ethnicity in the American church. He has authored books, pastored, and is one of the wisest men I know. He also has preached in various churches around the country (and around the world), addressing both “white” churches and “black” churches. I was quite surprised by the answer he gave me when I spoke to him about what I see as the Biblical vision of intentional pursuit of ethnic diversity (since God the Father has intentionally purchased a multi-ethnic bride at infinite cost, the blood of His dear Son). He agreed with the things I said, but finally stated that it is just NOT possible because of the vast chasm that divides the white and black church in America. He sighted both preaching style and worship as the two main dividing factors, unbridgeable because of the vast differences in heart-expression and practice.

Since that conversation I have thought much about that conversation, trying to see the issues clearly, yet I am unable to come down on the side of “unbridgeable” simply because of differences in heart expression or culture, especially after living here in Uganda. Of course, if the goal is simply to have a church that is multi-ethnic for the sake of being multi-ethnic, IT WILL FAIL (it is not humanly possible as we are too selfish by nature). Yet, if the goal is the very heart of the Gospel itself and if the commitment is grounded in pursuit of our Glorious God and His Kingdom above all things then through the work of the Holy Spirit it is more than possible.

It helps me to think about marriage. Rarely do two people get married who come from the exact SAME family culture, expression, ways of doing things, ways of looking at things, etc. That’s what makes marriage SO MUCH WORK in those early years. It takes two people committed to each other and to moving towards oneness out of their two-ness. Throw in cross-cultural marriage and the issues are even greater and the work harder. Yet, no Christian in their right mind would say, “Hey, don’t even try to get married, after all people are just too different to be able to come together as ONE and survive as husband and wife. The gap is unbridgeable.” The world has no problem agreeing with that statement, especially when things just “don’t work out” because of the vastness of differences in two people often clearly seen AFTER marriage (selfishness exploded), and divorce is common and almost expected in our Western cultures. Yet, Christians are pushed to fight to make things work in marriage both because of the sanctity of the covenant entered into and what keeping that covenant means before God Himself (not to mention the effect on the children). And of course, through the beauty of living out the Gospel in relationship with one another and through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, two selfish and vastly different people ARE ABLE to come together as ONE. Yes, it takes a dying to self and for God Himself to intervene IN that marriage, yet the product is a “new” culture (a family culture) that comes from the uniqueness of the two individuals entering into covenant relationship, while the uniqueness of both individuals is also maintained. The children see the power of God at work in their homes and they are able (therefore) to grow up with a vision that marriage CAN actually work and be a good thing (which is a vastly different view that most children grow up with).

How much more should this be lived out on a church level!?! We are truly a Covenant Community, brought together through Jesus’ unveiling of the bride He came to purchase for Himself through His death and resurrection. He has stated the incredible implications of this purchased and available ethnic oneness (John 17), and while it takes MUCH WORK to push through our own “preferences” and cultures, much revealing of our selfishness and even ethno-centrism (viewing our own ethnicity as better or superior to others), Jesus meets us in that place, offers cleansing forgiveness to our repentance, and empowers His people through His Spirit to love beyond ourselves and to come together in committed love.

I attended a church in Chicago for a couple of years that was incredibly diverse ethnically. One Christmas the church decided to begin its Christmas program with a procession of flags representing the various cultures within the church. A non-Christian journalist came to write an article on the Christmas program. As she sat and watched the procession of flags, the procession of men and women of many different colors, it was obvious that she was not prepared for what she was beholding. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she witnessed the awesome display of Christ’s Bride, an ethnic unity she had never seen before. It IS as Jesus said, “then the world will believe that You sent me.”

The beginning point for all of us is recognizing that this intentional pursuit of ethnic diversity within our communities of worship is a Biblical mandate, not just a “good thing” to pursue. And like broken marriage, there is also a GRAVE effect on our children. When churches remain ethnically isolated, children grow up assuming that it is "just how it is", and what is assumed is that their own expression is the right one, and the issues are propagated through the generations, both directly and indirectly. The opposite is also true, that when children grow up in a diverse community, there is a natural love and respect for the various ethnicities and expressions, and they are able to see their own culture in relationship to all of the others, not as superior, but in its proper relationship to the others. What a vision of the Kingdom of God is held out for our children!

One other issue that often comes into play here is the way churches deal with differences in age groups within the church (as one friend who commented on the facebook post noted). Isn’t it interesting that churches often deal with the whole “traditional” versus “contemporary” issues like they do with ethnicity, only the division isn’t as clearly seen. The quick answer is to separate age groups by holding the hymns service for those who find their HEART EXPRESSION being met there, and then the contemporary service for those who “prefer” that (or because of the outreach appeal to a “modern” or “postmodern” people. What happens is a clear division between the generations, and what is lost is the age diversity that is also desperately needed in the Body of Christ for its health and building up. Rather than intentionally pursuing diversity of style (expression), one group is typically called to die to its own preferences for the sake of the other or the two are completely separated. Churches can't even see how this way of dealing with age diversity is an outflow of how they deal with cultural diversity!

So what is the way forward? How should our view of the Gospel, and hence the Spirit’s work in our world, drive our churches in all of these areas. What can be done practically? I still see the doctrine of adoption as central here and all that I’ve written below becomes a key factor, but first I want to ask:

Do you agree?

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part 2

Alright, I admit it! I bit off more than I can chew in the last post. It seems that most of you agree with me, as I don't see any comments or feedback below. However, I do want to push forward on this theme, mainly because I think the implications for the church today are desperately needed, as are the implications for Christian families seeking to model the Kingdom of God (or better stated, living out the Kingdom of God through family). I realize that I am insufficiently equipped to unfold all of the answers to the questions I raised, but I hope to at least lay some foundation that we can toss around and build on. Let me begin my just talking about our church here.

Kasana Community Church is truly a unique church both in Uganda and in the world at large. At one point last year we had men, women and children gathered in worship of God from the United States, Canada, England, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Congo DR, and Uganda (including over 14 different tribes represented). It is quite an incredible sight to see that kind of ethnic diversity gathered together in one place! It is incredible that the English language is able to act as a unifier of such vastly different people-groups. It would be easy for us as a church to simply adopt ONE new worship expression using ONLY English as the dominant language...but what would be lost would be the HEART EXPRESSION of the individuals represented. Let me explain.

As Westerners here in Uganda, most of us have grown up in the context of Western worship. Regardless of whether we are singing songs in English or Luganda (local language here), the style is different, the length of songs, the instruments (most Westerners struggle with the electric keyboard!), etc., even if we are singing familiar songs. But we adjust.

I can remember during our first year here when we were struggling to adjust, missing our "familiar" worship style, a team came on a short-term trip. One of the team members was a gifted worship leader in his home church, so our church leaders decided to allow him to lead a portion of the worship. He stood in front with his acoustic guitar and the second he began leading I felt my heart come alive. Both Laura Beth and I LOVED that short 15 minutes of worship that we had, yet towards the end as I looked around, most of the Ugandans were quieter and obviously NOT enjoying the time as much as we were. Then something incredible happened. The man sat down and our Ugandan worship leader came forward. The second he started in with a song in Luganda, the place about came apart! It was like they were waiting for what was familiar to them. I looked around at the Westerners and they looked very much like the Ugandans had during the "Western worship" time. They were enjoying the time in worship, but not like before.

What I came to understand at that moment is how important HEART EXPRESSION is for those engaging in worship. I enjoy singing in Luganda, or singing the Ugandan English songs that we sing, but I typically find myself coming MORE alive when we are singing songs that I have grown up singing. It's the same with each nationality and people group represented in the church. Our Ateso brothers and sisters enjoy singing in English and Luganda, but something happens when suddenly an Ateso song gets thrown into the mix- men who were standing and clapping before can be seen suddenly jumping high into the air, up and down, up and down, throughout the church (which is how the Ateso worship). The same could be said for each ethnicity represented.

If this were simply a context where Western missionaries were co-existing with people from the Buganda tribe, good missiological practice would call for the Westerners to simply die to their own cultural worship expression and integrate into the larger culture here (which is how many Western churches function when it comes to cultural integration). I have no problem with this in our context, especially in the light of the past missionary practice of simply establishing/imposing Western practice and worship in other cultures (at the expense of local culture and expression). But when it comes to other tribes within Uganda who are gathered here, the answer is not so clear-cut.

It is great that the churches planted within various tribes each have their own unique expression of worship (non-Western), but now that tribes are beginning to mix in both the city and even within different tribal territory in larger towns, what is the way forward for the Ugandan church? Is the answer to follow the common US pattern of keeping different ethnic groups separate in their worship? Hopefully our response is a resounding: NO! It would be a shame for it to be said here in Uganda that the 10am hour is the most segregated of the week.

How awesome to see our church here as a rallying point for the different tribes, intentionally seeking to bring the various ethnic expressions out in the context of our worship service, instead of forcing everyone into ONE "common" expression that in essence is the expression of none, or perhaps one dominant group. I see this as the beauty of the Bride of Christ gathered around His throne in Revelation 7, from every nation, tribe, people and language, singing out "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Granted, we don't know if in heaven those in Rev. 7 were singing in ONE language or each in their own, but down here on earth where the curse of Babel is brought back to blessing for the nations through the unifying Gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit, when the nations and tribes gather together it is as Jesus said in John 17, "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

I think it is in the context of where the Ugandan church stands today, and the way forward that God is calling His church to, that will serve as an example to the direction that the Western church needs to pursue if it is indeed to be a true expression of the Kingdom of God.

Before I move forward, I'd love some feedback here. Thoughts?

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part I

I can remember the first time I watched the movie Losing Isaiah. I cried throughout the movie, first for the plight of the birth mother (played by Halle Barry) in the abandonment of her new-born (already drug addicted) son, then for the plight of the white woman who adopted and in essence “saved” the child who had been thrown away into a garbage can. After some years the birth mother got “cleaned up,” found out her abandoned baby was alive, and then wanted her child back- a child who had solidly become a part of a white family. The movie centered around the issue of ethnicity in cross-cultural adoption (in this case white versus black). The birth mother's attorney believed that a black child should be with his black family, yet within the white home the point is made that in the eyes of the child, color is not what matters but love, a love that is given through the adoptive mother and the family. Though the issues raised by the movie were pointed and heart-wrenching, the movie offered up no real solution for the issue, ending with the child “divided” between both the birth mother and the adoptive mother.

Sadly, the church of Jesus Christ has also often been plagued by these same polar sides when it comes to looking at ethnicity within the church. On one side, churches tend to think that mono-ethnicity is best when it comes to worship, fellowship and church growth (it certainly is easiest!), and therefore the leadership and DNA of the church is made up of one singular ethnicity which expresses itself in both a preaching style and worship style that reflects that ethnicity and culture (even when the church is located completely within another ethnic group). Each different church, of course, views their own expression of worship and style as either “historical” (and thus a-cultural) or culturally inclusive, as opposed to viewing itself as intentionally mono-ethnic in its expression and thus culturally exclusive.

Often, churches that are “open” to different ethnicities attending their churches can not see beyond their own cultural bias for their own expression of the historic faith. If someone from a different ethnicity comes into that church, it is expected for that person to “conform” to the style of church/worship that forms the identity of the church, leaving that individual to either “yield” to the dominant worship and teaching expression or to leave and find a church with similar cultural expression (it is supposed in this situation that this person has had contact with a specific ethnic expression of Christianity as opposed to a “new” believer).

On the other side are churches that want to be multi-ethnic. They often seek to create a contemporary worship style that each individual ethnicity can rally around and more easily “conform” to. Often, these churches are made up of first generation Christians who are drawn to these churches, those who have not been a part of a church made up of their own unique ethnic expression. Unfortunately, the individual culture and expression that God has granted the various “ethnic” cultures are either lost or blurred within the newly created expression.

What is to be done by the church today in such a confusion of “models”? What is the way forward and what are the biblical and theological foundations to keep us on the right track? And what does all of this have to do with adoption and the doctrine of adoption...