Dilbert and the Call of Christian Community, Part I

In the recent issue of Fast Company (a business-creativity-trend magazine that I enjoy a great deal), Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert said this:

“Even in the office, there’s a growing preference to communicate solely
by email so you can ignore all human contact. That has a lot to with the
people who read Dilbert. A lot of my people would prefer not to have
any human contact, because they feel they work for and with idiots. I
can’t tell you how many people I’ve met recently who state, outright,
that they don’t like people. Some like animals. And now technology
gives them the option of avoiding all human contact.”
(Fast Company, March 2006, p. 29)

In my mind, a quote like this would be a gaffe if it were not the fact of many folks over the last few years saying things just like this to me. A few examples…“my job would be better if I did not have to deal with people” (a former coworker)… “the holidays would certainly be less stressful if I did not have to spend them with my family” (a schoolmate)…“I could never be a minister like you because of what you have to put up with in people.” (a variety of people over my last decade in ministry) Isn’t this a scary thing? When we come to believe that our lives would be easier with less or little human interaction?

Now, I can understand this reality coming about when we deal with people who do not share our same value systems. However, I have observed this reality exists just as well (or perhaps more so) in the church. In the very place where we are called to share community and life—in the context of serving and worshiping our Savior—the trail is strewn with bad relationships, bad attitudes and incredibly injured people. We expect the bully in a seventh grade class to cause trouble but it is troublesome when those actions continue to be practiced within the local Christian congregation.

Just for a reference point, let’s put the words of Scott Adams in juxtaposition with these words:

“I give you a new commandment: that you love one another. Just as I have
loved you, you should also love one another. By this all people will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35

“This is what I command you: that you love one another.”
John 15:17

Now I recognize in our society love is often a misused word that does not always carry the type of meaning it should. But one thing becomes very clear when Jesus spoke these words to the ones who were closest to him. He wanted them to know there was something fundamentally important to way they related to one another. The truth was related to the fact that those on the outside of grace would know these men were really Jesus followers by the affection they held for one another. If this is the case, there is a great deal at stake when we begin talking about how we that make up the church feel about and act towards each other.

My fear is we tend to just minimalize this type of relationship between each other. However, it seems Jesus was not just talking about some sentimental ooziness here. The heart of his words strike at what it means for us to be in relationship with one another and the impact that is to have on those outside salvation. It is more than just us feeling good about ourselves but this important relationship is very much tied up with our witness to those who need Christ. Do you ever think about why it is so important that we treat well and relate well to those with whom we worship on a regular basis?

I believe the reason Adams encounters so many people that do not really want to be around other people is because human relationships can be very messy. It is very difficult to get another person to see your point of view as well as it is to be gracious in order to see the point of view of someone else. Let’s face it, our culture believes it is much easier to just quit or divorce than it is to work it out. The culture certainly influences our church life and churches all around the country are gaining new transfer membership just because these folks could not work things out (or were not even willing to try) with the people at their last church. I am afraid our tolerance for real relationship is at a dangerous low in most local congregations. This does not bode well for those on the outside looking in for real discipleship and Jesus following.

So let us see if we might flesh this out a bit. This will be the journey over the next few posts. But one premise that we cannot dismiss is this: Loving my brethren (and sistern) is not optional discipleship, rather it lies at the very heart of it.

A Return to Thought and Humble Dogmatism

Many months ago, I began a project called “Tuesday’s Thought.” In it, I attempted to send out a regular thought from varied sources to create, well, thinking. Occasionally, I get convinced that little thinking is going on and if there is thinking, too much of it is not rightly informed. This belief drives me to do much reading. When I study to preach and a thought comes in my time of interpretation—the reading of a good commentary lets me know one of two things: Yes, I am on the right track or No, I am a heretic! Because my experience and knowledge is limited, I spend time reading those who have done that which I aspire. At times my reading corrects me. At times it encourages me. At times it makes me believe I chose the wrong book or magazine or blog or commentary, yet even that is profitable if I take a nugget of learning—perhaps knowing what not to do.

In the midst of “Tuesday’s Thought” (i.e. around the end of August) I developed ulcerative colitis from taking a antibiotic prescribed as a precaution from oral surgery. Therefore, the practice came to a stop in light of barely being able to function. I am pleased to report that I have experienced a great recovery (Praise be to our Lord!) apart from some occasional times of tiredness. And that being the case, I have decided to return to my thought-invoking endeavor.

My way of communicating these thoughts will be through this new blog, OutsideMyHead. My intent is to again publish varying “thoughts” on Tuesdays. I will still be using the thoughts of others to help inspire thinking along with trying my hand at sharing some of my own thoughts. About once a week is a good pace for me, though you might see two postings in a week on occasion.

There are times when I fearfully tremble at putting more “words” out there on Al’s most famous invention. However, if one thought makes you think about things a little differently and captures your thinking in such a way that you may think things could be thought about differently and, in the process, your thoughts are directed more heavenward, then I think it is worth me putting my two cents in. What do you think about that?

So in that spirit, I want to share a thought to you from Mark Dever. Mark is the pastor of Capital Heights Baptist Church in our nation’s capital. This April, he, along with Dr. Al Mohler (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), C.J. Mahaney (Sovereign Grace Ministries) and Lig Duncan (First Presbyterian Church, Jacskon, MS) will be hosting a conference in Louisville, KY called Together for the Gospel (see www.togetherforthegospel.org ). It will be a tour-de-force event that will also include John Piper, John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul. On their website, the four hosts have had a running blog since the beginning of the year which has proven personally edifying to myself. Today, you will be reading a thought from Mark Dever entitled, “Humble Dogma.”

Disclaimer—if you feel a little detached and believe you will not be able to completely focus, I would encourage you to wait until you can focus and read Mark’s post. It is well worth your reading and attention and, of course, your thinking.

Many blessings and have a great week! Rodney



Humble Dogmatism
Mark Dever from "Together for the Gospel" Blog
February 8, 2006

Tonight, we at [Capital Heights Baptist Church] did our own little bit to encourage Bible reading—we read the entire book of I Corinthians out loud! It took about 45 minutes, and it was really encouraging and powerful to hear the message of the book as a whole. This was done as an introduction to a regular series of Wednesday night studies in the book of I Corinthians…
…I think that such reading encourages the right kind of humility. How can we as Christians be humbled without hearing the Word to which we should submit? How can we be humbled apart from hearing and heeding the Word of God? How will our churches ever be the truly humble assemblies we want them to be if they do not hear and submit themselves to God's Word?
What we need is humble theology—Itheology which submits itself to the truth of God's Word. "Liberal" theology—theology which does not view Scripture as finally trustworthy and authoritative—is not humble before the Word. Churches which are tentative and decry dogmatism may sound humble, but it is not truly humble to do anything other than to submit to God's Word. Christian humility is to simply accept whatever God has revealed in His Word. Humility is following God's Word wherever it goes, as far as it goes, not either going beyond it or stopping short of it.
Bertrand Russell, the late, well-known, British philosopher wrote in 1950 that “The essence of the liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment. This is the way opinions are held in science, as opposed to the way in which they are held in theology," (in “Philosophy and Politics,” in Unpopular Essays, [1950] p. 15). These days, I guess many are holding theological conclusions in such a "scientific" manner. But such hesitancy is not humility. The humility we want in our churches is to read the Bible and believe it—everything God has said, dogmatically, and humbly! It is not humble to be hesitant where God has been clear and plain.

see, blog.togetherforthegospel.org