Ponder Anew Podcast

In honor of the shortest of Paul's letters, we take up the biggest of questions:  How do Christians respond to evil?  Should and can this response be political?  1) I argue that although Jesus challenged political leaders, he was not interested in change through political means. Does this seem fair? How might you describe Jesus' attitude towards politics to a non-Christian? 2) What are issues -- dare we call them evil -- where your faith makes you feel summoned and inspired to combat them on a person level? Where you actively seek to help people through time, treasure and talent, who are impacted by X, Y or Z. 3) What are issues -- dare we call them evil -- where your faith makes you feel summoned and inspired to combat them politically? Where you actively seek to help people through advocacy, voting, donations to campaigns or even running for office? 4) Do you think local congregations should be most focused on   a) cultivating Christians who can fight evil outside of church   b) creating caring communities that include people on the margins (don't fight the world, create a counter balance to the world)  c) engaging in direct aid to local people who are suffering   d) engaging in advocacy for local issues (township, city or school board)  e) engaging in advocacy for statewide or even federal issues 5) What is your response when pastors discuss politics?   6) I spend a lot of time talking about the rise of bishops from upper class families. Just curious for your response to this reality. Does this church need leaders who can play "chess" as the world does? 7) People in Paul's day couldn't see the problem with slavery because it was so woven into the fabric of his culture. What things about our culture might future generations look at as terribly evil even though we assumed they were normal?

Is obedience a virtue?  How do we square the modern command: "Be yourself" with Paul's strong sense of social order, obedience and self-restraint?  As we continue reading through the New Testament, we come to Titus.  It is a short letter, but it gets at a question of vital importance for us in the age of authenticity:  What do we do with the Bible's uplifting of obedience?1)  Would you agree we are a society that values individual expression?  What is evidence of this?2)  Would you agree we are a society that distrusts institutions?  What is evidence of this?3)  What is lost and what is gained in a world in which corporal punishment is no longer used?  What is lost and what is gained in a world in which obedience is a second tier virtue?4)  What might be attractive about a church or Christianity that highly valued self-expression?  What might be problematic about this?5)  What might be attractive about a church or Christianity that highly valued obedience and strong pre-existing roles for people in society?  What might be problematic about this?6)  What might be ways forward of a middle path, that avoids the excesses of self-expression"ism" and also avoids the pitfalls of repressive and rigid religion?

Paul didn't write just one, but wrote two letters to Timothy.  We use this opportunity to reflect on Paul's relationship with Timothy, namely, that of a mentor.  We reflect on what it means to be a mentor, especially a spiritual mentor?1)  Who have been key mentors in your life?  What made them good mentors?2)  Whom have you mentored? What have you learned about yourself, life or even your "trade" through this mentoring?3)  Do you have a relationship with a godparent or a godchild?  What made this meaningful (or not!)?4)  Who have been your spiritual mentors?  How is this kind of mentoring different?5)  What could your church to do better foster spiritual mentorship?

Why do people not get along on teams, in businesses and in organizations or even churches?As we work through the Bible in a Year, we turn to Paul's first letter to Timothy.  In this letter, Paul is seeking to help his mentee, Timothy, manage the church.  It may surprise us to consider that so early on in the church life, they needed to develop clarity around church leadership positions.  However, if anyone has ever been a part of an organization that is bigger than a single household, you know how important structure and leadership expectations are!Some questions to consider1)  What are times in your life where you have experienced conflict due to a lack of clarity about expectations?2)  What are times in your life where you have experienced conflict due to a lack of clarity about boundaries and lanes?3)  Have you been a part of religious organizations that have handled staff and volunteer expectations well?  What kind of expectations have you ever had of yourself made clear to you?4)  What kind of behavior do you expect out of your clergy? 5)  How can a religious organization have expectations but also grace for the humanness of their leaders?6)  What did you think of Pastor Rob's definition of immaturity as a lack of awareness about our reaction to stress?7)  How do you help people see their immaturity?  What has helped you become more aware of how your reaction to stress impacts others?8)  What has helped you become a more self aware person who can better navigate stress?  What tools have you developed?