Countercultural Themes in Christianity

Small Group Study Guide

2010-06-06T07:47:00.000-04:00

Here's a possible 6-week study guide for small groups to use while reading Un-American Activities: Countercultural Themes in Christianity based on a course Tom is teaching this Fall.

LIBERATION: COMMON HOPE IN A COMPLEX WORLD
A Senior University course offered by Tom Wilkens, Fall 2010

Week 1: Questions & issues for discussion
What are some differences between modernism and postmodernism, and why should anyone care?

What is the distinction between exegesis and hermeneutics, and why might it make a difference in understanding biblical literature?

Describe as well as you can these three approaches to the Bible: the approach of modernism, of postmodernism, and of fundamentalism. Which of them comes closest to your approach?

Do you find the perspective on life in the book – namely, life as pilgrimage – helpful and insight-producing or a useless artifice?

How well or inadequately do we communicate with our adult children about things that really matter?

Can Third World (developing-world) perspectives inform and assist First World (developed-world) people? If so, how? If not, why not?

Download the complete study guide - liberation.pdf.

these are a few of my favorite words - part 1

2010-04-09T08:51:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to collect my favorite words from the book, a chapter a day, in the length of a tweet and posting on facebook. I've gotten through Chapter 10.

"Faith active in love is risky business, yet it is the chief business of Christians. The magnificent paradox of Christianity is that those saved - the safe and secure ones - must be prepared to take risks that endanger reputation, career, and even life itself." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 1 - Risky business

"How can I really be part of a Christian community with so many questions and doubts, when I'm not even certain that I am a Christian? ... Even now, when I go to church, I often feel like an outsider and that everyone else is 'getting it' while I don't. ... On my spiritual journey, I am learning to be uncomfortable." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 1 response - What's your worldview?

"Can we, the non-marginalized - the people who are on the edge of nothing, who crave security instead of faith - can we be Christian?" Tom Wilkens, Ch. 2 - Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James

"From an African theologian, I learned a good definition of sharing. Sharing is not - I don't need it, you can have it. Sharing is - I need it, but I see you need it too, let's share." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 2 response - The fear factor

"Today's human community still trades in the currency of exploitation and enslavement. You and I, willing or unwilling, are players in the market. We watch - at times with genuine bewilderment, at time with condescension or impatience - as the wretched of the earth ignore our lordly advice, our tutorials on how to run their lives, their governments, and their economies." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 3 - The case of the missing punch line

"'Life is difficult,' writes M. Scott Peck. But in America, we think we have the resources to try to fix it. We get extreme makeovers and trade spaces. We try to boost it, civilize it, correct it, cultivate it, edit it, enhance it, promote it, recover it, or revise it." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 3 response - Pushing the needle

"I find that I pray more in the Third World. I think that there are two reasons. First, I am more acutely aware of just how much there is to be thankful for. Second, I am also more acutely aware of how vulnerable we all are. There are few illusions about security and immortality that can be sustained in the Third World." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 4 - Central American sojourn

"I've experienced these paradoxes in the US too, but in Honduras the divide between the haves and the have-nots is so vast that these paradoxes become much more striking. Perhaps it was the joy in discovering that, when I left my comfort zone and the distractions of the stuff I've accumulated, I found myself in the presence of God." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 4 response - What did I discover in Honduras?

"I could measure my students' mastery of information and their critical ability to process it. But I could never measure the changes in their hearts, the transformations of their inner beings. I have no access to that; no teacher does. As a result, and as with so much that really counts in life, it is a matter of faith and hope, not a matter of certainty based on hard data." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 5 - Homily for a community of faith and learning

"Most groups of people only achieve pseudo-community, where the assumption is that everyone is the same, with the same goals in mind, and that everybody will play nice. True community requires experiencing the chaos of our differences, the breaking down of barriers to communication and emptying ourselves of the need to heal, convert, fix or solve." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 5 response - Where is your Antioch?

"Where is God? God is a sometimes-present reality, here as an affirming presence insofar as we are a community of love and justice. What is God? God is an always-persisting reality whose perfection includes change. Who is God? God is a currently partisan reality whose love of the poor is passionate and love of the rest of us is remarkably patient." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 6 - Who, what and where in the world is God?

"I used to think inside the box. I thought I could use Kim's scientific method to explain the world.... So using Kim's limited scientific method, I did not observe God, therefore God did not exist. Then I discovered that I had kind of been forced into this box to peacefully co-exist in the modern world, where everything is explained or rationalized away." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 6 response - Thought experiment

"We may not be of this world, which I take to mean that God and not the world is our ultimate source of being. But we are surely in the world, which I take to imply some responsibility for its systems and structures when they oppress rather than enable." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 7 - The grudging Americanization of Luther

"One of the problems I have is with the idea that good order in the church is desirable or even possible. When I hear those words, what I hear is control, hierarchy, rules and status quo. I agree with Kelly Fryer that 'ministry is something all of God's people do'." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 7 response - What does it mean to be a Lutheran?

"In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul made it clear that the greatest gift of the Spirit is love. Lutherans from Martin on have tended to balk at this. Surely faith, specifically faith in Jesus the Christ, is more fundamental, we insist. Surely Christianity is ultimately about faith and beliefs, and only penultimately about love and service. But just as surely this is not the message of the gospel…" Tom Wilkens, Ch. 8 - Can anything good come out of Norway?

"In our culture, this message of servanthood almost always ends up sounding negative instead of positive: Give it up, lose your life, be a servant. Why? What's in it for me?" Kim Wilkens, Ch. 8 response - In good company?

"It is when I have taken seriously people who suffer - because of their race or gender or sexual orientation or some other prejudice-triggering reality that simply never permits the pain to go away completely - it is when I have taken such people seriously that I have learned the most theologically." Tom Wilkens, Ch. 9 - God and the imagery of sexual love

"Encountering images of sex and violence in the Bible should not be surprising. What is surprising to me is the apathetic response toward these descriptions today. More disturbing is the use of select passages out of their context in the Bible and from the world they were created to boost a personal agenda of righteousness." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 9 response - Restoration

"The religious right has surveyed and then registered claim for the 'family values' turf. The religious center and left seem unable to put together effective counter-claims. This is one of the reasons I have been uncomfortable using the term 'family' as a metaphor for the church." Tom Wilkens, Ch.10 - Being one family with God: the rhetoric is easy, but the responsibility is not

"I believe we all want to be part of a healthy, reconciled, authentic community. This is something Martin Luther King Jr. named the beloved community, one with the type of spirit and type of love 'that can transform opposers into friend.' Depending on your experience of church, you may be thinking that either being beloved community in a congregation is a no-brainer or a pipe dream." Kim Wilkens, Ch. 10 response - Beloved community

Book Review in Lutheran Partners Magazine

2010-03-24T20:52:00.001-04:00

Just found out from my pastor that the book got a nice review in the Lutheran Partners magazine, a bimonthly magazine of the ELCA for ordained and lay leaders.

"The chapters would be valuable for Christians of most denominations and would be useful for both ordained and lay Christians. In general, in fact, Un-American Activities is accessible, entertaining, and enlightening, especially for those trying to minister more effectively to the wandering, skeptical, and searching young adult."

David von Schlichten is pastor of St. James Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Pennsylvania, and the book review editor of Lutheran Partners magazine.

Find the complete review - March / April 2010 • Volume 26 • Number 2

Oh and the extra bonus in this review is that I get referred to as a young adult. I know he's probably talking about me writing on my thoughts as a young adult, but still, I'm feeling younger already!

and now, a word from our publisher

2009-11-20T17:03:00.000-05:00

Our publisher, Fairway Press, has a nice landing page for our book now.

Book signings this weekend in Texas

2009-11-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

Fri night - Hill Country Bookstore in Georgetown.
Sat morning - Texas Lutheran University Bookstore in Seguin.
We hope to see some of our old Texas friends and make some new Texas friends this weekend!

our first amazon customer review!

2009-09-30T07:02:00.001-04:00

"I have thoroughly enjoyed every chapter of this book. What surprised me the most was how I arrived at almost identical conclusions from such a different background. I did not grow up in a middle class family, nor was I Lutheran. My family was very poor; we did not have electricity until I was 11 yrs old. I grew up at a time where there was no difference in Spain between the government and the Church. My journey has gone through different stages. As I was growing up, my main struggle was to understand, and to oppose, the marriage of the Catholic Church to money and power. I still have serious reservations about today's practices in the Catholic Church. The Church, as a whole, is not committed to the "preferential treatment of the poor," nor to the theologies of "liberación or acompañamiento." The poor remain at the periphery of the Church. We still fail to see Christ in the poor and the suffering (or we fail to act on our beliefs). A great feature of this book is that applies equally to Lutherans and to other Christian denominations." - Julian L. Bueno

read the rest of the review

We'd love to hear from others who are reading or have read the book whether you post a comment here, leave a review on amazon or send us an e-mail!

book in cyberspace

2009-09-14T06:41:00.000-04:00

The book is now available from Amazon and in Google books:

Amazon.com Widgets

They're here!!

2009-08-28T07:59:00.003-04:00

(how strange to find 5 boxes of Un-American Activities on my front porch;)

August 2009 Sermon Series

2009-08-28T05:49:00.006-04:00

For the month of August, Tom has been the substitute pastor at Kim's church. His sermon series - What's It All About - has explored some of the deep philosophical questions we ask of ourselves, our churches and our communities.

The book is launched!

2009-08-11T14:30:00.003-04:00

We just had a big weekend. First, father and daughter "preached" together again at Peace Lutheran Church - A Dad and Daughter Do a Dialogue. And drum roll please ... we held our book launch! (too bad the publisher missed their print date) Still I think we made an impression, maybe stirred some new thoughts, a good time was had by all and we got many orders sight unseen.

You too can pre-order. We have electronic versions available now and expect the printed book by the end of August. The cost is $20 and we'll figure out shipping costs. Drop me a line if you are interested in finding out more - postmoderndaughter@gmail.com.

A Dad and a Daughter Do a Dialogue

2009-08-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

Daughter: Today's Gospel Text

Jesus said to [the crowd,] "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

"Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." – John 6:35, 41-51

Dad:

Kim, I have a confession to make this evening/morning. It is a confession you have seen me make before, in writing. But now I think that I must share my confession with the rest of your congregation. It is this: I don't much like the Gospel of John. It's my least favorite of the four Gospels. When I preach on a Sunday that has a Gospel reading from John, I often wish that I could ignore and avoid it. You may have noticed that in my homily last Sunday, only the opening paragraph was connected directly to the Gospel text from John. During this month of August, when I'm subbing here for your pastor, four of the five Gospel readings are from John. Uffda, as your Norwegian-American mother – and my wife – would say.

So why am I put off by this Gospel, a Gospel that over the centuries has been the favorite of so many Christians – including Martin Luther? As it happens, I have two main objections to the Fourth Gospel. First, it seems to me – as it has seemed to many modern biblical scholars for some time now – that the Johannnine community producing this Gospel was somewhat arrogant. They had what the scholars call a "high Christology." In other words, they were ready and willing to assert more elevated claims about Jesus as the Christ than the communities, for example, that produced the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And they seemed to be quite smug about it. It's not their high Christology that I object to, though I do think that it must be re-interpreted and re-contextualized for today's world. It's their smugness – their subtle sense of superiority about it all – that puts me off.

Second, and as I hinted in the homily last week, the Fourth Gospel lends itself to privatized interpretations – to understandings and practices of Christian faith and life that are overly personal and insufficiently public, overly other-worldly and insufficiently this-worldly. In my better moments, I admit to the necessity for a vibrant personal faith and for a personal hope that extends beyond the horizon of death and the grave. But in my worse moments – and I have quite a few of those – I think that this emphasis on the personal dimension can and sometimes does lead to what I call spiritual navel-gazing, to a faith nearly devoid of a social or community dimension. When this happens, I am convinced that Christianity becomes distorted.

Now that I've said all of this, perhaps it turns out that I'm as smug – with as much of a superiority complex – as the people, the perspective, and the writing about which I'm complaining. So help me out, Kim. What shall I do? Perhaps you could begin by telling me how you respond to the Gospel of John in general and to today's Gospel reading in particular.

Daughter:

You know, I didn't know I had any specific "issues" with John until I started researching my answer to your question. I always thought I loved the beginning of John – "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . ." and then where's that part about the word becoming flesh? Well, it's actually a couple of paragraphs away; in between John describes light and dark and testifying and being and knowing and believing. It kind of hurts my brain to try figure out that middle part.

This passage from John 6 also hurts my brain. I'm not sure what to make of never being hungry or thirsty, eternal life, eating living bread and bread that is flesh. My left-brain logic tells me that there will be days when I'm going to be hungry and thirsty and eventually I will die, whether I figure out this living bread stuff in the meantime. My right-brain says, oh cool, a metaphor, but then still gets lost in trying to translate what that metaphor means for life on planet earth.

I read in Shane Hipps' The Hidden Power of Electronic Media that "Luther offered an evaluation of the New Testament Canon. In a section called 'Which are the true and noblest books of the New Testament?' Luther writes, 'John's gospel is the one, fine, true and chief gospel, and is far, far to be preferred over the other three and placed high above them.'"

Shane says that Luther's reasoning was simple – "anything in Scripture that tells the story of Jesus was far less helpful than books describing explicit doctrines about Jesus. It should not be surprising that Luther, who was shaped by the technology of print, would venerate the more abstract and literate treatises in Scripture. The Gospel of John and Paul's writings, while certainly containing story and metaphor, are primarily characterized by highly theological, abstract, and lengthy propositional discourses, whereas the synoptic Gospels are characterized by short, rhythmic blocks of concrete stories and parables rooted in the thought patterns of an oral tradition."

So that's my issue with John. In a nutshell, the abstract theological concepts in John hurt my brain.

Dad:

We both seem to have some strong reservations about the Gospel of John in general and today's gospel text in particular. Let me try to sort this out a bit further.

First, today's gospel text has some clear relation to the sacrament of holy communion – clear at any rate to me, though not to every New Testament scholar. If I am correct, Kim, then you should expect to have a headache, a lingering and at times intense migraine. Sacraments are, by definition, mysteries: that's the root meaning of the term. Mysteries are not puzzles to be solved or mazes to be figured out. Sacraments or mysteries are gifts to be experienced, labyrinths to be explored over a lifetime – where one is almost always lost by human reckoning, but always found by God's. The migraine recedes when we relax in the mystery; it intensifies when we regard the mystery as one problem among many that need resolution.

This helps me to deal with our gospel reading. For all of their pride in their "high" Christology, their ability to articulate the faith in the noblest language and with the most profound concepts available to them in their day, the Johannine community did not lose this sense of mystery, this realization that there is more to God and Christ than we can ever hope to perceive or parse. I need that reminder, even – perhaps especially – as a theologian.

Second, I find Shane Hipps' distinction between the propositional and abstract character of John and Paul, on the one hand, and the story and metaphor orientation of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, on the other, to be spot on. For roughly the first four decades of my sentient life, I reveled in abstractions and concepts and doctrines. But in the past quarter of a century, I have been drawn more and more to stories and parables and metaphors – to Christianity primarily as a way to be lived out rather than principally as a set of beliefs to be figured out. I'm still not fully converted: I still enjoy trying to sort out thoughts and put ideas together. Perhaps a balance between the two approaches is the best that I – or any of us – can muster. But whatever the preference, whatever the orientation, the focus needs to be on God, on God's Son, and on God's people – which means all people. The Jesus of history invites discipleship. The Christ of faith invites deliberation. But they are one reality, not two: we are invited to be disciples who deliberate, wanderers in the labyrinth called life who wonder out loud, followers of a Rabbi who can tolerate doubt and differences and dissent.

Does this help, Kim? Or is it just more theobabble, coming from a fellow who played a role in your migraine by having contributed to the DNA that seems to express itself in your reluctance to live with loose ends – loose ends in your life in the world and in the life of your mind?

Daughter:

I recently read a blog post titled "God is a mystery, not an explanation." The author of the blog, James McGrath, Associate Professor of Religion at Butler University, writes:

To say "God did it" is not an explanation. To suggest that an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient being is somehow self-explanatory and a way to eliminate mystery is misguided. This doesn't mean that it is inappropriate to talk about God when talking about these mysteries. But God is part of the mystery, and to speak of God is to affirm that beyond these tangible mysteries we perceive there are even greater mysteries regarding which we may not even yet be asking the right questions.

I see this tension of mystery revealed and explanation sought in the gospel reading. If we back up to the beginning of John 6, we learn that some of the crowd of 5,000 that Jesus fed with 5 loaves and 2 fish has followed Jesus across a lake. They have a few questions: they want to understand Jesus, they want to have faith and they want more proof. But according to Jesus' response, they are asking the wrong questions.

In these 2 days, you think we'd be reading about Jesus' following grow exponentially. Instead, because Jesus doesn't offer the easy answers, we read in John 6:60 that his disciples said "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" Not only that, but in John 6:66, because of Jesus' words, "many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him."

So then Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"

I find that this is the very question that taunts me every day I choose to follow Jesus. Actually, to me it sounds more like The Clash singing in my head:

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I stay there will be trouble,

and if I go it will be double.

So come on and let me know,

should I stay or should I go?

Except that no one else is going to let me know what to choose. I've got to make that choice on my own with loose ends, unsolved mysteries, and abstract theological concepts hurting my brain.

Today, I want to respond as Peter did – "Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Dad:

Let us pray:

Sovereign Lord: we know that we cannot penetrate your mystery, but that you have penetrated us with your mystery and with your revealing presence through your Son. Thank you for his incarnation into our world and for his ongoing presence with us through your Word, through your Sacraments, and through your people. Help us to realize, like Peter, that we have to go nowhere else for your truth and life. Amen.

about the book

2009-07-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

Tom Wilkens and Kim Wilkens are publishing a book titled Un-American Activities: Countercultural Themes in Christianity (Lima, Ohio: Fairway Press, 2009). A brief excerpt from the Preface gives an idea of the book’s tone and direction:

There are some countercultural motifs in Christianity that imply – indeed oblige – resistance to certain ideas, values, and practices widely approved in our society. Our list of conflicts with culture, you will discover, differs markedly from lists utilized by many American Christians in recent decades.

The book’s subtitle, A modern father and a postmodern daughter reflect on their pilgrimages of life and faith, highlights an important dimension of the work. Again, from the Preface:

At another level, this book documents some exterior and interior aspects of two different pilgrimages. We offer this record of our pilgrimages both as a foil for those who are taking and reflecting on their own journeys and as an encouragement for others to begin or, in many cases, to become more fully aware of pilgrimages they are already on.

The book is built around thirty brief homilies and papers that Dr. Wilkens delivered over the past twenty-five years, many of them at Texas Lutheran University and some from the ten international volunteer service missions in which he has participated during the past dozen years. He introduces those homilies and papers with back-ground essays, detailing the personal and public contexts out of which each arose. His daughter Kim then responds to his work with essays written from her postmodern perspective and her experience as an active proponent of the Emerging Church in her congregation.

Tom and Kim have both clergy and laity in mind for their readership. One more excerpt from the Preface underscores this inclusive orientation of the book:

We offer it to pastors, teachers, and seminarians and other students as an encouragement for practical self-awareness. Socrates once observed that the unexamined life is not worth living. This pertains as well to faith, to the tasks of faithful proclamation and pedagogy, and to the ways of expressing love and justice in the world: they should be subject to recurring scrutiny. We also offer the book to those who neither teach nor preach, as an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the challenging work of articulating the Word in the contemporary world.

FAQ

2009-07-07T09:11:00.007-04:00

Now that we've started sharing about the book in different venues, I thought I'd post some of the frequently asked questions.

What's up with the title?
Here's my dad's answer from the Preface:

The first part of the title of this collection of reflections, Un-American Activities, comes from a US House of Representatives Committee (1938-1975) with the same name. That committee’s charter required it to investigate and rein in activities that it viewed as being counter to the interests of America. It did so, often with excessive, embarrassing, and destructive zeal.

I mean something quite different. I hold that there are some countercultural motifs in Christianity that imply — indeed oblige — resistance to certain ideas, values, and practices widely approved in our society. As I reviewed my work of the past quarter of a century, it became evident that this was one of the most recurrent thoughts. Kim concurs that this notion is central to her own emerging understanding of Christian life and faith. It is not, it should be noted, the only issue. But it is pervasive enough to add Countercultural Themes in Christianity to the title of our book. Our list of conflicts with culture, you will discover, differs markedly from lists utilized by many American Christians in recent decades.

The book’s subtitle, A modern father and a postmodern daughter reflect on their pilgrimages of life and faith, assumes two truths about parents and adult children of today. First, often there is a profound difference in point of view between them that must be taken into account if significant communication is to take place. This entails more than the perennial generation gap. It involves a sea change in perspective from post-enlightenment modernism to postmodernism. Another Weltanshauung, or worldview, is sweeping western culture. I grieve a loss; my daughter celebrates a gain.

Why is the flag on the cover upside down?
The first several passes we got of the cover design was with the flag right-side-up. Being a visual person, this didn't seem to fit the countercultural theme of the book, so I suggested we try a design with the flag upside down. As I did some research about the United States flag, especially flag etiquette, I found out that the flag should only be displayed upside down as a signal of distress. I think that's an appropriate metaphor for our book as we wrestle with being followers of Jesus in an often consumer-addicted, fear-stricken, credit-crunched, media-saturated, climate-challenged, greed-infected country.

What does it mean to be de-churched?
This term is usually used in reference to someone who grew up with a church home and/or attended church regularly, but then for whatever reason, stopped going to church. There are a wide range of reasons for leaving church, but many can be traced back to some sort of disillusionment. Sarah Cunningham in her book, Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation, does a good job of describing why many 20-somethings may be de-churched.

book cover

2009-06-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

sample chapters

2009-06-13T14:53:00.006-04:00

Amazon.com Widgets

Kim's reading list

2009-06-13T09:39:00.002-04:00

During the writing of the book, I also read a lot of other books. Many of the authors shared ideas that influenced my thinking about Christianity. Some of those ideas inspired the responses I made. This reading list is a compilation of the books that made an impression on me and affected my spiritual growth either explicitly or implicitly.

Amazon.com Widgets

Kim's playlist

2009-01-04T14:43:00.007-05:00

I wish I could quote song lyrics or bundle a CD with this book. In my original responses to my dad's chapters, I was often inspired by a song title or lyrics and I used them in my writing. Then I found out that quoting song lyrics in a book is a big no, no. I had to update 14 of my responses to remove lyrics. I tried to keep most of the references to the song titles, so you might see a glimmer of how these songs have touched me. Anyway, here are some of the songs that helped inspire my writing in the book:

Amazon.com Widgets

change by tracy chapman
pushing the needle too far by indigo girls
better way by ben harper
his truth is marching on by mike doughty
take back the city by snow patrol
send your love by sting
a living prayer by alison krauss & union station
what it's like by everlast
belief by john mayer
come to jesus by mindy smith
i am the ride by chris smither

reviews

2007-04-19T11:28:00.009-04:00

We're excited to hear what others are saying about the book. Please share your comments and feedback with us!

The chapters would be valuable for Christians of most denominations and would be useful for both ordained and lay Christians. In general, in fact, Un-American Activities is accessible, entertaining, and enlightening, especially for those trying to minister more effectively to the wandering, skeptical, and searching young adult."
Read the complete review - Lutheran Partners Magazine • March / April 2010 • Volume 26 • Number 2
David von Schlichten, pastor of St. James Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Pennsylvania, and the book review editor of Lutheran Partners magazine

love the book kim! thanks for the copy–and the shout outs! congratulations and well done!
Kelly Fryer, author of No Experience Necessary, Reclaiming the "C" Word: Daring to the Church Again, and many others

I have thoroughly enjoyed every chapter of this book. What surprised me the most was how I arrived at almost identical conclusions from such a different background. I did not grow up in a middle class family, nor was I Lutheran. My family was very poor; we did not have electricity until I was 11 yrs old. I grew up at a time where there was no difference in Spain between the government and the Church. My journey has gone through different stages. As I was growing up, my main struggle was to understand, and to oppose, the marriage of the Catholic Church to money and power. I still have serious reservations about today's practices in the Catholic Church. The Church, as a whole, is not committed to the "preferential treatment of the poor," nor to the theologies of "liberación or acompañamiento." The poor remain at the periphery of the Church. We still fail to see Christ in the poor and the suffering (or we fail to act on our beliefs). A great feature of this book is that applies equally to Lutherans and to other Christian denominations. Read the rest of the review.
Julien Bueno, retired professor of Spanish, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

If to be educated is to be led from one position and perspective to another, Dr. Tom Wilkens and Kim Wilkens, together with other members of their family and in interaction with their culture, eloquently demonstrate what it means to be educated. Their book, in a most profound sense, is also our book. Read the rest of the review.
Norm Beck, Poehlmann Professor of Theology and Classical Languages, Texas Lutheran University

What is the Spirit saying to the churches? Christians who wonder where God is leading us will want to check out this collection of lively exchanges between professor Thomas Wilkens and his witty daughter Kim. Amusing and provocative, their reflections allow us to share the surprises that accompany learning beyond the classroom and living outside one’s comfort zone. Reading this book is like sifting through a box of souvenirs: stories, letters, papers, and sermons laced with personal vulnerability, theological depth, and a profound sense of social responsibility. It is a book that "goes the distance," traversing hemispheres, cultures, and generations.
Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary

Like standing on a peak viewing an intriguing horizon, and then traveling toward and into the horizon, father and daughter invite the reader on a journey of exploration and discovery of distinct but meshing worlds. Part memoir; part transformational; part world-view changing; part personal intrigue and renewal intertwined – leading to a wholeness of deeper health and shalom for both authors and readers. I plan to use material from this book as I consult with congregations in transition.
Paul J. Blom, Bishop Emeritus, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Subversion, liberation, solidarity with the poor, social justice – ingredients that develop into a feast of thoughtful dialogue between father and daughter, and we are invited to the table. The conversation questions the comfortable, unreflective, triumphalist theologies that are so pervasive among Christians and the churches they attend. Be prepared for a Christology in the dirt where most of the world really lives. This is no tame book that one can play with and not get messy. Be careful. Christians will have to re-evaluate what it means to be like Jesus.
Pastor Jim Taylor, Mosaic Community Church, Seguin, TX

I just finished reading the three chapters of your book. Excellent, provocative stuff--it would make a good adult book study.
Pastor John Herman, Peace Lutheran Church, Charlottesville, VA

I'm very impressed! I expected good writing from you, but Kim really surprised me. The subject matter was so interesting, and I found myself anxious to read what she would say about your homilies. She never disappointed! And you, of course, are your usual provocative, challenging self. All of the sermons hit hard, where we soft Americans have our guards up; it's all the more important that we consider what you have to say!
Pat G.

Chapter 6: Who, what, and where in the world is God

2007-04-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

I was the one who helped the students dream up the title for this little inquisition and – wouldn’t you know? – I got it wrong. That is to say, I placed the interrogative pronouns – who, what, and where – in the wrong order. I’ll correct that right now, and take the questions up in what I consider to be a more appropriate order.

The first question, then, is this: where in the world is God? I consider that to be the primary issue because it occurs to me that where one thinks that one encounters God has the most profoundly shaping influence on one’s resultant impression of God. The cocoons of the monastery and university and suburb yield very different visions than the cacophonies of the marketplace and colonia. My own most recent theological mentors have come from the colonia, not from academia.

Response: Thought experiment

I used to think inside the box. I thought I could use Kim’s scientific method to explain the world. My scientific method relied almost exclusively on my observations, which were limited to say the least. So using Kim’s limited scientific method, I did not observe God, therefore God did not exist. Then I discovered that I had kind of been forced into this box to peacefully co-exist in the modern world, where everything is explained or rationalized away.

When I learned about postmodernism and acknowledged the struggle of dealing with paradox and truth, I discovered that I had been limiting my thoughts and myself. I’m now thinking outside the box and it is a frightening and exhilarating and humbling experience. I don’t have a degree in theology or physics, so I’m going to be treading on thin ice here, but I had a thought.

Chapter 6: Who, what, and where in the world is God (pdf)

Chapter 5: Homily for a community of faith and learning

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I want to focus here on Central American University. Our host was the Vice Rector of the University, a Jesuit priest named Ignacio Martín-Baró. Father Martín-Baró was a soft-spoken scholar with special interests in mental health and human rights. He was a courageous advocate for the poor and oppressed – speaking frequently in El Salvador and throughout the world, and writing extensively. But most often he brought to bear pressure for positive change behind the scenes, and sought to provide the skills and tools for making change largely through the University curriculum and classes.

It was too much for the powerful oligarchy in El Salvador. The year after our visit a quasi-military death squad murdered Father Martín-Baró, his housekeeper and her daughter, and five other Jesuit priests on the faculty. There were widespread international expressions of outrage. But there was very little change in U.S. policy, a policy that was supportive of the repressive regime there. In truth, the Salvadoran government likely could not have survived without our substantial financial assistance.

It appears that Father Martín-Baró may have had something of a premonition of his fate. He knew very well the difference in context between university life in El Salvador and in the U.S. He once commented: "In your country," Ignacio Martín-Baró remarked to a North American colleague, "it’s publish or perish. In ours, it’s publish and perish."

I have known, ever so briefly, a martyr. I wish it were not true but, given the truth, I am grateful that his life touched mine. Two different worlds: he and I lived in two different worlds. He knew mine much better than I knew his. He knew about the ivory towers and ivied halls that North American academics inhabit. Yet he was not bitter about my advantage and his disadvantage. Rather he made a quiet case for my finding ways to be more supportive of the people he served, the people for whom he ultimately gave his life.

Response: Where is your Antioch?

Where is your Antioch, your community of faith and learning? Is it dead or dying? Is it alive and growing? Before you can figure out where your Antioch is, you need to know what an Antioch is. From the description in Acts it sounds like:
- Antioch is a community of faith.
- Antioch is a community committed to hear God’s calling.
- Antioch is a community with an outward focus.
Where is your Antioch? Do they listen to your doubts and fears? Are they trying to hear God’s call? Are they going out into the world? Do they challenge you to leave your comfort zone?

Chapter 5: Homily for a community of faith and learning (pdf)

Chapter 4: Central American sojourn

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Civil disobedience was a growing phenomenon in Costa Rica at that time, especially in the rural areas. The farmers were angry about government policies, ranging from lower subsidies for the small farmer to generous incentives for farm mechanization. High tech farming requires less labor, thus contributing to unemployment, and larger farms, thus driving many peasant farmers off the land. Civil disobedience is not unchristian. We are admonished not to sin, but told that anger is okay (Ephesians 4:26). This is not the peevish anger of the egocentric, but the righteous indignation of the eccentric – the prophets and social protesters who hear a different drummer.

Most people are reluctant to speak out, and why not? After all, whistle-blowers often get fired; faultfinding generals are scorned; and critical liberals – even critical moderate conservatives – have their integrity and patriotism held in derision. It is not easy to speak out, much less to engage in civil disobedience. And yet in most generations there are occasions when we ought to do just that.

In retrospect, I should have done more. I should have mounted more compelling and explicit protests. I should have engaged in more of what Reinhold Niebuhr once called prophetic specificity: naming the names of public evil.

Response: What did I discover in Honduras?

I remember hearing the story from my dad of his arrest in El Salvador and gunfire heard in the Nicaraguan night. It scared me and made me wonder at his sanity for wanting to continue to visit Central America. My folks have since had many third-world experiences in their extensive travels and they keep going back. Seemed like a strange addiction to me. About a year ago, I felt the desire to go to Central America. I asked my dad if he would accompany and mentor me on a short-term mission trip.

I think trying to describe the trip I took to Honduras will be a lot like trying to describe the impact having a son has had on my life. Until you've had your first child, you will not grasp the enormity of the transformation that will take place in your life. I suspect it is also true that until you’ve lived with the residents of a third-world country, you can't possibly understand their life or the impact they can have on yours.

Chapter 4: Central American sojourn (pdf)

Chapter 3: The case of the missing punch line

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The text to be investigated, Exodus 6:2-8, is called a pericope. Pericopes are prescribed portions of scripture read during the service on Sundays and on other special occasions throughout the church year. Normally four texts are appointed for each Sunday or special occasion: an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, an Epistle lesson, and a Gospel reading. Our Exodus text is the appointed Old Testament lesson for this week, at least in American Lutheran congregations.

The practice of prescribing readings roots all the way back to the 4th century. It became quite widespread and eventually one-, two-, and three-year cycles of these texts were collected and bound into books called lectionaries. There are some very real advantages to this custom of assigning weekly texts. For instance, if the texts are chosen wisely, a congregation of the faithful can hear - throughout a three-year cycle - virtually all of the substantive biblical material. Thus even if their pastor or priest has some pet topics or themes, the congregation will nonetheless have the opportunity to respond to a wider sampling of their religious heritage through the hearing of the varied pericopes.

There are also some problems, however. What happens if the choice of texts is not wise? What happens, for example, if troubling texts with unpopular motifs are systematically avoided? Or what happens when, as with today’s text from Exodus, the punch line is left off? Thereby hangs our tale: The case of the missing punch line.

Response: Pushing the needle too far

"Life is difficult", writes M. Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled. But in America, we think we have the resources to try to fix it. We get extreme makeovers and trade spaces. We try to boost it, civilize it, correct it, cultivate it, edit it, enhance it, promote it, recover it, or revise it. In 2004, the United Church of Christ (UCC) started a new and controversial campaign called "God is still speaking". Listening to God doesn't require these resources and, in fact, is probably more difficult because of the layers of material goods we've put between God and ourselves. I believe listening to God is the only way to heal our broken spirits and ease our cruel bondage.

Chapter 3: The case of the missing punch line (pdf)

Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James

2007-04-19T09:08:00.000-04:00

My own relation with James has undergone a number of changes. As a college student from a somewhat fundamentalist and legalist non-Lutheran church background, enrolled at Luther Col-lege, I began to share Luther's discomfort with James. I found Luther’s proclamation of the good news of God's boundless grace to be refreshing, exhilarating, liberating. I concluded that the epis-tle of James represented a compromise of that gospel. James had too much emphasis and insis-tence on law and works for my newly acquired Lutheran tastes.

Later, as a pastor and young professor, I began to have discomfort with Luther. I began to see that Luther had very likely misinterpreted James. Luther didn't often do that with biblical literature, but in this case I thought that he probably did. James was written much later than the Pauline letters. The author faced a very different situation. By that time even the definitions of terms had changed, including the definition of faith.

More recently, as an older teacher, I have once again become uncomfortable with James – though now for a very different reason and after some very different life experiences. My life experience this past decade has included some generous helpings of the Third World, particularly Latin America. My Christian sisters and brothers there have taught me a great deal about the bible and its message. They have given me a different perspective. They call it “the view from below.

Response: The fear factor

I know in my heart and mind that James is right – that faith without works is dead. In fact, I find that my faith grows stronger out of my works. I also know in my heart and mind that my works are not currently measuring up to the potential God has given me. But I struggle with how to get beyond where I am now. I am reminded of how far I have to go when my son sees a homeless person begging on a street corner; he wants to know how we can help that person right now. Neither of us is satisfied with my rationale that we give to charities that can eventually help that person. The path seems overwhelming when I read from my dad's journal about his experiences in Latin America. There are so many people in this world who are homeless and hungry – where do you even begin?

Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James (pdf)

Chapter 1: Risky business

2007-04-19T09:02:00.000-04:00

It's test time. You've had no warning, but that's ok. Your answers will not depend on study. For each question you must choose between two alternatives – even if you agree or disagree with both – by circling either 1 or 2. This is not a scientifically designed exam. If you answer honestly, though, you may learn something about yourself and your faith.

Take the test

Response: What's your worldview?

Test time – uh, oh. I haven't even studied. Now you should know that I actually went to Texas Lutheran College (TLC) from 1983 to 1987. And yes, I had to take theology courses from my dad. I even dropped one of his courses once, because I knew I wasn't going to make an "A": I didn't have time to study or some such excuse.

So, here I am traveling down memory lane to my college days. I'm trying to determine how I would have responded to this test in that former life. I was probably even at TLC when my dad delivered his Risky Business message at the school chapel, but I certainly wasn't in attendance. I didn't have time for chapel. You see, after high school I had had enough of organized religion. I felt it had too much hypocrisy, too much oppression, and too much sexism. Going to church just made me mad and sad. Ironically, at TLC I got exposed to all sorts of worthy religions and philosophies from around the world, and came away utterly disenchanted with the Christianity I knew.

Chapter 1: Risky business (pdf)

2007-04-19T08:44:00.000-04:00

Chapter 1: Risky business

Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James

Chapter 3: The case of the missing punch line

Chapter 4: Central American sojourn

Chapter 5: Homily for a community of faith and learning

Chapter 6: Who, what, and where in the world is God?

Table of Contents (pdf)

chapters 1 - 4

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chapters 1-4 (pdf)

includes:

Preface
Chapter 1: Risky Business
Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James
Chapter 3: The case of the missing punch line
Chapter 4: Central American sojourn

about the authors

2006-06-28T12:12:00.004-04:00

Tom Wilkens

Former pastor (1963-66) and theology professor (1968-99), now retired.
Visiting Fellow at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota (1976-77).
Author of the study guide for observance of the 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession (1980) in the Southwest Texas Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Organizer of symposia on liberation theology (1984) and suffering (1990) at Texas Lutheran University.
Initiator of service learning program at Texas Lutheran University (1998).
Keynote speaker at Texas Conference of Churches 30th anniversary gathering (1999) in Austin.
Volunteer on ten international service missions (1997-2006), ranging in length from 8 days to 4 months and in project focus from education to construction.
more info @ tomwilkens.com

Kim Wilkens

Technology education specialist at Montessori Community School.
Technology consultant involved in: web design, multimedia creation, technology teaching and technical writing. More info @ thasolutions.com.
Blogger @ random thoughts from a housewife.
Worship design team member with responsibilities for electronic media in worship at Peace.
IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting the Action of Congregations Together) board member and research facilitator.
Experience in writing and publishing technical publications as well as creating and giving presentations to large audiences throughout career @ IBM.

what kind of Christian are you?

2006-06-22T08:08:00.003-04:00

It’s test time.  You’ve had no warning, but that’s ok.  Your answers will not depend on study.  For each question you must choose between two alternatives – even if you agree or disagree with both – by circling either 1 or 2.  This is not a scientifically designed exam.  If you answer honestly, though, you may learn something about yourself and your faith.

A.  Which title for Jesus is more important to understanding his identity and mission?
     1.  Servant of God
     2.  Savior of humankind

B.  Which description of the Christian message is more basic to comprehending its primary function and effect?
     1.  Subvert what is negative, destructive, and dehumanizing in life
     2.  Affirm what is positive, true, good, and beautiful in life

C.  Which phrase is more fundamental to what it means to be a Christian?
     1.  Following Jesus as a disciple
     2.  Knowing Jesus as the Redeemer

D. Which practice is more necessary for becoming and remaining faithful children of God?
     1.  Solidarity with the poor through sacrificial living in the world
     2.  Solidarity with the saints through sacramental worship in the church

E.  Which way of helping others is more in tune with an authentic expression of Christian love?
     1.  Liberation of people through revolutionary change of social, political, and economic structures
     2.  Alleviation of people’s suffering through careful re-development of social, political, and economic structures

Score: _____  (Add the numbers you have circled.  The lowest possible score is 5; the highest, 10.)

How did you score?
A total of 9 or 10 probably indicates that you are in the mainstream of U.S. Christianity.  You have much company, hence a great deal of reinforcement for your views.  A score of 5 or 6 could mean that you hear a different drummer.  The beat might be coming from Latin America.  A score of 7 or 8 may show some ambivalence, an in-between position not unknown among Lutherans.  From this point on I want to challenge those of you who scored 9 or 10, comfort those who scored 5 or 6, and provide some clarification for those who scored 7 or 8.

Want to learn more about your score? Check out Chapter 1: Risky Business.

what's your worldview?

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How should your enemies be treated?

I’ll retaliate and get even

I’ll forgive if…

I’ll forgive and pray

On whom should I rely?

I am self-reliant

I believe in God, but trust myself

I’ll trust God

How can I follow Jesus?

Why follow, religion is a crutch

I’ll fit Jesus into my agenda

I’ll be shaped by Jesus’ agenda

How should I serve others?

It’s all about me

I’ll decide where, when, how and whom to serve

I’ll be a servant

What is life all about?

Being successful

Doing good deeds and feeling good about myself

Making a difference

Want to learn about your worldview? Check out Chapter 1 Response: What’s your worldview? (pdf).

Countercultural Themes in Christianity

Small Group Study Guide

these are a few of my favorite words - part 1

Book Review in Lutheran Partners Magazine

and now, a word from our publisher

Book signings this weekend in Texas

our first amazon customer review!

book in cyberspace

They're here!!

August 2009 Sermon Series

The book is launched!

A Dad and a Daughter Do a Dialogue

about the book

FAQ

book cover

sample chapters

Kim's reading list

Kim's playlist

reviews

Chapter 6: Who, what, and where in the world is God

Chapter 5: Homily for a community of faith and learning

Chapter 4: Central American sojourn

Chapter 3: The case of the missing punch line

Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James

Chapter 1: Risky business

Table of Contents

chapters 1 - 4

about the authors

what kind of Christian are you?

what's your worldview?

Category