I am a fan of Twitter. It's a neat way to get succinct information from people that interest you or from your friends. I like Facebook for the more in-depth communication and sharing that it allows with people you love and that love you. The danger, especially with Twitter, is that you have a limited number of characters to get your point across. I've seen a few quotes or snippets that make me go, "Oh my goodness" - and not in a good way. I had that experience this morning. I saw a retweet from Crossway books that contained one line from a blog post called Worship Distorted by Bill Clem of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA, that made me say "Oh my goodness" - not in a good way.
First I need to say that I like Bill Clem. I've heard some of his teaching and read other blogs that are good and spot on. I'm not saying that this blog isn't good either. I'm going to specifically talk about one line and my concerns.
The quote in question is, "One hundred percent of your pastoral counseling will involve identifying and confronting idols." To be fair, there is only a small portion of the book from which this came posted and it's specifically addressing the character of God. My fear? That single line will be re-tweeted and pastors without a solid understanding of counseling will use it and harm their sheep.
I get really nervous about pastoral counseling resources that advocate "confronting sin" out of context (and again, I'm NOT saying this one does - I haven't read it so I can't comment on that book specifically). It is important to address areas of sin in a counseling situation, but there is way more to counseling than confronting "sin and idols." And even when sin needs to be addressed there are a myriad of ways to do so that aren't outright confrontation.
I have seen far too many pastors take the concept of "confronting sin" and use it to harm their flock. They berate people, shame them, and generally beat them down in an effort to get some sort of behavioral change. If sin is a heart issue - and the Bible clearly says that it is - then shaming someone into behavioral change is inefficient at best and downright harmful at worst. Even if behavioral change can be achieved through shame and guilt, the heart is still the problem and that heart issue will manifest itself in another way. For example, an alcoholic may be shamed into giving up booze; however, he/she may adopt another addiction, such as food, to provide the same temporary comfort. The exterior behavior is more socially acceptable, but the heart is just as broken.
Good biblical counselors don't overlook sin at all - but they also don't attack the person they are counseling. They don't use shame or manipulation to achieve behavioral change. The first thing they do is provide grace - through providing a safe place where the counselee can be him/herself and be messy. Good biblical counselors work to establish a grace-filled relationship with the counselee before any sort of confrontation is made. Ironically, confrontation may prove to be wholly unnecessary as the counseling process takes place. In fact, counselees may identify and repent of the sin as God uses the counseling process to effect change. When confrontation is appropriate, the good biblical counselor knows how to do so using the most appropriate technique - which may or may not be direct.
Pastors would do well to take a good counseling course or two to learn more about the actual process of counseling. There is so much more to it than telling a church member what he/she needs to do or pointing out areas of sin (although those things are valid and have an appropriate place). Pastors who engage in counseling relationships would be quite wise to be well-grounded in solid counseling technique in addition to solid gospel theology. True biblical counseling should include both a solid theology and a solid counseling methodology.
In summary, I have no disagreement with the statement that pastoral counseling has a lot to do with dealing with idolatry; however, pastors really need to know what appropriate and grace-centered counseling looks like and not just be - as I've heard said out loud by pastors - "fruit inspectors." Above all the Holy Spirit needs to be in control of the whole thing since He is the true Counselor and we are but instruments to be used for God's glory in the counseling process.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The Artist and the Masterpiece
What makes art a masterpiece? According to a 2009 article in the Star Tribune, that is not an easy question to answer. When The Louvre queried their curators on the topic, many different criteria were offered - "superlative craftsmanship, extraordinary design, great antiquity, rich materials, purity of form, artistic genius, originality, influence on other artists." I would also like to offer up that who the artist is makes a difference.
I was recently at the North Carolina Museum of Art and had the pleasure of touring the Rembrandt exhibit. While the paintings all had titles - "Man in a Hat" or "Man Praying" for example - all were defined as "Rembrandts." They were deemed valuable because of who the artist was. As I stood there in the exhibit hall and looked at painting after painting, I thought about what a friend had said to me recently. He had told me that art points to the artist. As I stood there in the museum, looking at Rembrandt after Rembrandt - despite whatever they were titled - I realized we were all considering the artist and the work he had done.
As I thought about other exhibits I've seen there - Monet, Rockwell - I realized they were all titled by the name of the artist. Each artist had a unique style. Monet was fairly upbeat in composition, with lots of bright colors. Rockwell captured American life, including some of its darkness. While they are held up as iconic and vestiges of a simpler time, to look at them closely told another tale entirely. There was depth of emotion and his Santas were utterly disturbing when you looked closely. Rembrandt was just dark in general - partly because of the subject matter, partly because some of the paintings were on oak, which lent to a darker coloring. Each was distinct and you could line up a piece from each and easily identify the artist.
Interestingly, God is portrayed as an artist and creation - including humans - as His artwork. In fact, humans are portrayed as God's masterpiece. In Isaiah 64:8 God is referred to as a potter and to man as the "work of [His] hand." Ephesians 2:10 refers to us as God's "workmanship." The word used is poiema - the word from which we get poem. It is, in essence, stating that we are living poetry.
Looking at how the curators of the Louvre defined the qualities in a masterpiece, I think human beings fit the bill. Superlative craftsmanship, extraordinary design, rich materials, purity of form, artistic genius, originality - nothing compares to humans in all of creation. How our bodies function is nothing short of amazing, and when you add to it the ability to think and feel and the complexity of human nature I'm in awe. Many people, not just Christians, would agree that human beings are nothing short of a masterpiece.
Here is where it gets interesting for me. I absolutely believe that God's creation, and humans in particular, are astounding works of art. I absolutely believe that God is the greatest artist of all time. I believe that people are incredibly valuable - both to God and to me. I believe that all of creation points to the Creator (Romans 1:20). I believe God's work should be celebrated and enjoyed. What I do not believe is that I am a masterpiece, that I have great value, and that the Artist has created me to be enjoyed and give Him glory.
Oh, I know this logically of course and I thoroughly believe the Bible. However, when it comes down to brass tacks, I believe it for everyone else - and for them I believe it to the very core of my being and would absolutely fight for them should anyone say differently. When it comes to me, I see a very different picture.
Why do I suppose that is? I think it's because I can see all my flaws, every imperfection. I think society has been quite good at helping me see things that don't measure up to its standards - from my figure, to my hair, and on and on. When I add to that my sin nature and how I know I do things wrong - sometimes very much on purpose simply because I want to - and the fact that I have a perfectionist nature, I can't see past me.
I am absolutely surrounded by the most incredible people. I have a community of people who truly love me. Until recently I had attributed that love to God's goodness in them - God placing in their hearts the ability to love me - and not even considering that they love me because I am loveable and there are good things about me. God, who is incredibly gracious, is working to change that in me. Through a friend, He has really challenged my thinking on me.
I also don't think I'm the only Christian that struggles with believing for themselves that they are a masterpiece. A couple weeks ago in my community group the guy leading it asked a question that people struggled to answer. He essentially said, "What in your life glorifies God? We all can talk about all our faults, but what in your life is good and gives glory to God?" There were 11 people there and it was a huge struggle for individuals to answer that question. We were all so much more able to point out our weaknesses and when the time came for that question, there was no shortage of conversation. As I sat there, looking around the faces of people who are incredible, I realized that I could rattle of numerous things about each of them that I thought were glorifying to God.
If it is okay to rejoice in the beauty and artistry of a painting or sculpture or good meal, why is it not okay to celebrate the artistry in ourselves, put there by the Master Artist? His work is beautiful and good - He Himself is beautiful and good. We delight in God's work in our friends. We don't delight in God's work in our lives and we are incredibly afraid to even acknowledge it lest we sound prideful (or worse actually become prideful). But that isn't a full picture of God's grace. God's grace is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
There is, of course, an appropriate place to identify, grieve about and repent of sin. I'm pretty good at that one - not always the grieving and repentance part, but most definitely the identification part. I'm not good at celebrating the beauty part - or even really believing the beauty is there. For me, this isn't an easy answer. I've been told by those who love me that there is real beauty there and I've been given lists of what the beauty might look like. Unfortunately, I still have trouble seeing past the negative and celebrating in the positive.
I don't know what it will take for God to set me free from this, but I'm quite confident that He wouldn't show me without the plan to do something. He is, after all, faithful to complete the work (Philippians 1:6). And it is His work - "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). I know that I want Him to complete the work so I can take the people I love and see God's masterful artistry in by the hand and point them toward this truth.
I was recently at the North Carolina Museum of Art and had the pleasure of touring the Rembrandt exhibit. While the paintings all had titles - "Man in a Hat" or "Man Praying" for example - all were defined as "Rembrandts." They were deemed valuable because of who the artist was. As I stood there in the exhibit hall and looked at painting after painting, I thought about what a friend had said to me recently. He had told me that art points to the artist. As I stood there in the museum, looking at Rembrandt after Rembrandt - despite whatever they were titled - I realized we were all considering the artist and the work he had done.
As I thought about other exhibits I've seen there - Monet, Rockwell - I realized they were all titled by the name of the artist. Each artist had a unique style. Monet was fairly upbeat in composition, with lots of bright colors. Rockwell captured American life, including some of its darkness. While they are held up as iconic and vestiges of a simpler time, to look at them closely told another tale entirely. There was depth of emotion and his Santas were utterly disturbing when you looked closely. Rembrandt was just dark in general - partly because of the subject matter, partly because some of the paintings were on oak, which lent to a darker coloring. Each was distinct and you could line up a piece from each and easily identify the artist.
Interestingly, God is portrayed as an artist and creation - including humans - as His artwork. In fact, humans are portrayed as God's masterpiece. In Isaiah 64:8 God is referred to as a potter and to man as the "work of [His] hand." Ephesians 2:10 refers to us as God's "workmanship." The word used is poiema - the word from which we get poem. It is, in essence, stating that we are living poetry.
Looking at how the curators of the Louvre defined the qualities in a masterpiece, I think human beings fit the bill. Superlative craftsmanship, extraordinary design, rich materials, purity of form, artistic genius, originality - nothing compares to humans in all of creation. How our bodies function is nothing short of amazing, and when you add to it the ability to think and feel and the complexity of human nature I'm in awe. Many people, not just Christians, would agree that human beings are nothing short of a masterpiece.
Here is where it gets interesting for me. I absolutely believe that God's creation, and humans in particular, are astounding works of art. I absolutely believe that God is the greatest artist of all time. I believe that people are incredibly valuable - both to God and to me. I believe that all of creation points to the Creator (Romans 1:20). I believe God's work should be celebrated and enjoyed. What I do not believe is that I am a masterpiece, that I have great value, and that the Artist has created me to be enjoyed and give Him glory.
Oh, I know this logically of course and I thoroughly believe the Bible. However, when it comes down to brass tacks, I believe it for everyone else - and for them I believe it to the very core of my being and would absolutely fight for them should anyone say differently. When it comes to me, I see a very different picture.
Why do I suppose that is? I think it's because I can see all my flaws, every imperfection. I think society has been quite good at helping me see things that don't measure up to its standards - from my figure, to my hair, and on and on. When I add to that my sin nature and how I know I do things wrong - sometimes very much on purpose simply because I want to - and the fact that I have a perfectionist nature, I can't see past me.
I am absolutely surrounded by the most incredible people. I have a community of people who truly love me. Until recently I had attributed that love to God's goodness in them - God placing in their hearts the ability to love me - and not even considering that they love me because I am loveable and there are good things about me. God, who is incredibly gracious, is working to change that in me. Through a friend, He has really challenged my thinking on me.
I also don't think I'm the only Christian that struggles with believing for themselves that they are a masterpiece. A couple weeks ago in my community group the guy leading it asked a question that people struggled to answer. He essentially said, "What in your life glorifies God? We all can talk about all our faults, but what in your life is good and gives glory to God?" There were 11 people there and it was a huge struggle for individuals to answer that question. We were all so much more able to point out our weaknesses and when the time came for that question, there was no shortage of conversation. As I sat there, looking around the faces of people who are incredible, I realized that I could rattle of numerous things about each of them that I thought were glorifying to God.
If it is okay to rejoice in the beauty and artistry of a painting or sculpture or good meal, why is it not okay to celebrate the artistry in ourselves, put there by the Master Artist? His work is beautiful and good - He Himself is beautiful and good. We delight in God's work in our friends. We don't delight in God's work in our lives and we are incredibly afraid to even acknowledge it lest we sound prideful (or worse actually become prideful). But that isn't a full picture of God's grace. God's grace is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
There is, of course, an appropriate place to identify, grieve about and repent of sin. I'm pretty good at that one - not always the grieving and repentance part, but most definitely the identification part. I'm not good at celebrating the beauty part - or even really believing the beauty is there. For me, this isn't an easy answer. I've been told by those who love me that there is real beauty there and I've been given lists of what the beauty might look like. Unfortunately, I still have trouble seeing past the negative and celebrating in the positive.
I don't know what it will take for God to set me free from this, but I'm quite confident that He wouldn't show me without the plan to do something. He is, after all, faithful to complete the work (Philippians 1:6). And it is His work - "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). I know that I want Him to complete the work so I can take the people I love and see God's masterful artistry in by the hand and point them toward this truth.
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