Assembly of God Revival in Eastpointe, Michigan

*The following post is different from others in this series, because I had the experience when I was a much younger person when it occurred.*

One autumn day during my undergrad years, Joe and I were playing hacky sack at a park in Eastpointe.  At one point, we decided to go for a walk.  Along the way, I found myself needing a restroom.  That's when I saw the Eastpointe Assembly of God.  It wasn't Sunday or Wednesday, but there were plenty of cars in the parking lot.  I stopped in.

When I walked through the door I was met by one of the church members who acted somewhat like a guard.  With reservation, he led me to the restroom.  On my way out, I could hear a lot of excitement from the auditorium.  At the time I wasn't too familiar with the Assemblies of God.  The guard explained that they were having a revival.  I asked Joe if he would mind sticking around for the experience.

The church pews were wooden, not dissimilar to this.

We walked into the sanctuary and sat close to the back row.  People sang and danced.  They spoke in tongues during moments of prayer.  Up to this point, I'd never seen anything like it.  Then a middle-aged white man approached the pulpit.  He spoke enthusiastically about miracles.  He claimed to have seen the blind healed and the dead resurrected.  It was a message intended to rouse the faithful.  In the midst of it, he casually mentioned that in order for people to be saved, they needed to speak in tongues.  Disagreeing strongly, I became fixated on this point.

The worship service was followed by a healing service.  This is the first time I'd seen anything like it. The evangelist stood at the front of the sanctuary and people came forward for prayers and healing.  I only remember two individuals specifically.  The first was an old woman who complained of having trouble seeing.  The evangelist laid hands on her, prayed and then asked if she noticed a difference.  She said "yes."  I did not see happiness on her face.  A young woman about 14 or 15 also came forward.  She explained that she was having a problem with acne.  She felt insecure.  The evangelist prayed that she would "notice a difference" in her complexion.

The service ended and we approached the front of the auditorium.  I spoke with their youth minister, who explained that most young people in the Assemblies of God did not feel that speaking in tongues was necessary for salvation, but that most older people in the fellowship felt otherwise.  There are theological generation gaps in every religious community.

Big Boy's or Elias Brothers is a popular family restaurant in Michigan and nearby states

We met the evangelist who invited us to join himself and the pastor at Big Boy's Restaurant at 9 Mile and Gratiot for dinner.  We road in their car.  At the restaurant, we chatted about religion and no doubt shared our different perspectives on tongues and salvation.  It was a pleasant talk.  When our meeting adjourned, the evangelist paid for our meals.

On the way back to the church building where they dropped us off, the evangelist mentioned something that shocked me at the time.  He exclaimed the the earth really was billions of years old.  I didn't believe this, yet.  He himself didn't want to, but claimed that the evidence was overwhelming.  We prayed together and the night adjourned.  I experience gave me plenty to meditate on.

My Neighbor's Faith: The Friends (Quakers)

I wanted to catch an early service this morning, so I chose the 7:30 am Friends' meeting in downtown DC.

I approached the house and buzzed the doorbell.  A young man with a German accent answered.  I explained that this was my first time attending a Friend's meeting.  He brought me into room where several chairs faced each other in a circle. He was not a Quaker either, but had come from Germany to do charity work in retribution for Germany's crimes during WWII and was working with the Friends to assist with social justice work.  We shared a Friends worship service which involved sitting together in silence for about 30 minutes.

The Friends believe that since all humans are made in God's Image, that God communicates with all of them - all we need to do is listen.  So their worship services involve sitting together and listening.  If God speaks to an individual, that individual might share the message with the community gathered.  Anyone can speak, but no one has to.

The chairs facing each other reflects their view of equality.  The Friends don't have clergy in the same way that most churches do.  Instead they have councils that help make them make decisions.  I don't understand this very well yet.

My German friend and I were the only ones participating in silence with God, but there were several other people moving about the house.  The house is used for a variety of social justice related events throughout the week.  They even have a hostel there with about 30 beds.  They charge little to nothing for people who need a place to stay.  There were several people waking as I was about to leave, probably in attendance from the Women's March on Washington.


Before we parted ways, my friend asked me what had brought me out today.  "I learned about the Friends in undergrad," I said.  "I was impressed by the fact that they emphasized equality in the 1600s.  I've always wanted to visit, so here I am."  He expressed a similar sentiment, then recommended that I visit one of the larger gatherings to learn more and get a better experience of how the community worships. I expect that I will do that sometime soon.

My Neighbor's Religion #4: Baha'i Center in Washington DC (Part 3): Beliefs and Practice

Baha'is believe that they Christians.  They also believe that they are Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Zoroastrians.  I was told by several members of the DC Center that one doesn't convert to Baha'i.  Instead, accepting Baha'i is simply accepting the next revelation from God (That from the prophet Baha' u'llah).  They accept all the revelations.  They follow all the teachers.

The basic idea is as follows.  God has sent messengers to humanity at various times throughout history.  These messengers come with a revelation from God that humanity (and in particular that culture) is ready for at the time.  Baha'is believe that more revelations yet are to come.

New Revised Standard Version Bible on the right

These beliefs were evident in several ways during my visit.  One of the first things I noticed when I entered the worship area was a large shelf of books.  There were, of course, several books having to do with the Baha'i faith.  There were also several having to do with racial reconciliation, a theme that could be seen throughout the building.  What really caught my eye was an NRSV translation of the New Testament.

I began looking for other texts and immediately saw scriptures from several religions.  Even in worship, the Baha'is sang about being guided by Jesus, Buddha, Zoroaster, etc. It became clear in the few hours I spent with them that this belief enables them to draw on a wide variety of religious traditions, and that the Baha'is do just that.

I wondered what they thought about people who heard their message and chose to remain in their previous religious traditions.  "That's fine," they told me.  "Our duty is to share the message, not convert people,"  adding that each person is on her or her own path, and that the old revelations and traditions aren't rendered obsolete by the new one.  So if someone remains Christian, that person should be a good Christian.  For the Baha'i, doctrine matters, but it's secondary to loving God and loving your neighbor.  Service to humanity is the highest act of worship.  I found this incredibly compelling.

The strong belief in a unified humanity is another tenet of the Baha'i faith.  They consider themselves unified with all people regardless of race, gender, culture, religion or political persuasion.  They believe that we are one humanity and should work towards unity.  We must eliminate prejudice and work towards peace and justice both locally and globally.  Literature on these topics could be found throughout the house.

Finally, instead of clergy, the Baha'i have committees that make organizational decisions at various levels.  These positions are temporary.  Anyone can be nominated - seeking office is forbidden.  I knew this attending, nevertheless, the structure of the meeting made me puzzled me.  Unlike every other fellowship of any kind that I've ever visited, I was unsure who was in charge.  Leaderlessness is the norm in their faith, where no one is meant to have spiritual authority over another.

Statue of Krisha of Hinduism

A Hindu attitude towards morality permeates what it taught by the Baha'i faith.  Rather than God expecting perfection, God expects growth towards more superior forms of morality and respect for other people's respective journeys.  They seem to believe that growth continues in the afterlife.  The exact details were unclear, but it reminded me of a cross between what C.S. Lewis portrays in The Chronicles of Narnia and the theosis of Irenaeus of Lyons.

I am happy to have met the Baha'is and hope to learn more about them in the near future.

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My Neighbor's Faith #3: Baha'i Center in Washington DC (Part 2): The People

The Baha'i Temple in Haifa, Israel

A WARM FELLOWSHIP

When I entered the Baha'i Center, I was greeted by a man who showed me to a place to sit where we chatted until other people began to arrive.  As they did, I met and chatted with more and more people.  They were so easy to talk to that one fellow and I were actually late to the beginning of the service.

This chatting continued for some time after the service adjourned.  By the end of it, I was rather well acquainted with 10 people.  I remember their names, know where some of them work and have email contact with three of them.  I've emailed all three, and all three have responded.  Needless to say, I spent a lot of time talking with people there.  Hours flew by socializing on chairs and cushioned benches.  I would have stayed longer if circumstances had allowed.

A DIVERSE COMMUNITY

It was, without any doubt, the most racially diverse group of people I'd ever seen in any location ever.  This is not an exaggeration.  And when I think of the fact that there were almost certainly less than 70 people present, I am still in shock as to how this is possible.  The number of men and women seemed about equal - as did their status within the group.  The attendees were a rainbow of different skin colors and no one pigment seemed to dominate.  Even the age of those present varied with plenty of children in attendance.  I've never seen anything quite like it.

RELAXED

Like most lively religious groups, the Bahais were happy to share their religion with another person, but it wasn't forceful.  "It's not our job to convert people," I was told.  They weren't even mildly condescending when I described myself as a Humanist - not a single one of them.  There are theological reasons for why this is so -

1.  They seem to see spiritual development as more important than dogma.  
2. he highest act of worship is service to humanity, what Christians call "Loving one's neighbor."  
3. They don't believe one person ought to control another.  It's their job to love, not to compel others into belief.  (Ironically, I found this rather compelling). 

Interacting with the Baha'i Community was refreshing to the point of it almost being weird.  I felt warm inside.

My Neighbor's Faith #2: Baha'i Center in Washington DC (Part 1) Faith and Furniture

On 15 January, 2017, I had the opportunity to meet with the Baha'i Center in Washington DC.  It was great experience and so much happened that it will take several posts to discuss it well.  Today, I'd just like to discuss what I saw in the building and how it reflects the Baha'i faith as I experienced it.

Bahai Center in DC from the front of the building

The Baha'i meet in a large house that has at least three stories.  Even though I was there for more than 3 hours, I only had time to see the main floor, which was divided up into two main rooms with a kitchen, hallway and bathroom.  One of the main rooms was meant to contain the main service, while the other was designed for fellowship.

The worship service room had chairs that were largely oriented towards a lectern, however they were also arranged in such a way as to create a certain sense of community.  The chairs at the side walls face inward, for example, and since today was a day of worship and prayer the chairs at the front two rows of the room faced backward toward.  I expect a greater sense of community would have been created if the space was available for it - the room was long and narrow.  In the back of service room, there was something of a multi-purpose fellowship area.  It had open space that allowed for pacing, playing toddlers and mothers who might walk around rocking their babies - I saw several of these things go on during the service.  This back area also had well cushioned bench chairs.

The fellowship room had a food table in the center, with another table for drinks, plates and utensils in a corner of the room.  This did not seem to be a special arrangement, giving the impression that the Bahai celebrate their fellowship with food whenever they meet.  It reminds of something out of Acts 2.  Like the service room, the walls were lined with cushioned bench chairs.  They were as comfortable as you would expect a nice couch to be.  When I was there, they were serving tea, fruits and vegetables, small bread pieces, and a few sweets and sliced meats.  The meal provided was balanced, healthy and light - and like everything else allowed for easy socializing.

The furniture alone made a strong theological statement.  "We find God in each other."  I don't know if the Baha'i would say those words, but I seriously doubt that they would deny them.  In any case, the warmth reflected in the house arrangement was palpable among the people both as they sang and prayed and as they fellowshiped before and after the service.  What I felt in the room is the same thing that Christians often call the Holy Spirit in their services.  It's a kind of communal intimacy with the group and the divine that can be felt throughout the whole body.  It's difficult to describe.

How I became a Humanist #1: Jesus Freaks in the Churches of Christ

Much of early moral development can be framed by two seemingly non-contradictory value systems.  I was (1) raised by Jesus Freaks (2) in the Churches of Christ.  When I was young, it seemed to me that the moral lessons taught at home were the same as those taught in the church.  It wasn't until I left Christianity that I realized the moral tensions between the two environments and how that tension ultimately led to me ditching Christianity as I was familiar with it.

Roseville Church of Christ Pulpit, Lord's Supper Table and Baptistry (notice the lack of a piano).

My family went to church at  the Roseville Church of Christ at least three times a week, Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights.  If the Church had an activity that the family was able to participate in, we participated in it, whether it was a youth camp, Vacation Bible School or charity related event.  At home, we prayed before every meal, and were encouraged to read the Bible on our own.  From age 8, I did.

At church we learned typical moral lessons, don't cheat or steal,
etc.  But we were also taught that members of the Churches of Christ were probably the only people going to heaven.  The reason for us believing this was because the other churches were full of doctrinal errors.  They worshiped incorrectly.  They believed the wrong things.  And their churches were organized improperly.  While I never heard anyone say it overtly, the message delivered was that performing rituals like baptism and communion properly was more important to God than whether or not we were racists or spouse abusers.  In any case, it was adherence to the rituals and beliefs that made us Christians, even if the behaviors were considered important.

At home, on the other hand, I was taught to love all people.  My mom and grandparents both took in foster children with a wide variety of needs.  They took in kids of every race, too.  My grandparents visited the sick, and often gave more than they could afford to help those in need.  What's more, they didn't hate anyone.  We never made jokes about race, hair color or ethnicity.  We didn't even make fun of gays.  I didn't grow up with sexism either.  Additionally, my family put high stock in education and critical thinking.  My mom rarely said, "because I said so," for the things I was supposed to believe.  I was not instructed not to ask why, the way that many children are.  At home, compassion and reason were central to morality over anything else.

When I was young, the two moralities were intertwined in my mind.  I assumed that everyone at church believed the same things about loving one's neighbor and asking questions as I did.  I also assumed that my family believed the same things about God's priorities.  It didn't seem to me that the two value systems were in conflict.  During my teenage years, friction developed.  More on that later.

My Neighbor's Faith: Chapel Hill United Methodist (UMC) San Antonio 13 July 2014

CHAPEL HILL UNITED METHODIST 

 SAN ANTONIO, TX

One of the most important factors in choosing a church is the people who attend.  Studies show that if a person hasn't connected with about six people on the first Sunday they attend a church, they are unlikely to return.

We were greeted the moment we walked in the door.  They were assigned greeters, but I felt that their greetings were sincere, especially since they took some time to tell us a little bit about the church.  "We're a very diverse group here", one man told us.  The greetings kept coming as we got further in the building and made our way towards the auditorium.  People introduced themselves, asked whether it was our first time there and whether we were new to San Antonio.  They were warm and seemed generally interested in us.  They didn't try to shove the church down our throat, but they did go out of their way to make us feel welcome.  Towards the end of the service, they gave all of the first-time visitors a small loaf of banana bread as a welcoming gift.

Like the greeter said, it was a diverse group.  The church had members of all ages, and while I won't claim that they had members of all races, there was a healthy mix of white, black and Hispanic folks there.  The demographics looked a lot like the demographics of America, generally speaking.  It was a refreshing sight.

Front and center of the auditorium was the communion table, above it, a cross and to the left a podium all of them decorated for Pentecost.  On either side of the auditorium were two large projector screens upon which were projected announcements, hymn lyrics, and scriptures.  The choir box was in a corner and faced the church as a whole diagonally.  A television with faced the choir so that they could face the church while singing adding to a feeling of community.

That, alongside the fact that the pastor generally spoke from the same level at which the congregation sat gave the impression of a strong egalitarianism within the church that was echoed by almost constant participation from the members at every moment throughout the service.  They even had an open mic period during which members could discuss how God had acted in their lives during the week.  I thought this was profoundly open, since you never know what sorts of crazy things people are inclined to say, or whether or not they will cohere with the theology of the church, or of the pastor.  This tells me that a theology of open participation is more important to this congregation than complete orthodoxy.  Perhaps one might say that participation is orthodoxy, even when we err.  But now, perhaps, I'm putting words into the mouths of these kind folks, and I ought not do that.

Throughout the service we were impressed by a church that is willing to participate with the world around it.  Sarah counted at least 3 ongoing charitable projects mentioned in the announcements including assembling health care kits for immigrants in Laredo, and collecting socks and underwear for school children in need, and their high school group did a mission trip where they helped repair a flooded home in Eagle Pass. If that weren't enough we found others that the church was dedicated to when we toured the building.  Most noticeably, the church helps foster children, they hold a pantry from which frequently give food to the poor, and they had a pamphlet for Alcoholics Anonymous that was located in the bathroom, where no one would notice if an individual happened to pocket it.

And it wasn't just that.  Even the sermon addressed issues pertinent to the world.  The pastor chose the story of Jericho as his text.  At first, he brought the children up and showed them a veggie tales version of the story.  I liked the message he gave to the children, although I thought it was rather sanitized.  At the end of the veggie tales version, the citizens of Jericho flee.  That's not how the biblical account works.  The biblical account is a story of genocide.  It's a story that most Christians explain away by suggesting that all the people who were displaced and killed were evil.  Never mind the fact that this includes children, it's hard to imagine a functional city full of evil people.  Is Somalia nothing but evil people?  What about Detroit?  We know better, but those places would fall to an invading army.  Any society that can build large walls and survive a siege is functional, which means the members of that society have a certain amount of trust in each other, which means that they aren't deserving of being genocide victims, if any group of people ever were.

The pastor addressed this head on, and without any nonsense.  He said that he didn't understand the moral implications of the text, and that he didn't have any arguments against the skeptics concerning this text or texts like it in the Bible.  "I don't know who that God is who sanctions genocide, but I know who Jesus is."  He admits the seeming discrepancy between the Old and New Testaments on issues like this.  I loved the honesty.  The willingness to ask a profound question and then say in front of a congregation, "I don't know."  That's rare intellectual honesty.  That's a willingness to step outside the church walls and engage the world without a pretending to have a monopoly on truth or even on a valid perspective.  He didn't even place blame at the feet of people who couldn't overcome this cognitive dissonance.  He didn't threaten them with hell or challenge the integrity of their character.  And concerning the aforementioned explanations typically used by Christians he says, "none of these explanations hold water."

At the same time, it wasn't an abdication of faith.  The pastor maintained that he and his fellow Christians were believers in and followers of Jesus.  They didn't need to have to have all the answers, and they didn't always have to reconcile everything in scripture.  Scripture was a guide, an important guide, but just a guide to Jesus.  "We don't worship THIS," he said, holding up a bible.  "We worship the risen Lord."

For those of you who aren't students of theology, none of what I've mentioned here stands outside of the Methodist tradition.  Sarah, who grew up Methodist even says that the order of worship was almost identical to what the services she grew up with.   The following is something of an example of this consistency and of the use of the technology.  The following is a prayer common to Methodists in the UMC.  For those of you who are Evangelicals, it will look very progressive.  For those of you who are humanists, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.



All in all, our experience there was positive.  The people were nice and the church had what I consider to be a healthy and balanced theology.  I think this church would be a great family for any Christian looking for a diverse, thoughtful, compassionate community that is active in charity.