This is a fascinating read on why women are out-performing men in today’s economy.
As I read it, I couldn’t help being a pastor, researcher and communicator that there might also be connections to why the Christian Church has historically tended to grow the most when it was in a position of least influence. Perhaps there really is something to being “strangers in a strange land,” or to use biblical phrasing, “aliens and exiles.”
"The the black man has to fly to get to something the white man has to walk to." - Chris Rock
I’ve been sitting here watching a Chris Rock special on Comedy Central. I like the guy. I think he’s hilarious on so many fronts.
I also find him thought provoking.
There was a minute long sketch where he goes into talking about his neighbors. You can watch it below if you want (Disclaimer: I make no judgments on use of language, so if you do, don’t watch. Or watch. Just don’t be offended and tell me about it later. This is your warning.)
Here’s the gist.
Chris Rock has three well-known and widely recognized as pinnacles of success in their respective careers black neighbors: Mary J. Blige (R&B Singer), Jay-Z(Hip-Hop, entertainment mogul), and Eddie Murphy (actor who specializes in talking, animated donkeys). Of course, he includes himself, a very successful comedian. The other neighbor, who is white, is a dentist.
And not a famous dentist. Not a “top-in-his-field” dentist. Just an ordinary dentist.
His next statement I latched onto as something worth sharing:
“The black man has to fly to get to something the white man has to walk to.” – Chris Rock
His logic is reasonable for sure. You have award winning artists. Entertainment trail blazers. People who have hosted the Grammy’s. And then you have a regular dentist.
I’m not into suggesting that all “white” people are to blame for this disparity, but I do think that Chris Rock is identifying something that everybody may take for granted: What does somebody have to do to be able to live in your neighborhood?
This happens in myriad of ways. For example. I live in a part of Santa Fe, NM known as Eldorado. It is very much a granola neighborhood. In fact, it was developed as the first solar energy community in the country back in the 70′s. Now its a typically nice place to live in Santa Fe. The school is quite good. Its only a 15 minute drive into town. It takes a certain income level to live out here (but that’s true of any neighborhood). But it also requires an All-Wheel or 4-Wheel drive vehicle. Or a monstrously huge truck with a snow plow latched on the front…because we get snow.
Lots of it. I’ve been shoveling it all day. Why?
Because I’m one of those guys who don’t own a Subaru with All-Wheel/4-Wheel drive. Nor am I the guy with a big truck and snow plow attachment. So that means I shovel, and stay stuck regardless.
Every neighborhood…every city…every culture and sub-culture…has this aspect. There are certain things that make it viable, or not viable, to live, work, play and be a part of the culture. That is the ever present problem of context – we all live, work, play in a context.
And unfortunately, we all breathe in the air of the context to such an extent that we may be “nose-def” to the problems, concnerns and interests of others who may or may not share that same context.
Now, what I’m left pondering after watching Chris Rock, is not just so mono-lithic as to say that the cultural plight of black america is still subject to the whims of white america (What about Asian, Hispanic, or dare I say it, Native American cultures? In other words, there is a history for sure, but its also broader than any one culture or ethnicity over/against another singular culture or ethnicity?). Nor am I trying to be self-absorbed and say “I feel it too! Look here..”
But these issues are more indicative of how we live and relate as human beings, that has ethnic, cultural, socio-economic implications. We tend to never think about what it would take to let someone else live in our neighborhood, because, well, that’s their problem, not mine? I can’t be concerned about someone else’s needs, that’s their responsibility?
And all the while we just recycle the same sad, sorry and pathetic excuses at the expense of developing a more gospel-centered mindset – a mindset that embraces and embodies all that Jesus has done for us. In a nutshell, this is taking on the interests of another upon himself (cf. Philippians 2), and so bridging the way for two opposing groups to be reconciled and live in relationship with one another. That would be God and man, by the way.
So, the gospel, if we truly embrace all of who Jesus is and what He’s done for us, makes Chris Rock’s insight something we should consider.
What would somebody else – somebody who is not like you, somebody who is maybe antagonistic toward you, or someone who has been truly hurt by you or someone like you – have to do, to be able to move into your neighborhood?
Or live in your city?
Or your group of friends?
Or visit and connect with your church?
If we don’t wrestle with this issue, nothing will ever change. And that’s something the gospel is all about.
Just read an interesting article by David Brooks over at the NY Times blog regarding Obama’s infrastructure and economic stimulus plan.
It actually made me question ministry and church planting a little bit. I wonder if planting new churches and congregations is the old “new” thing that has replaced creatively reflecting on how the gospel affects and transforms a particular community or urban context? Here’s an excerpt (read the whole thing here)”
Well, I just wrapped up my half-week in New York attending the Dwell Conference, and I hope to post some thoughts and refelctions from that time. In the meantime, here is a excellent and challenging quote I just read off of Tullian Tchividjian’s blog (someone I saw at the Conference, but didn’t happen to connect with, unfortunately – as I have been really enjoying his blog lately. You should check it out here).
This quote comes from a longer quote dealing with the question of “Educational Excellence” in our American Educational system. I found it extremely challenging and provocative, especially as we, the church, need to think very long and hard about what it will take to gain an influential hearing with the world around us. As always, thoughts, comments and other provocations are greatly welcomed and encouraged.
Anthony Bradley has got some good thoughts and a great quote over on his blog The Institute about being the church, and having more of a gospel-centered, “revolutionary” mindset regarding where and how we live as Christians in the world. I always appreciate the way Bradley challenges me with his thoughts, but even more so, I love it when anyone draws my attention to the fact that Christianity is a “forward” religion – its meant to be lived out on the “offensive” rather than the “defensive” end (for more thoughts on this, check out The Prevailing Church by Randy Pope).
Here’s a quote from a missionary that Bradley includes in his post, and I think it sums things up quite nicely (but do go check out his blog to get the whole sha-bang!):
We need to recover the grand, cosmic significance of Jesus’ saving activity that moves the gospel out of the narrow realm of our self-preoccupation…The gospel properly understood, is much broader than our concerns for personal survival, security, significance, success, or even self-centered sanctification. The gospel presents us with a Jesus, not meek and mild, but One come to set the world on fire. It presents us with a plunderer, and it bids us to throw ourselves away in the pursuit of this new world order. –Bob Heppe, Missionary
National Resurgence Conference 2008: Text & Context
This really looks like it will be a good conference. I hope to make it out there, but if not, the uploaded resources should be very useful in ministry and thinking about the role of preaching in any given context.
I’m reading this book for an upcoming weekend calss on Urban Church Planting. I’d like to from time to time offer some good quotes and some of my reflections on what I am reading. I welcome comments on this stuff, just know that most of is written in the form of journal-thoughts, not really completely formed, but in process. Here’s something that got my mind going from Raymond J. Bakke, “Urbanization and Evangelism: a Global View”, The Urban Face of Mission, ed. by Harvie Conn
“Today over 50 percent of this earth – over three billion people – lives in world-class cities. We aren’t prepared for that. Most of our mission industry, most of the ministries that many of us represent, are still thinking in terms of tribal world, a world where we cross oceans and deserts and jungles to get to the lost groups of people. There are, indeed, still about a billion people who are geographically distant from existing churches, so we will need traditional ministries on into the future. But far more than two billion of the world’s nonchurched people are no longer geographically distant from the church’ they are culturally distant. They live in the largest cities of the world.” p. 29
The way we should think about “missions” in this non-traditional sense, is less in terms of geography, and more in terms of culturally.
Categories of Thought:
Geographically Distant, Culturally Distant -> Traditional Missions
Geographically Distant, Culturally Close -> Traditional Missions
Geographically Close, Culturally Close -> Traditional Evangelism
Geographically Close, Culturally Distant -> Missional Intentionality
- Who are those people who are culturally outside the church and in need of the redeeming power of the gospel? I think, if we were to ask this question, our conversations about contextualization would be properly subsumed under the aim of missions, and that is to bring all of God’s creation into a right relationship with Him (God <–> Man <–> Creation).
My wife Maggie and I are planning on taking a trip for a couple of days out to San Francisco. We have never been, and looking forward to it. This has been a long year for us…really a long 4 years…and we are in need of a small break before the school year starts up. I’ve been scanning the internet for pics of the city, and just love this one. There’s something about cities that just energize me, and this particular one has a certain allure to it. Even though we like to attach alot of baggage to cities here in the U.S., in a perfect world, the combination of density and diversity is absolutely beautiful. We can’t wait to experience the city of San Francisco.
Does anybody out there have some thoughts on how we should spend some of our time, based on your previous experience? We’d love to hear them.
This is a fascinating read on why women are out-performing men in today’s economy.
