Another Travel Update

This will probably be the last travel update I’m able to give while I’m here in Europe as I expect to be a good bit busier in the next few days and without internet. So, enjoy the slideshow and brief highlights of what I’ve been up to.

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A Travel Update

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So I’m overseas right now speaking at two conferences. Hey, somebody had to do it. But here are a few of my travel highlights for those who might be interested in my adventures. I must say for the record however, that I LOVE Europe – and in a way I can’t quite describe through a blog.

Cultural Lies – An Awkward Moment

(Part 11 of the Culture series)

I remember sitting in my church with a European friend when my pastor said, “I believe America is the greatest nation on the face of the earth.” Wow. What an awkward moment for me. What to do with that? Not just the cultural insensitivity that was behind such a bold statement, made before an internationally diverse congregation, but that a majority of Americans who heard him say it were nodding their heads in agreement. Granted, there was context to what he was trying to say that doesn’t communicate well in this blog, but it was quite a Freudian slip, revealing a common cultural lie we Americans often fall under. “We are God’s favorites.”

There are a lot of places this lie comes from…the tremendous blessings we’ve been given monetarily, materially, historically, geographically, politically, etc. We were founded by people seeking religious freedoms that couldn’t be found in Europe, so a natural default of the founding fathers was to link our blessings to God’s favor.

Why is this so dangerous?

It’s not Biblical. God doesn’t play favorites. If He did, I guess His favorite would be the nation of Israel. But even a cursory reading of the Bible tells me that God spanks His kids,  (Heb. 12:7) so I’d be really careful about claiming that title.

It hampers us spiritually, like how an injury hampers a runner. How can we grow spiritually when our hearts are broken by a lie that distorts God’s character and our identity in Christ?  A house built on a shaky foundation will soon lean over and eventually crash.

It’s insulting. I don’t even have to elaborate.

It’s not that we shouldn’t be grateful. Oh my goodness, Americans have so much to be grateful for!!! (Just in case you are in doubt, I’m proud to be an American. My father was career military – I know just how blessed we are and just how much our freedom has cost.) But when we move beyond gratitude for His grace to the belief that we’ve somehow earned it, that God loves us and tolerates others until they become more like us, we move into dangerous territory indeed.

Cultural Lies – American Version

(Part 9 of the Culture series)

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Following up on the National Soul series (here) and (here)- the idea that every culture has particular characteristics that by themselves are neutral – neither good nor bad, just distinguishing – I’m exploring the idea that each culture also operates under certain lies. From a Christian perspective (and that is the context I’m writing from…) these are the things that make it more difficult for insiders in a particular culture to see God, come to know Him or come to know Him better. It is an interesting exercise to look around and figure out what some of these embedded lies are.

 The people who live in a particular culture hardly notice them either. Ask a fish to describe what it’s like to live in water and they’ll say, “How else should a fish live?” But a watery environment would kill a bird. Without intentional effort on our part, it is almost impossible to view our cultural distinctives through someone else’s eyes. The highly social nature of

A humorous glimpse of the British national soul, as seen going through customs. Evidently, there are the British and the rest of the world... By the way, can you find me in this photo?

African culture can be a great strength to a society living in such harsh climates. It is suffocating to a Westerner who values individuality. The directness of the Germans, seen by them as honesty, can be interpreted as rudeness to a southerner. And the over the top politeness of the same southerner, seen by them as having good manners, can be viewed by the German as shallowness. These distinctions can be strengths under the right circumstances and devastating weaknesses under others.

For Americans, I think one of our lies is “It’s all about me!” Because ours is a service related culture, we are used to being catered to and taken care of. Waiters bring us what we want, when we want it. Stores with terrible customer service go out of business. We grumble when we can’t find a good parking place. We look for churches that “meet our needs” and leave those that don’t offer the right kids programming, type of worship music or nice facilities. When we bring this attitude to God, we fit Him into our mold and expect Him to center Himself around us and our needs. We don’t adapt ourselves to Him. We adapt Him to ourselves. This attitude is incredibly inhibiting if one is pursuing true spiritual depth.

Another American lie is that “I can do it myself.” We are not only individualistic, we are ruggedly individualistic. We have an ethic that tells us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, work harder and accomplish more. We idealize the self-made men and women who work themselves to the top. It is not a far stretch to see how we translate this to our relationship with God. We love to work for Him, think He owes us something because of our efforts and have no real concept of being saved by grace. There’s this lie in the back of our minds that we earned it. And if we earned it, we nullify the cross. No cross, no Christianity. Red flags should be flying up all over the place.

Both of these lies are so inherent in our culture that we can barely see it – till we take a step back and look at ourselves with fresh eyes. For instance, last year I went to the Catalyst Conference here in Atlanta with a group of Norwegian church planters. Their perspective on American Christianity was priceless. One comment? There were so many Mac giveaways to hawk various Christian services and ministries that one said, “It appears to me that ministry here has something to do with Apple.” Not Jesus. Not the Bible. But a commercial product. Hmmmm….

Any thoughts out there on this idea?

The National Soul – European Version

(Part 8 of the Culture series)

If you’ve ever read the Elizabeth Gilbert book Eat Pray Love, she describes an interesting idea in the Eat/Italy section. What if every city has a word? And what if every person also has a word.  It is whatever word that is humming and dancing around in your soul, that summarizes something very deep and true about yourself. If your word matches the word of the city you live in, then you feel at home.

For instance, New York’s word might be “Achievement”. If that is also your word, then you will love living in New York. Washington D.C.? Probably, “Power.” Amsterdam? “Tolerance.” Los Angeles? “Fame.” Hogwarts? “Magic.” What’s your word? Does it match the city where you live?

I think that whatever your word is provides a window to whatever is pressed on your national soul.

It is such an interesting conversation starter to ask people what they think their word is, or what they think the word of their home town is. I have learned so much from people over the years by asking this very question.

In last week’s post I theorized that individual responsibility is one of the things pressed on the American soul.

What is pressed on the European soul? Before wading into these waters, I admit I’m not a European. If I offend or am wrong, it is not intentional. If some of the readers from there want to venture their own opinions, feel free to do so in the comments section below.

I think the European word is something in the family of security, safety and/or tradition. And why not? Europe has an incredibly long tradition of how things have always been done and they have a long and vivid memory of pain when things go wrong. It’s why, when reading the story from last weeks blog of the servant who ended up with no minas, Europeans respond by saying, “No one should be allowed to fall very far. Even if they did it to themselves.” And why Americans are usually ok with someone reaping whatever it is they have sown. It reveals a bit more of a collective mindset than individually-minded Americans have.

You can see a conflict brewing between the American and European soul then, can’t you? One values risk and reward, the other safety and security. One is willing to lose something old in order to gain something new. The other is risk-averse. One sees the world as a place of opportunity, where things can be won, changed or gained, so “full-speed ahead”. The other sees the world as a place of potential danger where things can be lost or destroyed, so “proceed with caution”. One says, “I need to take care of myself.” The other says, “We take care of each other.”

Neither side is right or wrong – just different perspectives based on historical and cultural events.

In this discussion, I am not taking sides and hopefully you can’t discern my personal opinion from this entry. (I suspect it would surprise both sides.) Instead, I am interested in what this subtle cultural divide means for communicating the gospel across this cultural barrier.

I’m not sure what all the implications are, but I do know that awareness is an important thing for anyone who wants to jump cultural barriers. If the gospel penetrates our lives at the heart/soul level, then what is already there is an important component to how we receive it. Our national soul is a part of who we are and can be either a bridge or barrier to the gospel. It is why an American can read the story of the servants (see previous blog) and how they managed what they were given and get one point from it, but a European can read the same story and see something very different.

The message of the gospel never changes between culture, language, time period, etc. But the subtleties of how we communicate it must take on appropriate shades of gray, or the message will get lost in the blunt force trauma of cultural mis-steps.

Beyond The Water’s Edge

(Part 4 of the Culture series)

(I wrote this for my previous blog in July of 2006. Seemed like it fit within this series of posts, so I thought I would include it here.)

I’m an American. What does that mean? Well… I basically think the world is a good place and that it is full of opportunity. If one works hard enough, anything is possible. I think the things I want to buy should be inexpensive and of good quality. It think the stores I buy from should prioritize my business, staying open late with convenient parking and offering good customer service. I think patriotism is healthy and governments should exist to serve the people who elect them. I’ve cried during the playing of my national anthem. I expect the government to stay out of my business if I keep my head down and contribute to society. I think neighbors should help each other but not get too involved in each others affairs. I teach my kids that if they need help they should look for someone in a uniform. I don’t doubt that they will have more and better opportunities in life than I do. I think all people should have the freedom to speak, think and choose whatever kind of life they want. I also think they should accept responsibility for their choices. I have a great deal of respect for those who voluntarily choose to serve their country through military service because I know their sacrifice makes the life I live possible. I expect to see churches playing a vibrant role in their communities, with their voices being respected by most. I value innovation and creativity. I’m usually looking not to the past but to the future. I don’t understand all the rules to soccer and in all honesty, I prefer sports with more scoring. I think diversity is a good thing. I think people of different ethnic, religious and national heritage should be able to live side by side in peace and prosperity. I have a short memory and don’t hold a grudge for too long (i.e. I’ve forgiven the British for burning Washington D.C in 1814). I like small talk and think it’s ok to have a conversation with someone on the street that I don’t know and will probably never see again. I realize that it’s money, not love that makes the world go round. When watching a scary movie I’m usually sure that, no matter how bad the situation, small children and dogs will be safe. I sing showtunes. I’ve given to charity and I think generosity and compassion are high values, not weaknesses. I think I’m entitled to my opinion and expressing it when and where I want.

Now, what if everything in the previous paragraph is wrong? Or at least not true everywhere in the world? What if my experience, my expectations and my opinions are just that: mine, and not universally true? After living for a year outside of my home country I’m realizing that a lot of what I’ve grown up believing is true is actually preference. Not everyone agrees with me and I’m not always right. While I still stand by what I’ve written above, my eyes have been opened to the fact that the American point of view is not the only point of view. And to be the best Christian I can be I may have to be a little less American. Cross-cultural experiences, especially prolonged ones, have a way of shining light to the underbellies of our worldviews, exposing misunderstanding, error and arrogance.

So I understand that for many, the world is a scary place with much to fear. Customer service is optional, especially if I have few options. Historically, excessive patriotism has sometimes led to war. In many places, people exist to serve their governments they had no opportunity to choose. The sun doesn’t always come out tomorrow and many children in the world face a painful future. In most places, the military is a tool of oppression, not liberation. In Europe, most churches have lost their moral authority and are languishing in irrelevant silence. Sometimes tradition trumps innovation. I actually enjoyed the World Cup this last month, even though the championship was technically a tie. Other cultures, especially those that have suffered greatly, tend to focus on the past and have a justified deep distrust of their historical enemies. Small talk can be misconstrued as shallowness. Some people live in an idealistic rather than realistic world. This may come as a shock to most Americans, but, (with India being the major exception), most people think musicals are silly. And not everyone, in fact, most people, couldn’t care less what I think.

Reality is much harsher beyond the waters’ edge.