Kinderkrans

I am a child of the eighties. I grew up in a white, farming community. Every Monday after school my brother and I went to an “obligatory” Christian gathering for kids, called “Kinderkrans”.

Now forget everything you know about children education, experiential learning or fun activities, because the wife of the dominee had other plans.

Kinderkrans was a mini-church council meeting. We had agendas and minutes. We had to stay dead quite, only the adults could talk. Only once did they do something fun with us. On a hot summers day they brought out trays full of Oros cool drinks. That was it.

This morning I thought of the stuff they taught us in Kinderkrans.

1. The correct pronouncement of the word: “Hallelujah”.
2. To live “apart” from people that believe, look, think and talk differently from you is the way the world should be.
3. Jesus died on the cross for my sins.
4. Only missionaries should “work” amongst “the blacks”.
5. Jesus lives in my heart.
6. Black people don’t believe in Jesus, that’s why missionaries are so important.
7. All people who aren’t Christian will go to hell.
8. How to pray the “Our Father” prayer.
9. Christians don’t swear, drink, dance or marry blacks.
10. Catholics and Jehovah’s witnesses are also going to hell.
11. It’s the best to give money to help the missionaries hand out Bibles to the black people in Mozambique and Malawi, but you don’t have to give your money to help the blacks of South-Africa to live a decent, humane life.
12. Jesus loves all children.
13. Children must be seen, not heard.
14. Heaven is a perfect place for perfect people.
15. The Dutch Reformed Church has a perfect theology.

No wonder I am a doubtful believer, my faith was built on shit let alone sand.

Crazy Church

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on heels. We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Apple Computers came up with the above marketing mission statement.

I think this is how a church should act and think as well.

Ages ago a Christian writer named Paul, took a look at the first followers of The Way and remarked that they all were a little bit crazy.

While Apple is making "tools" for these kinds of people, Jesus helped them to see that through their stories the Kingdom of God is getting closer by the day.

Imagine a church filled with misfits, rebels, troublemakers, rifrafts and round pegs...

I wonder how long till the roof comes down so that we all pray and play under stars?

Jesus in Suburbia

Last night I spoke about how our suburb is changing, but not our church. In the Afrikaans South-African story churches became the last place of safety and comfort. Apart from our high-tech security that changed our streets into base camps and our houses into prisons, the church became that one place where everything must be familiar and predictable.

We do this with language and cultural theology.

The idea is (although we don’t admit it) that when outsiders stumble in, only those that look, think and talk like us will come again. The rest must keep on looking for a church with people of their kind.

But Jesus took his little band of travelling Jews on a different journey. Instead of visiting the familiar, safe and predictable Jewish towns, he took them to the Samaritans, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Africans, the lepers, the prostitutes, the poor and the vulnerable. He took them out of their place of comfort and safety, on a dangerous and tricky road.

Imagine Jesus as a Dutch Reformed pastor today in an all white suburban utopia.

I wonder how long till the church counsel kicks him out?