Month: July 2024

Why Have a Manual in the Church of the Nazarene If No One Follows It?

On By Rob Prince4 Comments

What is the purpose of the Manual?  Here’s my succinct, oversimplified definition on the purpose of the Church of the Nazarene’s Manual: “The Manual is how Nazarene’s interpret the Bible theologically and socially. Additionally, it is how the Church of the Nazarene tries to best organized itself to make Christ-like disciples in the nations.” That’s pretty much it. The Manual is not the Bible. It’s changed every four years. It’s our attempt to interpret the Bible in theology and life for our particular ecclesiastical organization for such a time as this.

From my vantage point, as the social media posters volleyed back and forth last week, it once again exposed the great divide within the Church of the Nazarene. There are some in our tribe that want a strict adherence to the Manual which (along with Jesus) is the same yesterday, today and forever. Others seemingly are of the opinion that a minister is free to think and act however one pleases regardless of the Manual’s directives. 

If the latter have their way, why have a Manual? If its words mean nothing and the clergy can disregard whatever section he/she pleases, whenever they please, why have the Manual? Are the Manual’s directives simply suggestions? If so, who picks and who chooses what we believe or don’t believe? Don’t call it a “manual” if that is the case. Call it: Some Nice Nazarene Ideas (take it or leave it).

If the former have their way,  the Manual turns into a dead document that leaves no room for discussion or conversation. Why have a General Assembly if there are no resolutions to debate; no discussions to be had; no changes to be made? Cancel your hotel reservations in Kansas City 2027, no need to go. 

Per my usual attempt, I advocate for neither extreme but a middle way. The Manual is more than a suggestion. It’s our agreed upon directive. Ordained ministers promise to abide within its pages. Should there be disagreement (and there may be times of disagreement), we need not be disagreeable. We need not air our dirty laundry on social media. We need not lambast leadership. We need not print or post disparaging comments against those with a differing opinion. Let’s have kind, godly discussions and think groups. Utilize the Global theological conference, PALCON, M-25, other conferences on all the regions, and provide “safe” events for charitable, theological conversations. We can pray together and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We can suggest changes in a considerate manner desiring the Holy Spirit to move upon the collective body. Then as gather at a General Assembly, the delegates vote as the Holy Spirit directs.

Conversation is our friend, not the enemy. Let’s reason together and come to a place like in Acts 15 where following a theological debate James concluded, “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15: 28). Isn’t that what we should be saying at the conclusion of every General Assembly? “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, that the Manual is our next four year agreed upon document.”

We need the Manual. We also need the Manual to be a living document filled with sanctified love.  It should be our unified document not our dividing rod. 

The Story of the Very Mean Shepherd by B.B. Wolf

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

Once upon a time there was a mean shepherd. Very mean. He wanted me to starve. Seriously, he refused to allow me get any tasty sheep from the flock he was tending. I tried. Believe me, I tried. When I thought he wasn’t looking, I hopped through the bushes, about to grab a yummy piece of mutton…then, “Whack!” He hit me right over the head with that long stick of his. He calls the stick a crook. He’s the crook. I should file assault charges against the guy. 

There was another time when he was bringing the herd in from a pasture, and one of the sheep got away. He didn’t realize it. I did. I saw the whole thing. The dumb sheep wandered off from the rest of the group, not paying attention to its surroundings at all. The mindless sheep was totally lost. I waited and waited. Not wanting to be detected by that overly aggressive shepherd, I knew if I just bided my time, I’d have a tasty dinner. Lamb chops are a delight if seasoned properly, but I digress. There were 100 sheep. Surely that annoying sheepherder wouldn’t notice one missing ewe. 

I can hear him counting, “97, 98, 99… where’s 100?  Number 100 is missing.”

He noticed. No joke. Then like a fool, he went out looking for that lousy directionally challenged sheep. Of course, I was in hiding ready to nab the lost wanderer. Never expecting that the bully with a crook would leave 99 protected sheep for the one unprotected sheep. Who would do that? He did. Wouldn’t you know it, he found that lamb too; tossed her over his shoulders and carried her back to the pen. Ugh. I hate that shepherd.

About the pen, you’ll never guess where that narcoleptic shepherd “sleeps.” In the door way. How can you sleep in a door way? You can’t. But that’s where he plants himself. Every night. All night. He’s like the gate to the pen. You can’t get to the sheep unless you get by him and his crook. He must sleep with one eye open, because I can never get pass that guy. I’m pretty sure, he is wise to me and my schemes.

But I’ve got a new plan. It’s fool proof. I’m going to get a sheep costume. I saw them in the Halloween store in town. I’ll dress up like a sheep. Wear the sheep’s clothing, if you will. How hard can it be to pretend to be a dumb sheep? It can’t be that baaaaaaad. (Sorry for the dad joke. My pups hate my puns). But I’ll fool that shepherd in my costume; get in the pasture and then take any sheep I want. By the time, that dumb sheepman realizes I’m not a sheep, I’ll be long gone with my dinner. Talk about fast food, I’ll be hoofing it out of there quicker than you can say, “Mary had a little lamb.” My name ain’t Mary, but, with a little luck, I’ll have a lamb. This plan is pure genius. Slurp! 

Here’s the deal: My goal in life is to get as many sheep as possible. Trick ‘em. Steal ‘em. Trap ‘em. Fool ‘em. Grab ‘em. I don’t care how I get them, I just want to get them. I’m relentless. I will keep trying until I get one too. The ones close to the shepherd, the ones practically glued to the guy, are nearly impossible to nab. But some of those dumb sheep will get their eyes off the shepherd and start playing too close to the boundaries the shepherd has set up. Those ones will surely step over the line and when they do, I’ll be there waiting. Licking my chops. 

You can be sure of this, I’ll keep trying or my name isn’t “Big Bad Wolf.”

Moral of the story: The safest place is next to the Shepherd (capital “S”). 

That ain’t holiness

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

The theological circles I run in are known for their adherence to holiness. We take serious God’s call to “Be holy as I am holy” (Leviticus 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:16). Sadly, it seems some in my tribe are confused as to what “holiness” entails. 

Allow me to offer a few tips (just “a few,” my list is not exhaustive) on holiness. Hopefully this clears up some of the muddle…

If your version of holiness is….

  • more about you than Jesus, that ain’t holiness.
  • unkind, unforgiving, unjoyful, unhumble that ain’t holiness.
  • unloving toward neighbors and enemies that ain’t holiness.
  • uncaring toward the poor and needy, that ain’t holiness.
  • focused on outward persona rather than inward purity, that ain’t holiness.
  • childish not child-like, that ain’t holiness.
  • bullying others on-line or in person, that ain’t holiness.
  • comparable to the Pharisees, that ain’t holiness.
  • hypocritical or hyper-critical, that ain’t holiness.
  • cliquish more than a welcoming, that ain’t holiness.
  • snooty and gossipy, that ain’t holiness.
  • attention seeking more than Jesus seeking, that ain’t holiness.
  • envious, greedy, lustful or prideful, that ain’t holiness.
  • rude, harsh and self-seeking, that ain’t holiness.
  • bombastic and belligerent, that ain’t holiness.
  • record keeping of wrongs, that ain’t holiness.
  • condemning the sin in others while covering up one’s sinful habits, that ain’t holiness.
  • pushing people out of the kingdom rather than inviting folks in, that ain’t holiness.
  • lacking in generosity, that ain’t holiness.
  • critical of social media mudslinging, then promptly slinging mud on social media, that ain’t holiness.
  • full of “gotcha questions” meant to trap and belittle, that ain’t holiness.
  • championing “truth” while telling half-truths and outright lies, that ain’t holiness. 
  • depicted by who you hate rather than who you love, that ain’t holiness.
  • fueling heated arguments rather than godly conversations, that ain’t holiness.
  • blind to the giant log in one’s own eye, yet judging the speck in someone else’s eye, that ain’t holiness.
  • more about legalism than charity, liberty and grace, that ain’t holiness.
  • dismissing the above list and getting defensive about the areas that reflect your own poor attitudes and behaviors, that ain’t holiness either.
  • Anything other than being like Jesus, quite simply…  it ain’t holiness. Period. 

Dear English majors, I know, “ain’t” isn’t a word. I also know the “holiness” that some folks proport to be “protecting” or “promoting” isn’t holiness. 

It’s something, but it’s not holiness. 

The Best Residence for the Aging Church of the Nazarene

On By Rob Prince4 Comments

The Church of the Nazarene (CotN) was founded on October 13, 1908. There are only three people currently living in the world who are older than the CotN: Maria Branyas born March 4, 1907;  Tomiko Itooka born May 23, 1908; and Inah Lucas  born June 8, 1908. That’s it. Just three people. Presumably none were at Pilot Point, Texas 116 years ago.

Obviously, denominations don’t age like people. Unlike people, many denominations are dead– they just don’t know it. Which got me thinking about the supercentenarian, Church of the Nazarene. If the CotN were an elderly person, what kind of care would be required for the old gal? 

The options for the elderly are:

Hospice care is mostly for people with less than a year to live. While there are those who exaggerate the demise of the CotN, no one thinks she will be dead in a year. Hospice is not the option. 

Palliative care is a treatment plan where all know the patient is not getting better, but health care providers try to make the person comfortable. It’s holding the hand and saying kind words until they pass away. It might be sooner, but it’s probably later. Is the Board of General Superintendents (BGS) simply holding the hand of a sick and probably dying denomination; offering little hope, but whispering nice (overly rosy) things in her ear? At times, it might seem like it, but there is still strong life bubbling in various places.

Memory care is provided to the patient who has forgotten who they are. Like in palliative care, the plan is to make the person comfortable–  not letting them hurt themselves or others. Some might say that the CotN has forgotten who she is and the principles on which she once stood. They conclude that  people are hurt because of her misremembering. But unlike the horrible corridors of a memory care unit, many still know, love and desire to live into the CotN’s history. Regaining those early principles is the challenge, but its history hasn’t been forgotten. 

Does anyone think the CotN is ready for Independent living? Many argue she is more divided than ever (see Jesus’ comments of feeble houses in times of division in Matthew 12). She isn’t as strong as she used to be. She needs help. Independent living seems out of the question at this contentious point.

That leaves Assisted Living as the last and best option. The church is not dead, but she needs support. Factionist’s witch hunts on the right and tantrum throwers on the left have threatened to end the via media that has characterized the church from its inception. Each far side’s critics claim the church is drifting toward the other’s extreme. They vocalize its doom on social media and try to pull her to their side. A tug-of-war has ensued for the CotN’s heart and soul. She needs assistance not a mortician. 

More than ever the CotN needs leadership. The original BGS member, Phineas F Bresee, famously said (not original to him): In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity. Current BGS members, charged with giving vision and direction, must remind the church of Bresee’s words. Shout it, if necessary. Like a traffic cop on a busy intersection point us back to the via media. Silence is death. It’s time to be heard. The rest of us must then follow in assisting the church to the via media. It’s moving (or staying) in the center of the narrow road, away from the extremists on either side. 

A healthy denominational assisted living is located on the via media and it’s where the CotN best resides. I’m still hopeful that’s will be our address.

Edited to read: This is NOT a new or a negative concept. The Church has always required ASSISTED LIVING. It’s the Lamb and His Bride; a marriage made in heaven, where God’s Holy people are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do Christ’s bidding for the Father’s glory. 

Edited to also add: I wrote on the Church of the Nazarene’s need for the middle road in 2021. You can read it here: https://wordpress.com/post/robprinceblog.com/1958

What Can Be Learned from the Closure of Eastern Nazarene College?

On By Rob Prince2 Comments

When the news broke that Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) was closing last week, it felt like a friend had died. Not a friend that you see every day, or even once in a while, but a friend nonetheless. Hearing that the doors were closing for good brought a deep sense of sadness over me. The news hit me hard for someone with no real connection to the school other than my “Nazarene-nerdy-ness.”

I have friends who graduated from ENC and who have been on the faculty and staff there. I heard stories of God’s faithfulness and provision through the life of ENC. I had only been on the campus of Eastern Nazarene College one time. It was back a few years, before Covid, we went on the Sunday morning to the Wollaston Church of the Nazarene on the campus of ENC. We walked around and saw the buildings. I was surprised on how close the campus was to the ocean. I thought it had such potential. Now it’s closed. 

When a loved one that I haven’t seen in a while passes, I think, “I knew she was sick, just not that sick. I wish I had known…” Could anything have been done to help ENC if we comprehended her dire circumstances? Maybe. Maybe not. I wish we had known…

Sometimes when attending the funeral of older relatives, I peruse the room and see kinfolk that I’ve only seen at funerals, the holidays or a random reunion. When greeting the distant cousins at the wake, I think, “Who will be next?  The matriarch has died. Who will be the next family member eulogized?” ENC’s closing made me think about the other Nazarene institutions in the same manner. Are others on life support? Is ENC’s passing a harbinger of more trouble in the Church of the Nazarene or is it an anomaly?  

I want to think ENC’s demise was caused by a dwindling student and Nazarene population in the Northeast. It wasn’t helped by an over saturated higher education system in Boston and the plethora of options from which prospective New England students might choose. I’m sure there are many more factors than the ones spouted off by some of my conspiracy-first-truth-later brothers and sisters on social media. Still, was ENC’s demise the first of many deaths or the unexpected and unfortunate passing in an otherwise healthy organization?

I fear it’s the former, not the latter. If it is the former, what can we do to stop the bleeding? How can we better communicate the urgency of those in dire straights without causing my aforementioned Chicken-Little-like, brothers and sisters (these social-media-dilettantes are on all sides of the theological/political spectrums, by the way) from further miscommunicating ill-informed opinions (I’m not casting stones. I’ve been there. I’ve probably had my share of ill-informed opinions too). 

How can we help the other institutions stay afloat and not hurt them, that’s the point?

Maybe now is simply a time to mourn the passing of a dear friend, but sometime soon we must examine our reality and make the necessary adjustments so more funerals don’t follow.