Are we doing it again?

By Phil Brown

Synod Executive

Bill McAtee, in his book, “Dreams, Where Have You Gone? Clues for Unity and Hope,” describes the litany of divisions of the Presbyterian church.

The book lists all the reasons for the splits and then recounts a reunion a few years later.

And then, interestingly enough, there’s a confession for each one … “our divisions really did little to strengthen the church during our divide.”

The author summarizes what was referred to as the “futility and unwisdom of having divided” (p. 59).

It’s odd and discouraging to me that we don’t seem to learn from our journey. In part, I believe, because we allow ourselves to become full – full of answers and ourselves rather than questions that serve the common good.

Are we set to go through this again?

We live and minister in very anxious times. Many of our congregations, and most of all our presbyteries and synods, are in times of significant transition, challenging our sense of groundedness in Jesus Christ and His church in whatever form it is becoming.

I invite you – wherever you may be on your journey – to shape a question that will allow you to be attuned and responsive to the Common Good.

Reflecting the world

by Phil Brown
Synod Executive

I like questions. I walk with questions – those for myself and those I ask. Good questions seek knowledge and understanding – foundational for Presbyterians.

You may wonder or can probably anticipate where questions led my commencement address (see the previous post) to Buena Vista University graduates.

I talked about the questions they had brought with them to college four years earlier. Is this the right place? Can I make it? Can I afford it? Will I find new friends?

And, based on their college experience, there were those questions upon leaving and moving into the world. You can guess some of them. Can I pay my debt? Will I get the grad school I want? Will I find the right Job? The right spouse? And on and on.

I had some real live answers to those questions because I’d interviewed a dozen or so students a few months earlier. I hoped that at least those students would be listening. I enjoyed and found meaningful the opportunity to share their comments.

But I needed then, and now, to move question a bit farther along. Keeping the question theme in the realm of academics only works so long. The graduates, each in their own way, needed to take that next step beyond their diploma.

And they were entering a world with incredible divisions, from our towns to our states to our country and across the globe. It was true last spring and it remains true today – think of the Super Committee and its inability to resolve differences. There’s the gap that exists between rich and poor – think of Occupy Wall Street. There are governments that are not of the people and for the people – look to the Middle East and the revolutions in the streets. Maybe our own nation?

Then think about how we live. There are amazing advances in technology and science – think Time magazine’s piece on technological singularity. There is a significant emphasis on the individual and far less on interpersonal community – unless the community is virtual.

There is a disappearing capacity to articulate and live out a moral life. And I know if I asked you, the list would multiply. The speed of communication is mimicked by rapid social change.

So my challenge to the graduating class, my challenge to you and, in its own separate way, my challenge to me is to formulate a question to carry – not just about individual lives and journeys, but about the common good.

What question do we live with that will lead us to serve the common good?

Do we see the disparities in the world around us, in the places we live, work or go to school? Where are the divisions? Where can we serve with our gifts? What difference can we make?

These days we seem to have more answers than questions, and we seek company among those who agree with us.

And we seem to be living that way as a church – a reflection of the world in which we live.

I don’t sense faithfulness to Jesus Christ in such behavior.

Living with a question

By Phil Brown

Synod Executive

Last spring I had the opportunity to speak to a group of college graduates – commencement at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. It proved to be a fascinating challenge for me because I’m more accustomed to addressing some shape and form of a church group.

It’s a pretty heady experience to be asked to address commencement, but when I thought about it, I realized – and this may be true for you – that I couldn’t remember much about any commencement in which I’d received a degree.

So I did a little research among friends and colleagues and sure enough, the same response. They’d say, “I don’t even remember who spoke.” But they all said assuredly, “I’m certain you’ll do just fine, Phil.” How encouraging.

This could be a futile effort, I thought. It will take a lot of work to prepare something and the graduates won’t remember anything – possibly by the time they recess.

Without more detail about getting to the next step, I finally thought of the challenge posited to my younger son during his graduate school experience. His faculty advisor affirmed Jess’ disciplined study habits, but he challenged Jess to prepare a question for each class or lab time based on his preparation.

It reminded me of a quote by Albert Einstein: “If I had one hour to find an answer to something on which my life depended, I’d spend the first 55 minutes framing the right question. Once I did that, I know I can resolve the problem in less than five minutes.”

Jess’ advisor observed that it’s one thing to prepare and take in all the reading and note writing, but it’s quite another to craft a question for the next classroom or lab experience. The effect, the professor said, is that the process expands your learning capacity. Your antenna will be up, the advisor said. Your mind will be seeking uses, looking for what’s different, inquiring about what’s missing, asking what you need to know. It’s the way you need to examine the material you consume before coming to class.

That’s a great idea.

But it wasn’t the end of the challenge.

The advisor urged him to shape another question coming away from his classroom or lab experience. It’s a question that looks ahead. You want to know where all that leads. You want to know what you’ve learned. You want to know what’s missing. You want to know about the impact of what you’ve just seen or heard.

The advisor assured him that to leave a class, an experience, with a question on his mind will open up the whole world for a response.

The instruction – to carry a question – is as valuable to us as it is to any graduate student.

When I do, I receive input from surprising places, people and sources because my life is living a question rather than answer.