We Lack a "Holy Rage"

I came across something that struck me from Danish pastor Kaj Munk as I was reading Michael Frost's book Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture. I am not finished reading the book, so this is by no means a review. Frost argues that Christ Followers must be able to speak against the normative way of life and be prepared to live a life of justice, mercy, and love that reflects the character of Jesus (p.20). Here is where Frost introduces Kaj.

Kaj Munk was an outspoken opponent against the German Occupation of Denmark in WWII. He was arrested after he had defied a Nazi ban, and his body was found in a ditch the next morning.

This is what Munk writes:

What is, therefore, the task of the preacher (or the church) today? 

Shall I answer: "Faith, hope and love"? 

That sounds beautiful.

     But I would say--Courage. 

     No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth.    

Our task today is recklessness.

For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature,

     we lack a holy rage.

The recklessness that comes from the knowledge of God and humanity.

The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets...

     and when the lie rages across the face of the earth--

          a holy anger about things that are wrong in the world.

To rage against the ravaging of God's earth,

     and the destruction of God's world.

To rage when little children must die of hunger

     when the tables of the rich are sagging with food.

To rage at the senseless killing of so many,

     and against the madness of militaries.

To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of 

destruction--Peace.

To rage against complacency. 

To recklessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change

     human history until it conforms with the norms of the Kingdom of God.

And remember the signs of the Christian Church have always been-- 

     the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish...

          but never the chameleon.

For the First...wait, Third Time in My Life

The First time...I looked around me, surrounded by friends, eager with anticipation for the bright future ahead, about to walk the stage hoping I don't trip on my robe.

The Second time...I looked around me, surrounded by strangers, a bit uneasy as I waited for the commencement address from some chancellor I did not know, waiting for the next stage of life. I wondered, where to go after this degree?

The Third time...well, I'm about to go through it again for the third time. Do you know by now what I'm talking about?

Graduation. 

Entering a new season of life. 

Just two years ago in January of 2012, I met the woman who would become the love of my life, Anna Suk (and we are going to get married this September!). She has been such a central part of my journey, in my shaping as a man of God, and in my calling to be a more loving lover of God and of people. Thank you, Anna, for supporting me through the tough nights of cramming papers and assignments, for teaching me to listen well, and for opening my eyes to God's love, which I see through you.

Thank you dad for encouraging me all the way and showing me how God's kingdom intersects every aspect of our lives.

Thank you mom for dealing with me even when I'm in tired and grumpy moods and don't help around the house. You are the best mom I could ask for.

Thank you Athan for teaching me about humility and patience. Being your big brother has taught me in the past few years to shout less and listen more, teach less and ask questions more.

All right. Mushy sentimental thank you-s are done for now, so let me tell you a little bit about what's going on in this season of my life. You probably all have some questions for me.

So what exactly is an M.Div. and what have you learned from it?

M.Div. stands for "Master of Divinity." Oh, so now I'm a master of the divine arts, or I'm more divine? (you may be wondering this) Well, not exactly. In the past four years, the simplest way I can put it is that I have been pursuing God and getting to know him (through the lens of theology, history, philosophy, language, and biblical analysis). This includes studying the thinking and history of people around the world, and understanding how we are shaped by different world views (i.e. Why does our culture have a negative view of the future? Why did we have a positive view of the future prior to the 1980s? Don't believe me? Just think about all the futuristic movies you can name. I'll give you a start. The Matrix).

I also get to dig deeper into the world view of the Bible, and learn to ask good questions, like:

Why should I care about a text that was written 2000 years ago? How can I trust it?
Why does the Old Testament matter if all we need is Jesus?
What exactly is the Gospel?
How will that affect the way I live?

Or perhaps, let me put it this way.

When I first came to Regent in 2010, I thought I knew all I had to know about God, the Bible, and Church. I thought I simply needed a degree to become a "pastor." As I studied the course of history in the past 2000 years, I realized how little I knew about the whole people of God. As I opened my eyes to reading Scripture the way it was written for its original audience, I realized how limited my perspective was. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. I am increasingly getting to know:
1) God 
2) Myself 
3) The whole people of God 
4) Creation (as in, the earth that we live in).

If the questions I raised are issues you struggle with, you should talk with me! Or, you can find out more about the M.Div and M.A. programs on Regent's website HERE

That's great, but where are you going with all that learning?

For the first time in my life, I feel that I don't have things under control. 

That's a good thing, because...

Hello, my name is Ignatius and I am a control freak.

As I have learned to surrender more to witness how God is working in me and with the people around me, my eyes have been opened to see where God is working, instead of trying to create God-moments out of my own skill. Here's what I see where I'm at.

There's a lot of disconnect around my church context, with culture and language being "barriers" to becoming a family. As a church with Chinese speaking adults and English speaking young people, it's not easy to connect. Our vision at REC English Ministry is "Strangers Becoming Family in Jesus." I believe that my role will involve bridging the gaps and making connections among the youth, adults, and even children.

So I hear you're getting married...?

 Yes, Anna and I are getting married at REC in September and it will be a blast! There's definitely a lot to prepare, not so much for the wedding itself but more so for marriage life. That's really challenging but also really exciting! I can't wait for married life. For those of you who are already married, we would love to hear from you if you want to share stories with us.

What will it look like being a newly married pastor?

I believe, as my coach Dr. Terry Walling says, that a leader grows the most through times of transition. Getting married will be a huge transition and will help me to unlearn selfish habits of life so that I can learn a selfless way of living. Since so many of the people I am with in my community are often going through transitions, I think that I will readily identify with the struggles we are all going through.

Iggy, you seem to be always busy. How's this last term going to be for you?

This will indeed be a busy term. I am finishing off 2 distance courses. I have 3.5 on campus courses. This is because one of the courses I am taking is 3 credits spread over 2 terms. Hence, it is worth 1.5 credits this term, which means half of a course. So as of now, I have 5.5 courses total, equalling 16.5 credits! That's crazy, because 9 credits is already considered a full term at Regent since it's masters level courses.

I do feel that I am in this season of life in which I'm sprinting towards the finish line (of my education). So, I'm not too worried, but I assure you that I will be busy and relying on the Holy Spirit all the way. That includes your prayers and the encouraging words and presence that you will share with me.

How can we pray for you in this time?

Pray that I will be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit speaks through people (both Christ Followers and those who do not yet follow Jesus), the Bible, and my studies at Regent. In particular, I sense God is continuing to show me how to surrender control to him. In a time of transition, it is tempting to want to plan everything perfectly. However, I think the Bible calls us to prepare the way for the kingdom (think, John the Baptist). Pray that I can prepare my heart, body and soul for the kingdom work that God wants to do in my life and community.

Are you doing any non-churchy/non-academic things?

Yes! I am aiming to exercise 3 times a week and get fit for my wedding. For now I'm using a workout app, but I will hope to continue running outdoors when the weather turns warmer.