A couple of weeks ago I went to a local Bible class. It’s the first time (I think, anyway) I’ve ever been to a church event not affiliated with Christadelphians. We don’t have a midweek class here, and I want that. I read and study on my own, but I want to have discussions with people. There are ecclesias that stream their classes, but most are on Wednesday or Thursday when I’m in class (see update below). I need a Tuesday.
I thought and prayed about it, asked a few people what they thought about it. And then I did it. It was interesting. Here are some observations.
The class was affiliated with a local church, and was for those in their 20’s and 30’s. I think there were about 15 of us total. The family hosting the class was nice – a little older than most of the attendees, with two young kids. They were going through 1 Corinthians, and happened to be on 1 Cor. 11 the week I went. I was really intrigued and looking forward to hearing their thoughts on communion and head coverings.
It’s always awkward going somewhere new. They visited for an insanely long time before starting. I’ve learned that it’s OK to just sit and listen to people chat, and not feel the need to jump right in and be one of the group. A couple of people were teachers, and were familiar with ABA, and that led to some discussion.
We read the chapter and discussed section by section. The guy leading the class said straightforwardly that this chapter might be difficult for some. He talked a little about culture, but said it’s really not agreed upon exactly what the headcovering issue was about and whether it’s still relevant. Most of the discussion on this was similar to what I’ve heard before.
Some things I noticed that were the same and different. There was less direct reference to the Bible. The guy leading had some background, and made a few references to other passages. I don’t know if he’s had formal training as a pastor or not, but he did have some knowledge base. The attendees did not seem familiar with the passage on head coverings, and they didn’t refer to other passages. This is not a criticism; just a difference. In most Christadelphian audiences, the audience is already fairly familiar with the topic. Most of the discussion on head coverings had to do with reconciling the current worldview to what Paul seemed to be saying here. There was no scoffing or disagreeing with Paul; just trying to understand. I thought it was a healthy discussion, and impressive for young people unfamiliar with this passage. Then again, we’re in the Bible Belt, so conservative takes on roles of men and women are common.
Another difference was they generally used more “emotive” language, for lack of a better term. They used “churchy” words. Again, this is not a criticism (though I know that word “churchy” can be used that way; I’m not using it pejoratively). They talked about “lifting up” someone in prayer, God showing His sovereignty over an issue, etc. Phrases that I don’t hear too often in circles I’m in. At the end, there were prayer requests, and they took turns praying after each one. Women took part in this as well. I don’t get the idea that women do the regular Sunday preaching at their church, but they probably have a little bit more leader-ish role than in Christadelphia.
There wasn’t too much discussion on the part about the Lord’s supper, because we ran out of time. One person remarked that they found it unbelievable how casually those first century Christians must have been taking that service. They contrasted it with how today when you take communion, you are very thoughtful about the whole process. Apparently their church does communion once a month, which I know is fairly common. I had never really thought about why this is. The leader of the group brought this up, and said that he sees pros and cons. He said that the idea is that you can be more contemplative if it’s something that does not just become a mundane routine. But he also said he kind of likes the idea of doing it more often. I thought it was interesting that he was not afraid to criticize the way the church does certain things, and was not at all defensive about discussing concepts like that.
They also talked a lot about how to be more inclusive. They said that big churches can seem intimidating because people think they’ll be pressured to give money. They wanted to find ways to reach out to those who may have that impression, which they said was false at their church.
So, would I go again? Yes. If the stars aligned and it worked out perfectly for my schedule, I would. More than likely, I will go occasionally – when I don’t need to walk the dog, do homework, or have another obligation. I didn’t love it, but I was interested. I think it is good to talk to people with different beliefs and see where they’re coming from. I tend to isolate myself, and it wouldn’t hurt to have some social contacts in Fayetteville. Just kidding. Let’s not go crazy.
Last night I was considering going again. But it was rainy and I just didn’t want to get out. By chance, I happened to be reminded that the Illinois Bible Education Center has a Bible class on Tuesday nights. I asked if I could Skype in, and I did. I will probably do that on a semi regular basis, and may be able to join their ladies’ class on Tuesdays too. But it’s nice to now have options on Tuesdays, if for no other reason than so that I know what I’m skipping in order to hang out with my pup instead.
I’ve only really watched hockey since the last Olympics. I was staying with a good friend while I was home from South Africa, and she was into it. I even randomly decided to go to a hockey game in DC last year, because I figured I might as well. My only other experience with hockey was when NLR briefly had a team (they started out being called the “Razor Blades,” but the Razorbacks threatened to sue; so they switched to “River Blades.”) Our ecclesia briefly toyed with having a CYC when I was a teen. So once a month one family was supposed to plan an event, and my father planned for us to go to a hockey game. We kinda snickered about it, since it was like violent and stuff. But whatever.
Next Comes Africa 