Mike King

Bullying! How We Should Respond?

 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Jesus Christ

One of the most difficult things I’ve ever experienced in my four decades of youth ministry was to serve as a Pallbearer for the funeral of one of a 13-year-old boy in my youth group.  Paul was the victim of repeated bullying by a large group of peers that tragically left Paul with the mistaken conclusion that his reality was too unbearable and he chose to end his own life.  This happened nearly 30 years ago.  Unfortunately, bullying has gotten much worse in the last ten years.

Right now the movie documentary Bully, along with several highly publicized  cases involving tragic results because of bullying among teenagers, has created a heightened awareness of the frightening dynamic of this issue in our culture.

Working with adolescents, we regularly hear stories of young people who everyday have to deal with being bullied.  Everyday, hundreds of thousands of young people have to deal with the fear of attending school where they know they will be bullied.  It’s estimated that an average of more than 150,000 young people stay home from school everyday to avoid being bullied.  Most of the time this occurs without parents being aware that it’s happening to their child. 

Bullying involves acts of repetitive negative behavior of a person or persons toward another person or persons that is aggressive and intimidating in nature.  Bullying can take the forms of emotional, verbal, and/or physical abuse.  Bullying can be a one-on-one issue but most often it involves a collaborative group engaged in peer abuse directed at one or more individuals.

Research reveals that young people who are regularly bullied face an increased risk of mental health issues.  Depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, despair, helplessness, and suicidal thoughts prevail among those who are dealing with being perpetually bullied. In addition to thinking about harming themselves, some begin to fanaticize about hurting their tormenters.  According to a report by the Secret Service, two-thirds of students who participated in school shootings were victims of bullying at school that had reached the level of self-described “torment.”

Mona O’Moore of the Anti-Bullying Centre at Trinity College in Dublin, has written, "There is a growing body of research which indicates that individuals, whether child or adult, who are persistently subjected to abusive behavior are at risk of stress related illness which can sometimes lead to suicide."

In addition to aggressive and physical actions that intimidate and harm the victims of bullying there are new forms of bullying that have emerged through social media.  This type of Cyber-bullying attempts to socially isolate the victim by spreading rumors, name calling, threatening, criticizing, manipulating, ostracizing, etc. through a variety of social medias, including Facebook, Twitter, and whatever new social media tools emerged last week, along with those that will surface this week.

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, One in five teenagers are harassed regularly online. Almost one-half of all teenagers have experienced some form of online harassment. More than one-third (37%) of teens admit to using social networking sites to victimize and harass their peers.

Before we, as adults, rest in the idea that we have moved beyond the ability to bully, let me suggest that we may not engage in the overt bullying actions of adolescents but we must ask ourselves if we have not just adopted more sophisticated forms of bullying – gossip, character assassination, ostracizing, sabotaging, and exclusionary behavior toward others.

When Jesus was asked what it means to truly be his follower he says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself” Luke 10:27.  He then tells one of the best-known stories called the parable of the Good Samaritan in order to explain and explore the heart of what it means to be a genuine follower of Christ.  In this parable Jesus commends the man who comes to the rescue and takes care of a victim of extreme bullying.  We must stand up for those who are being bullied. Christians must speak up.  We have to take action concerning this issue

What is Youthfront doing about this issue?

• Teaching young people to treat all people with respect and the love, grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
• Teaching young people the Golden Rule taught by Jesus, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12
• Teaching and mentoring young people the importance of defending and standing up for the marginalized victims of bullying.

What can parents do?

• Talk to your kids about bullying.
• Go see the movie Bully with your age appropriate kids.
• Educate yourself on your kid’s world, their friends and the social environments they spend time in.
• Be appropriately curious of your kid’s social media world.

I believe that we have a window of opportunity created by this movie Bully and the media’s attention on this issue to double down our effort to radically alter the reality of bullying in our culture.  This, I believe is something that the followers of Jesus and God’s church must passionately engage in.  We must do this for our kids.

Resources                                                                                                                                          The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, www.cpyu.org                                                          Wikipedia

How About... Farewell to the Rapture?

In light of all the recent goofiness surrounding the long expected Rapture happening last weekend (it didn't happen did it?), I think it's time to say "Farewell Rapture."

Are there any serious New Testament Scholars out there who believe in the North American invention of RAPTURE?  NO?  I didn't think so...  The problem is - a lot of North American Christian believe in the idea of Rapture (a word not found in Scripture). 

The good thing that has come out of the Left Behind series and further fueled by the latest Harold Camping fiasco targeting May 21, is that the eschatological framework involving Rapture and the left behind script has moved into the realm of being caricatured which makes it more easy to dismiss as a non-biblical concept. 

N.T. Wright wrote an article entitled "Farewell to the Rapture" in 2001.  Wright writes rightly, "Little did Paul know how his colorful metaphors for Jesus’ second coming would be misunderstood two millennia later.  The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated." 

Read article here.

 

Where are you staying?

Erik Leafblad, a fellow Youthfront staff member, spoke at Jacob's Well this morning.  As always, Erik did a great job of preaching.  The text was John 1:35-42.  This is a text that has powerfully shaped my life and it was wonderful to hear my friend Erik speak about this pericope.

I wrote about my experience with this text in Presence Centered Youth Ministry.  Here is an excerpt;

Looking back, it was a major crossroad in my life.  I needed to get away and hear from God.  During my week with Jesus I focused on a portion of scripture in John 1:35-39. 

"The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”  ³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o”clock in the afternoon."

I read this text practicing Lectio Divina several times a day.  I used phrases from it to center myself.  I meditated, contemplated and prayed with this amazing text.  Four days into my retreat I climbed up the side of a mountain, rolled out a blanket and used the Ignatian prayer exercise of imaginative prayer to interact with the words. 

I determined to imagine and pray through this text in real time.  I didn’t have to spend a lot of time imagining the geography, the smells, the sounds, because I have been to Israel twenty times, so I know approximately where this event took place.  I know what the Jordan River looks like near the Dead Sea, close to Jericho.  I know what the weather is like, how thick the vegetation is near the meandering banks of the Jordan River.  I was able to fixate on what may of happened when Jesus came over the bank and headed toward John the Baptist and his delegation. 

I imagined myself sitting around John’s breakfast fire with his disciples, listening as his disciples began to discuss the plans for another day of baptizing.  I imagined the personalities of these people who would follow the unconventional “baptizer” into this desolate area.  And then, Jesus came through the thick vegetation over the bank toward John’s camp next to the Jordan River.  John stopped mid-sentence and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"  I saw John and his cousin Jesus embrace. 

Jesus and the few who were with him joined us around the fire.  I imagined what it would have been like to hear stories of Jesus and John’s boyhood visits to each other’s families.  I heard laughter along with serious discussions of God and the coming kingdom. 

And then Jesus abruptly rose to leave.  They said their goodbyes and Jesus and his few followers left.  The two disciples of John followed Jesus and I imagined myself right behind them, going along to see what would happen.  We hit a trail through the thicket heading into the desert.  As we came into a clearing Jesus turned around, seeing the two disciples of John following him. 

What happened next is just as real to me as if I was actually there in the text.  I have shared this experience about a dozen and a half times, never without tears because of how deeply this impacted me, even writing this now is very emotional. 

When Jesus turned around, the two disciples of John whom I was following parted like the Red Sea and Jesus came right up to me, face to face.  Jesus looked past my eyes into my heart and soul. 

“Mike, what do you want?” 

I fell at the feet of Jesus and wept, pouring my heart out, praying, confessing, and in the end my answer was the same as John’s disciples.  “Where are you staying?”  “Because that is right where I want to be.  I want you Jesus.  I want to remain with you.  To go where you go, to learn from you, to love you, to be with you.” 

For one year after that experience I meditated everyday on this text.  I have often used imaginative prayer since that experience.  Many times the Holy Spirit has met me and spoken to me.  Although, never with the intensity that I experienced God that day on the side of a mountain.  But that day changed me profoundly and is something I will have for the rest of my life, for Jesus said, “Come, and you will see.”1

1 Mike King, Presence Centered Youth Ministry: Guiding Students into Spiritual Formation (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2006), pp. 183-85.

This account was originally published in Tony Jones, The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), pp. 77-79

The Root of ALL EVIL

Andy Root and I sparring it up a bit in the comment section of this week's Slant33 on the question, "In what ways are reading Scripture and letting Scripture read us different?"

Timely verse...

My church sends out scripture through text messaging for the daily office.  The scripture I received this morning was from Isaiah 58:10,

if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness

The cool thing about this text is that I received it as I was walking into Eggtc to begin an all day meeting to help another organization launch the Feed the Hunger initiative.

Reading Scripture Against Ourselves

I have participated for a couple of months in a reading group with several guys.  We have read  Reading in Communion by Stephen Fowl and Gregory Jones which has led to some great dialogue.  Tomorrow we wrap up with the last chapter called Living and Dying in the Word.  Our discussions have been honest and informative.  We have challenged each other to be willing to read the Scripture against ourselves.  We are so prone to read the Scripture in ways that conform to our opinions, philosophies, and dogma.  We use Scripture to control people instead of allowing Scripture to change us, convict us and form us.  I'm excited about our discussion tomorrow because this chapter looks at how Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived deeply in the Scripture.

Bonhoeffer points to a time in his life when he was more Theologian than a Christian.  Bonhoeffer had always been a student of the Bible but he acknowledges that he had primarily read Scripture for himself instead of over-against himself.

Bonhoeffer writes, "Has it not become terrifyingly clear again and again, in everything that we have said here to one another, that we are no longer obedient to the Bible?  We are more fond of our own thoughts than of the thoughts of the Bible.  We no longer read the Bible seriously, we no longer read it against ourselves, but for ourselves."

It is cool to me that Bonhoeffer makes this comment at a youth conference.  Bonhoeffer has an awakening that helps him realize that he had been inculturated into readings of the Bible that were very nationalistic and overly conformed to his church upbringing.  Bonhoeffer begins a spiritual journey that seems very similar to many people around me.  Bonhoeffer begins to spend more time meditating on Scripture, engaging in communal spiritual practices and reading Scripture over-against himself.  Bonhoeffer came to Harlem in New York and is profoundly impacted by becomming a part of an African-American Community.  He realizes that many ways he had read certain Scriptures took on new depth when read in context of his new community.

Another one of our discussions (especially in context of youth ministry) has to do with evangelism and proclamation.  According to the authors of Reading in Community, "In Bonhoeffer's view, the presentation of the gospel is best achieved not through methodological principles or through the attempt to make Scripture 'relevent'.  It is achieved when people are willing to learn to allow the present age in general, and our lives in particular, to be interrogated by the Scriptures."

Reading in Communion

We have a group of mostly youth workers, led by Erik Leafblad, who are meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the book Reading in Communion by Stephen Fowl and Gregory Jones.  I wrestled through Chapter One uninspired but Chapter Two is very thought provoking.  Chapter Two is entitled Reading in the Communion of Disciples: Learning to Become Wise Readers of Scripture.  The authors emphasize the role practical wisdom plays in the interpretation of Scripture.  Interpretation of Scripture involves a "lifelong process of learning to become a wise reader... capable of embodying that reading in life." 

A community that reads and interprets Scripture together is necessary because "our complicity in sin leaves us captive to destructive patterns of life.  Such captivity undermines our ability to read Scripture well.  Liberation from our captivity requires an ongoing process of being formed and transformed by God's grace in and through the friendships and practices of Christian communities."

The authors stress the importance of Christian communities to hold each other accountable not to read Scripture in a way that ends up supporting "our agenda."  We must be virtuous and disciplined to read the Scriptures "over-against ourselves"  Fowl and Jones offer suggestions to help communities to read "over-against ourselves."  "...we must be willing to be interrogated by Scripture in addition to interrogating Scripture... Scripture's interrogatory power will come to any community through the voices of interpreters with well-formed character within the community and concerned outsiders."

I read this chapter on Saturday, the day after experiencing a great example of the thoughts in this post.  Eleven Youthfront ministry staff gathered in the Wilburforce Conference Room at the Demdaco Headquarters.  We were working on the spiritual content for camp this summer.  We will be living all summer in Luke 15, more specifically, the story of The Prodigal Son.  We have spent months discussing these scriptures, praying through them, meditating on them, and discussing how to bring young people into the transformation power of this sacred text.  On Friday we were discussing ways to create applied learning experiences with Luke 15:17 "And having come to himself..."  We had a dialogue about this phrase that I believe is a perfect example of wrestling with Scripture in a communal fashion that leads to the fleshing out of the power of Scripture.  I don't really believe it is possible to describe what happened in the context of our community as we encountered together the living Scripture but I know that this kind of communal interaction with Holy Scripture is essential for vibrant Christian Communities.  I wonder why so many people working in ministries and churches speak often about how little time they spend together as a staff praying, reading scripture, discussing theology and seeking the Holy Spirit's leading. 

Christian communities, churches and ministries are legitimately empowered as spiritual communities through the Scripture because the Word of the Lord is our source and context for discerning what it actually means to be a people seeking to live faithfully in the way of The WORD, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mercy

While reading the Matthew’s Gospel this morning I came to the account of Jesus having  dinner with tax collectors and sinners which led to criticism from the Pharisees (Matthew 9:10-13).  Jesus responds by saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”  Jesus then challenges all assembled to “go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”  When Jesus asks them to “go and learn what this means,” he is referring to the Old Testament reference from Hosea 6:6 which he quotes. 

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

Obviously, Jesus thinks this passage from Hosea is important because he refers to it again in Matthew 12:3-7.  In this text Jesus is walking through grain fields on the Sabbath and his disciples pluck heads of grain, rub them in their hands to free the kernels to eat.  They were hungry.  According to the Pharisees’ interpretation of the Law (which of course, they were convinced, was always right) the disciples were breaking the Sabbath by working (harvesting the grain.)  Jesus responds and again refers to Hosea 6:6.

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

I would do well to heed these words of our Lord Jesus Christ and order my life to be first and foremost about mercy, love and passion for God and others instead of allowing myself the smug place of the Pharisee who measures faithfulness to God by categories of “rightness” and the self-appointed responsibility of guarding the “TRUTH.”  Yes, truth is important but Truth is manifest perfectly in a person – Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The magnificence of reading through the Gospels (for the ???? time) reminds me of the beauty and compelling life of Jesus Christ who perfectly manifests the reality of Hosea 6:6, the human way of acknowledging the Father through a life of mercy and love.

Joseph and Mary find their "lost" son...

Last Sunday Tim Keel preached on Luke 2:41-52, the account of Joseph and Mary finding their lost son Jesus in the Temple.  The learning moment for me was the importance of us finding Jesus and being where Jesus is at work instead of expecting Jesus to follow us around endorsing our activities.  Jesus was in the temple (vs 46) 1) sitting 2) listening 3) asking; which are three important aspects of discernment and learning.

Tim posted on his blog a poem by Billy Brame and a meditation from Sunday's text by Daniel King.  I've known Billy through his involvement with Youthfront and of course Daniel is my son.  Billy's poem set the stage and Daniel's meditation had my tears flowing.  Yes, I'm proud and moved... read Tim's post and you will see why.

A Pericope from Jeremiah for today...

Jeremiah 7:1-15 - The Temple Sermon

Jeremiah 7:1-15 is often called The Temple Sermon.  This pericope is very relevant to the contemporary conversation concerning justice and the manner in which the Church of Jesus Christ should respond to issues such as poverty, oppression and immigration.  The theme of God’s preferential option for the poor; taking care of orphans and widows; and embracing the “least of these” was not a new concept that Jesus introduced during his earthly ministry.  These issues are revealed throughout scripture as an integral aspect of the character of God. 

The beginning of this text states that this is a word that came to Jeremiah directly from God.  Jeremiah is instructed to proclaim this message at an important and symbolic location – “the gate of the Lord’s house.”  Those who came to the temple to worship were expected to embrace “powerful ethical demands.”  Those who enter the temple to worship are worshipping a God who insists on obedience to God’s covenant commands.  Jeremiah makes it clear – God’s people needed to amend their ways and reform their allegiance to God’s covenantal requisites.  God’s promises and blessing for his people were contingent on their faithfulness to his commands.  Jeremiah’s fellow Jerusalemites held the erroneous view that they were protected because God’s Temple was in their city.  This thinking is not unlike many North American Christians who view their favor with God being correlated to the idea that somehow North America is God’s country, a new Israel.  God speaks through Jeremiah to set them straight, calling for a reformed attitude and a renewed behavior.  Jeremiah sets forth the conditions that should be met in verses 5-6.  Jeremiah addresses the propensity of God’s people to foolishly chase idols and foreign gods. The end of the text deals with the reality that judgment would come.  What God had done to Shiloh was the same thing God would do to Jerusalem and all of Judah.

This text focuses on the sin – corporate sin – of the people of God.  So many negative effects surface when we focus our preaching only on “individual” sin.  “Assuaging individual guilt encourages a privatized faith, and a merely privatized faith runs counter to everything in the Judeo-Christian Canon.” (Passion, Power, and Purpose; Coleson, pg 30)  The Church of Jesus Christ must respond with a more biblical responsibility to the needs for justice.  This text reminds us that God will judge us based on these issues (Matthew 25).  

I think many North American Evangelicals assume that the idea of justice is something liberals schemed up and even more believe the concept of taking care of “the least of these” was first initiated by Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry.  Addressing these issues from the Old Testament broadens the scope of understanding.

  <-- Jeremiah, the Prophet by Rembrandt

The Text

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ^2 Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. ^3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. ^4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”

^5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, ^6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, ^7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.

^8 Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. ^9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, ^10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!”—only to go on doing all these abominations? ^11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord. ^12 Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. ^13 And now, because you have done all these things, says the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently, you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, ^14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your ancestors, just what I did to Shiloh. ^15 And I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out all your kinsfolk, all the offspring of Ephraim.  Jeremiah 7:1-15 ^[1] 

---

^[1]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville