Interview with John van der Laar

John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is also an author, having recently completed his second book – “The Hour that Changes Everything: How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be,” which you can read about in our book review section.

John is one of the leading thinkers in the area of Christian worship in South Africa, and so we decided to interview him to gain a little more perspective and insight into this vital topic. The interview will be released over two parts, and this is the first of them.

SW: John, I really enjoyed reading your book, and found it really helpful to me personally as a leader of worship. What inspired you to write this book?

John: I've been leading worship, and training leaders and congregations for a long time. I've had really good responses to my material, and I've given the act of worship a lot of thought and prayer, and done a lot of research over the years. Last year someone at one of my seminars asked me if I had put any of my material in writing, and I realised that I hadn't really done that yet, which felt strange to me, since I am a writer. So, this year I decided the time was right to finally put my ideas down on paper, and hopefully share them with a wider audience.

SW: Can you share a little about what worship means to you personally?

John: Personally, worship is the defining act of my life. It's not an escape from the world into a weekly retreat where I am "blessed". Rather, it's my primary spiritual discipline - a constant opening of myself to God's Presence, God's challenge and God's purpose. Worship is what drives and empowers everything I do. The act of encountering God defines me and leads me into my daily life with a desire to recognise God's work in every moment, every situation and every person, and then cooperate with that work in whatever way I can. I guess, worship is what "wakes me up" to the world and God's work in it, and it's what inspires and empowers me to contribute to the world in whatever small ways I can.

SW: Who has been the biggest influence on your life in terms of shaping and challenging you as a worship leader?

John: As a Methodist, the Wesley brothers have been a huge inspiration. Learning about the history of the Methodist movement, and how England was changed - some say saved from a bloody revolution like the one in France - through the early Methodists has been a huge challenge to me. Of course, the way they used hymnody and worship to impact their society has been a massive inspiration. Charles Wesley's hymns, and the high value John Wesley placed on worship was a very big part of the impact they had on their nation. In my own way, I pray that I can have at least some fraction of that kind of impact through my work. In addition, there are some great thinkers and writers today who have influenced how I think about faith, and by extension, the worship that expresses my faith and nurtures it. People like Brian McLaren and Matthew Fox - who both do incredibly creative things with worship gatherings - and others like Marcus Borg and, more recently, Peter Rollins have also had a big influence.

(You can visit www.sacredise.com to order a copy of John's book or for more articles by him, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts).

The second part of the interview will be released shortly.

World hunger stats for 2010 are released

The Food and Agriculture Organisation recently released its 2010 statistics concerning global undernourishment and said that the overall figure has dropped for the first time in 15 years. However, this welcome drop should only be viewed alongside the harsh truth that last year’s statistic was a record high.

As of this year, some 925 million people are undernourished, while last year, the figure stood at 1.02 billion.

This is why the FAO emphasized that the new number of hungry people in the world is far from the ultimate goal.

There are eight social goals agreed by the 189 U.N. member states in 2000, one of which included halving the proportion of people who suffered from hunger in 1990 by the year 2015.

In 2010, however, people living under conditions of extreme hunger make up 16 percent of the world’s population, while in 1990, about 20 percent of the population was undernourished.

“The fact that nearly a billion people remain hungry even after the recent food and financial crises have largely passed indicates a deeper structural problem,” the FAO remarked in its report.

“Governments should encourage increased investment in agriculture, expand safety nets and social assistance programs, and enhance income-generating activities for the rural and urban poor,” the agency recommended.

David Beckmann of Bread for the World, explained in a press conference on Monday that most people who are hungry are simply so because they are poor.

“Globally, we tend to focus on these disaster situation and they are important,” said Beckmann, who worked at the World Bank for 15 years. “But 95 percent of the hungry people are just out in remote Mozambique [for example] and they’re just damn poor and kids just die and there are no TV cameras. That’s the way it’s always been.”

Beckmann, who is a 2010 World Food Prize laureate, said that both individuals and companies should not only donate, but also advocate strenuously on behalf of the hungry and poor, since so much of world hunger is caused by structural problems.

An ActionAid report released this week stated that out of the 28 developing countries it studied, the majority were failing to halve hunger by 2015.

Sizzling sex and Christian marriage

Can the phrases ‘sizzling sex’ and ‘Christian marriage’ be used together in the same sentence?

For many, those two thoughts seem opposable rather than naturally linked together. Hot, passionate sex is not normally associated with Christianity in any way or form, but according to an article written by Jonathan Acuff, a Belief Blog contributor, this is a crying shame.

Acuff begins his article by taking issue with something that “pop princess” Katy Perry (the daughter of a pastor) recently said:

“I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen.”

Acuff argues that this type of thinking is incorrect and that Christians should do a much better job in connecting God with vibrant and passionate sexuality because divorcing the two is intrinsically harmful. He writes:

“That’s what we’ve been told. That God and sex don’t go together. And if you say something enough times, people start to believe it’s true…. You can’t have both in the same bottle. They’re oil and water. Cats and dogs. Spencer and Heidi. They just don’t go together.”

Acuff says that while the church is right to teach that sex outside of marriage is not right, it also should teach that “sex when you’re married is awesome.”

Acuff mentions that Christians harm sex in four fundamental ways:

1. They teach guilt, not abstinence.
2. They have very few ways to discuss it.
3. They write 10 books about lust for every one book about the gift of sex.
4. They've "made the crayon box pretty small" (they're afraid of being creative during sex).

Acuff argues that it is about time that Christian couples come to a realization that passionate sex is God's idea.

“We’ve bought the lie that the world gets to have wild, crazy sex and Christians, holy folks like us, have to have black-and-white, two-dimensional sex. But what if that’s wrong? What if the God who overflows us with love and hope and mercy wants that part of our lives to be as big and as colorful as two married people could possibly imagine?”

(You can read Acuff's article on www.stuffchristianslike.net)

The memories of 9/11 should be used to overcome evil

A number of 9/11 memorial services were held this weekend, and most of them encouraged Americans to remember the acts of courage and selflessness that marked so many in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In a sunset memorial service held at the temporary Flight 93 memorial, First Lady Michelle Obama asked people to remember the courageous acts of passengers which may well have saved the lives of countless others. Flight 93 was the only airplane hijacked by Al Queda that did not crash into its intended target. Although reports over what actually happened are unclear, it is believed that passengers learnt about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and so decided to storm the hijackers to ensure that their plane did not crash into a populated area.

“They came from all different backgrounds and all walks of life, and they all took a different path to that September morning,” said Michelle Obama during the memorial ceremony.

“But in that awful moment when the facts became clear, and they were called to make an impossible choice, they all found the same resolve. They agreed to the same bold plan,” Obama continued, referring to the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93.

“They called the people they loved –- many of them giving comfort instead of seeking it, explaining they were taking action, and that everything would be okay,” Obama recalled.

“And then they rose as one, they acted as one, and together, they changed history’s course.”

President Barack Obama spoke at the Pentagon Memorial service, and used the opportunity to try to heal the ever-growing rift between many Americans and the religion of Islam.

Obama emphasized that Americans “are not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

“It was not a religion that attacked us that September day - it was al Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion. And just as we condemn intolerance and extremism abroad, so will we stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation,” the president stated, as anti-Muslim sentiments threatened to mar Saturday’s 9/11 observations.

Obama exhorted the people of America not to allow “a small band of murders” to “distort” who they are.

“They may seek to exploit our freedoms, but we will not sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind walls of suspicion and mistrust. They may wish to drive us apart, but we will not give in to their hatred and prejudice. For Scripture teaches us to ‘get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice,’” the president urged.

“Those who attacked us sought to demoralize us, divide us, to deprive us of the very unity, the very ideals, that make America America – those qualities that have made us a beacon of freedom and hope to billions around the world,” Obama added.

“Today we declare once more we will never hand them that victory. As Americans, we will keep alive the virtues and values that make us who we are and who we must always be.”

The Lausanne Conference in Cape Town is set to make history

Over the last four decades, The Lausanne Movement, has proved to be one of the most important Christian movements in modern history. The renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, was responsible for convening the first conference in Lausanne in 1974 and drew some 2,700 participants from over 150 countries. Out of this conference came the Lausanne Covenant, an evangelical manifesto that addressed issues surrounding worldwide Christian evangelism. This document became one of the most vital in the history of modern Christianity.

The Lausanne Conference met again in 1989 in Manila, Philippines and now will meet for a third time on the shores of South Africa in what is being billed as the Lausanne/ Cape Town 2010 Conference. Approximately 4,000 Christian leaders from 200 nations will attend Lausanne III to focus on the future of the Church and evangelization in the 21st century. Delegates will struggle with various challenges to the Church today such as issues of secularization, the threat of terrorism, and HIV/AIDs.

To promote and prepare for the conference, the Lausanne Movement has launched a global chat room in eight languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish) to draw mission-minded Christians into dialogue about issues facing the global church. This means that even Christians who cannot attend the event can still participate in its conversations.

At the conclusion of the conference, Lausanne leader’s intend to adopt a new document modeled after the historic Lausanne Covenant, which will be termed the Cape Town Commitment. Organizers hope the document will provide Christians with a clear understanding of the call of the Church in the 21st century.

“I sense there is growing excitement and anticipation around the world,” said Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe of the World Evangelical Alliance, which has partnered with Lausanne for the third congress. “This Congress has the potential for shaping and impacting a whole new generation of leaders.”

Cape Town 2010, also known as Lausanne III, will take place Oct 16-25 at Cape Town International Convention Center in Cape Town, South Africa.

Cape Town 2010 will mark the first time that a Lausanne conference is held in Africa.

To find out more about Lausanne Cape Town, go to http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010

Quran Burning Controversy: Will he or won’t he?

The pastor at the centre of the now global controversy that has raged over his church’s plans to stage a ‘Burn a Quran Day’ on the anniversary of 9/11, has temporarily placed these plans on hold.

Yesterday, Rev. Terry Jones was convinced to cancel these plans by an Orlando imam, Mohammed Musri, who told Jones that if he called off this event then the project of building an equally controversial ‘mega mosque’ near Ground Zero in New York would be rethought and the mosque would be relocated.

However, since then the imam leading the mosque building project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, has firmly denied that any such agreement had his authorization, and said that the project would go ahead as originally planned.

Jones claimed that since he had been promised the mosque project would be relocated that he was left with no choice but to step back from his earlier promise, and place the the Quran burning event on temporary hold rather than cancelling it outright, pending a meeting with the imam in charge of the project.

“We put a suspension on it because right now we are actually really disappointed and very shocked because if this turns out to be true, he (Musri) very clearly lied to us,” Jones said.

There have been daily updates in most major media publications detailing the latest twists and turns in the Quran burning controversy generating world-wide attention. World opinion is almost unanimously against the event, asides from small pockets of ultra-conservatives.

It seems though that there will be at least one more twist in this tale before its conclusion.

Islamic Group Intends to Replace Any Burnt Qurans

Cnn.com reports that a major Islamic group intends to distribute around 200,000 Qurans to replace the approximately 200 copies that will be burnt as part of a Florida church’s controversial plans to host a ‘Burn a Quran Day’.

The Pastor of the church, the Rev. Terry Jones, is resisting pressure from both religious and political heavyweights, and says he intends to proceed with plans to burn Qurans on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

President Barack Obama, Gen. David Petraeus (the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan), Hillary Clinton and other leading political and military figures have warned that Jones’ plans could have detrimental effects not only on American troops overseas, but also on Christians living in Muslim dominated countries.

On Wednesday, the Vatican joined the chorus of Christian groups from around the world, such as the World Evangelical Alliance, who have urged the church to reconsider the burning. Various Christian groups have continually challenged the theological ethic behind their plans, saying that these actions could hardly be described as being faithful to Jesus’ call to love others.

Rev. Jones, however, has repeatedly stressed his belief that if anyone is targeted by Muslim reactions because of the Quran burning day, it will not be his fault but the Muslims involved.

In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group, plans to hold a news conference in Washington on Thursday to address the issue. The group's "Learn, Don't Burn" initiative includes the distribution of of 200,000 Qurans and other activities planned for Friday and Saturday.

"This educational initiative is designed for those who seek a proactive and constructive response to the church's very un-American actions," said Nihad Awad, CAIR national executive director.

"The tiny group of extremists carrying out the book burnings clearly do not represent our society or its values and have been repudiated by all mainstream religious and political leaders."

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting U.S. troops from religious intolerance, has promised to buy one new Quran and donate it to the Afghan National Army for each one burned in Florida.

(Image is of Rev. Terry Jones standing outside his church in Florida).