a time to sow

By Young Lee Hertig

In one of my favorite books, There is a Season, Joan Chittister quotes an Arab proverb: “Every morning I turn my face to the wind and scatter my seed. It is not difficult to scatter seeds but it takes courage to go on facing the wind.” Chittister continues, “The ability to stand steadfast in the face of opposition is the real charism of the sower.”

Once one accepts a call to sow, then one would rather sow in fertile, not futile soil. Pleading for less toil and snares, we are tempted to seek instant fruits living in this fast-paced success-driven culture. It is this embedded culture of instant success that one is easily tempted to bypass labor of sowing. We live in a society where one’s labor and capital are disconnected. Dangerously, folks in Wall Street made billions of dollars without labor, but simply transacting someone else’s toil that bypasses tax obligation. When the norm is set on high for living like kings and queens, the folks in the main street also mimic extravagant life depending on debt economy—buy now and pay later credit card system.

Marketdom, not Kingdom value has seeped into Christianity with the Church Growth Movement in the mid 80s and ‘90s. It has tracked many pastors who want to see instant result of growth. I am not against growing church. However, what I observed looming danger was its one dimensional aspect of numerical growth. Painfully watching many pastors visiting all the mega churches in the united states, adopting all the programs and formulas for their instant success—the numbers in both membership and offering, leading to all sorts of remodeling and building projects, rather than laboring to offer long term theological reflections that would mark the church in the world.

Three decades later, a key champion of successful Christianity, Bill Hybel’s daring acknowledgement of mistakes in the very foundation of Willow Creeks’ church ministry, finally ushers epiphany toward transforming Marketdom into Kingdom of God. I used the term “marketdom” because Willow Creek church utilized a corporate model of creating a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measurement. They have promoted their model to other church leaders for duplication. Based on research by the Executive Pastor, Greg Hawkins, Hybel confessed in October 2007 during the leadership summit:

We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.

Whereas such a confession appears as a wake-up call, the very same measurement-based paradigm remains to be the same. I wonder how we can measure one’s faith let the alone Kingdom of God. Unlike Marketdom, living out the values of Kingdom of God is described in the book of Habakkuk:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior (3: 17-18).

Only then, can we face the wind from all different directions without feeling gloom and doom. The moment we live today calls forth prayers of the minor Prophet, Habakkuk to rejoice amidst wind blow and continue to sow knowing that God is sovereign.

Young Lee Hertig, PhD, is an ordained pastor and serves as a professor at seminaries and Christian colleges. She lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California. To contact Young, please send your inquiry to AAWOLblog@gmail.com.

from consumers to stewards (part 2 of 2)

by Young Lee Hertig

Recently, while preparing for a sermon on the topic of stewardship and sustainability, I found an oasis that lifted me from the doom and gloom of the disaster economy, exemplified by the slogan "drill, baby, drill."

Georgetown Gospel Chapel is a small Full Gospel church in Seattle, located in a run down urban setting that models stewardship to the economically challenged industrial neighborhood. Situated adjacent to an active Superfund site that contains several toxic "brownfields" and a Boeing field that drum ears with noise pollution, Georgetown Gospel Chapel sits as an oasis for her members, neighbors, and for other creatures.

20 years ago, Pastor Leroy Hedman faced a decision of whether to spend $2,000 to repair the church's lawn sprinkler system. Considering the financial hardship of the congregation, the church decided to tear out the sprinkle system altogether and transform their lawn into a sustainable garden!

"The garden's beautiful produce is free for the taking," shared Pastor Hedman, "and helps to supplement the diet of neighbors who often must decide between paying rent, paying for utilities, and buying food."

Transforming the pesticide-enhanced lawn into a fruitful garden entailed a series of sustainable makeover of the church property. Some example of how the church went "green" in pursuit of a faithful stewardship for a sustainable community:

1. Installation of a rainwater reclamation system both helps to water the garden and prevents storm water from running directly into salmon-bearing Duwamish River with chemicals from neighboring lawns and industries.

2. Among the many ministries provided by the Chapel, Pastor Hedman offers his skills to the community as a certified master gardener and a composter. Also the church hosts a recreation/tutoring/mentoring program for children and youth, one that -- in addition to being pure fun! -- also introduces dozens of young people to basic Earth-care principles and activities.

3. The Chapel has "adopted" their street for litter-free maintenance and distributes tree seedlings to residents.

4. Every light in the church contains an energy efficient compact florescent light bulb that reduces the amount of energy consumption by 75%. In 1999, the Chapel became the first congregation to receive an EPA Energy Star Award.

5. Chapel members and neighbors have many opportunities to learn more about caring for creation through adult study times, an after-school program for neighborhood children, sermons, and the Chapel's basement library.

6. The Chapel also serves as the repository for publicly accessible documents related to the cleanup of a neighboring Superfund site and a brownfield. This accessibility allows neighbors to learn about the cleanup processes and empowers them to work with government agencies and local businesses to help carry out the processes.

The Chapel's decision to abandon the consumption required to maintain a mainly cosmetic lawn in favor of stewardship for the benefit of the greater community has produced countless dividends. As a result of sustainable living, the church's savings each year are estimated at approximately $3,000 to $5,000, not to mention the prevention of 60,000 pounds of CO2 from entering into the atmosphere.

Rather than treating greed as if it were an entitlement, and thus making it easy for corporate greed to victimize us, one small church's example demonstrates how the people of God can choose liberation from ruthless, addictive consumption in favor of responsible stewardship for God's creation. I appreciate the tangible witness of the George Town Gospel church for their sustainable stewardship, something that we can all apply at this late hour.

Young Lee Hertig, PhD, is an ordained pastor and serves as a professor at seminaries and Christian colleges. She lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California. To contact Young, please send your inquiry to AAWOLblog@gmail.com.

the cost of reckless marketdom (part 1 of 2)

By Young Lee Hertig

As we all watch the world's most powerful financial system melt down before our eyes, the voice of the prophet Amos echoes in my ears: "I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house, the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished, declares the Lord." (Amos 3:15)

I have seen many who enjoy their summer houses and winter houses, adding more carbon footprints in the atmosphere. One political candidate doesn't even know how many houses he owns!

According to the Institute for Policy Studies & United for a Fair Economy research report entitled "Executive Excess", CEOs of large U.S. companies in 2006 made as much money from just one day on the job as average workers made over the entire year. According to data from an Associated Press survey of 386 Fortune 500 companies, these top executives averaged $10.8 million in total compensation, over 364 times the pay of the average American worker.

Consider this statistic: 5% of the world population consumes 30% of the world resources. According to new statistics tallied by consultant McKinsey &Co.:

U.S. consumers have direct or indirect control over 65% of the country's greenhouse-gas emissions while the rest of the world is just 43%. How we drive, how we build, and use our homes and offices, lead some of the most energy-intensive lives in the world. (The Wall Street Journal, Thursday October 2, 2008)

During the Israelites' most prosperous time, Amos delivered God's anger at the rich who lived a lavish life style but neglected the poor in their midst. Overconsumption in the U.S. has global and ecological consequences. Where are the prophets like Amos during our current scandalous economic debacle? The system is broken and the nation faces major credit and credibility plunges.

It is time for the people of God to wake up and radically depart from debt accumulating consumerism and become responsible stewards. This can be done and in a manner that glorifies God. In my next post, I will share a practical example of how God's people can take steps toward responsible stewardship.

Young Lee Hertig, PhD, is an ordained pastor and serves as a professor at seminaries and Christian colleges. She lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California. To contact Young, please send your inquiry to AAWOLblog@gmail.com.

what AAWOL means to me

by Young Lee Hertig

I started teaching at a seminary in the Summer of 1992, a few months after the verdict in the Rodney King trial exploded into what is now commonly known as the L.A. Riots. I watched as African-American anger – triggered by an unjust verdict rendered by an all-white jury – directed its wrath at Korean-owned mom-and-pop shops. I watched powerlessly as my city burned even as signs of the cross hung high in every street corner.

In the aftermath of the riot, when the buzz word was multiculturalism, I began my teaching career with a deep commitment to promoting multicultural representation in academic institutions. At the time, I was the only woman of color at the institution where I taught. I was a pioneer by default and tread unmarked paths. I had no sign posts or mentors or even peers who merely looked like me. With three strikes (race, class and gender) against me, I needed more than academic knowledge to survive and thrive in such an environment, but received no instruction on its politics. I later learned of allegations, misperceptions and gossip that developed while I naively devoted my time and energy to teaching. I felt marginalized and vulnerable.

It was during this time that I yearned for and dreamed of a community of Asian-American women in similar positions of leadership, a community where I can share my experience as I glean wisdom from the experience of others. It was during this time that I vowed to work to protect other Asian-American women in similar situations and to ensure that they receive guidance and support in the face of professional challenges. I reached out to other Asian-American women who experienced similar isolation and marginalization in their roles as teachers and leaders in their professions, ministries and churches. AAWOL grew out of our conversations and shared commitment to be for each other the community that we all seek.

Marshall Ganz, a renowned Civil Rights activist and community organizer, once said that leadership “is not so much about exercising your own leadership as it is developing the leadership capacity of others.” By equipping and developing the ability and confidence of its members, AAWOL seeks to make its slogan – “Never Alone Again” – a reality for Asian-American women leaders. Because of AAWOL, that is already a reality for me.

Young Lee Hertig, PhD, is an ordained pastor and serves as a professor at seminaries and Christian colleges. She lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California. To contact Young, please send your inquiry to AAWOLblog@gmail.com.