Presence Weekly 6/17/2024

"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" Revelation 3:14-22

In case you have been living under a rock for the last year, it’s election season. That means non-stop ads from one candidate, or PAC, or Super-PAC making sure you know their assessment of the other candidate. Essentially, their opponent in the anti-Christ, hates you, hates America, and hates panda bears. Unsurprisingly, they (the candidate running against this Sauron-controlled Ork), love you, love America, are filled with virtue, and just saved a lost puppy. 

To make assessment even harder, depending on which news outlet you watch or read, and how finely tuned your Youtube, Facebook, Insta, and the-company-formerly-known-as-Twitter, finding an unbiased assessment of the candidates seems out of reach. In other words, elections mean biased, incomplete, or false assessments. 

But enough about candidates, let’s talk about ourselves. Some of us fall into the group where we see ourselves as better than we are. To support our assessment we surround ourselves with people who agree with us. Others believe that we are “imposters” in our jobs (see the article below) or believe that we are damaged goods that are irredeemable. In addition to the hurtful words we actually hear, we project the worst assessments of ourselves onto every action of those around us. 

What we need is an objective assessment! 

This brings us to the book of Revelation and the church at Laodicea. Right from the start of the letter, Christ is presented as the true and faithful witness. So, if Christ is the true and faithful witness, then there are probably some things that we, as those who seek to follow him, should do in response to the assessment and diagnosis he offers.

We must trust Christ’s assessment of our condition, and his assessment is that you are worse off than you think. 

Overestimating the Good

“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing…” This is a fairly common problem of the church (and for people serving and leading in the public square). Christ has been addressing this issue throughout the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. Most of these churches have been suffering, often unjustly. But apparently, the church at Laodicea is prospering. 

The difficulty for all of the churches during this time was the existence of local trade guilds for virtually everything. If you were skilled and wanted work, you joined a trade guild. The problem was that each of the trade guilds had an idol that their members worshiped. This is a problem for Christians who are “to have no other Gods before [Him].” Is this why the church in Laodicea is prospering, because they had bowed to false gods?– Maybe. It is hard to say, but it is certainly something they would have had to wrestle with. What is known is that Laodicea was a prospering financial town that thrived on its textile industry. It was also a medically advanced community that produced a highly sought-after eye ointment. Regardless of the reasons, the church at Laodicea was prospering and had a very high view of themselves - at least materially. 

But their assessment of their condition does not match up at all with Christ’s. 

Underestimating the Bad

Christ’s assessment is that they are actually, “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” That’s a far cry from being “rich, prospering and lacking nothing.” Notice that each of the negative assessments works against the sources of wealth for the community of Laodicea. They are a banking center – but they are poor. They are known for a highly effective eye salve - but they are blind. They live in a community known for their textiles – but they are naked. So Christ says, “You are wretched and pitiable.” Their assessment of themselves could not have been more off-base. As far as Christ is concerned, they are worse off than the local pagans.

Notice what Christ says in verses 15 and 16. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

What the enthroned Jesus is saying is, “You know what you are good for Laodicea? Nothing!” What a ringing endorsement! For a long time, I had no idea how to understand this verse. Was Christ saying that it is just as good to be a “hot Christian”, as a “cold Christian?” No! We need to cooperate with the author. For everything the town was famous for, water was not on the list. There were hot baths nearby, but not in Laodicea. There were cold water wells nearby, but not in Laodicea. So the city tried to pipe the good water in, but by the time it got to town it was tepid, and it also had a knack of making people sick. No one likes a nice tall glass of lukewarm water, or a nice lukewarm bath – in both cases the water is useless. 

That is Christ’s assessment of the church. Imagine if this was the kind of information Communications Directors offered - accurate assessments of their employer.

Simply put, it is the real and pervasive human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others. And yes, there is even a technical name for it - “confirmation bias.”

Confirmation bias is a tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions and to avoid information and interpretations that contradict prior beliefs. Here is why it is important in a town like Washington. 

Confirmation bias is of interest in teaching critical thinking. The skill is misused if rigorous critical scrutiny is applied only to evidence challenging a preconceived idea but not to evidence supporting it. My name for this is “LA LA LA LA LA (fingers in your ears).” This is why it so hard for us to make an accurate assessment of ourselves - we are not objective! 

In a marriage, disagreements are always my wife’s fault. I see the facts the way I want to see them – especially if they make me look good. This lack of objectivity can be a huge obstacle in relationships, and until we are truly ready to see ourselves how Christ sees us – our relationship with him and the rest of the world will be damaged. 

It stings to hear that we are completely useless to Christ in our deceived condition. Imagine your spouse (or parent or boss) telling you that you are useless. It might actually sway you to the other side of the pendulum. You might spend the rest of your life thinking you are a piece of garbage. How do you avoid the severe depression that might come from understanding yourself rightly? Honestly, it is impossible if you think the entire weight of fixing the problem is on your shoulders.

Johnathon Edwards’s (perhaps the most famous pre-revolutionary theologian and preacher in New England) most well-known sermon is, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It launched “The Great Awakening” because it was successful at getting people to see themselves as Christ sees them and then pointing them somewhere [better: someone] outside of themselves for the solution. The barrier we face today is that our world is much more subjective and certainly more relative. It is important that we see ourselves as Christ did after the Fall. The famous reformer, John Calvin, referred to human beings as a glorious ruin – we are not garbage, not worthless – but marred and wounded. Thankfully, there is Christ. The reason for the harsh words here is in correction to the false assessment of those in Laodicea. The good news is that Christ tells the very people who seem the most wretched - that they are the most loved!

If Christ were to leave us in the land of confirmation bias and false assessment, we would be given to facilitate between narcissism and depression. And, if Christ left with only his assessment, we would be forced into denial or despair. But the grace of Christ is that he does not leave us in this place, and he does not ask us to work our way out of our condition. He offers himself as the solution to the problem.

More on that next week!

Application questions

What assessment voices are loudest for you? Do you often feel like the “imposter” or the “savior?” If you turned the assessment methodology you use on others upon yourself, how would you fair?

Apply the four questions of Faithful Presence to yourself: What is good that requires encouragement? What is broken that needs restoration? What is missing that awaits creation? What is wicked demands opposition?

Look for Scriptures that might respond to each of these assessments.

• Monday: Morning: Micah 4:1-5:1, Matthew 9:1-17, Psalm 38, 39, 40 // Evening: Micah 5:2-15, Galatians 1, Psalm 38, 39, 40
• Tuesday: Morning: Micah 6, Matthew 9:18-34, Psalm 44, 45, 46 // Evening: Micah 7, Galatians 2, Psalm 44, 45, 46
• Wednesday: Morning: Hosea 1, Matthew 9:35-10:23, Psalm 50, 51, 52 // Evening: Hosea 2:1-13, Galatians 3, Psalm 50, 51, 52
• Thursday: Morning: Hosea 2:14-3:5, Matthew 10: 24-42, Psalm 56, 57, 58// Evening: Hosea 4:1-11, Galatians 4:1-5:1, Psalm 56, 57, 58
• Friday: Morning: Hosea 5:1-7, Matthew 11, Psalm 62, 63, 64// Evening: Hosea 7-8, Galatians 5:2-26, Psalm 62, 63, 64
• Saturday: Morning: Hosea 9, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 68 // Evening: Hosea 10, Galatians 6, Psalm 68
• Sunday: Morning: Amos 3, John 6:22-40, Psalm 71, 72 // Evening: Isaiah 44:6-23, Mark 1:35-45, Psalm 71, 72

• Cabinet Agency: Staff at the Farm Service Agency (Agriculture) who implement agricultural policy, administer credit and loan programs, and manage conservation, commodity, disaster, and farm marketing programs through a national network of offices.
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The staff of the National Corn Growers Association in their work to represent nearly 40,000 dues-paying corn growers and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers. The NCGA and its 50 affiliated state associations work together to help protect and advance corn growers’ interests. 
• • A word about ideologies. The selection of these organizations is not based on mutual affinity but on the belief that prayer is the most we can ever do to participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new.
• Congressional Delegation: For the Congressional delegation of Alabama.
• News Events: Staff at the USDA working to implement and administer $50 million to 141 awardees in 40 states and Puerto Rico, through the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program (FLSP Program), reaching 177 unique agricultural operations and over 11,000 workers. The awards will help improve the resiliency of the U.S. food supply chain by addressing agriculture labor challenges and instability, strengthening protections for farmworkers, and expanding legal pathways for labor migration.
• Personal Requests: For multiple couples and families settling into new homes. For a couple that just received great news on a potential spread of cancer (negative results!) but still faces an upcoming surgery. For a couple disillusioned by the moral failure and resignation of their pastor. For several families on summer vacation. For someone exhausted after a long project and now facing another. Faithful Presence is exhibiting at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly in Memphis this week. 
• • A word about anonymity: Washington is a small town. To protect each individual’s identity yet facilitate prayer, details are intentionally vague. However, each represents specific people we are currently engaged with. 

• CNBC has an article revealing that 71% of professionals and executives have “imposter syndrome. (I can vouch for the accuracy of this number.)
• Politico (and numerous other outlets) has an editorial on the potential impact the Southern Baptist Convention’s action on IVF last week may have on the nature of the political debate.
• Christianity Today recently posted an interesting piece, worth a careful read, on the shifting boundary markers of evangelical worship services.
• The Anglican Mainstream has an excellent piece on “What the Early Church Can Teach Us About Living in a Pagan World,” and why we need not fear or act belligerently.
• The Center for American Progress (a left-leaning think tank) has its perspective on the impact Project 2025 would have on the federal mass transit system.

• Monday, June 17, join Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution for a webinar about democratic decline in the United States. Panelists will discuss threats to American democracy as well as responses to this emerging challenge from both public institutions and civil society.
• Monday evening, Georgetown University and the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life will host “The Vocation of Journalists in a Time of Testing: Lessons from David Carr” (a former New York Times columnist).
• Thursday, June 20, The Center for Public Justice will host a webinar exploring the role of faith in childcare settings. This webinar will discuss findings from their recent study in Georgia and Massachusetts, conducted in partnership with Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion. 
• Friday, June 21, the town of Vienna hosts their summer’s third Friday “Chillin’ on Church” - the hottest block party around and fun for the whole town! Held every third Friday, June through September on historic Church Street, the event includes food, local beer and wine, music, and family-friendly activities. Admission is free.
• Saturday, June 22, is the 2nd Annual Caribbean Cultural Concert on Freedom Plaza downtown. Admission is free.

Book: “Democracy and Solidarity," James Davison Hunter

Seasoned readers will know that Faithful Presence is a term lifted from Hunter's work, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, which has had a formative impact on this ministry. His latest work, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis, centers on what Hunter calls the hybrid-Enlightenment that produced the American Constitution. Focusing on the moment in time that combined Christian theology with Enlightenment philosophy, Hunter contemplates the implications for an America where neither perspective is prevalent nor welcome in public square conversations. As with his previous works, this volume is well-researched and footnoted and, of course, does not shy away from assessment. Hunter's assessment here focuses on the viability of E Pluribus Unum in today's culture.