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No One Blogs Here Anymore

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See you at the new SmuloSpace!

You Shouldn't Be Reading This

Unless you're coming here to read or comment on a recent post, that is.

I recently mentioned that I'd changed my domain name to http://johnsmulo.com. My TypePad address is still up and running, and this blog will remain here for content purposes.

However, I've packed my bags and moved to a new blogging platform that will give me more flexibility with templates and that kind of thing. Please update my information and come join me and everyone else at http://johnsmulo.com.

Don't be shy. We have a place waiting for you. Feel free to bring along family and friends.

Jeff Menasco Interview: Support For The Gathering

In this interview I talk to Jeff Menasco, who is the associate pastor working with Phil Wyman at The Gathering.

Jeff speaks about how their situation affected him, his reaction to your support, and how we can be a part of supporting their work in the future.

SMULO: Jeff, as Phil Wyman's associate pastor, this situation has obviously affected you and your family.  Is there anything you'd like to share about that?

MENASCO: We have been going through this for a while now and the full spectrum of emotions and experiences are too vast for any thing less than a book... with a sequel... then into a trilogy.  So I'll just go over one of the more personally important topics that have come up over this issue.

I'm 47 now and have been a Christian for 27 of those years so I'm not new to Christianity. I am however relatively new to the kind body life that reaches out beyond my local family church to other groups of believers. My first real tastes of that started a little over seven years ago when we moved out to Salem with Phil and Bev to help start the Gathering.

Together with Phil and Bev, my wife Diane and I started attending various local Foursquare conferences and most of the national conventions. We met and became friends with other leaders. We learned of their ministry and they of ours. For the first time we started to have real insight into a vision of a broader "Kingdom" movement. And the people we were moving with loved us and we loved them. It's difficult to express this revelation. It wasn't a sudden pie-in-the-sky every thing's rosy view, but there was a wholesomely deepened understanding of our picture of the kingdom. 

Then, out of the blue, we were hit with the events described to you in your interview with Phil... and by our own friends. For me the feeling of betrayal was great but the feeling of disillusionment was greater. Perhaps it has been the tension between this new vision of a brighter Kingdom opposing that of a self-destructing one that has been my greatest motivator. For the better part of a year we fought not just to clear our name but for the health and life of the Foursquare denomination. Twelve years ago when my wife and I joined Phil's church in Carlsbad, CA we went there because we related with Phil's teaching. He could have been Vineyard, Calvary Chapel, AG or any other Spirit filled church and it would not have mattered a wit. 

But after almost a year of struggling with Foursquare I had never cared more for the health and direction of a denomination. Now we're on the outs. Relational Christianity has always been one of those phrases we've tossed around about what we believe - who we are. It turned out to be something we were in fact willing to die for (denominationally speaking). Having gone through this battle it's now at the deepest core of what I believe. It informs all my doctrine, my faith and I hope, my actions.

SMULO: I've been encouraged to see 80 comments and counting in response to part one and two of my interview with Phil about your situation. What has been your response to this?

MENASCO: I'm just so very grateful. The response that we've received goes a  very long way in contributing to our healing process. We no longer feel as isolated. It is at least part of the answer to all the wrongs that I mentioned above. Where we were falsely accused we have been vindicated. Where we were wounded we have been soothed. Where we were rebuked we have been embraced. Thank you all so much.

SMULO: At the end of part-one of the interview, I encouraged people to consider supporting the unique and important work that you're doing in Salem now that you've lost funding. Would you please share with us how we could do that?

MENASCO: Let me give you a little background on how we got to where we are. A year ago when this all started there was really a convergence of events. Before we received the letter from our District Supervisor calling us to their inquisition we were at the brink of receiving a significant Grant from a related Foursquare foundation created to fund various creative evangelistic outreaches. We eventually did receive that grant and our hope was to start a school in the middle of downtown Salem for the education, training and sending out  of individuals and groups trained in post modern  evangelism. Up to that  time we had developed an outstanding rep within our district (Southern New England). In fact the very man that raked us over the coals had two weeks before pulled Phil up in front of the entire Southern New England District and sang the praises of his ministry to Pagans and his general evangelistic approach to postmodernism. A week  later the ax fell. (I know... quite a turnaround...go figure)

Here's the point; we were counting on Foursquare to be our initial supply of students. First locally then spreading out from New England. That supply of students no longer exists. But we still have this great building situated in an ideal spot for year round training and ministry. Cracking the monthly nut is not going to be easy. We need to build up a list of supporters and potential students who would be up for partnering to help this ministry continue. What we'd like to do now is send Phil out to various groups and churches to spread the message of a gospel of greater grace and start to build that list. We need places to send him and people willing to listen. If anyone could help us please contact Phil or myself and let us know. It would be greatly appreciated.

SMULO: Thanks for all that you do in Salem Jeff. May God bless you and your family richly.

MENASCO: Thanks John, for being our herald. You and your readers have been comforting arm around the shoulder. It's great to look to the side and see smiling faces. So in the name of the Father of lights I'll  sign off with this Pagan farewell that I've admired. Bright blessings!

Where Christians Fear To Tread

I was interested to note how many comments in response to my interview with Phil Wyman were focused on spiritual warfare.

I can’t remember anyone raising the topic of spiritual warfare on this blog before. However, I’m glad you raised it. It’s something I’ve had in the back of my head for awhile to discuss.

But since you brought it up, I have to ask: why now? Because Phil was unjustly “released” from the Foursquare denomination? No, I don’t think that was it. Because he was involved in building friendships with Pagans? Bingo. I think that was it.

Do I think spiritual warfare was involved with this situation? Yes I do, but not merely because Phil is building relationships with Pagans. I think it is because this is a part of every area of our life.

Most significantly, spiritual warfare and human sin are a deadly combination. And this was clearly evidenced in the terrible way Phil, his associate pastor Jeff, and the others involved with them were treated.

I find it more than a little ironic that Phil was released from Foursquare because The Gathering was spending too much time with people who weren’t Jesus-followers. I find that not only ironic but demonic; I find that being unaware of Satan’s tactics.

What I find good and right; what I find consistent with following Jesus; what I find resisting Satan; is precisely what Phil and The Gathering are doing.

So I have to ask: Do you think I'm missing something biblically here? Is there a proof-text that I've passed by that suggests interacting with an adherent of one religion compared to another may be more or less "dangerous"?

Hong Kong Lausanne Report

John Morehead has posted our Lausanne Issue Group Report from our recent trip to Hong Kong on his blog.

For more on Lausanne see here.

For more on our issue group, which seeks to develop creative approaches to reaching new spiritualities, visit here.

Phil Wyman Interview: Excommunicated For Loving People Part 2

In part-one of this interview Phil Wyman shared with us how he was kicked out of the denomination he was involved with for the last two decades because of his ministry with Neo-Pagans in Salem, Massachusetts.

In the final part of our interview Phil shares how these events have impacted him personally, and how Pagans in Salem have responded to these events.

SMULO: How has this situation impacted you emotionally, physically, and spiritually?

WYMAN: Check out my blog [Editorial note: Phil has a second blog here]. It is my observations on the emotional impact of treachery, and stress over the last year. I theorize that the same mental disorders which afflict those struggling with mental and emotional diseases effect all of us in heightened times of stress. I have found that I have had moments of feeling bi-polar. I've dealt with minor post traumatic stress symptoms. I have had short mental/emotional lapses which felt like I was autistic. These strange phenomenon come upon most of us in deep seasons of stress. It is unfortunate, and scary to consider that failed, and sometimes self-serving Christian leadership could potentially bring such disorders upon people. I have a new appreciation for the many people I have heard say over the years, "I love Jesus, but I hate the Church."

Of course during this same season this has not been the only stress. Our son Elijah came down with a life threatening kidney disease, and may soon need a kidney transplant. This happened while the National Board was discussing our situation without my knowledge, and of course, none of our "friends" came to visit.

The sense of treachery, and disenfranchisement has been deep, but through it all we gently attempted to defend ourselves without threat. Some people think we should have filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit for libel, and wrongful termination, but we even worked diligently to follow the procedures of Matthew 18, and tried to help the denomination do the same.

Spiritually things have been a struggle as well. Prayer is different than it used to be. I read the Bible differently than I used to. I find myself praying less, reading less, but practicing lectio divina scripture meditation and journaling far more. It is taking a bit of time for the joy of serving God to rekindle in my heart, but I can feel it beginning to surge once again - after a year of this struggle.

SMULO: How have these events impacted The Gathering, and you as a pastor?

WYMAN: Well, we are non-denominational for now. I have been re-ordained under John Paul Jackson's Streams Ministries, and we are navigating our relationships with other churches, and other Christian groups. I have a new name for my closest friends - the Hill Men. These are the guys who stood by me through the hardest times, and even were willing to sacrifice their own reputations on our behalf. They took a stand on the hill with me.

The gang from Streams Ministries did that. Our friends from an emergent house church called Sinners and Saints did that for us. Some of the guys from the church I pastored in Southern California did that. A few people inside Foursquare did that as well.

Our church is filled with Hill People. No one left the church, in fact we've gained people since that time, and our little church is growing bit by bit through it all.

Among the positive things it did is make us less fearful of pushing the edge of radical loving ministry. The best shot against us has been taken, and now we're free to serve God unrestrained, and uninhibitedly. We've faced the Pharisees. We've seen the teeth of the lion, and as threatening as it has been we are still here.

Our big hurdle for this year is finances. We signed a lease in a new space to establish a postmodern evangelism outreach and training center, and we knew it would take about three years to make it happen. After year one, our former denomination has abandoned us, and we still have this dream location with a pretty high overhead, and a small church which was stretched by a grant to start it off. So, this is the year we cry out for God's provision to help us finish what we started, and help us survive this lease we initiated under Foursquare's encouragement.

SMULO: How has the media responded to this story?

WYMAN: We love Suzanne Sataline from the Wall Street Journal! I can not say enough good about her. The media in Salem has been great as well.

SMULO: How has the Neo-Pagan community reacted to this?

WYMAN: On Samhain eve, a group of Witch friends who had been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal before the story broke came down to The Vault (that's what we call our meeting place), and spent time late into the night with us.

I have received e-mails from Pagans all over the US, and even from other countries telling us how they appreciate our stand, and how they are appalled by the treatment we've received.

SMULO: You have been judged and ex-communicated for loving and developing friendships with Witches. As we’ve discussed previously, I’ve also had similar responses to my friendships and research with Witches and also Satanists. Why do you think Christians have responded this way?

WYMAN: We have had many Christians write in support of us. In fact, not one Christian has written to tell us of our errors following the Wall Street Journal Story. So, I know that there is a groundswell of believers looking for a more sensible way to navigate relationships with our generation, and its plurality of spiritual paths.

Yet, this could not have happened to us without a serious dose of superstition filling the heads of Evangelical, and Pentecostal minds. Many people in the church have believed lies spread by evangelists and Christian teachers who have told tales about Neo-Paganism only worthy of grocery store tabloid newspapers. The church has sucked up these tales about Halloween, Witches, and devils, and pastors have believed unsubstantiated (and sometimes clearly disproven) stories, and spread them in their teachings over the last 30 years. The result is that we are afraid, superstitious, and consequently offensive in our actions toward Neo-Pagans.

It is a tragedy that the very denomination which ex-communicated us on one hand, endowed us with a grant on the other hand to begin helping us teach the church that there is a better way to reach Neo-Pagans than with fear, and anger.

SMULO: Your love, friendships, and involvement with being a Jesus-follower amongst Neo-Pagans is to be commended. If Jesus were walking the earth today I have no doubt he’d be interacting with Pagans and others that Christians have, more often than not, wrongfully shunned. I greatly appreciate your willingness to share with us your response to what I believe is a shameful situation that you should have never had to experience.

WYMAN: Thanks John. I appreciate someone who has been there - done that - bought the T-shirt like you. If you ever want to mix it up and have some fun together you've always got a place in Salem. We are looking for people who think, and walk like you do bro.

Phil Wyman Interview: Excommunicated For Loving People Part 1

In this two-part interview I talk to Phil Wyman. Phil is the Pastor at The Gathering in Salem, which  has a  creative ministry to Witches.

I've followed what Wyman has been involved with over the last several years, and have been greatly encouraged to see a local church that contextualizes the Gospel to those who aren't followers of Jesus in their area. And when you live in Salem, Massachusetts, who else better to contextualize to than Witches?

In recent times, however, Phil got into hot water from people in his (former) denomination who apparently would have been happier to see him not share the Gospel with Witches. Apparently some think its acceptable to discriminate when it comes to who hears the gospel and who doesn't.

SMULO: Phil, please tell us about yourself—family, ministry experience, any hobbies—that sort of thing.

WYMAN: I'm a 48 year old California boy. I grew up in North San Diego County. Did the California stuff - competitive swimmer, waterpolo player, surfed some. My only experience in church as a kid was the Christian Science Church. So I don't have a Christian upbringing. I went to school for music, and later to Bible College at Cathedral Bible College (connected with the Foursquare Church) in Escondido, CA.

I'm married to Bev, and have been for 23 years. Bev is a Dental Hygienist, and has been an unbelievable lady in some tough ministry circumstances over the years. She plays the flute, and is a very funny public speaker. My only son Elijah is married, and is 21. He is a musician also, and you can find him at elijahwyman.com. He and his wife Rhonda have just moved in with us, because Elijah has a kidney disease, and may need a kidney transplant soon. We have two rescue greyhounds from the tracks, and one got hit by a car on Halloween morning. He is recuperating, but lost a back leg. I know it sounds like a bad country song, but that's what's happening right now.

I play guitar, mandolin, and a few other instruments. I write music as well, so I could write that bad country song, if I liked country music, but I don't so that won't happen. I'm learning to speak Welsh, because I have Welsh heritage, and because I love Wales, and the Welsh speaking community. I try to get to the U.K. at least once a year. I haven't surfed much lately, but I need to get back out into the cold, winter New England waves this year.

I became a Christian after some radical interactions with God back in 1980, and within a few years I was helping run a Christian drug/alcohol rehab program. In 1985 I began pastoring in Carlsbad, CA, and was there for 14 years. In 1999 we moved to Salem, MA to plant The Gathering. I have always pastored a small experimental church. Since 1980 I also have studied a variety of religious groups outside of traditional Christianity - Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, New Age religions, Neo-Paganism....

Because our church life has been experimental over the years, we find ourselves identifying with the emergent community these days.

SMULO: You’ve recently been ex-communicated by the Foursquare denomination led by Jack Hayford, including having your ordination revoked. This occurred in spite of the fact that you’ve been a pastor with them for twenty-years. This serious, and I trust rare, occurrence within Foursquare suggests that you’ve been involved in gross immorality or heresy. Would you please share the events leading to your dismissal?

WYMAN: On Halloween The Wall Street Journal, and The Salem News ran our story on the front page. Yet the story began in October of 2005.

October 2005 I became the recipient of a grant from the Foursquare Foundation based upon two things: 1) our success in developing an outreach program during the Halloween season here in our city of Salem, MA, and 2) relationships, and outreach efforts we had made toward the Neo-Pagan community. The grant was given to develop a postmodern evangelism training and outreach center in a high visibility location in downtown Salem.

At our District Conference that year I was lauded as the hottest, cutting-edge thing in evangelism, and was asked by our District Supervisor to invite our District churches to join us for our October outreach events.

Two weeks later the same District Supervisor (a position similar to a Bishop) who sang my praises, sent me an e-mail with a letter attached. It had 27 accusations asserting aberrant theology and practices, and included accusations of practicing Gnosticism, and dabbling in Witchcraft. The letter called me to a council meeting at which time I would be corrected, and the situation was "not open for discussion." This letter came without warning, and without previous discussion.

Unfortunately this Supervisor did not send this letter to me privately. He simultaneously sent it to the District leadership, and up the ladder to Foursquare denominational authorities.

At question were two main points: 1) a photograph of myself on a Pagan website, and 2) our website which included a page with links to Pagan sites for the purpose teaching an anthropological missiology.

The gross inaccuracies of the accusations in the letter were so broad and sweeping that it took us 55 pages to even begin to respond to them.

Myself, my wife Bev, and our assistant pastor Jeff Menasco and his wife Diane attended the council meeting. Once we arrived at the District Council meeting our documentation was rejected with the District Supervisor's statement, "I'm driving this meeting not you." The council meeting was 3 hours long, and included such items as taking 45 minutes to challenge us on, "How could you be friends with Witches?", a defense of the photograph which was quickly understood to be completely innocent (Diane Menasco had been an eyewitness to the event), the insinuation that we were promoting Tarot because one could buy Tarot cards through a Pagan site by following links from our site, and accusations that we neglected the 90% of the non-Pagan population in Salem to try and reach Witches. The meeting eventually descended into an abyss of personal accusations against me such as: I did not mention the name Jesus frequently enough during the meeting, I did not lift my hands high enough in worship during the most recent District Conference, and that I was learning Welsh because it was the language of the Druids.

Some of these people were our friends, or so we thought, but only three people out of 13 even gave a remote hint of defense of our position.

We politically survived this meeting, but our reputation, and our relationships were seriously harmed by a meeting which was as close to an Inquisition, or a Witchtrial as anything could come in America today. The few sane thinkers on the Council were apparently afraid to speak up, and contradict the agenda of the District Supervisor.

It was a full three months later that we attempted to speak to the District Supervisor personally about the unbiblical, and offensive manner of his actions toward us. He refused to speak with me, and instead threatened to have me removed from the church. At this point I was counseled by a Vice President of the denomination to appeal. Yet my appeal was ignored, and before anyone even spoke with me I received a certified letter on March 24th of this year informing me that effective March 8th (16 days earlier!), our church had its non-profit status as a Foursquare Church removed, and that my ordination was revoked by the National Board. No one even told me that the issue was before the National Board! I appealed, as per the bylaws, to the General Supervisor, and once again the appeal was ignored. Without discussion, or representation, or any kind of fact finding they refused to consider the appeal.

At this moment the board actually holds another request to reconsider their actions in their hands.

I suppose the gross immorality I was involved in was that I was too friendly with Neo-Pagans, and the heresy was believing that they were real people worthy of being respected like anybody else.

Stay tuned. Part two tomorrow. Until then, why don't you prayerfully consider supporting the ministry Phil leads? You can find a donation link at the bottom of The Gathering website.

We Have A Winner

Congratulations to one of my favorite bloggers and people Jamie Arpin-Ricci. He's just won the 2006 Canadian Blog Awards for Best Religious Blog.

I suppose he'll now become one more award winner thanking Jesus for all he's done for him, yada yada, you know the drill.

A part from Jamie's blog, there's a lot of other great Canadian blogs out there. Some of my favorites that come to mind are:

• Subversive Influence
• Mike Todd
• Next Reformation
• RobbyMac
• Matt Wiebe

Well done to Jamie and my fellow North Americans on the great blogs.

Back On The Mic

Today I preached for the first time since I last spoke at LifeSong Church. It was a positive experience.

I was at Southside Community Church, who was one of LifeSong's supporting churches. The pastoral staff, and the church have been a great support to us as a family.

They're doing a sermon series called Beating the Holiday Blues and they asked me to speak on "When you feel the rug has been pulled out from underneath you".

They want to create a safe space for people during this holiday time to explore subjects that all of us experience, but don't always talk about in a local church context.

It was good to be free to be honest, and to be around encouraging and supportive people.

I'm looking forward to preaching at Travis Johnson's church in Miami in two weeks.

Reimagining Evangelism

When I think of my favorite books on evangelism I immediately think of Jim Henderson's Evangelism Without Additives (I did an interview with Jim about this here). Next I think of Brian McLaren's More Ready Than You Realize.

There's others that I've liked as well, but most don't do much for me.

However, I'm very likely going to be adding Rick Richardson's new book Reimagining Evangelism to my list of favs. I'm not through with the book yet, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Richardson asks us to reimagine some changes in evangelism. To begin with, he asks us to imagine the image of "evangelist as travel guide" and the "definition of evangelism as conversations with people on a spiritual journey". He says that this will then shift our picture and practices in the following ways:

• Collaboration versus Activism

Here we look to clues where God is already at work.

• Community versus Individual

Rather than a salesperson approach to evangelism, we build witnessing communities.

• Friendship versus Agenda

The old model of evangelism has an agenda, which is about downloading content and closing the deal. The reimagined model has a friendship.

• Story versus Dogma

Not merely dogmas and beliefs, but storytelling about God's reality in our life.

• Outside the Box Jesus versus Cliche Jesus

Rather than sharing with people a Jesus they think they have figured out, we share a Jesus people have yet to discover.

• Good News About God's Kingdom versus Good News About the Afterlife

This involves not merely talking about being forgiven and a one-way ticket to heaven, but God's rule and reality in this life.

• Journey versus Event

It's not so much about who made a one-time decision; not so much about who's in and who's out. Instead it's about who is journeying toward being a wholehearted follower of Jesus (other's might say "Jesus-follower", but we don't want to be anal about that--smile).

I've only briefly summarized the big themes of the book, so don't push these points too far. But what are your thoughts on these themes? Anything you'd add or subtract?

Make A Difference On World AIDS Day

While you're talking or thinking about Seeing (Red) with others here, how about you join with me today in making a practical difference on World AIDS Day?

I just recently discovered Mike Todd's excellent blog and he's seeking to find 1000 people to donate $10 each before December 31st.

All of the funds will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. According to the Foundation site,

"The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) helps to ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa at the grassroots level. It provides care to women who are ill and struggling to survive; assists orphans and other AIDS affected children; supports heroic grandmothers who almost single-handedly care for their orphan grandchildren; and supports associations of people living with HIV/AIDS."

Jon Reid has mentioned giving through Todd's blog. I just did. How about you? All you have to do is click here and then follow the instructions at the top right corner of Todd's blog.

Seeing Red

Mac's gone (Red). The Gap has gone (Red). American Express has gone (Red). Armani has gone (Red). Bono has gone (Red).

What's (Red)? Here's The (Red) Manifesto (Note: click on link if you cannot read the following).

 

What are your thoughts of (Red)?

1. It's a brilliant attempt to channel money that people would have spent anyway to businesses that will give a portion of their profits to save lives.
2. You're suspicious that it's a business model and not a charity.
3. This is a way to redeem consumerism?
4. It's a deceptive way to make people feel good about their excessive greed and spending on themselves.
5. A combination of the above.
6. Something altogether different. I think....