Going Straight to the Source
Brett Fuller
Brett Fuller is a pastor, NFL Chaplain and has been politically active a one-time member of an advisory board to George W Bush. He also proposed a bill to congress to build a memorial to American slaves of the past. In his book, Dreaming In Black And White,[1] Fuller uses his rich history growing up in America as an African American man to argue that Christians today need to acknowledge, honor and cross differences of race and culture. He makes a case for holding the tensions of understanding the fears, concerns and confusions of the white population, while rightly processing the deep pain of the black.[2] Using his own experiences of intentionally building a cross-cultural congregation in Virginia, he says:
Our great God, who can enthrone himself anywhere he chooses, has decided to rule in heaven in the midst of people from every kind of nation, from all the different tribes, and of every language group. This is his delight. This is what he has created. This is what he has redeemed through his son Jesus and has chosen as the setting of this rule over the universe… How could I ever be satisfied with one color, one language, one nation, one tribe church when my Heavenly Father delighted to enthrone himself in the splendor of all them?[3]
Questions
- Knowing what he knows now, what is advice he would give to himself back when he started integration in his church over 30 years ago?
- What tricks has he learned to survive living in the middle spaces that he occupies?
Fuller’s book High Ceilings: Women in Leadership comes across as a kindly, humbly written reworking of his theological interpretations of 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Timothy 2, Ephesians 5, Galatians 3 and other Pauline writings about women in leadership both at home and in the church. The point that caught my attention was his view that while women are qualified to hold any job in the church, he believes that men are to be the head of the household. In my experience, most theologians hold an either/or view of these two questions, often using one to defend the other, so this grabbed my attention.
Questions
- Noticing that the copyrights of both Dreaming in Black and White and High Ceilings are in 2021, what compelled him to write this book when he did?
- What is the most challenging part of what he proposes in this work?
- Has he seen any tension in situations where a woman is sin church leadership, and her husband (her head) is a member of her congregation?
Jim Wallis
On his website, Jim Wallis is described as a “writer, teacher, preacher and justice advocate who believes the gospel of Jesus must be emancipated from its cultural and political captivities.[4] In his book: God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It,[5] Wallis urges that it is time for the Church to stop engaging in politics as a matter of defending cultural values. With a steadfast commitment to pursuing social justice and also not wedding Christian identity to advocating for single social issues. In his broad experience, he has observed that Christians of all stripes, are beginning to note a hunger for the Church to respond to the signs of the times with a social justice mindset, and he proposes a a”fourth way”:
It is traditional or conservative on issues of family values, sexual integrity and personal responsibility, while being very progressive, populist, or even radical on issues like poverty and racial justice…At the heart of the fourth option in the integral link between personal ethics and social justice. And it appeals to people who refuses to make the choice between the two. [6]
Questions
This book is now 19 years old:
- If he were to rewrite this book, which social issues would he choose to highlight?
- As postmodernism has become more evidence in today’s world, how would he adjust the advice he provides to believers in this book?
- How does he feel about the predictions he made on the last pages of his book?
- What current social causes keep him up at night, these days?
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[1] Brett Fuller, Dreaming In Black And White (BookBaby, 2021).
[2] Fuller, 7.
[3] Fuller, 48–49.
[4] “About Jim Wallis,” Center on Faith +Justice (blog), accessed September 17, 2024, https://faithandjustice.georgetown.edu/about-jim-wallis/.
[5] Jim Wallis, God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It, 1st HarperCollins pbk. ed. (New York, NY: HarperOne, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2006).
[6] Wallis, 74.
About the Author
Jennifer Vernam
8 responses to “Going Straight to the Source”
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Hi, Jen,
You mentioned Wallis’ stance on not wedding Christian identity to advocating for single social issues. This resonated with me. I’d like to delve into more of Jim Wallis’s writings. Having read this book, what strategy might you advise your son to use as he votes for the first time in the upcoming presidential election?
That is a tough question, Esther. We have been having a lot of political conversations in the Vernam household, as of late. When advising my son where I am landing is to encourage him to look at character first and foremost. The treasure hunt we are on as voters is for the leader who actually wants to live into the ‘servant’ part of public service. I read an article today about young, undecided voters, and walked away disturbed by the defeatist attitude. Most of them spent time describing all the detestable character traits of a particular candidate, and then, when asked who they would vote for if forced to decide to day, they opted for the person they had just been describing! I am not sure how to make sense of that except to suspect that there is a growing collective pessimism in the next generations. That is all a roundabout way to say, I want to encourage my kids to not give up on looking for inspirational leaders.
Esther’s question has gotten my brain to go down a rabbit trail. I had not previously considered what it would feel like to have young adult children coming of age in the current election cycle. I’m thinking back to the first time or two that I voted and I’m pretty sure I just voted for whomever I thought my parents would be voting for. Having met your son, I’m quite confident he is much more reflective and thoughtful than I was at that age!
Jen, Your third question to Brett Fuller about a woman being in leadership while her husband is a member of the congregation speaks directly to me! I have always been the pastor and my husband the congregation member. In one of my congregations (beginning of my pastoral ministry) there was some tension between my husband and me because he wanted me to push the congregation harder than I was comfortable. I kind of let him talk me into pushing them too hard and it did not go well for me or the church. Thankfully, my husband and I were able to work through and learn from this situation. After much couples therapy, he and I are much better at navigating this kind of situation. I now understand he is just trying to help and support me and he is much better at stepping back and letting me do what I think is best.
We’ve never subscribed to the complementary marriage model and both fully believe it would not work for us at all.
I am curious if you’ve experienced any tensions between a pastor and her or his partner in the church.
Kally, thanks for sharing your experience. It is always a tightrope when work and marriage intersect! Now that you mention it, no, I have never seen a couple work through that dimension publicly. I am assuming because it would be too risky, given the undercurrent of expectations that we put on our church leaders. How acceptable would it be for the wife of a male pastor to question her husband in a substantive way? I imagine not very… would love to be disproved on that. Good question.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for the quick dive into the background of these authors.
I can’t wait to hear the answers for the questions you proposed.
After my time in Ukraine, two books comes to mind.
1) Stay In Your Lane: worry less, love more, and get things done Paperback – April 20, 2023
by Kevin A Thompson, and
2) Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits For Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead, by Marcus Warner, Jim Wilder
The first book cautions me about focusing my emotional, physical and spiritual capital on the tasks God has set before me.
The second reminds me that God has prepared me for work in Eastern Europe and the joy I experienced being back there should serve a reminder to stay focused.
A return to “tunnel vision” perhaps. But I am wrestling with this thought these days.
Shalom..
I love your questions. Consider them “stolen.” When you hear me ask YOUR question in DC…do not surprised! 🙂
You have an amazing mind Jen. Seriously. What a gift and grace upon your life.
See you next week!
Like your questions for Brett about “the tricks he has learned for living in the middle”. This is something I would like to hear him answer. What actually works when attempting to build bridges for our world. I know this is pretty important for you project as well right?