Thank You Pastor Fuller.
Right out of the gate…I have two honest confessions.
Firstly, I did NOT incorporate Jim Wallis’ God Politics into this post (although I read it entirely and enjoyed it thoroughly…so much so that I just finished reading his latest book The False White Gospel!). My apologies to Mr. Wallis. I am deeply grateful for his voice over the years, especially his work with Soujourners. At the bottom, I have included a brief addendum of a few questions for our time with Mr. Wallis, and I truly look forward to engaging with him. I choose, however, to focus on Brent Fullers’ two assigned books for the reason found in my following confession.
Secondly, I did NOT do an inspectional review of these Fuller books. I understand that we were instructed to inspect Pastor Brent Fuller’s books High Ceilings and Dreaming in Black and White. And I do know what “inspectional” means. I was paying attention during the first semester.
I, however, read them in totality, from front to back, every word, all the way through…and I was deeply moved…multiple times.
Thank you, Pastor Fuller.
In High Ceilings, thank you for saying it simply. Many a tree has been killed on the topic of women in ministry leadership. Countless words have been slung around in attempts to address this critical issue. And there is a place for that level of scholarship and wordsmithing. However, while not lacking scholarship and wordsmithing prowess, you have given us something concise (41 pages!) and easy to understand. Thank you, Pastor Fuller.
Thank you for saying it honestly and maturely in Dreaming in Black and White. That is not a backdoor jab at other writers and communicators (bloggers/podcasters/facebookers) on this topic, but rather a heartfelt gratitude for how transparent you were, as well as for how you communicated in such a way that I (a white male) was deeply convicted, yet without feeling unduly shamed. And there’s a lot in the past (and sadly in the present) for us white males to feel wrong about. I didn’t sense you were dog-piling on the collective “us.” Rather, you communicated convincingly and kindly, and for that, I thank you, Pastor Fuller.
As I see it, the primary thesis of High Ceilings is what you have so clearly stated in your conclusion, and I think it’s best to just quote it as it is: “Women are graced by God just like men. They have gifts and callings just like men. They are as spiritually capable as men. Their distinctions in capacity to carry the burden and their potential upside impact upon the world are not limited by gender but by the “version” of humanity they inherited, their calling, their gifting, and their life experience, just like men.”
Amen to that.
The driving forces in Dreaming in Black and White are multi-faceted and powerful in their melding together. You masterfully weaved together the historical roots of America, your personal family line, biblical framing and re-framing, and current realities/examples of biases, prejudices, and racist beliefs and behaviors. And all in 172 pages. Wow. This will be a re-read for me and one I will give to my pastoral staff. The cost will be worth it if only for your exhortation to “remember three simple phrases that have the power to change everything: “I feel your pain. I’m sorry. How can I help?” (pg. 144).
Thank you, Pastor Fuller.
I look forward to meeting you, thanking you in person, and, Lord willing, asking you a few questions, such as:
- During Covid and the racial tensions of a few years ago, as a pastor of a large, suburban, mainly white (but not entirely) church in Oregon, WAS I WRONG in making my primary aim the peace and unity of our congregation at the possible expense of tackling some of these complex topics?
- A motto I lived by towards the tail end of all the traumatic events of 2020-2022 was “I can’t swing at every pitch.” I would say this both out of leadership fatigue and because I felt like too much was coming at us too fast. Your book mentions dealing with many significant issues in the church service. How do you choose which ones to deal with, and are there varied environments in which you would tackle them? (i.e., small groups, main service, printed material, video, etc.).
- You mentioned several biblical examples that I simply had never framed in the way you masterfully did (i.e., Simon of Cyrene called Niger and the “dark but lovely” verse from Song of Solomon), and I’ve been a “Bible guy” for a lot of years! Would it be fair to say that I didn’t see those references in that way because of the “white construct” that I grew up with? Are there other factors you could identify?
Let me finish with a brief story. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. By small, I mean less than 1500 people. We were an hour from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I mention that because my “exposure” to people of color was rare, we would “go into the cities” to shop for school clothes or something special. In other words, not often. I had almost zero engagement with people of color. Zero. Until I was 17 and moved to Los Angeles to attend Bible College. Seriously.
But when I was in middle school, our small Foursquare church had a volunteer youth leader. He was a hippie throwback to the Jesus People days. Probably stopped smoking weed weeks before becoming our youth leader (or perhaps hadn’t stopped at all the more I think about it). I remember only one thing about this youth leader besides his long blonde hair, and that was when he taught a message at youth group about the “Curse of Ham.” He wasn’t our youth pastor the following week, and I never really understood why he was “fired.” In that message, he taught us, as my mind recalls it, “weird things about black people from the Bible.” Those weird things didn’t shape my theology or interaction with people of color…I don’t think. I don’t recognize any blatant racism in me or in my leadership of our multi-ethnic church (to the degree that any church is in Salem, Oregon). But it has always stuck with me as a vivid memory. I’m 52 years old now, and I can humbly confess this: I didn’t really understand what was being taught then, how it has been wrongly interpreted, and how it’s been misrepresented throughout black culture until reading Dreaming in Black and White.
Thank you, Pastor Fuller.
I feel your pain.
I’m sorry.
How can I help?
Addendum: Questions for Mr. Wallis.
- This material was published around 2005. From a 30,000-foot perspective, what you say has changed since then?
- You made some predictions for the new millennium near the end of the book. Were there any shockers on the list? Ones that didn’t happen as you thought? Other things that have taken place that you didn’t foresee?
- I was particularly struck by predictions #5 and #6. Do you have any current observations about the Religious Right and the Secular Left that bolster and/or undermine those predictions?
About the Author
John Fehlen
John Fehlen is currently the Lead Pastor of West Salem Foursquare Church. Prior to that he served at churches in Washington and California. A graduate of Life Pacific University in San Dimas, CA in Pastoral Ministry, and Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA with a Masters in Leadership and Spirituality. He and his wife Denise have four grown children and four grandchildren. John is the author of "Don't Give Up: Encouragement for Weary Souls in Challenging Times," a book for pastoral leaders, a children's book called "The Way I See You," and the forthcoming "Leave A Mark: The Jouney of Intentional Parenting." You can connect with John on Instagram (@johnfehlen) as well as at johnfehlen.substack.com.8 responses to “Thank You Pastor Fuller.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
John, I can imagine some of the conversations you were having as a senior pastor during the pandemic, and I would be curious to know what books / articles / tools you and your staff navigated during that time that, if you had to do it all over again, you probably would have NOT read/used (or found to be unhelpful)? And, is there one that stands out that is a must read? You don’t have to answer those questions on a post response — we can talk about it in D.C. I do think Pastor Fuller’s book is a GREAT one to give to staff, as it is so accessible and written in a way that I think truly does build the bridges he is aiming for. His two statements and question (“I feel your pain.” “I’m sorry.” “How can I help?”) are gold.
Good question Travis. A primary resource we leaned into was “Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation” by Latasha Morrison. We found that book, and videos by her to be helpful.
I will say also that there were other resources, such as “White Awake” and “White Fragility” that caused a stir. We ultimately pulled them from our resource list, because we had not vetted them, and they seemed to stir up more trouble than was necessary at the moment. So…all that to say, it’s important, to find a few good resources that you can fully stand behind.
Hi John,
Ahhh confessions of a book nerd…I loved your statement, “I can’t swing at every pitch.”
I have been wrestling with that.
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. Letting all the presidential election rhetoric pass me by.
Since Dr. LiVecche’s talk, I have been perusing the online magazine where he is the executive editor, http://www.providencemag.com. A place of Christian Realism that confronts current issues. Perhaps there is an updated Wallis in the writings of this group.
Shalom..
Hello Russell,
Yah, the statement, “I can’t swing at every pitch” obviously is a baseball metaphor. I’m not a sporty guy, but I do get the idea of letting some pitches go by. I don’t have to swing at everything, especially as I get older. I remember playing kids t-ball and such, and it was so common to swing ALL THE TIME, and MISS MOST OF THE TIME.
I’m learning to be patient. Measured. Prayerfully.
But that is OH SO DIFFICULT!
Hi John- I am going to zoom in on ONE of your many, thoughtful questions:
During Covid and the racial tensions of a few years ago, as a pastor of a large, suburban, mainly white (but not entirely) church in Oregon, WAS I WRONG in making my primary aim the peace and unity of our congregation at the possible expense of tackling some of these complex topics.
This is such an interesting question, and I think worth some consideration. It hints at my research topic (as does EVERYTHING, it seems!) around how to have those hard discussions. Thank you for being a leader who is willing to go back and assess if they could have done it differently.
I had a number of pastoral friends that were digging into hot topics (race, immigration, politics, LGBTQ issues, etc) and I wondered if I was missing something. Even now, there are many that hittting politics, voting, etc head on. And I wonder if I’m missing the boat in terms of discipling my people properly. I don’t know. I’m wrestling with it.
Sadly, I’ve seen two things in pastors/congregations that take on these issues head on (and I’m not faulting them in any way!).
1. It polarizes and sometimes splits the congregation.
2. They have to keep tackling new things – new pitches that come across the plate. It’s like playing wack-a-mole.
I have, OH SO MUCH more wrestling to do.
I appreciate the same question Jennifer noted. Do we do more damage by sliding past the hurt in effort to get to healing, but perhaps too quickly? I wonder what it means to be grieving together the pain all of this is. Grief does not remove Joy (as you and I have discovered in our projects:). Thanks for your thoughts.
THIS: A motto I lived by towards the tail end of all the traumatic events of 2020-2022 was “I can’t swing at every pitch.” I would say this both out of leadership fatigue and because I felt like too much was coming at us too fast. Your book mentions dealing with many significant issues in the church service. How do you choose which ones to deal with, and are there varied environments in which you would tackle them? (i.e., small groups, main service, printed material, video, etc.).
That’s a great quesiton; wish I would have thought of it. But now that I’ve read it I REALLY want to know the answer, because, as you know, I’m living in the same sapce.