[Vision2020] [advice]

[Michael]

Jerry,

 

Thanks for the note. My exhortation to you was clearly private, which you
would have known for two reasons: first, it was addressed to you only and
not to the vision 2020 list.  In fact, there was nothing in the subject
line, 'To' field, or content that would have suggested I had sent it to
Vision 2020.  Second, the content and tone of my email were clearly private.
I do not normally write to you that way and I do not make posts like that
publicly on Vision 2020.  

 

I can therefore only suspect that you knowingly posted very private
correspondence from me to Vision 2020; this is something, ironically, I have
never done to my recollection. The fact that you wrote to both myself and
Vision 2020 demonstrates that it was not the sort of slip I made a few
months ago.

 

With that said, I noticed it seems as though you are attempting an argument
here, or at least something similar to an argument; and so I will seek to
answer this argument as best I can.  By 'everyone,' I was referencing-which
I thought would have been fairly clear-my knowledge about what people
outside of Christ Church (and some within) think about the general nature of
'kirker' posts on Vision 2020. Perhaps this was hyperbole, perhaps a bit
misleading; if so, I apologize. Although, since I was writing to you and
nobody else, how 'misleading' this was before you decided to post it to
Vision 2020 was not very problematic.  Hopefully my clarification here is
sufficient.  

 

There is plenty of internal evidence for my claim, and I meant to also imply
the fact that I most likely have a better feel for public opinion on the
outside of Christ Church than you yourself do.  Further consider the
important fact that my own embarrassment as a fellow kirker regarding these
kinds of non-argumentative, rude, arrogant, or else vain posts soon turned
to anger once I finally peeked inside this list. I was a Gre[a]yfriar
student minding my own business, and I lifted the man hole and got a whiff
only accidentally.  I have already provided a sampling of the more obtuse
kind of rhetoric to which I am referring at the following link:
http://poohsthink.com/?p=133

 

Keep in mind as well that I exhorted Dale Courtney at two different times
privately about the non-Christian approach to people within the local
community, and even pointed out slanderous comments in addition to comments
that were merely insulting or arrogant. He was apparently not interested in
hearing my concerns. 

 

Lastly, you reference "Generous Orthodoxy."  Perhaps you mean to imply that
I am not acting consistently with my defense of Brian McLaren's book 'A
Generous Orthodoxy.'  I'm not sure how this would be so; if you read the
book (ahem) you will find that McLaren is extremely hard on precisely that
form of American Christianity that is well represented by Wilson and many
kirkers.  In fact, McLaren gets out a little bit of a satirical 'serrated
edge' for those arrogant Christians who refuse to embody a missional stance
towards those without their 'walls,' set up by means of doctrinal
distinctives and elitist conceptions of themselves. I have sought to follow
'A Generous Orthodoxy' in this respect.  In fact, I informed Wilson to his
face many months ago that I had concluded that he is the only person that
currently deserves a full Serrated Edge, which is reserved for arrogant
religious leaders who use people to further their own position; the Serrated
Edge is not to be employed towards non-Christian neighbors we live in
community with, members of Christ Church who critique the Leader, nor folks
who you find across your property line with a camera. 

 

I hope that helps.  And once again, after my experience with your tender and
pastoral heart and with the clear Group Think direction you are going in, I
strongly encourage you to take a break from the Kirk.  I do believe you are
gifted for the pastoral ministry at least in your ability to give yourself
to the service of pastoral care; I think your continued involvement as a
real 'insider' at the Kirk is damaging your ability to express these gifts.
If you removed yourself entirely from Christ Church for a while, and its
culture, and I think you would likely come to agree with my assessment. 

 

Yours

Michael Metzler  

 

 

Michael,

 

I don't think it's your place to speak on behalf of what 'everyone' sees in
'stupid posts kirkers make to Vision 2020, including [mine]' but thanks for
encouragement.  Generous orthodoxy indeed.

 

Cheers,

 

Jerry

 

  _____  

Date: Thu, 4 May 2006 09:11:47 -0700
From: metzler2 at verizon.net
Subject: 
To: owenjerry at hotmail.com

Jerry,

 

Go find a job somewhere else.  There are other decent churches out there.
You don't see the vanity and pride in the stupid posts kirkers make to
Vision 2020, including yours, but everyone else can.  Get out while you
still have anything left of your Christian soul.

 

Yours

Michael

 

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