Blackberry Church

The online news story read:

“President Obama doesn’t need to step foot in a church to find spiritual inspiration — it comes directly to his BlackBerry.

When he took office, Obama fought vehemently with his security staff to keep that BlackBerry, a highly-secure version of the standard store-bought phone and messaging device that has now become something of a spiritual lifeline.”

I too receive several devotionals every morning on my Blackberry. I get one from the Church of the Nazarene and one from a Catholic devotional group. Both are very rich. One is topical, very brief, (Nazarene) and the other is deep, tied to the Lectionary, and rich with tradition.

Receiving these devotionals, however, is no substitute for assembling myself in community with the people of God. In fact, this example from our president’s life, points out a terrible fallacy; the idea of privatized piety, or the equivalent of Lone Ranger spirituality. It is a shame that he doesn’t have an advisor who could speak truth to power in his life, encouraging him to assemble with the faithful! I admire his continued testimony and that he as recently as this week in the national prayer breakfast testified to his faith as a Christian. I am sorry, however, that he is succumbing to the heresy of our age: one doesn’t need to in communal fellowship with other believers to be a follower of Jesus.

In the meantime, I pray that a true, spiritual friend will step forward and encourage President Obama to find a place with his family in the communion of faith with the people of God.

Grace and peace,
Dave Felter