Chi Rho Live Journal

The nines Haiku

2009-09-09T09:20:00.006-05:00

Warnings about pride
"We don't hear, get impatient"
That was Troy Gramling.

Tim Stevens' three words:
You, your mission, their teammates.
All three must be good.

B. Carter followed
Successors live in shadow
He learned to be self.

Anne's Mad Church Disease
Church work distracting from Christ?
Relying on "Me".

How does one mentor
I do then slowly you do
that's Dave Ferguson

Scott Hodge wants God's voice,
faith and courage to obey.
Mornings are for Him.

Which Way the Wind Blows

2009-07-23T13:50:00.003-05:00

Acts 20:22

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there." -Paul

Acts 21:4

Through the Spirit [the disciples] urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

In studying what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit for a sermon, I was reminded of this strange little movement in Acts.

Did the Holy Spirit want Paul to go to Jerusalem or not? Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go. The disciples were compelled by the Spirit to urge him not to go.

I think that the Spirit did want him to go, but wanted him to go through that bit of testing to be sure he was ready.

However, this brings us an important lesson for those of us trying to follow the Wind of God. Just because he compels us to try to stop someone from "going to Jerusalem" does not necessarily mean he wants that person to listen to us.

Perhaps also, we should consider that just because he sends us toward a city, doesn't necessarily mean he wants us to arrive there.

Poets, Prophets, and Preachers PART 3

2009-07-22T18:46:00.003-05:00

Well, the response I've been getting about Rob Bell (from at least four people just recently) is that he is "out there" on some things. Therefore, I should be pretty careful.

My response has been out where? Such generalities are not helpful to anyone. If there is a problem, define it.

I am not pretending that he is always right. Only my Mom carries that honor (at least, that is what she tells me). I can point to a couple things off the top of my head that I did not think were quite right.

For instance, even though I did find the trampoline illustration in Velvet Elvis helpful in some ways, it fell short in showing how some "springs" are more important than others. (The doctrine of forgiveness is bigger than how often we take the Lord's Supper, for instance). And some are essential. (The resurrection of Jesus, for instance).

However, the same could be said for any teacher I've ever listened to for very long (especially yours truly). We all fail somewhere. I can't tell you how often I groan on Sunday afternoon about something I said Sunday morning. I long to be perfect, alas I'm not.

Overall, I think he is a pretty sound Bible teacher.

He taught five sessions, three of them were 'how-to' construct a sermon. Here are some things that I can tell you about his preaching from hearing those sessions.

1. He is an expository preacher.

Rob Bell always starts his sermon preparations with the text. I already knew this. But he showed how he approaches the passage. He tries to memorize the text way in advance so that it can "live with" him for a long time before he preaches. He focuses on the words, studies their linguistic origins, examines how they are used elsewhere. He researches the backgrounds. He works a passage hard before he starts assembling the sermon, and it shows.

2. He is passionately in love with God's Word.

You can see this in his sermon prep. It also show in his body language when he talks about the text.

3. He is passionate about God's work.

It would be interesting enough for me if he just showed the neat things he discovered in his research. But he works the sermon all the way to applications.
4. He works really hard on his messages.

This was the most striking thing to me. I always assumed he was just really gifted as a communicator. He is that, but wow, he works hard. He showed us his process. Every part of his sermon is the result of a lot thought a preparation.
5. He still believes the sermon is a very powerful tool in the post-modern world.

Many post-modern church leaders are giving up on sermons. They see the method as dated and ineffective. Not so with Rob. Though he doesn't often use the force of the 'bully pulpit, preferring to give the first words of a discussion rather than the final word. (This very different approach is why I think he tends to be misunderstood).

Poets, Prophets, and Preachers PART 2

2009-07-16T08:55:00.002-05:00

Rob Bell did most of the speaking. But he had some guests too.

The surprise guest guest was Zach Lind, drummer from Jimmy Eat World. (You can find his blog here) Rob interviewed him about the creative process of song writing, and then applied that to the creative process of sermon writing. The biggest take-away from that was that writing a good song or sermon doesn't just happen. It often takes much working and re-working.

That was probably more fun than helpful.

Peter Rollins was one of the other guest speakers. He had two one-hour sessions. The first he was interviewed by Rob, the second he just spoke. Peter was really funny and charming (with his thick Irish brogue).

Peter, however, might be one of the reasons that so many evangelicals are nervous about all things Emerging. (I'd argue that the biggest reason is that evangelicals get nervous is that they are group that is labeled. Any time that happens, the labeled group is seen as new and therefore unorthodox. But that's a discussion for another day.)

Peter is absolutely mad. I would say that there is a method to his madness, but many will never be able to see beyond the madness. He speaks quickly, rapidly dropping bombs of provocation. He speaks with far more question marks than periods.

I'd argue he is more a performance artist than a preacher. If you understand him in that way, it makes much more sense. Let me give you an example: For Lent, he instructed his group to give up God. For those 40 plus days, they did not read the Bible or pray. Instead they read atheist writers like Freud and Nietzsche. Already, he may have lost you. But by the end, he talked about how a need and a hunger for God had been created.

That's Peter Rollins in a nutshell. His performance art carries the danger of being misunderstood, but it also carries a tremendous potential to speak in ways that a speech canot. The best things I got from him were two illustrations (maybe I'll share them another day) and the motivation to try to work in more performance art into service (attentive to the dangers, of course). His books may be worth reading just to inspire creativity.

The other guest speaker, Shane Hipps, pastors a Mennonite church of about 300 in Arizona. Before he became a preacher, he worked for a marketing firm that had accounts with Porsche and others. As a part of that work, he did much research into how people think in the effort to coerce them into buying whatever his firm was pimping. He left that behind, but now carries some important warnings about what unintentional messages are media carry.

You can can catch the heart of his first message here (It's a 5:40 video) or in an articel he wrote here. (You might want to check out some of the other interviews about virtual community too).

The infromation he gave in his first session should be required for any student of preaching. Really good. Really important.

Since he contends that the medium is the message, his second session was about what kind of message do you as medium convey (beyond the text of your sermon, of course).

That session was confusing to me. I found his blog and asked him to explain the ideas from his second session more. You can find his response here. He deserves a lot of credit for responding so quickly and graciously. I'm still probing more, because it is new to me. I want to know more about what he means before I swallow it whole or deny it completely, or (more likely) do something between those extremes.

Poets, Prophets, and Preachers

2009-07-14T08:42:00.002-05:00

This is a review of the Poets, Prophets and Preachers conference I attended last week. It was a preaching conference hosted by Rob Bell.

I have been somewhat careful about telling people I was going to hear Rob Bell, because I grow weary of answering all of the rumors and accusations that surround him. I don't agree with everything he says. The same could be said of any author, speaker, or teacher, though.

Most of the more passionate attacks seem to be from people who have not actually read his books, or seem to completely misunderstand them.

But like I said, I'm tired of this debate. So, I have been listening and reading him in relative silence for a couple of years. When I would quote him, I'd say "I heard a preacher say..." Cowardly, I guess.

Things changed a little when a fellow attender was fired by his church for just being at this conference. Now I feel like saying nothing may be allowing ignorance to handicap the church. I'm not going to commit myself to daily fighting this battle. But I will let you know what I see, good and bad and let you form opinions of your own.

This is already getting lengthy, so I'll break it up into a couple parts.

What enticed me to go:

1. I really want to get better at the craft of preaching
2. If you paid for one registration, it was good for two people, which encouraged us to experience it in community, where you could digest the ideas together. I got to do this with an old acquaintance from college. This was much better than going to a conference without anyone else. I've done that before: not fun.
3. Since we split the registration price, the cost was only $125 for 2 and a half days. Compare that to other conferences and you will see what a value that is.
4. It was in Grand Rapids, a pretty quick drive from here. Compare to Chicago, Atlanta, and San Diego where other appealing conferences were.
5. Rob Bell is an amazing communicator. I was hoping I could learn some of his preparation and delivery techniques. (I was not disappointed, by the way).

I think in the next post, I will give you my impression of the two other speakers, Peter Rollins and Shane Hipps. Then, in a third post, I'll give you my impression of Rob's five talks.

Gluttonous Cannibals

2009-06-08T08:29:00.005-05:00

America earned the “consumeristic” label long ago. We consume, gorge, and stuff ourselves until the point of bursting. But this consumption is not limited to food alone. We consume goods, resources, and at times each other. We are gluttonous cannibals, devouring one another.

In the Aramaic portions of Daniel we find an astounding idiom. Though the idiom is translated “to denounce" or "to accuse maliciously,” the literal meaning is “to eat the pieces.” Daniel 3:8 states that the “astrologers” came forward to denounce Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because they were not bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar’s 90-foot image. Then in Daniel 6 the other leaders, jealous of Daniel’s rise to prominence, used his piety to convict him. After Daniel was delivered, the king brought the men who “ate the pieces” of Daniel before him, and threw them and their families into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:24).

This phrase, “ate the pieces,” is so stark—as though the defamers are literally removing parts of people with their words. But we have similar idioms in English:

nitpicking
tearing them a new one
picking them apart
shredding

All these phrases dealing with words carry some sort of violence being enacted upon the subject of the words. I used to scoff at the silly Public Service Announcements that tell us that “words hurt”:

But I can’t watch such things with an attitude of ambivalence anymore. Words do hurt and lead to all sorts of awful consequences. It is worse when it happens in the church—a place that is supposed to be safe and free from such attacks. And yet, as much as we try put on our Sunday Christian personas and separate our actions outside the church from those when we walk through the doors, our words still come through. After all, “From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). And when we attack each other verbally, we may as well be chopping up and eating one another like cannibals.

The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Gal 5:14-15

A Memorial Service

2009-05-25T15:36:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the United States. It is a day that has been set aside by our government to remember. We remember those who answered the call of their country and willingly gave their lives for something bigger than themselves. To remember, millions go to military cemeteries to remember the fallen. To remember, a small American flag will be placed on the grave of every fallen soldier in Arlington National Cemetery and in cemeteries around the country. To remember, many will place beautiful flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. To remember, we set aside our schedules and our day to day routines to honor sacrifice.

There are a lot of similarities between Memorial Day and our Communion Service. Everyone in church services today has someone who loved him or her enough to lay down his life on the cross for their sins. And so we take time out of our schedules and our routines and we gather to remember.

We remember he was “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities.”
We remember “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
We remember that Jesus “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

But the key to understanding communion is in the differences between it and any other memorial observance. There is no tomb for us to visit and lay flowers on. No, we serve a risen savior, who’s in the world today. Flags and flowers do not honor him. No, we gather at a table instead of a tomb and we lay our lives at the foot of the cross as a living sacrifice for Jesus.

Each Lord’s Day millions gather around the Lord’s table to remember the crucified and risen Lord. Let us eat the bread and drink the cup “in remembrance” of our wonderful Savior.

A Good Knight

2009-05-01T08:40:00.002-05:00

Why does a knight serve his king? (I'm talking about the mythical medieval knight here.)

The reasons are plenty. A knight could serve his king because of the pay, the position it would put his children in, the fun parties, the celebrity status, the power over people associated with the position, family traditions, or a variety of other selfish reasons. There are many ways that a king can get knights to serve him. But none of them would really stick - well, maybe family tradition might. Another king could come along and offer more pay, offer higher societal positions for the knight's children, bigger parties, a higher seat at the table, or more power.

So what is a king to do if he wants a knight that is truly loyal?

He would have to offer a vision of the way he wants to shape the world that would cause the knight will put aside his dreams for higher pay, the societal status of his children, his enjoyment of the most grand parties, his celebrity status, his power over others, and even the traditions of his family. The knight, the kind a king would want, would put aside all his selfish ambitions to help the king bring about his plan for the world.

Does God want any less of us than a king wants of a good knight?

He offers us the opportunity to join with him in making our houses and our neighborhoods a better place. All he asks is that we buy into his vision of the world. We need to put on the breastplate of faith and love and wear the helmet of the hope of salvation (1 Thes 5:8). In the end, we need to put aside all of our selfish ambitions, surrender our hearts and desires to God, and begin to work on shaping the world into the world he planned for it to be. Anything else is just serving for the wrong reasons.

And God is different than a king. A king can be tricked by outward appearances, posturing, and traditions. God cannot. He can see straight into our hearts and see if it is really His.

Encountering the Bible...literally

2009-04-27T20:57:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I was asked point blank by a church member, “Do you take the Bible literally?” While she did not intend it to be so, this is a loaded question. By saying “yes” you must then do everything written therein literally. By saying “no” you are impinging upon the reliability and authority of the Bible. Of course, anyone involved in such a discussion knows the matter is far more complicated than those two options.

For example, what do we mean by “literal”? Do we mean “historically literal”—that what the Bible purports to have happened actually happened in that way? This approach assumes a few things: that the authors understood history writing as we do and that they had the materials in hand to accomplish such a feat.

Contrary to these assumptions, historiography (how history is written) is a modern construct and applying it to ancient writers is anachronistic and unfair to their intentions. Biblical writers were not writing an unbiased history of what occurred. Rather, it is a theologized history—that is, a history from the viewpoint of a faithful people reflecting upon a saving God.

Even if they were writing with unbiased intent, they did not have the primary materials to accurately convey historical events. Many things described in the Bible were reconstructed from oral transmission since they were not a written culture and did not write things down.

Thus we should not be surprised when there are tensions (or to put it more boldly, “contradictions”) in the text. They were not concerned with transmitting events exactly as they happened. Rather, they incorporated historically based events into their overarching themes and shaped them into a coherent whole. A brief look at the Synoptic gospels belies such a position. When Matthew says that Jesus taught on a mountain (Matt. 5:1) and Luke says he “came down and taught on a level place” (Luke 6:20), is one of them just wrong? No, it means there is more to each author’s presentation than meets the eye and it calls for a little investigation.

All of this is to say, we should be wary to take the Bible as “historically literal” because we open ourselves to criticism when a Biblical account seems to be contradicted by other “histories.” What we can say is that the Bible is based in history and contains some historical accounts, but at the end of the day the authors are far more concerned with the theological message than the historical accuracy.

Well if we don’t mean “historically literal” perhaps we mean “proscriptionally literal”. That is, when the Bible makes a command, we take it literally and do it—no questions asked. On the one hand, such a literal view has its appeal. It removes any interpretation from our part and places it firmly in God’s hands. There is no need to justify our actions because God has the final authority.

The problem with this literal view is that it does not account for all the laws in the Bible. What do we do with the Old Testament laws? Unfortunately, many too easily dismiss Old Testament laws by saying we live under the New Covenant. Also, what do we do with cultural laws—that is, laws whose context can be traced to a specific time and place but whose impact is lost on a different, modern culture? A most obvious example is Paul’s command for women to dress modestly, which excludes braided hair, gold jewelry or pearls (1 Tim. 2:9). Yet even the most staunch advocate for literal adherence to the laws would probably concede that this command was culturally focused and described modern day prostitutes. Yet, literally, women should not wear jewelry or braid their hair. But such an understanding would seem to be ludicrous by today’s standards. Or, more graphically, when Jesus recommends gouging out your eye or cutting off your hand to avoid sin (Matt 5:29-30), who, except the most ascetic among us, would literally follow such a command?

Hopefully my point is clear—patently accepting biblical stories and laws as literal is not a correct appropriation of Scripture. This approach does not take into account genre, metaphor, hyperbole, parables, etc. Perhaps more egregious is that this approach does not consider authorial intent. Though we may never know exactly what an author was thinking, we can generally deduce a probable theological theme. Thus, a literal interpretation is not always a correct one.

By saying that I don’t always take the Bible literally should in no way imply that it is not the main source of truth that God has revealed to humanity. The Bible is true and does not need to hold up under factual and verifiable scrutiny. It reveals God’s relationship with God’s creation and is not a handbook of World, Israelite, or Christian history. It is a revelation of God's saving works and not a handbook of moral or ethical laws.

To conclude, correctly understanding Scripture requires a Spirit of wisdom coupled with a proper understanding of context and background. And each new generation needs to allow the Bible to speak anew to the needs of the community. May we take the Bible seriously, even if we don’t always take it literally.

Unlikely Disciple

2009-04-24T14:22:00.001-05:00

I just ran across this book. It looks like an interesting read.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University

Here is the article on it that got me interested in it: Liberal Student Infiltrates Liberty University to Write Exposé and Discovers Intolerance...From the Left

A liberal Ivy League student decides to enroll at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Virgina and write a book exposé (The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University) supposedly showing the intolerance that must be there, or so he thought. The liberal student, however, was surprised to find little of the expected intolerance but is now finding plenty of it from the left because his book was not an outright condemnation of Liberty University nor of Jerry Falwell whom he met during his semester there.

Great Atomic Power

2009-04-18T06:41:00.002-05:00

Pandora just played the song from Elizabeth Cook and the Grascals entitled "Great Atomic Power." I would advise checking it out, but I do not know where. It's apparently a popular bluegrass song by how many have made covers of it.

It made me laugh.

Do you fear this man's invention that they call atomic power?
Are we all in great confusion, do we know the time or hour
When a terrible explosion may ring down upon our land
Leaving horrible destruction blotting out the works of man

Chorus:
Are you ready for that great atomic power?
Will you rise and meet your Savior in the end?
Will you shout or will you cry when the fire rains from on high?
Are you ready for that great atomic power?

There is one way to escape and be prepared to meet the Lord
Give your heart and soul to Jesus, He will be your shield and sword
He will surely stand beside and you'll never taste of death
For your soul will fly to safety and eternal peace and rest

There's an army who can conquer all the enemy's great bands
It's a regiment of Christians guided by the Savior's hand
When the mushroom of destruction falls and all it's fury great
God will surely save His children from this awful, awful fate

Are you ready for that great atomic power?

Change Starts with Recognizing Our Condition

2009-04-10T10:04:00.002-05:00

All growth is change. And most growth starts with the recognition of our need to improve. On this Good Friday, I am reminded of Christ's sacrifice for me and everyone else and the subsequent failure on my part to always respond to Jesus' loving action properly.

Nehemiah, a servant of the king of Persia, heard of the state that Jerusalem had fallen to despite the recent ritual revival that had occurred there. Nehemiah responded to the sad situation with weeping, mourning, prayer and fasting. Nehemiah 1 records one of his prayers.

Today, I have updated that prayer for our situation. If you want to read the real prayer, go to Nehemiah 1. Here is my prayer on this great day.

O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the church. I confess the sins we Christians, including myself and my local body, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the command to love our neighbors as you taught.

Please remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'

We are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by the great sacrifice of Jesus. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. May our lives give you glory. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of others.

Then Nehemiah went to do the will of God, risking his life, facing scorn and danger, and leaving the comfort of the king's presence - all to bring glory to God. In the end, Nehemiah's struggle was not in vain. None of his success would have happened if Nehemiah was not able to see that the reality of the world was different than the reality God intended. So often we also realize this but justify it away. Nehemiah did not do what we have the tendency to do. He followed the revelation by mourning, fasting, and prayer over the Israelites fallen state. When we strive for that which is better and are willing to change ourselves, God can be glorified.

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God (Nehemiah 6:15-16).

They realized that God was at work. Let us mourn, pray, and fast that the world will realize that God is at work in their midst, and may we be the people willing to be used for that work. But be assured, we will have to change for that to happen. All growth is change.

Rappin' for Jesus

2009-04-07T10:12:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I saw an old friend, Marcus, whom I had not seen in about 8 years. He is a bright guy and has his hands in writing, mixing and producing his own music. He is also a writer/contributer/editor of “The Holy Observer,” a satirical Christian news source similar to “The Onion.” Anyway, combine those two aspects of his life and you get this news story in which he made a song just for the story. Listen to the song here and the lyrics are posted below. If you don’t get any of the references, just google them and you will figure out just how clever the song is.

Tru Dawgma – Straight Tribbin'

Eschatological know-how, not evangelical lowbrow
Postmodern cash cow
Revelation based on canonization
The millennial nation looms in dispensation
I spit pedagogy orthodoxy
Prima manifesto in the incarnation proxy
Imprimatur, my roots be the hypostatic union
The theocratic fusion, infusin'

Portiuncula mentalities be waxin'
Straight tribulation factions gaining esoteric traction
No apology, my strict epistemology
Will influence doxology and put you in a quandary
Infralapsarian… tribulation prose
Makes me wary and your pragmatism's blatantly exposed
I Didache your Tim Lahaye while rapture spankin' Jerry Jenkins…
Now cogitate this great awakenin'

Hook
Tribba-what (what?), Tribba-who (who?)
Flex eschatological like straight tribbahs do (2x)

Rapture, comin' at ya, gonna fetch ya, gonna catch ya
I be a theocrat with exegesis comin' natural
Ontology gazes in the wake of Armageddon
Pleroma in soma, not a disconnected remnant
Reviviscence is valid and callus as operatum
While your unbelief and disposition won't even fade Him
Cardiognosis, He knows your thoughts and your dreams
Like the Sadducees, your heresy is leaking out the seams

What, what, who? Henotheistic views
Are romanticized, sanitized, still ain't true
But from the parthenogenesis to the Parousia
We got imputed righteousness until the day we meet up
Since the ascension we got metaphysical nominalists
Refer to Postulates for obedientialis
Hidden like the pseudepigrapha in the
Deuterocanonical pack – the apost-hata's back!

One Faith, One Body, No Lines

2009-04-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

There is one faith and one body, but God does not see the denominational lines that we have drawn. Just because one worships at a church that has a book of doctrine (that you might or might not agree with) does not exclude that person from the body of Christ. Likewise, just because one worships at a church that does not have a book of doctrine does not mean they are automatically part of that body. A church without a book of doctrine like our churches still have a lot of unwritten doctrines that are extra-scriptural. God is glorified in the lives of faithful Lutherans and he is glorified in the lives of faithful Nazarenes just as he is glorified in the life of a faithful non-denominational Christian.

Everyone usually goes to the church that they think are doing things the best and have the best grasp on Scripture. But for pride and self-glorification, people argue that their sect is the best and put others down rather than try and build one another up. This is nothing new. It was happening in Corinth.

Paul addressed it in 1 Corinthians 1.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

Those who claim to follow Christ alone can be just as divisive as those who claim to follow Christ the way Luther did, the way Wesley did, or the way that any other human did. It is arrogant to think that we follow the Scripture alone without any influence from our forefathers. I read the Scripture the way that Alexander Campbell taught that Scripture should be read, that is a different way than the way that Martin Luther or John Wesley read it. But that does not mean that my faith is far greater than a Lutheran, a Methodist, or a Nazarene. My intellectual pursuit of the faith might be different, but we will not be judged by our intellectual pursuit. Rather, we will be judged by whether we have a heart that is totally surrendered to God.

Isaiah 29:13 states:

"The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."

Israel was God's people. There was no group that was more God's than them, but they were still out of step with God. Their title or ethnic origin had nothing to do with whether they were right with God; God wanted their hearts. Likewise, God wants our hearts, anything short of that is not enough. We can give him our hearts whether we are in a Catholic church or in the middle of the woods alone. The key to the healthy Christian life is that we realize nothing but total surrender of our heart makes us right with God. There are acts of the faith that we will participate in when we surrender, but I do not think that God looks down and decides who has given him their heart based upon what church they attend or how they read the Scripture.

The law stated and Jesus repeated, "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Anything less than our whole being surrendered to God does not make us right with Him, not the name of the church we attend nor the lack of formal doctrines and creeds.

The sectarian lines that we have drawn in the sand wash away in God's eyes. Being part of one sect or another does not outweigh a heart that is totally surrendered to God.

So let us not be like those who divided the church by claiming to follow Christ, Cephas, Apollos, or Paul. Let us follow Jesus with our whole heart, not being judgmental, and loving those that we encounter every day. Let us help everyone we encounter to take their next faith step, whether that is their first or the next one after a life of total surrender of ninety years.

"Kings" - a modern take on an old story

2009-03-30T08:44:00.002-05:00

The following is a post I made at another blog. It entails a show that substantially reflects the biblical story of David and Saul. If you have seen it I would be interested in your feedback. If you haven't, give it a try.

I watched the first 2 episodes of “Kings”—a new drama on Sundays at 8:00 on NBC. The commercials intrigued me because I thought it recast America as a monarchy instead of a democracy. So I was interested to see how the writers pictured such a world. However, my assumptions about the background of the show were completely wrong. Rather, it is a modernization of the biblical Saul and David story found in 1 and 2 Samuel. I figured this out immediately as there were many allusions to the biblical story—some overt and some more subtle. Here are a few:

The main city with a New York skyline was Shiloh
The king was named Silas (Saul); the young upstart was named David Shepherd; the king’s daughter and David’s love interest was named Michelle (Michal); the Prophet was named Reverend Samuels
An early scene saw David going up against a tank whose model was named “Goliath”

Others could be listed, but you get the point. A more subtle allusion revolved around the anointing of the Spirit. In the biblical narrative, the Spirit is on Saul and then leaves him and rests on David. In the show the Spirit is symbolized by butterflies that come and settle like a crown on the actors’ heads. I thought this was an interesting and profound appropriation.

No matter how many parallels and allusions are included, many modernizations of classics end up falling flat. However, I put this “Kings” one on the level of Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. One aspect that sets this show apart from other attempts to modernize ancient stories is the clever mix of modern and ancient language. While Romeo + Juliet tried to keep much of Shakespeare’s language, “Kings” uses modern English while sprinkling in some “spiritualized” language. For example, when Reverend Samuels denounces the king he says, “I bring a message. Since you have cast aside the word of the Lord he has cast you aside as king. He grants you no more favors. He protects what you love no longer. God wishes a man after his own heart. You have none.”

Through the first 2 episodes they have done a pretty good job of conveying the original storyline without too much fabrication or plot twisting. However, I wonder if they can keep it up without too many contrived stories. One problem I have is with the portrayal of the king’s son, Jack (Jonathan in the biblical account). In the TV edition he resents David, while the biblical account shows a man, who though he should resent David, loves him and accepts David’s ascension to the throne. Unless a plot line makes them best buddies, it will be a pretty significant divergence from the original.

As I said, my biggest fear is the writers turning this story into something it is not, or choosing to show one side of the characters over against another. But if they do, they will be in good company since the Biblical writers do the same thing. 1 and 2 Samuel tell all the dirty secrets of David, while Chronicles cleans up his history and presents a more pristine “man after God’s own heart.”

I don’t know where this series is going, but I like it thus far and recommend you give it a try. You can watch the first three episodes on the NBC website.

A Holiday Worth Celebrating

2009-03-16T15:02:00.003-05:00

An important holiday came and went with little fanfare. On March 12th, 515 BCE (2524 years ago) the Bible records the following from Ezra 6:14-16:

So the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

There are cards for sweetest day, secretary’s day, boss’s day, Arbor Day and every other day one could imagine. And yet, I found no “Second Temple Completion” cards. It is no surprise since few people in the modern world keep a lunar calendar or have any clue in what solar month “Adar” falls. Add to that the location of this story in a book that is rarely read, even by Christians and you have a holiday that is no longer celebrated.

I can only imagine the joy that was felt by this rag tag group of exiles who had returned to their homeland for the purpose or reinstating worship of their god Yahweh. They went from refuges to restored people. And all of it was through because of the command (will) of God. God used a pagan nation to not simply allow this great occasion, but to pay for it. God used prophets and other faithful followers to encourage the rebuilding. And God used the very people whom he had exiled to restore the people once again. It is quite an amazing story.

Now, I don’t propose making a big to-do about it every year, but I would like to point out a spiritual application. We need to regularly celebrate God’s successes in our lives. We need to celebrate restoration. We need to celebrate what God has done and is currently doing in our lives in and the lives of those we know. These regular remembrances help organize and focus our year, bringing out the joy that God has bestowed upon our lives. They may not make for catchy Hallmark cards and they may not sell a lot of candy and such. But they are integral in fully realizing the exiled places from which God has returned us.

hope

2009-03-13T10:00:00.002-05:00

^{1 Corinthians 15:17}And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

If no one else has any real hope for resurrection either, why would we be pitied even more than they? Unless, the cost of discipleship is only worth it if there will be resurrection?

The Season of Sorrow

2009-02-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

"'Even now,' declares the Lord,
'return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Rend your heart and not your garments.'"
Joel 2:12

O God, our great shepherd, you tenderly gather us as lambs, carrying us with your all embracing love. Yet, like sheep, we wander from you: following our own ways, ignoring your voice, distrusting your provisions.
Forgive our stubborn rebellion, our hardened hearts, our lack of trust.
Forgive us for those things that we have done though we should not and those things we have left undone that we should have done.
Refresh us once again by your quiet waters of mercy and restore our souls by your redeeming love.
Guide our paths that we might follow you more closely.

May your Season of Lent rend your heart back to your creator and Savior.

Sound Off

2009-02-23T21:15:00.001-05:00

Allen Iverson on Charity and The Afterlife

2009-02-20T09:14:00.003-05:00

I've always been a fan of Allen Iverson despite his reputation as one the NBA's bad guys. Much of that always seemed to come from the way he dressed, the way he wore his hair and the number of tattoos he has. None of that concerns me in the least.

Recently he provided some pretty interesting quotes to a reporter. Here are the highlights:

When asked about the highly publicized charity work organized by the league, he said it was "Fake."

"I just look forward to doing it. I don't need all the publicity that comes with it. I don't need that. When it's time for me to get toward that gate, either [God is] gonna say, 'Come in,' or He [is] gonna say, 'Turn around.' And a camera won't decide whether I get in or not."

Someone asked if Iverson thought he was going to heaven or hell.

"I've done a lot of good things in my life and done a lot of bad things in my life so I don't know. I hope the good things outweigh the bad things. I'm damn sure I don't want to go to hell.

"I'm not saying that I'm not in, because I think I am. Unless some things go dramatically wrong in the next how many years, I think I'll be welcomed through those gates."

He was asked if athletes should be considered role models?

"We have more impact on the world than people may think, than even we might think, you know what I mean? When I was younger, when we talk about role model-type situations, I never knew that we were important like we are.

"We are role models, regardless if we like it or not. It is something that we got to accept, but it is something that people should know that we're human and we make mistakes and we are not going to be perfect. You can want to be like Allen Iverson, but I don't think people should try to be like Allen Iverson. I think people should be better than Allen Iverson."

The Big Brother Bother

2009-02-18T11:50:00.002-05:00

On more than one occasion, when I have taught the parable of the Prodigal Son, people have objected on behalf of the older brother. They feel that his gripe is legitimate. They think that the Father is playing favorites with the younger brother.

One person got so upset by it that I think he missed the beauty of perhaps Jesus' most wonderful story, the outlandish compassion of our heavenly Father.

I think this is important to clear up, because it will affect how we view our Heavenly Father and all those who would approach him. This is the context of the story (see verse 1 and 2). It is important to see the failings of the older brother (as well as the younger), and the generosity the Father shows both of his sons.

With that said, here is the case against the older brother:

1. He lacks the love of the father. It's easy to judge your siblings, but what father wants his child enslaved by a Gentile, tending pigs and starving? Or what father could allow his son to be his slave, see him everyday and treat him as a stranger?

It was the older brother's responsibility to plead to his father on behalf of a wayward brother. This older brother takes the opposite route. It is hatred fueled by jealousy, pride and pettiness.

Interestingly, there was a rabbinical parable of a prodigal son whose father does force him to be a slave to teach him a lesson. But that vindictive behavior does not reflect the Father in Heaven. But that story (if well-known) would have made Jesus' twist all the more dramatic.

2. He dishonors his father. Look at the humble words the "sinful" son uses upon his return. Now look at the obstinate words the older brother uses. He does not address him as "father". He shows great disdain for his brother, and his Father's decision to celebrate his return.

It is somewhat rude in our culture. It would have been seen as much worse in such a patriarchal culture.

3. He was ungrateful for what he had been given. His emphasis was how he had earned so much and received so little. His father's retort was how he had been given everything, while not acknowledging that any of it had been earned.

4. He is hypocrite regarding his father's mercy. While he had to know that his behavior was disrespectful, he wanted his brother's disrespect punished. His father continues to show him great mercy. See the way he seeks him out. Hear the tenderness as he addresses him as "my son".

So, I say, be careful not to pity such a dark reaction to the Father's love. Show mercy to older and younger brothers alike without excusing their behavior.

The Puzzling Power of the Resurrection

2009-02-16T17:02:00.003-05:00

If you have ever done a jigsaw puzzle you know the full range of emotions that come with the task. At times it is a struggle - desperately looking for the right pieces. The frustration that sets in as you think you found a match and then realizing that is not right. The feelings of joy that come when you get a section completed or finally find that piece you have been looking for. And of course, the great feeling of satisfaction that comes over you when you finish the puzzle, all the pieces are in place, and you can see the fruit of your labor as you have the complete picture and can see how everything worked together.

I believe a jigsaw puzzle provides the perfect picture of what Paul is talking about in Philippians 3:10-11. How can there be joy in suffering? How can he desire to go through the pain and agony that Jesus endured? Because Paul knows that each struggle is a piece that is fitting together to form a fuller picture. And every piece that fits together unites us with Christ in a profound and unexplainable way. Again and again Paul returns to the thought that when the Christian has to suffer, he or she is in some strange way sharing the very suffering of Christ. To suffer for one’s faith is not a penalty, it is a privilege, because we are working towards completing the picture.

And never doubt the promise that if we suffer with him, we will be glorified with him. If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. Experiencing the power of the resurrection means that we are so united with Christ that day by day we come more to share in his death, so that finally we share in his Resurrection. To know Christ means that we share the way he walked; we share the Cross he bore; we share the death he died; and finally we share the life he lives for evermore.

But in order for Jesus to dispense life, death is involved. There must be death to self to experience a resurrected life. Jesus offers a new life to any of us, at any time if we are willing to give over our selfishness, our pride, our desire for complete control over to him. That may take us places that we would have preferred not to go. That may cause some suffering for the name of Christ. But the guarantee that is backed up by Jesus’ resurrection is that we will experience the power to overcome, not just when we die, but here and now. To know Jesus is to believe unwaveringly that he will complete the puzzle.

Deja Vu...It's Last Week All Over Again

2009-02-12T20:21:00.002-05:00

I am going to repeat last week's post because it is what I am still dwelling on. Sam provided guidance, but nobody else said anything. Maybe nobody has anything to say because Sam said all that needed to be said. Who knows?

As we begin our search for a church in the Oxford area, I have some serious questions.

Here are my guiding verses.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:25-27)

How would a visitor measure whether a church is loving?

How would a visitor measure whether a church has a healthy fellowship?

How would a visitor measure whether a church is a praying church?

How would a visitor measure whether a church teaches proper doctrine?

For those of you in ministry, how would you show a visitor that you are striving to be what the church should be.

The Promise or the Premise of the Gospel?

2009-02-09T10:15:00.002-05:00

I have been thinking about the content and nature of the gospel message – how people differ on what its contents are, how people differ on the presentation of this good news. And it has led me to ask what I consider to be a very poignant question: “Would you follow Jesus if there was no heaven and no hell?” Before you get bogged down on defending the locals of the next life, understand that I am not overtly denying their existence (though I have a discussion of Hell here – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). So, set that aside for a second, and consider, would you follow Jesus if there was no heaven and no hell?

I believe many would have a difficult time answering this question and it may well be impossible because heaven is inseparably bound up in their gospel. A shortened version would read something like this:

God sent Jesus to save us from our sins so that we can spend eternity with God in heaven.

Or perhaps on the opposite side of the coin,

God sent Jesus to deliver us from evil and the punishment of hell.

Thus to extricate heaven and hell from the gospel message would prove to be a difficult task indeed. But I recommend we try because I believe that this exercise gets at the full gospel message. More than that, I believe this exercise would challenge our understanding of why we do the things we do – our motivation for loving, forgiving, and living holy lives. So really consider the following: What if the work of Jesus accomplished reconciliation with the Creator, but there was no expectation of an eternal reward? Would you still seek to live a holy life or would you still try to love God and neighbor?

Might I propose something somewhat shocking – I think that many Christians would not be as “good” (or perhaps would be less “good” as we are not doing a great job currently). Haven’t we all heard preachers and teachers repeat the words of Qohleth when lambasting atheists? These speakers tell us that if there is no God and there is no heaven then we may as well “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” If we found out that there was nothing to look forward to then how would we treat this life? Probably we would seek more pleasure and selfish joy at the cost of loving others. We may not go around killing each other or swindling one another, but my cynical nature believes that we would cease putting others first.

But let me put something out there – a variance of the gospel message. Jesus came to show us the best way to live. He came for more than just saving me from my sins. He came to bring a full life (John 10:10) and that doesn’t have to include heaven. This full life contains a fulfilling existence while on this earth – a lifestyle of love and grace. When we understand that the best life is the one modeled by Jesus and that finds its fulfillment in the Kingdom of God then our motivation for emulating this lifestyle stems not from expectation of eternal reward or punishment but from the firm belief that all joy, happiness, and fulfillment can be found in this life, following the shadow of the Savior.

A Quote on Prayer

2009-02-07T08:18:00.002-05:00

I ran across this quote following the discussion between Sam and I yesterday on how to find a praying, fellowshipping, loving, and doctrinally sound church.

This concerns how to discern whether a church is a praying church. This is from Emilie Griffin's Clinging: The Experience of Prayer

People who pray, really pray, don't talk about it much. After you have looked into the matter carefully, you may be able to puzzle out who is really praying....In order to find a person who prays, you have to look for clues: charitableness, good temper, patience, a fair ability to handle stress, resonance, openness to others. What happens to people who pray is that their inward life gradually takes over from their outward life.

How to Find a Church that is...

2009-02-06T08:44:00.003-05:00

Today I return to Chi Rho Live with questions rather than a post working through my thoughts. As we begin our search for a church in the Oxford area, I have some serious questions.

Here are my guiding verses.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:25-27)

The Shack

2009-02-04T14:34:00.002-05:00

Okay,I just finished 'The Shack'. I don't want to give a full review. I just want to share a few thoughts.

As over-exposed as it is, the story behind the book might be the best part of it. It inspires me to want to write for smaller closer audiences. What a gift he gave his kids.

It is not as bad as you have heard, nor is it the best book ever written.

As with any book that tries to give theological answers about God that are not overtly stated in Scripture, it was at times annoying, for me anyway. Nothing horrible. The idea that God adamantly against us thinking we have responsibility was more than a little odd.

Every time the main character was shocked by the deep truths God was revealing made me laugh. These are the authors thoughts, and he thinks awe is the most natural reaction to them. I'm not knocking him. That's just one dilemma of writing words into God's mouth. If a man were not awed by God's words, then it wouldn't be God. But how do you come up with such words?

I think the book is cathartic. It was interesting (with the possible exception of the middle where it becomes all dialogue with no action for a while). It will make you think. It's worth the read for anyone who can remember that the book does not pretend to be anything more than fiction. And for that reason, I might not recommend it to everyone.

A Chase After The Wind

2009-02-04T12:50:00.002-05:00

A few weeks back a friend asked me to visit a cabin he owned in the U.P. He knew I was tired and needed some revitalization. So, he wanted to be able to get away.

However, getting there, he said, was a little tricky. "You know how to get to the bridge. That's the easy part. But after that there so many unnamed roads. And the scenery and landmarks may have changed. It seems every time I give someone directions (turn right here, go four miles, etc...) they always lose their way."

Bemused, I asked, "How exactly do you expect me to find this place then?"

"Well," he chuckled, "the wind blows and swirls toward the cabin. Follow the wind, and you will get there."

This is not an account of actual events, but is an illustration to help us think about the Holy Spirit. Remember that the word for Spirit, pneuma , also mean breath or wind. So, in Galatians 5, where it says that since live by the Spirit, we should keep in step with the Spirit, it may be helpful to picture keeping in step with the wind.

How would this be helpful?

I guess it reminds me that the Spirit is not still or stagnant. He moves like the wind.

It's easier to tell where wind has been than where it is going. You just look at the things blown over.

So it is with the Spirit, I think. We can tell where he has been. His fruit is there. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-Control. If you find broken Laws, then that is not the fruit of his presence.

I think that such ethereal directions are a challenge for sense of independence and control. Any time someone tries to give me landmarks, I grit my teeth and ask for road names. But it does seem to me to be the Way.

The Path to Apostasy

2009-02-02T09:41:00.001-05:00

I have noticed a disturbing trend. Granted, this is based on a limited set of data and I have not harnessed the resources of Barna, but I think that an alarming number of people who have attended Christian Colleges have turned away from faith. Again, I am basing this on my own experience, but just a little reflection and reconnection with people tells me that there is some sort of problem causing people who go into college as Christians to come out jaded, cynical, and disinterested in the Christian faith. Some of these same people eventually come back around again, but many do not.

It all leads me to ask, “Why?” Why does Christian education have the exact opposite effect on some people than the mission of the school? Why was my faith, though challenged, also bolstered and strengthened while others were lead down the road of apostasy? I am not just talking about my alma matter, Great Lakes Christian College. I know of various other examples from other colleges that parallel these observations.

So again, I put it out there, “Why?” Do you see the same things that I see? Are you one of those people whose college experience produced the opposite effect? If so, I would be interested in hearing your story. Let me know, because I believe the effectiveness of our Christian Colleges hinge on solving this problem.

Thoughts for Communion

2009-01-26T07:45:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago the youth group went to the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention in Gatlinburg, TN to worship with about 4000 other teenagers. The theme for the weekend was “Mystery” and they preached from Colossians 1:25-27 in which Paul says,

“I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Paul says that he is presenting to word of God. Yes this is the proclamation about God, but it is also the word itself – Jesus Christ. He says that this mystery has been hidden, but is now made known.

We all love a good mystery story don’t we? Primetime television is filled with mystery type shows – crimes like murder, kidnapping, theft. And part of the fun is figuring out who did it. How did they do it? Why did they do it?

Well God, though majestic and awesome, and far beyond our puny minds has laid it all out there. He has revealed the mystery, but it was not a crime. No, it was an act of love and grace that caused him to do what he did. God came died in our place that we might have the hope of glory.

And the mystery? It isn’t so complicated. In fact, it is more of a promise. The mystery is that the God of the Universe, the God of Creation, the God of all that is good and holy and pure lives in you and lives in me.

This is the promise that brings us together. This is the promise that allows us to gather around this table. And this is the promise that grants us entry into the very presence of God.

As we partake of communion, we do so with hope and expectation. The expectation that God hears us; that God accepts us; that God extends his grace to us. And the hope that one day, though we see a poor reflection now, the mystery will make perfect sense as we celebrate together before the glory of God. May we, as we celebrate this simple meal, be drawn into the mystery of Christ in us – the hope of glory.

Nit-pickers Welcome

2009-01-14T10:21:00.002-05:00

I'm re-working some the core church curriculum. Below is are ten core values for spiritual transformation that were put together by Willow Creek (John Ortberg, I think). We have included it in our curriculum for several years. I'd love for you to go through them to see if there is anything, false, dumb, or missing.

Spiritual transformation…

1. …is essential, not optional, for Christ-followers.

2. …is a process, not an event.

3. …is God’s work, but requires participation.

4. …involves those practices, experiences, and relationships that help me live intimately with Christ and walk as if he were in my place.

5. …is not a compartmentalized pursuit. God is not interested in my spiritual life; he’s interested in my life—the whole thing.

6. …can happen in every moment. It is not reserved to certain times and practices.

7. …is not individualistic, but takes place in a community and finds expression in serving others.

8. …is not impeded by a person’s background, temperament, life situation, or season of life. It is available right now to all who desire it.

9. ...and the means of pursuing it, will vary from one individual to another. Fully devoted disciples are hand-crafted, not mass-produced.

10. …is ultimately gauged by an increased capacity to love God and people. Superficial or external checklists cannot measure it.

taken from “Pursuing Spiritual Transformation” series by John Ortberg.

I am doing a four part class on spiritual growth. The four parts are as follows:

1. What is spriritual growth?

2. The role of the Body, the Spirit and the Word in our growth.

3. Spiritual Disciplines

4. Service and Suffering

What would you do those four weeks?

Consumer Vortex

2009-01-12T09:40:00.002-05:00

I believe one of the greatest flaws in American society is the greed of our people, often seen in the commercialism. Everything has a retail angle to it. Such a mentality is epitomized in Gatlinburg, TN, the host of the annual teen convention which my youth group attends.

If you have never been to Gatlinburg, let me tell you what you are missing. There is barely enough room to walk on the sidewalk. But don’t try to drive when there are big crowds, because it will take you forever. Restaurants, shops, novelty stores, cabins, cars and hotels are everywhere. The number of worthless stores that line the main street is astounding. The prices that are charged for necessities like food, water, and fudge make the depression inflation seem like a steal. And the things that nobody needs, well those are priced just right so that they seem reasonable to unwitting patrons.

I don’t understand why people from my church go there…for fun! I got angry just being near it. That is why at these conventions I tend to stay near my room. Take naps. Play poker. Steer clear of the commercialism vortex. Of course my kids love it, which is where I get the most frustrated. Here I spend a lot of time and energy trying to teach my kids not to be materialistic, and I am foiled by some lame hat shop that peddles the dumbest looking hats around. You know these kids won’t wear those hats again after this weekend. My archenemy is a town!

I suppose I can put up with it, because I know what it will be like going in. The town will not change. But, what I can’t put up with is the vortex taking over the convention. Why do I walk in and see all these booths with all this Christian crap? My kids don’t need to blow $15 on trucker hats that say “I only like Christian boys.” They surely don’t need a John Deere hat that already has been cut to make it look more “authentic.” Then you go on to the stupid t-shirts that make fun of sinners, “Satan,” and more.

It all makes me sick to my stomach. But I suppose we make up for it by taking a collection up for sending food to victims in Haiti and another collection to allow students to fill their “good deeds” quotient by going to Haiti or New Orleans for a week. I guess I just see mixed messages and don’t see how we can teach our kids to allow God to do amazing things in their lives while teaching them it is okay to waste the resources they have been given.

The Only "Right" Translation

2009-01-05T09:22:00.000-05:00

For all you original Biblical Language geeks out there or those who endured the grueling rigors of New Testament Greek, this one is for you...

Advent: Love Sermon Part 2

2008-12-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

The question is not, “What kind of Savior did God send?” We know what kind. The kind who loves and brings light. The question is, “When people go looking for the Savior, what do they find?” Do they find the child born of love?

Because if the world finds a Savior that is of our making, they will be sorely disappointed. Unfortunately, I think people find a Savior of our own construction and not the true light. They find a Savior that we have twisted and turned into a cosmic policeman who comes and judges with the sword. They find a cruel, judgmental God instead of a loving, forgiving God. And so people think, “Why would I follow that sort of Savior? I’m clearly in the wrong place.” And you know what, they would be right. They are in the wrong place, because we have led them to the wrong place. Paul makes this amazing metaphor that puts us right into the Christmas story. He says the following in Philippians 2:14-16:
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.”

Did you catch that? He calls us stars. Stars that are shining as we hold out the word of life. A star led the Magi to the newborn king. Stars guided sailors across the ocean. Stars are every bit a source of light as they are a guide. They are lights, beacons. And Paul tells us that when we live a certain way of life we become those stars. When we live without complaining about the state of affairs and work towards bettering the situation. When we don’t argue with one another about petty things that detract from movement of the kingdom. When we are blameless and pure, not hypocrites who complain about the evil in the world but contribute to it through our own sins. When we live in that sort of way then Paul says we become those beacons. We become like Christ as a source of light, life, and love.

As others learn of the hope, peace, joy, and love you have in your life in Christ, they will recognize their need for Him. Like the star that led the way of the Magi to the Savior, we lead people as well. We lead them to an encounter with the God of the Universe. Our job, as stars, is not to judge. Or job, as stars, is not to condemn and berate people. Our job, as stars, is to lead people to experience the Savior for themselves and find out just why he came to this earth. To find out what we already know – that Jesus came to this world for love.

Advent is a time of preparing our hearts, minds, and lives for the coming of the Savior. And I wonder today, how many of us are ready to receive him? Are you ready for this kind of Jesus?

When God offers grace and forgiveness for your past mistakes are you ready?
When God arrives to do a new and exciting work, are you ready?
When God challenges you to step up and do things that you don’t feel comfortable with and aren’t particularly talented in, are you ready?
When God challenges you to commit your time and resources for the ministry of the kingdom, are you ready?
When God challenges you to do more than complain, but work towards the betterment of this church, are you ready?
When God tells you to love your neighbor – including and especially your enemies, are you ready?
When God tells you to give to people as they have need – things like encouragement and acceptance – are you ready?

Are you ready for this kind of Jesus? This Jesus who tells us to let our light shine so brightly that it brings life and love. Are you ready?

Is the world ready? Is this world ready for a Jesus who doesn’t regulate morality with the sword but through love? I believe the answer is a resounding “Yes!!!!” The world is more than ready. Romans says that the creation has been groaning and crying out. The world is ready. But this isn’t the sort of Savior they are expecting. Most of the world when they hear of Savior they think of a political one. When they think of the message of Christianity they think of hypocritical bigots. So let’s give them what they don’t expect.
Let’s give them life – a new, full life that Jesus promises.
Let’s give them light – hope, joy and peace in this dark world.
Let’s give them love – the same sort of love that God extended to us and that we have already accepted.

And let’s give it to them not just at Christmas when it seems appropriate, but all through the year. It has been said: "The stars do not shout; they only shine." Any Christian, however obscure, can be a light to those around and thus attract and guide humanity to a loving encounter with the God of the Universe. Jesus says simply, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Advent: Love Sermon Part 1

2008-12-29T09:08:00.000-05:00

I’ve always wondered what the Magi expected when they went searching for “the one who is to be born King of the Jews.” I am not sure if they even expected a baby. But even if they did, he sure didn’t seem like royalty. I also wonder what they thought when they came to the place where Jesus was. I can imagine the scene as these travelers who have followed a star in the sky from a distant land finally come to the house that holds this person about whom prophecies foretold. And as they get closer they think, “This is not the best part of town. Are we sure our coordinates are correct?” And one of the others says, “We’re both looking at the same blinding light in the sky, right? Well then yes, this is the place.” And as they park their camels in front of this modest abode, they become even more uncomfortable leaving their nice rides out front of the house in full view of what looks like some suspicious teenagers. But, the star is right above this spot, so they can’t exactly disagree. And as they knock on the door, a poor woman answers, whom they assume is the maid, but come to find out she is actually the mother, Mary.

One Magi looks at the others and says, “Wise man conference, right now.” They go and huddle in the corner and are completely dumbfounded by being confronted with the unexpected. They expected a prince – a king in training – with all the royal accessories like a golden crib, a diamond studded pacifier, purple silk diapers, and a crystal milk bottle. What they got was, to put it nicely, a hovel. They found a baby with stained cloth diapers in a wooden crib with straw to keep him warm. A mother who was better suited to be a handmaid than a Queen. And a father whose rough, calloused hands told of a difficult way of life rather than one of kingly luxury. And through their quick deliberation they come to the conclusion that the coordinates to their searching are correct, but their expectations were not. And so they reevaluate their approach and present their kingly gifts to this homely baby that defied their expectations.

From then on, this Messiah continued to defy expectations. The Jews sought a political savior and instead they get a spiritual one. They hoped for a reigning King and instead they got a crucified criminal.

I wonder what we expect when we think of God entering into this world? Do we expect a judge who will punish the sinners who have ruined this world? Do we expect an enforcer who strictly imposes the letter of the law on his followers? Do we want a warrior king, someone who will fight for us? Because if we do, we will be sorely disappointed. Jesus is a lover, not a fighter. One of our most cherished passages of Scripture, John 3:16, clearly testifies to this – For God so loved the world. A love born of God’s connectedness with us as God’s creation. We stand as God’s treasured possession.

In love God sent Jesus into the world. In love Jesus turned the other cheek and endured scorn. In love Jesus died on the cross for us. In love Jesus judges the world, but not as we would judge. We judge with the sword. We think justice involves punishment. But that is not what John 3:17 says constitutes judgment: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus did not come for condemnation but for salvation. This king, this Savior, does not wield a sword; he wields a staff, and like a shepherd gently prods his people back. Any expectations of God as a cruel judge melt before the heat of his love. Yes, there is judgment, but Love is the judge – not the sword.

To help illustrate this concept, John uses the imagery of light piercing the darkness. He says in verses 19-21, “Light has come into the world, but humanity loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Light can’t help but illuminate darkness. The very properties inherent within light accomplish this. Light is not attacking darkness in some violent way. Light just dispels darkness because light is more powerful. Have you ever noticed how far a little light goes? In complete darkness just a glimmer of light can be overpowering as our eyes adjust. In the same way, the Light of Jesus can’t help but disperse the darkness of sin. That is just what Jesus does. John 1 says that in Jesus was life, and that life was the light of men. It is in Jesus’ very nature to bring light and life and love.

Some people can’t help but be nice, caring, loving. We often say that is second nature to them. There is some truth in that, but not what we may think. This sort of nature is not just a trait that they received at birth. Some people have cultivated a certain nature of love. They have replaced their selfish nature with an inherently loving, self-sacrificing one. Maybe that is supposed to be all of our natures as our selfish one is replaced with a second, renewed, spiritual one. Maybe we are all supposed to be transformed into the kind of people who naturally love first because it is an overflow of who we are. Maybe we are all supposed to have the same nature of life, light, and love.

Christmas, Ahmadinejad, America, and Christ

2008-12-25T19:42:00.002-05:00

Iran's President Ahmadinejad gave a speech proclaiming

"If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers...If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would hoist the banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers, occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over. If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would fight against the tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems, as He did in His lifetime."

I think his reading of the New Testament is a little skewed. I never really saw Jesus attack political authorities. He did go after the religious establishment, but not the political leaders.

If Christ was on Earth today, he undoubtedly would teach love your neighbor and give unto the United States what is the United States' and to God what is God's.

The Christmas Story - a work in progress

2008-12-22T13:09:00.003-05:00

I have been working on a project off and on for about 5 years. I have never been overlay satisfied with it, but am still not. Part of my dissatisfaction stems from my weakness in writing fantasy fiction. The other part stems from rewriting such a powerful passage of scripture. So, I put this out there and am open to your honest critics. What can I do to make it better? Should I just turn the project over to someone else who can write it better? Let me know. So here it is:

The Christmas Story on LSD according to “The Apocalypse”

(I recommend reading Revelation 12 before reading my rendition)

Though the sun rose each morning, the days in Jerusalem were dark. Little joy or hope could be found. This place did not live up to its name, “City of Peace” because for many years Jerusalem lived under the shadow of the great beast from the sea – the dragon. As dragons go, this was no ordinary mythic creature. He was the most powerful dragon that ever lived. He could blot out the sun when he flew in front of it and could send stars flying out of the galaxy or crashing towards earth with the sweep of his tail. His appearance was unlike any normal dragon’s form. This gigantic beast was colored red as though dripping in blood. He had not one head but seven. Each head had ten horns and each head had a crown. The heads were the source of his power and the authority of his crowns put down any contenders.

The dragon’s official name was Herod. Of course, those who had heard of his cruelty called him Hasatan—the Adversary—which is what we shall call him. Hasatan ruled the land with an iron fist. He kept his brand of “peace” by spreading fear and violence. Any resistance was met with execution. In fact, Hasatan was so paranoid about people usurping his throne that he consumed his wife with fire and devoured his 3 offspring for fear that they were plotting against him.

Indeed, the days were dark. But in the midst of this bleak situation, a light began to shine. This light began as just a spark and almost flickered and died out. Nevertheless, when darkness seems so complete, little is required to bring hope.
A woman became pregnant with child. Ordinarily, such an event was worth celebrating, but this was no ordinary child and no ordinary woman. Her appearance was startling and looking at her was like looking into the light of the sun. Her clothes were the sun and her shoes the moon. Upon her head rested a crown with 12 stars. She was indeed royalty as she stood for the matriarch of the 12 tribes of Israel. Through her and her offspring the tribes would be united and all the earth would know a time of peace that had not been known since the expulsion of humankind from Eden. The child would fulfill the prophecy spoken by the oracle Y’shiah:

“On that day
Yahweh with his cruel and great and strong sword
will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
Leviathan the twisting serpent,
and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.”

Once the child destroyed the power of the dragon this child of prophecy would rule the land not with fear and violence but with an iron scepter. After all, the child’s authority stemmed from his rightful place as God of the Land not from wars waged against all opposition.

So when Hasatan heard of the birth of one who was claming rights to kingship in the land, he burned with anger and acted out of fear. Gathering his minions, he enacted a plan to destroy any hope of a Savior. Children bearing any likeness to this prophetic figure were immediately slaughtered. The blood of the massacre spilled into the streets. Cries of great pain and sorrow erupted throughout the land as the death toll grew.

But elsewhere, in the long forgotten town known as “The House of Bread” the matriarch cried out in a different kind of pain. Her son, the foretold figure, was born into this world. In keeping with the prophecy she named him Yeshua—Yahweh Saves—fully aware of his salvific purpose in this world. Frightened that her son would suffer the same fate as so many other children, she fled to a place where this sea monster serpent could not find her. She and baby escaped into the Land of the Sun where they hid out of the dragon’s reach until his fury had subsided.

When they returned from the desert the baby was no longer a helpless infant. No force could stand up against his strength and power. Everywhere Hasatan had enacted his cruelty, Yeshua rectified the bleak condition by healing the mangled, freeing captives, and destroying the oppressive control that were marks of the Dragon’s regime. Each day as the spark of light grew and made its way into his kingdom, Hasatan grew angrier and more scared. And so he enacted a plan to finish the evil plot he began so long ago.

Eventually, Yeshua and Hasatan met on the Hill of the Skull, Golgatha, either to prove the prophecy or destroy all hope. Yeshua took the best shot Hasatan had to give, and not only survived but destroyed Hasatan’s greatest weapon—fear of death. As the light of life enfolded Yeshua, the epic battle was over. With victory in hand, Yeshua ascended into heaven. But just as a spark of fire sets a forest ablaze, so the flicker of light emanating from Yeshua began to crowd out the darkness. No longer was the gloom of despair over the land. The light of hope radiated from all who heard the news.

The great dragon was defeated, but evil was not destroyed completely. Hoping to salvage some remnant of power and control, he and his minions stormed the gates of heaven seeking to cripple Yeshua’s power. But they were met by the Commander of Heaven’s Army, Michael, with the Army of Yahweh in tow. Heaven’s army turned Hasatan’s dark ensemble away, casting them back to the earth to wander around in defeat, hoping to recruit enough followers to once again stage a coup against the Kingdom of Light. He continues to battle but has no chance for victory. For the dawn has broken and the Son Shines!

Read Through The Bible In A Year

2008-12-21T20:35:00.001-05:00

Here is a good reading plan that you can print out to read through the Bible in a year.

No reason to wait till the new year. Go ahead and get a head start.

Joy to the World

2008-12-15T09:38:00.002-05:00

Seeing as this week is the week of Joy in the Advent season, and I am busy preparing for a German proficiency test (prayers desired), here is a video for your entertainment and edification. If this doesn't get you in the "Christmas spirit", I don't know what will.

The Great Temptation

2008-12-12T07:18:00.004-05:00

Now that I am moving to a position that is paid through fundraising, I find myself tempted to make decisions to please others (and raise funds) rather than do what I would normally do.

The major one is on deciding what church to attend in Oxford. When we visited, I really connected with the church we visited. I spent a year visiting churches three years ago. I know what it is like to experience a church for the first time. I know what I am looking for in a church. When I was hunting for a community to become a part of, none of the churches seem to have more than a few of the points I was looking for. I am conscious that I am overly critical, but this church hit the spot. It's the church I was praying to find three years ago. It just happened to be three hours away.

One of the key goals in my campus ministry will be to train the students how to function in a church, whether that is a house church or a traditional church is not important, but being part of a church outside of the campus ministry is an important element of discipling. In four years, they will be out of college. Having had a good time in campus ministry will have helped them remain faithful in college, but it will not have laid the foundation of life in a church body that will be essential for the rest of their lives. I do not want to ignore that.

Because this church is nondenominational and not Church of Christ/Christian Church, I began to wonder whether deciding to go there would hurt my fundraising. I came to the conclusion that the question of whether it will be good for fundraising or not should not influence the decision of where we go to church. Despite the fact that I will have tons of fellowship and interaction with other believers through the campus ministry, my family will not. The church needs to be an extension of my training up my children into who God wants them to be and it should exemplify what God wants his church to be. I want my children to follow Christ with all of their being and to believe that the body assembled is important to the world. Many people think that the church is irrelevant; that is the result of many churches being irrelevant. I want my kids to see God's glory shining through His collected people. A healthy church helps in doing that.

Combining my desire to introduce students to a healthy church environment and my responsibility to raise my family in the Lord, I am left with deciding that I will do what the Lord wants rather than to please potential partners who need to believe in me and my ministry.

This is the biggest example of this temptation in my life, but it is cropping up all the time. I have decided to take the stubborn road of just doing what I think is best in regards to my ministry and my life rather than doing what I think will make me most appealing to others for raising money. It does become somewhat more difficult in that fundraising is part of my ministry. The partners I find through fundraising are people I want to diligently pray for and minister to if they need it. I will not be able to do the ministry without them. But I need to just focus on God and what he wants of me. If I do something to please men rather than God, I begin to place my trust in men and my witty wisdom. If I follow Him, He will provide.

It's not about pleasing myself or others; it's about pleasing God.

Rich Mullins wrote in his song, My One Thing:

Save me from those things that might distract me
Please take them away and purify my heart
I don't want to lose the eternal for the things that are passing
'Cause what will I have when the world is gone
If it isn't for the love that goes on and on with
My one thing
You're my one thing
And the pure in heart shall see God

Nooma

2008-12-11T08:25:00.001-05:00

World renowned New Testament scholar, Ben Witherington III has a review of both Rob Bell and the next segment of his Nooma videos. I found it to be fair and insightful. Check it out for yourself here.

Christmas Revolution (revisited)

2008-12-09T14:27:00.003-05:00

Last January I posted the following thoughts on how to celebrate Christmas. I decided to re-post it, including the comments. I know that at least I needed the reminder.

The Caroland family is coming off the busiest, toughest Christmas season to date. It was too much. Our kids are still recovering from the relentless celebrating.

There is so much that just is not good for kids about Christmas. There is too much sugar, too much stimulation, too much stuff, too many activities and festivities, and too little rest. The expectations are placed too high, or at least misplaced. Therefore, the inevitable disappointment brings them too low.

I'd like to say that emphasizing Christ's birth solves the problem, but practically speaking, it only adds to pressure with more expectations and things to do.

We try hard as parents to provide our children with a special Christmas experience, but the result is too often worn-down and sick children who crack at the drop of the hat. Then we are frustrated that they are acting spoiled and ungrateful. But really, what should we expect after all of that? Are we the models of joy and contentment come December 27th?

So, I have come up with a few ways to turn that around. Some of these things have been field tested by us. The others will be next year, Lord willing.

1. Have yourself a very little Christmas- I know, "Good luck with that." There are too many expectations and responsibilities placed on you by family, schools, church, neighbors and friends. However, part of being a healthy responsible adult is learning to say 'no'. And your kids need you to do that.

Can Christmas be meaningful for you and your family if you skip out on some ceremonies even if they are part of your tradition? Yes, in fact, it may be more more meaningful if they are given rest and time to digest it all.

And the stuff. It's fun for us to buy stuff for our kids. It's fun to watch them open things. But there is a principle I have observed. The more stuff they get, the less they can enjoy any of it. It's overwhelming. Things they would have loved any other time of the year get lost in the pile.

Sam suggested three presents be the number. That's what Jesus got, after all. I'm not sure what to do about the presents from everyone else, though.

2. Teach them to let go- Before Christmas and birthdays, we have the kids go through their toys and fill up a garbage bag to be given away. We donate them to Goodwill or some other place. We even encourage them to give away toys they like. In this way, toys lose the grip they have on their hearts a little, they learn to be concerned for others, and we have less things to care for. This has worked well for us.

3. Share the thrill of impact giving- Our kids already like giving. Hannah could not wait for her mom to see that porcelain angel she got her from the dollar store. And that's good.

But anyone who has been used by God to fill a need knows how much more exciting that is than knocking down a Christmas list filled with people who have all they need.

Next year, Hannah and Eli (if he is mature enough by then) will be choosing a way to give something to those with nothing. Perhaps some livestock or something like that.

I'd love your suggestions while it is fresh in your mind.

3 comments:

Sam said...: Excellent post and ideas reflecting much of what we discussed during our visit. 2 and 3 especially are great as it reminds us that God's blessings (gifts) are not just for our enjoyment but are to be used to bless the rest of the word.

In regard to presents from others, might I propose something that is often done or funerals. Many families have people donate money or gifts to a cause in honor of the deceased. So, when people ask what to get your kid, have then donate to the Worldvision gifts pack that you linked in #3. Sure, it is not as fulfilling to the giver as seeing your child unwrap that new car or doll, but also imagine saying to your child - "Now we can buy a family a cow instead of just a chicken" or something like that. It builds excitement and accomplishes what you propose.; January 2, 2008 3:21 PM

merry said...: Mike and I have opted out of many Christmas activities and traditions for most of our marriage for the reasons you listed and some additional ones. We weren't sure how well that was going to work when we became parents, but I think we survived fairly well all things considered.

We decided that we would give our son one largish present that would be meaningful or useful in some way and a couple stocking stuffer type gifts. We ended up getting him a shelving unit for his bedroom. Other people still bombarded him with toys and clothes, but we did request a number of books from the grandparents since he loves to read and be read to, and we can use those throughout the coming year.

We didn't have a special time of "let's give away stuff", but we go through toys and clothes pretty regularly and weed things out all the time.

Having a 9-year old, we let our son decide on whether or not to participate in several traditions. We told him that we want the holidays to be a special time, but we want to be able to focus on the activities that are really special to us, so if he wanted to do it, we would, and if he didn't, we wouldn't. He actually said no to most of the things, and I don't think any of us felt like we missed out on anything.; January 2, 2008 3:35 PM

Julie said...: I love sharing with other's what we've decided for our family. We've only done it two years so far and it's been different each year already.

We give gifts to each other in three categories. God provides for our needs, God delights in us and wants to bless us, God wants a growing relationship with us.

Examples:
God provides - gloves, socks
Delights - toys
Relationship - movie, cd, new Bible, book about Godly character.

I like this format for us because we don't focus on the number of gifts but the reason for them. Also, it helps the kids remember what they got and why they got it. I also wrap them specific to their category. Provides has birds on it. God takes care of the sparrows kind of thing. It's a lot of fun!

Also, this year we did Advent. It was so awesome! Each night at dinner we'd light a candle and read just one verse. It was the same verse each time until the next week began. So great! I'm excited to expand on it as the kids grow older.

You know, we're not very good though having our kids give. That's something to work on for sure. Last year we gave our oldest money on Christmas morning to us as service. We forgot this year :); January 7, 2008 2:30 PM

Praying Over SUVs

2008-12-08T14:40:00.003-05:00

I do not know what to think of this story. A Detroit preacher prays over three SUVs, one from each of the Detroit car makers.

SUVs at altar, Detroit church prays for a bailout

Part of me thinks about all of the other people that are already struggling in our nation and around the world. It seems like they are playing second fiddle to the automakers.

Also, an SUV really is not the symbol of responsible caretaker to the environment. I wonder if they should have prayed over some of the hybrids rather than the kings of the gas guzzlers.

But God does care about the automakers although they have been living disproportionately better than other Americans for the last forty years despite doing the same sort of labor.

I'm confused on what to think. Anyone have any guidance?

The Song of Your Life

2008-12-08T09:08:00.001-05:00

I am finishing up some things for this semester (a paper, learning German) so here is a humorous video with a interesting conclusion. I thought it was appropriate for this Christmas season.

There Is A Good

2008-12-04T20:20:00.003-05:00

I have noticed lately that our society's newest fad belief is that good does not exist. This belief is not all that new in the history of mankind, but it seems to be gaining ground in our culture. Video games are being filled with decisions where all the options available to a player are a bad choice or a very bad choice. There is no good option. This message is not contained only in the medium that probably has the most influence on the teenage minds in our nation.

It manifests itself in politics where we usually vote for the lesser of two evils. We settle on the church we attend because it is most in line with what we want to be part of despite its faults. One of the workers at Clem's believes that people only do loving things for selfish reasons. We never seem to have a choice between that which is good and that which is evil.

Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and a frequent guest on NPR, stated when asked about war being a moral endeavor, "The world rarely offers us a choice between the moral and the immoral. It's usually a choice between the immoral and the more immoral. That's why moral decision making is so tough."

I struggle with this concept. Reality screams that life is not a choice between good and evil. We are inundated between choosing the lesser of two evils every day. I can see the sense in believing there really is no good. Life does not appear black and white. My struggle might be the result of having allowed myself to be absorbed into our culture rather than to stand as a witness in it.

This belief that there are only lesser degrees of evil is going to be a prevailing thought that we are going to have to tackle in the coming years if we are going to help people become disciples of Christ. We must know and have our lives testify that there is good.

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' " "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:16-26)

I must find the good path and walk in it, yet the only good I can do is reflect God's goodness through the life I live. There is good. The question is whether we are faithful enough to sacrifice our own desires and bring it about.

Trembling

2008-12-02T14:29:00.002-05:00

"Fearing the Lord is about having a healthy respect for him."

That has been the prevailing teaching on fearing the Lord, in my experience anyway. But as a logophile (I had to look that one up), that has never set well.

I do not fear police, but I do a have a healthy respect for their ability to penalize my behavior. My son does not have a 'healthy respect' for monsters. He fears them. There is a substantial difference. If the text meant healthy respect, I'm guessing that it could have done a better job expressing that.

I am not just a lover of words, I am also a lover of God's Word. And the above theory fairs no better there. Encounters with God consistently involve people completely paralyzed by 'healthy respect' to point that they die, become like dead people, or think they will die for it.

Then there passages like Jeremiah 5:22 "Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. Should you not tremble in my presence?" Trembling does not result from respect, but from fear.

The motive behind the theory is legit. God is love, not a monster. What do we fear of Him? How do we fear him and have faith in what he has said about forgiveness and sonship?

Good questions, but twisting what fear is does not solve it.

Perhaps we should look again at what we are taught about fearing God.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7)

Did you notice that fear is the beginning place of wisdom? Might it not be the ongoing dwelling place of wisdom? Might wisdom lead us eventually, humbly and faithfully away from fear.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

This is not dogma. It is merely a thought that needs to be tested against the hearts and minds of other Spirit-Dwellings and against the rest of Scripture. The context of that 1 John passage seems to support it.

A Movement of Mercy

2008-12-02T09:41:00.004-05:00

I took my youth group to the “Catholic Action Center” this past Sunday. This is a place of hope for the homeless in Lexington, KY that seeks to fill the gaps missed by other organizations.

Before they opened in 2000 they talked to homeless people at a town hall meeting and asked what they needed most and then tried to fill those needs. Besides things like food, shelter, and clothes, they needed a place to go to the bathroom, a place to clean up, and a place to hang out. Though they did those things, often they were subject to being arrested for loitering, public urination, etc. In addition, they needed a place to wash their clothes. After all, how could they put their best foot forward at interviews and things (both physically and in their own mindsets) if they were wearing dirty, nasty clothing? So this Center and some surrounding buildings attempt to meet those needs.

It proved to be a great experience. Some of us served food while others sorted clothes to be given out at “God’s Garments”. The center is based on the “Catholic Worker Movement” which started during the Great Depression in the 30s. It is not affiliated with Catholicism but with the universal understanding that all of God’s people should be cared for. I recommend finding a center in your area and getting involved, as it is all done by volunteer efforts.

Below is a brief history of the movement written by Jim Forest for The Encyclopedia of American Catholic History.

The Catholic Worker Movement By Jim Forest

The Catholic Worker movement was founded in 1933 during the Great Depression by Dorothy Day at the urging of Peter Maurin. It is best known for houses of hospitality located in run-down sections of many cities, though a number of Catholic Worker centers exist in rural areas. Food, clothing, shelter and welcome is extended by unpaid volunteers to those in need according to the ability of each household. In 1995 there were 134 Catholic Worker communities, all but three in the United States.

"Our rule is the works of mercy," said Dorothy Day. "It is the way of sacrifice, worship, a sense of reverence."

Beyond hospitality, Catholic Worker communities are known for activity in support of labor unions, human rights, cooperatives, and the development of a nonviolent culture. Those active in the Catholic Worker are often pacifists people seeking to live an unarmed, nonviolent life. During periods of military conscription, Catholic Workers have been conscientious objectors to military service. Many of those active in the Catholic Worker movement have been jailed for acts of protest against racism, unfair labor practices, social injustice and war.

With its stress on voluntary poverty, the Catholic Worker has much in common with the early Franciscans, while its accent on community, prayer and hospitality has Benedictine overtones.

"We try to shelter the homeless and give them clothes," Dorothy Day explained, "but there is strong faith at work. We pray. If an outsider who comes to visit us doesn't pay attention to our prayers and what that means, then he'll miss the whole point."

It is unlikely that any religious community was ever less structured than the Catholic Worker. Each community is autonomous. There is no board of directors, no sponsor, no system of governance, no endowment, no pay checks, no pension plans. Since Dorothy Day's death, there has been no central leader.

An Amazing Story on Mother Angelica

2008-11-28T07:45:00.002-05:00

I find this story truly inspiring.

From "God’s Little Trojan Horse on Crutches": Raymond Arroyo on Mother Angelica. Arroyo is the author of Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles by Raymond Arroyo.

In 1981 when nobody gave this woman a chance, the bishops’ conference had already announced their plans to start and launch a cable network the year after she launched hers. They had millions of dollars at their disposal, they had scads of consultants: they had the theology they believed the contemporary church ached for. And yet, here was this little nun in Birmingham, Alabama, with no broadcast experience, no letters following her name except for the religious order that she belonged to, and $200 in the bank and she kind of bumbles into television.

She’s faced with the quandary of having to buy a satellite dish, which costs about $1.5 million but she doesn’t have the money to do so. After conning a RCA vice president into sending the thing down to her, the satellite is delivered that day in ’81 and she has to present the deliveryman with $600,000 at the point of delivery or they can’t deliver the satellite.

She goes out to greet the delivery man, and she’s stalling–she’s taking the guy on a tour of the monastery, she’s handing out cookies, anything to keep him from asking for the money. Finally, he asks for the $600,000 and she says–"Let me go pray for a minute, I’ll be right back." She goes into the chapel and she kneels down and as spouses are wont to do, she kind of tried to make her spouse feel guilty. She says, "I thought you wanted this satellite Lord and I wheeled and dealed and I got it for you and now I’m having a little problem, we need this money or I’m going to have to turn your satellite away."

And she kind of waits for the money to fall from the ceiling and it doesn’t, so she decides to get up and turn the delivery truck away. And as she walks out, one of the sisters comes running out of the monastery and says, "Mother, there is a man on the phone and he’s very insistent, he needs to talk to you and he won’t get off the line." She said, "But, I got big business out here, Sister." She says, "I know, but he’s very insistent." So she says, "Oh, give me the phone." So she talks to this guy. It’s a businessman calling from his yacht in the Bahamas. He read one of her little spiritual books she had written, a little mini book, tracts on the spiritual life, years before. He’s calling because this book changed his life, helped him reconcile with his family and he’s calling to make a donation to her book ministry, a donation of $600,000. She says, "Can you send it right now?"

He wired the funds in. That was the down payment for the satellite that to this day continues to beam EWTN all over the country. I saw the transfer papers. I didn’t believe the story myself. I pulled the records and there it was. Pretty astounding stuff. Her story is replete with things like this.

The Great Ommission - Part 1

2008-11-24T12:02:00.001-05:00

No product that is marketed today can turn you into Jesus. It is not the shoes that make someone like Christ. It isn’t what they drink. And it isn’t what they wear. It isn’t all the Jesus junk you can buy at stores. We often think that the very act of becoming a Christian makes us like Christ. To some extent this is true but not completely.

We throw around that title, “Christian” with some authority. But the word “Christian” is used only 3 times in the NT. Let me introduce you to another word. That word is “Disciple”. Disciple occurs 269 times in the NT and it isn’t just about the 12 we normally think of. The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, for disciples. A disciple is someone who is devoted to becoming exactly like Jesus Christ. A disciple stands on a road with the fulfillment of the kingdom of God in sight, struggling down the path to make it there. Being a Christian is the end result of a lifetime of discipleship. Acts records that the first people to be called Christians were not new converts, but disciples. These were people who were devoted to growing in Christ. They were willing to give up their lifestyle for Christ. They were willing to give up their selfishness for Christ. They were willing to suffer persecution for Christ. They were willing to die for Christ. They were worthy to be called followers of Christ. They were worthy to be called Christians.

It isn’t easy to be a disciple of Christ. When Jesus was around, people would come up to him and tell him that they wanted to follow him. Basically, he told them to drop all their concerns, drop their ambitions, drop their comfort, and drop their enjoyable lifestyle and then follow him. The disciples knew what it meant to follow Christ – they would go with him, learn from Him, obey him, and imitate him. They knew what they would have to do and what it would cost them. They knew that being a disciple meant that they must lay their lives down, and take up a cross instead. That they would have to take up a lifestyle that would be tough, that would be costly, and that would be painful. Why did they bother? Why should we bother? Why even consider discipleship if it hurts so much? Won’t it ruin our life on this earth? Is it worth it?

Most of the time, we answer, “No, it is not worth it. It is not worth leaving the comfort of the life I am enjoying.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book called The Cost of Discipleship where he attacked easy Christianity and cheap grace. But I want to turn that around and attack the problem from the other end. What are the costs of nondiscipleship? What happens when we do not seek to be like Christ and settle for easy Christianity? What are those costs? There is a quote I have posted by my workspace as a constant reminder. It is by Dallas Willard. He says,

“Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated by love, faith that sees everything in light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life that Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).”

The amazing thing about these blessings of discipleship is that they are engrained in our very being. We cry out for these, yet we often fail to grasp them because we seek them from the world, from ourselves, and from other people. But their true fulfillment cannot be found there. They are found only when we become like Christ.

I Killed Osama Bin Laden

2008-11-21T07:20:00.003-05:00

During World War II, the teachings of those who were nonviolent were misconstrued, as they are today, by war-supporting theologians like Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr gave a "spiritual" backbone to the people who wanted spiritual justification to go to Europe and fight Hitler. This stance made him a popular prophet for the people and their leaders.

In the process, Niebuhr misunderstood nonviolent people as arguing "that nonresistance, or forgiveness, is a means of overcoming evil in an enemy." Nonviolent people are still stereotyped as believing we can win victory over the enemy if we just love. G.H.C. MacGregor answered that argument in a lengthy eight-page article in Fellowship, June 1941, Part 2. I would like to share just one small yet key excerpt: "The disciple's aim in nonresistance is not to overcome evil in another, but to discipline his own life and make it more worthy of the Kingdom." MacGregor's teaching is true in our time like it was true in the time of World War II. The people of God are supposed to live lives worthy of the Kingdom. Whether these lives transform those around us is not up to us. We are not the Holy Spirt; we are only followers of Jesus trying to live out faithfully his tough teachings.

We can have victory over the enemy if we love everyone, but I think the nonviolent individual and the war supporting individual are talking about two different enemies, one physical and one spiritual. To the radical follower, the teachings of Jesus on loving our enemies and turning the other cheek do not concern an earthly victory, although that can be the outcome. Earthly victories are not our focus when confronting evil; our focus is to be faithful to following Christ no matter what the situation or the cost involved.

Yesterday, I found an essay that was published in Fellowship, September, 1940. I imagined reworking it into an essay about killing Osama, hence the title of this post, but I just did not have the creative power. I will let it stand on its own. I pray that it will impact you the way it impacted me.

I Killed Adolf Hitler
A Confession
By J. Carson Pritchard, a minister from Rhode Island

I have made several attempts on the life of Adolf Hitler. I remember the times--most of them--and most of the places. Naturally Hitler denies that I have killed him or tried to kill him. Hitler denies my attempts in the very best possible way; by refusing to die. I remember the first attempt I made on his life. Hitler remembers that time well. We were both younger then. He was a corporal. The Central Powers were making their last great stand. I tried then to take the lives of all the Hitler family--father, mother, cousins, all. I tried to take the life of his leader, the Kaiser. Considering the thoroughness of my plans and attempts they should all have died. They didn't. The last time I made an attempt on his life was a few Sundays ago about 11:15 in the morning. Several Sunday school superintendents had tried earlier in the day but they were as unsuccessful as I. That is; we killed him, but he refused to die.

I murdered him in my heart. I presume that my prayers lacked point; they did not lack fervor. My prayers must have been of such small bore that they were ineffectual in murder. The power behind them probably wasn't strong enough for such long range work; had I been nearer with just the Channel between instead of the whole Atlantic ocean I might have been more successful. My prayers should have found their murderous way into his heart. As it is the murder remains in my heart just as a dud shell remains in the barrel of the gun. Sometimes the explodes in the barrel and kills the gunner. I tried murdering him in 1918. I failed then. I have failed again 22 years after. My prayers must be dud.

I'm not confessing murder because I haven't murdered him--yet. No one can find a single dead body. They have to find the body before they can try a man for murder. They couldn't even get me for attempted murder because they wouldn't find an instrument of violence in my hand. This prayer gun is so much like a pop gun. I would just be laughed out of court. Anyway, I'm a pacifist and besides that Hitler is still alive.

I don't murder people in cold blood. I don't seem to be able to murder them in the heat of spirit either. I had this murder in my heart in 1918. I couldn't get it out of the barrel then. I tried to aim that murder at the Germans then. Instead of getting it in their hearts it didn't even get in their hair.

I've even tried to learn German. I thought that our God, being an English speaking god, might not be well enough informed about the real needs of those fine German people who have been corrupted by their leader. I learned a few of the simpler words of German before I gave that up. Now that they have German gods over there I may be able to do them more damage. The Jews will keep Yahweh informed. The English will keep the Anglican god informed. Now if I can draft the German speaking God we may be able to hit them a crushing blow. We should be able to blockade their source of spiritual supply.

I had quite an argument with a man about all this. He is probably a German himself or else in their pay. He was condemning my prayerful warfare on three counts; (1) that I was supposed to be a neutral and should not engage in such attempts until I declared my prayful war, (2) that I was an avowed pacifist and this murderous hope was incompatible with my pacifism, (3) that Germany had a real score to settle with the British and since England made the rules years ago Germany was playing its own game by its own rules. This man is wrong as you can see. I excuse him on two counts; (1) he is not well informed and, (2) as I said he may be in the pay of Germany (in their Fifth Column, or is it Sixth?) or else he is a German.

He was a Lutheran and as he had a great regard for Holy Scripture too, I thought I would justify my prayful warfare by a quotation from Scripture which clears up this whole matter. So I referred him to Matthew 9:4 which says that I should do the works of my Father while it is yet day. Now anyone with the least imagination knows that a German victory would be equivalent to night. The sun would set on the British Empire and all that we hold of value. Too, we know that the will of God is in this case. I turned to that verse for him. I had made a slight error! That verse was John 9:4. Before I could make that little correction he had me read Matthew 9:4. It says, "Wherefore think ye evil in your heart"? I couldn't see any connection whatever between that and needing to get Hitler out of the way of peace. Our argument broke down then into one on Biblical criticism.

But right now, I've got to do something before this murder spreads further over my body. It's like a disease that runs its course and then settles in the extremities of the human body. It was in my heart. It spread to my mind. Now murder may be settling this very minute in my fingers. Then I might have to confess a moral suicide instead of this moral murder!

Interview with N.T. Wright

2008-11-20T08:35:00.002-05:00

Entertaining but also informative interview of N.T. Wright by Colbert about what "heaven" is going to be like based on Wright's new book Surprised by Hope. Some intriguing thoughts. Let me know what you think (probably having not read the book).

Napoleon on Violence and Making an Empire that Lasts

2008-11-19T14:28:00.001-05:00

Here is some wisdom from Napoleon:

The more I study the world, the more I am convinced of the inability of force to create anything durable. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I myself have founded empires; but upon what did those creations of our genius depend? They depended upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love and to this very day millions would die for him.

Reprinted in The Reporter, Vol.2, No. 16, February 15, 1944

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2008-11-19T12:54:00.003-05:00

What are the sounds we associate with Christmas? The ringing of bells. "Ho ho ho". Carols. Children laughing. The crunch of freshly fallen snow. These are among the most pleasant sounds of the season.

The more jaded would suggest that ringing of the cash register is more descriptive of the season. Perhaps also would be the smashing of piggy banks, the scraping of the bottoms of out barrels, and spoiled toddlers crying for more.

But there is more. Can you hear it? The hushed whimper of a father in prison who will not be seeing his children this Christmas. The hunger pangs of the homeless. The clanking chains of the enslaved and oppressed. If you listen closely, you'll be reminded that it will be a blue Christmas for many hurting and lonely people in our neighborhood and around the world.

Don't stop. There is more to hear. Keep listening. Do you hear it? There among the moos and baas of the barnyard comes the cooing of a baby. A baby has born both a peasant and a king. Amongst the parties, the commercialism, and cries of the broken comes song sung by and army of angels.

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

God's favor has been given to us in the form a of baby. But not just in any baby, but in Jesus (the name means the LORD saves), Emmanuel (God is with us).

As followers of King Jesus, we believe that these were the best sounds of the season.

We also believe that Jesus is the answer to those other sounds as well. He is the answer to consumerism by infusing meaning deeper than a dollar. He teaches grace and goodness.

He is the answer to hurting and broken. The Prince of peace, the bringer of restoration.

Do your hear what I hear? It is the call of King Jesus. He calls us to join him. He invites us to a life with deep meaning. He requests we join him in bring peace, joy, and love to the world.

95 Theses Rap

2008-11-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have been working feverishly on a paper, learning German, and add to that preaching at church on Sunday, so I don’t have an original post for today. However, I have a great video for all of you Church History nerds out there, brought to you by the good folks from Yale. They have spoofed Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” to convey one of the great events of the Reformation – Luther’s 95 Theses. You can check out the work on their website at http://www.95thesesrap.com/. Enjoy.

If You Voted Obama, You Better Do Penance or You Will Go To Hell

2008-11-14T13:30:00.004-05:00

In a follow up to the church taking a stance against Obama post from my personal blog the the other day, here is the granddaddy of all prejudiced churches.

No communion for Obama supporters

It's down to one issue.

Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.

And here is another quote:

In fact, in this election, for the sake of argument, if the Republican candidate had been pro-abortion, and the Democratic candidate had been pro-life, everything that I wrote would have been exactly the same.

The Great Spiritual Questions

2008-11-14T04:53:00.003-05:00

I find myself being more theological than faithful at times. I am ready to join in on a discussion on whether God knows the future, is the King James Version a better translation, why did God create a system of substitutionary atonement, or any other such grand theological conversation. But in the end, they all seem to be distractions to what really matters.

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).

None of the answers to the "great" theological questions really change whether I am faithful or not. They do not influence whether I give up Christ for a drunken orgy, my own personal financial gain, or a night of television. I can argue, and even have the right answers, but it really does not matter in the grand spiritual panorama.

Maybe those sort of discussions have some sort of role, but they should never move into the realm of spirituality. They are purely matters of trivia and debate. What really matters is whether I love my neighbor, am I faithfully living out what I know I need to live out, and am I helping shine the light of God. Great theological consistency is never a substitute for faithful living.

Radical Homosexual Activist Group Interrupts Worship Service

2008-11-13T09:18:00.007-05:00

I was sent this article. It read more like a fear-and-anger-filled rant to me, so I sought out Lansing State Journal's account.

I live by this credo: Do not fear(Luke 12:4-7). What happens when a community of faith operates in fear? It fails to continue to be a community of faith, that's what. You cannot both trust God and fear the things of this world. Fear God, and no one else.

So, I rebuke the sort of fear-mongering I see in the Wold Net Daily's article, which seems to subtly promote physical retaliation to non-violent (though offensive) protests.

I call for us to set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated. Now is the time for us to put to death every reaction which is born from our earthly nature; the anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language which do nothing to heal. It is essential that we become completely clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We must model the same persistent forgiveness that the Lord has for us. Bottom line: we must love, love and love. Nothing else is acceptable for a people called to reflect who Jesus is, and what He is like.

Just because an enemy tries to incite a riot does not mean that we oblige. That's not the Way of Jesus. He says to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us that we may be sons of our Father in heaven. We do not bash back. We love back.

Modern Theologians

2008-11-10T08:53:00.001-05:00

I studied Erasmus in class last week. He was known especially for his Latin translation of the Bible in 1516, the first new Latin version of the bible since the Vulgate (produced by Jerome in the fourth century CE). Erasmus’s Paraclesis, the preface to his edition, calls for the translation of the Bible into all vernacular languages so that humble plowmen, farmers, weavers, and “even the lowliest women” could read or recite the Bible in their native dialect.

Erasmus lived during the Reformation and one issue of the time was that of various clerical abuses in the Church. Thus his call to make the scriptures available and accessible to the unlearned was a call to dispense with the control that the clergy had over the laypeople.

The following excerpt from his Paraclesis represents a wonderful ideal of all of God’s people reading, interpreting, and living out the tenants of the Bible. It also serves as a warning and reminder to me, as one seeking to become a “professional theologian” not to take myself too seriously. More than that, Erasmus implores us to pursue God, not just information about God.

“For I fear that one may find among the theologians men who are far removed from the title they bear, that is, men who discuss earthly matters, not divine, and that among the monks who profess the poverty of Christ and the contempt of the world you may find something more than worldliness. To me he is truly a theologian who teaches not by skill with intricate syllogisms but by a disposition of mind, by the very expression and the eyes, by his very life that riches should be disdained, that the Christian should not put his trust in the supports of this world but must rely entirely on heaven, that a wrong should not be avenged, that a good should be wished for those wishing ill, that we should deserve well of those deserving ill, that all good men should be loved and cherished equally as members of the same body...And if anyone under the inspiration of the spirit of Christ preaches this kind of doctrine, inculcates it, exhorts, incites, and encourages men to it, he indeed is truly a theologian, even if he should be a common laborer or weaver. And if anyone exemplifies this doctrine in his life itself, he is in fact a great doctor. Another, perhaps, even a non-Christian, may discuss more subtly how the angels understand, but to persuade us to lead here an angelic life, free from every stain, this indeed is the duty of the Christian theologian.”

Jesus For President

2008-11-06T12:53:00.002-05:00

Shane Claiborne spoke at chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary Tuesday, Election Day, and had some great things to say. They have to change the mics early on, making some of the audio rough to start with, but they get it ironed out about 5 minutes in. The sermon is about 30 minutes long, but well worth the listen/watch. Enjoy.

A Prayer for President-elect Barack Obama

2008-11-05T12:10:00.002-05:00

First of all, I praise the God of mercy and healing for working so powerfully in the lives of people in this country that they could look beyond the color of a man's skin, and an odd-sounding name to elect Barack Obama. It is a miraculous transformation of hearts that would never have happened without God's Holy Spirit working through his church.

I also breathe an 'Amen' in recognition that Jesus is as much on his thrown today as he was eight years ago, and sixteen years ago. His term will never expire, and no power is beyond his reach.

King Jesus, may your hand be on our next President. Keep him safe from all who would do him harm, especially for those would seek to harm him physically.

I pray that you surround him with loyal and trustworthy allies. Fill his cabinet with wisdom and integrity.

I ask that you would bring healing to this country through him. Press upon his heart the needs of a country beyond the desires of his party. Through your Spirit, clothe him with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

Bring to ruin all plans to churn up hatred and fear for political ends. Let the liars and biggots and fear-mongers be forever silenced.

Help all of those who have put their hope in any politician see the error of their ways and return to you, the Forever King. Amen

Communion Meditation

2008-11-03T09:35:00.004-05:00

Around the time we celebrate Easter, the Jewish people celebrate Passover – a festival commemorating God’s saving act in freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This feast is a serious time, but there is also an element of celebration as they look forward to God continuing to act on their behalf.

For the Jewish people, a proper celebration of the Passover would take place in Jerusalem – surrounded by fellow believers and in the glorious temple dedicated to God. Unfortunately a “proper” celebration of the Passover has not taken place for almost 2000 years, since the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. With no temple in Jerusalem there is no place for the sacrifices to occur. In addition, with the cost and difficulty of returning to their homeland, most Jews celebrate the Passover in their homes, with their families. And as the feast comes to a close, they raise their glasses and say simply, “Next year in Jerusalem.” With these simple worlds they express a hope that next year, things will be different. That perhaps God and history will move in a direction that favors a full celebration of one of their most significant and cherished holidays.

And as we gather around the communion table we are in a similar position. This thing we call the “Lord’s Supper,” is not really a supper is it? A small piece of bread and a sip of juice would not be much of a Thanksgiving dinner would it? No, it is not a great feast like we normally think of around holidays. Though a wonderful experience, it pales in comparison to the great banquet God has prepared for us. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12, now we see a poor reflection but one day we will see the full extent of God’s love face to face. What we do around this table is meaningful, but only because it points to a fuller, more realized feast that we will celebrate with the risen Savior in the presence of God.

So as we partake of this simple meal, may we do so with hope and expectation. Jesus has instituted this meager meal not as our last supper, but to tide us over until we celebrate the great banquet in heaven. This meal reminds us that we have placed our hope in the one who has overcome sin and death in our place. Bound up in this meal are all of our expectations of greater things to come. So as we partake, may we, with all the hope we can muster, say together, “Next time, in the New Jerusalem.” (Rev. 21:2)

Reasons Not to Vote

2008-10-30T11:49:00.002-05:00

I stumbled across the following essasy that encourages Christians not to vote. I don't agree with some of the presentation, but was interested to hear what you have to say about it. I apologize for the length, but I didn't write it.

A Non-Voting Manifesto?
By Tripp York, Visiting Prof. of Religious Studies, Elon University, NC

There are few things imagined in this life more dutiful than the so called ‘responsibility’ of every American to vote. Despite the fact that many decide, for whatever reasons, not to vote, the very idea that voting is an indispensable requirement on each individual goes without question.
Let me state at the very beginning that any qualms I may have with voting stem from neither apathy nor indifference. It simply makes little sense to me, given that we are as Aristotle claimed, “political animals,” that anyone would or should be indifferent to voting. Christians (whom I am addressing) should be concerned with the goods that constitute the temporal cities of this time between times, and voting is but one means of attempting to seek those goods. Nevertheless, I often wonder if what has been passed down to us as an unquestioned duty is the only way, or even the best way, to be political? To be even more specific, is it possible that some form of conscientious objection to voting could be understood as an act of politics that is concerned with the good of the polis? Could it function as a witness to a different order, one not predicated on the enforcement of legislation, laws, and the lording of power over one another? If so, what would be the rationale for such an objection, or at least a hesitation, to the act of voting? What sort witness would this attempt to make? In order to answer these questions I have jotted down eight possible reasons why voting could be problematic for Christians. If nothing else, at least dealing with these possible objections should make us more conscientious voters, if we decide Christian civic responsibility entails voting.

I. Romans 13 demands subordination to the government.
Which government? All governments. Paul (while sitting in jail) demanded that Christians are to be submissive to all powers that be because, despite how fallen they are, they, nevertheless, are ordained by God. Rebellion against such powers is understood as rebellion against God and is, thus, not permitted. It makes little sense, therefore, to perpetuate any order that was founded on explicit disobedience to God. The United States of America only comes into being inasmuch as it rebelled against the God-ordained powers of the English monarchy (the irony of this is rich as the most patriotic of souls love to use this text to demand obedience to every whim of their beloved nation-state without recognizing the hypocrisy that made it possible for it to come into being in the first place). To vote for the maintenance of such an order seems to approve of this act of disobedience against God, or at least renders Paul’s command nonsensical as it can be disobeyed if enough time has elapsed from the inception of the said rebellion/revolution.

II. Jesus requires that his disciples not be like those Gentiles who lord their power over others, even it is for some sort of ‘good’ (Mt 20:25).
Christians are, as Jesus says in Matthew 20:26, not to be power-hungry. Rather they are to be as slaves to one another. Perhaps it would be one thing if the elected officials of this nation were forced to take office; instead these are all individuals who desperately want to be in power and all of whom beg and plead with the common folk for their votes, all to the tune, at least in regards to the last election, of more than $1 billion—$1 billion spent to convince us that we should exalt those who would be like those Gentiles who lord their power over others. If we are forbidden to be like them, why would it be permissible to place them in the kind of posture that Jesus decries?

III. Capitalism, the socio-economic order that underwrites this culture, is predicated on the seven deadly sins.
Without just one of these sins, it would fold and collapse on itself. For instance, if there was no greed this economy would be destroyed. We are taught to never be satisfied, to never have our fill, to never be satiated, to remain in a perpetual state of want, all in the name of the common good. How is this even remotely akin to the kind of desires that should be produced by ecclesial formation? Goods are only good if they are shared goods, at least according to scripture and early Christian history. Sharing goods in this culture would be a sin. An aside: Let it not be lost on us that immediately after September 11, 2001, the President of the U.S. demanded that the people of this commonwealth respond by neither prayer nor patience—rather he told the people that they should respond by . . . shopping! The saddest thing about this ‘command’ is that this was actually a morally legitimate response by the President (as it would have been for any president for that matter). Had people ceased spending money, the economy would have collapsed. Therefore, in such a culture one responds to terrorism via trips to the mall as well as supplying a lot of missiles and the youth of the country. This is our way of life? This is what Christians are willing to both die and kill for? How can we vote for any potential Caesar under this sort of politic?

IV. While we are on the subject of the seven deadly sins, let’s look at pride.
Outside of the word ‘freedom’—which is by far the most seductive god competing for our allegiance—there simply is no greater form of idolatry than the worship of, freedom. Pride is a term that is uttered again and again by this country’s leaders. For some reason I am reminded by both scripture and tradition that pride is purely representative of the fall of humanity. There is really nothing to be proud about, except as one can boast with St. Paul, our hope in Jesus. Pride has become the very means that Christians have co-opted to this culture, for it is because of pride that we seem to lack the ability or desire to practice repentance, confession, humility and servanthood—all of which are at the heart of Christian discipleship. Voting is, de facto, an exercise in pride. Especially if you find yourself on the winning side.

V. The kingdoms of this world seem to be ruled by Satan.
Once Satan took Jesus to the mountain-top and offered worldly power: “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only’” (Lk 4:5-8). Though the powers may be ordained by God, they are, nevertheless (as with all of creation), in rebellion against God. According to this passage it is Satan leading this rebellion. Satan offers the kingdoms to Jesus because they belong to Satan. He gives them, or at least offers them, to whom Satan pleases. All Jesus had to do in order to rule the world the way most of us imagine it is to be ruled, was to worship Satan. Thus it would appear that all of the kingdoms of the world, though rightly ordained for the maintenance of social harmony, are currently under satanic influence. One way to lead them is to worship Beelzebub, hence, my reluctance to vote for this sort of ruler.

VI. Regardless of which leader wins, that ruler will expect my allegiance.
That is, of course, a problem in and of itself, as Christians are called to serve only one Master. One way this affects Christians is that leaders of empires simply cannot enact the radical kind of peace Christians are to offer their enemies. Rulers, history has shown, must take up arms against their enemies. They must engage in warring, or at least threats of warring, in order to secure certain goods. This is a far cry from the peacemaking and non-violence which Jesus calls from his disciples. Jesus demands that those who would follow him must turn the other cheek, pray for those who persecute us (ever heard a president pray for an enemy—except that they be destroyed?), and refuse to exercise vengeance, which belongs only to God.
Yet any nation-state, not just this one but all of them, demands the exact opposite. The literal imitation of Jesus in non-violence must be rejected in order to exist and survive in the world. I would argue that any order that demands that a Christian not imitate Jesus is a demonic one indeed, a stumbling block for Christ-like discipleship.

VII: The United States may (not) be the greatest Babylon on the planet, but she is still a Babylon.
As William Stringfellow astutely pointed out, if we are to read all nations biblically then we must recognize that they are all Babylons. No nation or culture is the Heavenly Jerusalem or the City of God. They are, therefore, parasitic on the good that is the heavenly city, and the church, as the image of this city on earth, is called to show the state that it is not the heavenly city. This is her task. It is not to buttress the powers that be, but to show them, through her witness that whatever the powers that be are, they are not the church. One way to resist being co-opted by the powers of this world, I imagine, might be to neither vote nor take office.

VIII: Voting is an attempt to elect someone who will enact, legislate and enforce your political values upon others.
That is the point of voting—to elect someone who will legislate and enforce your convictions. If a candidate promises this, you will support her or him. That is, you expect your candidate to do what you want them to do for the betterment of how you envision the world and how you secure the peace of the city.
This process, in a sense, alleviates the burden of Christians to be the church because now Christians can ask the state require of others our Christian convictions. The church does not need to create an alternative community, does not need to be prophetic, does not need radical discipleship, because Christians now have become the very powers and principalities that Paul claims Jesus has defeated.
By the simple refusal to vote perhaps we can at least see how we have all become seduced by such a power in such a way that we can see how our faith has been compromised and domesticated in the name of something other than the Triune God.
These simple musings are but a few reasons why I am currently hesitant to cast my vote for yet another Caesar.

A Despicable Church Sign

2008-10-28T08:04:00.004-05:00

A church sign made it on the Ft. Wayne news last night. I drive by this church every day I go to work. They usually have pretty judgmental signs that make me chuckle, but this one has drawn the media limelight. The sad thing is that they probably think they are doing God's will by putting this out there.

First, they just add to the stereotype of ignorant Christians. There are also people in my church who also believe that he is. The record is pretty clear; Obama is not a Muslim. How people can believe he is is a step of mental gymnastics that I have yet to learn. He is as much of a Muslim as I am a Jehovah Witness; my parents were Witnesses until I was in the second grade.

Second, even if he is a Muslim, that would not discredit him from being President. I would prefer a righteous Muslim over a Christian in name only to be my leader. Colin Powell summed it up best when he said:

I'm also troubled by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said, such things as, "Well, you that know Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

Unlike Powell, I am not really disturbed by Republicans behaving that way. I am disturbed by fellow Christians. I would call the church and talk to them about it if I thought it would do any good.

Preaching or Pandering?

2008-10-27T09:35:00.002-05:00

In one of my classes we have been tracing how different segments have interpreted the Bible and the tools and framework they brought to the text.

The early church (100-500 CE) stood in one of the most intriguing segments in human history. A common language existed (Greek and then Latin) and the Roman contributions to society allowed Christianity to flourish, even through the persecution pre-Constantine. Thus, the literacy level was quite high, and a large segment of the population – Christian and non-Christian – knew the Bible. And so, when we read some of the sermons from guys like Origin, Augustine, and Chrysostom we see a deep and profound exposition of Scripture. If a preacher in today’s society stood up and preached one of these sermons or one similar, s/he would probably loose the audience in the first five minutes and would not make it very long in pulpit of the churches I see dotting the landscape.

But back then these guys were rock stars. They would walk around and people just wanted to be near them. But it was not an easy task to preach to these audiences. There were plenty of distractions and other preachers that the audience could go hear instead. In one of Chrysostom’s sermons he basically calls out his audience and says, “I know you would rather be at the races, but bear with me.” Every week when these guys stepped into the pulpit they knew they were battling against the culture and against an audience that would not put up with any sort of half-hearted sermon. Imagine preaching in front of Bible College professors every week. These were the people hearing the sermons and if the preachers missed a reference or spouted off bad exegesis they would hear about it.

The fact is, the early fathers won their audience not by entertaining but by illuminating the text. They brought fresh perspectives on the text that were not contrived or based on bad interpretation. These guys new their Bibles and they knew that their audience knew the Bible. So they preached some amazingly dense sermons and their audiences ate them up.

Later patristic leaders were great preachers but their content and their audience were far different. Eventually literacy started to decline and fewer and fewer people had access or opportunity to study the Scriptures. Thus the preachers, though profound, had to water down their sermons to meet the audience on their level.

Not long after the Patristic Period the Middle Ages/Dark Ages came about and the distinction between the Catholic church and laypeople became even more stark. A hunger grew for “Secret Knowledge” that only the preachers could dispense. Thus manipulation and elitism ran rampant as the clergy were the only ones who knew the Bible and could properly interpret it. But even during these periods of low literacy, at least there was a hunger for hearing and understanding God’s Word.

As I look around at the state of things today I see the worst of each of these eras. Humanity is the most literate than any other time on the planet. And yet, biblical illiteracy seems to plague the church. Most Christians don’t know their Bibles well and there does not seem to be any overwhelming desire to learn more. Add to that the preacher’s uphill battle to engage the audience when and if they show up. The result is a self-fulfilling system – sermons that have little spiritual depth because the preacher seeks to entertain and laypeople that reflect the same thing. And then the preachers throw their hands up in despair as their members care more about going to the lake after church than engaging the God of the Universe during the worship service. I know that I am painting with broad strokes, and that many churches are not like this picture, but many, and dare I say the majority, are.

Is there an easy solution? Probably not. But I believe some things can be done. As church leaders, we need to expect more out our congregation and they should expect more out of us. Just as the early church fathers poured over the Scriptures and knew them intimately, so should we. And then it is the responsibility of the preacher to convey his/her findings in a relevant, engaging way. And it is the audience’s responsibility to respond by continuing the search on their own and committing to the process of maturing in Christ.

May we, together, grow in the knowledge and understanding of God’s revelation through the Word.

Our Dislike Of Death Bed Conversions or A Total Misunderstanding of Grace

2008-10-24T05:28:00.005-05:00

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first, and the first last."

To summarize briefly, the master hired workers early in the day and went out later in the day and hired more. Those who worked just a short while received the same day's wage as those who worked the whole day. In Jesus' parable, those who worked the whole day were angry about those who worked just a short while. A direct parallel at the time of writing would be teaching that kingdom of God is open to the Gentiles, as it always was, along with the people of Israel, who had been the people of God for a longer time. A modern parallel would be the people who have grown up in the church their whole life being frustrated with the elderly lady accepting Christ in the last moments of her life. We see jealousy over those who got what they really did not deserve by those who felt they earned it.

Last Sunday I heard a sermon on this parable. The preacher never addressed the source of jealousy. He just shared his own struggle with being jealous over death bed conversions and admitted that his jealousy was wrong. He will work his whole life for the Lord while the person who comes right at the end receives the same blessing; that's frustrating to my friend who preached and to others of a similar mindset. In the frame of worldly reason, that just does not seem fair. I think the source of this frustration is a misunderstanding of two things: the life God has planned for us and God's amazing grace.

When I look back on my years of wandering, I do not look fondly. I do not think those times were great despite the festiveness of the world being exemplified in the way I lived. I look back and wish that I could have been in love with the Lord the whole time. My life in the Lord is much better than that life ever was. I missed out on a lot by wandering aimlessly.

We find ourselves jealous of people in the world when we feel that the people in the world are living a life better than the one we are living in God. When we do not strive to experience God every moment of every day, we often miss out on what God's intention for our life is. Oftentimes we are not living in the joy and peace that God wants us to live in, and our sad, selfish spiritual life creates in us a secret love for the world. Eventually, this secret love, if left uncheck, might morph into indulging those secret loves with the possible cost being our faith. Whether we indulge in it or not, the secret love for the world is only there because we do not experience the Christ-like life to the fullest, the life God has desired for us to live.

When we experience God to the fullest throughout our days, we will not be jealous of the people that come late in life and receive the same eternal reward as we receive because we know that the time we spent working for the Lord is also a great reward. We were happy to work because we love the privilege of being a follower of Christ. And we should be overjoyed, like the Lord becomes, to have more workers no matter what stage of life the new worker is in.

After the sermon, I went over and talked to my friend about what I just shared here. An elderly lady was there and she shared, "If you have a giant cup and it is full, you will be just as happy as those who have a small cup and it is full." She was implying that those who are faithful all day will have a giant cup while those who are faithful just a short while will only have a small cup. This idea that she will be rewarded more in heaven for her life of work compared to the reward a recent convert would receive is a complete misunderstanding of grace. What she fails to see is that her works are not what makes her right with God. Her works are, in themselves, a blessing from God. We are privileged to be involved in his work. She is only right with God because God is infinitely graceful despite our failings. Our misunderstanding of the grace of God and an overestimation of our righteousness is what leads us to think we are more deserving than others. None of us are more deserving. It is only by grace that we spiritually breathe.

If we live in the realization that our life in Christ is a better life than the other lives we could be leading and that our life in Christ is solely available through the grace of God, then we will not be jealous of people who come late in life and lived the way they wanted nor think that our reward will be greater than them because of our life of service. May we live life to the fullest in the grace and love that Christ shares with us.

Liberation

2008-10-23T09:28:00.006-05:00

A little bit of bragging time.

This is a picture of the youth group at our church. They go by the name WAYward Youth. This morning they are on the front page of the Oakland Press. The article is about their efforts to raise awareness of the sex-slave industry and sponsor a ministry that's combating it.

This Saturday at 4, 6, and 8 pm, they will be showing a documentary called Baht (which they got from CIY). If you can come, please do.

Of course, it is not the newspaper article which causes me to be so proud. It is their passion for following the WAY of Jesus in liberating the those who are enslaved.

A Neat Post in the Middle of the Night

2008-10-22T02:12:00.002-05:00

I found this post tonight as I woke up with something on my mind.

trust trust trust trust trust

I found it encouraging.

Always Live a Quiet and Peaceable Life

2008-10-21T14:20:00.003-05:00

The following is another excerpt from testimony in front of the House Military Affairs Committee hearings on the Selective Training and Service Act from July 10 to August 2, 1940. This is from is from a statement written by Orie Miller, a shoe manufacturer and member of the Mennonite's Peace Problems Committee.

If our country becomes involved in war, we shall endeavor to continue to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; avoid joining in wartime hysteria of hatred, revenge and retaliation, manifest a meek and submissive spirit, being obedient unto the laws and regulations of the government in all things, except in such cases where obedience to the government would cause us to violate the teachings of the Scriptures so that we could maintain a clear conscience before God (Acts 5:29). We confess that our supreme allegiance is to God, and that we cannot violate this allegiance by any lesser loyalty, but rather must follow Christ in all things no matter what the cost. We love and honor our country and desire to work constructively for its highest welfare as loyal and obedient citizens; at the same time we are constrained by the love of Christ to love the poeple of all lands and races and to do them good as opportunity affords rather than evil, and we believe that this duty is not abrogated by war. We realize that to take this poisition may mean misunderstanding and even contempt from our fellowmen, as well as possible suffereing, but we hope by the grace of God that we may be able to assume, as our forefathers did, the sacrifices and suffering which attend the sincere practice of this way of live, without malice or ill will toward those who may differ with us.

Progressive Accountability

2008-10-16T22:10:00.004-05:00

In Christian circles there is this vague theological concept that is never clearly defined yet consistently held by those, like myself, who do not believe in original sin in the Catholic sense. That concept is the "age of accountability." The idea is that children are right in God's eyes and will be saved. Eventually, each child reaches an age in which they are intelligent enough to understand the the call of Christ. At that point they have reached the age of accountability. No longer will they be able to coast into salvation but have to make a decision on their own.

In the "age of accountability" concept, it is all or nothing. The kid has reached a point where he should have enough understanding to completely surrender his complete life to Christ. I guess it would depend on the kid, his upbringing, and the situations he has lived in, as to when that age comes about. My hangup is that I just don't see any Scriptural evidence for the age of accountability.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (Romans 2:6-16):

"God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

In this passage, Paul points out that Gentiles, those who do not know the special revelation of God, are, as the NASB translates, "a law to themselves...their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them." If we can peer into a man's soul and see whether they are being faithful to what they understand as the truth, then we could sit and judge whether they are right with God.

In regards to the age of accountability, this would mean that there is a progressive accountability, an accountability that increases over time as our understanding grows. It isn't all at one point that a child has to be faithful. As they grow, they will learn more and more what they should be faithful to. It is their faithfulness on the things that they know that makes them right with God. We like to overemphasize a conversion experience, but all that does is narrow having a proper faith down to a sinner's prayer, baptism, or your denominations conversion experience of choice. We can have the conversion experience without being right with God. We need to consistently and continually be faithful to God in all that we understand he wants of us. It is our conscience and our thoughts that will bear witness for us in the areas we are ignorant in.

"He will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile."

When we encounter a person who follows God differently than we do but to the best of their ability with the understanding they have, we can confidently call them a brother. They might need help in understanding the gospel more fully, or maybe we will be the one's doing the learning. Each is accountable to the truth as they understand it, for our understanding will be greater tomorrow than it is today.

Love in the Face of Oppression - Quakers under Nazi German Control

2008-10-16T13:19:00.004-05:00

In testimony given before the House Military Affairs committee from July 10 to August 2, 1940, during the hearings on the Selective Training and Service Act, the Society of Friends gave their view on how they hoped the government would treat conscientious objectors. During the grilling from representatives who did not regard conscientious objectors highly, Paul French, the eventual head of the organization that represented the conscientious objectors with the government, was asked how Quakers were fairing under the Nazis. In reply, French shared the following testimony about a group of Quakers who were in an area conquered by the Germans:

"The Quaker units in Holland under German occupation and in Germany are still functioning. We just had a very interesting account last night from a member of the Service Committee of the Quaker unit functioning in Bordeaux when the Germany army came in. They had been feeding Spanish refugee children, and as soon as the German army of occupation landed, naturally, they were a bit concerned as to what was going to happen and they went to the commanding general and asked what their position was to be, and the two ranking officers of the German army told them that they had been fed by the Quaker relief organization 20 years ago, and to go ahead an operate as they had."

What a powerful testimony of the principle to love all people in all situations.

Refusing to Be Involved with Churches of a Different Christian Persuasion

2008-10-15T07:15:00.006-05:00

My response to a question from Jule from my last post, Following God to the Best of My Ability Versus Expecting Others to Follow God Like Me, became somewhat lengthy so I made a new post. I have not made this my post for this week because I have something else that I want to get out of me.

Jule asked how the "Don't worry about the speck in your brother's eye when you have a plank in your own" and "Iron sharpens iron" relate to what I wrote.

Here is my attempt to meld everything together.

This whole subject has been on my mind because our leadership just refused to host the community Thanksgiving service. Some comments were made about people in the other churches not being our "brothers in Christ." Our church has never hosted a community service but I thought I would give them a chance, so at the Antwerp ministerial meeting earlier this month I volunteered our church after being asked if we would be willing to host it. I attend as our churches representative because I believe in inter-church involvement and we were not participating. I have since had to call up the leader of the group and tell him our church would not host or even participate since the community is on a Sunday night and we have services then. That situation has forced me to think this through.

What I wrote is my failed attempt to work through the verses and explain to the leadership that we can fellowship with people who might have a different take on following Christ. In the end, I think they just didn't want the conflict that hosting would cause within our church. What I find amazing is how different the church of Christ/Christian church is in different parts of the nation. Some are ultra-conservative while others are liberal. Antwerp is ultra-conservative, although other neighboring towns are even more conservative.

The context of the "speck" verse (Matthew 7) does seem to encourage us to help one another out despite being the pillar for the practice of total tolerance and individual spirituality. Jesus warns that we must be vigilant to not use a different standard of judgment for others than we use for ourselves, but he does not tell us to let our brothers and sisters do their own thing without us noticing their faults. Verse 5 reads, "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." We should not go around helping people with something we struggle in, but we do need to go around helping. We need to "see clearly" so that we can "remove the speck" from our brothers' or sisters' eyes.

We need to be growing in Christ all the time. If we are not, we will never really be able to help a brother out. If we see a brother struggling with something we struggle with, we should pray for strength to fix ourselves before attempting to fix our brother. Sometimes it is easier to see our faults in others rather than in the mirror. Jesus abhorred hypocrites (Matthew 23), but that does not mean we are not supposed to help a stumbling person out. As the proverb says, "Iron sharpens iron." If we are left alone to our own vices and our own form of spirituality, we will eventually lose our usefulness. Believers need one another. We need to not shirk our responsibility to our brothers and sisters in the name of tolerance, yet we must always remain careful to not be judgmental.

The Example of Abraham

2008-10-13T07:46:00.002-05:00

In one of my classes we have been translating through Genesis 15. A few things have been highlighted that I thought I would share which have encouraged me and hopefully will do the same for you. First some textual/interpretive notes, then some observations.

This story of God’s promises to Abraham really is made up of 2 units – verses 1-6 and verses 17-21. Both units begin with divine disclosure that has a predicate nominative clause – “I am a shield” and “I am Yahweh.”

Verses 1-6 revolve around zerah – seed or offspring – which is interesting because Abraham has no progeny. This second unit revolves around eretz – land. In the ancient world offspring and land were key elements to stability and prosperity. After all what good is it to be a tribal chieftain with no tribe? Or even more specifically, a nomadic tribal chieftain with no offspring to follow? And if you don’t have seed it doesn’t matter if you have land or cattle or anything.

Verse 6 moves into an omniscient narrator who knows both Abraham’s and God’s thoughts and interprets what has just happened. Finally we find someone who actually believes and follows God and has a continuing line of faithful believers. This is what the reader of Genesis has been looking for.
There are many explicit references to this verse in the NT (Rom. 4:3,9,22; Gal 3:6 James 2:23), also implicitly behind Hab. 2:4. There is also a great deal of debate about how to actually translate and interpret this verse. More than likely, when the text tells us that “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,” the object of Abram’s faith is Yahweh himself.

In verse 8 Abram asks how he will know that what God says will come to fruition. In verse 13 God gives the answer – “You will certainly know” and God gives a prophecy.

Verse 18 contains a particular usage of the verb natan which might best be translated, “(by this act of speaking) I (hereby) give.” This is the first mention of the word “covenant” and it is out of the mouth of the narrator. Abram already knows he is in the midst of a covenant ceremony, but it is as if the narrator is making sure that the reader gets that this is a covenant. This verse brings all the aspects together – land, seed, and the giving from God.

As I read this passage and similar ones (Genesis 12, 17, Exodus 3), I think we see clearly that divine revelation results in faith. When God discloses God’s self it will produce faith in the human heart, which we might also call discipleship – an ongoing process of growing in the knowledge and faith of God. But this story is not just a nice background story describing God’s covenant with Abraham. Verse 7 has clear parallels with Exodus 20 (and others) describing similar experiences with God. The point is that your experience is supposed to be paralleled with Abram’s. The faith he had should be the same as yours. We aren’t getting theophanies any more, but we have received divine revelation. So is our belief credited as righteousness and faithfulness or not?

Also, we see Abraham was asking for cognitive certainty. Some may see this as unbelief, but that does not seem to be the case. Like any of us, it is not that we don’t believe – we just want to try to understand how it is all going to work out. God responded with a covenant in which God took the consequences of breaking the covenant upon God’s self. God did not lay out exactly how God’s promises would be fulfilled, but God clearly conveyed that the promises would in fact be fulfilled. As Abraham is walking through life he just had the word and the covenant to hold onto.

Again, our story parallels Abraham’s in so many ways. We have a received a word of God. God has revealed God’s self through the word made flesh and through God’s actual word. And God has made promises to us and we often wonder, “How? How will they be fulfilled?” So God responds with a covenant which Christians call a “sacrament”. In communion we experience God making a covenant with us and taking the consequences upon God’s self. And so we go walk through this life with the word and the covenant, and that is what we have to live on until the “not yet”.

A Piece of Amish Wisdom

2008-10-10T08:56:00.002-05:00

There is an Amish lady in our home school group named Martha. Martha shared the following words of wisdom with Lindsay yesterday. She shared it with me this morning. Martha says it is not original. It probably isn't, but I have never heard it.

"If your cup is filled with sweetness, then when circumstances bounce and jar you, you will not spill anything but sweetness."

Following God to the Best of My Ability Versus Expecting Others to Follow God Like Me

2008-10-10T06:50:00.003-05:00

Each of us should be following God with complete sacrifice, but our journey of sacrifice is limited by what we understand that God wants from us. If you think the command to the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and give them to the poor is a command to all Christians, then you better sell all your possessions and give them to the poor. If you think that the command to the rich young ruler was a command specifically given to that one man with the understanding that Jesus' command to that ruler does not apply to all Christians, then you do not need to sell all your possessions and give them to the poor. Sorry is the man who believes the command to the rich young ruler applies to all Christians, yet he does not sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. Each of us will be held accountable if we do not live out the faith as we understand it.

We begin with prayer and dealing honestly with Scripture. However, even two people who deal honestly with Scripture might not come to the same conclusion on what Scripture means based on their understanding of the context of the situation or the experiences of their lives that the Scripture is inevitably filtered through. That does not mean that there is not absolute truth. What it means is that we currently "see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). If Paul's knowledge was limited, then it would be arrogant to assume that our knowledge is perfect. Paul's conclusion is the key. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). In the end, the most important thing is that we are people of love.

We need to follow the truth as we understand it to the best of our ability and not be judgmental to those who are following the truth in the way that they understand it. We should not ignore others who follow differently, nor should we bash them, whether to their face or in our fellowship circles. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently" (Galatians 6:1a). In light of Paul stating that we do not fully know, we also must deal gently with those who are struggling to live out the faith as we understand it. We deal gently because we must not be arrogant or prideful about our understanding of the truth. In the end, we might realize that we are the one with the inaccurate understanding when we confront a brother in sin. The key here is that we actually have a gentle conversation with our brother. We do not ignore our differences, but we deal with one another gently in the hope that the end result will be that we are both built up in Christ.

Paul does give the warning, "But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted" (Galatians 6:1b). When dealing with a brother's sin, we must be careful that we are gentle and open to the fact that we might have the wrong understanding, but we also need to remain firm in the faith as we understand it.

Paul made the point in his letter to the Romans that people will be judged based upon their faithfulness to the knowledge they have (Romans 2:5-16). Earlier, in the first chapter, he set out that everyone should have a basic knowledge of God through nature. We can automatically say that those who do not believe in God are not our brothers or sisters in Christ as there is no excuse for a lack of belief in God. After believing in God, we will be judged based upon the knowledge we have. This means that the man who does not know he should be baptized as an adult will be judged based upon his knowledge and faithfulness to God in areas that he does know. This means that often brought up mythological man living in the center of Africa who never has heard the Gospel will be judged based upon his faithfulness in the knowledge he does have. This means, for those who believe that speaking in tongues in essential to salvation, that those who do not speak in tongues are fine with God as long as they are faithful in what they believe God expects of them. We must deal with one another gently, in love, with the possibility that we might be wrong yet always remain firm in the truth as we understand it.

As teachers, we are to help transform people's understanding of what God expects of them into action. It is not healthy for a person to believe God expects something of them, yet they refuse to live it out. We are also in the important yet precarious situation of shaping people's understanding of God. I can guarantee that we will teach errantly at times, but we need to teach to the best of our ability with the understanding we now have.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Prayer Requests

2008-10-09T12:58:00.002-05:00

In studying Colossians, I have become burdened with one major thing. We need to be praying for others to know and stand firm in the will of God.

Paul opens the letter with a prayer for the followers he's Colosse.

Colossians 1:9-14 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

If you break this prayer down (and please do), I think you'll see that it is basically a prayer to be filled with knowledge of God's will. Everything that follows that is an explanation of why that is so important. (It is then that you will live a worthy life that pleases God, being strengthened to endure with gratitude.)

You can tell a lot about what is important to a person by what they pray. And Paul says that he has prayed non-stop that they would be filled with this knowledge ever since they heard and embraced the gospel.

Skip to Colossians 4:12-13. We have already learned in Colossians 1:7 that Epaphras was the one who originally preached the gospel to this group of beleivers. Here we find that Epaphras in no way sees his job as completed.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Epaphras is "always wrestling in prayer". That sounds intense. And when Paul says that Epahras is "working hard" for them, I assume that is a second illusion to his effort in prayer on their behalf (What more could he be doing for them so far away?).

And what is it that Epaphras wants for these believers? To stand firm int he will of God, mature and fully assured.

Paul prayed non-stop that they would know God's will. Epaphras was about doing the hard work of always wrestling in prayer that they would stand firm in the will of God.

So, when Paul instructs us in Colossians 4:2 to "devote" ourselves to prayer, I think we have a pretty clear picture of what kind of intensity that devotion should carry. ("I have not stopped praying." "He is always wrestling in prayer for you... working hard for you.")

And I think we get a pretty good idea of what to be praying for.

So, as I type this, I pray that those reading would be filled with knowledge of God's will through all spirtual wisdom and understanding that you may stand firm in that will, mature and fully assured.

Please, do no less for me.

Yom Kippur

2008-10-09T07:42:00.001-05:00

Yom Kippur is the "Day of Atonement" and refers to the annual Jewish observance of fasting, prayer and repentance. Yom Kippur is the tenth and final day of the Ten Days of Repentance which begin with Rosh Hashanah. This is considered to be the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year.

In three separate passages in the Torah, the Jewish people are told, "Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall deny yourselves and present the LORD’s offering by fire"(Leviticus 23:27). Fasting is seen as fulfilling this biblical commandment. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day.

The Yom Kippur fast also enables us to put aside our physical desires and to concentrate on our spiritual needs through prayer, repentance and self-improvement. It is customary in the days before Yom Kippur for Jews to seek out friends and family whom they have wronged and personally ask for their forgiveness. It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Is. 1:18). Some people wear a kittel, the white robe in which the dead are buried.

Yom Kippur has its own candle lighting blessing:

“Blessed are you, our God, Creator of time and space,
who enriches our lives with holiness,
commanding us to kindle the Sabbath and Yom Kippur lights.”

After the candles are lit, the following prayer is recited:

“Blessed are you, our God, Creator of time and space,
who has supported us, protected us,
and brought us to this moment.”

A few great Rich Mullins quotes

2008-10-03T06:34:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy this week that I have not had time to write a solid post (not that my posts are always solid). Instead, I would like to share a few quotes from Rich Mullins that I found inspiring.

I hear people say, "Why do you want to go to church? They are all just hypocrites." I never understood why going to church made you a hypocrite because nobody goes to church because they're perfect. If you've got it all together, you don't need to go. You can go jogging with all the other perfect people on Sunday morning. Every time you go to church, you're confessing again to yourself, to your family, to the people you pass on the way there, to the people who will greet you there, that you don't have it all together, and that you need their support. You need their direction. You need some accountability, you need some help.

And here is another quote.

With "Step by Step," if I had to make an overall statement, it's that faith is walking with God. The biggest problem with life is that it's just daily. You can never get so healthy that you don't have to continue to eat right. Because every day I have to make the right choices about what I eat and how much exercise I need. Spiritually we're in much the same place. I go on these binges where it's like "I'm going to memorize the five books of Moses." I expect to be able to live off the momentum. The only thing that praying today is good for is today. So, with "Step by Step"...it's not what you did, and not what you say you're going to do, it's what you do today.

Step By Step by Rich Mullins

Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to steep so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so worth much left to do
But so much you'd already done

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise you
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise you
And I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit from me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the glime can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

A New Year

2008-09-29T08:18:00.002-05:00

The more I study the Hebrew Bible, the more I become convinced that understanding ancient Jewish practices can not only help modern Christians understand God’s work in this world in a different way, but will also aid our worship and interaction with God. Celebrating the sacraments aids in engaging our souls with God. I believe that ancient practices – Jewish and Christian – can accomplish the same interaction with the divine. To such ends, throughout the next year or so I will try to highlight various Jewish feasts and festivals (we would call them holidays) in an effort to assist our efforts to connect with God.

Tonight at Sundown begins “Rosh Hashanah” for the Jewish people. This is their new year’s celebration as the words “Rosh Hashanah” literally mean “head of the year.” This holiday marks the beginning of a ten-day period of prayer, self-examination and repentance, which culminate on the fast day of Yom Kippur. While there are elements of joy and celebration, Rosh Hashanah is a deeply religious occasion. The customs and symbols of Rosh Hashanah reflect the holiday's dual emphasis – happiness and humility. The Jewish people observe special customs on Rosh Hashanah. First they sound of the shofar alerting all in the hearing of the trumpet that it is a special occasion. They also eat apples dipped in honey to get a sweet start to the New Year. Also they eat round challah to remind them that the years go round and round. During the 10 Days of Awe, we set goals for the coming year and prepare for the holiest of days, Yom Kippur.

The most symbolic activity, and one which seems more appropriate for a new year than getting drunk and throwing confetti about involves repentance. It is customary to go to a river or sea where there are fish, for as fish are suddenly
caught in a net, so are we caught in the severe net of divine judgment; and gazing at the water, we contemplate our sins.

We then shake out our pockets seeking symbolically to "cast away" our accumulated sins and transgressions so that we may purify our hearts and our souls, as the new year begins (see Micah passage below). As we cast our sins into the water, we look at the water and try to remember the creation of the world by God, our Creator. We think about God and ask forgiveness for the things we have done wrong. The custom of going to a body of water on Rosh Hashanah is a symbolic allusion, for the waters which now seem to be at this place were not here before and will not remain afterward. So, if the sinner says to himself or herself: "I will not repeat my sin; my behavior will change", the sin, like the waters, will move on.

We read together from the Prophet Micah:
Who is like You, Adonai?
You forgive iniquity and pass over transgressions in your people.
You do not retain anger forever, for You delight in kindness.
You will again show us mercy and subdue our iniquities;
You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
You will show kindness to Jacob and mercy to Abraham,
as You did promise our ancestors of old.

So we pray to God:
Let us cast away the sin of deception, so that we will mislead no one in word or deed, nor pretend to be what we are not.
Let us cast away the sin of vain ambition, which prompts us to strive for goals which bring neither true fulfillment nor genuine contentment.
Let us cast away the sin of stubbornness, so that we will neither persists in foolish habits nor fail to acknowledge our will to change.
Let us cast away the sin of envy, so that we will neither be consumed by desire for what we lack nor grow unmindful of the blessings which are already ours.
Let us cast away the sin of selfishness, which keeps us from enriching our lives through wider concerns and great sharing and from reaching out in love to other human beings.
Let us cast away the sin of indifference, so that we may be sensitive to the sufferings of others and responsive to the needs of people everywhere.
Let us cast away the sin of pride and arrogance, so that we can worship God and serve God's purpose in humility and truth.

For you are…
Adonai, Adonai,
Compassion and Tenderness,
Patience, Forbearance,
Kindness, Awareness,
Bearing love from age to age,
Lifting guilt and mistakes,
And making us free.
Amen.

Some other things you could do by way of reflection:
List ten good things that happened in the last year.
Explain ten ways you’ve grown (new things you can do).

A Letter to a Searcher who gave up on the Church because of Christians

2008-09-27T06:52:00.002-05:00

Here is a letter I wrote to someone who claims they are no longer Christian because of Christians. I post it here in case it helps anyone else going through the same struggle. I assume I will also be critiqued by those who disagree with my approach. That is fine because I hope it will make my approach better.

****

Hi #######.

I originally did not respond when I read your note because I figured others would say the same thing. I see that they have not. Some have been harsh. I am sorry for that.

I also experienced the same thing as you explain in your post. I gave up Christianity because of the people in the church and began a period of searching. The thing I noticed near the end (or should I say near the beginning) of the search was that I was searching for the truth with the rule that the truth could not be Christianity. Once I gave that rule up, I came back to Christianity but not the institutional church. That does not mean I gave up on Christ's Church, and I still find myself currently in an institutional church.

Your experience may differ as you might not have excluded Christianity from your searches. I think the biggest obstacle for most Christians is overcoming what they were shown to be Christianity by their local church. So often it is not about love, but about so many other things. I am sure you know that Scripture teaches that all of the other things are worthless if they do not lead us to love. Christianity is beautiful in that way.

Christianity, pure and in its true form, is amazing. It just baffles me that it is somewhat difficult to find people, especially groups of people, living it out. I am not saying that all of those wallowing in an ineffective Christianity are not saved because part of true Christianity is an understanding of grace and sharing that grace with others. I find myself wallowing in ineffective Christianity far too often. Thankfully there is grace.

Anyway, I wanted to pass along a passage that I found encouraging during that period of time. It was from Isaiah 5. In it God is stating that he has tried everything to make his people, Israel, the people he intended for them to be. But they still were not that people. God then tells others to judge him by who he is and not by those who claim to follow him.

1 I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.

2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.

3 "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.

4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?

5 Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.

6 I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it."

7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are the garden of his delight.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Personally, I would like to be a person that God could say, "Look at him and see me." I might not be there yet, but that is what I strive for. Grace covers my failings.

We need to be lifetime seekers of truth, and I admire you for that. I believe firmly in Jesus' teaching that if we seek, we will find. So many people just take what is spoon-fed them. Here's to seeking.

With Blessings,
Regan

Follow-up on the meeting with Ahmadinejad

2008-09-26T14:03:00.002-05:00

Gary Bauer attacks the Quakers for dining with Ahmadinejad

The Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem attacks the people meeting with Ahmadinejad.

What I cannot find is any of the dialogue at the dinner. What was said? That's what I would like to know. But the media is already done with the story. No followup in America.

Bike Gang Masquerades as Christian Ministry

2008-09-26T07:52:00.002-05:00

I found this article interesting.

Bike Gang Masquerades as Christian Ministry

I will be interested to see if they actually find any evidence of drug dealing. It sounds to me, and being from my neck of the woods many people are like this, that the guys just liked the bike scene and guns. There is nothing sinful in liking the bike scene and guns. It appears that they weren't non-violent and that is what eventually got them in trouble. But many Christians are not non-violent, so can we hold that against them. They seem like a Christian outreach that got into a fight with the Hell's Angels. If they were trying to take over drug dealing in Hell's Angels territory, they would not have gone to hang out in a Hell's Angels bar. But if they were interested in ministering, that is what they would have done.

I don't have all the evidence, but they seem like a Christian group to me.

Carrying Our Cross In a World of Selfishness

2008-09-26T06:42:00.003-05:00

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.'"

Our cross.

Trusting God has been an issue of mine since Lindsay and I lost our twins. I struggled with believing that God has what is best for my life in mind. I have come to the conclusion that he does not, and I am fine with that. When I use the word "best," I am talking about the things of this world that are idolized - health, success, entertainment, popularity, and, possibly, my individual spiritual life. In light of that, he does not have what is best for me individually on his agenda. What is best for me is not what is always best for his Kingdom. His Kingdom is on his mind. If sacrificing me will further his Kingdom, then that is what needs to be done. If I am a faithful servant, then I am fine with that and spiritually I will always be secure.

Does that make God cold and heartless? I would not say that it does although it does teeter on it from our perspective. It rocks our selfish and individualistic view of life and the world around us. We are selfish from birth, nourished from bottles of selfishness as we grow up, and continue to indulge in selfishness as adults. We are so selfish that we fail to notice it. We want what is best for us, and we are focused on going after it. But Christ tells me to take up my cross. No longer am I supposed to look out for what is best for myself. I take up my cross and become a servant to others. Only in killing my interests will I actually find true spirituality. I think we all know the Christian language surrounding this concept but to actually live it makes us freaks in our churches and the communities we live in.

Rich Mullins once wrote,

"It seems that I always am and always have been an outsider. I've never really fit in. I was always too religious for my rowdy friends--they thought I was unbelievably hung up--and too rowdy for my religious friends--they were always praying for me."

I still struggle with why Luke and Logan had to die before breathing their first breath, but I need to be completely fine with God sacrificing soldiers for His Kingdom. God might not have directly caused their death (and he might have), but he could have prevented it. The responsibility is his; that is always the way it is with death. God has the power to heal and prevent death. We can try to comfort ourselves with saying it is better for the person dead to be where they are now, but that really brings no comfort to my selfish self. In that mindset (and my tendency to bring things to logical extremes), then I should kill little children and faithful Christians so that they can also be better off. What I have to reach is the point of being a faithful soldier who is focused on a cause bigger than just myself and content with whatever that brings my way.

My cross.

The Controversy over Churches Meeting with Ahmadinejad

2008-09-25T05:38:00.002-05:00

The groups who supported the rights of conscientious objectors in World War II (American Friends Service Committee and the Mennonite Central Committee) along with some new organizations (Quaker United Nations Office, Religions for Peace and the World Council of Churches) invited Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to share a meal with them tonight after sunset (in respect to Ahmadinejad's participation in the celebration of Ramadan). And they are getting reamed for it.

Here is a completely biased news story on it that provides no comments from the peace groups.

Would Jesus eat a meal with Ahmadinejad?

An Unholy Squeeze

2008-09-24T10:40:00.002-05:00

Thank you to all who participated in the conversation about interest. That was helpful for me. I think the principle to not collect interest on brothers (poorer brothers especially) is a sound one.

Part of the reason for that is the squeeze it puts on people for our gain.

This brings me to another portion of the Law of the LORD. Leviticus 19:0-10 "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." (see also Leviticus 23:22)

I was trying to get an idea of what a modern-day application of this would be, since very few people have fields of grain. And even if we did, this would be hard to pull off. I think the principle that transcends culture is that we should not forget the poor in attempts to gain as much profit as possible.

For instance, coffee distributors world-wide are buying beans at rates that cannot support farmers even in the poorest parts of the world. Then they mark the price way up to gain profits of $100,000,000's.

But let's not just focus on how these principles apply to business moguls we will never meet. Let's look at how they apply to us. Are we being faithful? We have the opportunity to buy coffee that is fair-trade certified. I recommend Pura Vida.

It will cost us more, but maybe we shouldn't pinch every penny if it is the world's poorest who get squeezed.

Interpretive Lens

2008-09-22T11:43:00.002-05:00

I have a paper due this week and so don’t have the necessary time to put into a thoughtful entry. But, I thought I would put some questions out there to hear from you as I am thinking about an entry down the road. The questions have to do with interpretation of God’s Word (and yes, I do believe that it is inspired by God).

How does Scripture function so that there is a normative (agreed upon) understanding, thus allowing Christians to assess the validity of varying interpretations?
i.e. what are you principles of interpretation?
How do you determine what is acceptable and what is unacceptable?
What assumptions to you make about the text without even realizing it?

Look forward to hearing your introspection.

FREE Bible Software

2008-09-20T08:07:00.001-05:00

I just received information about a FREE Bible software package that is actually quite robust considering the price. There are certain packages that can be purchased as an upgrade, but the free stuff is certainly a good start. For example, it comes with the KJV and the NIV costs money ($29), but you can download many other versions (including original languages) for free.

If you have been looking for a Bible program but have been unwilling to shell out the money for one of the biggies (Logos, Quickverse, Bible Works, etc.), this seems like a good alternative. The website has additional downloads of Bible versions, commentaries, dictionaries, and pictures, as well as a training page to help you get acclimated.

One word of warning – I haven’t actually used it (as I have Logos Scholar), but it looks pretty good. So again, here is the link:

http://www.e-sword.net/index.html

The Church Made Simple

2008-09-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

Church should be simple, not this complex machine of committees and programs that it has become. I am pretty "lazy" when it comes to doing traditional church as I do not go to our church's Sunday evening or Wednesday evening services; I only spend four to five hours there every Sunday morning in a leadership meeting, teaching a Sunday School class, attending the "service," and sharing in a fellowship meal. I have friends who keep busy going to the church every time the doors are open. Church wears them out. Keeping busy going to church takes away time that they could be visiting a neighbor or helping another person by taking up at least one morning and two evenings every week.

There are some in my church, and possibly yours, who think if you are not there when the doors are open, then you are not being faithful to Christ. It is presented as if attendance at another educational function is essential to being faithful disciples. If you catch some of these people who do not miss a service when they are in the right mood, they will actually tell you that. I have been present for some of these unity-building moments.

Church is not something that should keep us busy through education and worship; church is the relationships between people living out the call to be disciples of Christ. Instead of becoming a tool to help us follow Christ in our homes, neighborhoods, and places of employment, church has developed into a mammoth assortment of programs that keep us busy from actually loving those around us that are not part of the church. Church has moved from being the relationship between the people of God to being an institution that must be maintained.

For many who desire church to be different, they change the word "church" to words like "fellowship" or "community" and label their buildings as "Christian Centers" or some other name. If changing our vocabulary helps us to be the church, then our vocabulary should be quick to go. But if we change only the vocabulary and leave the practices in place that have actually took the church on a scenic detour from where we need to be, then we are only playing word games. I can hear the argument that we need to call things by their biblical names. We need to note that "church" is just a translated word from the Greek "ekklesia." If "church" has morphed into meaning something in our culture that is not really what the "ekklesia" of the Bible is, then a vocabulary change would be useful. It does nobody any good to keep calling a biblical idea a word that has lost the biblical meaning.

"Church" has become associated in people's minds with singing, sermons, lessons, Sunday morning, programs, and all other various activities. Maybe a vocabulary change is needed because it should be associated with prayer, apostle's teaching, relationships, eating together, loving, and sharing. The essentials of church have been replaced by ancillaries. We can stop singing, having sermons, meeting on Sunday mornings, and creating programs and still be healthy churches.

Nor is it necessary to be a large group to be the church. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 19:20). That section of Scripture is in the midst of a section on the power of believers when they gather together. Being a disciple is not to be done alone but along with others on the journey together, but it does not have to be done with fifty, a thousand, or ten thousand people. The problem is that we have so narrowly defined what that communal journey is to look like that we have made it corporate. A corporate journey is one in which the leaders discover the path through prayer and conversation with one another. The leaders follow that up by passing the direction down from the top. A communal vision is one discovered by the people through conversation and prayer with one another and then shared. This is then lived out in fellowship with one another.

One of the major problems of corporate church is that it financially and time-wise costs much more. Is it possible to have all of the assets, which require maintenance, and the regular expenses of an institutional church, not become distracted by them, and remain focused on the mission of Christ in our community and around the world? It might be possible, but the default seems to be distraction. Most churches spend the majority of their money on the maintenance of the institution of church, on their leaders and on the building they meet in. The institution becomes the goal rather than being disciples. It is a very rare church that spends over 50% of their money helping people rather than on the maintaining the institution. I know some will say that the maintenance of the institution is helping others, especially when it comes to paid ministers. I might have to concede that, but the goal needs to be something other than the maintenance of the institution. What I have found is that megachurches and house churches use a smaller percentage of their budget on the maintenance of the church compared to all of the churches in between.

Jesus said that the world will know his disciples by their love for one another. We somehow have lost the desire to emphasize love. Proper doctrine that does not lead us to be more loving is a waste of a teachable moment. A building that does not cause us to be more loving is a total misuse of God's resources. We have lost site of the goal in the midst of church. Bells, whistles, and all other sorts of distractions are meaningless if they are not tools to equip us to be more loving. We lose focus in maintaining the institution and it becomes a mean in itself rather than the tool it should be. A lot of time with have a lot of time and money invested in tools that have lost their effectiveness.

Let the institution fall. Let the saints rise up and begin to love one another and all who they encounter.

Whose Best Interest?

2008-09-18T07:56:00.002-05:00

Exodus 22:25 "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. (see also Leviticus 25:35-37, Deuteronomy 23:19-20, and Nehemiah 5).

Reading Sam's posts on Hell reminded me of when I read Dante's Inferno as a Sophomore at Great Lakes Christian College. As Sam pointed out, Dante structured Hell with different levels to reflect the severity of a person's sin. The deeper the ring of Hell, the worse a person's sin was.

What was most surprising to me was what sin Dante reserved the lowest ring of Hell. Was it murder? Was it rape? Was it to "cause one of these little ones to sin"? No, it was none of these.

The sin most deserving to the darkest, most torturous eternity, according to Dante, was collecting interest on money loaned. This was bizarre to me. It had not even occurred to me that collecting interest could be a sin at all, much less the worst there ever was. It was too bizarre. I could not even process it.

But between revisiting Dante (thanks, Sam), reading several texts discussing modern day application of Jubilee (thanks, Regan and others), a personal study of Nehemiah (thank you, Lord) the issue of whether or not lending money with interest is a sin is once again at the forefront of my mind. And this time with some very real-life application (that I can't share just yet).

I understand much better the issue at hand. Interest can be a way for the "haves" to take profit off the "have-nots". It's exploitation.

There's no way to draw a profit without taking it from someone who did not have enough of it from the beginning. It rewards the wealthy for having (not a virtue in and of itself) and punishes the poor for not having (not a moral failure in and of itself).

An Examination of Fellowship (Koinonia)

2008-09-18T07:42:00.004-05:00

What does the word "fellowship" mean?

The word translated “fellowship” comes from the Greek word “koinonia”. In the New American Standard, we also find “koinonia” translated as “share”, “participation” and “contribution” on different occasions throughout the New Testament.

Some times translations do not adequately get the point across of the word they are translating. Fellowship is not one of those cases; fellowship is a great translation of the Greek word “koinonia”. It is just the combination of two words put together that in their essence really do grasp the original meaning of the word. Unfortunately, the word "fellowship" has become so common that it no longer strikes us at being the combination of two separate words. With fellowship, we have the word “fellow,” and we have the word “ship”. "Fellow" is not used commonly in today's culture unless you are from the Deep South; however, it is used in university settings. A fellow in a university is someone who is considered an equal in a group of peers. When you become a fellow at a university, you become part of a group of equals. A fellow is someone that is an equal. There is no superior in a fellowship.

When you combine fellows and put them on a ship together, you have a group of equals on a ship heading in the same direction together. People on a ship have to work together to get where they are going. This is not your typical ship though. It is not a ship with a hierarchical structure; it is a ship of equals. The key to being a fellowship is that we are going somewhere together and our success on that journey depends on us working together. If the ship sinks, all of the fellows on the ship sink. A fellowship is a group of equals in a situation together.

Koinonia, the word translated fellowship, was used in Greek times as a union between people. It was most often used to describe the relationship of people who were in business with one another, but it was also used to describe the bond between two people in marriage. This means that fellowship with one another is not something to be taken lightly. It is not something that can be lived out with just a simple handshake. It is not something that we can have with one another just because we share doctrinal concepts. It is not attained through just gathering together at a specific buildin. It is something that has to go much deeper than that. Koinonia, as shown in its traditional use describing business partners and marriage partners, shows a bond between people which is focused on the idea that the success of one is linked with the success of the other.

Imagine if you would that Sam, Shannon, and I opened up a business. Let's say in our case it is a restaurant. Shannon would be the cook because of his propensity to not grow facial hair like Sam and me. I would run the floor, and Sam would do the bookwork and ordering. Say we shared ownership in the business, making us financial partners. The financial success of Sam would be dependent upon my success in serving the customers and training others to do a great job serving the customers. My success would be dependent upon Shannon making meals and training others to make those same great meals. We would be in the business together and our success or failure would depend upon each one of us doing our jobs well. That, in a nutshell, is what koinonia or fellowship is – it is a link between people in which they share mutual dreams, actions, and respect. The success of each person is intimately linked with one another.

Koinonia is a family relationship of sorts. Not an unhealthy family like many that we see around us, but a healthy family. The Bible describes our relationship with other believers as a family in various places. In 1 Peter 2:17, Peter describes us as the “family of believers”. In Galatians 6:10, Paul describes us as the “family of faith”.

The Steiners are an amazing family in our church. You might know a family like them. What is experienced in their family is a great example of what it is to be a family. People look at the Steiners and want to be a Steiner. They see the fun the family has together at family gatherings and want to join in. That is fellowship. The main difference between the fellowship which the Steiner family shares to the fellowship we are supposed to have is that the Steiner fellowship is based upon a shared bloodline and is exclusive to people who are either born into or married into the family. (And I am not saying there is something wrong with a healthy biological family like that – Their fellowship is one that I wish to emulate with my family.) But our fellowship among us as brothers and sisters in Christ should be just as great or even greater than any biological fellowship. But is it? Are we the type of people who share our lives together in a way that others long to be part of our community? Do we know each other intimately like a family? The main difference between the fellowship Christians should experience and the fellowship of the Steiner family is that our fellowship is not exclusive to bloodlines; it is inclusive to anyone who is seeking God or has decided to be washed in the blood of Jesus.

Our fellowship should be much greater than the fellowship experienced by a biological family. It should be a fellowship that other churches would long to emulate and people would want to join in on, but that is not our goal. Our goal is to just be faithful and be the group of people God intends for us to be. Being Christians is not just adhering to a set of doctrinal statements, but it is living our lives together in such a way that we exhibit the lives that Christ intended for us to live. This life lived would give credence to the authority of Scripture and the doctrines we share. Let us strive to be the people Christ intended for us to be.

Hell - Part 3

2008-09-15T08:03:00.002-05:00

In parts one and two I laid out the various words and images employed by the writers of the New Testament. From this diversity I think we can deduce that the doctrine of hell was still in flux and being developed. Despite this varied presentation by the New Testament writers, most Christians seem to gravitate to the idea of an eternal punishment, usually of the fire variety. Perhaps the influence of Dante’s Inferno has had more effect on our understanding than the Bible has. Or perhaps preachers like Jonathan Edwards, with his images of a God dangling us like a spider over a fire as found in his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” has been taken at face value as the Biblical doctrine of punishment. Either way, I believe that many Christians are ill informed when it comes to hell. Before I get accused of succumbing to modern cultural pressures or political correctness, the following conclusions are, in my opinion, biblically based and theologically sound (but of course we all think that).

Personally, I don’t believe in hell, at least not how the concept is formulated by most people with whom I speak. Don’t get me wrong – God is holy and God is just; but God is not cruel. The offense of sin must be punished. But isn’t that what Jesus took upon himself? And now, after people reject God I believe they get what they request – they do not participate in the divine presence that we call heaven. The punishment received by those who have not been redeemed lies in the absence of God rather than some torturous existence. There is not further torture. Otherwise I believe God turns into vicious, malevolent dictator. God becomes the abusive father who tortures his own child and justifies it by saying that he was teaching the child discipline and not to screw up anymore. Again, there is appropriate punishment for rejecting God, but torture does not fall into this category.

In addition, it seems that the New Testament writers were doing more than just describing the nature of hell. Perhaps there is more to hell than just locating it as a place of eternal fire or eternal punishment or eternal darkness or eternal nothingness. I don’t see them using scare tactics or selling “fire insurance.” Usually they only employed the concept of hell when there was a moral failing on the part of the culture that caused extreme suffering to the faithful followers. Especially as we look at Revelation (and other apocalyptic literature), the writer uses this hellish imagery to not to describe what hell is, but to offer encouragement to the faithful through the promise of vindication. John tells his readers to keep the faith and let God handle those who persecute and mistreat them. Regardless of the difficulty of their situation, faithful followers can be reassured that God is in control of both the righteous and the wicked.

So what is left? Well, annihilationism (or some form of it) has its appeal especially in light of the passages that place certain people in darkness or outside of God’s presence. This doctrine also allows for divine judgment while maintaining God’s love. As F. F. Bruce writes, "annihilation is certainly an acceptable interpretation of the relevant New Testament passages ... For myself, I remain agnostic. Eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the revealed character of God.” (Letter from F. F. Bruce to John Stott in 1989, as quoted in John Stott: A Global Ministry, 354). But, this doctrine, like others, has few references from which to make a strong case.

So, whether it is annihilationism or eternal darkness or something else, I do not think it is a torturous existence. But one thing I do know, the nature of “hell” involves the lack of God’s presence and is to be avoided at all costs. Should we scare people into believing? I don’t think so. Because the good news is that we can attain a better existence – not that we can avoid a worse one.

COMFORT!

2008-09-11T07:34:00.004-05:00

I went to bed pleased, but I woke up this morning feeling sad. These two days in mid-September have done that to me for the last several years. September 10th is my birthday, and my wife always makes sure that it is a special event. September 11th is... well, you know.

I'm sad not just for the thousands of families who will be mourning their loved ones today, I'm sad for the state of the world that seeks solutions in violence. I'm sad for the cycle of hurt leading to hatred leading to hurt leading to hatred. I'm sad for the foolishness of fighting hatred with missiles. And I'm sad for the church's misplaced fervor for (or against) presidential candidates.

But there is hope. Walter Bruggeman describes Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE (which Isaiah prophesies in chapter 39) as Isarael's 9/11. It was that jarring, that shocking, that deflating. It was here that Lamentations was born. All was bleak.

But then when you turn the page from Isaiah 39 to Isaiah 40 something tremendous happens.

"Comfort, oh comfort my people,"
says your God.

"Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem,
but also make it very clear
That she has served her sentence,
that her sin is taken care of—forgiven!
She's been punished enough and more than enough,
and now it's over and done with."

Thunder in the desert!
"Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth,
a highway fit for our God.
Fill in the valleys,
level off the hills,
Smooth out the ruts,
clear out the rocks.
Then God's bright glory will shine
and everyone will see it.
Yes. Just as God has said."

A voice says, "Shout!"
I said, "What shall I shout?"

"These people are nothing but grass,
their love fragile as wildflowers.
The grass withers, the wildflowers fade,
if God so much as puffs on them.
Aren't these people just so much grass?
True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade,
but our God's Word stands firm and forever."

Climb a high mountain, Zion.
You're the preacher of good news.
Raise your voice. Make it good and loud, Jerusalem.
You're the preacher of good news.
Speak loud and clear. Don't be timid!

Tell the cities of Judah,
"Look! Your God!"
Look at him! God, the Master, comes in power,
ready to go into action.
He is going to pay back his enemies
and reward those who have loved him.

Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock,
gathering the lambs in his arms,
Hugging them as he carries them,
leading the nursing ewes to good pasture.

The comfort is in his coming. The solution is the concert of his power and tenderness. Hope resides in followers leveling the path.

Then God's bright glory will shine
and everyone will see it.
Yes. Just as God has said.

Shout, "COMFORT!"

Hope for the future?

2008-09-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

I came across this video and was hoping it would stimulate some conversation. You are welcome to comment as you feel led.

What are your thoughts about McLaren reaching out to the Muslims?

Do you agree with McLaren's 3 major crises?
1) How we are treating the planet
2) Poverty - the gap between the rich and the poor
3) Our need for peace

What do you think of his solution - the have nots refusing to give up and the haves learning to care?

Again, go to http://www.hopeinfo.co.uk/ to see the video.

Hell - Part 2

2008-09-08T07:29:00.001-05:00

Part 1 defined the words used to locate hell. In Part 2 I wanted to mention a couple of other images that are associated with the place of hell or at least in contrast to heaven.

The first image evolves around fire. The author of Revelation uses the phrase “lake of fire” (3 times with the addition of the words “and sulfur”) to refer to a place of eternal punishment and destruction. Revelation 21:8 reads,

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (NRSV)

Of course the very image of a “lake” (body of water) of fire (the opposite of water) seems contradictory and so is difficult to translate. Whether this image is a great expanse of fire or even something like the magma from volcanoes, it is associated with the “second death” and carries a measure of punishment in the afterlife. In addition, we occasionally find other references to fire such as Matthew 25:41:

“Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (NRSV)

Luke 16:19-31 offers an interesting account that many see as a direct view into hell. The story of the “Rich man and Lazarus” narrates a scene with the location of “Hades” but contains imagery not found in the other references to Hades (see Part 1). The rich man described his tormenting and agony in the flames and asked “Father Abraham” to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his tongue. Though this scene seems to depict what hell is like, I don’t believe it portrays an accurate picture based on 2 reasons. First, many scholars (including myself) see this as a parable, similar to other figures of speech that Jesus used. If this is the case, it leads to the second reason – describing the nature of hell was not Jesus’ intention. He was trying to teach his hearers about living responsibly in the here and now. Just as the mustard seed is not really the smallest seed, so hell is not necessarily a place of fiery torment.

The next two images – outside and darkness – are hard to separate as they convey similar concepts. Some authors use an idiom that is literally rendered, “the outer darkness.” Other authors might just say “outside” but follow it up with “into darkness”. Either way, they seem to be describing a place which is both dark and removed (presumably from the abode of the righteous). The following contain a few examples:

“When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 8:10-12

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 22:13

“And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30

“Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.” Revelation 22:15

The authors of 2 Peter and Jude, probably drawing from the same source, describe a scene of utter, black, deep and complete darkness:

“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved.” 2 Peter 2:17

“These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude 12-13

The final image, and the most intriguing in my estimation, comes from 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9:

“[God] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”

The punishment consists of everlasting destruction and ejection from the presence of God. This passage gets referred to by annihilationists, whose hold the view that the souls of the “unsaved” are destroyed rather than tormented forever in hell. Matthew 10:28 also feeds into this line of thought:

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The punishment does not lie in the torture but in the destruction of the person and his/her inability to participate in an eternal relationship with God. As Aleks said in the comments from Part 1, “The most frightening part about eternal damnation is not the horny Beelzebub, or pit with the eternal fire, or even the eternal torture. It is the complete and utter absence of God.” We can’t even comprehend what the absence of the presence of God looks like. God’s presence inundates this world. We can’t escape it. God is in the air we breath, the food we eat, and our very life source (soul if you will). For that presence to be removed, perhaps we would cease to exist.

To sum up, the Bible employs different words for the actual location of hell (Gehenna, Hades, Tartaros, the Abyss) and different images (fire, darkness, outside, shut out from the presence of God). This variety seems to indicate a lack of uniformity in the understanding of hell by the Biblical writers. Despite the diversity, each writer sought to convey a terrible existence (or perhaps lack of) in which no one would want to participate. In the final installment I will examine the implications that go along with one's doctrine of hell.

Brian Carter Releases A Pauper's Prayer

2008-09-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

The first from our generation at GLCC to release something for sale, Brian Carter released his album, A Pauper's Prayer, for digital download last week.

It was good, but I am sure I am bias.

A Fair Christian

2008-09-06T07:36:00.002-05:00

Knowing that I am close to being in the top 10% of the richest people in the world, even on my measly income, I need to take seriously the passages in Scripture that address the rich. If you're a fellow American, you probably make more money than me right now, so you are even richer. We like to imagine that the rich people are Bill Gates and the Clintons or McCains, but in the larger scope of the world, we are the rich. I can go down the street right now and buy fruits from all over the world. My family owns two cars while many throughout the world own none. Everyone reading this has internet accesss, if not high-speed internet in the convenience of their own home. We have a television with a digital converter box. I could say that I am poor because I do not have a new high-definition television like the one sitting in front of me as I type this at my brother's house, but I would be lying. I am economically poor for the time being according to our government's definition of who is and is not poor, but I am still an economically rich man through a lens that looks at all nationalities.

This has led me to contemplate how I use my money as a rich person, which is what I am as a poor American. Do I use my money indiscrimately and give money to regimes and corporate interests who use corporate slave labor or do I wisely use my money to help economically liberate people around the world? Am I loving with my consuming?

Do not take this as a buy American rant. That is not what this is. It is more of a buy fair rant. Fair trade means that the people who manufacture or produce the product that is branded "fair" were given a livable wage for their work. This is not wealth redistribution or an attack on capitalism as it is not government-enforced. It is actually using capitalism to bring about fairness. The companies that buy their products will pay above market value in order for the producers of the product to receive a livable wage. As consumers in a capitalistic society, we can consume in such a way that we add to oppression in poorer nations or we can help them to prosper. Our collective dollars have a powerful voice because they are a medium through which we have an international voice.

And our spiritual obligation to use our money to liberate rather than oppress is something we can not easily brush aside.

James 5:1-6

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

We have a responsibility to not fatten ourselves and entertain ourselves while repressing others.

We need to connect with the idea that we are God's ambassadors here on earth. A United States ambassador is a representative of our nation in the nation where they reside. They conduct the day-to-day business of the United States with the government there. We, as Christians, conduct the day-to-day operations of God here on earth. Our churches should be like embassies where the people of God gather together and experience life like it is at home. As an ambassador of Christ, we must speak out against slave labor and oppression, but can we do that if we are just consuming products that enable the oppressors?

The concept behind the year of Jubilee helps me to grasp this. The year of Jubilee (in Leviticus 25:1-17), the practice instituted by God in which all the land would be given back to their original owners every fifty years, emphasizes that our material possessions are not our own; they are God's. The principle laid out in verse 17 still applies today: "Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God."

As Christians, we are not to take advantage of other people. We are to be instruments executing God's will here and now. Part of that responsibility deals with us consuming responsibly. Using the excuse of ignorance on how our products travelled the road from production to our home no longer flies. We are responsible if another human was oppressed to produce a product we consume. We have brothers and sisters all along the path of production who need our help in making sure they have a livable wage. Let us not shirk our responsibility to God, which we can honor by loving our fellow man.