Welcome to the Church in America

I ran across this quote this week. It's from Thr3e by Ted Dekker. This is a conversation between the main character and one of his friends.

"A preacher stands against the immorality of adultery, but all the while he harbors anger toward the third parishioner from the left because the parishioner challenged one of his teachings three months ago. Is anger not as evil as adultery? Or a woman who scorns the man across the aisle for alcoholic indiscretions, while she routinely gossips about him after services. Is gossip not as evil as any vice? What's especially damaging in both cases is that neither the man who harbors anger nor the woman who gossips seriously considers the evil of their own actions. Their sins remain hidden. This is the true cancer in the church."

"Sounds like the same cancer that eats away at the rest of society."

"Exactly. Although in the church it makes every attempt to remain hidden, where it is left alone to grow in the dark. You ever wonder why incidences of divorce and gluttony and virtually all of evil's fruits are as high in the church as in society at large?"

"Actually, I didn't know that."

"Though being freed from sin, most remain slaves, blinded and gagged by their own deception. 'The good that I would, that I do not do and that which I would not, that I do.' Welcome to the church in America."

Membership - Part 1

Why “membership” has lost its meaning

I was talking to the missionaries of Christusgemeinde Peine (a missionary couple in Germany that my church supports) the last time they were here on furlough. Apparently something like 65% of the population in Germany has placed its membership in the State supported religion – Lutheran and Catholic churches. But if you were to walk into a service on a given Sunday, you can expect to see perhaps 3% attending. Reread those numbers because they are astounding. Why do most people call themselves members of the body of Christ and yet have very little interaction with that body? Many reasons could be cited, but the following is the answer from the missionaries themselves:

Randy likes to compare this system with the Jewish system. Here most people are "born" into the church; the choice is made for them. Confirmation is when they say "yes" to that choice. It is difficult for some to make the decision to get out of the church, because of family, job or political pressure.

The reason most people are still members is tradition. If you are a member you can have your baby christened and this is usually a big family affair. If you ask the young people that age why they are going to confirmation, most would say because of the money. They usually get several thousand dollars in gift money from grandparents, godparents and other relatives. If you were confirmed and stay in the church, then you can have a church wedding. And of course the circle closes with a religious funeral. In some places the local cemetery is owned by the church and if you aren't a member, you must be buried elsewhere. Some people see their church membership as a kind of insurance: "If there really is a God, then I'll be covered."

We might look at that and say, “How silly. Membership in a church has lost its meaning. They are no more members of a church than the building is the church.” And such a statement would be true. But as I look around, is membership in our churches much different? Not really. Many Christians are “born into it.” Many want to be married in a church despite having little to no affiliation with that church. Many may attend on Sunday to put their time in but are not truly invested in the church. And of course there is the fire insurance aspect of saying “I belong to the church, therefore I won’t go to hell.”

As shallow as those reasons are, I sort of expect them from worldly people. And yet, church people also focus on membership. It seems, especially in the Church of Christ, that many churchgoers place a high priority on membership. They worry about whether a person has placed or transferred his or her membership with the church. Once they figure out the numbers, they can then pass them on to the Christian Standard or other news outlet perhaps as a way to measure and compare themselves. Then, of course, there are things only members are allowed to do as if coming forward and speaking a few rote words miraculously enables and empowers you to serve in certain ways.

As a result, membership has lost its meaning. Membership has become a matter of numbers and not belonging to something bigger than ourselves. If I may paraphrase Matthew 23:15 – “You try and try to get people to place their membership in your church and then once you do, you make them as much mediocre pew sitters as you are.”

What will follow in my next post in a week will be a way of approaching membership that reminds us all of what it is truly about, and perhaps return that sense of belonging that has been lost.

Some thoughts on eulogies

Update: A third-cousin I met for the first time at my granmother's funeral wrote a column about her.

Monday morning, I was in St. Louis, MO for my grandmother's funeral. Elizabeth Akers Caroland was 90, a Southern Bell, a minister's wife, a teacher of grammar, a character, and many other things. But that's not what I want to talk about.

The minister, Dr. Suzanne Webb, provided a very good eulogy, very good words. She told some of her personal experiences with my grandmother. Her storytelling reminded us of her most memorable and admirable qualities. She had us read from Romans 8, reminding us that there would be no condemnation for her, that nothing, not even death, would be able separate her from the love of God.

I was encouraged through memories which reconnected me to my grandma. Then I was encouraged through Scripture which reconnected me to my Lord.

Things were very different five years ago. I don't just mean that my brother's death was different than my grandmother's. I don't think I could articulate how true that is. Brandon might have come close when he said, "After Jason's death, nothing is tragic." Certainly not a 90 year old widow finding an end to pain and being reunited with her beloved Lord.

The eulogies were also very different. I would have very much preferred Dr. Suzanne Webb's approach. We were barely holding on. We needed encouragement. We needed to try make sense of some of it. We needed the comforting effect of hearing kind words spoken about him. We really needed to be reminded that God was still good and available. What we got was a lecture about sin and forgiveness.

Now, I love that part of the gospel. I preach it to whomever will listen. But on that day I felt like I was a pig being tossed pearls. Not because the message was too good for me (I don't think that's what Jesus meant either or who would the worthy non-pigs be?), but because the message was not something I had any need for at the moment. I did not want it or know what to do with it. I needed food.

It came off as random theories completely irrelevant to our current state. The effect was that Jesus seemed further away than ever.

I guess the moral of all this would be that if you get a chance to do a eulogy, come close to the people by helping them reminisce about the person they love, then help them see how Jesus fits into the situation, as a comforter.

Prayer of St. Patrick

This prayer is often called "St. Patrick's Breastplate" because of those parts of it which seek God's protection.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

A Christian View on the Death Penalty

A discussion on the death penalty came up yesterday after church. Part of me debated whether I should just remain silent or to bring up my take on the issue. I am probably the only person in the whole church that takes the stance that a Christian should not be for the death penalty. Let me explain.

We can argue whether the state has authority to enact the death penalty, but I think that argument is irrelevant to the discussion. The state give doctors the authority to abort a baby, yet we still say that it is something that we should not do. The state gives people authority to do all sorts of actions we would deem immoral, yet we still call those actions wrong. Just because the state allows something does not make that action right. The state has the authority to do all sorts of disgusting actions. The United States is not the kingdom of God, and we need to be extra careful in all times to never lift it up as being such.

One can obviously argue that there was a death penalty in the Old Testament. There is no question about that. But to say that since it was in the Old Testament law it still applies today does not seem logical since none of the people who say that try to live out all of the law. We believe that the law was useful for revealing sin and a placeholder until the coming of the Messiah(very simplified explanation for the law), but that we are now under the law of the Christ rather than the law of the Old Testament. Because of this, I cannot buy the argument that the death penalty should be practiced today because it was prescribed in the Old Testament law. We cannot just pick and choose parts of the law that we feel are still applicable and proclaim them as such. That is not a consistent use of the Old Testament law as explained in the writings of the New Testament.

Our primary citizenship as Christians is to the kingdom of God. This means that we are only obedient to the United States if it does not go against obedience to our king, God. We subject ourselves at all times to our nation's authority; however, subjection does not mean that we must be obedient. It sometimes means that we will accept our punishment when we feel that we must be disobedient.

Is there ever a reason to kill someone for the kingdom of God? There must be, or we should not be for the death penalty. I cannot think of an example where killing does not violate the "turning the other cheek" principle or the teaching that we are supposed to "love our neighbors" and "love our enemies". If we should not kill, then we should not ask our state to kill, which is what we are doing if we are Christians who support the death penalty and live in a democracy. We should never ask anyone, whether that is our state or our neighbor, to do something we would not do ourselves.

In conclusion, I might be open to changing my mind, but none of what I have heard to date has caused me to consider that a Christian should be an executioner for our secular state. I have read some articles on the internet, and they always demonize anti-death penalty people as being against the Scriptures. Please do not do such; I will not demonize pro-death penalty adherents. If you can show me in Scripture where a Christian should be for the death penalty (that does not mean that Paul or Jesus acknowledges that there is a death penalty), please show it to me.

Toward an Irrational Obedience

"Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac." (Galatians 4:28)

To be children of the promise we need to have irrational obedience towards God. We see this exemplified in the life of Abraham. In the promise, he was told to leave his home and go make a new one.

We have many teachings of Jesus that at times of our life seem irrational. Just looking at them through purely worldly logic, they still seem that way.

Who would give a percentage of their paycheck every week to a church instead of using that money on savings, investments, or personal entertainment? It is completely, worldly irrational.

Who would not eat meals and fast in order to show submission to God and dependence on Him? Who would treat non-biological brothers and sisters as real brothers and sisters? Who would not stand up for their own rights and turn the other cheek? Someone completely, worldly irrational.

Most everyone does what makes sense to them. For some, lying and manipulating, is rational. All sorts of wrong and destructive behavior is viewed as rational to the people who practice such behavior. It makes sense for them to commit sin in order to get their way, which to them is the right way.

For us, as followers of Jesus, we need to become the type of people where the irrational obedience becomes rational. For many areas of our life, it probably already has. As we mature in the faith we become more and more irrational according to the world, yet we become more and more what Jesus wants us to be. Our Christian journey should be a journey from a life lived by what is rational by the world's standards to a life lived by what is rational by God's standards. Becoming a follower of Jesus is making the decision to start viewing the world in the way that God sees the world and to start living in that new paradigm.

When given the Promise, Abraham was faced with a major decision. He could continue on his normal life and not go to the far off land he had never seen or he could grasp hold of the promise and begin with an irrational step of obedience. Those around him probably thought he was crazy. A wise preacher once said, “Your faith ought to get you in trouble at times. If everyone thinks you are nuts, you may be. It's okay if some think you are. You're probably in trouble if no one thinks you are.”

A few quotes from Paul Madonna's All Over Coffee

The first few quotes come from All Over Coffee by Paul Madonna. It is a collection of strips from the San Francisco Chronicle that was just published. These quotes might not be as powerful without the images of beautiful churches obstructed by power lines or other sort of beautiful structure that is marred. Here is the most recent strip. I love his artwork. There is a link to the archives at the bottom; however, my quotes are from much older strips that are not online any more.

"Contemporary wisdom is quoting the man who quoted the man who put truth in eloquent words."

"It's absurd to think that all people believe in fairness but not as absurd as thinking that they have the same definition for it."

Good quotes oftentimes leave me without the ability to add anything additional to them. And commenting on them would just weaken them. I feel these fall into that category.

Be a Witness (Part 1)

(Update: Henry Abbott writes a blog called TrueHoop for ESPN. He attempts to write a defense for LeBron. In it he gives lots of good information about the conflict in the Sudan. However, his main arguments seem to be that the letter is imperfect, and the NBA and Nike might not like it. These excuses do not cut it for me.)
Tomorrow night is game 1 of the NBA finals. I'm torn about this. I'm a little heart-broken that my Pistons won't be there. But the bigger issue is my feelings toward basketball's messiah.

It seems that there powers at work to try make us forget this guy's character flaws. All those stories of him being paid as a high school player disappeared pretty quickly. Nobody seems to care that he dubbed himself "King James". I have always thought it lame to nickname yourself, but to nickname yourself "King" is royally lame.

But none of this is beyond normal pro-athlete megalomania. And I would look the other way, and count myself a witness of LeBron's (anyone uncomfortable with this campaign?). He is fun to watch. However, the latest scandal may be too difficult to ignore.

Bron Bron's teammate and Mo-town native, Ira Newble, has written an open letter to China, asking them to stop aiding the genocide in the Sudan. What does China have to do with Darfur?David Aldridge of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

According to the Web site dreamfordarfur.org , China has provided $10 billion in economic aid to the Sudanese government, buying oil and providing the Sudanese government with weapons and weapons technology.

Those weapons and the oil money are then used by the Janjaweed, perhaps the
most lethal of the Sudanese militias, which has waged unrelenting attacks on the
non-Arab Muslim farmers throughout the country for the last five years.

The advocacy group Human Rights Watch said that more than 200,000 people
have been killed by the Janjaweed since 2003, more than two million people are
displaced and homeless, and another two million have been adversely impacted by
the economic displacement created, with the conflict spilling into neighboring Chad.

China blocked implementation of a resolution passed last August that calls for a peacekeeping force of more than 22,000 soldiers to be put on the ground in Darfur to stop the fighting.

Newble asked his teammates to sign the letter with him. All but Damon Jones and Lebron James did. Damon Jones did not comment (he's used to putting up no defense), but he is under contract with a Chinese athletic apparel company. (Have they seen him play? Do they specialize in clothing for sitting on the bench?) James said he did not know enough about the situation, but he is under a $90 million contract with Nike who has heavy business relations in China.

Really? You don't know enough? Well, I can do the math. there are only 200,000 (slayed farmers) reasons to sign it and 90,000,000 (dollars) reasons not to sign it. The sad part is that his signature would be the most influential (perhaps only influential) signature on the letter. He will likely be the biggest star in Beijing's 2008 Olympic games.

Well, I am a witness. But I do not like what I'm witnessing. Another heartless millionaire too in love with the dollar sign to give a damn about the worst suffering in the world. Some king.

I hope all the Spurs volunteer to sign it just to highlight what a classless move the petulant 22 year-old made.

Be a Witness (Part 2)

As I mentioned in the last post, LeBron James has declined to sign a letter to China, asking them to stop sponsoring genocide. For what reason did he decline? Too lazy to do some research? Too wrapped up in selfish pursuits?

Imagine having the power to stop that kind of worldwide tragedy, and choosing instead to do nothing.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:19-21)

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know... his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:18-20)

The power of God that can do more than we ask or imagine resides in us. How shall we bear witness to this? Does LeBron, who to my knowledge does not have the power of resurrection within him, have more power than we do?

Mormonmism, Romney, Christianity, and American Politics

I ran across an interesting article:
Will Romney's Mormonism influence Christian voters?

Does his religious persuasion matter to you when considering who you would vote for?

This article referenced a book that will be coming out: Claiming Christ - A Mormon/Evangelical Debate.

What would it take for unity to happen between Evangelicals and Mormons? Can it happen?

Prayer Tuesday

I used this passage from Psalm 139 in a sermon I preached last night at camp (to be posted at a later time). The point I made from it is that God is always there with us in the best, worst, and normal times. So wherever you are on the journey, pray this psalm with the confidence that God is faithful and God with you.

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

--Psalm 139:1-10 (NIV)

Christians on American Idol and the Conflict Within the "Christian" Community

There was an editorial in the March 7, 2007, World Magazine entitled Religious Idols (unfortuately, the link does not show the whole article - you have to be a subscriber for that).

One of the idol contestants, Chris Sligh, was from Bob Jones University. That was until he was expelled for going to a 4Him concert. The Greenville News in his hometown in South Carolina did an article on him.

Friends and fellow church-goers at Seacoast Church in Greenville -- where he served as music director until the whirlwind of "American Idol" -- have gathered to hold viewing parties during each performance.

At Bob Jones, where the son of overseas Christian missionaries studied music before leaving for North Greenville, his Hollywood adventure hasn't been embraced institutionally.

While not on an overt mission to denounce Sligh's participation in "American Idol," BJU spokesman Jonathan Pait said the school has distanced itself from any connection between Sligh's affiliation with the university and the talent show watched by millions.

"One of the reasons he left Bob Jones is he had chosen another direction musically, and he was not going to get that type of training here," Pait said.

The show, Pait said, doesn't represent the values of the university.

"It's not any ill thoughts toward Chris because he made that decision," Pait said. "Chris is a likeable guy. We wish him well in his life."

It is common within the Christian community for some to become guerilla fighters for Christ. They want to slap bumper stickers on the back of their cars. They want to wear shirts or bracelets with catchy Christian phrases. Others get Christian tattoos (probably frowned upon by the Bob Jones crowd). Whatever it is, Christians have a tendency to jam our faith in the face of those around us. We feel that is a good witnessing technique.

1 Peter 3:15 reads: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

It appears to me that it is our hope that is to bring about questions as to why we are different. Even when asked, we are supposed to deal with people with gentleness and respect; something that a shirt, bracelet, or tattoo might not be able to do. If you have been depending on tattoos, shirts, or bracelets to get the message of Christ, maybe you should get them removed, take them off, or throw them away and just depend on the pure unadulterated hope we should have in Christ.

The writer of the World magazine editorial ending his article with the following: "Sligh, alas, was voted out of the competition March 28. But if Sparks or Doolittle or Stacey wants to sing "Peace Like a River," go for it. But what will surely be more pleasing—to the judges, to us, to God—is for them to sing well."

I could not agree more.

Sunday Pulpit

Excerpt of Shannon's June 3rd sermon. It is from a series about our journey toward God from the Psalms of Ascent.

Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

I was a youth minister for two years, in that time I gave over 100 lessons to high school kids. I don’t remember most of them. I do remember one quite well, because of the response it got.

Most of the time when I give a teaching, I challenged the kids to obey. And I might ask them how to obey it. And the kids would say, "Read your Bible more and pray more." "Sunday School Answers". But even in those responses, which were not very well thought out, there was a level of recognition and submission. Even if they weren't sure how to obey, they knew that they should.

But on this Wednesday night, a group of church-grown kids, really good, God-loving kids, dug their heels in. They just refused to accept what I was teaching. They might have known I was right, but they could not submit to it.

What was it that I was teaching that drew such a rebellious reaction from good Christian kids? I asked them what their career goals were. “What do you wanna be when you grow up?” They gave their answers. One said a school teacher. Another said a lawyer. Then I asked them how they came to those decisions. Not one of them mentioned prayer or obedience to God’s call, or consulting him in any way.

So I taught them that when they got baptized, their baptism was a symbol of their surrendering the reign of their lives. They were accepting Jesus, not just as a Savior, but as Lord, boss, owner. How then could they go about arranging their (His) lives without consulting Him? “Don’t you think he should have a say in what you do with the life that is now his?” I asked.

But they did not want to open themselves up to his direction on such an important decision. It was almost as if they were saying, “This is my life. I’ll go to church and be good, but God does not need to stick his nose into my business.”

Well, you know I didn’t let that go. I suddenly had an idea for eight week lesson plan on how to make good decisions.

That might sound harsh, but I saw it as an act of mercy. Because unless the Lord builds the house, it’s builders labor in vain.

If a kid does not make a good decision on that stuff, it can be very costly. That’s a life-alternating decision, for good or for ill. Should we not involve Him who knows best, and is the primary stock holder?

This is not just a lesson for kids deciding what they will do with the rest of their lives, it’s for all of us. What are you doing and what will you do with this life that you’ve given to God? Are you letting him have a say? Do you realize that that without his support, you labor in vain… or worse?

I'm just asking,

What can God do through you?

What'd He Say?

"At horse races the spectators intent on victory shout to their favorites in the contest, even though their horses are eager to run. From the stands they participate in the race with their eyes, thinking to incite the charioteer to keener effort, at the same time urging the horses on while leaning forward and flailing the air with their outstretched hands instead of a whip.

"They do this not because their actions themselves contribute anything to the victory; but in this way, by their good will, they eagerly show in voice and deed their concern for the contestants. I seem to be doing the same myself, most valued friend and brother. While you are competing admirably in the divine race along the course of virtue, lightfootedly leaping and straining constantly for the prize of the heavenly calling, I exhort, urge, and encourage you to increase your speed."

(Gregory of Nyssa, from The Life of Moses, cited in Richard Foster’s Devotional Classics, p. 123)