tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59841007741333008652024-02-19T10:50:32.131-05:00grasshoppers dreaming<i>"he sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers"</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger554125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-74781345072500216842021-08-31T18:22:00.005-04:002021-08-31T18:22:48.010-04:00Revelation 13 in 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_M7b5mSagUI_8SGYoG7Z7hQ5BQQls2eNDagqZ2zFqX3PbFyuav31k15lbhkQ8PN3RbJ6jfGHkoRVmdCsvqC8qyiLOMIXPQ0gmbEf1u7mftrNgmiHmxH6eOaslLpCeMhFiG9ocxHktrx_/s2048/ominous.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_M7b5mSagUI_8SGYoG7Z7hQ5BQQls2eNDagqZ2zFqX3PbFyuav31k15lbhkQ8PN3RbJ6jfGHkoRVmdCsvqC8qyiLOMIXPQ0gmbEf1u7mftrNgmiHmxH6eOaslLpCeMhFiG9ocxHktrx_/s320/ominous.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. </p><p>I saw a Beast rising from the sea. It had great political and military strength — it controlled governments and media and shouted words that perverted justice and generated inequity. The Beast was swift, cunning, and brute, and devoured any who would stand against it. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority.</p><p>At one point in time it appeared as though this Beast had been defeated, but it deceived its way back into power and appeared to have overcome the truth. The whole world was agog, amazed at what the Beast could do, as the Dragon unleashed a terrible plague upon the earth. Struck by fear, the people of the earth gave authority to the Beast, and in doing so worshipped the Dragon. They exclaimed to one another, “There’s never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war with the Beast!”</p><p>The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous, with contempt for humanity. It spend the lives of innocent women and men for its own profit, and while using words such as ‘peace’ and ‘unity’ and ‘truth’ was responsible for more bloodshed and violence, both in the world and in the hearts of humanity. The Beast was given power to remove freedom from the earth, in the name of keeping people safe from its plague — upon the church it was permitted to constrain and censor and coerce. It held absolute sway over all people, and everyone who was not secure in the Lamb was drawn into worship of this Beast, who mimicked the promise of life.</p><p>Do we have the ability to see and hear what is happening all around us? Many have made their choice and will not turn back; many of the followers of the Lamb have been tempted by the message and method of the Beast and will no longer listen to their brothers and sisters. The people of God must stand firm in the truth and refuse to capitulate.</p><p>I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had the appearance of salvation but moved throughout the world with rage and anger and fear. It was a puppet of the first Beast, and it summoned everyone to worship the first Beast, which appeared as almighty.</p><p>This second Beast presented magical signs, dazzling all sorts of people with its healing dose, the answer to the plague brought on by the first Beast. At first many in power opposed this dose, but the second Beast aligned their thoughts to the power of the first Beast, and they dazzled at the dose as though it were fire from heaven — the very salvation of humanity. The second Beast used the authority it received, the devotion of those dazzled by the dose, to promote the first Beast so that anybody not adhering to the first Beast would be cast away. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, healthy and sick, to take within themselves the dose. Those who did not receive the dose and who did not conform to its policies lost jobs, could not enter public places, were arrested, attacked with dogs, separated from their children, maligned, ridiculed, and mocked as those who did not deserve to live.</p><p>See what is happening: Remain in the Spirit and think hard about what is happening around you. The Dragon and these two Beasts have risen up to destroy the earth, accomplishing their treachery in the hearts of humanity.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-31413800295374149762021-02-05T17:51:00.005-05:002021-02-05T17:51:27.254-05:00winsome<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK32OwkG8VRsLsHIT3kvclzWnJ1nojveqEBDwP7N9M2D3JohlXvrfKZQ200wjv4oynRebpBRuvHdOsjsWeqXMAMh_E0brFNGy0_g9wWPtZtbrYPSyh1TsyO3eE0Tw3BYoKQyVG7_cZFHp/s2048/jazmin-quaynor-8ioenvmof-I-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK32OwkG8VRsLsHIT3kvclzWnJ1nojveqEBDwP7N9M2D3JohlXvrfKZQ200wjv4oynRebpBRuvHdOsjsWeqXMAMh_E0brFNGy0_g9wWPtZtbrYPSyh1TsyO3eE0Tw3BYoKQyVG7_cZFHp/s320/jazmin-quaynor-8ioenvmof-I-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In his book on spiritual discipline, John Ortberg tells the story of "Hank," a cranky fellow who had been attending church for years, with little to no visible growth or maturity. One observation made from this revealed the importance of <i>expectation</i>: "We didn't expect that he would progressively become the way Jesus would be if he were in Hank's place." There was no real prospect of sanctification, even though this fellow was part of the church community for so long. And this story is compelling, not simply because we all can think of a man or woman like Hank in our own experiences of church. Rather, this one example serves as a picture of the larger church. <p></p><p>We are experiencing the fruits of an entire generation that has been brought up in a church with every conceivable cultural advantage imaginable. The American church culture is "doing church" at a more polished and professional level, on a more widespread scale, than ever before in world history. But what about the fruit that is being produced from this present culture of faith?</p><p>Biblical literacy rates continue to be quite low; processing Christian worldview is largely nonexistent; the consumerist culture has overtaken much of congregational dynamics; and socio-political activism has, in many ways, pushed out the unit of the Spirit.</p><p>These trends have not made for a more acceptable Christianity, as is constantly promised by those who advocate for such accommodation. In some cases, there has been a joining together of church and culture, although never without a loss of the distinctiveness of the gospel as a result. (The gospel with adjectives is always a distortion of the gospel itself, which is a natural human tendency to be guarded against, not celebrated.) What is the point of the church community? Why would the church want to be like everyone else?</p><p>The latter question is simple: the people of God have had a continual problem of wanting to be like everyone else. Just ask Samuel, who walked away frustrated at Israel's desire for a king even though he had just outlined all of the negative effects of having an instituted monarchy; or the author of Revelation, who pushed his seven congregations to stand firm against the shifting tides of cultural accommodation.</p><p>The point of a church community is to be, in Hauerwas and Willimon's words, <i style="font-weight: bold;">a colony of heaven in a culture of hell</i>. That means we are to be different: set apart: holy. Our present internal struggle as the people of God is revealing some disturbing truths about where we stand. This is not a political statement, except to say that our national politics have been granted too much power to influence the American church. </p><p>And thus, the church is presently being drawn into the ugly rhetoric of politics, even going so far as to force-fit the message of the gospel into the language of political argument. The melody of love, however, cannot be communicated in chords of dissonance. The church is not called to wage war with the weapons of this world, and so must work to stand apart, driven by the Spirit, to be winsome.</p><p>What would happen if the church spoke of the gospel with the genuine expectation that it would change those who encountered it? What would happen if we thought that the message of the gospel had this power on its own, without our dressing it up or dumbing it down? (As though we could genuinely improve on the work that has been accomplished in Christ.)</p><p>In a world filled with anger and rage and hate and riots and conquest and bitterness and greed (and that is just the first five weeks of 2021), would it not be a radical statement indeed to have a community of faith that embodied an overwhelming love for one another, so genuine that it spilled out into the world around us? I am convinced that this would wreak more havoc on the world than a thousand protests, and would cause more disruption to the status quo than a million executive orders. A community that could speak truth in chords of love would upend the power structures so much that they would almost certainly be declared an enemy of the state, for there would be an undoubted allegiance being given to another kingdom and another king.</p><p>While so many Christians today are worried about national and international affairs, or the condition of the economy, or the wars and rumors of wars that swirl around us, it is good for us to remember that our greatest work is right in front of us: the Spirit has called and equipped us to love each other and to do our best to put others before ourselves, and to meet the needs of men and women right next door. This happens, not by winning online arguments or scoring political points. Rather, this comes from loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Being winsome.</p><p><i>Lord, may we have tenacious winsome courage to live the gospel and see your kingdom coming no matter what the stuff of earth may be.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-60152851521597736912021-01-15T17:03:00.004-05:002021-01-15T17:08:44.902-05:00The Spiritual Danger of Anti-Trumpism<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgMON7RRLK4f4DlC-bJstBdCjeWwpUDhsINOT5lctfD5ATwwdxCqToDlNQb1JhnBfW9M6_eg7Roktm8p5hgM02J37wkMe8cw67hJdz_uzvUpUpZOvDrUN2ij8d2odp7Qv6-Z_68kIxxT1/s1600/flag.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="1600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgMON7RRLK4f4DlC-bJstBdCjeWwpUDhsINOT5lctfD5ATwwdxCqToDlNQb1JhnBfW9M6_eg7Roktm8p5hgM02J37wkMe8cw67hJdz_uzvUpUpZOvDrUN2ij8d2odp7Qv6-Z_68kIxxT1/w640-h170/flag.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The Spiritual Danger of Anti-Trumpism</span></i></b></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Michael C Thompson</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In the middle of 2020 thirty self-identified evangelical Christians came together and published the book, <i>The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump</i> (Cascade Books). Twenty-five chapters set out to criticize the character and leadership of the sitting President, unsurprisingly released in an election year. The fact that there were as many as thirty authors producing some twenty-five chapters of content was supposed to be a convincing and convicting statement, so bravely offered at such a critical juncture in our nation’s history. In reality, it wasn’t earth-shaking and actually failed to produce any critique that could be divorced from the narratives of other mainstream media. Nevertheless, it was an intentional statement: one that would give a certain reinforcement to many Anti-Trump voices in the ever-shifting demographic of evangelicalism.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Over the past four years there has been an ever-increasing decrying of what some have labelled, <i>Trumpism</i>. This term has a few meanings, but within the church it is intended as a criticism of any believer who may actually give any sort of political or personal support to President Trump. It is no secret that our governing elitists, along with their media cohorts, have been trying to ruin Trump and destroy his presidency since before the beginning of his term. One hit-piece after another has filled the media stage, often masquerading as news, regardless of the availability of supporting facts or credible sources. Especially in the early days of figuring out who Trump as President was going to be, many within the church took these accounts and felt a moral obligation to raise their voices against it. Although many have moved on from these juvenile attacks, others have not.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This idea of <i>Trumpism</i> has never been clearly defined, and even now remains vague. As a criticism of Christians its claim is that political support of President Trump is essentially wrapping the flag of nationalism over the commitment to the Cross. For this label to have its intended effect it cannot be more precisely defined, lest we discover that there are many who do not simply fit within the nationalistic categories. Like most socio-political labels, this one unfairly and uniformity lays over a wide range of people, discounting their layers of diversity, and works simply to make it easy to score public debate points against them. In reality, the vast majority of Christians who support Trump do not believe their political commitment has superseded their faith commitment. And yet, that is how they have been treated, even by those within the church.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Ironically, the push against so-called <i>Trumpism</i> has led to the rise of Anti-Trumpism, a movement with a simple purpose: to be against Trump and any of his supporters. This, I believe is taking place within the American church, not only in the production of critical books by evangelicals, but within the broader spectrum of our ecclesial communities. Because this backlash, like other movements, is based on politics, there is inherent spiritual dangers to be identified as well. Unsurprisingly, very few of these no-Trump evangelical voices have raised their concerns over things happening within the Anti-Trumpism movement, even though they posture themselves as prophetic enough to be above the fray. This essay is my attempt to outline some of these widespread dangers that I feel are working against the unity of the church. I am not a politician, though I can recognize my political biases. I am a biblical scholar and theologian, and so I will keep my concerns centered on the church. My aim is to balance out some of the rhetoric so that Christianity in American can return to a more responsible form of public discourse, for the sake of the gospel.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Instead of dragging this out into twenty-five needless chapters, I present five identifiable dangers that ought to be considered regarding the Anti-Trumpism movement: things that are particularly concerning in light of the biblical commitment Christians ought to have.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">First, Anti-Trumpism presents a spiritual danger in allowing for <i>a loss of commitment to truth as it stands</i>. This can be a challenging claim to make, for it can be quickly dismissed as though I am simply declaring any competing political viewpoint from my own as a non-truth. This is most certainly not the case: instead, I am referring tot he priority that is being given to the narrative of Anti-Trumpism that overrides facts that may prove otherwise, or which might show some sort of nuance. In our national political discourse it appears that there is no place for nuance, which is quite troublesome, but it is most definitely harmful within the life of the church. The narrative that Trump is such a terrible human being has been so constantly pushed by the media, that one’s anger would certainly be justified if it were proven true. But the overwhelming majority of these claims have no credible evidence or witness. It appears the filter has been set, and adopted by certain people within the church.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">One recent example I have seen has been in regards to President Trump’s pro-life stance. In two separate online discussions I read the criticism that Trump was only “apparently” pro-life, and that he secretly mocks the movement’s proponents behind closed doors. The intent of this claim is to overthrow Trump’s official statements, speeches, and policies that make him the most pro-life president in American history with some sort of random hearsay. Advocating for this assertion is a foremost dedication to the Anti-Trump narrative.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The same could be pointed out regarding the Capitol Hill riots: once the narrative was set that Trump “incited” the attack on the Capitol, he was decried by voices throughout the Anti-Trumpism movement, especially within the church. As more details emerged (and continue to come to light), showing the President’s distance from the event, the evangelical Anti-Trump crowd has contorted around the facts yet again, claiming he probably still had influence in planning the event.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Along with the loss of commitment to the truth is the unfortunate reality that so many in our society have become downright lazy in how they obtain their news. Admittedly, most people simply don’t have the time or leftover energy to be doing the work that news media ought to do (and used to do). But we do in fact live in an age where much of the news media has proven itself to be untrustworthy, and it is a necessary task of those who would be responsible citizens, especially within the church. If believers do not have the capacity to acknowledge truth, even when it is uncomfortable, then we cannot have a credible voice in the public square. Since the church is responsible for the much more powerful and significant gospel narrative, failure to rightly handle truth will be a serious detriment to the community of faith. Anti-Trumpism fails in its understanding of the great conversations of faith and freedom that have both served as foundational to our nation and history, and which can contribute today.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Second, Anti-Trumpism presents a spiritual danger in its <i>giving rise to the tendency to question the validity of faith in others</i>. Mostly this done implicitly, but every now and again it becomes explicit. It is unfortunate that social tensions can rise to the point of making political judgments the plumb line for one’s faith commitment as a whole. There seems to be a growing acceptance of this idea that agreement with Trump on anything simply exposes an individual’s lack of understanding or commitment to biblical faith.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The biggest offender of calling into question the genuineness of other people’s faith was former editor-in-chief of <i>Christianity Today</i>, Mark Galli, who in December 2019 published a rather standard Anti-Trump editorial in which he openly called for those who supported the President to remember who they are and who they serve. Implication: you cannot be politically supportive of anything this man says or does without compromising the centrality of your Christian commitment. Although this sort of rhetoric ought to be completely out-of-bounds for discussions within the church, Galli’s piece was lauded by many evangelical Anti-Trumpists as a bold statement. In reality, his comments were so poorly reasoned that the piece has already been tossed aside, and Mark’s fifteen minutes as a media darling are expired.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">What we see in this second danger is that it comes from a rise of modern day public propheticism within American evangelical circles, using a rather formulaic approach to provide the individual (or group) to make an openly Anti-Trump statement using language that makes it appears that this person is, in reality, above the fray and thus speaking for God. Galli’s article is a prime example of this, even though the substance of his statement is no different than what one can find in other mainstream leftist commentary. Christianity in America needs to come to grips with the reality that our nation is in much more critical need of pastoral voices than pseudo-prophetic ones.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Third, Anti-Trumpism presents a spiritual danger in <i>the perpetuation of moral double-standards in our society</i>. Yet again, it appears that a leftist political maneuver has been adopted into evangelical language. There has been a multitude of moral concerns surrounding President Trump, most of which have been shown false and a few that have some degree of validity. Personally, I find him just as human as any other person who has held the office, with a life including behaviors that I can choose to accept or reject. So, yes, there are more than likely moral deficiencies that a committed Christian can identify. I have no particular problem with this, except that the Anti-Trumpism movement has so hammered this person while being very silent on other immoral public behavior in our country. The old political adage rings true: “If you don’t have standards you can’t be held accountable to them.”</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The Christian ought to have clear moral standards, even though numerous believers on both sides of the political aisle have often lost sight of them. The Bible doesn’t give us clear answers for every ethical question for this life, but it does provide a worldview to properly approach and explore any issue. When so many would-be prophets from the Anti-Trump position join in wave of criticisms of the President’s faults, while at the same time remaining silent on the left’s numerous and repeated encouragement of lawlessness and the destruction of cities, then the church is being asked to serve as a shell for a political party. Christians can stand against immorality whenever and wherever it occurs, but being selective as we have seen from Anti-Trumpism is being irresponsible with the message of the gospel.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fourth Anti-Trumpism presents a spiritual danger in <i>aligning men and women of the gospel with morally reprehensible leadership</i>. I am aware that this is one of the core concerns of the Anti-Trump movement, and perhaps this is an indication that no politician is completely above reproach. But the growing anger at the President and the push to have him removed from office at all costs has swept many evangelicals into its undertow. As a result, there has been both implicit and explicit advocating of a political candidate (and his running mate) who have repeatedly made racist comments, who ave openly supported riots and looters (both verbally and financially), who advocate for eight-year-olds to have the ability to choose their own gender, who have made egregious personal attacks on their political opponents and their families, that have been a part of an administration that started illegal wars, have supported ideas and policies that go against religious freedom, among other things. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The 2020 election made it clear that not everyone is willing to have an open and honest conversation about these matters if it would potentially harm the efforts to oust Trump from office. So, through the Anti-Trump movement has allowed for the strange bedfellows of leftist politics and evangelical Christians. I do not believe that those evangelicals who helped push through this leftism have a real sense of the spiritual danger they have invited into the nation’s leadership.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fifth, Anti-Trumpism presents a spiritual danger as it fosters <i>a growing acceptance of the advantages in accumulating and achieving political power</i>. For years, Christians on the right hav been criticized for this approach, and in many cases this critique has been warranted. For the Christian there is no power or allegiance greater than the Kingship of Jesus. The Religious Right movement of the previous generation may have been an out-of-balance approach, but Anti-Trumpism is equally flawed on its own. Political power should not be the aim of the church, although the work of politics is a necessary endeavor to preserve the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. It has been shown that conservatives in American government are actually much less concerned with gaining power than are the leftists. Christians on the right have demonstrated a firm commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution, and this is what one will find among Trump supporters up and down the line.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">From a Christian point of view there is room for criticism of Donald Trump, and I am intellectually honest enough in my faith to say so. However, the onslaught of personal and political attacks that have been levied against this President is unprecedented, without a close second, and if that were all I knew about him then I would very much be opposed. But what if there was a chance that the steady diet of negativity we’ve been fed wasn’t actually the truth?</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As a Christ-follower I would suppose that it would be my responsibility to look deeper, if not for the sake of my politics but for the sake of the <i>imago Dei</i> that affords each person the respect of being created. I would look deeper, knowing what it’s like, for myself and my family, to be personally and professionally maligned publicly for things you’ve never said nor done. Behind all of this cost-of-doing-business mudslinging that is American politics is the issue of our humanity. If we do not like how another person conducts themselves in public debate, we can choose to roll around in the mud or rise above. Politicians may do what they like, but the church ought to have a different approach.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Christ calls us each to a life more abundant, which gives us the right to be called children of God and the responsibility to change the world around us with the gospel. The constant pounding of the Anti-Trump drum within the church is drowning out the chords of unity and truth and love. Some will read this statement and say that the exact opposite is true, and I would not necessarily disagree. I submit this statement as one seeking balance, not the short-sighted victory of my political opinion.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Many will dismiss me outright as a shill for Trump: someone so blinded in his political devotion to a President that he has sacrificed his commitment to the Cross. I assure you nothing could be further from the truth. Mine is a simple assertion that the church can do much better than yelling at one another, demeaning each other’s political commitment, and assuming that roughly half of the country is comprised by idiots. In that regard, I am cutting both ways and encouraging believers to stand together, even in our political disagreements, for something of much greater value. Even through my great love for this great country I wholeheartedly understand that freedom is both a right and a responsibility, and that all things will pass away, except the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The spiritual danger is actually on many sides of the church. But even these, playing the role of the Gates of Hell, cannot overcome the people of God.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-88897007852298198252020-08-26T21:58:00.004-04:002020-08-26T21:58:31.029-04:00The Dehumanizing Nature of Excused Riots<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0VGPgDwt5_v4h_yr1Cq5_dszPhi4jgkiMKV6nl7-KHl_QsFsMLRwIeBpiAQvX2mRZrKfD-kjV3B1VzfCSPz2naicUW7d5H1jtMjsI1xTHmg-euWzanl4KfksvbK_i_67lFFQFi57HTui/s633/Helen_Keller_with_Anne_Sullivan_in_July_1888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="500" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0VGPgDwt5_v4h_yr1Cq5_dszPhi4jgkiMKV6nl7-KHl_QsFsMLRwIeBpiAQvX2mRZrKfD-kjV3B1VzfCSPz2naicUW7d5H1jtMjsI1xTHmg-euWzanl4KfksvbK_i_67lFFQFi57HTui/w256-h324/Helen_Keller_with_Anne_Sullivan_in_July_1888.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Today I was reminded of Anne Sullivan, who is remembered as being the teacher and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. For those have seen an adaptation of <i>The Miracle Worker</i>, there is an incredible moment when Sullivan is first introduced to Helen around the family table. The teacher was appalled by the fact that the Keller family allowed Helen to carry on as she wished, with no regard for social custom or proper behavior. The family believed that this was too much to ask of Helen, and every attempt to teach Helen to behave otherwise was met with the young girl's fits of rage. In spite of many challenges, and a lot of resistance from the Keller family, Anne Sullivan pushed forward with Helen and was finally able to make a great breakthrough.<div><br /></div><div>At the very core of Sullivan's conviction that Helen Keller ought to act properly, in spite of her great physical challenges, so that she might behave like a young woman. Sullivan believed that using Helen's condition as an excuse for her behavior was actually <i>dehumanizing</i> as it kept her behaving as an animal. The respect that was granted to Helen was in the standard that was presented to her, a measure of expectation to which she could rise, which would enable this remarkable young lady to achieve far more than anyone had ever thought possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I was reminded of Anne Sullivan as I watched, together with many in my country, another city being looted and set ablaze by rioting thugs who are acting out of hate and rage, leaving a grand sweep of injustice upon the landscape of this nation. And when I once again heard a slew of voices working to downplay the level of destruction and even excuse the behavior as an acceptable (or understandable) reaction to a perceived wrong, I couldn't help but think of what happens when humans are allowed to act inhumanely.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is a leftist movement in this country that is anarchist at its core, cloaked in the unarguable phrase <i>Black Lives Matter</i>. Those who rush to defend the riots are quick to say that this is the inevitable result of a great and systemic racism that pervades every level of American society. There is no reasonable arguing with this claim, because it is not about data and facts but rather the creation and perpetuation of a narrative. The primary vehicle of this social destruction is the charge of racism, which is no longer a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race, but rather an unwillingness to accept the leftist worldview that is being pushed.<br /><div><p></p><div>Thus, those who are rioting, looting, physically attacking innocent people, and destroying businesses and families are dismissed as simply carrying out the inevitable reaction to this great evil that overshadows this country. In other words, the anarchist destruction is justified and thus allowed, and society's laws no longer matter to those who are in socio-political support of this hatred. Should it be surprising to us, then, that a lawless society would produce people who act inhumanely to one another? We are watching the dehumanizing of our own neighbors out of an excuse to act badly because we are afraid of holding up a standard that would regard each other as having the <i>imago Dei</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Those who are pushing the <i>Black Lives Matter</i> mantlepiece on this are, essentially, claiming that the color of one's skin is determinative of one's inability to act as a human and to use reason and intellect and can only act as raging animals to enact the change they believe is necessary. Yet, this is not considered a racist position because it is part of the <i>narrative</i>, even though it looks upon a large group of women and men and judges them by the color of their skin and not by the content of their character.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some in the church are complicit in allowing this dehumanizing to occur, afraid to be socially unacceptable in opposing the hateful <i>Black Lives Matter</i> narrative, or looking to gain some political points by joining some anti-Trumpism that ought to have nothing to do with the matter altogether. (Once again I say that until the church can understand that Trump is not the cause, but the inevitable effect of our deteriorating national political discourse, will it have a voice worth listening to on this matter. But I set this aside for the time being.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Restoring humanity lies at the heart of the gospel message, and what is happening in the excusing of these riots for political gain will have far greater effect than any election. I lament that so many voices in the church are jabbering on about the spirituality of the President when a far greater issue is at hand — one that actually takes precedence for the mission of the church. Restoring the <i>imago Dei</i> of all men and women will accomplish much more than riots or legislation or elections ever could. For the power of love is greater than the love of power, if the people of God have the tenacity for truth that rises above the muck of such hateful and dishonest rhetoric.</div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps our country will find its Anne Sullivan before the destruction goes too far.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-24571845012521955382020-06-12T13:00:00.000-04:002020-06-23T08:52:09.542-04:00Social Religion and the Lordship of Christ: A Short Reflection in Too Many Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I heard a comment regarding the current social disruptions that are occurring in the United States that left me thinking. I’m not yet going to reference the individual who made the public observation, for the sake of maybe being heard for a few more minutes. But the words had a particular impact upon me, and I have considered them from my own perspective.<br />
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Right now there is a religious movement being enacted in the American public square. It is not theocentric, as God, for all intents and purposes, has been removed from our national discourse and those who take seriously the teachings of the Bible are quickly dismissed. The social commentary that I heard pointed to this religious behavior as the inevitable outcome of trying to fill the “God shaped hole” that exists within every human life.<br />
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Having pushed away the message of the church for being too restrictive and controlling, and for being overly exclusive in its boundaries, this current movement of protest and riot and thought-policing is being adhered to with a religious fanaticism the likes of which the American church hasn’t witnessed in many generations. (If only that were not the case.)<br />
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The social religion is not being imposed from those at the top, nor are its tenets being systematized by those who push for its adoption. Our nation today is watching as a grass-roots religious movement takes hold, and which ties itself to the very fabric and foundation of our society. There are vices and virtues, transgressions and atonement, along with confession and absolution. It is, as the social commentator has noted, a religion of “wokeness” that has exploded across the country promising a better life. And this is my take on the idea.<br />
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The religion of Woke has its evangelists and leaders: those socio-political leftists (and statists) that promote the agenda through American politics and on every level of media. And they will push the narrative at all costs, ignoring a multitude of facts that expose the lies they repeat.<br />
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The religion of Woke has its sacred creed: the most fundamental is Black Lives Matter, in which there can be no derivation. Many who have tried to suggest that All Lives Matter have done so at great cost. And we judge anyone on the basis of repeating this creed, and make it an even greater sin to say nothing at all.<br />
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The religion of Woke has its atonement: those individuals (and even companies) that stray from the accepted message, even if it is for the purposes of constructive dialogue, find that they must issue their public apology and suffer the consequences of being so terribly sinful as to think for themselves. Atonement comes easier for those who are already members of the Woke, although there is never a lack of penance that must be enacted.<br />
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As I look at our current state of affairs as a society I am reminded of the Roman Empire, a complex world with complex socio-political issues entangled one to another. Historians of ancient Rome will often speak about the Imperial Cult that began to appear in the days of Augustus. Interestingly, there is no such identifiable entity that called itself the imperial cult that has ever been found in the ancient world. This is not because such practice did not exist, but rather that there was no official empire-wide systematic organizational structure that promoted a worship to Rome.<br />
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The ancient Greco-Roman world was built upon a system of sacrifices, as there were many gods and the typical ancient Roman citizen would have accepted the reality of the gods and human responsibility to act appropriately before them. What arose in this society was a grass-roots admiration and dedication to the ideals of Rome and the greatest benefactor to its citizens, the appointed Caesar. And thus, temples dedicated to the goddess Roma began to appear in the empire, and participation in their activities increasingly seen as one’s level of dedication to the Roman way of life as a whole.<br />
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One of the challenges the early Christians experienced in the Roman Empire was a lack of participation in the many temples that filled the urban centers. It wasn’t so much about which gods or goddesses an individual or family emphasized for themselves, as it was that missing out on this very public religious act was a very public statement that one was somehow being subversive to the culture. In other words, in a world that did not separate religious life from other aspects of life, to get off-message with the imperial temple was to be anti-Roman, and therefore subject to intense scrutiny by those with influence and power.<br />
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It took a solid commitment for the early church to stand against the social pressures that they faced for being non-participatory in the imperial cult, or any other temple they would have encountered. These were not simply places of worship, but centers of activity that often spread throughout the city in the form of civic benefaction, feasts and festivals, games and events. It would have been much easier for these Christians to synthesize a message promoting social justice and peace than to stand firm in a gospel that gave allegiance to Jesus alone as Lord.<br />
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It would have been simpler for the early church to adopt aspects of these temples into the gospel message, especially where similar words and concepts were employed. Asclepius is a goddess of healing? Great, because healing is an important part of Christianity we can see that the two are compatible. Caesar is the one who establishes peace? Well, Jesus is all about peace on earth, so it would probably be irresponsible of the church not to participate in this temple ritual.<br />
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There were many who decided to act this way and try to synthesize the gospel message with the surrounding world. But the core of the Christian church held steadfast in its singular devotion to Christ Jesus, knowing that all of the promises of justice and peace and healing and God knows what else were not truly found in these other avenues. To participate in the imperial temple and sacrifice for the sake of peace was to adopt a cheap peace that fell short of what could be found in the gospel.<br />
In this modern religious movement of Wokeness, which I first heard described by social commentator Ben Shapiro, there is a promise of justice being pushed by a program of inequality, and a peace that comes from appeasing those who brought about the violence that we now face, and a healing that will elude us so long as we are unable to speak the truth in our culture. This is leading to a division that is growing wider and cutting deeper than ever before, driven by the leftist and media to the point of our civilization’s chaotic destruction.<br />
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There are many proposed solutions to this mess. Mine is simple: every person in this nation needs Jesus. And it is not just a savior that we need Jesus to be, we greatly and desperately need Jesus to be the one true Lord in our lives, our homes, and our communities. And we need this to be Jesus alone, without social additions or cultural adjectives that keep him from being what he is supposed to be.<br />
There are those who will take offense to this statement, that I am somehow claiming that leftists are not being Christian, or that leftists cannot be Christian. This is not the message I wish to convey. I am making the case that every person, regardless of their political or social positions, will come to see Jesus for who he is — and that will always offend everyone at some point.<br />
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Furthermore, I am not saying that socio-political conservatives do not distort the message of Scripture in their own way. There is as much correction that Christ could make to conservatives, but I am simply tired of populist voices in the church pretending that leftist Christians are above reproach, because they simply are not.<br />
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And then we need a church. We need a church that will hold to the truth of Scripture in all things, and who will find its strength in the power of the Holy Spirit. We need a church that will not follow the whims of our culture, nor will kowtow to the demands of those who push this restrictive agenda. We need a church to demonstrate the unity of the gospel by living together with men and women of all races, even going beyond the overly simplistic message of Wokeness that only sees black and white.<br />
From where I write today, the Black Lives Matter movement has seized control of an entire section of Seattle, self-identifying this space as “CHAZ” (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone). This comes in the wake of cities, like Minneapolis, smashed an smoldering from the riots and looting that we have witnessed. The “CHAZ” has implemented its own policing force, and there is a list of absurd and contradictory demands that have been issued for the government of Washington State to consider. Any logical measurement of this achievement demonstrates the sinister force at work behind what was pushed as a movement of racial justice and peace. In the six square blocks where they have their zone, there is neither justice nor peace to be found.<br />
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Perhaps this is why Christians ought to exercise caution before promoting messages and movements that arise from culture without first understanding them. Or, to consider them from a worldview shaped by Scripture and the Spirit, which would have exposed the darkness with the light of truth. Even though the ideals sound similar, one path has led to destruction and chaos, while the other leads to Jesus.<br />
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And before those who are trying to salvage some of their social parroting make the claim that what is happening in some areas of the country is not representative of the whole BLM movement, let me point out that it was a cornerstone of this present crisis that the actions of one officer (or even a very few) could be considered representative of the whole police — and even the entire nation. The objection has been raised, and overruled by the mob. The mob therefore has no claim to it now.<br />
Regardless of what you may think of me or my faith, know that my fight for truth has a purpose: that our nation might be released from this present crisis and become the people that God knows we can be, if we live on the foundation of his Word. There are always going to be disagreements and differences among us, but whenever this level of violence rises up there must be those who do not accommodate to the noise and destruction and violence. And I am convinced there are more of these good men and women than we are being led to believe.<br />
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I pray for God’s kingdom of peace and justice and righteous would come upon each one of us, and that our nation would be healed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-965527521704044122020-05-31T12:30:00.000-04:002020-06-23T08:58:59.188-04:00Observing from Middle America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I stand and watch the world on fire, from somewhere in middle America. I raise my questions and voice my objections, although I do not have a platform that will make any sort of real difference in the world. I have no more or less ability to be heard than anybody else in this country, and yet I must try and make sense of all that I am seeing and hearing.<br />
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It is unfortunate that we now live in a society that accepts the belief that any disagreement with another’s point of view is equivalent to hatred and lack of willingness to understand. This, I have been told my entire life, is the underlying major problem of the white community whenever the issue of race is in the discussion. Although I was not raised in a culture that taught me the color of a person’s skin was the measure by which one was to be judged, at the same time I am told that everything about my life has been institutionalized and systematically shaped by issues of race.<br />
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After being taught that I should not allow my implicit bias and racism to control my view of the world, I am now told that I already have an implicit bias and racism that controls my view of the world. Then I am told that I must recognize this, maybe apologize for it, and let such attitudes and behaviors go. At this point I am told that I have not let these attitudes go, and it will be impossible for me to rise above such biases. And so I must understand, but yet I cannot understand, what it means in our so-called inherently racist world. My confusion in this is that I was working under the premise that the content of a person’s character was what matters most, and yet whenever I try to engage on this level I am reminded of my implicit bias and racism that makes it appear as though the color of a person’s skin is still in play.<br />
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And today much of our nation is burning, literally so, with the riots of angry mobs who have exhibited almost no concern for their treatment of others and their communities. My heart stopped when I saw these monsters attack an old woman in a wheelchair as she tried to escape the chaos in a Minneapolis Target. My stomach wanted to throw up as a mob beat and kicked a business owner on the ground as he could no longer react because of his traumatic injuries, which will most likely bring about his death. And I cried with the black man in Cincinnati as he teared up over the havoc these riots were creating throughout his community, especially the young black teenagers who have been wrapped up into this hate.<br />
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I have shared my concerns about this, and have been trying to sift through everyone else’s thoughts as well. While some have echoed my sentiments thus far, I still see others with reactions that I do not understand. I want to process this and I want to understand, because we need to reach the Truth or else everything will be truly damned. It appears that there is a benefit to some to keep everything confused and reactive, and there are certainly people who gain something from the chaos. But I simply want to understand.<br />
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Last night I met up with an online post that some have described as “powerful” and “piercing,” evidently because it contains some sort of dramatic insight of this dramatic storm. I read through the piece, thoughtfully and carefully, and I still struggle to understand what is happening (or what has happened) to us.<br />
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I am told by this piece that all white Americans who call for peaceful protests ought to recognize their role in the escalation of this present burning. Over the past few years there have been athletes and entertainers and other famous voices that have made protest statements in one form or another. And the claim is that every time one of these voices was raised to speak out against injustice, white Americans simply didn’t want to hear it and told them to get back to the work they were being paid to do.<br />
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(And, yes, the language of slavery and servitude is employed in his paragraph, even though we are talking about men who make millions of dollars playing a game or being in a movie.)<br />
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But, again, the notion of disagreeing with someone’s stated position as hatred of their being comes to the fore. Kneeling for the anthem is a controversial statement, and when the controversy was ignited that alone became a point that somehow proved American racism is alive and well. I didn’t care for the statement being made in that manner, and neither did a lot of other well-meaning Americans, many of whom were black. While I tried to make sense of the content of his character, this not-quite-good-enough footballer wore socks that portrayed police as pigs and has spent much of his subsequent time encouraging the type of protests that we see today.<br />
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Nevertheless, it is America’s fault that we did not give him (and others) the appropriate time and space to exercise their peaceful protests. I am confused, because the right to peacefully protest, which is guaranteed by our Constitution, does not mandate that anyone pay attention or listen. I am writing this letter, and I have every right to do so. But many will not take the time to read it, and some will outright dismiss it for the biases they carry in them about who I am. That is the nature of our world.<br />
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But it is America’s fault that this footballer somehow didn’t get an opportunity to peacefully protest, even though the media was filled with the sights and sounds of the many who joined him and the many commentators who cheered them on their way. And when this man washed out of the NFL, I seem to remember that Nike was able to give him a lucrative contract (as a non-athlete) as a platform to speak out against racial injustice in this world.<br />
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That’s one example out of many situations we could say likewise. There are many black voices who have the attention of this nation to be a voice. Does everyone agree with all of the cultural biases that are levied at so-called white America? Nope. That doesn’t make us racists, but simply humans — because humans disagree on things.<br />
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But let’s say that these athletes (and others) who peacefully protested did not get the platforms that I have described here. Let’s for a moment assume there was no media (broadcast or social) that ever covered these events or commented on their connection to America. What if the black community screamed and screamed about its injustice and nobody ever paid attention? Would this then be cause for the type of violence that we are witnessing today? Because, according to this online piece, the lack of being heard is what led to the violence. I can understand that there is a progression of behavior, and being frustrated and angry and hurt escalates human words and action. But, does this connection of events bring about a moral rightness to the violence?<br />
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Some will say I’m making a leap in my interpretation of this piece. But, in the tone of slavery, the point is made that so-called white America pushed so-called black American from their ability to peacefully protest and any call to peaceful protests today must remember that it is so-called white America’s fault we arrived here in the first place. The point is being made, not too implicitly, that it is the fault of white Americans that these protests turned violent. That is quite an accusation to make.<br />
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Lest I paint with too broad a stroke here, let me ask if there is an embedded line within the violence that is morally acceptable verses those actions which are not. That is to say, I anticipate a reaction to my comment of moral culpability as, “Well, some of the protests may have gone too far, but not all.” Okay, so where would the line be? And why is some behavior justified as a rightful response to not being heard and other behavior is not? If the fact that marching in the streets didn’t change the nation led directly to the violent protests, then the blame for escalation would certainly exonerate every action once a people group was pushed across the line.<br />
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So far, I have conducted my discussion without appealing to nationalism, even though this thought-piece I read made a very quick and direct connection to it. And this becomes a matter of faith. As a side note, I am discovering the disturbing trend within American Christianity that has become more and more comfortable with making statements that question the legitimacy of the faith of other people with whom we have socio-political disagreements. Taking our cues from the secular world around us, many in the church take the lazy road of political branding as a means of saying another believer’s faith is illegitimate. Sound harsh? That is precisely the move that was famously published in a December 2019 editorial at Christianity Today, when the outgoing editor suggested that anyone who would not support the President’s impeachment ought to reconsider their faith commitment.<br />
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The piece I read last night mentioned the need, especially for white evangelical Christians, to stop conflating following Jesus and being a citizen of a nation. Done. Now what do I do? Because this hasn’t been a particular problem for me (aside from the implicit biases that I undoubtedly have that I must recognize and repent that will still be there even after I recognize and repent and … see above).<br />
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I have been critical of many aspects of our country, not only for socio-political reasons, but primarily for my commitment to Scripture. At no point does my supposed nationalism take control of my faith when I see the violence and destruction ripping through our cities and communities. I seem to be confused on this point as well, because I cannot find where in the Bible that such violent activity is deemed acceptable. So, I am not sure if faith is eclipsing nationalism or nationalism is eclipsing faith when both the laws of my nation and the commands of my Lord stand in opposition to the killing and destruction of property.<br />
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We are called to be people of peace, on this I hope there is unanimous agreement from within the church. And, I will further agree with the words I read last night in the challenge that we should not proclaim peace where there is no peace. But the application of this seems to be misguided when it places the blame of the actions of some upon others.<br />
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This past week there was a tremendous injustice that caught the attention of our entire nation. Even now, I struggle to find the voices of those who defend this police officer for his actions. Who are we now protesting?<br />
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The officer has been fired from his job, and subsequently arrested, with an investigation and probable filing of criminal charges against him. Where is the lack of justice at work in Minneapolis?<br />
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Some will undoubtedly say that the injustice is found in the fact that this event could happening in the first place. Yes, this is true. But that alone does not justify the violent protests that have erupted as a result. Are we certain that this is a race-driven event? I read in the reports that this officer had eight previous complaint connected to excessive force, none of which were pursued. Were all of these against black people? Those who need to push the narrative will make the claim that the officer acted out of his implicit bias, although this again assumes to know enough about him and his motivations.<br />
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But a tragedy happened, and somehow this is an implication of all of America, am I to understand this is correct? I have never once sought to defend this officer’s actions, and yet I am being told that white America is to blame for this outpouring of violence, which would include me. Is this why it is acceptable for throwing rocks at police, smashing windows, dragging innocents through the streets, and burning down buildings? Does Minneapolis deserve to be set ablaze because of one man’s actions, which are being dealt with in an appropriate and effective way?<br />
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I simply don’t see the connection between a supposedly deep anguish and hurt from culture and the need to smash through Target and run out with thousands of dollars worth of electronics, or loot a Nike store to steal some new footwear, or smashing the windows out of a CVS. This is the activity of criminals, and we need the ability to separate them from those who may have constructive dialogue on living together as one community. This isn’t it, and justifying the hateful behavior doesn’t work. There are many whose businesses, and thus their lives, were on the brink following the pandemic. And while the smoke begins to clear this morning, many who are now ruined because of this violence.<br />
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How does any of this bring about <i>more</i> justice for this victim? Or a group of victims? These are the actions of hate, not love, and will destroy much more than are now able to see.<br />
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Perhaps much of my confusion comes from the constant cries to speak out against injustice, only to be blamed for speaking out against injustice. It is not enough. It is never enough. It will never be enough. So long as there are people who can profit from the chaos and the anger and the ongoing narrative of repression that can be used for political gain. There is so much more to be gained in justice and righteousness if we can rise above the mire and speak more honestly and consistently about Truth. And that begins with individuals being treated as men and women who stand before Almighty God as who they are and who they choose to be.<br />
<br />
I have listened to the powerful words of Martin Luther King, Jr, and I am fully supportive of his dream for our nation, and our world. I have read his words and letters and embrace him as a voice and agent of change. What we are witnessing today is not found in his vision, nor is it in the world that our God is wanting to make.<br />
<br />
Such a great level of disconnect tells me that there is something much more sinister at play in our nation today. This isn’t about nationalism or race or political party. In fact, I have not placed any blame on the black community in my shared thoughts. This is a battle between good an evil, it’s as fundamental as that. It is an evil that has no regard for those whom it uses, those whom it attacks, the lives that are ruined, the communities that are shattered, the disfiguring of humanity it brings about. There is evidence that those who are rioting and engaging in violence are not representative of the communities under attack, and that this anger does not fall so neatly along racial divides as we are being told. I believe that Americans are not as angry with one another as we are let to believe, and that the good men and women in our country far, far outnumber the bad ones. And I think that the fact that this all ignited in the latter days of a pandemic shows that the deep frustrations of some under quarantine and lockdown could be used as fuel for the fire.<br />
<br />
Where will the people of God find themselves in this? Once the initial rage wears down, the media will move on to the next perceived crisis and the outrage of injustice will once again wane into the night, until the next cycle. The church is the community that can continue to work for righteousness in all things, and in all times and seasons. I am confused by a Christianity that takes its cues of social issues and justice from the daily headlines. Regardless of our positions or beliefs, or race, it is imperative that we know how to speak the words of love in harmonious tones. A message of love cannot be communicated through the chords of anger and dissonance. We live in a world that seems to have lost this.<br />
<br />
I stand and watch the world on fire, from somewhere in middle America. I am not blessed with a platform big enough to think that anyone will actually care about my thoughts on the world. I am like most Americans today, who simply want to live life, do what is right, adhere to my deeply held beliefs, keep my family safe, and be a blessing to my neighbors. How long, O Lord, will we squander the blessings of liberty with our disfigured humanity?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-31072808311790894762018-02-18T11:13:00.000-05:002018-02-18T22:44:46.232-05:00Christ in culture or Christ in culture?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZy040lab2Z3SPXWGGMtEObNfCq96QhBBVkKtkkfZ1IHqxoR0NVmVzVuxA-PR9SXKFtAZiZsCjOemyP8xUjgsAXu6pVDOfI13tD6uZZ7GdXe1ZDNpnNevuIZJhS0rdKEncGMBQejDDeRB/s1600/Political.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="1413" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZy040lab2Z3SPXWGGMtEObNfCq96QhBBVkKtkkfZ1IHqxoR0NVmVzVuxA-PR9SXKFtAZiZsCjOemyP8xUjgsAXu6pVDOfI13tD6uZZ7GdXe1ZDNpnNevuIZJhS0rdKEncGMBQejDDeRB/s320/Political.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I remember standing by the front doors after Sunday service when a woman walked up to me in a rather stern manner, grabbed hold of my arm and said, "Don't get political when you are preaching. Just don't."<br />
<br />
What did I say to her? Well, what <i>could</i> I say to her? I had no idea what she was talking about, to be completely honest about it. After a few moments of a marginally less confrontational discussion I discovered that she was referring to a community issue involving the public school system, and I was completely unaware of what was going on. In the days that followed I asked around and, as it turns out, very few people knew much about the conflict, as it had something to do with mostly closed-door discussions involving the teacher union and upcoming contracts (and who knows what else).<br />
<br />
But, this particular woman – a retired teacher – had heard my morning message in the context of the world she had dragged in with her that particular Sunday morning. Truth be told, we all do this, and even the best of us get tripped up in our worship and prayer when we cannot shake off the storms that so often whip around us. My point is the perspective that was revealed in her comment: <i>Don't get political</i> in the work of the church has been something that I have been warned against (mostly in more constructive ways than this instance) my entire ministry career. I understand this concept, though I do not believe there is such a thing as an apolitical Christianity. Yet, I am increasingly disturbed when the flag gets draped over the cross and our allegiance to Christ made subservient to our nation.<br />
<br />
At this point comes the "full disclosure" for this issue: I am a Constitutional conservative as well as a biblical conservative (though I am not what would be considered a fundamentalist). I am an evangelical pastor presently working in a socially mixed (and somewhat evangelical) denomination. I work hard to understand the matters of faith and freedom so as to be responsible to both. Yet, I also work diligently to keep my political and social ideology held captive to the kingship of Christ Jesus. My ministry work becomes "political" only in those times when social issues decide to cross into the realm of faith and morality – which is increasingly so. But it must be said that my goal is not to support a party, candidate, legislation, or position. My aim is to be a faithful interpreter of Scripture.<br />
<br />
Having said that, I wish to make a brief comment on the present nature of our public discourse, especially that which is coming from the church. Yes, <i>don't be political</i> has been the resounding message, in part as backlash to the Moral Majority and Religious Right movements of years past. This is understandable, but now the pendulum is swinging too far the other way. Many contemporary voices within the church have warned against being political, frowning upon evangelical voices engaging in public policy. But as I struggle to make sense of all that's being said and done around me right now, it has become evident: <i>Don't become political</i> ... <b><i>unless your politics agrees with me.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
There is a movement within American Christianity that is moving along these lines, increasing their level of political rhetoric with the implied tag-along of <i style="font-weight: bold;">if you don't agree with these political positions you are probably not seriously following Christ</i>.<br />
<br />
Our culture is presently working through the emotional aftermath of a mass murder at a high school. There are many who are (rightfully) disturbed by this event, and the recent string of such violence over the past few years. It is unfortunate that so many rush to advocate their position rather than to grieve and pause and pray before speaking. Far too many politicians and pundits race to be the first one to call for an advancement of their position, and the church doesn't need to contribute to that noise. If the gospel is as emotionally-reactive as the world, then what good is it?<br />
<br />
The voices that have clamored <i>Don't get political</i> have reminded us that the answer doesn't come from improved legislation or policy. On this we can find agreement. But in the wake of this tragedy even voices from within the church are jumping on the law-making bandwagon because, "thoughts and prayers are not enough without policy and action," as one on-liner has said. Of course, there are many secular voices who have already seized this opportunity to mock the effectiveness of prayer (their heyday was Sutherland Springs). <i>Does the church need to contribute to this?</i><br />
<br />
When I speak about the atrocity of abortion, with <b>more than 60 million lives</b> violently ripped out of their mother's wombs in this country alone since 1973, I am told that it is not my place to become political (as if this were a political problem and not a moral issue). And many in the church remain silent. When gun deaths reach into the thousands in our society (a number that has <i>decreased</i> in the last number of years), we must take up the cause loudly.<br />
<br />
When I speak about the millions of lives that are caught up in human slavery and trafficking, the issue is typically mulled over for a moment and then shrugged off (sometimes, even a joke about prostitution is thrown in). And many in the church remain silent. When the cultural crowd gets loud about DACA then it is a Christian 'duty' to picket prayer breakfasts and label dissenters as hate-filled individuals who lack the love of Jesus in their hearts.<br />
<br />
What is missing from all of it is an actual discussion, and <b>actual facts</b>. This is a sad place to be for the church, which is supposed to be the primary place for pursuing truth and life and justice and righteousness in this world. Those who for so long have preached <i>Don't get political</i> have done so on the basis of government not being the forum for such societal change. In a blatant and pathetic irony, those same voices are now unsettled by the thought <i>what needs to change is the human heart</i>. In other words, the gospel is suddenly in need of governmental support if it is to make a difference in our nation. And, what is much worse, it seems to be acceptable from this position to caricature and name-call those with whom one disagrees.<br />
<br />
Social issues are social issues, and politics is a terrible place to be the church. I disagree with men and women whom I otherwise admire in the faith on a number of such issues. But it has always been my position to hold together in the unity of Christ more than being divided by national discord. Unfortunately, the emotionally-driven nature of many of the current issues has changed the tone of many in the American church (and not all of them leftist or mainstream – there are many 'conservative evangelicals' who have found their way along this path as well).<br />
<br />
I spent many years overly engaged in the political rhetoric of our national culture. It made me angry and miserable most of the time, and there were voices telling me to back away from it. They were right, and the same needs to be said to many today who have suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of political right-and-left and whatever else. It is not for us to be <i>disengaged</i> from public discourse, but to remember that we are to be <b>centered on Christ</b> and tenacious for truth, no matter where it might lead us. The challenges will always be in front of us to live as though Christ were King of this world ... because he most certainly is.<br />
<br />
Though I wish I could have a conversation about these matters with many of my friends, I so often refrain for the damage it could do to our relationship and the Spirit of Christ that presently binds us together. That, in and of itself, is a sad sign of our present situation. I do not pray against any other believer, nor do I regard any person (in the faith or otherwise) as an enemy. But I do continually and repeatedly ask for God to show all things in the Light so that all may see and know the truth. I hope that this can invade the church before it is too late.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-29458029482153026202017-11-29T14:00:00.001-05:002017-11-29T14:00:23.787-05:00cherishing hearts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>If I had cherished sin in my heart,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>the Lord would not have listened.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Psalm 66:18</div>
<br />
"Everybody wants prayer, but nobody wants to pray." I still remember the old man standing in front of me in that small country church when these words came out of his mouth. From one of my first years in congregational ministry, these words have remained with me ever since. It is a truth that we would rather not think about, although most of us can easily acknowledge its validity.<br />
<br />
A life of prayer is hard work, and yet so many in the church will be quick to praise <i>"the power of prayer"</i> even when so few actually spend time alone with God as a part of their daily routine. What is more, most American believers have pushed the practice of prayer to the margins of our discipleship. This is not surprising, for if we do not find value in the practice of prayer, we certainly will not be open to finding the value in learning how to pray. (What might be worse, many contemporary Christians do not think that one can actually learn how to pray – that it must be spontaneous in order to be sincere. What an injustice to many has been done by this perpetuate ignorance.)<br />
<br />
Beyond the overall lack of time spent in prayer and meditation on scripture, there is something else that must be addressed. When the psalmist writes his thanksgiving testimony, he states, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." <i><b>Perhaps the lack of powerful prayer in the church today is the result of hearts that choose to cherish sin even in their coming before God.</b></i><br />
<br />
I can admit my own failures in this, for often I find myself under the critique of James, "When you ask, you do no receive, because you ask with wrong motives ..." (Js 4:3). When my prayers seem unanswered, it is easy for me to throw it back on God: <i>You just don't care, do you?</i> or <i>This isn't important enough for you, is it?</i> or <i>He's probably just out to teach me a lesson</i>. All the while, I am missing out on the one thing that my life needs most – to be conformed into the image of Christ, who himself submitted his life to the will of the Father, and who made this his one desire.<br />
<br />
So long as we continue to <i>reconcile</i> the ways of the world with the commitment of our faith, we will not understand what it means to be single-minded in our devotion. The more I try to hold on to the things that I regard as of great importance, before I submit myself to my heavenly Father, the more these cherished things in my heart will obstruct my relationship with him. It is the pure in heart that will see God, those who cast aside everything that hinders to run the race with everything they've got.<br />
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And yet, <i>"Everybody I know says they need just one thing. But what they really mean is that they need just one thing more</i>."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-1695352764427077362017-11-08T16:19:00.003-05:002017-11-08T21:56:05.536-05:00a thought regarding culpability<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Everything is meaningless!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
(Ecclesiastes 1:2)</div>
<br />
The worldview of the Teacher is framed by the assertion that, "Everything is meaningless." He makes this statement at both the beginning and the end of his thoughts on life. We are challenged in our English translations on the word <i>hebel</i>, which at one time was given as "vanity" but now is here translated "meaningless" (NIV; while NET does well with "futile"). The expression itself is pointing to the absurdity of it all, and it is a statement of frustration with everything that he sees: everything that happens under the sun. We could use modern slang to convey this, ranging from the sanitary to the vulgar.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, this Teacher has observed and engaged life. He has wrestled with it, been knocked down by it, confused by it, and is now <i style="font-weight: bold;">over it</i>. He sees that the endless cycles of nature – the movement of sun and moon, wind and rivers – are so constant that the world is void of that which he may regard as novel or unique. It has become rubbish to him. All of this is worthless and empty. And so, he begins his greatest inquiry into life itself with his exasperation: <i>Everything is HEBEL!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Most of us who live in the digital age have quickly discovered this reality itself, without ever having to leave our screens. At first we thought that this was a great novelty and tool for human advancement. And yet, we know that the same cycles of life repeat themselves, leaving us constantly scrolling and clicking and tapping for something that can hold our attention. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun, or perhaps we have learned to appreciate the wonder of nature in the first place.<br />
<br />
The world has closed in on most of our imagination, though there are still those who will seek physical, emotional, and spiritual life in a virtual world. The imaginary world we foster in this virtual reality moves us in our physical world as well. This is no simple tirade against virtual content, but rather a consideration of our lives as they interact with increasingly intense experiences "outside of ourselves." But do we ever have a personal experience that can be completely "outside of ourselves" as though we are left unaffected? I am no doctor of psychologist, so I cannot speak to the specifics of the mental or biological nature of this issue. But I am a theologian, and it is undeniable that every experience in our lives affects our spirits.<br />
<br />
So, I look at this fascination with a pornographic culture that has exploded to extreme levels since the Western world got online, and the simple connections to immoral behaviors in the physical world, many of which greatly damage others. And I see a large interest in violent, murderous, and grotesque entertainment found in many virtual reality games, movies, and television shows, and the simple connections to violent behavior in the physical world.<br />
<br />
There are many voices who still insist that these connections do not exist, either for pointing in other directions or finding blame on a case-by-case basis. And yet, when tragedy and violence happen in our world, there is mass confusion in the society as everyone searches for culpability. The answers are settled on rather quickly, and the solutions come in rapid succession. And yet, as these voices from our culture can point to every jot-and-tittle of what they think ought to change <i>in others</i>, they so easily miss very significant factors right in front of them.<br />
<br />
Today, the Hollywood elite mock the faith of those who were in church as a cowardly madman walked in and began shooting. And yet, their own sub-culture is struggling to deal with the sexual violence that apparently has been widespread for many years. Those who have no room for faith and morality in their lives have no basis for making judgments on the prayers of believers. Even before they have emerged from the public release of their debauchery these figures laugh at those whose faith is leading them to a life of more integrity. The Hollywood elite do not understand this, for they have been rolling around in such filth for years, celebrating it in their productions and awarding themselves for their depravity. <i>Hebel!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And so, the discussions of culpability stand at the forefront of our national discussion. Politicians want to blame each other, Twitter celebrities seem to be in a race to see who can be the most vulgar and asinine in their statements, so-called news channels work to advance whatever narrative is most profitable for today, and NFL players are still kneeling for reasons they themselves are yet to understand. The axiom, <i>a conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking</i> comes into play here: when we don't want to deal with it anymore, blame society as a whole whenever bad things happen.<br />
<br />
There are two main problems here: first, this would necessarily including the victims of violence, since they are part of society; second, there are many within society who choose not to participate in this so-called culture of violence and pornography, and whose lives are (in one way or another) working to bring an end to it. But let's remember, in the midst of the voices that cry <i>No More!</i> the ones who hold our society's microphones laugh, ridicule, mock, and dismiss our concerns. In fact, any objection to what is vulgar and shocking today will find the boundaries pushed by someone else tomorrow. And, therein lies the culpability.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, not every congregation gets it. But, the church is a place of nonviolence, and the gospel is a message of peace and love and hope and reconciliation. Those who walk with Jesus along this path are not participating with the culture of violence that is supposedly producing our tragedies. Then again, there are many who claim for themselves the mantle of 'Christian' who are perfectly happy to indulge themselves in grotesque, violent, pornographic, immoral filth set before them as entertainment. And since I rarely hear of someone <i style="font-weight: bold;">binge-reading</i> their Bible, I'm guessing there is more time spent engaging the depravity than in feasting on the Word. And to say that one's spirit is unaffected by this is incredibly foolish. Such a faith is <i>hebel!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
When concerns are raised regarding the morality of a particular television program or film or virtual reality game of some sort, the larger culture typically laughs it off. This is true even within the American church today, where Christian behavior is nearly indistinguishable from worldly behavior. And then the scenarios that once existed on screen become a horrific reality that splatters across our headlines, and the head-scratching cycle begins again. <i>Hebel!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Our situation is simply the front-end message of the gospel: <b><i>we have a moral problem</i></b>. Before we rush to blame guns, games, movies, drugs, education, laws, or anything else, it must be acknowledged that humanity's brokenness is the cause for the evils we perpetuate to one another. This is a simple answer, but it is the core of what we need to recognize. The solution is just as simple, though not particularly easy, especially for those so entwined in the world's behavior. The key phrase here is <b>repentance</b>, which will make many roll their eyes at the word's very sound. The key behavior associated with this word is <i>to turn from one course of action or direction, in favor of another</i>. In this case, it would be turning from the immorality and violence in order to walk towards Christ.<br />
<br />
For those who are already part of the church this is of paramount importance: It is time to stop trying to reconcile the depravity of our human nature with the gospel. Jesus did not come to make peace with sin and death, but to conquer it. It makes no sense for us to stand in the place of his victory while continuing to engage with the darkness. It is time to stop allowing the grotesque to defile our God-given homes; it is time to stop soiling the wedding clothes of the Lamb's Bride with the disgusting muck of immorality. For that is <i>Hebel</i> while the fullness of life still awaits us in our Creator's world – indeed, he himself has shown us the way to a life more abundant.<br />
<br />
<i>Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. </i>(Philippians 4:8)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-66117017606280253712017-11-06T17:07:00.001-05:002017-11-06T17:07:54.923-05:00to the one who has an ear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble and suffering, but take courage — I have conquered the world</i>." (Jesus, recorded in John 16:33)<br />
<br />
Tragedy once again dominates our headlines. Such news is becoming too common for us, as the cultural hysteria seems to confirm. There are those who, in a rush to push their political agendas, trample over the victims in their anger-driven vitriol. And then there are those who will be "shocked" by the news, but will quickly move about their day as though nothing was really going on.<br />
<br />
One Christian writer recently connected the divisions and animosity towards one another to the Twitter habits of President Trump. A secular commentator referred to America's "culture of violence" as the reason for mass shootings. And a hundred more voices are already buzzing about the lack of gun control as the primary cause for violence in our country.<br />
<br />
I am looking for the reassuring voices that echo the words of Christ: <i>take courage – I have conquered the world</i>. My present post is not directed to those who stand outside of the kingdom of God, who do not consider themselves serious disciples of Jesus. This one is for the church, and for one very good reason: <i><b>there are matters of faith that those who are not receptive to the Spirit will not understand</b></i>. When Jesus said, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13), he was speaking about the ability to hear and understand his message. And coming to understand and accept the gospel — every part of it — is difficult and demanding. Living in the gospel is impossible without the presence of the Spirit, and so is having a mind to understand it.<br />
<br />
My concern for the church in this hour is that we are looking at tragedies, especially acts of terrorism against the gathered assemblies of believers in our country, and we are too quick to follow worldly cues in searching for answers. At this point, I should make it clear that we will now have to further limit our discussion to the church in <i>America</i>, as we are so unaccustomed to having our churches come under such attack. Our dialogue must be limited here, because there are believers throughout the world who suffer tremendous tragedy and horrific evil as an ongoing reality of their commitment to Christ. In such places, the church is doing a tremendous work and the work of the Spirit is active and vibrant, and they never get stuck on the question of <i>Why us?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
These suffering believers throughout the world already know the problem and the answer: <b>Jesus</b>.<br />
<br />
For many years I have heard pastors and church leaders talk about the potential for backlash and violence that can come upon their congregations with a smug, "Well, if we are attacked then we must be doing something right." That overconfidence is quickly reduced to rubble at the slightest sign of trouble, and it is utter theological chaos when a bona fide tragedy arrives. It seems to me, in the words of our songwriting friend, <a href="https://youtu.be/B9vogh4Il34" target="_blank">Rich</a>, that "we are not as strong as we think we are."<br />
<br />
We say that a person's faith commitment will be evident in the things that they say and do (see Matthew 15:11). We believe that if a person is devoted to the gospel that this will have an effect on their thoughts, their words, their behavior. We say that prayer is essential to the life of the Christian, and that it will form us into the believers Christ has called us to be, and that this will give us the words of Spirit when they are needed most. These are central convictions of spiritual growth and maturity in the faith, and yet so many things are said that do not sound like the gospel.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is true that we are not called to judge anyone for their words or behavior. This is reserved for Almighty God. But perhaps there is enough in scripture to show us that we are indeed called to be <i><b>fruit inspectors</b></i>, those who can hear and evaluate one another and speak in ways that sharpen the sword of truth in our lives. Perhaps this means that we can read and hear responses to evil that comes against the Church and know whether the Spirit is present or not.<br />
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My current concern is that there are many churchgoers who do not study the Word of truth, do not pray and listen to the Spirit, and are thus sharing a belief that is shaped more by the world than by Christ, and that such messages are readily accepted by others who cannot evaluate from the Word or Spirit.<br />
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How can I know these things?<br />
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<i>If you believe that hatred is a byproduct of the election of a particular president, then you have not understood the gospel.</i><br />
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<i>If you think that abolishing firearms will put an end to violence (or take a dramatic step in that direction), then you have misunderstood the gospel.</i><br />
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<i>If you consider a church community to be inherently at fault for an act of terrorism against them, then you most likely have not comprehended the gospel.</i><br />
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Specifically to that last point: let me quickly say that I understand that certain religious groups and organizations can say or do things that cause difficulty for themselves. But at no point does this provide justification for shootings and acts of hatred to this degree. To those who suffer as a result of their faith, for the work they are doing to live out the gospel in environments hostile to the message of Christ, again I submit that this is not justification for the work of evil to come upon them. When we consider the "culture of violence" that so many wish to cite, it is important to note that the gospel — by its very nature — works to strip all violence of its power, through the sacrificial service of the Lamb, to be followed by each of his followers. For these reasons, I submit that my last point stands, for there is no justification, even within the gospel, for such evil to come upon the church. What we have instead, is a <i style="font-weight: bold;">reason</i> for those who follow Jesus to know that such things will occur.<br />
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The promise that Christ gives to his disciples is that he <i>has conquered the world</i>, and evil's fury will not have the final word. In the past number of years those who have modeled this as believers — the demonstration of faith to degrees more shocking than the violence they faced — were those in the Amish community near Nickel Mines in 2006. For so many churchgoers who would consider the Amish faith to be no more than a humorous novelty, when life became deadly serious it was them who showed us the power of the gospel in acts of love and forgiveness. And they showed us courage to walk forward in their faith, with the eyes of the world upon them, unhindered in their devotion.<br />
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Such a contrast to the blaming and shaming and shouting that dominates our mainstream culture so much that it dictates the way in which most churchgoers will even begin to process such tragic events. And therein lies the greater tragedy of all, perhaps the very reason why our nation rages in this hour: <b><i>we have ignored the Spirit's leading, and have now lost our ability to hear</i></b>.<br />
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I mean, just listen to everything that is being said <i>from within the church</i> today ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-52967898490478505972017-03-28T16:45:00.001-04:002017-03-28T22:01:52.537-04:00keys and the kingdom: discipleship and a buddhist teenager<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I remember once when I was in graduate school at Denver Seminary, taking a course on religious pluralism, one of our assignments was to attend and observe a religious service of a non-Christian practice and make our evaluation and assessment of the experience. We were given a good amount of freedom in the parameters of this project, so our small class of about fifteen people scattered ourselves across the metro to a variety of religious contexts. I found myself at a Buddhist "temple" for a weekly meditation gathering, sitting with a handful of other curious men and women in a row of chairs set up on the parameter of the gathered Buddhist faithful. It was an interesting experience, and I experienced more spiritual light and darkness conflict than I anticipated.<br />
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One particular piece that remains with me in regular thought was a special ceremony that took place toward the end of gathering. The temple was welcoming a new member into their official ranks. On this particular day it was a teenage young man who had shown himself committed to the life of that community. I do not remember most of what was said to him by the elder gentleman who was leading the gathering, but what I have not forgotten is <i style="font-weight: bold;">the key</i>. As part of his formal welcoming into the group he was handed a key to the main doors of the center (they were meeting in a former church building). As he was given his key he was told: <i>This building is for you; it is for your use in meditation and growth. Come here whenever you need to. Bring your friends and your family to this place, and show them the way that you have learned.</i><br />
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Having been a part of the Christian church since birth, I can say that this sort of mentality is incredibly rare in American evangelicalism. I have seen that most churches guard their keys, many with great fervor, and restrict access to the physical space for a whole host of reasons. Even in churches where every adult member has a key to the building, it is still rare that this should be given over to a teenager (or that a teenager might be considered a full-fledged member in the first place).<br />
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I suppose this comes down to being an issue of <i style="font-weight: bold;">discipleship</i>: What is the goal of Christian growth, anyway? In this Buddhist temple it was part of the spiritual culture that this young man, regardless of his age, understood the responsibilities of participating in this community. And with those responsibilities came a charge of evangelism and discipleship – <i>bring others and show them</i>. This was clearly an <i>expectation</i> of the journey of meditation and enlightenment, and here was someone coming into his own along the journey. Why would we in the church be so terrified of what might happen if we entrusted our teenagers in the same regard?<br />
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In his fantastic book, <i><a href="http://grasshoppersdreaming.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-juvenilization-of-american.html" target="_blank">The Juvenilization of American Christianity</a></i>, Thomas Bergler says: "Adolescent Christians don't expect to be adults for a long time, so they don't particularly care if their Christianity prepares them for adulthood. They tend to be much more aware of their religious 'rights' than their religious responsibilities" (14–15). I think that sums it up quite nicely, and sheds a particularly bright light on the lack of genuine discipleship within the average American church today.<br />
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Many times, when I have relayed my experience of watching this young man receive his key to the temple – in a serious and ceremonial way – I am met with some form of admiration: <i>Wow, they are serious about this.</i> Indeed, they are. Or, perhaps we are not. While it might be a stretch to give out keys to the teenagers, why are we still battling over who among the adults receives keys to the building? (Or, what about every nook and cranny in the building: <i>how many locks does your church kitchen have?</i>)<br />
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Rick Bundschuh, teaching pastor at Kauai Christian Fellowship in Hawaii, once wrote of when their church community had built a new campus and decided to give <i>everyone</i> a new key that would open <i>every door</i> in the building (!!!). Yes, this was difficult for some of the congregation to swallow, and I have shared this with a number of pastors and church leaders over the past few years, none of whom have thought it was a good or appropriate idea for their own churches (to be fair, about half have indicated that it would be great if they felt as though their group was ready for this.) But there again we see the problem: are we discipling men and women (and children) into maturing believers who are ready for the responsibilities of faithfulness?<br />
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Bundschuh says of their experience: "And while we have had a few bumps along the way (just how did those high school kids get a copy of the key anyhow?), the place is a beehive of activity day and night with people doing the very things that we had hoped they would do. I think people in the real estate business call it 'pride of ownership'" (<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Rock-Boat-Capsize-Loving/dp/1576836460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490733677&sr=8-1&keywords=don%27t+rock+the+boat+capsize+it" target="_blank">Don't Rock the Boat, Capsize It</a></i>, 80).<br />
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So, there it is – a short little lesson on discipleship that I found at a Buddhist temple. And I think it has important implications for the American church today. It's amazing what can be discovered by handing one little key to another.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-86841200638394125862017-03-24T22:46:00.003-04:002017-03-24T22:46:35.672-04:00just a little bit more<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm up later than I probably ought to be, but finding some entertainment in watching reruns of a once-popular sitcom. It's not edgy or provocative, which makes it a somewhat pleasant choice for late night hours of relaxation. But what I've noticed throughout the night is that I keep muting the sound whenever a round of commercials comes along. The reason is because this particular station has decided to advertise some of its other programming, which does not really "match" the level of entertainment of the show I'm watching. So, the network has brought me to its channel by broadcasting a program that appeals to a certain level of entertainment value, and then pushes me to watch programming that is edgier in its content.<br />
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Now, one could insert a rant about how television (and every other form of media) isn't what it used to be, and one would be right. But I'm already aware of this and navigate it every day without too much difficulty. This is probably true for many people who are mindful of such standards, aside from those who have simply given in to the assumption that accepting the vulgarity of our cultural trends is the only way to engage in modern artistic and entertainment options.<br />
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This is the beckoning call of the world around me: to take one step closer each day. Our culture did not change overnight, and what is now considered provocative was once thought of as offensive and will soon be regarded as commonplace. This is the <i style="font-weight: bold;">erosion</i> of our selves, what C. S. Lewis called <i>the abolition of man</i>, and it happens just the like geological world around us – one grain of sand at a time. Scientists say that the formation of the Grand Canyon began about 14 million years ago, through the constant flowing and cutting of the Colorado River through the rock. <i>Give me just a little bit more</i>, the river speaks to the earth as it cuts ever deeper into the ground.<br />
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Modern resistance to cultural erosion seems to be little in our world today, perhaps indicating a complete surrender. When I first started sketching these thoughts, the live-action <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> was preparing for its release. As it comes to theaters around the country there is a dust up of concern regarding a blatant reference to homosexuality in the film, which would be a first for a Disney production. All-too-quickly these concerns were cast as narrow-minded, over-reactive, extremist positions. And even many within the church were content with admitting that it wasn't much of a focus in the movie, and it could easily be overlooked. <i>Give me just a little bit more...</i><br />
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Another day, another step. And even those who think that such concession will bring about appeasement from those who push progressive agenda cannot look at our most recent social history and admit this has ever been the case. Erosion does not stop with this layer, but rather digs down to the next one. <b><i>Just a little bit more if you want to be a part of our world.</i></b><br />
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This is not a new problem for the church, but one that is as old as the church itself. There has always been a tension between believers and their surrounding culture. Our scripture speaks quite directly to this very thing: to those who are seeking to accommodate their faith to the voices of culture who ask for just a little bit more, the voice from heaven cries, <i style="font-weight: bold;">"Come out of her, my people"</i> (Revelation 18:4; Jeremiah 54:45).<br />
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One voice calls me to conformity, another voice calls me to separation. The two cannot be reconciled. Why, then, do we think that we can live in such a way as to harmonize the ethics of the kingdom with the ethics of the world? Why do we believe that giving just a little bit here and there will not affect our commitment to faith? Why are we so sure of these things when our very Creator tells us that this is not true?<br />
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And yet, the erosion continues. We will say that it is the "cost of doing business" in our world today, that we must learn to live with things that don't share our values. I wonder if this <i style="font-weight: bold;">cost of cultural inclusion</i> has replaced the <i style="font-weight: bold;">cost of the Cross</i>. Our modern Christianity is so quick to surrender to just one more step toward the world, but so resistant to take one more step towards Christlikeness. And that is all that we need to see to understand the state of the church in America today.<br />
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"<i>You know, it's not that much</i> ..." is part of the modern creed that undermines kingdom faithfulness in our world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-59671026506472304492017-02-16T16:49:00.001-05:002017-02-16T16:49:11.035-05:00soft hearts and thick skin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.</i><br />
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<i>1 John 3:11</i><br />
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I remember once being told that the work of pastoring is simple: preach the word and love the people. Some might say this is an <i>over</i>simplification, but there is merit in understanding these two basic tenets of the vocation. Of course, as St Francis would like to remind us, preaching the word is much more than that which we do on Sunday mornings. In the role of church ministry the ways and means of gospel proclamation are everywhere and in everything. Still, I continue to be startled by the amount of pastors who shirk their responsibility to be proclaimers of the gospel, in both word and deed.<br />
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And then there is the other half of our simple statement: love the people. It should be no surprise that this contains numerous challenges as well. People can often present themselves as unloveable, and the irritations and frustrations that accompany close relationships – especially ones defined by spiritual endeavor – quickly disrupt our ability to act and respond in ways of love. This is the essence of people trying to work out their salvation, and the place of the pastor is heavily affected by such relationship dynamics.<br />
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Now, before I get too far on this, let me say that I have no interest in speaking of the pastoral vocation in grandiose terms, whereby you are supposed to think of the minister as a super saint who is able to do such an amazing work in spite of the overwhelming burdens of the task. There are plenty of sources that speak in this manner, and they are almost unequivocally wrong. The role of pastor is a unique endeavor that requires a certain temperament and skill set, but so is every other vocation in the world. The aim here is to present an observation of the relationship dynamics of the church from someone who spends their time in constant evaluation of the community of saints. For that matter, I might be wrong in how I understand the church. However, there might be merit from my reflected experiences.<br />
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Those who lead in the church, pastorally or otherwise, know well that that there is no shortage of hurt and/or angry people who make the work of ministry challenging and difficult. Speaking from the role of a pastor, these realities have a tendency to make one callous to the task – to treat this vocation with little sentiment or enthusiasm, moving from one appointment to the next and one Sunday to the next. But this is never in the work that Christ has given to the church, and it should not give shape to the way leadership works in a congregation. I think that the primary reason for this callousing is the amount of times that impassioned effort yields apathy in the pew. And there is no place where this has a more profound effect than in the realm of loving people.<br />
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<b><i>There seems to be a difficult balance in the Christian life between having soft hearts and thick skin.</i></b> If you hang around people for long enough, especially in the church community, you will discover that those to whom you have opened your heart will say or do something that makes you wish you had instead only shown them your thick skin. There are people who take advantage of you, either consciously or unconsciously, and the human tendency is to allow the hurting heart to become callous in order to avoid such pain in the future. But in this hardening of our hearts we lose the mandate to <i>love our neighbor as ourselves</i>, and thus we become our own hindrance to the gospel's work in and through us.<br />
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Yes, we want to be protected from pain, but this is simply impossible in genuine and meaningful relationships. Callous hearts close others out and prohibits love from having its effect. The only defense against this is having a heart that has been born of God. A heart such as this will continue to break – perhaps even more than before – but it will break in the same rhythm as the Creator, who alone can give healing comfort. It is from this assurance that we can have the kind of <i>thick skin</i> that enables us to experience incredibly hurtful things in this life and continue forward. For our worth is not found in what others think about us, or what value our world stamps upon us, but in the assurance of our heavenly Father, who fills us with an indescribable peace.<br />
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To be a part of this work, in official and unofficial roles alike, requires that we have soft hearts and thick skin. Otherwise we will be trampled and needled into a life that ceases to be connected to our Father's heart, and we will fail in our attempts to love, which is the very essence of who we are and what we have been created to be. For <i style="font-weight: bold;">to love</i> God and others is the highest calling and the greatest fulfillment we can find.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-7886328959880764892016-12-15T15:23:00.002-05:002016-12-15T15:23:24.567-05:00songs of the season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Each year there seems to be another battlefield being fought over the so-called <i>War-on-Christmas</i>. I confess that I do not know how one particular issue reaches such status, at times even in its ability to rise above all that peace and goodwill stuff. Now, one might assume I'm going to make a rant about how some businesses do not allow for saying "Merry Christmas," or how the corporate fat cats are shoving their pagan and insensitive "Happy Holidays" down our throats. Actually, I'm thinking of the modern trend of watching self-identified Christians to find some cultural burr, stick it under their own saddle, and ride the range of public irritation, offensiveness, and outrage.<br />
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In 2015 we had the infamous war on Starbucks because they did not print "Merry Christmas" on their paper coffee cups, which we were supposed to believe was an anti-Christmas (therefore anti-Christ) assault on the millions of Americans who simply wanted get their $8 sugar-caffiene fix. (Oh, the plight of the affluent!) Of course, none of this narrative was true to the intentions or actions of Starbucks, and it wasn't too long before those greatly offended were able to return to their mocha and frappe lifestyles, even if they had to wait for the non-seasonal cups to return – the ones with the logo based upon Nordic mythology, which is must less-offensive to Christians than the ommission of a specific holiday phrase.<br />
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Perhaps it is only in the particular circles in which I run, but 2016 seems to have a lot of jabbing and condemning of Christmas <i style="font-weight: bold;">music</i>. Over the past few weeks I have seen a good number of articles (some more serious than others) and social media commentary on how terrible certain Christmas songs are that we should dump, or even ban their existence. Now, we've all enjoyed reading those lists that poke fun at some of the more campy holiday songs that are mostly ridiculous, even though we all know someone who will defend the likes of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" to the bitter end. My concern isn't for the playing-around, but with what appear to be more serious attempts to chide certain Christmas music on moral or theological grounds.<br />
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(If only we were this adamant when it came to our <i style="font-weight: bold;">worship music</i>!)<br />
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Not every holiday song (Christmas-themed or not) has the best message, or the most moral content. Some songs are not as well-crafted musically or lyrically as others, and there is always the great variable of personal preference. These are all fair game for discussion. But the cultural and theological discussions are going to need to be dialed back just a bit, because the church ought to be about more than manufactured irritation.<br />
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There have been a handful of songs that are drawing the ire of would-be social commentators this year (some not for the first time), but I will limit my push-back to just two of them. First is the classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside (1944)." Over the past few years this song has raised a nod of suspicion, driven mostly by the mainstream political-correctness crowd who claim that this song tramples on consenting relationships, the allusion to a date-rape drug, or both. This is the result of a culture that has become so enamoured with its own significance that it has lost a sense of its own history, not to mention its inability to read and understand the plain meaning of lyrics.<br />
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First, this song is from 1944 New York City, a place much different than today, when the social scene was filled with entertainment-types hosting parties in their high-rise apartments. To this, folks would often perform for their guests (or have entertainment provided), giving rise to a number of good songs over the years. One such case was "Baby, It's Cold Outside," which was composed and initially performed by husband-and-wife, and gained instant popularity. Thus, the phrases and concepts are bound to that time period and should not have our modern behavior superimposed on top of them. For a woman (even girlfriend or fiance) to spend the night at her suitor's home was still culturally frowned upon at that time, which is where the play of the song originates.<br />
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Second, a reading of the lyrics demonstrates that the woman <i>wants</i> to stay the night, but is conflicted by the social customs and expectations of the day. Hence, it is a consentual relationship in which two people are torn between staying together and being pulled apart. The oft-questioned phrase, "What's in this drink," is then best understood as an almost-self-depricating-and-humorous self-awareness, much the same as was common phrasing at the time whenever someone was less-inhibited due to 'a few too many.' <i style="font-weight: bold;">It is sad that we would rather assume and impose our world upon what was a different world once-upon-a-time.</i> No, I'm not claiming that life in 1944 was perfect, but there was a shared cultural morality that frowned upon premarital sexual relationships, which one might need to explain in our contemporary society, where such things are laughed at by the voices in our culture.<br />
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The second song that is getting roughed up on the Christmas playground is "Mary, Did You Know? (1991)" I suppose that a good amount of the push-back here is due to a lot of overplaying that has happened with this song since it first gained widespread popularity. That's understandable, but the last couple of years – and especially in 2016 – it has become a popular move to offer a <i>theological</i> challenge to the intended meaning of this song. From internet memes to social commentaries in blogs and articles, the knee-jerk reaction is simply paraphrased: <i>Yes! Mary did know! So, shut up!</i><br />
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Aside from perhaps some people hearing this song too many times in the December rotation, I really don't know why there is such pushback to this song. Probably this is another example of simply not reading the lyrics. The criticism of the song is based on the fact that Mary was told by Gabriel that her child would be the Messiah, and she sings in <i>The Magnificat</i> that this child will be great, sans the specifics that are mentioned in the modern song. That is to say: Yes, she knew that her child would be great and messianic, but there is little more than that in her self-stated 'knowledge' of what was happening. A longer reading of the Gospels shows that she did struggle with parts of Jesus' messianic role – she <i>knew</i> that he was to be God's Messiah, but she apparently <i>didn't know</i> what sort of Messiah he was going to be. We have no reason to think that Mary had a radically different understanding of messiahship than did everyone else in Second Temple Judaism.<br />
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Also to keep in mind here is that "Mary Did You Know?" is designed to be a <b>reflection</b> piece, centered on the <b>mystery of the Incarnation</b>, so that we too might ponder these things and treasure them in our hearts as well. Perhaps we miss out on this because so little of modern Christian worship involves reflection and meditation on the mystery of faith. The church in our culture, by and large, think of mystery as a riddle to be solved, not a person to be explored. Thus, we quickly get off on the wrong foot. No, this song isn't perfect theology, but it is a start – and it does seem to capture a lot of what people think about surrounding this Christ-child.<br />
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Again, there are more songs in question – some are genuinely poor, in musical quality and/or theology. But the endless complaints and manufactured irritation and criticism needs to go away, especially from those voices that are in the church. Christmas is indeed a significant season, and the gospel message that shines through the nativity ought to have teeth to it. But the Christmas songs are not the right battlefeld, and we ought to be doing more that is reflective of the Savior who has come.<br />
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There you have it – my <i>Stop the Insanity</i> plea for Christmas 2016.<br />
<br />
<i>Listen to that fireplace roar ...</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-44710203378975276542016-11-09T23:33:00.002-05:002016-11-09T23:33:36.062-05:00you don't have to explain this one<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."</i><br />
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<i>Isaiah 1:18</i><br />
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In the overnight hours the news came that our nation had elected our next President, thus bringing to a close another election cycle that had long grown weary and tired. To some degree or another, every election season wears on the American people and brings families, friends, and communities to feverish debate over which candidate will be the best in moving forward. This year the election is being called <i>historic</i>, for the presidency has gone to someone with no prior political or governing or military experience, and who has defied the odds put up by those who thought he had no legitimate chance of winning.<br />
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There have been fifty-eight presidential elections in our nation's history, and this is not the first time scandal, corruption, and immoral behavior have tainted the candidates. I am not a historian enough to know if these items have ever before been such a considerable factor for <i>both</i> candidates throughout the process, but at least in my lifetime this is unique. As a Christian pastor I have spent a considerable amount of time considering, speaking about, and listening to the moral issues that have surrounded this election and the persons involved. And I have had many conversations with Christian men and women who have labored and thought and prayed over how best to handle the choice between these two. From my finger-in-the-water sense of it, this has not been an easy road for many.<br />
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And now that it is over we are entering into the post-election onslaught of second-guessing, lamenting, and even moralizing. Let me say that I understand the general sense of frustration and uncertainty that presently exists, and even that there are some who are taking the results of this election rather personally. What is more, I have seen enough to know that such reactions are part and parcel for the days and weeks after an election (then it usually gets 'back to normal' after that). As we stand at this particular point of our history, however, the nature of the questionable moral character of the President-Elect has made for some very sharp criticism of him, and for those who voted for him.<br />
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There are many levels of this aspect of the election that need to be examined, but this post will only be able to deal with one in particular: the moral superiority of many Christians who are choosing to be overly critical of other Christians who voted for Donald Trump. Of course, there are many self-identified Christians in our country who aren't particularly serious about their faith, or who aren't necessarily 'biblical' in their worldview. Perhaps we can set this sub-group to the side for a moment. But, based on the statistics, there are many men and women of biblical faith who have cast their votes for the President-Elect.<br />
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And now the questioning has been set loose on all the country: <i>Why? How could you? What are you thinking? Do you not even care about what the Bible says?</i> These are some of the sentiments that have been running across my social media feeds throughout the day. The vast majority of these comments are not intended to hear and understand, but to express disappointment and frustration. I have rolled right on by most of these because they are emotive reactions. There have been, however, a couple of times today where I have the statement that evangelicals who cast their vote for Trump <i>"have some explaining to do</i>."<br />
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I am beside myself that some self-appointed moral authority has decided to call out other believers to justify their choice, as though we answer to some national spiritual parental presence. Even still, this is not the language of understanding, but of accusation for doing something that is so clearly in the wrong – this coupled with the conclusion that just over half of our nation has gone off the rails in that they would even think of voting this way in the first place. This is not the language of reason, and it is a fundamental truth that one cannot reason with emotion. However, you can <i>respond</i>, and that is what I feel I need to do here.<br />
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Rather than passing judgment from one believer to another, let us reason together what happens when there is a choice between two people (no, third party candidates are not viable to this election and very few were under the impression that they were). The Republican primary cycle was quite interesting, for a few reasons. One of the more fascinating pieces is that Trump won states that had 'open' primaries (in which people from any party could vote on the Republican ticket), and did not win states that held 'closed' primaries (where only registered Republicans could participate in the vote). American Evangelicals, for the most part, tend to be socially and politically conservative, and so their role in the primary process is worth considering. Without getting into a sea of nuance and overly-justifying every statement, suffice it so say that conservative evangelicals in large part were not in overwhelming support of Trump. This warming-up to the Republican nominee started to happen when other viable candidates had fallen by the wayside.<br />
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Where I live, the primary race was decided before we had a chance to cast our ballots. And so, between those who voted for another person in the primary or who had no choice to cast a meaningful vote in the primary, there were a good number of American Evangelicals who were left between two people with whom they had serious issues of moral and political leadership and character. But – and this is important – November 8 came anyway, and these were the names before our country. This is where the prayer and consideration really hits hard: some will say 'Never Hillary' and I can understand that as a reason; some will say 'Never Trump' and I can understand that as a reason; some will find some virtue in her and in him and, though I strongly question this, I can understand this as a reason; some will refrain from voting for either, and I can understand this as a reason.<br />
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Add to this the social and political climate that has been over the past six months, not only among the candidates themselves, with their brash talk and manipulative speech. I find it fascinating that the moralizing voices that are calling fellow believers to <i>explain themselves</i> and their choices, that any attempt to have a serious discussion about these candidates up to this point has been met with dismissive attitudes and demeaning response. It is hard to have a reasonable conversation about issues and candidates when the very mention of either candidate brings eye-rolling, scoffs, and an overall dismissive response. Speaking politics in the realm of the church community has become tense and fearful and divisive. Believers have allowed modern politics to divide the church quite easily, and our fellow brothers and sisters who struggled with how to live out their faith in this election might very well have appreciated a place where we could edify one another instead of looking down upon those with whom we disagree.<br />
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<i>Now</i> is the time for these to offer explanation? No. Within the church community the time to hear one another every day. And those who are stunned by this election and who cannot comprehend why so-called evangelicals could cast their votes <i>en masse</i> for Donald Trump are simply not hearing the frustration with the <i>issues</i> that is plaguing the church today. You see, this is not a simple issue of checking-a-box – a great many of our fellow believers struggled with this through and through. I know that I have wrestled with this election each time it has crossed my television, radio, mailbox, and conversation.<br />
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The Christian knows that we live before Almighty God, who sees into the human heart. When we are right and when we are wrong he knows our thoughts and our motives. He understands our struggles and our entanglements, and he loves us just as we are. And our Creator is the only one who can rightly judge the individual for what has been done, thus making him the only one who ever requires explanation. All other attempts to push this issue are simply the feeble acts of moral superiority that strip us of our humility in all of this and attempt to give us the role of examiner.<br />
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No, you need not explain yourself for any of the votes you cast on any level of your ballot. This is not only the virtue of the American system, but also the moral reality that is before Almighty God. But you do need to live your life tomorrow, the next day, and every day that he gives you breath, and you do need to walk in a way that honors the rightful king of the universe. Elections are neither the problem nor the solution – they are events that can reflect and affect the climate of our culture. As for what we do with them as believers, this begins with the simple truth that we will never find political answers to spiritual problems. Electing the "right person" will never achieve that which is given to the church as a daily exercise in making disciples of all nations with the continuing presence of Christ Jesus.<br />
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Perhaps once we have begun to truly rely on his kingship, beyond the snarky internet memes, we will stop the over-dramatizing of fear and loathing and dread that make us all look like a hopeless lot. Fear drove both of these campaigns, and believers were wrong to get swept up in it. Fear is now driving a lot of the response to who won (it would have been the same from the other side), and believers are wrong to get swept up in it. <i>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)</i><br />
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Let us as a church not betray the love that we have experienced because we have disagreed with many of our brothers and sisters in how they voted – either direction. If we cannot work in genuine love, devoid of self-aggrandizement and backhanded moralizing, then we have surrendered the unity of the Holy Spirit to the empty shell of political power. <i>"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)</i><br />
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It will be an incredible experience for the American Christian to realize that he really isn't surrounded by bad or stupid people – it's just that evangelicalism seems to be hurting from what we've allowed our church experience to become. And there is so much more when we all surrender everything we hold dear – even our candidates and elections – to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord, to which all else is abandoned to the dustbin of eternity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-38931956307047227192016-11-01T17:45:00.003-04:002016-11-01T17:45:33.020-04:00according to the Spirit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"... who do not live according to the flesh buy according to the Spirit ..."</i><br />
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(Romans 8:4)<br />
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In his recent book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Destroyer-gods-Early-Christian-Distinctiveness/dp/1481304739/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478033554&sr=8-1&keywords=destroyer+of+the+gods" target="_blank">Destroyer of the Gods</a></i>, Larry Hurtado explores the uniquess of early Christianity, specifically the oddities of this new movement in the context of the Roman Empire. In this post I wish to focus on one distinction in particular: <b><i>a new way of life.</i></b><br />
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Among the 'cafeteria' of belief systems that made up the Roman world, one of the pieces that made the early church stand out is the emphasis on a collective commitment and a standard approach to living. There was an intentional focus on shaping social behavior that often went straight against accepted practices of the day – often in radical departures of typical society. This community was committed to a lifestyle that demonstrated the truth of the gospel in every dimension of life. This wasn't always a simple or easy discussion – often matters could quickly become complex, as can easily be seen in the New Testament and early Christian documents.<br />
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The Christian life was a demanding endeavor, at many times becoming dangerous for those who chose such a radical departure from their traditional culture (not simply martyrdom, but the harassment and social pressures that surrounded this emerging alternative culture of the church – see Hurtado, 184–186).<br />
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"Furthermore, I repeat that believers were to take on the demands of Christian behavior immediately upon their initiation as Christians, with the promise given that they could be enabled for this behavioral effort by divine gift" (171).<br />
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The message of the church is that discipleship is a challenging path, but also that each believer is given power by the Holy Spirit to take on the journey. There is no apology for the standards that are upheld by this church community, no timidity in the face of believers who fail to achieve them, and no accommodation considered when the pagan culture scoffed, threw stones, or walked away. Why not?<b><i> Because the church based their moral standard on the Lordship of Christ Jesus over and against any philosphy, public opinion, or power that claimed an alternate truth.</i></b><br />
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This is what is entailed for the community of faith to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. This is one of the major distinctives of the early church, that they would hold out behavior requirements to their members, but to then also provide the basis of power to observe such requirements. It is the <b>one decision</b> that seems to underscore every choice that is given to humanity: to choose this day whom to serve. It is a choice of blessing and curse, obedience and disobedience, holiness and sinfulness, life and death, Christ or the world.<br />
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Perhaps the most powerful aspect of human moral behavior is our own sexuality. This is an oft-discussed topic in scripture, and the world always seems to be filled with all sorts of conflict around this issue. Our nation continues to debate human sexuality and moral behavior, though often in twisted and politically-charged dialogue. And this has moved into the church, were increasingly believers are accepting worldly attitudes over biblical argument. In fact, much of the biblical message and its proper context is ignored for the simple mantra of "just love everyone no matter what" as the best the church can offer.<br />
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Of course, this can hardly be identified as radical behavior, and nobody in our world is going to think such a position is that odd – namely, becuase this is all that that progressive cultural voices tell us we should do in the first place. Oddly enough, those who shout JUST LOVE! to anyone who advocates moral standards frequently do not exhibit the love and acceptance and supposed-tolerance that they themselves demand. Those who have been paying attention for the last thirty–sixty years have noticed that the progressive agenda has marched right along, and the demands for JUST LOVE! are simply a means of disengaging the moral voices from legitimate reason and argument in order to give way to push forward their way of life without interference.<br />
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The present state of the church is showing that such an approach has indeed had its intended effects. Increasingly, believers are taking their cues for standards of moral belief from the standpoint of worldly acceptance rather than from the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God. It is no longer about discerning the Spirit's voice through prayer and study. Rather, it is about feeling as though we love everyone and have our society's approval for the message we proclaim. <b>We do not need the Holy Spirit to empower us as believers, because we do not accept a standard of moral behavior that is demanding and radically subversive to our culture.</b> To say it another way: we do not experience the Spirit because we do not walk in ways that require the Spirit's empowerment. It is a rather small faith that we exhibit in the midst of our culture – and we do not have because we do not ask.<br />
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Historically, the church has not always been a radical counter-cultural force determined to live gospel-centered lives in a radical manner. Of course, these are the times when the church also does not exhibit a dynamic presence of the Spirit working in and through the community of faith. We might tend to overlook this, though in our modern world there are many believers across the globe who are presently caught up in the Spirit's empowerment, giving them an effective witness through their counter-cultural lives, their distinct moral behaviors, and even at the great costs of harassment, imprisonment, disownment, and martyrdom. Yet, these are the believers who demonstrate what it means to participate in a kingdom not of this world, and to the rightful king who sits on the throne of the universe, presently enacting his reign.<br />
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Does the American church any longer have <b>a new way to live</b>, or are we simply looking to rubber-stamp the way we want to live anyway? Recent events have clearly demonstrated culture's influence on the American church culture, leading certain voices to declare 'holy' what scripture affirms as 'unholy,' for no other reason than we need to JUST LOVE! as though we've nothing else to offer the world. And yet we have in our midst the words of eternal life, and there still remains no where else to find them than in this gospel. Such is a <i style="font-weight: bold;">transformative</i> message that challenges the voices of the world and exposes their narrative as idolic mythology, shining the light of truth into the darkness.<br />
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Do we as the American church need the Holy Spirit to do what we are doing?<br />
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Is there more beyond the horizons of this world?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-37410520041256602582016-08-24T12:41:00.005-04:002016-08-24T12:41:47.288-04:00peace and war<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Blessed are the peacemakers,</i></div>
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<i>for they will be called children of God.</i></div>
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<i>Matthew 5:9</i></div>
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Jesus once spoke a blessing upon those who would work to bring about peace in this world. This was no starry-eyed platitude, expressing the niceties of a beauty pageant or second-rate political campaign. It was rather a declaration set within the context of God's kingdom making its way into our present experience. The notion of <i style="font-weight: bold;">peace</i> was central to the Jewish concept(s) of the messianic kingdom that was to be established on the earth (Isaiah 9:5–6; Zechariah 9:9–10). And so, Jesus is commending those whose lives will demonstrate the reality of God's rule by working to bring about peace.<br />
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We should remember that Jesus also commends those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt. 5:5), and so would envision the peace of God's reign to come in the context of justice in our world. So, again, this peace cannot be taken on the level of throwing pennies in a wishing-well, but rather the demonstrable outworking of the ethics of God's kingdom in a way that <b>establishes</b> peace and righteousness as a reality for the poor and oppressed among us.<br />
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It is interesting that Jesus would give to his followers the task of establishing a righteous peace in the world, for he lived in a world that was saturated with systems and images of worldwide peace. The empire that ruled the day would idealize a <i>Pax Romana</i> (Roman peace), an achievement that was believed to validate the Roman's right to rule, so given by the gods who had blessed their expansion and influence. In many ways <i>Pax Romana</i> was indeed a great accomplishment, especially in a world that had never been without constant tribal wars and conflict among regional leaders. And to bring about such peace not only gave demonstration to the superiority of Roman culture, it also demonstrated the legitimacy of Roman power.<br />
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The Romans believed that peace was established when their empire was able to conquer a region and put down any rebellion that opposed their rule. Perhaps this was the first example of the <i style="font-weight: bold;">peace-through-strength</i> model of governance (though that phrase has taken some variation throughout history). The idea of <i>Pax Romana</i> was not pursued as some utopian desire for worldwide friendship, but rather for the unashamed benefit of Rome itself, especially those in positions of power and leadership within the empire.<br />
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When Jesus calls his disciples to be peacemakers, he is making a summons to do so in contrast with the powers that be in the world – those who would so narrowly-define peace as 'we win, you lose' and use their might to get their own way. And Jesus does not teach us this in the context of running empires or influencing the masses. Instead, his words are spoken to the few that will follow the demands of discipleship and will work in their interpersonal relationships to transform individuals with the presence of his kingdom of righteous peace. He knows that this will not bring an immediate change to the culture – empires are not toppled overnight – but he also knows that politically-enacted change will not endure.<br />
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In the current political climate of American evangelicalism, the notion of being a peacemaker has taken a back seat to a gospel driven by influence and cultural significance. We have been convinced that we are in the throws of a crisis, and that the only way forward is to get as much control as we can as quickly as possible. Obtaining this sort of power is how we can save ourselves, keep the world from disaster, and establish our <i><b>peace</b></i>.<br />
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When we examine the current state of our presidential political campaign, there are many within the church who are choosing to find the one person who will secure this sort of strength within our government to establish the nation we think is best for ourselves. Never mind the moral failures, disregard the dishonesty, and look past the plans that isolate us from one another, our behavior appears to say that there are more pressing matters today than whether or not we will live for the gospel. Perhaps once we have secured our own liberty and peace, then we can consider Jesus' teachings of love for one another. It is much easier to join movements that fight for power and control of a nation than to be a people who carry the transformative change of the gospel to individuals who are hurting, poor and oppressed.<br />
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It seems that everyone wants to speak about where we go from here, and how we are going to make this work (or which of these is the lesser-of-two-evils). But nobody is interested in examining how we arrived at this point in the first place – our willing dismissal of the gospel is not a recent development, but rather a pattern of disregard that has been building to this moment of national moral crisis. This is why a church can be looking for conquering leaders and militant solutions, despite the fact that our Lord told us to speak and act in a radically different way.<br />
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The church needs to lay down the world's weapons of war, and become people who work for God's rule to take its place, one life at a time. Peace and life are found in this kingdom, not in the poor copies we have tried to make for ourselves. The Romans did not have a monopoly on running empires of military might, and we still must make the choice of which kingdom we will choose to be a part of, even if we self-identify as Christians. Our nation will not return from this brink until the people of God can return to the message of the gospel.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-51048781695587735852016-08-17T12:24:00.004-04:002016-08-17T12:29:49.222-04:00the Lion has roared<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>The Lion has roared —</b></i><br />
<i><b>who will not fear?</b></i><br />
<i>Amos 3:8</i><br />
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<br />
It has become a <i>foil</i> in the game of modern politics to suddenly ask a self-proclaimed Christian candidate about their 'favorite' verse of scripture. These answers are then replayed, combed over, and analyzed to find every pause or discrepancy imaginable. Incredibly, this approach works a good percentage of the time, even though everyone in the room knew that such a question was coming. And, after all, how hard is it to keep something like John 3:16 at the ready — actually, probably something slightly more nuanced to demonstrate intimacy with the text, but basic enough to have wide-appeal and to not become confused over the actual ignorance of the text. Nevertheless, this practice goes on, mostly because <b><i>Americans have allowed the Christian faith to become a rather benign political tool, aimed more at scoring points at the ballot box than transforming lives for the kingdom of God</i></b>.<br />
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In my lifetime alone there has been such a ridiculous handling of religious beliefs in the realm of politics: some candidates run as committed believers and are ridiculed for wanting to govern out of their core convictions; other candidates score points for going to church but never appearing strange-enough as to <i>pray</i> or <i>believe scripture</i>. In some cases, we want to expose the oddities of those who stand in nuanced religious tradition; for others, it is all about hiding the radicalism of their beliefs. There is no pattern here that does not reek of double-standards. And it continues forward because there is a public that still falls for it – every time.<br />
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By allowing faith to become a weapon of political warfare the American church has diminished the effectiveness of the gospel. When we draped the flag over the Bible we obscured its message; we have allowed our culture to become darkened by covering up the message of light.<br />
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And we are still playing games with scripture and belief. The same foils are being played out in an effort to determine who is can win "Most Christian Candidate" in this race. Those who work so hard to defend whether or not their chosen runner is able to speak intelligently about scripture do so while ignoring behavioral-patterns that are so wrong, Christian belief isn't even necessary to identify such as evil. (Now, based upon that description, you cannot presently tell if I am speaking of <i>him</i> or <i>her</i>. And that should speak volumes on its own!)<br />
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So, with all of this in the air I notice that political candidates don't take the opportunity to share their scriptural beliefs from certain areas of the Bible. The prophetic literature from Israel, for example, is widely ignored by those seeking office. This is somewhat calculated, no doubt (as is the whole campaign), for there would be questions about whether this person <i>actually</i> accepts prophetic speech as possible. And then there is the language of morality that pervades the message, though I am not entirely certain why it is easier to dismiss Jesus' teachings than the prophets, though it happens. But perhaps the biggest reason is that the prophetic literature is straightforward in reminding all the nations of the world who the real Sovereign is. And I think that most of those seeking political power in our nation today simply do not want to hear that.<br />
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But again, it is the people who enable such behavior in a culture such as ours. And we continue to play games with our faith, so long as it requires little cost or commitment from us. We want to do whatever we want to do, and find the quickest and easiest path to our own comfortable lifestyles. So, we choose the candidate that is best at destroying the opposition, believe that they are a Christian because they say so (that other candidate says so, but is lying!), and wait for the blessings of government to fall upon us. Repeat this every two–four years.<br />
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<b>It is not working.</b><br />
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Our ongoing dismissal of God's Word, even among most American evangelical churches, has brought our culture to the brink of ruin. There are many who will agree that there are widespread problems that we face as a nation, though the majority of these will still look to the corrupt powers of today to find the solution to those corrupt powers. Until we look to the Creator of heaven and earth we will not find the peace and salvation and life that we need. But this must be a commitment with the whole of our lives – walking away from the powers of this world and embrace the power of God's love.<br />
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The prophet Amos is a confrontation brought about by Almighty God, for his people had abandoned his ways and had decided that they knew what was best for themselves. However, what they saw as being <i>good</i> God sees as being <i>evil</i>, and he was on the move. Amos 3:4 asks, "Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?" The answer to this comes in 3:8: <i>The lion has roared — who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken — who can but prophesy?</i><br />
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In the same way I believe that Almighty God looks down upon our feeble attempts to govern ourselves, and our despicable behavior that turns his eternal Word into an impotent political instrument. And I believe he is done with the game. What we are witnessing in our culture — a society that is quickly losing its ability to tell its right hand from its left — is the coming to fruition of our choices to walk without God. The houses and the high places, the luxury and the liturgy, is all crashing down because we lost sight of him who stands at the center of it all (Amos 3:14–15).<br />
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It wasn't about whether the people of God could create impressive worship and sacrifice, just like it isn't about how good we can make ourselves <i>appear</i> to be devoted disciples. It is all about the work we carry out as we demonstrate our commitment. Unfortunately, the church will continue to be overtaken by these games, so long as we focus on winning the political battles (by any means necessary, no doubt) over the message of the gospel. God's word through Amos demonstrates that what he deems as <i>good</i> for his people "is of little significance within the national set of values (3:10)" (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Contexts-Amos-Prophetic-Latin-American-Perspective/dp/0567400271/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471450978&sr=8-1&keywords=carroll+contexts+for+amos" target="_blank">Carroll R.</a>, 190). The same remains true for us.<br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>So, if the Lion has roared, will we be terrified?</u></b><br />
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<i>Away with the noise of your songs!</i><br />
<i>I will not listen to the music of your harps.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>But let justice roll on like a river,</b></i><br />
<i><b>righteousness like a never-failing stream!</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Amos 5:23–24</i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-2254473703578479102016-08-09T17:23:00.001-04:002016-08-09T17:23:21.204-04:001989<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few years ago I sat listening to Charles Colson as he spoke about the challenge of Christian living in our world. The most memorable moment in the talk was when he spoke about the fall of the Berlin Wall: <i>"<b>In the summer of 1989 nobody expected that the Berlin Wall would be coming down, and by November it was being dismantled.</b>"</i><br />
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His main point in saying this was to encourage the faithful work of the church in the world, even when it appears that such work is not making a difference.<br />
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This is quite an important lesson for American evangelicals, who often become desperate for certain victory that they are willing to do all sorts of things in order to <i>win</i> the short battle. This behavior arises out of the frustration of making no apparent headway into the cultural wars that confront the church. When we feel as though our efforts to live our faith are not changing the world, so often we decide to change our course of action and consider alternative means. This ought to raise the question: <b><i>To whom is the church listening?</i></b><br />
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If we come to think that our faithfulness to the gospel is in vain, then we are being influenced by voices that do not align with God's Word. Within scripture the single evaluation of the church's effectiveness is faithfulness to Christ Jesus. It is when the church begins to listen to the world that we forget to focus on what really matters. It is no secret that the vast majority of media is engaged in a full-on assault on traditional Christian values. Yet, somewhat surprisingly, many in the church still give credence to the reports of the church's diminishing that are published by this overly-biased media.<br />
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But even if we were to take a look at the many negative trends in our modern culture, regardless of the media's biases, it is clear that the church's voice in our nation suffers a lack of influence. There are so many struggles within our culture that it can be discouraging to think about all that must be confronted. And, once again, this is when believers can be most susceptible to winning the world by speaking and acting as a moralized version of the world's ideals. We must resist this desire and remember that our calling is to be faithful to the gospel in all things, regardless of whether we win or lose in the public square.<br />
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At any given point leading up to November 1989 the leadership of our nation, who were strongly opposed to the Soviet regime and the Berlin Wall, could have used military might to break down the wall by force. However, this would have caused much more damage and destruction, and such conflict never broke out. Instead, the pinging of the rock-hammer against that wall continued until it cracked and crumbled.<br />
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The work of the church so often feels as though trying to break through a seemingly indestructible wall with nothing more than a rock-hammer – too small of an impact to make the difference. And yet, we do not know what lies just beyond the horizon of our present gaze — that which God is going to accomplish in <i>his</i> time, by <i>his</i> power, through the faithfulness of Christ Jesus at work among his people. And this understanding, seen throughout the course of history, ought to quiet the worldly desires among the believers that we might place our confidence in Almighty God alone.<br />
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If we are focused on our faithfulness to the gospel, then we will not be overcome by the victories and defeats that we will experience in our work. For God will give us enough for today, whether that be in the provision of daily bread or in the coming of his kingdom to the earth.<br />
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When Moses stood before the people of Israel, who were preparing to enter into the promised land, he encouraged them to be faithful to the covenant, and promised them the presence of God that would go before them: <i>Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. <b>You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.</b> But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed</i> (Deuteronomy 7:21–23).<br />
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God's kingdom will be established in his time, not according to our political schedules. The work of the kingdom does not operate on four-year cycles, nor does the gospel's effectiveness depend upon legislative action, executive order, or judicial decree. And it is beyond time that the American evangelical movement be reminded of this, lest we surrender the demands of discipleship to the temporary fame and power of immoral men and women who seek to take advantage of the church's frustration and impatience. Whether or not the church wins politically is no longer relevant when we have lost the heart of the gospel in seeking such victory.<br />
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And we too will not win this nation in one sweeping movement, but little by little — through the work of transformed lives, in which a more lasting and significant change will occur. This is known as making disciples, which can have a powerful effect when taken seriously. (In the last twenty years the abortion rate has consistently fallen, not because of judicial reform, but through the efforts to strengthen the message of <i>life</i> in our country, though much work still lies before us.) The work of the Holy Spirit does not need government intervention to enact change, but it does call for the faithful partnership of the church to reach into the world.<br />
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Rather than giving in to the fastest paths to power — those things that are touted by our culture as significant, but which scripture so often holds in contempt — it is time for the church to return its focus on the transforming work of discipleship, that we may see changed hearts and renewed minds. Though it may appear to some as an insignificant step, in the eyes of faith it will be the pinging hammer that will, one day not far from now, be that which God uses to reduce the mighty walls of this world to a rubble.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-42447768539648471192016-08-08T12:19:00.001-04:002016-08-08T12:19:52.267-04:00from here to maturity: a discussion 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Thomas E. Bergler, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Maturity-Overcoming-Juvenilization-Christianity/dp/0802869440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463591887&sr=8-1&keywords=from+here+to+maturity" style="color: #274e13; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">From Here to Maturity</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. </span><br />
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<br />
In this final review of Bergler's book we examine the fifth and final chapter, the stated purpose of which is "... to explain a process that congregations can follow to move from where they are to spiritual maturity" (113). Hence, this last piece seeks to set down a foundation for the work of creating an atmosphere in the local church culture where spiritual growth and maturity might take place. The process can be summarized in simple steps: <i>assess, create, implement, monitor</i>. Of course, these are worked out in the chapter itself, but I will not review them in detail here.<br />
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One specific area of interest is Bergler's discussion on <i>Maturity on Sunday Morning</i> (120–123). The culture that is created in those things said and done, along with those things <i>not</i> said and done, is crucial to the work of creating an atmosphere of spiritual maturity and growth. This is counter-cultural to many of the trends of modern evangelicalism, which tend to be concerned with entertainment-based appeals to the crowds rather than spiritual discipline. "Although it is probably impossible to eliminate <i>all</i> negative or unintended messages in a congregational culture, it can be valuable to honestly assess what the dominant messages seem to be" (121).<br />
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This particular discussion revolves around three central roles that the church's weekly worship gathering has in promoting spiritual maturity (all of these are found on page 122):<br />
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"First, the teaching and preaching should regularly mention spiritual maturity."<br />
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"Second, the way we teach about worship and the metaphors we use to describe it should promote spiritual maturity."<br />
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"Third, the music and the leaders should promote maturity."<br />
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In each of these areas Bergler provides good challenge to thinking through the messages we communicate (whether it is our intention or not) during our week worship gathering. At the heart of this challenge is the question to church leaders: <i>Is a steady diet of our church's Sunday morning worship likely to produce a spiritually mature Christian?</i> (123).<br />
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So much of what happens in the modern evangelical worship service is individualistic, emotionally-driven, flimsy theology. In many ways the benchmark for Sunday success is set by feelings rather than by the Spirit. And this is why so many people feel as though they need to be "charged" or "refreshed" by their Sunday morning experience, in essence creating an idol from that experience than from the presence of Almighty God. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers the believer, renewing their strength as they wait upon the Lord. <b><i>No matter how emotional or impressive, there is no experience on earth – church or otherwise – that can replace the deepening relationship of discipleship found in Christ Jesus</i></b>.<br />
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Bergler is good to quote on this point: "Both social-science research and my own observations of Christians immersed in romantic spirituality urge me to conclude that slow-dance worship songs are drawing on American cultural scripts about romantic relationships from their emotional impact ... <b>Too many slow dances with Jesus may reinforce immature forms of the Christian life</b>" (132, bold is mine).<br />
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There are ways forward, but they will require a frank and honest look at ourselves, coupled with the determination to make serious change, in the face of those who will kick and scream against such efforts. But if we believe that the major problem is a lack of maturity, then we should not be surprised to be met with adolescent behavior when trying to challenge congregations to grow in their faith. There will probably always be part of us that will long for the days of our youth, but that does not mean it is right for us to hold on to our youthful behavior and ignore the demands of our faith in the present. Parents that do not grow up create children that have no concept of adulthood, and the same is true in our faith: disastrous results will come when we do not make serious disciples of one another in this life – indeed, disastrous results have already taken up residence in our culture.<br />
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One of the final challenges that Bergler provides is the (increasingly large) task of reaching into such a broken culture for the sake of the gospel. This will require effort on its own part, for we cannot simply wish these changes into existence. There will be resistance, but not all of it for bad reason. Immature people do not understand the process of growth, and so this can be a daunting and overwhelming path to face. Those who are going to help bring about this type of discipleship will need to work in building these bridges. Bringing people into the faith will require that they find their place in their world, as well as in the church community: "They will need to learn to be bilingual – to speak the language of their own culture, but also the language of Christian faith" (140).<br />
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If each person in the local congregation were to take seriously the call of making disciples – the specific work that Jesus gave to his followers – and took the opportunity to play their part in walking alongside one another, then we would see a dramatic impact in the life of the church, and a radical shift in how Christians can impact their world. Discipleship is no quick-fix or relational trend. Discipleship is, as Eugene Peterson would remind us, <i style="font-weight: bold;">a long obedience in the same direction</i>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-43680589798960830222016-08-04T15:50:00.001-04:002016-08-04T15:50:58.785-04:00from here to maturity: a discussion 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Thomas E. Bergler, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Maturity-Overcoming-Juvenilization-Christianity/dp/0802869440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463591887&sr=8-1&keywords=from+here+to+maturity" style="color: #274e13; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">From Here to Maturity</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. </span><br />
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In this next chapter (Chapter Four), Thomas Bergler turns the focus of maturity in the local church to the ministry of younger generations. Youth groups and youth cultures have had an enormous impact on the current state of American evangelicalism, as he has thoroughly reviewed in the first-step in this overarching discussion: <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Juvenilization-American-Christianity-Thomas-Bergler/dp/0802866840/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470338171&sr=1-1&keywords=juvenilization+of+american+christianity" target="_blank">The Juvenilization of American Christianity</a></i>.<br />
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At the outset of the discussion the author states the rather vital premise to understanding the dynamics of youth church culture: <i style="font-weight: bold;">"No model of youth ministry or set of practices can substitute for a congregation-wide commitment to young people"</i> (82). This is it; here we find the center of the issue of the modern state of the church in regards to it lack of spiritual maturity. For a few generations it has become commonplace for the local congregation to segment off various groups away from the primary work of the body of believers. Nowhere has this been more apparent than with the youth culture.<br />
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(However, as this practice has taken root, and time has accompanied the generations of churchgoers to become more comfortable with this, there are now segments of the congregation for every age and stage of life. Conceivably, in a large enough local church, one could go cradle-to-grave without ever making a serious connection with believers who are significantly older, younger, (or in some cases) of a different economic level.)<br />
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Not only has this sort of segmentation hurt the unity of believers within the local church, but such an approach has been a primary factor in the lack of maturity among Christians in our culture. Hence, the challenge for the local congregation is <b>to live as one body of faith, working together as a community that is united by the Spirit</b>. From the discussion in Bergler's book it has become apparent that youth can be <i>devoted</i> to their faith without necessarily being found on the path to spiritual maturity (82f.). One wonders if this is a devotion to their particular segment of the local church (the youth group), while never being a significant part of the overall church life – in which case the devotion runs its course as their journey through youth group ends, leaving the average emerging adult without a sense of connection to the ministry of the church.<br />
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Yet, the research upon which Bergler draws, "... reveals that American teenagers can become spiritual mature <i>while they are still teenagers</i>" (85, emphasis in original). Those congregations that are engaging their youth into the larger body of believers are the places where one is most likely to find a greater degree of spiritual maturity. It is the <b>integration</b> of youth into the life of the church that helps them bear the marks of spiritual growth and development. The reasons for this should be somewhat self-evident, as the benefit of learning from those who have godly wisdom helps to guide the younger generations into the work and ministry of the local church. Too often this type of <i>wisdom culture</i> is haphazardly shoved to the side in favor of the excitement of a ministry that more readily appeals to the lingering youthful desires in emerging adults.<br />
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And yet, feeding these immature desires has just as much of a damaging effect on the individual (and community) as any other behavior or desire. While there is a certain happiness and self-satisfaction derived from a worship experience that is filled with entertainment, in the end it accomplishes little in preparing individuals for the challenges and difficulties of adult life. In other words, a constant youth-emphasis may be fun, but cannot begin to have an impact in a world filled with adult-sized problems.<br />
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So, "... because youth are integrated into the congregation, they come to see the church as their church. Young people become active contributors to the church's intergenerational culture of spiritual maturity" (90). <br />
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There are many fears that may arise against those who wish to move toward this type of community life. The general fear of losing control over the way things have always been typically arises – and there are endless examples of the next generation of church leadership making radical changes with little-to-no regard for the traditions of this local community. Yet, I wonder if this would not be the case if there was in fact a connection between the generations, where the emerging leaders would already have a knowledge and respect for those things that are truly important to this community. This is not to say that there will never be a need for change (even big change), but rather that the dynamics of such will be tempered by a community that encompasses all believers.<br />
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A different type of fear may be that the lack of excitement will lead to a lack of attendance in worship, since this is the music and this is the style that 'reaches young people.' There is little weight that can be given to such an argument, not least of which is that the worship of Almighty God does not need to be dressed up in flashy attire, and all of our attempts to do so look quite pathetic in light of his dynamic presence. Additionally, if the entire discussion about the younger (emerging) generations of American evangelicalism is severely lacking in maturity and belief, then it is somewhat absurd to hold fast to the very system that has facilitated our current dilemma. As the axiom goes, <i>Your current system is perfect for achieving your current result</i>.<br />
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There are other fears that we could mention, but they all will fall into the same boat – namely, that there is no room for fear in the ministry of Christ's church. This community ought to be driven by his love, over and against our fearfulness (cf. 1 John 4:18).<br />
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Bergler completes this chapter with a focus on the need for serious theological discussion and exploration throughout the church community, specifically for the following two reasons:<br />
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1. "... theology provides the basic truths and principles of discernment that every mature Christian must embrace." (112)<br />
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2. "... theological reflection can help church leaders identify the barriers to spiritual maturity in their congregation." (112)<br />
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Ultimately, this is a discussion about <b>discipleship</b>, which is the work of every believer to engage with every other follower of Christ. If we take this seriously in the working out of our faith, then we will see a significant change in the spiritual growth and maturity of all who participate in our communities of faith. This, I believe, will require a change of direction among individual believers and our interactions with one another, as well as institutional change that better facilitates these aims through the overall structure and mission of the church.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-32351346285975952452016-08-03T23:42:00.000-04:002016-08-03T23:42:08.618-04:00den of robbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Stand at the gate of the LORD's house and there proclaim this message:</i><br />
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<i>"Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates and worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!' If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.</i><br />
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<i>"Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, 'We are safe' – safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD."</i><br />
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(Jeremiah 7:1–11)<br />
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Though written centuries ago to a specific people, these words are strikingly applicable to our modern society. In the face of a political and military threat that loomed on the horizon, the message of Jeremiah is incredibly inward-focused. Instead of trying to deal with the foreign problem, the word of God instead examines the actions and attitudes of his own people. The nation that was selected out of all of the other nations to carry the covenant is now at risk of losing the privilege of the presence of God in their midst. All is not lost – not yet. There remains the hope that this people will return to Yhwh, though it will require a radical change of behavior to break the status quo.<br />
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Those who who are self-serving and deceptive will not facilitate the divine presence. Even when they rush into the house of the Lord their worship will not be acceptable. There is no place for those who give lip-service to the presence of God without enacting his justice and righteousness to those who are poor and oppressed. <b><i>Those who oppress others cannot be the people of God, no matter how great their acts of liturgy.</i></b> Those who work to embody the kingdom of God – who hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness – are those who will remain in God's presence.<br />
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What had become of the people of God in Judah is that they accepted the belief that they were safe under divine protection, even when they did not live according to the covenant. They shrouded their immoral behavior with the words of faithfulness – hollow words that might have been powerful statements of faith, if they were recited with meaning. Whatever one needed to do in order to make it through this life was increasingly accepted, so long as you could 'tip your cap' to values that sounded good and a worship that gave the outward impression of fidelity.<br />
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Instead of the temple facilitating the presence of God, affecting a broken world with righteousness, it had itself become defiled by the pagan practices that had infected the nation. When Isaiah stood in the temple as unclean, it was the divine presence that transformed him, touching his lips with fire from the altar to make him clean. The work of holiness in the temple was to make a holy people who could carry that holiness to the world. Isaiah's vision has broken apart in Jeremiah's reality, and the temple was no longer a place of holiness, because the covenant had been disregarded by God's own people.<br />
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When Jesus cleared the temple he enacted a warning of judgment upon a people who refused to follow God's way. They too had become ensnared with self-serving political games that led to physical, economic, and spiritual oppression. The people of God were trying to live by the sword of that day's power, shrouding their behavior with the traditions of the covenant. A faithless rendering of a religion that had become a way for the powerful to enact their influence. Jesus declared that this temple which was to be a house of prayer had become instead a den of robbers (Matthew 21:13). With this declaration he points to the reality that Isaiah's vision had become Jeremiah's reality yet again among the people of God.<br />
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As history examines our own nation and our current battles, one cannot help but fear that the same ruin might be at the end of our current road. The focus for such a theological critique must be the church, which is currently struggling on its own identity within our culture. The present political cycle has shown that there are many who are willing to play the political games that promote the powerful and leave many trampled as a result, and yet still give lip-service to the gospel. Instead of going around proclaiming, "This is the temple of the LORD!," we are told to rest assured in that this is "A Christian nation! A Christian nation! A Christian nation!"<br />
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But without the presence of God's justice and righteousness there is no gospel. Without the care for the poor and the oppressed, without the bolstering of peace over the shedding of innocent blood for the sake of achievement and prosperity, there is no gospel. And a political process that is so corrupted by hatred, lies, threats, anger, militarism, and self-salvation leaves no room for the gospel.<br />
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So, why would a people who claim to be disciples of Jesus so willingly support and moralize such a corruption of morality and righteousness? In some cases this may simply be a misunderstanding of the gospel, or a different understanding of how to live as the kingdom of God in the world. But, by and large, when so many who claim to be the church embody such worldly means of winning power and securing influence, even at the expense of leaving so many in physical, economic, and spiritual oppression, something is seriously wrong. And the greatest threats to who we are do not lie outside of ourselves, but in who we have become – hiding our godless behavior behind hallow words of worship.<br />
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Do we have any reason to think that the words of Jesus' judgment on the temple are so far removed from who we have become?<br />
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Will we listen and renew our hearts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-81456046515644903132016-07-21T15:38:00.000-04:002016-07-21T15:38:04.757-04:00that hideous strength<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlUEB4oYzOfC9Ocp1Hsk5ByRamLmpRBpL-CDlVHnXDzNX6wIYPu3QBluwq6hIZfo-g5xqiedMMZTPxilXtHosmomlNMDqZJP1-ok7yBk3i-94hvk4OebMEGwmqUDqqzhMyAB-t27M6J93/s1600/davis1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlUEB4oYzOfC9Ocp1Hsk5ByRamLmpRBpL-CDlVHnXDzNX6wIYPu3QBluwq6hIZfo-g5xqiedMMZTPxilXtHosmomlNMDqZJP1-ok7yBk3i-94hvk4OebMEGwmqUDqqzhMyAB-t27M6J93/s320/davis1.png" width="320" /></a>As he sat alone on the island, exiled from the mainland of the empire, John had a vision of what must soon take place. He composed his work apocalyptically – a manner given to those who will have eyes to see and ears to hear a revelation through the Spirit of God. It is not so much that John had a series of dreams that would <i>predict</i> the final days before the end of the world, but rather that John saw a <i>depiction</i> of the increasing conflict between the kingdom of God and the peoples of the world, and all of the evils that challenge divine sovereignty and peace. He does not give us <i>timeless</i> messages, but rather <i>timely</i> truths – a worldview from God's perspective – intended to inspire faithful diligence and evoke terror at the prospect of God removing his presence from Creation.<br />
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At a certain point in the vision an evil trinity arrives on the stage: a dragon, a beast from the sea, and a beast from the land (Revelation 12–13). There is no doubt to the identity of the first, for John readily identifies the head of this wicked threesome as Satan himself, and leaves the remaining two to their descriptive traits as they mimic the divine Son and Holy Spirit. The description of the Sea Beast has brought about much discussion, the vast majority of which seems to focus on the wrong parts. Often there are attempted equivalents to some sort of antichrist figure, even though the Apocalypse never once uses that word. But in making this into a particularly sinister figure we are quick to think of the worst of the worst, most typically a figure such as Hitler. And once the figure did not bring about the end-of-the-world scenarios that are woven into these narratives, it is commonplace to think that someone much worse will fulfill the biblical text. In looking for these narrowly-defined super-villains, we are misreading the text and missing out on what is happening right in front of our eyes.<br />
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Embedded in this evil trinity is a way of life that has caused all sorts of people to be deceived by that which appears to be divine and good and <i>gospel</i>, but which is, in reality, a grotesque and hideous force that wages war against the Creator and brings destruction upon the earth. There are many who come and worship this Beast, and the one who has given it authority (13:4), and it rose to power and prominence for a season, convincing those many that they were in the right because of that initial success and its appearance of invincibility. All the while, this Apocalypse is working to warn us that <b>something very wrong</b> is taking place.<br />
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Of course, we think of ourselves as too sophisticated for mythical dragons and evil cosmic forces (even though our entertainment industry would tell a different story). But our society's saturation with mythological tales, along with our increasing desensitization to vulgarity and graphic violence, has brought the worship of this evil trinity into the center of our culture. We casually dismiss ancient tales of beasts and think they have no relevance for us today. And we who read the Apocalypse may think it absurd that any modern people would be lured into the worship of such monstrous figure as is described in this text.<br />
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And that's when the trap springs.<br />
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Let us remember that the vision of John's Apocalypse is <i><b>God's vantage point</b></i>, not ours – unless we are open to the Spirit to see through the eyes of faith. That is to say, nobody in their right mind would willingly give their worship and allegiance to such a hideous beast, let alone to a figure readily identified as Satan (or even some antichrist figure, if we were to find a description of one). But do we not move our commitment away from the gospel whenever we adopt worldly definitions of victory, success, and achievement? Do we not abandon our faith each time we pursue power and authority through the destructive and self-indulgent means? Have we not each become anti-christ in our lives when we choose to speak and act in ways that betray the sacrifice of the Lamb of God? Indeed, there appear to be many anti-christs among us (1 John 2:18).<br />
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And when you look around it appears that indeed <b>the whole world</b> is falling prey to the promises of success through militant power over-and-above the call to character in all things. Men and women are quickly showing their lack of integrity at the prospect of being on the winning side of some political-cultural struggle that, in reality, will lead us further down the path of destruction. Astonishingly, there have been many who self-identified with the kingdom of God grab hold of worldly ideals and methods, driven out of fear and anger rather than love, sacrifice, and compassion. Very few are choosing to stand this day on the characteristics of the kingdom, and are giving the living sacrifices of their lives over to a hideous and horrific evil.<br />
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This has become who we are because we did not open our hearts and minds to the Spirit of God, bur rather to the many voices that call us to a way contrary to the gospel. It is the third figure, the Land Beast, that goes out across the world to inspire worship and allegiance to the Sea Beast, that is echoed all over our nation today. We hear this summons from every corner, announced in our news, lauded by our politicians, glorified in our entertainment, and enacted in the brutality of politicized violence. This call to follow invites us each to make a choice; we must decide if we are going to overcome evil by finding ourselves a bigger thug, or if we will have the courage to act on the moral conviction and sacrifice of the Lamb.<br />
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Today, this battle is raging with great fury, and it has become difficult not to be swept away from the center of the gospel. The call of the world is loud and persuasive, a temptation not unlike Jesus' when Satan offered him victory without sacrifice (Matthew 4:8–10). Perhaps we believe that, even though we have temporarily suspended our commitment to the gospel (because the times are perilous), we will be able to reenact our faithful lifestyle once we have arrived. This is yet another lie that is woven into the narrative of those who seek to justify the world's means of power. Whenever we willingly align with that which is contrary to the gospel we do damage to ourselves and to others – often in ways that are irreversible – and we show that our trust does not rest in Almighty God alone.<br />
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There is a reason why the gospel demands sacrifice to self: surrender to a cruciform life is the only way to be conformed to the image of Christ, which will bring about a greater transformation to the world than every political promise could ever hope to achieve. We must learn the message of the Apocalypse that there is a victory much greater than that of politics – namely, the singular call to faithfulness that Christ gives to his church. He cares not that we are successful in the world's estimation, that we are ridiculed and narrow-minded and outdated by our culture, or that the outworking of our commitment is threatened by the laws of our land.<br />
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"This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people" (13:10). The only evaluation of the people of God found in the Apocalypse (or anywhere else in scripture, for that matter) is whether faithfulness to the gospel alone is their defining characteristic.<br />
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As the people of God, let us no longer lay our living sacrifices upon the altar of this evil trinity, adopting the methods and messages that prey on fear and inspire hate, clinging to a vicious cycle of power that unleashes destruction upon the earth. Perhaps we can quiet the noise of a thousand political voices screaming to be heard, enter into the silence of Word and Spirit, and once again hear his <i style="font-weight: bold;">still small voice</i>. For the Word spoken in that voice holds the power of Creation itself, bringing the universe into existence, and holding the power to restore all things in peace and love.<br />
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And so, John tells us, "This calls for wisdom" (13:18). Will we choose our path because of a thousand worldly voices calling to us, or will we follow along the narrow way that leads to life, to which the Spirit beckons each of us to come? In the vision that John had it was the Spirit and the Bride (church) that work together in saying, "Come" (22:17). It is very much a decision of life and death, and each person must now choose for themselves if it will be the wide road or the narrow path. It is with considerable anguish that I look around and see so many of God's people speaking and acting in ways that betray the gospel of Christ Jesus, all for the sake of winning an ill-fated cultural war – a shortsighted and temporary triumph of evil that will give way to the ultimate redemption of this world by its Creator.<br />
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"Whoever has ears, let them hear."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-84021831542143166612016-06-30T16:01:00.000-04:002016-06-30T16:01:15.411-04:00from here to maturity: a discussion 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbShhzGzy3SgH3pK8EcV9qsQEH3AQm5f0bg-NlQZpba2ycLWKKDfktotg3eX39vyuRP7JrENKb2pnyP_e5ydfsI8uhuz3VcVWdnr9ROEchyphenhyphenE8wT4nqO-r93XdV3nm33anKavxudg22HlM/s1600/measurement.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbShhzGzy3SgH3pK8EcV9qsQEH3AQm5f0bg-NlQZpba2ycLWKKDfktotg3eX39vyuRP7JrENKb2pnyP_e5ydfsI8uhuz3VcVWdnr9ROEchyphenhyphenE8wT4nqO-r93XdV3nm33anKavxudg22HlM/s320/measurement.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Thomas E. Bergler, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Maturity-Overcoming-Juvenilization-Christianity/dp/0802869440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463591887&sr=8-1&keywords=from+here+to+maturity" style="color: #274e13; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">From Here to Maturity</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #616161; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. </span><br />
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"A spiritual discipline is something I <i>can</i> do right now which will allow me over time to receive God's grace so that I will be able later to do something I <i>can't</i> do right now" (61).<br />
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Within this simple definition of spiritual discipline is the inherent idea that our faith is meant for us to make progress from a particular starting point. Being a disciple is to move, from wherever we find ourselves at a particular moment, towards the cross of Jesus, being conformed to his likeness. From this perspective, it seems that spiritual discipline ought to be desired among every believer (perhaps every person regardless of their faith commitment), for we all wish to become better at living in some capacity. And yet, the current state of the American church shows a culture that has drifted far from this simple discipleship ideal. In this modern quest for a relevant church experience, the measuring stick has become how many people are in attendance more than how many are being made into disciples.<br />
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[A slight rabbit-trail from Bergler's discussion: When the church decided to make the gospel more "relevant," does this mean to imply that the gospel had somewhere become <i>irrelevant</i>? Of course not, they would say. It is not about changing the gospel, but about making the church experience of it more relevant than outdated and outmoded forms of worship. And yet, the shifts that have been made from this perspective seem to have changed more of the gospel message than we care to admit – and the primary work of believers to be disciple-makers is at the forefront of this change. But, once again, we are pointed to the "success" of this newer approach in that many people are <i>attending</i>, regardless of the lack of depth in their experience. Perpetual adolescents indeed.]<br />
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Chapter Three of Bergler's text is meant to move the discussion forward about how we can approach the current state of affairs and introduce much-needed change. "Although no one intends it, the result can be that the process of spiritual growth seems complicated and possibly even inaccessible" (57). Here is part of the problem of getting back. It is unfortunate that the culture of discipleship in most churches is so lacking and so twisted that the entire notion of spiritual growth is quickly dismissed upon its mention, for that is something that will require too much from me – it is too lofty a goal. Interestingly, there are many within modern evangelicalism who will often speak and sing and tweet about how they have surrendered <i>their whole lives</i> to Christ Jesus, but will scoff at the simplest of commands to come and follow.<br />
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The perception that exists is that spiritual discipline is for popes, monks, nuns, and modern-day saints. Beyond this it is simply too high of a plane for the normal person. But even the encouraging words of Moses speak to the heart of our commitment today: <i>Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. t is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it (Deuteronomy 30:11–14)</i>. If we truly have a God that seeks to reveal himself to us, to conform us into his likeness, so that we might be everything that he has made us to be – loving us with an everlasting love – then why would we fall for the lie that following hard after him is too much for us to undertake?<br />
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One of the keys to spiritual growth in discipleship that Bergler points to in this chapter is that of <b>Vision</b>: not focusing on the means of spiritual growth, but rather keeping the goal as the center of focus (cf. 64f.). When we speak about the processes of discipleship it becomes easy for us to become overwhelmed by the daily work unless we see a particular goal. Nobody begins an exercise regiment for the sake of daily tasks, but rather with a mental image of what results can be achieved with the daily commitment that will be required. These many small steps become compelling only when the overall goal is sketched out in front of the individual. The same is true for any spiritual regiment. <b><i>We need the small steps of discipleship to make Christlikeness attainable, but we need to the image of the risen Jesus to make discipleship worthwhile.</i></b><br />
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Without going through the particulars of Bergler's suggested approach(es) in this chapter, let me simply point out that what is being advocated, above all else, in a genuine model of discipleship is a <b>change of heart</b>. This is an essential part of discipleship, initiating the process as well as being the end-result. The commitment of the heart is vital to the success or failure of being conformed to the image of Christ. It is a movement away from ourselves and into the presence of Jesus. Maturity in any area of life is when self-centeredness is abandoned and the giving of the heart is sincere. Marriages that have this succeed every time, while those that do not make this change-of-heart end in failure (and sometimes in divorce).<br />
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What is keeping the modern church from developing a mature faith? Only ourselves. To this point we may consider the author's words: "Self-deception often stiffens this resistance to change. We deceive ourselves into believing we love God first when in fact we love several other things just as much" (74). Until this change of heart can be introduced into the experience of the church, a generation of believers will be lost in a sea of immaturity and ineffectiveness. Discipleship demands that Christ Jesus is our one thing – not our one thing <i>more</i>. This self-denial is to be crucified with Christ, and sharing in his risen life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984100774133300865.post-67741060171936743672016-06-09T13:55:00.000-04:002016-06-09T13:56:52.440-04:00a liturgy 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>entroit</b></span></div>
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<i><b>Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; let the whole world tremble before him.</b></i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Psalm 96</span><br />
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Enter into this space and be still. Sit quietly and do not let your mind attend to other matters. This is not a time for our thoughts or our mouths to chatter, going along as though this were a rather ordinary (and perhaps mundane) event in our week. We should not casually enter this space, no matter how austere or plain it may appear to the casual observer. It matters not what this space may or may not be otherwise, this morning it has become holy ground, for this is where God will come to meet with his people gathered together. Do not profane the sacred by arriving in indifference.<br />
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The proper response to the anticipation of our gathering and his coming is to remain silent. The deep longings of the spirit should not be trampled upon by casual greetings and shallow conversation; the business we have with our brother and sister will keep until this moment has past, and the weather will remain even if we do not speak of it. There is a time and place for this sort of fellowship, but this is not it. In those brief moments of anticipation to where two or three will be gathered ought to be focused not on the gathering, but on the presence of the One who will come to dwell among them. It is for the Spirit of God that we wait, and the Spirit does not feel welcomed by those who are too distracted by things of a temporal nature – those should be left in the entry, where they may be taken up if they are still so pressing after we have plunged our souls into the depths of this coming presence.<br />
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Becoming quiet reminds us that this hour is not magical. We cannot simply choose to experience the supernatural because it happens to be a good time for us. Such thinking does not seek to dwell in the presence of the Almighty, but rather find a familiar-sounding incantation to sprinkle upon ourselves whenever we figure life could be improved. And so we rush from one activity to another, and then take a short detour into this gathering where we think that music is our worship, tithing our sacrifice, and the message our comfort. With the right words and sentiment, this becomes our ritual of magic – not intrusive, but there for when we need it.<br />
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Sitting in silence teaches us that we are unworthy to come into the presence of the Almighty. There is a descent of this reality that comes when we turn away from the noise that fills our lives. We do not accept silence very often in our lives – car radios are seldom off, televisions run well into the night, and a thousand advertisements for improving our lives bombard us at every turn. When we are surrounded by such noise we do not see ourselves as we really are, for we can divert our attention to something else. Blending this moment into the noise of culture does not transport us into the Spirit's presence. This is not a rock concert, this is not a circus show, this is not a campaign rally. The silencing of our heart and mind brings us back to reality, where we might hear him speak in his still, small voice.<br />
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So, when you enter into this space, be quiet and remain still. Do not come dragging the profanities of your life with you, thinking that this is a simple diversion that covers a multitude of sins that you aren't prepared to abandon. In this silence meditate in the wonderful anticipation that he is coming to meet with those who gather in his name, and that you have been summoned to come, yet cautioned against half-heartedness: <i>worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole world tremble before him</i>.<br />
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Contemplate your sacrifice, which is not the money in your pocket, or your service for the church, or anything else that you may bring with you. Your sacrifice is that which you could not produce, nor could you earn for yourself; it is your own life, from top to bottom, that you offer in this moment. And despite all of the cracks and flaws and dirt that tell the story of your imperfect journey, present yourself in beauty before your Maker, and allow him to bring your worship into his holiness. It is when we enter into the silence of this presence that we open ourselves up to where the Spirit desires to take us, which he will do when our gathered worship commences.<br />
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The proper response to the anticipation of our gathering and his coming is to remain silent.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0