A War on Christmas?

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the “War on Christmas.” You know the issue.  It is now politically correct to say “Happy Holidays” (aren't most holidays are happy?) or “Season’s Greetings” (aren't winter, spring, summer and fall all seasons?) rather than “Merry Christmas” (which has somehow become offensive to some). Calendars all label December 25 as Christmas, and most folks aren’t so offended by that that they refuse to take the day off.  Is that consistent?

That reminds me of Eric Vann, a guy who used to work for my Dad years ago. Eric was a Jehovah’s Witness and didn't believe in celebrating Christmas. So he always politely refused to contribute to boss’ Christmas present fund-- that was against his religion.  But Eric always politely accepted the Christmas bonus that Dad always gave his employees. Consistency is indeed a rare jewel indeed.

I've been intentionally listening and taking note this year while in stores, the bank, doctor’s offices (I’m seeing a lot of those lately) and the like.  Frankly, I've been hearing as many or more greetings of “Merry Christmas” as its more politically correct cousins. So what's all the hoopla?  So maybe Newport News isn’t much of a battlefield in the war on Christmas.

Is the "War on Christmas" one battlefield in a growing "War on Christianity?" Is our culture slowly but surely seeking to chip away at our faith and make being Christian unacceptable? I think the answer to that question is "Yes" and "No."  I think that Christianity's favored status as part of our historical heritage is indeed being chipped away. Remember the "Blue Laws" where they used to (by law) close all stores on Sundays.  When I was a kid, they didn't have school activities on Wednesday nights (so that kids could go to church). Those tips of the culture’s hat to Christianity are gone, and others may follow. More and more, we can longer display Christian symbols (crosses, nativity scenes, etc.) on public buildings. But then, neither can display a menorah or Star of David. That’s not a war on Christianity but a diverse culture seeking to treat all religions the same. It is likely that one day, churches will have to pay property and sales taxes on like everyone else.  I’m not happy about that, but that doesn't really strike me as an attack on my faith.

I think Christians need to get more and more comfortable in recognizing what has really always been true. When the Christian faith is consistently and persistently lived, it is never at the center of the culture; it is always a counter-culture. We live as people follow Jesus in this world but never part of this world (John 17:15-17). We follow Jesus outside the gate of respectability as we bear the scandal of the cross which He bore for us (Heb. 13:12-13). When we live by Christian principles, we will seem different from the world around us and people who are differently are routinely mistreated.

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:13-16)

The way to combat anti-Christian sentiment and behavior is to live so thoroughly and completely like Jesus that the slanders are silenced. We are to respond to the opponents of our faith with gentleness and respect. We are to be ready to give an answer to those who ask us about our faith, but we must not run recklessly into the midst of the culture wars. It is still true what G. K. Chesterton a generation ago, “It is not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting; it is rather that Christianity has been left untried.” If we show people a Christianity that looks and feels more like Jesus, we won’t have to defend ourselves nearly as much.

The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse

For the second year in a row, my sermon on Sunday came from Revelation. This year we looked at "It's a Long Way from a Manger to the Throne" and the picture of Christ reigning in Revelation 5. He is before the throne as all creation worships, "Worthy is the Lamb." He alone can open the scroll of the future, and when he does, the drama of the book begins. As the first four of the seals of the scroll are opened, the four living creatures before the throne cry out and in response appear the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

• A rider on a white horse appears with a bow and wearing a crown; he is a conqueror who has come in conquest.
• A rider on a red horse comes carrying a sword; he is given power to take peace from the earth.
• A rider on the black horse comes uses scales to measure grain sold for excessive prices indicating a time of famine.
• The last rider comes on a pale horse. This rider is named Death, and Hades follows behind him. He is given power to kill by sword, famine and plague.

These four riders represent the all too familiar progression—the conqueror brings war, war brings famine and famine brings death. This is what has happened throughout human history when man gives in to the lust for power.

What is the meaning of the vision? Have the four horsemen come to persecute the church? Do these thundering hooves begin judgment on Rome for her persecutions of Christians? Or do the four horsemen simply represent the ongoing consequences of man’s thirst for power? The precise details don’t matter as long as we understand—

• God’s people were being hurt by conquest, war, famine and death.
• Yet God reigns despite conquest and war and famine and death.

The church at the end of the first century was suffering tremendous pressure from Roman persecution. People were dying. Faith did not insulate them from the evil that existed in the world. There is no way for the "Health-and-Wealth" theology that is so popular today to reconcile itself with the fact that sometimes faithful people suffer despite their faith. Sometimes because of their faith.

But the story is not complete until we see the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse. Later in the book another rider thunders across John’s canvass, "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True." (Revelation 19:11). This rider brings justice and destroys the enemies of God with a sharp sword that comes out of His mouth. On his robe and thigh appear the name "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." The story of Revelation is not over until Jesus comes to bring justice. We may suffer because of the evil choices of others, but ultimate victory belongs to those who give themselves to serve the One who is Faithful and True.

It's Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Andy Williams croons that “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” And he's right. If you watched our family videos (which I can’t because we no longer own a working VHS player), you’d think that Christmas was the only time of the year; most of our videos are of Christmas morning. I have a lot of memories wrapped up in this season. December 30 will mark the 33rd anniversary of our wedding. January 1 is the 45th anniversary of Arkansas’ Cotton Bowl win over Nebraska that gave them national championship. And December 25th 29th anniversary of the birth of my oldest daughter... and I think also that 29th anniversary of the last time we had a white Christmas.

For the record, Christmas is very different when you have had a Christmas baby. The Christmas she was born sure was different (she was delivered to "Jingle Bells" playing in the background).  Of course, being a Christmas  baby born in a Catholic hospital gets you some special perks!  Celebrating Christmas birthdays is a lot of trouble as you must make sure that you separate the two celebrations. For example, fruit cake cannot be used as a birthday cake! Also, you can’t combine the gifts; birthday presents must stay “separate and apart.” And under no circumstances may you wrap a birthday present in Christmas paper! That would be the worst form of bad form!

Christmas birthdays are complicated.  But then, Jesus’ birthday was complicated as well. Sure, I know that Jesus was likely not born on December 25. It was only several accidents of history that selected this date as the day set aside to remember Jesus’ birth. But like many who were born on December 25, there was little about Jesus’ birth that was ordinary.

• He was conceived by God and born of a virgin—that’s pretty rare
• He was born in a barn and laid in a feed trough—that’s rare as well
• And what other baby gets gold, frankincense and myrrh at their shower?

And then there was the unusual manner of how the birth announcement was handled. Usually, new mothers send out birth announcements. After all, new mothers don’t have anything else to do. But this time, the Father handled the birth announcement (see Luke 2:8-14).

Angels brought to the shepherds "good news of great joy." That is an interesting choice of words. In fact, the angels use one of the most familiar words in all the Bible— the word "euagglelizo." Or as that word is generally translated-- "gospel." What the angel literally said to the shepherds was, "I preach to you a gospel of great joy." The birth of Jesus is gospel! God had come into the world. That little baby in the manger was Immanuel, "God with us." In all the hype and hustle and hoopla of this season, don’t forget the gospel that God is with us.  He came to be with us then; He remains with us today.  That is good news indeed.

Free Speech... Except on an iPhone?

The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience was issued in 2009 by leaders in Catholic and Orthodox and Evangelical church to affirm support for “the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty.” The drafting committee included Chuck Colson,  Princeton law professor Robert P. George and Beeson Divinity School dean Timothy George. The document (according to a recent article by Colson) has been signed by more than half a million Christians. The document is a respectful and well-written proclamation of the commitment of the signers to promote the sanctity of all human life, to uphold marriage as holy matrimony between a man and a woman, and to strive preserve the liberty of Christians who seek to live their religious convictions.

Read the document carefully. I don't believe there is anything in this that is different from the views held by believers in Christ from the time of the first century onward—life is to be revered, marriage is to be upheld as sacred, and faith is to be lived out in the lives of the faithful. At the end of the document there is something of all call to “civil disobedience,” but the scope of that call is the commitment not to allow Christians institutions (hospitals, schools, churches) to be forced “to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth.”

So why bring this up? An article by Chuck Colson in the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday reported that Apple had pulled the Manhattan Declaration app from its app store for the iPhone and iPad. The app had received a 4-plus rating from Apple (meaning it was free from objectionable content), but some advocates of same-sex marriage complained to Apple, saying that the Manhattan Declaration promoted hate speech and homophobia. Well, we can’t have that, and so Apple pulled the app from the app store. Colson writes, “It was a triumph of political correctness and ad hominem attack over civil discourse. And I am saddened - and very concerned - that a pioneering company like Apple, whose products are used by untold millions to interact and communicate, chose to shut down the dialogue over one of the defining cultural issues of our time.”

In case you didn't catch the code here, let me refresh your memory. When I disagree with someone’s views on health care reform, campaign finance reform, or the BCS championship, we simply just disagree. But if I disagree with homosexual marriage, then I am a hate-mongering homophobic. And that is not much of an exaggeration. To simply say that you are opposed to homosexual practice and marriage is, in the eyes of some, hate speech.  Here is the paragraph from the Manhattan Declaration that was accused of hate speech and homophobia—

We acknowledge that there are those who are disposed towards homosexual and polyamorous conduct and relationships, just as there are those who are disposed towards other forms of immoral conduct. We have compassion for those so disposed; we respect them as human beings possessing profound, inherent, and equal dignity; and we pay tribute to the men and women who strive, often with little assistance, to resist the temptation to yield to desires that they, no less than we, regard as wayward. We stand with them, even when they falter. We, no less than they, are sinners who have fallen short of God's intention for our lives. We, no less than they, are in constant need of God's patience, love and forgiveness. We call on the entire Christian community to resist sexual immorality, and at the same time refrain from disdainful condemnation of those who yield to it. Our rejection of sin, though resolute, must never become the rejection of sinners. For every sinner, regardless of the sin, is loved by God, who seeks not our destruction but rather the conversion of our hearts. Jesus calls all who wander from the path of virtue to "a more excellent way." As his disciples we will reach out in love to assist all who hear the call and wish to answer it.

That's hateful stuff, isn't it!  By the way, the word “polyamorous” is defined as “ the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time."  So if stating that Christians are opposed to homosexuality is hate speech, then it is also hate speech to suggest that we are opposed to sleeping around. We just hate everybody, don’t we?

The secular culture doesn’t have a problem with our Christian beliefs… and long as those beliefs are neither seen not heard. That means you can’t put the Manhattan Declaration in an app so you can you can choose to read it on your iPhone. Of course, the issue isn't the Apple app store. Apple has a long whimsical history of approving, disapproving and re-approving apps The issue isn’t even whether or not minority views can be expressed or expounded in the public arena. The issue is whether or not the majority view (most Americans do oppose homosexual marriage) can be expressed in the public arena in a respectful and reserved matter when those views are opposed to the wishes of the thought police. Colson ends his article—

There is something more at stake here than whether Apple hosts a particular app; whether or not we are capable as a society of maintaining the free marketplace of ideas. Because the open and civil exchange of ideas is essential to democracy and a free society. The kind of society that has produced entrepreneurial geniuses like Jobs.

It's Not the Sermon, Stupid

Last week I blogged about a Gallop Poll study that suggested that religious Americans have a higher level of feeling of overall well-being. To quote the poll, “Americans who are very religious have higher wellbeing than those who are less religious, a relationship that holds even after controlling for several related demographic and geographic variables.” You can read my blog here and the Gallop article here.

Well, today MSNBC reports on another study, this one published in the professional journal American Sociological Review, suggests that “religious people gain life satisfaction thanks to social networks they build by attending religious services.” The article noted that studies like the Gallop one I mentioned always suffered from a chicken-and-egg type problem. Religious people do seem to be more happy and have a greater sense of well-being, but does religion make people happy or do happy people become religious? And, as one person posted on my blog, is this well-being “a psychological result rather than a spiritual reward?”

According to the article today, what makes people happier and gives them a higher sense of well-being is the social connection between people who are linked by a common identity and a sense of community within something they feel is important. Here’s the quote-

We think it has something to do with the fact that you meet a group of close friends on a regular basis, together as a group, and participate in certain activities that are meaningful to the group… At the same time, they share a certain social identity, a sense of belonging to a moral faith community. The sense of belonging seems to be the key to the relationship between church attendance and life satisfaction.

What gives church people this sense of well-being is social interactions within a community that matters. The title of the article is “Church-Goers Tend to be Happier People.” The tagline is “It's not the sermon — it's the socializing that's the key, new study shows.” (I guess I should be thankful it wasn't, "It's not the sermon, stupid.") I would argue that the sermon and worship gives the Christian gathering its identity as “a moral faith community.” But fellowship within the community of faith is a powerful force. It was meant to be. The Hebrew writer reminds that the power of the Christian assembly is the assembly—

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Heb 10:24–25, NLT).

Actually there is very little said about exactly what we are to do when we come together. Yes, there are those “five acts of worship” I grew up hearing about, but no text discusses them as such or tells us exactly how to go about them. Paul discuss some things the church at Corinth did-- “When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said.” (1 Cor 14:26, NLT). But that verse ends with his main point in context, “But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.” The point of coming together is coming together to be strengthened together. Can’t we worship God alone? Of course!  Not only CAN we do so, you SHOULD be doing so. But the point of the assembly is the assembly, the power of mutual edification and encouragement.

I’m glad this study confirms that religious people have a higher sense of well-being and thet it comes from them meeting together in a community of faith. But then, I already knew that.

A Day of Infamy

On December 7, 1941 at 7:53 a.m., Japanese warplanes launched a surprise attack on the U.S. feet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The battle lasted slightly longer than two hours, and after it was over, 2,403 Americans were dead, 8 American battleships were damaged or destroyed, and the Pacific Fleet was crippled. The next day, President Roosevelt asked congress to declare war and proclaimed that December 7, 1941 would be a day that would live in infamy.

Next year will mark the seventieth anniversary of this day that shall live in of infamy. But as the years roll by, that day becomes more and more of a distant memory. The world that existed then no longer exists today. The only threat that Japan represents is in terms of trade imbalances. As the world of 1941 fades into history, it would be so easy to forget the horror, the sacrifice and the bravery of December 7, 1941. I checked most of the main news websites this morning—CNN, MSNBC, ABC, FOXNEWS. While all the news sites reported that the date was December 7, none of them mentioned the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. (Google News did have several articles). I guess there have been so many more days of infamy in the intervening 69 years that we don’t focus on one day 69 years ago.

If you visit Pearl Harbor today, you will see an imposing and impressive memorial that is there to ensure that we never forget. There the U.S.S. Arizona still lies in its final resting-place at the bottom of Pearl Harbor where it has been since December 7, 1941. And there 1,102 of the men who died on the Arizona still lie; their ship has become their tomb. Spanning, but never touching, the mid-section of the sunken battleship is a 184 foot-long memorial. All of the names of all of the men who died on the Arizona are engraved there on the ship. I visited the memorial once and stood there as Dad videotaped each and every name inscribed on the memorial. My Aunt Laverne’s fiancé, a man who would have become my uncle were it not for that day of infamy, is one of those 1,102 names. That memorial is there to make sure visitors to Pearl Harbor never forget the horror and the sacrifice of that day so long ago.

Each Sunday, the church gathers today to remember another day that lives in infamy. At the center of Christianity is a story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is easy to forget that this is the part of our faith that is “of first importance” (1 Cor 15:3). The sacrifice of Jesus took place so long ago; there have been so many other days of infamy that have taking place between that time and today—infamy in our world and in our own lives. We have heard the story of the cross so many times that we can become dumbed to its power and importance. We can forget that this story is the very heart of our Christian faith. It is still the greatest story ever told. And it is our story.

It is a story we must never forget. So on the night before the story, Jesus created a memorial to himself. The Christ memorial is not nearly as imposing as the one in Pearl Harbor, but it is a memorial which has endured for two thousand years… and it will endure until Jesus returns again. By eating bread and drinking wine/ juice, we remember a day that lives not only in infamy, but in hope and in salvation. Each week we are called to gather around the table to remember Jesus cross and recommit to living in the way of the cross throughout the week and throughout our lives.

He's the Lion, no Lyin'

OK, let me get this out of the way first. I am on the record as being totally opposed to the travesty that is the BCS system for deciding the national championship of college football. OK, I'm not as against it now as I would be if I were a TCU fan.  But seriously, there needs to be a playoff system in which a real champion is crowned. There needs to be a system in which every team at the beginning of the season has a chance to win.  The BCS really is a BC-Mess. HOWEVER, how cool is it that my Razorbacks headed to the BCS party at the Sugar Bowl.  Of course NOW the problem is that all the BCS games are on ESPN and we don’t have cable.  So I guess I’m going to have to work on inviting myself over to someone’s house on January 4 to watch the Hogs crush the Buckeyes.

OK, now for the real blog.  We’ll be heading to the movies sometime this weekend to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We go to movies regularly… if you count twice a year regularly. Lynn and I both loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and I liked Prince Caspian well enough. And we have been looking forward to Dawn Treader. The last movie we saw in a theater was this obscure little flick called Avatar.

I notice this morning that Liam Neeson, who provides the voice of Aslan the Lion in the movie, decided to be politically correct and multicultural by suggesting that Aslan does not simply represent Christ in Narnia (which was the impression C. S. Lewis had when he wrote the books) but also represented other religious leaders as well--

Aslan symbolizes a Christlike figure, but he also symbolizes for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries.

How nice.  Obviously, you can read anything into anything you like. I remember someone telling Arthur C. Clarke that a cross-like pattern of stars above the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey was sending an obvious message about Jesus and the cross. Clarke, an atheist, replied, “Hey, if I really want to send a message, I’ll call Western Union.” C. S.Lewis was not just a Christian writer, he was the most influential Christian writer of the twentieth century. And Lewis definitely intended Aslan as a representation of Jesus. He wrote, “He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question: ‘What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?’”

Lewis did not believe that Jesus was simply one among many other religious leaders. He did not believe Jesus was a representation of all religious leaders. In fact, Lewis argued that Jesus intended for us to decide whether to accept Him as the Son of God or to reject him completely. He wrote:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. (Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.)

Jesus was not just one of many Lions of Judah. He was and is THE Lion of Judah. You can accept that or not. What you can’t do is make Jesus multicultural and politically correct!

Religion and Well-Being

Why should you come to church every week? Why should you find more ways to get more involved with the activities and the people at church? Well, one good reason may be that it will make you more physically, mentally and emotionally well. A recent Gallop Poll indicates that Americans who are highly religious have a higher level of overall "well-being."

The study defined "highly religious" people as those for whom "religion is an important part of daily life and church/synagogue/mosque attendance occurs at least every week or almost every week." There were two other groups in the study-- the moderately religious and the nonreligious. There was a "statistically significant relationship between religiousness and wellbeing" and this difference "holds up after controlling for numerous demographic variables." This level of "well-being" was caused by things like "healthy behaviors, life evaluation, work environment perceptions, and emotional health."

The article can be found at the Gallop website.  It not only gives the results study, but there is also an overview of how the study was conducted.  Here is the section of the article subtitled "Implications"

Americans who are very religious have higher wellbeing than those who are less religious, a relationship that holds even after controlling for several related demographic and geographic variables.

This study does not allow for a precise determination of why this might be the case. It is possible that Americans who have higher wellbeing may be more likely to choose to be religious than those with lower wellbeing. It is also possible that some third variable could be driving certain segments of the U.S. population to be more religious and to have higher wellbeing.

It is also possible that the relationship is straightforward, that something about religiosity, defined as a personal importance placed on religion and frequent religious service attendance, in turn leads to a higher level of personal wellbeing. Religious service attendance promotes social interaction and friendship with others, and Gallup analysis has clearly shown that time spent socially and social networks themselves are positively associated with wellbeing. Religion generally involves more meditative states and faith in a higher power, both of which have been widely used as methods to lower stress, reduce depression, and promote happiness. Religion provides mechanisms for coping with setbacks and life's problems, which in turn may reduce stress, worry, and anger. Many religions, including Christianity, which is by far the dominant religion in the U.S., embody tenets of positive relationships with one's neighbors and charitable acts, which may lead to a more positive mental outlook.

Highly religious Americans' healthier behaviors may have multiple causes, including for example culturally negative norms against such behaviors as smoking and alcohol consumption in a number of religions. It may also be possible that the lower emotional wellbeing of less religious Americans puts them in a state in which they are more susceptible to non-healthy behaviors.

By the way, there was no statistically significant difference between the well-being of those who were only moderately religious and those who are totally nonreligious.  So if you are going to be religious, you might as well go whole hog and do it right.  This will also promote your spiritual well-being as well.

Always Be Prepared

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15)

When we hear the word "evangelism," we often think of things like knocking doors, gospel meetings, filmstrip lessons, and other evangelism tools. Michael Green, author of the book Evangelism Through the Local Church, suggests that the early church grew because its members "gossiped the gospel." Jesus was the topic of their daily conversations with people because they were convinced that everyone needed to know Jesus. Whatever tool the church uses in evangelism, there is no replacement for "regular Christians" who simply talk to people about Jesus.

Peter tells us in today's reading to "always be prepared to give an answer." The word "answer" or "defense" (NASB) is the Greek word apología from which we get the word "apologetics." Paul used this word when he made his defense before the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 22:1) and King Agrippa in Caesarea (Acts 25:16). To give an apologı́a means simply to give reasons why you believe in Jesus and live your life for Him. In the text above, Peter says that the first step in this process is to "in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord." Before you can share why Christ is the center of your life, He must be the center of your life.

But I have quoted only part of the text. The missing key in evangelism may be what follows in verses 16 and 17-

But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

How we share our faith ("gentleness and respect") is important; so is how we live our lives. We must speak a good word for Jesus; evangelism always gets around to words. But the context of our words is a joyful and holy life that affirms that what we believe works. The Christian who is bitter, negative, fault-finding and joyless will not be evangelistic. Neither will the negative, joyless, fault-finding church. May God help us to set apart Christ in our hearts and live joyful and hopeful lives for Him. And may He help us be better "gossips of the gospel."