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."

The Reason in the Season

Atheists have become evangelistic as of late. The group "American Atheists" has launched an advertising campaign that seeks to take back the holidays from Christians. They have paid for billboards to be erected that claim that "You Know It's a Myth: This Season, Celebrate Reason." The group claims that the ads are designed to embolden "closet atheists" who "go along to get along, to "attack the myth that Christianity owns the solstice season" and to raise awareness (and one presumes money) of its group.



What should be our response to people who go out of their way to ridicule our faith, even at a time of the year when that faith is the most visible? Well, there is on old saying that "Living well is the best revenge." The very best way we can defend our faith is to treat its detractors and opponents with respect as we live out our faith in positive and proactive ways. The very worst thing we can do when someone belittles our faith is to respond in a way that is beneath our faith. We need to show everyone that faith works, and that means we must live it in positive and loving ways. That is exactly the point that Peter makes in todays reading from 1 Peter 2:15-17 when he says--

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Show proper respect to everyone. Silence ignorant talk by the way that we live. Show the world that faith works, that it makes us mature, whole people of integrity and joy. When we live right before the world, these kinds of criticism just loose their punch

Happy Thanksgiving

Most of our Thanksgiving Day traditions seem to come from those Massachusetts Pilgrims and 1622. That’s always been annoying to me; the first Thanksgiving was at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia, in 1619. I had Virginia history 3 times in my elementary and high school years, and they taught us this stuff. In fact, all US history is really Virginia history since the original claim for the Virginia Colony was from sea to sea and pole to pole! Those pesky Pilgrims of Plymouth simply had a better press agent!

You know the story; 103 of 158 of the original Massachusetts colonists died the very first winter. The Pilgrims managed to survive (good ol' Squanto) and the bountiful harvest that next fall ensured the continued survival of the colony. So Gov. William Bradford declared that a festival of thanksgiving be observed to God. This Thanksgiving festival became an annual event in Massachusetts by 1690, but it didn’t become the recurring national Thanksgiving Day holiday until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it so in 1863.

And perhaps this is the trouble with Thanksgiving for many of us today. The first Thanksgivings took place following tremendous struggle after a devastating winter almost destroyed the colony. The first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed in the middle of the devastating tragedy of the Civil War. Our Thanksgiving Day today retains many of the forms and traditions, but few have to do with same struggle! Thanksgiving is our day to eat ourselves silly and then complain how terrible we feel afterward. Thanksgiving for us is a day off from work, with family, and to nap in front of football until all the sales begin on Black Friday. That’s the problem with Thanksgiving—we have one day to reflect on our stuff and then we go get more stuff!

Thanksgiving was born in struggle and from struggle. Is it possible that we are too blessed to really be too thankful? Will Rogers drew this contrast between thanksgiving then and now:

In the days of our founders, people were willing to give thanks for mighty little, for mighty little was all that they expected. But now neither government nor nature can give enough but what we think is too little. In the fall of the year, if the founders could gather in a few pumpkins, some potatoes, and some corn for the winter, they were in a thanking mood. But if we can’t gather in a new car, a new radio...and some government relief, why we feel that the world is against us.

We have too much, and therefore we expect too much, to really be truly thankful. We are so focused on our stuff that we fail to see the God who gives. May God forgive us and cause us to refocus on the things that really matter. And may we be thankful.

How Not to Invite a Co-Worker to Your Church

It's almost time to start thinking about our New Year's resolutions for 2011.  I don't know how it happened that 2010 is now almost gone, but it is.  Once we get past Thanksgiving on Thursday, the rest of the year will fly by in a blur.  So we need to get to work right away on our resolutions.  And I know that many of us will resolve to be better at evangelism this next year.  So you help us get started on our resolution to be more evangelistic, I post this video on "How Not to Invite a Co-Worker to Church."



We do need to be inviting people to church and church activities. We don't need the preacher to be cool (thank goodness). But what we do need is the conviction that people need God and that they can find Him where we find Him.

Let No Debt Remain Outstanding

I had Lynn's car inspected several weeks ago (it passed, hooray!). When I paid Guy the $16 for the inspection, he noticed that the lamination was peeling off my credit card. I am literally wearing my credit card out! So you think that maybe I'm using it too much? Credit cards are a real convenience, and we do pay off our balance each month. But the problem with credit cards is that they are a convenience; they make it very convenient to buy things you don't need with money that you don't have. The average family carries about $8000 in credit card debt.

Paul told the Romans, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another" (Rom 12:8). We are called by God to be faithful stewards of the blessings that he has entrusted to us and to share with those in need. Timothy is told to tell those who have money "to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (1 Tim 6:18-19).

Too many if us have compromised our ability to do good works and share with others because we have over-obligated ourselves with debt buying things that we can't really afford. Think about it-- if you are carrying $8000 in revolving credit card debt, then you bought $8000 worth of things that you couldn't afford. That is so simple that its not even funny... well, maybe it is funny. Watch this Hulu clip.



We call the Friday after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" because this is the number #1 shopping day when retailers recoup losses and get in the black. Maybe we should call it "Red Friday" because it is when many shoppers begin their overspending and running up balances on their credit cards. Maybe we should implement this policy of "if you don't have money, then don't buy things." It seems pretty simple really. It also seems pretty Biblical.

The Blood of the Cross

The accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the gospels share very few details about the actual crucifixion itself. Oh, we are told several of the things that Jesus said from the cross. We are told some of what the Jewish religious leaders said and did there. But as far as the actual details of the crucifixion, there isn’t a lot of information. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John say little except “When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.” (Lk 23:33). The actual historical documents that tell of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus don’t give us many details about exactly what Jesus suffered on the cross.

Of course, the writers didn’t have to give a lot of the brutal details of the crucifixion because their readers knew those details all too well. Crucifixion was not just a manner of execution, it was a form of torture and terror designed to keep the subjugated citizenry in their place. First century people knew exactly what happened when someone was crucified. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not have to give a detailed explanation of the horror of crucifixion; all they had to do was to say that Jesus was crucified.

One of the criticisms of the movie The Passion of the Christ was the over-the-top portrayal (in super-slow motion) of the bloody gore and violence associated with the crucifixion. I read somewhere that Gibson used many times more fake blood in The Passion than he did in Braveheart (another movie not for the squeamish), and that is probably about right. Roger Ebert (in a very positive review of the movie), said this—

“The movie is 126 minutes long, and I would guess that at least 100 of those minutes, maybe more, are concerned specifically and graphically with the details of the torture and death of Jesus. This is the most violent film I have ever seen.”

The Passion focused on the violence of the crucifixion, and that is not really the emphasis in the Biblical story at all. Despite the mega-gallons of stage blood used in the movie, the gospel writers mention blood only once in their account, “One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water” (Jn 19:34). (Actually, the word "blood" is also used in Matt 27:25 when the mob protested to Pilate, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Gibson chose not to include that line in the movie due to suggestions of antisemitism.)

So did the movie use too much stage blood and make too much out of the blood of the crucifixion? I'll leave that question up to the movie critics.  What I will say is that while the gospels don’t really stress the blood spilled at the crucifixion, the rest of the New Testament does the blood of the cross quite a bit.  Our reading today from Hebrews 9 uses the word “blood” 11 times (Hebrews 10 uses it another 6 times). The writer points his Jewish readers to the Old Testament purification rituals and reminds them that everything was purified by blood, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood” (9:22a). Jesus purifies us by offering his own blood (9:12). His point is that the blood that Jesus offered on the cross is far superior to the blood that purified in the Old Testament rituals--

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (9:13-14).

It is still true that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (9:22b).  Jesus went through the agony of the cross to pay the price for our sin and to purify us through the shedding of His own blood.

Is the imagery of blood repulsive to our modern sensitivities? Well, it should be. It shouldn’t be repulsive because our constitutions are so delicate that we are easily offended by such things. The imagery of blood should repulse us because it represents our sinfulness and rebellion and the high price it cost Jesus to love us. The gospel is soaked in the blood of Jesus.

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

A Little Bit More

Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, he staggered across the finish line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, and in a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug his grave; so his final land grab was six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was How Much Land Does a Man Need?

In Proverbs 30, we are given insight into Jesus' instruction for us to pray, "Give us today our daily bread." Here the writer sees both wealth and poverty, success and failure as enemies to be avoided. He prays that God will give him just enough in Proverbs 30:7-9--

7 “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: 

8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches,

    but give me only my daily bread.

9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say,‘Who is the Lord?’

    Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

If we have too much, then we will be tempted to have pride in ourselves and decide that we don't need God. If we have too little, then we may be tempted to steal and dishonor God. So the prayer is that God will give him just enough-- his daily bread.

Who is it that you are like. Are you like Tolstoy's farmer who constantly wants more and more... and thus can't enjoy what it is that you have.   Or have you learned the secret expressed by the writer of Proverbs-- satisfied with what you have because it is just enough? The difference here is the difference between us owning able to our things and us letting our things come to own us!

From Philemon to Eternity

Our reading for today is the little book of Philemon. This is an intensely private letter written from Paul to Philemon, a member of the church at Colossae. The book concerns Onesimus, a runaway slave that belonged to Philemon whom Paul had met in Rome and converted to Christ. Because Onesimus is Philemon’s property, Paul sends him back to Philemon. But because Onesimus is so dear to Paul and such a help in his ministry, Paul drops not so subtle hints that Philemon should free Onesimus and so that he could return to Rome.

I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. (Philemon 12-14)

Paul offers to pay any expenses that Philemon has incurred because of Onesimus’ absence… but only after pointing out the huge debt that Philemon already owed Paul (v. 19). Why didn’t Paul just come out and TELL Philemon what to do? He wanted Philemon to do the right thing for the right reason. And he recognizes that given the socioeconomic reality under which both Philemon and Onesimus lived, Philemon had property rights that Paul was unwilling to violate. Philemon had to come to see on his own that the right thing was to free Onesimus.

That raises a much bigger question. Why didn’t Paul just blast the institution of slavery itself? I believe that slavery is evil. Not only that, I believe God thinks it is evil. My problem is that God never said it was evil; in fact, He permits and regulates it in the Old Testament and includes lengthy section on how slaves and their owners are to behave in the church (Eph. 6:5-9, Col. 3:22-4:1)

• Slaves were to obey and respect their masters, even if the master wasn’t watching. They were to serve them as if they were serving God.
• Masters were to treat their slaves fairly and justly, not with threats or violence, recognizing that they had a Master in heaven.

The New Testament never condemns the institution of slavery. It tells slaves to accept their lot, even if mistreated by abusive owners (1 Peter 2:18ff). Even Jesus assumes the institution of slavery (Lk 17:7) and never condemns it as sin!

Churchmen of the 1800’s pointed to these verses as justification of slavery. Even those who did not actively support the practice of slavery taught that the Bible at least affirmed its morality. Alexander Campbell said, “There is not one verse in the Bible inhibiting slavery, but many regulating it. It is not then, we conclude, immoral.” Well, Campbell right… and completely and absolutely wrong! Slavery, both in first century Rome and nineteenth century America, was a reprehensible affront to our Holy God. The whole witness of the Bible speaks out against slavery even though you’ll never find the subject directly addressed.

Why didn’t Paul condemn slavery? There wasn’t anything directly he could do. The Roman economy and social order was based on slavery. If Paul directly condemned slavery, the world would have rejected the gospel. Slavery was a systemic evil; it had to be dealt with systemically. Paul struck at slavery in Galatians 3:28— in Christ, there is neither slave nor free. Yes, he commanded slaves to obey and respect their masters, but he also demanded masters relate to their slaves based upon mutual brotherhood in Christ. That led to slavery’s fall; as Christianity spread, then slavery ceased to exist in Rome!

William Webb in his book Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis, calls this a “redemptive hermeneutic.” In the chart, X is the original culture that the Bible’s words (Y) were meant to inform. First century masters were taught not to treat slaves as property, and this moved them closer to God’s heart (Z). But the Bible didn’t end with the first century; it was written for all times and all cultures. It’s words are redemptive, carrying us beyond that was written to Ephesus and Colossae and Philemon. Everything scripture says about the golden rule, equality and love demands that we go beyond its specific words on slavery. Our world is closer to God’s heart on the subject of slavery; we know that it’s wrong to own people. So the words of scripture continue to speak to us and move us closer to the heart of God in how we treat people. To use Bible’s words as our pattern on slavery would move us further from God. And yet we have much further in order to reach God’s will on full love and unity.

In other words, the whole Bible does for us the same thing Paul did for Philemon. Paul could have demanded Philemon to free Onesimus; he didn't, but he did make demands that would ensure Philemon did free Onesimus.  The Bible could have demanded that all slave owners free their slaves (and throw the entire Roman world into utter chaos). What God did is call slave owners closer to His heart and gave them principles that, when conscientiously applied, would lead to the conclusion that the entire institution of slavery was evil and should be dismantled. And that’s precisely what happened.

Now what is the application we should make to women and their full inclusion into church ministry and leadership? Oh my, would you look at the time!

All I Need...

There’s an old story about the rich man who learns from an angel that his time on earth was at its end. The rich man asked for special permission to take his wealth with him.  Of course, that violated the rules-- "you can’t take it with you." He applied for an special exemption, and wonder of wonders, it was approved. He was told that he could take one suitcase with him to heaven. So he quickly converted all his assets to gold, packed a huge steamer trunk and off he went to heaven. Of course, St. Peter was there at the pearly gates ( he always is in these stories) and stopped the man from entering, "Sorry, but we don’t allow luggage." The man produced the paperwork and said, "But I have special permission." Well, Peter was intrigued, "What do you have in there that is so important?" The man opened up the trunk stepped back proudly as Peter looked in. Peter looked up totally puzzled, "Pavement? You brought pavement?"

We have a very hard time seeing gold as only pavement, but that's what it is in heaven. But down here in the "real world," money and the things it buys is what makes the world go 'round. In a recent class I quoted Woody Allen who supposedly said, "Money is important if only for financial reasons." But we stress money for far more than mere financial reasons. For us, money is a gauge of value ("How much is he worth?") and a symbol of freedom (as in "independently wealthy"). At times we are all that guy from Jerry McGuire running around yelling, "Show me the money!"

In our reading for today from 1 Timothy 6, Paul warns us about the spiritual dangers of being that guy. He reminds us of the rule the rich man tried to get around in our story-- "We can’t take it with us." Because that rule has no exceptions, we need to be very careful how much value we place on money and the things of money. Paul says that when we love money too much, we fall headlong into Satan’s trap.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

There’s nothing wrong be having money; later in this chapter Paul will counsel the rich on how to invest their money so that it shows up on their balance sheet in heaven (1 Tim 6:17-19). Here the warning is to those who aren’t rich but want very much to be so. When we focus too much on money and the stuff it buys, we are just too open to Satan’s temptations. Like the Rhinestone Cowboy, "There’ll be a load of compromising on the road to my horizon…" The more we focus on stuff, the less we focus on God.

So what are we supposed to do? Paul says the key is to "be content." Not just be content, but be content with having food to eat and clothes to wear. Not just content with food and clothes, but be content while realizing that not being content gives Satan a target in our lives at which to shoot his flaming arrows.

We’re all a bunch of Jerks. Or at least, we are all a lot like Steve Martin in this scene from The Jerk. It is so hard for us to be content with the things that we have. All we need is just one more thing. And the more we focus on that one more thing, the more we miss God in the process.

Your Legal System at Work

According to Fox News, a woman in Grand Rapids, Michigan has had a civil rights complaint filed against her because she posted an advertisement on her church bulletin board seeking a Christian roommate. Evidently the Fair Housing laws intended to keep people from refusing to sell or rent to minorities can be used to keep a Christian from expressing the desire to share an apartment with someone who shares their faith. The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan said that this was illegal—“It's a violation to make, print or publish a discriminatory statement. There are no exemptions to that.” Yeah but what if it wasn't printed or published but written out in cursive and thumbtacked to a church bulletin board?

Not that this really matters, but the first thing I thought of when I saw this story was “Grand Rapids, Michigan?” Grand Rapids is the headquarters for some of the biggest companies in Christian publishing—like Zondervan and Eerdmans. The ad was posted on a church bulletin board;  It wasn't plastered on the church marquee or spray painted on a mosque or synagogue?  Do the good folks at Fair Housing really have spies trolling area churches looking for violators?

Several questions come to mind here. First, would it also have been illegal to express a preference for the gender of the desired roommate? After all, gender bias is illegal, right? Would any woman seeking another woman to share an apartment also be breaking the law because she was discriminating against men? Will fair housing laws women to accept men as roommates rather than discriminate on the basis of gender? After all, it worked on Three’s Company, right?

What if the ad had read, “Wanted: Michigan Wolverine fan to share apartment?” Would Michigan State fans have the right to sue for discrimination? Is it OK to look for someone to share an apartment based on shared interests? What if the ad had read “Wanted: Person interested in praise music and potlucks to share apartment?” Is the word “Christian” so loaded or loathed that this is the reason that the law was called? Would advertising any other shared interest as the basis for a roommate caused the same reaction?

Several years ago, there was a fair housing case in Michigan where two Christian women who refused a lesbian who answered their ad for a third roommate were fined and required to attend sensitivity training. Now it seems that Christian women can’t look for other Christian women to share apartments with… even if they advertise only at their church?

There is something just wrong here, but what is it? Is this a case of anti-Christian bias and persecution? Or is it that the folks at Fair Housing Center of West Michigan just don’t have real cases of housing discrimination going on so they have to spend their time on things like this? Or is it that some people have about enough common sense to half-fill a thimble?

Excuse me, but I need to walk down the hall and check out our bulletin board to make sure we don’t have any discriminatory ads posted that could get us sued.

Through a Glass Darkly

Robert Schuller may have found something beyond the power of positive thinking. Sunday he begged his church for money as his Chrystal Cathedral filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. I know that churches do go through cyclical financial issues from time to time. We just had to ask our people at Denbigh to give more than usual to pay for a new roof over our family room (when it starts raining inside, it’s time to get the work done). So I guess I shouldn't be critical of a tearful Schuller as he asked his church "If you are a tither, become a double-tither. If you are not a tither, become a tither." But their problem wasn't a new roof or a specific need to keep a specific ministry going. No, the church was in debt to the tune of somewhere between $43 and $55 million dollars.

While Schuller points to the recession as the cause of the church's money woes, there were deep problems well before this present financial darkness. Some of it was caused over a power struggle for control of church leadership among Schuller’s children after his retirement as senior pastor (nepotism is OK as long as you keep it in the family). But mainly there was the overreaching and overwhelming burden of the magnificent church edifice, literlaly a Christal Cathedral with 10,664 panes of glass. Schuller built one of the first megachurches on the premise, “If you build it, they will come… and pay for it.” Now people are doing neither. While the church has 10,000 members on its roles, only 1000-1500 actually attend services.  And people that don't come to church usually don't give to the church.

One of the things I remember thinking on a trip to Ukraine was about the contrast between the grand cathedrals (ones that survived communism) with their glittering domes literally covered with gold and the abject poverty of the people that lived right around them. If those were truly God’s houses, don’t you just have to wonder that God would rather his roofing material chiseled off chunks used to care for the poor? One wonders the same thing about Schuller and his cathedral. Was this really something to further the kingdom of God or was it a monument to one man and his idea? Contrast this with today’s reading today from 1 Thessalonians 2:3-5

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.

Denbigh will never have a Crystal Cathedral and I will never have a following like Robert Schuller (even including the literally tens of people that read this blog). But it is nontheless possible that me and my church on a much smaller scale will get just as wrapped up in ourselves and focused on the wrong things. Paul wasn’t into building cathedrals or attracting attention to himself. He simply wanted to point people to the gospel of Jesus, and he was perfectly happy hiding himself behind the cross as he did so. May God protect us from ourselves and our pride… to God be the glory.

Shine Your Lite So All Can See

I stumbled across (randomly and circuitously) this video on a blog on the Houston Chronicle website. It is a just released music video from the David Crowder Band. No, this isn't some cool  iPad app; it was done entirely, frame-by-frame and peg-by-peg on a Lite-Brite. According to the blog, it took 2,150 man hours, 700,000 colored pegs, 1200 Lite-Brite images, 83 friends and 148 pizzas to complete.

The video tells a touching love story.  The tear thing at the end really got me. The song is "SMS (Shine)" from the David Crowder band’s album Church Music (which has been out for awhile). The lyrics to the song are below the video:



Send me a sign, a hint, O whisper
Fill me with life 'cause I am listening
Come break the quiet, breathe your awakening
Bring me the light 'cause I am fading

Surround me with the rush of angels' wings

Shine Your light so I can see You
Pull me up, I need to be near You
Hold me, I need to feel loved
Can You overcome this heart that's overcome?

You sent a sign, the hint, O whisper
Human, divine, everyone is listening
Death laid low, quiet in the night is stirring

All around the rush of angels
O the wonder of the greatest love has come

Shine Your light so all can see it
Lifted up, 'cause the whole world needs it
Love has come, what joy to hear it
He has overcome, He has overcome

A Moment of Silence

A federal court ruled Friday that it is constitutional to be quiet. Well, what they really ruled is that the “moment of silence” with which Illinois public schools begin their school day does not constitute prayer and is therefore constitutional. A talk show host named Rob Sherman who is an atheist filed a lawsuit challenging the “moment of silence” practice arguing that providing a this "quiet time" of reflection actually encouraged students to pray and is therefore unconstitutional.  Actually, the “moment of silence” does promote prayer in the school— prayers of thanksgiving by teachers for sixty actual seconds of peace and quiet. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit decided that lawmakers were not seeking to establish religion and force religious practices by mandating a moment of silence. Sherman condemned the decision as "judicial activism" and pledged to appeal the decision.

I think that the courts should be applauded for injecting a bit of common sense in our legal system. I also think that Mr. Sherman might have had more of an argument that is apparent at first blush. The Bible says things like, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psa 46:10) and “For God alone my soul waits in silence” (Psa 62:1, ESV) and “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psa 37:7). Being still, quiet, patient, unmoving, silent… this is the necessary condition before we will hear God. As long as we are caught up in the raging currents of the busyness of the day, we won’t have time for God. We need a moment of silence. If we have a moment of silence, then maybe we would be more aware of the God in whom we live and move and have our very being.  So Mr. Sherman is right—a moment of silence encourages prayer. Just hope no one tells the courts!

On an totally unrelated note, Alan Smith sent me this picture, which I think speaks for itself.  It is really sad that God's people are so well-know for division that this picture makes sense.  I guess we might was well laugh at ourselves... unfortunately, the world is laughing at us as well.

On Being Self-Absorbed

The final episode of Seinfeld in 1998 remains one of most watched shows in television history. This show was billed as “a show about nothing,” but this final episode makes a point. The cast witnessed a carjacking, but they did nothing to help the victim. In fact, they make jokes about the victim... until the law shows up.



So Jerry and the gang are convicted and thrown into jail and the series ends. So maybe they are still there. The word that we would use to describe people like the Seinfeld characters is “self-absorbed.” They were so totally focused on themselves and had no compassion or feelings for others.

Surely none of us have any problems being self-absorbed? We don't have any trouble seeing the perspectives, the concerns and the needs of others. While have positions and ideas and preferences, we all are perfectly capable of understanding the people around us who disagree, and we love and respect them anyway.  People who are self-absorbed only show up on TV; they never show up in church!  That's why Paul wrote this part of today's Daily Bible Reading in Philippians 2--

Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:2-4, ESV)

If we are going to be the kind of family God is calling us to be, then we need to learn to be as concerned with the opinions, perspectives, ideas and preferences of others as we all with our own. To see only own own needs and desires is to be self-absorbed!  If we are self-absorbed, we might get in trouble with the Law!

Rescue!

It was one of those events that captured the attention and the hearts of the world. I spent much of yesterday checking news reports and slowly counting 1, 2, 3… all the way up to 33. I had the CNN.com web site open all day and Alt-Tabbed over constantly to check the progress as those 33 trapped miners in Chile were pulled one by one from what should have been their tomb. CNN even had this countdown timer deal going— 00:00:00 minutes since the last rescue (brought to you by Pepsi).   Every single man was pulled safe and sound out of the mine than had been their home for two long months— it really was the feel good story of the year. God bless them! Now, CNN and all their press buddies (2000 strong were camped around the rescue effort) can go home now and leave these poor men alone. Fat chance!

There was a feeling of brotherhood and solidarity as hundreds of people worked around the clock. Thousands of man hours and millions of dollars were spent the rescue effort One of the family members said, “It was worth every peso.” And it was. When you are in the business of saving people, you come together and do what it takes to get the job done.

Why can’t the church get that? Why do we spend so much time and energy fighting among ourselves about things that don’t really matter? Why does such energy go into our intramural tussles and tangles over issues and questions that won’t seem important to us, let alone anyone else, in twenty years? If we really had a sense that we were in the business of saving people, then maybe we could come together as one person. Paul says that would be living in a manner consistent with the message of the gospel. Our reading today is from Philippians 1.

Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel (1:27, TNIV)

If we really saw ourselves standing on the edge of the abyss helping to pull people out of the pit, maybe we’d get our act together. Maybe we can learn from from the good folks down in Chile.

Wake Up Church

Rich Iott, the “Tea Party” Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Ohio, has some ‘splaining to do. It seems that Iott spends his spare time involved World War II military re-enactments... as a Nazi. He and his buddies dress up in Nazi uniforms and pretend to be Nazi soldiers of the 5th SS Panzerdivision, Wiking. There are pictures of him all over the group’s web site dressed up as his SS Nazi alter-ego. Now he defends this as a harmless hobby and historical exercise to educate people about the life of German soldiers during World War II. His group, of course, disavows any support of Nazi ideology; they don't condone what the Nazis did during World War II.  But they also fail to really mention anything the Nazis did-- like the atrocities and war crimes that historians say were committed by the very Nazi division that Iott and his buddies are portraying.

Harmless fun? Historical curiosity? Or disturbing fascination with one of the darker sides of the dark side of human history? It seems to me that it is incredibly difficult to associate yourself with Nazis and glorify Nazis while completely distancing yourself from what the Nazi’s thought and what the Nazi’s did. The argument seems to go something like, “I don’t believe what these guys believed and I don’t condone what these guys did-- I just like to walk and talk and dress like them.” You can argue that, but I’m not buying it. To a degree, we become partners with the people we emulate. So if you really want to be play the part of a patriot, then dressing up like a Nazi is a bad idea. But hey, that’s just me.

In our reading for today from Ephesians 5, Paul warns Christians against becoming partners in the sinful, pagan world (5:7). We have been rescued from the world of darkness; the last thing we should want to do is live like that world.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:8-14)

If we are going to be part of Christ, then we can’t emulate the sinful world. If we are going to walk in the light, then we can’t be part of the darkness. So Paul tells us to “be very careful, then, how you live.” (Eph 5:15).

The point of this post isn’t “Nazis are bad.” I would hope that everyone would know that—well, evidently not everyone. The point is, “Once you know what the dark side looks like, then don’t emulate that behavior.”

Wake up, Church! (v. 14)

Living Up to Our Upbringing

I remember Dad giving me “the speech” right before I went off the college. I guess most young men get some version of this speech from their father… or mother… or uncle or some authority figure. It is the speech that says, “Remember who you are.” Come to think of it, Dad may have used those very words in his speech, but he said something about “not bringinging dishonor on your family.” I remember thinking, “Dad, I going off to Freed-Hardeman, not going off in the merchant marine or something; there’s not but so much trouble to get into in Henderson, TN. They close the town and roll up the sidewalks at 8:00 each night.” That wasn’t true… it was at 7:30! But when kids leave home and go off on their own, they need to be reminded that they need to live up to their upbringing.

Paul gives us his version of the speech in our reading for today from Ephesians 4. Up to this point in the book, he has been pointing to what God has done in us and how God has called us. Now he tells us to live upto our upbringing— “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life (literally “walk”) worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph 4:1). In the first part of the book, he lays the theological groundwork of all that God has done—our calling. Now he gets to the practical side—live up to your calling. It’s not enough to learn the lessons; we have to live the lessons. And Paul is going to get very practical in his practical application—

• Don’t live like the Gentiles in sensuality (4:17).
• Don’t lie to each other (4:25).
• Control your temper and resolve your issues before they lead to resentment (4:26).
• Don’t steal from each other, but work to proved for your needs and to share with others. (4:27-28).

All very practical applications of living worthy of our calling… living up to our upbrining. But it is interesting, isn’t it, where Paul choose to begin. His first application of living up to out upbringing is unity.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:2-3)

In some ways, the commands that follow (lying, stealing, anger issues, etc.) are component parts of this first application of living together in unity. We just get along better if we don't steal from others or blow up in anger!  If we live up to our upbringing and walk worthy of our calling, then we’ll find a way to live together in peace and unity. The Holy spirit creates that unity; we don;t have a vote on whether or not we are one.  We just have to decie that we are going to LIVE as one.  All of the things of God are one— “one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.” (4:4-5). If God’s things are one, then God’s people must live as one. If we live up to our upbrings, we will live as one.

Make it so.

What Would You Take a Bullet For?

On September 28, a Christian lawyer and preacher named Edwin Paul, his wife Ruby and their 5 children aged 6 to 17 were shot and killed in Abbotabad, a town in northwestern Pakistan. They were murdered by a group of radical Muslims because they were Christians and because Edwin had been speaking out to defend other Christians in the area. Paul had earlier be warned to give up his Christian faith; he was told “we know how to throw out Christians, we will not allow even a single Christian to live here.” Two days later, the entire Paul family was dead. May God bless their family and friends who grieve for their loss.

What we have done in the place of the Paul family when told to give up their Christian beliefs “or else?” The fact is, we don’t know. Until we are placed in that kind of a situation, we have no idea what we would do. I would like to think that we would all listen to the words of Jesus, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10). Faith in God and commitment to the cross of Christ are things important enough for which to die.

There are hills that are important enough to die on. But then, there are some hills that aren't.  What if the question had been a bit different? What if the group with the rifles that barged into their house to threaten their lives had asked other questions--

• Do you have one or multiple cups in your communion?
• Do you think it’s OK for Christians to drink alcohol?
• Do you believe in a pre, mid or post-tribulation rapture?
• Do you sing praises to God with instrumentals or a cappella?
• Do you preach wearing liturgical robes or in a suit-and-tie?

OK, I definitely WOULD NOT take a bullet for any position on those questions. Don't get me wrong; I have answers for all of those questions. But put a gun to my head and I'll put one of those "In case of rapture, this car will be unoccupied" bumper stickers on my car. Put a gun to my head and demand I sing "The Old Rugged Cross" accompanied by a piano, and I'll ask, "What key would you like?" Put a gun to my head and I’ll wear either a liturgical robes or a suit and tie (which I consider to be the same thing anyway). But put a gun to my head and ask, if I believe in Jesus, then with God as my strength, I'll take that bullet (at least I hope I would).   Some things are worth dying for... and some things aren't!

I have to wonder if the list of things really worth dying for is really all that different from the list of things worth dividing Christian fellowship over? I mean, if you wouldn't take a bullet for your position on an issue, then is that issue really important enough to harm the body of Christ over? I wonder.

As Paul closes Galatians 6 (our reading for today), he says something that we need to hear. He has written to churches torn apart by all manner of issues relating to Jewish tradition and ritual. Paul closes the letter in his own handwriting by says this—

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. (Galatians 6:14–15)

The issues over which the Judaizers were stirring up the church were not part of the gospel. Paul insists that they actually mean nothing at all. Having the right position issues that aren’t worth dying for means nothing. The only thing we can boast in, the only thing worth dying for, is the cross of Jesus and becoming a new creation because of the cross. That’s something worth dying for.

System Failure

I remember an area-wide preacher’s meeting where we were discussing a seminar (really more of a debate) sponsored by one of our schools presenting several different perspectives on the role of women in the church. One of the preacher’s made the statement in his presentation, “It’s not that women can’t preach; I’ve heard several women speakers…” I couldn't resist asking him (in a good natured way, of course), “How do you know that women can preach; have you ever listened to women preach?” He assured me he had—on tape from women’s retreats and such. Someone asked him, “If you can listen to a woman preach on tape; could you listen to her while she was being taped?” (OK, that was me asking that question too; I was a bit testy that day). He thought for a minute and said, “That would be OK if you sat in the cry room and listened over the P.A. system… as long as you pilled the curtain and couldn’t see her.” He said it with such finality that I knew that no further inquiry was welcomed or needed.  The ex cathedra pronouncement had been given.

I think a lot of our church rules and traditions have been arrived at with just about that much thought and every bit as much finality. Church traditions OK— in fact, they are unavoidable. Any time you do the same thing the same way twice, you are creating a tradition. And even if you intentionally did every different every time, then THAT would be your tradition. I like church traditions—old and new, formal and informal. The only problem with our church traditions is when we start attributing them to God and acting like loyalty to the tradition is what saves us.

That was the problem in Galatia. The Judaizing teachers were converted Pharisees who insisted that Gentile Christians proselyte to Judaism and keep the Old Testament Law as a condition of being Christian (See Acts 15:5). They came to these new Gentile church with what they claimed was “The List” of practices and procedures that all real Christians had to follow. To fail to follow the list was to fail to be really Christian. The more credence the Galatians gave to the list, the more freedom and joy they relinquished. By accepting the legalism of these false teachers, they gave up their freedom in Christ for slavery. In our reading for today, Paul lays it out pretty plainly—

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Paul sums up his point in verses 6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” What is lost if the Galatians give in and follow the Law in order to better follow Christ? Paul thinks they lose quite a bit--

• First, Christ becomes of no value (5:2). Jesus came to save those who could not save themselves. If you can be good on your own by following the rules and keeping the traditions, then you don’t need Christ. The more you value your works the less you value His grace.
  
  
• Second, we are committed pretty much to perfection (5:3). The Judaizers handled the Old Testament like an all you can eat smorgasbord— they liked the part about circumcision, Sabbath observance, and kosher foods. But the part about animal sacrifices and yearly pilgrimages was a bit messy (and maybe the part about tithing too?). But if you want to be justified by the law, then you have to keep the whole law (See James 2:10). If we’re to make it to heaven through the right rites, then you have to be right all the time! Yikes!
  
  
• Third, we fall away from grace (5:4). The ultimate result of seeking salvation through law-keeping is that you will be lost! You can’t save yourself; ig you try to do so, that is the ultimate FAIL! A stress your works takes the focus off of God’s grace.

The problem of the Judaizers' system of salvation by works wasn’t really the works. Paul didn’t care about circumcision. In fact, he had Timothy (who was Jewish) circumcised so that he could have full access to ministry in the synagogues where Paul often preached. Paul himself did Jewish stuff when the situation called for it (see Acts 21:20ff). The problem wasn’t the works—it was the system. It was the idea that keeping the right system of works somehow ingratiated us more to God than just believing in Jesus, loving Him and seeking to obey Him.

The Judaizers weren’t heretics because of all their Jewish stuff. They were heretics because of their insistence that the Galatians needed a system to add to the gospel in order to be saved.

Of course, there is no lesson here for us today.  Forget I brought it up.

Getting It All Right

In our reading for today from Galatians 4, Paul is perplexed with his converts at Galatia and their willingness accept the legalistic requirements placed upon them by the Judaizing teachers. He asks them, “What has happened to all your joy?” (v. 15). They had traded their freedom in Christ for a slavish legalism with its complex system of rules and regulations as the necessary key to pleasing God. The initiation rite of circumcision was only the beginning; it was quickly following by “observing special days and months and seasons and years” (v. 10). They had come to believe that they were righteous by being right and that they were right because of their rite. Paul wonders if he had wasted his time in taking the gospel to them (v. 11).

What happened to all your joy? Legalism insists that salvation depends on getting all of your I’s dotted and your T’s crossed. You have to understand every doctrine exactly correctly. You have to get every rite exactly right. Any deviation from the pattern will cause you to lose your soul. Loving the Lord isn’t enough. Seeking to please Him isn’t enough.

How much fun is it to have someone watching you over your shoulder while you are doing something? You’ve had that happen, haven’t you? I’m not sure of all the psychological reasons why, but I do know that it is really hard to do what you are doing when someone is watching you that closely—

• You’re reading the paper, and feel someone reading over your shoulder.
• You’re playing solitaire and someone says, “Play the red six...”
• You’re typing while someone is watching and waiting for you to finish.

Is that as annoying for you as it is for me? We just don’t do our best work when someone is watching us, especially if they are just waiting for us to fail. In the legalistic system that the Galatians had bought into, someone was always watching over their shoulder.

In the movie “Remember the Titans,” there is this scene where a black football coach played by Denzel Washington has been brought in to coach a recently integrated high school in Alexandria Virginia and the racial tensions were off the charts. Right before their first game, a school board member came to the coach and said, “You know if you mess up, they will fire you.” Washington’s character said, “What do you mean mess up?” The board member paused and said, “Loose a game.” That really adds to the joy of athletic competition! Loose one game and you are gone!



That’s the message of legalism. There is a list of rules that one has to follow in order to really be a real Christian. Leave one item off the list, and you are off God’s list! Get a little mixed up on your doctrine.  Get a little off on your worship.  Organize your church in just the wrong way.  One mistake is all it takes and you cease to be a real church or a real Christian.  Loose one game and you are gone!

Well, we’re going to lose a lot games, you and I. The best batters in baseball (OK, so I’m switching sports metaphors here) fail to get on base 6-7 times out of ten. The most holy Christians fall short of the holiness of God by a mile. The most faithful churches get their doctrine wrapped around axle every now and again. Nothing will steal our joy as Christians faster than the mistaken notion that we can get it all right.

• If we think that we must get it all right and we HAVE gotten it right, the result will PRIDE and a disdain for all those who are right like you.
  
• If we think we must get it all right and HAVE NOT, the result will be DESPAIR and we'll likely give up trying to please God. 

Either way, what happens to our joy?  What Paul is doing in Galatians is reminding these baby believers that they were saved by God’s grace, not by their religious or moral performance. God calls them to obedience, but they will not and cannot win God’s love because they get all the rules right. They couldn’t and neither can we. We can make up our lists of rules and regulations. We can even get pretty good at keeping our list (as long as we leave ourselves a few loopholes now and again). What we can’t do is impress God in the process.