Everybody knows that children reach a stage in life where their parents are no longer “cool” to be around. Early on, your parents are the most important thing to your survival and well-being. There is not even a formulated idea of “cool” or “uncool” in your world, and even if there was, your parents would definitely be cool. But then the stage sets in where you are asking to be dropped off around the block from school. You also begin to hate normally fun activities such as family vacations. You are at the beach, but you wish you were there with your friends instead of your lame parents and siblings. It doesn’t help that your dad is wearing pink sun block on his nose which he, of course, pulled from his JanSport fanny pack.
When kids enter this stage, usually 1 of 2 outcomes eventually occurs. The kid can rebel completely and never recover, or they can rebel but later in life realize how important their parents are to them. It seems that America is in this stage right now in respect to Christianity. It is hard to get around the idea that America as we know it was founded at least with Christian principles. I am not trying to blend politics or religion, nor am I saying all of our founders were professing Christians. Yes, I am even aware that the Native American Indians were here before us, but I am talking about the United States of America as it stands today as a country, not North America. The truth is that America was founded by people who wanted to practice their religion their own way instead of being told how to worship.
Today there is still great freedom to do this very thing. In fact, Baptists were one of the leaders in the formative years in our country that fought for separation of church and state if you go back and study history closely. But the truth is, America is becoming increasingly anti-Christian. This attitude is growing at a steady rate with the current President being so vocal about his faith. America is acting like the middle school kid who is rebelling against their uncool parents. Whether or not we will completely rebel is something only time will tell.
If you think I am being over dramatic or I am flat out wrong, look at a recent bill our House of Representatives passed and how it played out. A Republican-sponsored resolution was up for vote which called for “recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith.” This bill was a response to two resolutions which called for respect for Ramadan, the Muslim holiday, as well as Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Both of these bills passed with no negative votes, but the Christian “Christmas Bill” passed with a vote of 372-9. Nine representatives felt that their districts opposed Christianity more than Islam or Hinduism. On top of that, many talking heads on TV suggested that Congress passing this bill was a “waste of time.”
This bill was and was not a waste of time. In one sense, America is based on the principle of being able to worship how you wish. In light of this and how society is turning on Christianity, this bill did not waste time at all. This bill is necessary in America for the same reason Leonard Sweet reported in Soul Tsunami that a Jewish lawyer named Michael Horowitz represents Christians because he believes we could be the Jews of the 21st century (see Soul Tsunami, pg 62).
On the other hand, this bill was a waste of time because legislation will never solve the world’s problems. Passing a bill is not going to change the growing cynicism towards Christianity. Congress will not and should not be allowed to stop people from wearing “Jesus Save Me from Some of Your Followers” t-shirts. The rebellion is underway, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
As Christians, the most important thing to realize is that this wave is coming. We have been warned numerous times over the last decade or so, and when the full brunt of the wave hits there will still be many caught by surprise, sadly. A new era is underway in history, especially in American history, but this time can be met with an array of attitudes. You can meet it with fear, apprehension, denial, disgust, or excitement. I am choosing the latter. Christ has called you to be instrumental at one of the most exciting and challenging times in Christian history. He has called you to minister in a world that wants nothing to do with Christianity, but is thirsty for Jesus. As Leonard Sweet says in his book already mentioned, “You can be the last of a dying breed of ministers, those left standing on a burning platform. Or you can be the front-guard of a new breed of ministers.” (Soul Tsunami, pg. 55) Our message is essential to life, our culture is in need of Jesus, our society is hostile to Christianity, and our media is telling you how to think. Respond to the call, and please do not be surprised when the wave’s full force is felt.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Survival Mode by Clint
One of the hardest parts about faith is the times when you may feel distanced from God. Those times are difficult for many reasons, but much of the problem is that they seem to happen at random. For a few weeks, everything is seemingly fine, and then you realize one day that you feel far from God. And even more troubling, that feeling can creep up on you and become part of the everyday routine. It can happen to church-goers, seminary students, pastors, and faithful devotees. It certainly happens when you stop putting work into your discipleship, but it can also happen when it seems as though you are faithfully seeking after God.
A helpful way to look at these times is to see them as “wilderness times.” I know the imagery of wilderness is pretty broad, and it can bring thoughts of the Alaskan Tundra, the rain forests of South America, or the deserts of Africa. That’s one of the reasons I love the show “Man vs. Wild.” First off, the guy’s name is Bear Grylls (pronounced Grillz). To have that name, you have to either be a rapper with gold teeth or just hard-core in general. Bear is hard-core in general. He served around 20 years in the British Special Forces and knows just about everything regarding nature. But getting back to my point, he is dropped off by helicopter into wildernesses of all types. They drop him into jungles, mountain ranges, even Hawaii volcanic terrain. No matter where they drop off our friend, Bear, he knows how to stay alive. He uses his head, his skills, and his passion and heart to fight through all circumstances. The dude killed a rabbit from 20 yards away and drank water squeezed from elephant dung (almost as bad as Waco-water…you Baylor students/alumni know what I’m talking about). His whole focus is to get out of the wilderness he is in and get back to civilization. Something I’ve noticed about his survival mode is that he never panics. When they drop him off, he never goes sprinting off in a hurry. He gathers himself and starts to make his way in the right direction. A lot of times, he spends a night or two out where he is. He proceeds with his wits about him, not making his situation any worse.
When you find yourself in a wilderness time, recognize where you are and what your situation is. Don’t panic and have a faith crisis. Don’t start closing in on yourself, making survival less likely. Don’t fabricate a false spiritual health that tricks you into thinking everything is perfect. Work through the place you are in. Share your troubles with those that you trust. Take your time and use your head and heart to get back to a place where you feel like your discipleship is on track. And don’t feel guilty about being in a faith wilderness. Mother Theresa experienced wilderness. And guess what… Jesus experienced wilderness. Right after John the Baptist baptizes him, Jesus goes into the wilderness alone (Mtthw 4; Mk 1; Lk 4). During this time, Satan comes and tempts him away from God’s will. Jesus holds to teachings of Scripture and his devotion to God’s will.
When you are in wilderness, don’t use that as an excuse to slip into lifestyles and actions that further you from God. Don’t be bitter. Resist letting your heart harden. When Bear is dropped off into wilderness of all different sorts, he uses all of himself to get out of there. When Jesus was sent into a wilderness, he used all his strength to continue to honor God. God desires that we love him with all our heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:29). Let that be the case even when you find yourself with wilderness all around.
A helpful way to look at these times is to see them as “wilderness times.” I know the imagery of wilderness is pretty broad, and it can bring thoughts of the Alaskan Tundra, the rain forests of South America, or the deserts of Africa. That’s one of the reasons I love the show “Man vs. Wild.” First off, the guy’s name is Bear Grylls (pronounced Grillz). To have that name, you have to either be a rapper with gold teeth or just hard-core in general. Bear is hard-core in general. He served around 20 years in the British Special Forces and knows just about everything regarding nature. But getting back to my point, he is dropped off by helicopter into wildernesses of all types. They drop him into jungles, mountain ranges, even Hawaii volcanic terrain. No matter where they drop off our friend, Bear, he knows how to stay alive. He uses his head, his skills, and his passion and heart to fight through all circumstances. The dude killed a rabbit from 20 yards away and drank water squeezed from elephant dung (almost as bad as Waco-water…you Baylor students/alumni know what I’m talking about). His whole focus is to get out of the wilderness he is in and get back to civilization. Something I’ve noticed about his survival mode is that he never panics. When they drop him off, he never goes sprinting off in a hurry. He gathers himself and starts to make his way in the right direction. A lot of times, he spends a night or two out where he is. He proceeds with his wits about him, not making his situation any worse.
When you find yourself in a wilderness time, recognize where you are and what your situation is. Don’t panic and have a faith crisis. Don’t start closing in on yourself, making survival less likely. Don’t fabricate a false spiritual health that tricks you into thinking everything is perfect. Work through the place you are in. Share your troubles with those that you trust. Take your time and use your head and heart to get back to a place where you feel like your discipleship is on track. And don’t feel guilty about being in a faith wilderness. Mother Theresa experienced wilderness. And guess what… Jesus experienced wilderness. Right after John the Baptist baptizes him, Jesus goes into the wilderness alone (Mtthw 4; Mk 1; Lk 4). During this time, Satan comes and tempts him away from God’s will. Jesus holds to teachings of Scripture and his devotion to God’s will.
When you are in wilderness, don’t use that as an excuse to slip into lifestyles and actions that further you from God. Don’t be bitter. Resist letting your heart harden. When Bear is dropped off into wilderness of all different sorts, he uses all of himself to get out of there. When Jesus was sent into a wilderness, he used all his strength to continue to honor God. God desires that we love him with all our heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:29). Let that be the case even when you find yourself with wilderness all around.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Silent Night? by Brady
By far and away the most popular Christmas carol of all-time is Silent Night. It is a song that has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects since being written originally in German. It was also actually the song sung in unification during World War I on the day known as the Christmas Truce of 1914. Both German and American troops sang the song because it was one of the few carols both sides knew by heart and in each other’s languages.
Why is this famous song so well known when the text actually never even speaks directly to the night of Jesus’ birth being “silent?” One of the reasons I believe it has made such a deep impact on humanity is the fact that we are all either consciously or subconsciously aware that God moves deep in us when the world is silent around us. There is the famous account of Elijah on the mountain and God speaking to him in a whisper, or literally silence, in 1 Kings 19. The deafening silence of Jesus as he bore our punishment on the cross also rings out. But perhaps the most important moment when God moved in silence was the night of the incarnation, or the coming of God in human form.
God could have chosen any way He wanted to reveal himself. He could have been born in a throne room on a plush pillow. He could have been born in front of a cheering crowd. He could have been born out of a cow if He wanted to. He even could have ridden a lightning bolt and appeared out of nowhere. But instead, he chose silence. And who were the first ones to see the babe? It happened to be shepherds sitting under stars in silence. And even the person who would clear the way for Christ, John the Baptist, through loud preaching was preceded by silence. Luke 1 talks about Zechariah, John’s father, being muted by an angel until the day John was born. There is a theme developing here in the birth narrative of Jesus.
What I think is ironic is that we have turned Christmas into the exact opposite of what the first Christmas was actually like. We have made the celebration of the birth of the most selfless man to ever live about consumption and greed. We have made the Good News of the season into the Bad News of the in-laws overstaying their welcome. And most importantly and rarely discussed, we have made the pristine and deafly silent night into crowded parking lots and busy malls.
Frederick Buechner wrote this about the noise in our lives: “What deadens us most to God’s presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought. I suspect that there is nothing more crucial to true spiritual comfort, as the huge monk in cloth of gold put it, than being able from time to time to stop that chatter including the chatter of spoken prayer. If we choose to seek the silence of the holy place, or to open ourselves to its seeking, I think there is no surer way than by keeping silent.” (Listening to Your Life, pg. 332)
The other night I was attempting to talk about this very subject with my youth, and you would not believe how impossible it is to achieve complete silence. The most disturbing part was the fact that I was trying to retell the story of God coming to our rescue, not to mention the person they all claim to worship, and it was almost impossible to get the noise to cease. Before you jump on the “they’re just teenagers” copout, you need to know that this is the same generation of kids who cannot sleep unless music is playing or the TV is on. We are officially training ourselves to never have a moment of silence. The biggest problem with this growing trend is that we are never truly confronted by ourselves if we never escape the white noise.
God came on a silent, holy night. The first announcement of The King was not to a band, newscaster, or tabloid reporter, but some shepherds who happened to be available to listen. My prayer is that you push back. Push back against society. Push back against yourself. Jesus came to save us from sin, but He also came to save us from ourselves. Turn off the noise; sit with your complete self, no matter how bad it hurts, and then, and only then, will you possibly be available to hear the angels proclaim the Good News. May you push back, experience a silent night for yourself, and in turn finally be able to sleep in heavenly peace.
Why is this famous song so well known when the text actually never even speaks directly to the night of Jesus’ birth being “silent?” One of the reasons I believe it has made such a deep impact on humanity is the fact that we are all either consciously or subconsciously aware that God moves deep in us when the world is silent around us. There is the famous account of Elijah on the mountain and God speaking to him in a whisper, or literally silence, in 1 Kings 19. The deafening silence of Jesus as he bore our punishment on the cross also rings out. But perhaps the most important moment when God moved in silence was the night of the incarnation, or the coming of God in human form.
God could have chosen any way He wanted to reveal himself. He could have been born in a throne room on a plush pillow. He could have been born in front of a cheering crowd. He could have been born out of a cow if He wanted to. He even could have ridden a lightning bolt and appeared out of nowhere. But instead, he chose silence. And who were the first ones to see the babe? It happened to be shepherds sitting under stars in silence. And even the person who would clear the way for Christ, John the Baptist, through loud preaching was preceded by silence. Luke 1 talks about Zechariah, John’s father, being muted by an angel until the day John was born. There is a theme developing here in the birth narrative of Jesus.
What I think is ironic is that we have turned Christmas into the exact opposite of what the first Christmas was actually like. We have made the celebration of the birth of the most selfless man to ever live about consumption and greed. We have made the Good News of the season into the Bad News of the in-laws overstaying their welcome. And most importantly and rarely discussed, we have made the pristine and deafly silent night into crowded parking lots and busy malls.
Frederick Buechner wrote this about the noise in our lives: “What deadens us most to God’s presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought. I suspect that there is nothing more crucial to true spiritual comfort, as the huge monk in cloth of gold put it, than being able from time to time to stop that chatter including the chatter of spoken prayer. If we choose to seek the silence of the holy place, or to open ourselves to its seeking, I think there is no surer way than by keeping silent.” (Listening to Your Life, pg. 332)
The other night I was attempting to talk about this very subject with my youth, and you would not believe how impossible it is to achieve complete silence. The most disturbing part was the fact that I was trying to retell the story of God coming to our rescue, not to mention the person they all claim to worship, and it was almost impossible to get the noise to cease. Before you jump on the “they’re just teenagers” copout, you need to know that this is the same generation of kids who cannot sleep unless music is playing or the TV is on. We are officially training ourselves to never have a moment of silence. The biggest problem with this growing trend is that we are never truly confronted by ourselves if we never escape the white noise.
God came on a silent, holy night. The first announcement of The King was not to a band, newscaster, or tabloid reporter, but some shepherds who happened to be available to listen. My prayer is that you push back. Push back against society. Push back against yourself. Jesus came to save us from sin, but He also came to save us from ourselves. Turn off the noise; sit with your complete self, no matter how bad it hurts, and then, and only then, will you possibly be available to hear the angels proclaim the Good News. May you push back, experience a silent night for yourself, and in turn finally be able to sleep in heavenly peace.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Neo-Leo by Clint
His name is Leo. Girls, you know you’ve always liked him. Ever since he played the world’s most romantic stow-away on a sinking ship, you’ve loved him. Guys, it’s ok, too. It’s safe to admit that you’re a Leo fan. No longer must you hide your fan-dom in fear. Ever since Leonardo DiCaprio starred in Gangs of New York and The Departed, suddenly it’s perfectly socially acceptable for guys to say, “Leo was awesome in that movie!” Saying that after Titanic would have resulted in male ostracism along the same lines as saying, “dude, turn the channel back to Lifetime!” Now that neo-Leo has arrived, though, I feel safe saying that I was actually ahead of the curve on this one. I became a Leo fan after the movie The Beach came out when I was a senior in high school. I remember a lot of people panned that movie, but I thought it was pretty good. I remember thinking that it was getting at something pretty deep, deeper than I think people gave it credit for. I’ll spare you the long run-down of the movie, but basically, Leo stumbles upon this secluded paradise island while on a vacation by himself. On this island, there are people there who have set up a standard of life and a quasi-civilization. The island is the most beautiful place you could imagine, the people are great, and it is just like what most people would imagine as paradise. Everyone is tan, there is little work to do, and much of the day is spent playing beach soccer while the evening is spent telling stories and relaxing. The movie pulls you in to this perfect paradise. As you watch the characters slip into this lull of island comfort, suddenly the rug is pulled out from under them. One of their friends, a man living on the island, is attacked by a shark and dies. No one knows how to respond. The dream is shattered, the paradise is lost, reality has returned. You see Leo flip out as people walk away from the tragedy, forcing it out of their minds and pretending it didn’t happen. They try and put it out of sight and out of mind in order to protect the paradise they had. In the whole-hearted pursuit of comfort and ease, they’ve lost touch with the pain of others and the delicate nature of life. In many ways, I think this aspect of the movie speaks to our culture.
I know that many live far from a paradise, and life is a daily struggle. However, many of us are living in a way in which the goal is to make this life as much of a paradise as possible. In a world in which the happiest people are assumed to be the ones on MTV Cribs that have escalators instead of stairs, we must be reminded that nothing created or bought can protect from the harsh reality of passing time and life’s mortality. Death is tragic, and my saddest days have been at funerals, but is it possible that we are losing touch with the fragile nature of life? In the movie, it is incredible how quickly they are willing to push the sad things out of their minds so they can try and recreate paradise. Our search for perfect comfort here in our everyday life has pushed us farther from recognizing how limited life can be, and that pushes us farther away from God our Creator. Our #1 goal in life should not be a comfortable retirement or the acquiring of all the best stuff. There’s more to our purpose and existence than that, especially when suffering is everywhere around us. And to be honest, I think it’s healthy to acknowledge how fragile life is. It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling invincible. God designed birth and death, and He has offered true paradise after death for those accepting the grace of Christ. One may ask, “If we’re so close to paradise here, getting whatever we want when we want it, what’s the need for a paradise later?” I feel that this scripture answers the question perfectly.
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8; I Peter 1:24-25)
I know that many live far from a paradise, and life is a daily struggle. However, many of us are living in a way in which the goal is to make this life as much of a paradise as possible. In a world in which the happiest people are assumed to be the ones on MTV Cribs that have escalators instead of stairs, we must be reminded that nothing created or bought can protect from the harsh reality of passing time and life’s mortality. Death is tragic, and my saddest days have been at funerals, but is it possible that we are losing touch with the fragile nature of life? In the movie, it is incredible how quickly they are willing to push the sad things out of their minds so they can try and recreate paradise. Our search for perfect comfort here in our everyday life has pushed us farther from recognizing how limited life can be, and that pushes us farther away from God our Creator. Our #1 goal in life should not be a comfortable retirement or the acquiring of all the best stuff. There’s more to our purpose and existence than that, especially when suffering is everywhere around us. And to be honest, I think it’s healthy to acknowledge how fragile life is. It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling invincible. God designed birth and death, and He has offered true paradise after death for those accepting the grace of Christ. One may ask, “If we’re so close to paradise here, getting whatever we want when we want it, what’s the need for a paradise later?” I feel that this scripture answers the question perfectly.
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8; I Peter 1:24-25)
Monday, December 10, 2007
Defensive Faith by Brady
One of my favorite things about the Holiday Season is that there are some of the best movies are on TV. Many of them are movies I give little thought to during the other 11 months of the year, but I love watching around Christmas time. One of these movies is Elf starring Will Ferrell. I know this is not an old movie, but it is one that is hilarious to me and I don’t think about it until it comes on TV in lieu of the Christmas Season.
If you have not seen the movie, this is probably not going to make much sense to you. The whole movie surrounds the character named “Buddy the elf” played by Will Ferrell. He is a human being that was adopted by an elf in the North Pole, and is encouraged to go find his real father in New York City. He is one of the only humans to have ever seen Santa’s workshop and to have been involved in the toy-making process at the North Pole.
The comedy is mainly found in him being in a city like New York, dressed ridiculously, and interacting with cold New Yorkers. One part of the movie Buddy is told that Santa is coming to a department store the next day. He freaks out yelling “Santa is coming!” Buddy spends the entire night decorating the department store getting it up to shape for the coming of Santa. The next day, “Santa” comes out and is the normal mall Santa Claus. He smells like beef and is wearing a fake beard. Buddy keeps insisting in front of the kids that he is not the real Santa. This is because he has actually seen the real Santa. Buddy eventually freaks out and pulls his beard off screaming that he is a faker. All of the children are horrified seeing the elf and Santa fighting and knocking over store displays. On top of this, their faith in Santa could be ruined because Buddy has exposed this imposter.
At this point I think it can relate to many Christian’s faith. I have heard many times concerning my negative attitude for people preaching a watered-down gospel, “What harm are they doing?” You could ask the same of the Santa situation from Elf. What harm is it doing to the kids to see a “fake Santa” as opposed to the “real Santa”? What Buddy has done seems to destroy faith as opposed to building it up. The only thing is that Buddy has seen the real Santa, and this guy is not him. He doesn’t have to be convinced that Santa exists because he actually knows Santa.
I see folk-Christians (see Questions to All of Your Answers by Roger E. Olson) all of the time defending aspects of our faith in order to not destroy other people’s faith. Health and wealth is fine as long as it’s bringing people into the church. This style of worship is appropriate as long as it “works” and attracts outsiders. All of this is out of what I believe is a defensive faith that is not firm in the fact that we have the truth as Christians. After all, if you actually know there is a God and His Son is Jesus because you have met him, would this not change the way you worried about who believes and who does not?
At the end of Elf, Santa is forced to use an engine on his sleigh because it was formerly flown by belief. Belief in Santa had dwindled over the years, and so he was forced to use other means so he can do his good deeds on December 24th. His engine breaks down in Central Park and he is unable to fly unless the people begin to restore their belief in him. While this part of the movie is corny, it does provide some insight as well. One of the kids asks Santa why he doesn’t go out and show himself, and Santa responds that it is about belief, not visual proof. He says, “In fact, the paparazzi have been chasing me for years.” Maybe this is where God is today with us.
In the gospel of Mark, it is said that Jesus was unable to perform any miracles in his hometown because of the people’s unbelief. “And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” (Mark 6:5-6 NRSV) There are additional accounts of this story in the other gospels, but this particular recounting of the story says the people had the power because of their unbelief.
These people knew Jesus better than anyone and did not believe in His authority. Perhaps they couldn’t see the forest for the trees, but nonetheless they missed the messiah completely and he grew up among them. In football there is a saying that goes: “The best offense is a good defense.” This is probably the case in Mark chapter 6, because verse 3 says “And they took offense at him.” The people of Nazareth were suffering from a defensive faith at the fully human (yes he was also fully God, but also fully human) nature of the present Messiah. While stopping short of psychoanalyzing these people, it is safe to say that Jesus was rarely what the crowds expected from a messiah. In defense of God they chose unbelief rather than the opposite.
Today it is still an option to try to bend over backwards to make our faith appealing and more acceptable to the masses. Let’s not talk about sin or becoming a disciple. Let’s not require church discipline or steps of accountability in order to be a member. Let’s not talk about certain issues because they divide Christians from popular society. All in all, a defensive faith is much easier than a reflective faith. I challenge you to examine the meaning of this and to begin to ask which group you fall into. I challenge you to live as you know the messiah, if you have truly met Him.
If you have not seen the movie, this is probably not going to make much sense to you. The whole movie surrounds the character named “Buddy the elf” played by Will Ferrell. He is a human being that was adopted by an elf in the North Pole, and is encouraged to go find his real father in New York City. He is one of the only humans to have ever seen Santa’s workshop and to have been involved in the toy-making process at the North Pole.
The comedy is mainly found in him being in a city like New York, dressed ridiculously, and interacting with cold New Yorkers. One part of the movie Buddy is told that Santa is coming to a department store the next day. He freaks out yelling “Santa is coming!” Buddy spends the entire night decorating the department store getting it up to shape for the coming of Santa. The next day, “Santa” comes out and is the normal mall Santa Claus. He smells like beef and is wearing a fake beard. Buddy keeps insisting in front of the kids that he is not the real Santa. This is because he has actually seen the real Santa. Buddy eventually freaks out and pulls his beard off screaming that he is a faker. All of the children are horrified seeing the elf and Santa fighting and knocking over store displays. On top of this, their faith in Santa could be ruined because Buddy has exposed this imposter.
At this point I think it can relate to many Christian’s faith. I have heard many times concerning my negative attitude for people preaching a watered-down gospel, “What harm are they doing?” You could ask the same of the Santa situation from Elf. What harm is it doing to the kids to see a “fake Santa” as opposed to the “real Santa”? What Buddy has done seems to destroy faith as opposed to building it up. The only thing is that Buddy has seen the real Santa, and this guy is not him. He doesn’t have to be convinced that Santa exists because he actually knows Santa.
I see folk-Christians (see Questions to All of Your Answers by Roger E. Olson) all of the time defending aspects of our faith in order to not destroy other people’s faith. Health and wealth is fine as long as it’s bringing people into the church. This style of worship is appropriate as long as it “works” and attracts outsiders. All of this is out of what I believe is a defensive faith that is not firm in the fact that we have the truth as Christians. After all, if you actually know there is a God and His Son is Jesus because you have met him, would this not change the way you worried about who believes and who does not?
At the end of Elf, Santa is forced to use an engine on his sleigh because it was formerly flown by belief. Belief in Santa had dwindled over the years, and so he was forced to use other means so he can do his good deeds on December 24th. His engine breaks down in Central Park and he is unable to fly unless the people begin to restore their belief in him. While this part of the movie is corny, it does provide some insight as well. One of the kids asks Santa why he doesn’t go out and show himself, and Santa responds that it is about belief, not visual proof. He says, “In fact, the paparazzi have been chasing me for years.” Maybe this is where God is today with us.
In the gospel of Mark, it is said that Jesus was unable to perform any miracles in his hometown because of the people’s unbelief. “And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” (Mark 6:5-6 NRSV) There are additional accounts of this story in the other gospels, but this particular recounting of the story says the people had the power because of their unbelief.
These people knew Jesus better than anyone and did not believe in His authority. Perhaps they couldn’t see the forest for the trees, but nonetheless they missed the messiah completely and he grew up among them. In football there is a saying that goes: “The best offense is a good defense.” This is probably the case in Mark chapter 6, because verse 3 says “And they took offense at him.” The people of Nazareth were suffering from a defensive faith at the fully human (yes he was also fully God, but also fully human) nature of the present Messiah. While stopping short of psychoanalyzing these people, it is safe to say that Jesus was rarely what the crowds expected from a messiah. In defense of God they chose unbelief rather than the opposite.
Today it is still an option to try to bend over backwards to make our faith appealing and more acceptable to the masses. Let’s not talk about sin or becoming a disciple. Let’s not require church discipline or steps of accountability in order to be a member. Let’s not talk about certain issues because they divide Christians from popular society. All in all, a defensive faith is much easier than a reflective faith. I challenge you to examine the meaning of this and to begin to ask which group you fall into. I challenge you to live as you know the messiah, if you have truly met Him.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Fight, Flight, or Light by Brady
The other day, I read a very upsetting article in the Dallas Morning News. It was about how in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, business owners and citizens were leaving the city in large numbers. The problem for most of them is heavy taxes that are imposed. Now, you might be thinking, “I know all about taxes, and we all just have to deal with it.” The old saying goes: there are two guaranteed things in life, death and taxes. But, the taxes imposed on the Nuevo Laredo businessmen and women were not levied by the government. These taxes were put on by drug gangs that basically run the town. If you want to live and operate in Nuevo Laredo, you’re going to have to shell out the bucks to such gangs as the Zetas. Think Chicago in the era of mobsters but even worse. It might be hard to imagine, but these gangs are more ruthless and their drug industry is king. The citizens of Nuevo Laredo are fleeing because they see no hope. They are leaving because they do not want their families, or themselves, in danger. They are certainly tired of being bullied, but they look around and no one is coming to the rescue. It seems that everyone is scared and hoping if they can turn a blind eye to the problems, they might just go away.
Amongst many other feelings and thoughts, the article made me realize that goodness and righteousness just doesn’t happen by itself. The pursuit of goodness is just that, a pursuit. The problem in Nuevo Laredo started out small, and people certainly said, “this will go away.” They were afraid to do something, but nothing was yet out of hand. After a while, though, the problem became huge and people were really stuck and scared with no way out.
As a believer in Christ, I see certain problems and issues arising. I see people afraid to speak up in their faith. I see Christianity becoming almost a taboo idea in many ways. I see a shift in the understanding of things spiritual. Instead of spirituality and faith being intertwined with selflessness, truth, and ethics, it is becoming intertwined with self-gain and relativism.
I am not railing against things secular. I am not making a “we’re going to hell in a hand basket” kind of statement, either. I am stating that there is darkness in the world, and it seems that people are scared to speak up and claim truth. I see many people that are half-heartedly claiming a shallow faith based more on personal opinion and comfort rather than truth. Even the idea of “truth” itself is under question. (that’s a whole other blog topic)
Jesus Christ came as our hope in a world of darkness. He said He was the light (John 8:12), but He also said we are the light of the world, too (Matthew 5:14). I don’t blame the citizens of Nuevo Laredo for fleeing town. They are in a terribly difficult situation. In terms of faith, though, we cannot ignore the troubles around us. We cannot flee the world and hide out in a half-hearted personal faith. If WE are the light of the world, we must live that light in community in the community around us. People everywhere are desperate and hurting because they look around and see only darkness. May we be lights in the darkness, imitating the love and strength of Christ. When all the candles are taken out of a dark room, what’s left? But even if just one candle remains, the darkness cannot put out the light.
Amongst many other feelings and thoughts, the article made me realize that goodness and righteousness just doesn’t happen by itself. The pursuit of goodness is just that, a pursuit. The problem in Nuevo Laredo started out small, and people certainly said, “this will go away.” They were afraid to do something, but nothing was yet out of hand. After a while, though, the problem became huge and people were really stuck and scared with no way out.
As a believer in Christ, I see certain problems and issues arising. I see people afraid to speak up in their faith. I see Christianity becoming almost a taboo idea in many ways. I see a shift in the understanding of things spiritual. Instead of spirituality and faith being intertwined with selflessness, truth, and ethics, it is becoming intertwined with self-gain and relativism.
I am not railing against things secular. I am not making a “we’re going to hell in a hand basket” kind of statement, either. I am stating that there is darkness in the world, and it seems that people are scared to speak up and claim truth. I see many people that are half-heartedly claiming a shallow faith based more on personal opinion and comfort rather than truth. Even the idea of “truth” itself is under question. (that’s a whole other blog topic)
Jesus Christ came as our hope in a world of darkness. He said He was the light (John 8:12), but He also said we are the light of the world, too (Matthew 5:14). I don’t blame the citizens of Nuevo Laredo for fleeing town. They are in a terribly difficult situation. In terms of faith, though, we cannot ignore the troubles around us. We cannot flee the world and hide out in a half-hearted personal faith. If WE are the light of the world, we must live that light in community in the community around us. People everywhere are desperate and hurting because they look around and see only darkness. May we be lights in the darkness, imitating the love and strength of Christ. When all the candles are taken out of a dark room, what’s left? But even if just one candle remains, the darkness cannot put out the light.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Newness is Fun
There is very exciting news for you faithful Hesed Nowers out there. We are happy to welcome Clint Dobson to the ministry team of Hesed Now. Clint is a student at Truett Seminary and will be graduating in August. You can check out more of his information on the bio section, and I suggest going there just to see a picture of his smiling face.
Adding Clint to the umbrella that is Hesed Now is exciting because he is the first addition to the team, and he has a vision that matches up with the goals of this ministry. Clint will be contributing to the site through sermons on the iTunes podcast, by blogging on the site, as well as helping with the writing of new materials. He truly has a minister's heart and is going to bless those who come in contact with his work. We are very excited to say the least.
While we are on the subject of newness, keep an eye out for new materials coming soon. There are new booklets in the works that will be on a variety of different engaging topics. We are also updating the site weekly with new blogs, so keep checking in on us. Sometime next week the website will be updated and the blog format will allow for comments and feedback. Please chime in on the conversations and let us know what you think and how you are growing.
As always, you can e-mail info@hesednow.com with any questions, comments, concerns, or jokes of the day. We really appreciate the support and prayer, and our hope is that many will come to know the truth of the Good News through this website. May your life demonstrate Hesed Now.
**Podcast Notes**
The power of the unknown is a potent force in our universe. It is like when you broke up with the love of your life in 10th grade and wondered if they thought about you half as much as you thought of them. As you sat on the couch fabricating the date they are on at that very minute in your mind, they sit in their bedroom alone waiting for you to call and are crying because you have obviously moved on.
I say all of that to say this: if in your warped mind you started to believe that any of the sermons on the podcast were a big deal, please do not let the power of the unknown fool you. We are very humble ministers with very humble positions, and the recordings will often reflect this very thing. We are not speaking to thousands of people on the weekends and there are probably 100 better podcasts you can download on iTunes. I'll even give you a list of them if you want them. The primary reason for even creating the Hesed Now podcast is in hopes that maybe someone will encounter the risen Christ through our teachings.
So, you have been warned. In the coming weeks and months there will be some low quality recordings of sermons on the podcast and they will be marked with an asterisk at the end of the title on iTunes. Feel free to disregard any of these sermons, or at least prepare yourself beforehand. If you want to get good recordings and crowd dynamics from the ministers on Hesed Now, I have a suggestion for you: e-mail info@hesednow.com and ask one of us to come speak at your church. Spreading the Good News is our favorite thing to do and we are eager to go anywhere possible if there is a need.
Adding Clint to the umbrella that is Hesed Now is exciting because he is the first addition to the team, and he has a vision that matches up with the goals of this ministry. Clint will be contributing to the site through sermons on the iTunes podcast, by blogging on the site, as well as helping with the writing of new materials. He truly has a minister's heart and is going to bless those who come in contact with his work. We are very excited to say the least.
While we are on the subject of newness, keep an eye out for new materials coming soon. There are new booklets in the works that will be on a variety of different engaging topics. We are also updating the site weekly with new blogs, so keep checking in on us. Sometime next week the website will be updated and the blog format will allow for comments and feedback. Please chime in on the conversations and let us know what you think and how you are growing.
As always, you can e-mail info@hesednow.com with any questions, comments, concerns, or jokes of the day. We really appreciate the support and prayer, and our hope is that many will come to know the truth of the Good News through this website. May your life demonstrate Hesed Now.
**Podcast Notes**
The power of the unknown is a potent force in our universe. It is like when you broke up with the love of your life in 10th grade and wondered if they thought about you half as much as you thought of them. As you sat on the couch fabricating the date they are on at that very minute in your mind, they sit in their bedroom alone waiting for you to call and are crying because you have obviously moved on.
I say all of that to say this: if in your warped mind you started to believe that any of the sermons on the podcast were a big deal, please do not let the power of the unknown fool you. We are very humble ministers with very humble positions, and the recordings will often reflect this very thing. We are not speaking to thousands of people on the weekends and there are probably 100 better podcasts you can download on iTunes. I'll even give you a list of them if you want them. The primary reason for even creating the Hesed Now podcast is in hopes that maybe someone will encounter the risen Christ through our teachings.
So, you have been warned. In the coming weeks and months there will be some low quality recordings of sermons on the podcast and they will be marked with an asterisk at the end of the title on iTunes. Feel free to disregard any of these sermons, or at least prepare yourself beforehand. If you want to get good recordings and crowd dynamics from the ministers on Hesed Now, I have a suggestion for you: e-mail info@hesednow.com and ask one of us to come speak at your church. Spreading the Good News is our favorite thing to do and we are eager to go anywhere possible if there is a need.
Monday, November 26, 2007
iChristmas
My wife Becca, her mom, and I were all watching the news in Houston on the night of Thanksgiving. One of the biggest stories of the evening news happened to be the lines at stores such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart. These lines began forming days before Thanksgiving so these people could get the “door buster” deals. So our obvious reaction was to go down to Best Buy and see what it was like. To be 100% honest, I was thinking about staying outside for a couple of hours to see if I could get a new laptop for a cheap price, but when we got to the store the scene was worse than I even suspected.
In the parking lot was a make-shift soccer game going on. Then there was a series of families who had small children, even an infant in one case, bearing the cold elements and camping out for who knows how many hours. Most of the ones in the front of the line had to have spent at least the entire day of Thanksgiving there in order to be towards the front of the line. Overall, there were anywhere between 50-75 individuals in line 10 hours before the doors were set to open in 45-50 degree weather mind you.
The news had also reported that some of the malls were not even waiting until the standard 4 or 5 a.m. opening times, and they were going to open the flood gates at 12:00 a.m. As I said, there were some tempting deals for the people who got through the doors first. But as I started to look at the situation with spiritual eyes, I became even more aware how far we have gotten away from the message of the season. Even more than that, there must be something more than a great deal driving people to cut Thanksgiving short (or even out all together in some cases).
In the book of Amos, the prophet has a message for the people from God about their consumption habits. He says: “’In that day,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!’ Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’—skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done.” (Amos 8:3-7 NIV)
God is upset with the people of Israel because they cannot even celebrate festivals without salivating at the idea of getting back to the marketplace and ultimately taking advantage of the poor and needy. Sound anything like our culture today? I’ll promise you one thing: there is no way the lines at all of the stores were filled with rich people like the CEOs and the owners of these respective businesses. So we have people waiting for days outside of stores in order to get a good deal, and at times even making their entire family sit on pavement in the freezing cold during a holiday in order to get more items from the “door buster” deals.
Our society thrives on consumerism and “dishonest scales” in the marketplace. On top of that, we have allowed the day after Thanksgiving shopping spree to be a bigger holiday than Thanksgiving itself. How is it that the season of Advent, which symbolizes the coming of our Savior who taught us how to be self-giving people, has turned into the season of iEverything. Apple is genius, to be honest, because they have created a list of products that typifies America. iPod, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and even iLife. Until our souls scream “ENOUGH!” and push back against what we have developed into, the vicious cycle will continue (unless God intervenes as He did in the book of Amos).
My age group is the most entitled generation to walk the face of the earth in a long time, if not in the history of the world. The attitude is more and more pervasive that we “deserve” everything. We deserve a Playstation 3. We deserve a new cell phone. We deserve new clothes. We deserve a holiday. All of this is not contained only to the month of December as it was 20 years ago, but it is common all year around. I deserve new clothes because it’s tax free weekend in Texas. I deserve new skis because it’s winter. I deserve new sunglasses because it’s summer. What is scary is thinking of what we actually do deserve.
This Christmas season (or should I say Holiday Season to be more politically correct), I invite you to join me on a journey to start pushing back against our culture. I invite you to scale back by a fraction this year as a way of creating a starting point. I ask you to question if you truly believe less is more. I encourage you to begin a new tradition that points to the message of the season through our actions, and, in turn, maybe we will find our own salvation.
-Brady Herbert
In the parking lot was a make-shift soccer game going on. Then there was a series of families who had small children, even an infant in one case, bearing the cold elements and camping out for who knows how many hours. Most of the ones in the front of the line had to have spent at least the entire day of Thanksgiving there in order to be towards the front of the line. Overall, there were anywhere between 50-75 individuals in line 10 hours before the doors were set to open in 45-50 degree weather mind you.
The news had also reported that some of the malls were not even waiting until the standard 4 or 5 a.m. opening times, and they were going to open the flood gates at 12:00 a.m. As I said, there were some tempting deals for the people who got through the doors first. But as I started to look at the situation with spiritual eyes, I became even more aware how far we have gotten away from the message of the season. Even more than that, there must be something more than a great deal driving people to cut Thanksgiving short (or even out all together in some cases).
In the book of Amos, the prophet has a message for the people from God about their consumption habits. He says: “’In that day,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!’ Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’—skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done.” (Amos 8:3-7 NIV)
God is upset with the people of Israel because they cannot even celebrate festivals without salivating at the idea of getting back to the marketplace and ultimately taking advantage of the poor and needy. Sound anything like our culture today? I’ll promise you one thing: there is no way the lines at all of the stores were filled with rich people like the CEOs and the owners of these respective businesses. So we have people waiting for days outside of stores in order to get a good deal, and at times even making their entire family sit on pavement in the freezing cold during a holiday in order to get more items from the “door buster” deals.
Our society thrives on consumerism and “dishonest scales” in the marketplace. On top of that, we have allowed the day after Thanksgiving shopping spree to be a bigger holiday than Thanksgiving itself. How is it that the season of Advent, which symbolizes the coming of our Savior who taught us how to be self-giving people, has turned into the season of iEverything. Apple is genius, to be honest, because they have created a list of products that typifies America. iPod, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and even iLife. Until our souls scream “ENOUGH!” and push back against what we have developed into, the vicious cycle will continue (unless God intervenes as He did in the book of Amos).
My age group is the most entitled generation to walk the face of the earth in a long time, if not in the history of the world. The attitude is more and more pervasive that we “deserve” everything. We deserve a Playstation 3. We deserve a new cell phone. We deserve new clothes. We deserve a holiday. All of this is not contained only to the month of December as it was 20 years ago, but it is common all year around. I deserve new clothes because it’s tax free weekend in Texas. I deserve new skis because it’s winter. I deserve new sunglasses because it’s summer. What is scary is thinking of what we actually do deserve.
This Christmas season (or should I say Holiday Season to be more politically correct), I invite you to join me on a journey to start pushing back against our culture. I invite you to scale back by a fraction this year as a way of creating a starting point. I ask you to question if you truly believe less is more. I encourage you to begin a new tradition that points to the message of the season through our actions, and, in turn, maybe we will find our own salvation.
-Brady Herbert
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Changing of the Guard by Brady
One of my favorite TV shows and movies growing up was Dennis the Menace. The movie with Walter Matthau and Christopher Lloyd was based on the 1950s comic strip and TV sitcom about a rambunctious, blonde-headed boy who was always getting in trouble. I related to this show on several different levels to say the least. But if you watch movies like this or sitcoms from the early years in television, you’ll see a drastic difference between the 1950s and now. I know the obvious thing to point out as a Christian minister is the sex and violence, and yes there is more of that on TV today, but I’m talking about something different. Have you ever noticed how much Dennis is allowed to run around alone with no parental guidance anywhere in sight? This is the same way with Timmy from Lassie and Tom in Tom Sawyer.
I am not an expert on Post Modernism (or Post Modernity for the scholars out there) and its culture, but I do know that our culture’s social norms have shifted drastically in the last 40 years. It would seem that the rebels from the 1960’s are now largely in control of most of the major universities, and there is this idea that our society is much more free and tolerant than the 1950’s. But have we really become more tolerant, or are we just exchanging one set of norms for another? For instance, one of the quickest ways to ostracize yourself academically is to suggest a woman should be more like June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver. Have we replaced one train of thought with a new set of beliefs? Has merely a changing of the guard taken place as opposed to true “progress” culturally?
David Brooks hits on this idea beautifully in a book called Bobos in Paradise. He says, “We feel we are less strict with our children, but in fact we intervene in their lives far more than did parents in the 1950s. In Tom Sawyer, for example, Aunt Polly may have tried to civilize Tom with beatings and strict table etiquette, but she also allowed him hours of unsupervised time to wander and adventure. Today we don’t adhere to that etiquette, but we don’t allow much wandering, either. Instead, we shepherd kids from one adult-organized activity to another.” (pg. 197) What a valuable insight!
No wonder youth ministries were almost non-existent in the 50s but are essential in today’s culture. Kids today may be allowed to pass gas (I couldn’t think of a better way to say that?) at the table, but they are also not allowed to go anywhere without supervision or at least a cell phone. Brooks also points out other ways this plays out in our culture. For example, we can now tolerate sexual jokes in our culture, but ethnic jokes will cause you to come under fire in a heartbeat. It is not culturally acceptable to make fun of homosexuals, but Christians are fair game to blast (see the Kathy Griffin at the Emmy Awards or read this article http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/oct/07101004.html). We can actually talk about sex in any venue today while we are as strict as possible on anything that could be deemed sexual harassment. Tattoos and body piercings are allowed and expected on college campuses today, but fraternal rituals and parties which would have been deemed modest in the 50s are now not tolerated. So why does the “old way” seem so stuffy to us enlightened Post Moderns?
The truth is that the code is changing and has now changed when it comes to permissible and impermissible behaviors. Freedom is a concept that I believe haunts every American. I think this is because we see everywhere phrases such as “Land of the Free” and believe we are unchained individuals. This is the reason I drive an SUV by myself most of the time. I’m free, unattached, and feel that I am accountable only to a few individuals. This is not true though.
Obviously you cannot murder someone and hold onto your freedom. Same goes with social structures in our culture. We aren’t going to throw out rules and social order EVER, no matter how many hippies say we already have.
The problem comes for me in the fact that it has begun to affect the Church as well. As always, we are the “quick ones” who react 30 years later, but it has begun to change in Christian circles everywhere. In the 90s abortion and homosexuality were the fights worth sacrificing for. This is still the case for many today, but the shifting or emerging culture would deem these groups as archaic people with a sort of “radio-orthodoxy” (see Brian McLaren’s work). So the question is: If our emerging church culture is not fighting abortion and homosexuality, what are we fighting? Things like the environment, poverty, and Africa (the ONE campaign or Invisible Children are HUGE right now) have become the new mantra of this culture. These issues are decidedly less divisive and are obviously worthy of any Christian’s attention.
For the record, I recycle at home and started a program at my church, Becca and I have a Compassion child, our youth do service projects frequently, and I am very interested in what’s going on in Africa. But instead of making these issues the new boundary to gauge if you are truly worth listening to, or even worse, if you are truly “Christian”, is no different than the groups emerging leaders disdain. If you dismiss someone because they are a Republican and fight against abortion, you’re not much different than the very people you disagree with, nor are you more inclusive. Creating a new code of entrance qualifications is no more Christian than saying a homosexual joke. Creating a new set of boundaries based on global warming or Africa is no different than basing it on abortion or other issues. Wiping out norms and social etiquette is also not possible either. Maybe the best solution lies in less debate over red and blue issues, and unifying the Body to fight vehemently for kingdom issues. You say that it is impossible to be a kingdom citizen and not involve yourself in government affairs like abortion rights or global warming? Maybe that is so. But it appears that Jesus lived in a time period that had “hot button” political issues, and he cleverly answered these questions while keeping a kingdom focused agenda (see Matthew 22:15-22). We are arguing as family members, and hopefully no one else is listening.
I am not an expert on Post Modernism (or Post Modernity for the scholars out there) and its culture, but I do know that our culture’s social norms have shifted drastically in the last 40 years. It would seem that the rebels from the 1960’s are now largely in control of most of the major universities, and there is this idea that our society is much more free and tolerant than the 1950’s. But have we really become more tolerant, or are we just exchanging one set of norms for another? For instance, one of the quickest ways to ostracize yourself academically is to suggest a woman should be more like June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver. Have we replaced one train of thought with a new set of beliefs? Has merely a changing of the guard taken place as opposed to true “progress” culturally?
David Brooks hits on this idea beautifully in a book called Bobos in Paradise. He says, “We feel we are less strict with our children, but in fact we intervene in their lives far more than did parents in the 1950s. In Tom Sawyer, for example, Aunt Polly may have tried to civilize Tom with beatings and strict table etiquette, but she also allowed him hours of unsupervised time to wander and adventure. Today we don’t adhere to that etiquette, but we don’t allow much wandering, either. Instead, we shepherd kids from one adult-organized activity to another.” (pg. 197) What a valuable insight!
No wonder youth ministries were almost non-existent in the 50s but are essential in today’s culture. Kids today may be allowed to pass gas (I couldn’t think of a better way to say that?) at the table, but they are also not allowed to go anywhere without supervision or at least a cell phone. Brooks also points out other ways this plays out in our culture. For example, we can now tolerate sexual jokes in our culture, but ethnic jokes will cause you to come under fire in a heartbeat. It is not culturally acceptable to make fun of homosexuals, but Christians are fair game to blast (see the Kathy Griffin at the Emmy Awards or read this article http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/oct/07101004.html). We can actually talk about sex in any venue today while we are as strict as possible on anything that could be deemed sexual harassment. Tattoos and body piercings are allowed and expected on college campuses today, but fraternal rituals and parties which would have been deemed modest in the 50s are now not tolerated. So why does the “old way” seem so stuffy to us enlightened Post Moderns?
The truth is that the code is changing and has now changed when it comes to permissible and impermissible behaviors. Freedom is a concept that I believe haunts every American. I think this is because we see everywhere phrases such as “Land of the Free” and believe we are unchained individuals. This is the reason I drive an SUV by myself most of the time. I’m free, unattached, and feel that I am accountable only to a few individuals. This is not true though.
Obviously you cannot murder someone and hold onto your freedom. Same goes with social structures in our culture. We aren’t going to throw out rules and social order EVER, no matter how many hippies say we already have.
The problem comes for me in the fact that it has begun to affect the Church as well. As always, we are the “quick ones” who react 30 years later, but it has begun to change in Christian circles everywhere. In the 90s abortion and homosexuality were the fights worth sacrificing for. This is still the case for many today, but the shifting or emerging culture would deem these groups as archaic people with a sort of “radio-orthodoxy” (see Brian McLaren’s work). So the question is: If our emerging church culture is not fighting abortion and homosexuality, what are we fighting? Things like the environment, poverty, and Africa (the ONE campaign or Invisible Children are HUGE right now) have become the new mantra of this culture. These issues are decidedly less divisive and are obviously worthy of any Christian’s attention.
For the record, I recycle at home and started a program at my church, Becca and I have a Compassion child, our youth do service projects frequently, and I am very interested in what’s going on in Africa. But instead of making these issues the new boundary to gauge if you are truly worth listening to, or even worse, if you are truly “Christian”, is no different than the groups emerging leaders disdain. If you dismiss someone because they are a Republican and fight against abortion, you’re not much different than the very people you disagree with, nor are you more inclusive. Creating a new code of entrance qualifications is no more Christian than saying a homosexual joke. Creating a new set of boundaries based on global warming or Africa is no different than basing it on abortion or other issues. Wiping out norms and social etiquette is also not possible either. Maybe the best solution lies in less debate over red and blue issues, and unifying the Body to fight vehemently for kingdom issues. You say that it is impossible to be a kingdom citizen and not involve yourself in government affairs like abortion rights or global warming? Maybe that is so. But it appears that Jesus lived in a time period that had “hot button” political issues, and he cleverly answered these questions while keeping a kingdom focused agenda (see Matthew 22:15-22). We are arguing as family members, and hopefully no one else is listening.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Are We Missing the Point? by Brady
The latest news gathering headlines for Christianity has some TV ministries and televangelists reporting earnings upwards of $69 million dollars for one year in response to a Senate investigation. One particular minister was given a Rolls Royce by the organization (or “church”) and this group paid close to $30,000 for a conference table alone. This is probably just the beginning of such reports dominating news stations in the following weeks in light of the ongoing investigation.
I have always been a little suspect of televangelists begging for money when they are jet setting in personal, private aircraft all over the world. But before we jump all over these preachers of the prosperity gospel, I think we need to see how deep this mentality actually runs in our own personal theology.
Christianity is enamored by the mega-church movement and has been for decades now. We use popular trends and demographics in order to create the next big thing. Using demographics alone is not wrong or evil, but usually our mentality is to be the biggest and the best amongst our Christian brothers and sisters rather than to reach the lost. I do not know the statistics and I am not George Barna, but I would like to see the health of local churches that are in areas around mega-churches to see if they are still thriving. It would be my guess that most of these mega-churches are growing by people joining the congregation from other churches because they have better programs, more elaborate buildings, and the infamous celebrity factor. Also, these churches allow people to slip through the cracks when it comes to discipleship and growth in the other direction, which is deep rather than wide.
But the prosperity gospel reaches my personal theology even more than having the desire for the best graphics on a screen during the praise singing portion of a worship service. Even people who I know are exactly opposite of what we would call “prosperity gospel disciples” still have a form of this belief in their personal theology. The culture has never been more aware of hurting places in the world such as countries in Africa. Many people believe that we are closer than ever to wiping out world hunger and extreme poverty, which is an amazing thing to think about. But the common assumption when Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls around is that we will minister to others by bringing them toys and other trinkets.
This Christmas I will gather with my family, never go a second without access to food, and will receive more presents than I know what to do with. I will give thanks for all of the things God has blessed me with. I will even pray for people who are not as fortunate. Does this sound close to the prosperity gospel to anyone else? What I am saying is that I am more fortunate in worldly terms this holiday season, but am I better off spiritually? Why is our common assumption that the people without toys are worse off than we are? Why do Americans haughtily believe that we need to bring Africa into the 21st century with technology (ironic side note: many churches, including my own, will sing worship songs with graphics of the sky or a river in the background, while we could just go outside and see the real thing.) Why is the mentality present in most of us which believes we do not have anything to learn from the way people in 3rd world countries live their lives? Or even a better question is why verses such as Matthew 19:23 do not scare us as Americans, no matter what tax bracket you fall into? Why do we not truly believe Jesus in Luke 6:20 (NRSV): “Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”? Why do I push back at the thought of selling all I have in the name of Jesus? Is it because I want to give my kids more than I ever had (as if that is possible), or is it because I believe in the practical, American Christianity diet that people have been selling me my whole life over Jesus’ demands in Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58?
The truth is, when people see Christianity today, they see the prosperity gospel in almost all of us. They see churches like the one which a friend of mine affectionately calls “Six Flags over Jesus” because of its similarities to an amusement park. We are inadvertently, or maybe purposefully, portraying Christ as an American CEO rather than the humble, impoverished Rabbi which he actually was. I am as guilty of this as the televangelist driving the Rolls Royce.
Is it wrong to minister to a child this Christmas season via buying him or her toy? I don’t think so. It is however wrong to believe that we have it better off than they do. I don’t believe Jesus or Paul were as tied to here and now as we are. We would certainly not call Paul of 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 “healthy” by any stretch of the imagination. He would need at least two episodes with Oprah or Dr. Phil to sort out his unhealthy lifestyle choices. So would Jesus. We would be offended by the demands Jesus of Luke 18:18-29. So the question is: Are we missing the point?
I have always been a little suspect of televangelists begging for money when they are jet setting in personal, private aircraft all over the world. But before we jump all over these preachers of the prosperity gospel, I think we need to see how deep this mentality actually runs in our own personal theology.
Christianity is enamored by the mega-church movement and has been for decades now. We use popular trends and demographics in order to create the next big thing. Using demographics alone is not wrong or evil, but usually our mentality is to be the biggest and the best amongst our Christian brothers and sisters rather than to reach the lost. I do not know the statistics and I am not George Barna, but I would like to see the health of local churches that are in areas around mega-churches to see if they are still thriving. It would be my guess that most of these mega-churches are growing by people joining the congregation from other churches because they have better programs, more elaborate buildings, and the infamous celebrity factor. Also, these churches allow people to slip through the cracks when it comes to discipleship and growth in the other direction, which is deep rather than wide.
But the prosperity gospel reaches my personal theology even more than having the desire for the best graphics on a screen during the praise singing portion of a worship service. Even people who I know are exactly opposite of what we would call “prosperity gospel disciples” still have a form of this belief in their personal theology. The culture has never been more aware of hurting places in the world such as countries in Africa. Many people believe that we are closer than ever to wiping out world hunger and extreme poverty, which is an amazing thing to think about. But the common assumption when Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls around is that we will minister to others by bringing them toys and other trinkets.
This Christmas I will gather with my family, never go a second without access to food, and will receive more presents than I know what to do with. I will give thanks for all of the things God has blessed me with. I will even pray for people who are not as fortunate. Does this sound close to the prosperity gospel to anyone else? What I am saying is that I am more fortunate in worldly terms this holiday season, but am I better off spiritually? Why is our common assumption that the people without toys are worse off than we are? Why do Americans haughtily believe that we need to bring Africa into the 21st century with technology (ironic side note: many churches, including my own, will sing worship songs with graphics of the sky or a river in the background, while we could just go outside and see the real thing.) Why is the mentality present in most of us which believes we do not have anything to learn from the way people in 3rd world countries live their lives? Or even a better question is why verses such as Matthew 19:23 do not scare us as Americans, no matter what tax bracket you fall into? Why do we not truly believe Jesus in Luke 6:20 (NRSV): “Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”? Why do I push back at the thought of selling all I have in the name of Jesus? Is it because I want to give my kids more than I ever had (as if that is possible), or is it because I believe in the practical, American Christianity diet that people have been selling me my whole life over Jesus’ demands in Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58?
The truth is, when people see Christianity today, they see the prosperity gospel in almost all of us. They see churches like the one which a friend of mine affectionately calls “Six Flags over Jesus” because of its similarities to an amusement park. We are inadvertently, or maybe purposefully, portraying Christ as an American CEO rather than the humble, impoverished Rabbi which he actually was. I am as guilty of this as the televangelist driving the Rolls Royce.
Is it wrong to minister to a child this Christmas season via buying him or her toy? I don’t think so. It is however wrong to believe that we have it better off than they do. I don’t believe Jesus or Paul were as tied to here and now as we are. We would certainly not call Paul of 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 “healthy” by any stretch of the imagination. He would need at least two episodes with Oprah or Dr. Phil to sort out his unhealthy lifestyle choices. So would Jesus. We would be offended by the demands Jesus of Luke 18:18-29. So the question is: Are we missing the point?
Thursday, November 8, 2007
America's Daddy Issues by Brady
Do you remember the first time you realized your parents were not in complete control of life and they could not protect you from every harmful thing that comes your way? This happened to me on December 4, 1986 when I was 4 years old. My family landed upon some hard times financially, and I remember sitting outside of the family business as the FDIC came in and shut it down. I remember my mom crying and the next months being filled with many changes. We were forced to sell our house and move into a new one. There was not the level of extreme luxury and comfort that our family was used to. There were many tense conversations between my parents on how we would make it financially with four kids. This experience is one of the earliest memories I can recollect.
Incidents such as these shape us dramatically as humans. They cause us to build up walls for security measures and to look for a place to put the blame for having been hurt so badly. I am sure almost everyone has something similar to this experience that has dominated their past and shaped their future.
Culturally we work through these incidents as well. There are times when corporately we feel disillusioned by our government, church, or any other authority which has let us down. The government has particularly failed us numerous times as Americans, but rather than being open and honest about its limitations, we have created a world of unrealistic expectations for our leaders. This in turn causes candidates to create false images of their capabilities. To put it quite simply: America has daddy issues.
Our collective society experienced this frightening realization in the 1960’s and 70’s. Even though I was not alive during this era, my generation continues to feel the aftershocks from these decades even today. It was particularly the Vietnam War and Watergate which caused us to doubt how smart we are to place full trust in our government, especially the office of the president. This era has dominated our country’s past and is continually shaping our society’s future. Now the climate is railing against any authority at all, including God, because we have built up a wall in order to protect ourselves from being hurt again. You don’t believe me? Why is this war with Iraq constantly compared to the Vietnam War? Why have the last two presidents, one democrat and one republican who were both reelected, come under so much fire that impeachment has been the word of the day? The only reason people don’t want to impeach the current president as they did the former one is because we are more frightened of the vice president running the show than anything else.
So what am I getting at by talking about all of this? I think Scott Peck has hit the nail on the head about our country in a book called The Different Drum. He says, “The macho image of the president as a kind of superman has been created and maintained because the people have wanted it. We have wanted a Big Daddy who has all the answers, who will take care of the bully down the block, who will not only give us a safe and secure home but one that is luxurious and where we will be protected from all hard knocks. The American presidency is the reflection of the task-avoidance assumption of dependency, a creation of our own childish fantasies.” (p. 314-315)
We are the same way with God as well. Why does the culture today generally not believe in absolute truth or a supreme God? It is because we have been burned, and this is our natural defense. We see too much heartache and have felt too much loneliness to believe that there could possibly be a God who is both all-powerful and good. Somewhere the true gospel has been lost in our churches which dawn the American flag in an attempt to synchronize The American Dream and the Good News of Christ. One of the earliest Christians pushed back against this mentality in 1 Peter. He says, “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 MSG)
God’s job is not to be the “Big Daddy” who gives you all of the answers you want to hear at the exact time you want to hear them. His job is not to give you a safe, secure, and luxurious home. He is not interested in protecting you from all hard knocks. If He were, I think He would have protected Himself from the cross. Rather, we should start working through some of our Daddy issues and “consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2 NIV) Maybe life is not all about living a safe and lavish life. We should not expect our government or our God to be the blame for everything that goes wrong. After all, “This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.”
Incidents such as these shape us dramatically as humans. They cause us to build up walls for security measures and to look for a place to put the blame for having been hurt so badly. I am sure almost everyone has something similar to this experience that has dominated their past and shaped their future.
Culturally we work through these incidents as well. There are times when corporately we feel disillusioned by our government, church, or any other authority which has let us down. The government has particularly failed us numerous times as Americans, but rather than being open and honest about its limitations, we have created a world of unrealistic expectations for our leaders. This in turn causes candidates to create false images of their capabilities. To put it quite simply: America has daddy issues.
Our collective society experienced this frightening realization in the 1960’s and 70’s. Even though I was not alive during this era, my generation continues to feel the aftershocks from these decades even today. It was particularly the Vietnam War and Watergate which caused us to doubt how smart we are to place full trust in our government, especially the office of the president. This era has dominated our country’s past and is continually shaping our society’s future. Now the climate is railing against any authority at all, including God, because we have built up a wall in order to protect ourselves from being hurt again. You don’t believe me? Why is this war with Iraq constantly compared to the Vietnam War? Why have the last two presidents, one democrat and one republican who were both reelected, come under so much fire that impeachment has been the word of the day? The only reason people don’t want to impeach the current president as they did the former one is because we are more frightened of the vice president running the show than anything else.
So what am I getting at by talking about all of this? I think Scott Peck has hit the nail on the head about our country in a book called The Different Drum. He says, “The macho image of the president as a kind of superman has been created and maintained because the people have wanted it. We have wanted a Big Daddy who has all the answers, who will take care of the bully down the block, who will not only give us a safe and secure home but one that is luxurious and where we will be protected from all hard knocks. The American presidency is the reflection of the task-avoidance assumption of dependency, a creation of our own childish fantasies.” (p. 314-315)
We are the same way with God as well. Why does the culture today generally not believe in absolute truth or a supreme God? It is because we have been burned, and this is our natural defense. We see too much heartache and have felt too much loneliness to believe that there could possibly be a God who is both all-powerful and good. Somewhere the true gospel has been lost in our churches which dawn the American flag in an attempt to synchronize The American Dream and the Good News of Christ. One of the earliest Christians pushed back against this mentality in 1 Peter. He says, “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 MSG)
God’s job is not to be the “Big Daddy” who gives you all of the answers you want to hear at the exact time you want to hear them. His job is not to give you a safe, secure, and luxurious home. He is not interested in protecting you from all hard knocks. If He were, I think He would have protected Himself from the cross. Rather, we should start working through some of our Daddy issues and “consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2 NIV) Maybe life is not all about living a safe and lavish life. We should not expect our government or our God to be the blame for everything that goes wrong. After all, “This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.”
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The Prognosis by Brady
My family is dramatic. The Herbert family is never short on excitement by any stretch of the imagination. I like to think that my grandmother, mom, and sister are where the drama queen genes begin and end, but others would disagree. If I do have a trace of this trait in my blood, you can see it come out in me when I get sick or hurt. There are some of my family members that call me a hypochondriac, which I totally deny and slightly resent (ok, so I had a neck ache and thought I had meningitis once…big deal). But one thing is for sure; when something isn’t right in my body, I call a doctor. The only test I use before calling the doctor that will give me enough peace of mind to not set up an appointment is the “other side” test. If I feel a bump and I have the same lump on the other side, then I can go about my business and not worry too much. That is about as sophisticated as I get when it comes to diagnosing myself.
Now let me be clear: I like doctors. My doctor could be the world’s best at what he does. He is incredibly smart, generous, caring, and talented with numerous gifts both in and out of the medical field. He plays the violin at our church and went to my alma mater, which scores him points in my book. On top of that, one of my best friends is in medical school, my mother-in-law is a nurse, and my wife and I have another close family friend who is also a nurse. These people are working my personal rotation. Sore throat? Well I called my mother-in-law last time, so I’ll call my friend who has plenty of time to diagnose me between his busy medical school schedule and being a newly wed.
A while back, though, I heard an interesting quote that went along the lines of this: we still have priests today, but instead of wearing black coats they wear white ones. I don’t think this speaker was talking just about doctors, rather I think he was saying that we go to the sciences for any authoritative answers in our lives over faith these days. A fact of life is that people will always have authority in their lives. In fact, people will always seek to have authority in their lives. It just happens that today the proper authority will tell you to exercise and eat healthy rather than to not sleep around. We still live in an extremely strict society with moral codes, but the code is shifting. Why is it that our morals are based on health conscious issues rather than spiritual disciplines? For instance, it is morally wrong to smoke a cigarette while you’re pregnant, however some feel it is ok to sleep with your girlfriend as long as you practice “safe sex.”
Much of it also has to do with the fact that Americans are more concerned with temporal things. The new boat, the new house, the new car, the new nose, even the current temperature in the car…the list goes on and on. The only problem with this is in 5 years the boat is old because it just sat outside most of the time, the house is too small, the new car was 3 cars ago, and the nose needs to go back to the shop for some repairs. It also has to do with the belief that is prevalent today that says no one religion can have absolute truth.
Chances are if you watch any morning show like The Today Show, afternoon talk show like Oprah, or evening show like Larry King Live you will have seen about a quadrillion doctors on there talking about how to live a healthy life. If two things are “in” right now it is this: going green and living healthy. One thing you are most likely not going to see is a minister on TV talking about sin and how it affects our life. Why is this? Most of the reason this doesn’t happen is that our culture says ministers are closed-minded nincompoops. Now are there some dumb butts out there who are ministers? Absolutely. Are there also some dense doctors out there who I would never let give me a diagnoses? Without a doubt.
In Jesus’ day, people considered sickness to be related to sin in your life. Today this idea is absurd to our post-modern minds, and maybe it should be. I am not suggesting the next time you get a cold or even worse, someone gets cancer, it is because they have sinned. What I am saying is this, the next time you get sick, maybe you and I should pray before we go to the doctor and our prayer should be more than “guide the doctor’s hand and help the equipment find out what is wrong with me.” Perhaps your pastor could help you as much as your doctor can the next time tragedy hits. Most doctors are incredibly smart and gifted, but they are not infinitely smart and gifted as God is. And we need to sit with the words my doctor told me the last time I went to his office: “We’re not getting out of here alive.” Perhaps it is time to return to the belief that we only have a short period of time on earth and what we do matters. Maybe today you need to stop a sinful habit more than you need to eat a salad. And you just might need to realize that today could be the last day you have to show someone the love of Christ on earth.
Now let me be clear: I like doctors. My doctor could be the world’s best at what he does. He is incredibly smart, generous, caring, and talented with numerous gifts both in and out of the medical field. He plays the violin at our church and went to my alma mater, which scores him points in my book. On top of that, one of my best friends is in medical school, my mother-in-law is a nurse, and my wife and I have another close family friend who is also a nurse. These people are working my personal rotation. Sore throat? Well I called my mother-in-law last time, so I’ll call my friend who has plenty of time to diagnose me between his busy medical school schedule and being a newly wed.
A while back, though, I heard an interesting quote that went along the lines of this: we still have priests today, but instead of wearing black coats they wear white ones. I don’t think this speaker was talking just about doctors, rather I think he was saying that we go to the sciences for any authoritative answers in our lives over faith these days. A fact of life is that people will always have authority in their lives. In fact, people will always seek to have authority in their lives. It just happens that today the proper authority will tell you to exercise and eat healthy rather than to not sleep around. We still live in an extremely strict society with moral codes, but the code is shifting. Why is it that our morals are based on health conscious issues rather than spiritual disciplines? For instance, it is morally wrong to smoke a cigarette while you’re pregnant, however some feel it is ok to sleep with your girlfriend as long as you practice “safe sex.”
Much of it also has to do with the fact that Americans are more concerned with temporal things. The new boat, the new house, the new car, the new nose, even the current temperature in the car…the list goes on and on. The only problem with this is in 5 years the boat is old because it just sat outside most of the time, the house is too small, the new car was 3 cars ago, and the nose needs to go back to the shop for some repairs. It also has to do with the belief that is prevalent today that says no one religion can have absolute truth.
Chances are if you watch any morning show like The Today Show, afternoon talk show like Oprah, or evening show like Larry King Live you will have seen about a quadrillion doctors on there talking about how to live a healthy life. If two things are “in” right now it is this: going green and living healthy. One thing you are most likely not going to see is a minister on TV talking about sin and how it affects our life. Why is this? Most of the reason this doesn’t happen is that our culture says ministers are closed-minded nincompoops. Now are there some dumb butts out there who are ministers? Absolutely. Are there also some dense doctors out there who I would never let give me a diagnoses? Without a doubt.
In Jesus’ day, people considered sickness to be related to sin in your life. Today this idea is absurd to our post-modern minds, and maybe it should be. I am not suggesting the next time you get a cold or even worse, someone gets cancer, it is because they have sinned. What I am saying is this, the next time you get sick, maybe you and I should pray before we go to the doctor and our prayer should be more than “guide the doctor’s hand and help the equipment find out what is wrong with me.” Perhaps your pastor could help you as much as your doctor can the next time tragedy hits. Most doctors are incredibly smart and gifted, but they are not infinitely smart and gifted as God is. And we need to sit with the words my doctor told me the last time I went to his office: “We’re not getting out of here alive.” Perhaps it is time to return to the belief that we only have a short period of time on earth and what we do matters. Maybe today you need to stop a sinful habit more than you need to eat a salad. And you just might need to realize that today could be the last day you have to show someone the love of Christ on earth.
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