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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
