I'm going to cut to the chase here. It's summed up in the observation that people who call themselves Christians, those who make up the Church, often live lifestyles that don't seem all that different from those who don't follow that faith. If we are the people of God who are sharing an incredible message of hope and love from God to a world that is desperately looking for purpose, meaning, and a future, than why aren't people flocking to our doors?
I'd like to offer some of my own observations as to why this is.
For one thing, as noted in his recent book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, Ron Sider submits that when you boil down "accepting" Jesus to responding correctly to a few propositional statements that ask for no committment, don't emphasize a change in heart and doesn't call each professing believer to a life of discipleship, then it's no wonder that we see a "Church" today that resembles it's family tree in little more than name only.
A second point that we might examine is a fact that because we generally view and/or act like the Church is little more than a voluntary organization, not only are we not committing ourselves to Christ Jesus, we are withholding our very selves from the very essence of conversion, that is, transformation.
And a third point, that builds on this last one, is that without discipleship, without transformation, we don't learn what it means to love God by loving others, and we don't let others love us. Hence, we end up not learning to trust each other.
These points are all related, one to the other. If my "faith" is based on responding to what essenially amounts to a survey ("do you believe...you fill in the blank"), and it doesn't seem to be all that different from the health club I just tossed out some cash for, and I might end up looking around and wondering what's supposed to be happening to me? And if it's so easy to join a Church by answering a few propositional questions, and there's nothing particularly expected of me accept show up once a week (but don't worry, you'll only get an occasional phone call to check up on you), then it seems it's actually easier than joining that health club. Honestly, I'm not so sure I see any difference in the lives of many so-called other believers. And if I don't see any difference between the people next to me, if I don't see their lives beyond the one hour I show up on Sunday mornings, then how can I trust them when I struggle with the pressures and temptations of life?
Admittedly, this is harsh. I'm not trying to point the finger at anyone, person or church. My point is that if I'm going to be honest, I think one big reason why the Church in the U.S. of A. is in trouble - and it is - it's because we don't trust each other, nor do we trust God. Let me be honest on a personal note, (oh, this is going to hurt someone's feelings) I don't think I trust the majority of people I gather with for worship on Sundays. Why? Some of it is probably my own issue(s). At the same time, I often get the feeling that a lot of the people that come for services are Sunday Christians. They come for the service, do their obligation, their duty, and out they go to live life on their own terms Monday morning through Saturday night. What do you think?
If I am wrong, then why do most of our churches have people who struggle with both personal discipleship and understanding what it means to be part of the church? I would loved to be proven wrong here. Okay, okay. I'm not trying to pick a fight. What we have here is Jesus' 'wheat and tares.' But those of us who are struggling disciples have to live differently. We need to be real. We need to show ourselves as trustworthy to those who aren't real or aren't sure.
In a [Church] culture that struggles to be faithful to a biblical witness, it's difficult to find love when people are struggling with life's challenges and temptations. How can we, beyond truly having faith that they have honest-to-God given their hearts to God? How can we when we hear the merciless gossip, the comments about certain people, the way people are treated when they're down?
Trust is a big issue for us as American Christians. And I'm not sure it's there. What do you think?
Friday, May 27, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
a Darth Vader theology
Last night I went and saw Star Wars, Episode 3, ‘The Revenge of the Sith’ with several of my closest friends. You have to understand something at the outset… ever since I first saw the first Star Wars 28 years ago, I’ve wanted to know, really to see, how Darth Vader came to be the way he is. I definitely enjoyed this movie a lot. It was the best of the first three movies, and certainly near the top of the entire story line. But it gave a strong lesson in depravity and the sinful nature that was rather life like.
Now, stay with me here. You may not be a Star Wars fan, but there’s an honest to goodness point in all of this. Don’t be put off my the packaging of it. Episode 3 plays well as movies go, because I think Anakin is a real character. We can identify with his basic nature and struggles. Now, here’s an early disclaimer: I’m not endorsing the new age, eastern pantheistic monism that is the impersonal ‘Force.’ What I’m trying to get at, is that outside of the special effects, Anakin’s character shows a good representation of how we as people make decisions and react or respond to opportunities and challenges based on where our heart is at any given moment.
Let’s call it a Darth Vader Theology. Okay, get over the label.
A Darth Vader theology is simply this: very few us is so flatly, one dimensional evil in who we are as day-to-day people. But many of us realize we all have honest hopes, more honest fears, and we want a good life for ourselves and those whom we love and cherish. And were willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that we get what we think we deserve, what we want, or protect whom we love, no matter the cost. That is the basic premise of Anakin Skywalker. And that’s the rub. Instead of trusting in his Jedi credo and friends, including Padme, his secret wife (Jedi can’t get married, you know), Anakin gives more attention to his anxieties, fears, and worries, taking the advice and direction of the Senate Chancellor, who is rather shady.
To make it worst, Anakin listens and gives the Chancellor credence over and above what his friends tell him, even after the Chancellor reveals his true identity as the ultimate bad guy, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the villain the Jedi have been trying to find and bring to justice. One might be tempted to think, this is just a movie. And you’d be right, but like I said, there’s something here for us to learn from.
In Romans 7:7ff, the Apostle Paul is writing about struggles with sin, and why we do struggle so with it. It is perhaps the greatest tongue twister in all of the New Testament, maybe even in all of Scripture. It could probably be summed up by this: “Why do I do what I don’t want to do? Because deep down inside, I really want to do it.” Paul is not so much stating that we are all repressed bad guys, as much as he’s stating the not-always obvious point that our very nature, our human nature, is corrupt and incapable of choosing for God left to our own devices and understanding. This is total depravity. Paul’s point is well taken, when he makes a simple but profound statement regarding our state of hopelessness—that we are helpless and hopeless to change and be saved without the salvation given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is speaking to our core struggle with sin. We cannot not sin, on our own. We don’t have it within us to hold off sin in our lives. Ah, but with Jesus, we have the means to not only resist sin, but we can now choose not to sin. We may be transformed to be who God originally created us to be!
This Darth Vader theology looks at what is in the heart of a person that they would end up making bad decisions, or, as in Anakin’s case, turn to the Dark Side. Paul helps us understand that what’s in Anakin’s heart is in our hearts, too. Paul helps us understand that anytime we would choose to do good, sin is right there, waiting to lure us toward the bad.
The Darth Vader theology helps us understand that much of the time, at least at the beginning, we don’t necessarily make bad, sinful choices because we want to be evil and rule the galaxy (or at least the world). We often make bad choices because we have good intentions, and we think we understand the situation completely, while we really end up ignoring the true implications of our decisions. We are helped in understanding Anakin’s anxiety in Episode 3, because he has a vision that his wife will die in child birth, and he becomes consumed with finding some way, some power to keep that vision from becoming reality. In Anakin’s case, it was the loss of his mother (see Episode 2 for more info), coupled with fear of losing his wife that drove him to seek complete control, trying to stave off even death. For Anakin, deep belief in his fears and the consuming thought of how to control life so as to defeat the things that he feared were enough for him to throw everything he had previously valued away, including his wife. The implications? Sadly, it was Anakin’s turning to the Dark Side, and betraying what he had once held as good and right, hunting down his Jedi friends, and even turning on his wife that ended up fulfilling his vision of his wife's dying.
A Darth Vader theology reminds us that we do not have it within us to understand all things that happen in life, and to try to solve or react to them in our wisdom and understanding is pure folly. Our sinful nature will always guide us down the wrong path. It will always lead us astray. Who can save us from ourselves? Paul reminds us at the end of Romans 7 that, praise be to God, only Jesus Christ can save us from this body of death. Few of us need fear falling to the Dark Side because of one choice, but Anakin’s story reminds us that it’s rarely ever one choice, but the litany of choices we make that will lead us to good or to bad. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds us that we should not be self-deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. If we sow to the sinful nature, we will reap sin. If we sow to the Spirit of God, we will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:6-8). Apart from Christ, we have no hope of a life that holds good eternal consequences for us. Should we choose to live for ourselves, even for the best of reasons, we will choose poorly. We cannot allow the powers of fear and selfishness to manipulate us. Instead, we must turn to Jesus Christ and trust in Him, the goodness of God, that He is bigger than everything we fear will end up having no eternal quality for us, even in the now. And that’s what I got from watching Star Wars.
Now, stay with me here. You may not be a Star Wars fan, but there’s an honest to goodness point in all of this. Don’t be put off my the packaging of it. Episode 3 plays well as movies go, because I think Anakin is a real character. We can identify with his basic nature and struggles. Now, here’s an early disclaimer: I’m not endorsing the new age, eastern pantheistic monism that is the impersonal ‘Force.’ What I’m trying to get at, is that outside of the special effects, Anakin’s character shows a good representation of how we as people make decisions and react or respond to opportunities and challenges based on where our heart is at any given moment.
Let’s call it a Darth Vader Theology. Okay, get over the label.
A Darth Vader theology is simply this: very few us is so flatly, one dimensional evil in who we are as day-to-day people. But many of us realize we all have honest hopes, more honest fears, and we want a good life for ourselves and those whom we love and cherish. And were willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that we get what we think we deserve, what we want, or protect whom we love, no matter the cost. That is the basic premise of Anakin Skywalker. And that’s the rub. Instead of trusting in his Jedi credo and friends, including Padme, his secret wife (Jedi can’t get married, you know), Anakin gives more attention to his anxieties, fears, and worries, taking the advice and direction of the Senate Chancellor, who is rather shady.
To make it worst, Anakin listens and gives the Chancellor credence over and above what his friends tell him, even after the Chancellor reveals his true identity as the ultimate bad guy, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the villain the Jedi have been trying to find and bring to justice. One might be tempted to think, this is just a movie. And you’d be right, but like I said, there’s something here for us to learn from.
In Romans 7:7ff, the Apostle Paul is writing about struggles with sin, and why we do struggle so with it. It is perhaps the greatest tongue twister in all of the New Testament, maybe even in all of Scripture. It could probably be summed up by this: “Why do I do what I don’t want to do? Because deep down inside, I really want to do it.” Paul is not so much stating that we are all repressed bad guys, as much as he’s stating the not-always obvious point that our very nature, our human nature, is corrupt and incapable of choosing for God left to our own devices and understanding. This is total depravity. Paul’s point is well taken, when he makes a simple but profound statement regarding our state of hopelessness—that we are helpless and hopeless to change and be saved without the salvation given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is speaking to our core struggle with sin. We cannot not sin, on our own. We don’t have it within us to hold off sin in our lives. Ah, but with Jesus, we have the means to not only resist sin, but we can now choose not to sin. We may be transformed to be who God originally created us to be!
This Darth Vader theology looks at what is in the heart of a person that they would end up making bad decisions, or, as in Anakin’s case, turn to the Dark Side. Paul helps us understand that what’s in Anakin’s heart is in our hearts, too. Paul helps us understand that anytime we would choose to do good, sin is right there, waiting to lure us toward the bad.
The Darth Vader theology helps us understand that much of the time, at least at the beginning, we don’t necessarily make bad, sinful choices because we want to be evil and rule the galaxy (or at least the world). We often make bad choices because we have good intentions, and we think we understand the situation completely, while we really end up ignoring the true implications of our decisions. We are helped in understanding Anakin’s anxiety in Episode 3, because he has a vision that his wife will die in child birth, and he becomes consumed with finding some way, some power to keep that vision from becoming reality. In Anakin’s case, it was the loss of his mother (see Episode 2 for more info), coupled with fear of losing his wife that drove him to seek complete control, trying to stave off even death. For Anakin, deep belief in his fears and the consuming thought of how to control life so as to defeat the things that he feared were enough for him to throw everything he had previously valued away, including his wife. The implications? Sadly, it was Anakin’s turning to the Dark Side, and betraying what he had once held as good and right, hunting down his Jedi friends, and even turning on his wife that ended up fulfilling his vision of his wife's dying.
A Darth Vader theology reminds us that we do not have it within us to understand all things that happen in life, and to try to solve or react to them in our wisdom and understanding is pure folly. Our sinful nature will always guide us down the wrong path. It will always lead us astray. Who can save us from ourselves? Paul reminds us at the end of Romans 7 that, praise be to God, only Jesus Christ can save us from this body of death. Few of us need fear falling to the Dark Side because of one choice, but Anakin’s story reminds us that it’s rarely ever one choice, but the litany of choices we make that will lead us to good or to bad. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds us that we should not be self-deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. If we sow to the sinful nature, we will reap sin. If we sow to the Spirit of God, we will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:6-8). Apart from Christ, we have no hope of a life that holds good eternal consequences for us. Should we choose to live for ourselves, even for the best of reasons, we will choose poorly. We cannot allow the powers of fear and selfishness to manipulate us. Instead, we must turn to Jesus Christ and trust in Him, the goodness of God, that He is bigger than everything we fear will end up having no eternal quality for us, even in the now. And that’s what I got from watching Star Wars.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
why doctrine is important
with the election of the new Pope, Benedict XVI, we've heard of the jubilation of some (he will continue the theological direction of John Paul II), and we've heard disappointment (he's too conservative - the Church needs to get in line with the world). it's really interesting to me how many people, how many Christians, don't understand the importance of doctrine, and just dismiss it as if it were the source of all the Church's (and the world's) problems. surely some of the world's problems can be traced back to doctrine, or is it really a misunderstanding of, or manipulation of true doctrine?
I would submit to you that doctrine is not only necessary, but it's critical to the life of the Christian faith. Doctrine forms for us the very core of what it means to be a Christian, and believe the Christian faith is true. Unconvinced?
The following are just a few core doctrines that are what we can call within orthodoxy. Belief in One God. Belief that our One God is mysteriously made up of Three persons (we know God as the Trinity). Belief that Jesus is the Son of God, begotten of the Father, not made. Belief that the Holy Spirit is the love that connects the Father and the Son, who dwells in us, transforming us for the purposes, the glory of God. Belief that one day Jesus will return, and there will be a day of judgment. Belief in the resurrection of the body. Belief in the forgiveness of sins for all who recognize their own sinfullness, and call out for the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Belief that Jesus ordained the Church, and that on some mysterious level, we are one body of believers, both locally and worldwide, and that, again mysteriously, our salvation is a communal act and process as much as a personal one.
For a better, shorter, and more articulate understanding of core Christian beliefs (or doctrines), just check out the Apostles' and the Nicene Creeds. They are the earliest, best known statements of faith concerning Christianity on the part of thoughtful Christians from the earlier years of the Church's existence.
But here's the proverbial rub, in and of itself, even the best doctrine is useless if it's not lived out. Hence we have much of the Church's problems at different times over its history. It's fair to say that many of the complaints that are leveled at the Church by various people have at least some merit. As humans, even Christians struggle with their own humanity, their own sinful nature. And, as Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30) tells us, there are men and women in the Church who are not believers. From that parable, and certainly from various points in Church history, one can conclude that there have been men and women who attained positions of authority, who were neither called nor qualified, but who were able to use their office for their own personal gain, or worse, to reign at the expense of the people whom they should have been serving. We certainly know that the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants during the 16th century turned the hearts and minds of many people away from the Church to the point of where the Enlightenment sought to get away from thoughtful doctrine, and produced the idol of the 'clock-maker God' and natural theology.
But all of that's to say, throwing the baby out with the bath water is never a good solution. In point of fact, we struggle today against the secularist mindset that is the natural progression of that original Enlightenment mindset. Again, however, too many Christians fall into the trap of playing on a field that our faith isn't necessarily called to be, so we get caught up in arguments science, when we should be living the faith we so earnestly talk about.
When "used" properly, doctrine is the schematic for Christians. It gives us depth beyond the old Sunday School answer. It shows us to be thinking people. Doctrine can give us confidence to live what we believe. It equips us to be the people God created us to be. But when we treat it as mere Bible trivia, or worse, we put ourselves in an indefensible position, turning into uneducated fundamentalists whose mantra is 'the Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it.'
Let's joyfully embrace the orthodox doctrines of our faith, living out what we think and say, so that all people can see, whether they want to agree with our doctrine or not, they cannot find fault with who they find us to be in Jesus Christ.
I would submit to you that doctrine is not only necessary, but it's critical to the life of the Christian faith. Doctrine forms for us the very core of what it means to be a Christian, and believe the Christian faith is true. Unconvinced?
The following are just a few core doctrines that are what we can call within orthodoxy. Belief in One God. Belief that our One God is mysteriously made up of Three persons (we know God as the Trinity). Belief that Jesus is the Son of God, begotten of the Father, not made. Belief that the Holy Spirit is the love that connects the Father and the Son, who dwells in us, transforming us for the purposes, the glory of God. Belief that one day Jesus will return, and there will be a day of judgment. Belief in the resurrection of the body. Belief in the forgiveness of sins for all who recognize their own sinfullness, and call out for the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Belief that Jesus ordained the Church, and that on some mysterious level, we are one body of believers, both locally and worldwide, and that, again mysteriously, our salvation is a communal act and process as much as a personal one.
For a better, shorter, and more articulate understanding of core Christian beliefs (or doctrines), just check out the Apostles' and the Nicene Creeds. They are the earliest, best known statements of faith concerning Christianity on the part of thoughtful Christians from the earlier years of the Church's existence.
But here's the proverbial rub, in and of itself, even the best doctrine is useless if it's not lived out. Hence we have much of the Church's problems at different times over its history. It's fair to say that many of the complaints that are leveled at the Church by various people have at least some merit. As humans, even Christians struggle with their own humanity, their own sinful nature. And, as Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30) tells us, there are men and women in the Church who are not believers. From that parable, and certainly from various points in Church history, one can conclude that there have been men and women who attained positions of authority, who were neither called nor qualified, but who were able to use their office for their own personal gain, or worse, to reign at the expense of the people whom they should have been serving. We certainly know that the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants during the 16th century turned the hearts and minds of many people away from the Church to the point of where the Enlightenment sought to get away from thoughtful doctrine, and produced the idol of the 'clock-maker God' and natural theology.
But all of that's to say, throwing the baby out with the bath water is never a good solution. In point of fact, we struggle today against the secularist mindset that is the natural progression of that original Enlightenment mindset. Again, however, too many Christians fall into the trap of playing on a field that our faith isn't necessarily called to be, so we get caught up in arguments science, when we should be living the faith we so earnestly talk about.
When "used" properly, doctrine is the schematic for Christians. It gives us depth beyond the old Sunday School answer. It shows us to be thinking people. Doctrine can give us confidence to live what we believe. It equips us to be the people God created us to be. But when we treat it as mere Bible trivia, or worse, we put ourselves in an indefensible position, turning into uneducated fundamentalists whose mantra is 'the Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it.'
Let's joyfully embrace the orthodox doctrines of our faith, living out what we think and say, so that all people can see, whether they want to agree with our doctrine or not, they cannot find fault with who they find us to be in Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
when are problems with education a justice issue?
what does a blog on theology have to do with problems in education, and what do they have to do with issues of justice? a lot, I think. here's my dilemma... I've been serving on this committee at a local public middle school for the last three years to help re-envision how the middle school delivers education to its constituents. this last year I've been serving on a sub-committee to do with special education. this sub-committee, made up of myself, another parent, at least two regular ed teachers, a reading specialist, and three special ed teachers has worked their butts off over this last school year. our responsibility came down to presenting a report, as part of the greater committee, to the school board a couple of weeks ago. before I get into that, I want to say that I have no background or experience in special education, but I do have a passion for middle school students. what I learned as part of this sub-committee has blown me away - that is, this middle school's delivery of special education, and its ability to help kids who are just on the cusp of falling behind is so bassackwards it's scary. for the record, when our report was made, the school board agreed with our assessment that there was a problem, but there was no money to make any changes. UGH.
my question to you is, do you think that if this school board and the administration of this middle school know that their special education department is swamped and short-handed, and that there are several dozen students who are falling through the cracks because of the disorganization of the school, that this is a justice issue? are these students being treated in a truly unjust manner? are they victims of somebody else's political issues, whether on the school board or in the administration? what does God have to say to this situation? while this may not be a "spiritual" issue, is it not in the best interests of the christians to stand up for what's important, necessary, or just darn good for the students who are in need? is it okay to push a kid through secondary education knowing that by the time he or she graduates they'll be qualified to flip burgers or pump gas? yes, the world needs ditch diggers, but are we guilty of narrowing the options for these kids if we knowingly allow them to go through a school that is preventing them from having the same options for life as the student who is getting straight 'A's?
what do you think?
my question to you is, do you think that if this school board and the administration of this middle school know that their special education department is swamped and short-handed, and that there are several dozen students who are falling through the cracks because of the disorganization of the school, that this is a justice issue? are these students being treated in a truly unjust manner? are they victims of somebody else's political issues, whether on the school board or in the administration? what does God have to say to this situation? while this may not be a "spiritual" issue, is it not in the best interests of the christians to stand up for what's important, necessary, or just darn good for the students who are in need? is it okay to push a kid through secondary education knowing that by the time he or she graduates they'll be qualified to flip burgers or pump gas? yes, the world needs ditch diggers, but are we guilty of narrowing the options for these kids if we knowingly allow them to go through a school that is preventing them from having the same options for life as the student who is getting straight 'A's?
what do you think?
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
the Pope
has it been oversaid? this pope was a great guy. I liked him so much, I could have almost become roman catholic. But all of that aside, he was a wonderful Christian. He truly sought to live out his faith with great joy and obedience to Christ. He understood the seamless life between right thinking about your faith, and right living of your faith out in all areas. He was against facism, communism, poverty, but loved everyone, regardless of which side of the "issue" they fell on. I wish more Christians were like him. I would like my faith to influence me as deeply as his led him onward to Christ Jesus. Can you imagine what the Church would be like if everyone, protestant, pentecostal, and catholic, actually sought to live as faithful a life as John Paul II did? Hmmmmmm...
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