"what evils religion has inspired" -Lucretius in Meaning by Michael Polanyi and Harry Prosch
"but [the early Christians] announced and celebrated the victory of Jesus over evil as something that had already happened, something that related pretty directly to the real world, their world. There was still a mopping-up battle to be fought, but the real victory had been accomplished." -N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." -1 John 4:3-5
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." -1 John 4:18
"Under the good intentions of well-meaning leaders, the church has fallen back on its heels in a defensive posture, seeking refuge in its own fortresses of buildings, programs, and "Christian" business, schools, and ministries. Trying to avoid the threat we were always meant to thwart, we have lost ground over and over again until at last we have nowhere left to go, surrounded by wickedness. We are now seen as an impotent and frightened group that hides from the world and the reality that faces us." Neil Cole, Organic Church
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -Ephesians 6:12
Some in our churches seem to have forgotten that Christ has already conquered evil, he is already victorious. Yet if you listen to conservative/Christian talk radio and read the periodicals published by Focus on the Family and the like, you would believe that a "war on morality" or a "culture war" has been waged which we must step up to and fight, or else we may loose everything we as conservative Christians have gained. When I hear and read such things I wonder how we have forgotten that the war has already been won. As N.T. Wright pointed out the early Christians celebrated the victory of Jesus. And, we seem to have forgotten it completely and are trying to fight again a war that has already been won.
When Christ died and rose again the war was won, he defeated sin and death. He accomplished what no person could do, he won the ultimate war. But as Wright also points out, "[t]here [is] still a mopping-up battle to be fought." Even though Christ has won the war for us, there is still a mopping-up battle to be fought. Often after a war between countries has ended, battles break out in the middle of reconstruction process. This is true of the war Christ has won. There are still battles breaking out as we near the completion of the kingdom of God. Yet our battles are not against flesh and blood. We are not in a battle against, "the homosexual agenda," "the pro-choice movement," "the Democrats," "atheists," "fundamentalist Muslims," or any other group made up of humans. When we go to war against these people we are fighting against those who Christ died for. We are battling against flesh and blood and not against our true enemy.
Many Christians as Cole points out, have retreated to a defensive posture. They have built their fortresses in places like South Barrington, Colorado Springs, Lake Forrest and Boring. Speaking out to their communities from the inside of these fortresses while in large part ignoring the turmoil in the communities surrounding them. They spend millions on their enlarging their fortresses and little on the poor, imprisoned, and oppressed outside their walls. They fight a war of morality and forget to live a life of love.
There is no ideology, no political movement, no social group, no religion, nothing to fear. If it is love which drives out fear, love which compelled God to offer himself so that punishment might be avoided, and love which is how others will know we are followers of Christ, why do we so often turn to hate in the name of love. If we Christians had our way and homosexuality, and abortion were outlawed, the ten commandments were posted on every government building, creation was taught in all of our schools, crosses were allowed on government property, and we were able to ignore the "problems" facing our environment, would America or any country be a better place? Would freedom reign? Or, would freedom and liberty pass away? Would there be oppression and outcasting of those who did not agree with the "Christian agenda?" Would love cast out fear, or would hate be masked in fear?
I think that we ought to turn to Jesus as an example of how we ought to fight the mop-up battles. He loved the sexually immoral, religious fundamentalists, and religiously destitute who we try to outlaw. He did not hide in some fortress, he drove out sin and fear with love. We ought to be changing this world not through legislation, oppression and hatred, but with love. If we want to see the end of immorality in this world it is not going to happen through politics but through the perfect love of God. We need to stop fighting a war which has already been won and begin loving our neighbors.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Mary's Story
Gabriel came to me saying, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”
Who would have known my son would amaze and astonish us in the many ways he has. Who would have known the announcement made to me was only a glimpse of the things to come. Who would have known what was to come that spring day years later.
The weather that day was nothing spectacular a few white puffs scattered the bright blue sky left from a passing shower the week before. I could feel a brisk cool breeze and hear the birds which were chirping as if to celebrate the passing of winter. The air had the smell of morning dew mixed with fresh flowers. This was a beautiful day but for me at that moment it was horrifically dark. How could a mother enjoy such a day while heading to the tomb of her first son. A mother should not be anointing her son, it is her son that should be anointing his mother.
My son had done many unexpected things in his life. For instance the time when we left him at the temple as a young boy, we were all surprised to find him teaching at such a young age. He had no fear; I don’t believe he even knew we had left him. His compassion was shown at our neighbor's wedding when he helped them when they ran out of wine. Or the time when he fed so many people with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. He was always full of surprises. Walking to the tomb that day I could not be prepared for the surprise which was waiting us.
My heart was broken the day he went before Pilate for the second time. The first time he was released, I was sure this time that Pilate would have no reason to hold him. I never felt so distant from my people when they wanted Barabbas to be released in place of my son. How was I to relate to a group of people whom would let an innocent man go in place of a murderer? I can still hear the people chanting, “crucify him, crucify him, crucify him!” I wanted to make it all stop. I wanted my son to surprise us all again and escape in some miraculous way. I grew sick to my stomach when Pilate made his announcement, deciding to give the people what they wanted. My people had turned on me, who did I have to turn to.
When Friday came I was hopping my son would surprise us one more time and release himself. I could not believe after all the miracles he had performed that he would not perform a miracle to save himself. As he walked to the place of the skull I watched from a distance. I couldn't even recognize him as my son. He had been badly beat; his back was covered with dried blood glistening as the fresh blood was still slowly creeping out of his wounds. His forehead also had dried blood, which went came from his hairline and into his face. His face was swollen, discolored and distorted. And yet, he remained silent the whole way, not a word left his mouth. I could not hold the tears back my son was going to die and I could do nothing but watch. The next few hours were a blur. All I remember of them was it became dark and the ground shook before he breathed his last. Later that day the other women and I went to the tomb where my son lay. We prepared the spices and oils to put on the linens but we had to leave them until Sunday for the Sabbath drew near.
This Sunday morning was a morning I will never forget. The women and I returned to the tomb with the spices and oils we had prepared. As I said the weather was not unusual, the day had started like any other spring day. We all got up early to draw water and get everything in order that we might leave for the tomb. What we found when we arrived at the tomb was unexpected. I know I had seen my son do many wonderful things but there was no way I could ever dream of what happened that spring day.
We walked down the road to the tomb where the man named Joseph; a council member had laid him. We did not talk on the way to the tomb. The only sound was that of our sandals against the ground and the sound of the birds chirping. The walk was the longest of my life, it was not a long distance but it seemed like a hundred miles. I was not in a hurry to arrive at the tomb, I hoped if we kept walking I would not have to face the fact my son was dead. As we neared the tomb the suspense grew with each and every step. A tear fell from my eye as the fact my son had died was beginning to set in. I did not want to believe we were actually walking to the tomb to prepare the body of my son. In the eyes of the other women I could see almost as much pain as that which I was experiencing. I remembered the promise my Lord had given me before the birth of our son. How would he be great, how would he reign forever, how could my Lord let me down, how was my Lord going to fulfill these promises now that my son was dead. The smell of those oils and spices will always bring back the memories of the miracle, which would top all the other miracles of my son.
As we came with in seeing distance of the tomb the stone appeared to be rolled away. I wondered who rolled the stone away for I saw no soldiers standing outside the tomb. My wonder ended for the next thing I knew the stone was rolled away and we were entering the tomb. The air was dense and cool and it felt very heavy. My eyes took a while to adjust because it was so dark inside. When my eyes adjusted and I could see, I did not believe what I saw. Where my son had been laid was nothing but the cloth that had covered his head neatly folded and the linens in a pile separate form the cloth. I wanted to believe my son was not there and the whole thing was only a dream. As began to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming two men appeared in the tomb with us.
The men were dressed in shining garments, garments, which were familiar to a time in my past. As we bowed our faces the men began to speak. They asked why we were looking for the living among the dead. Then they told us the words, which would change the world for the rest of time. They told us he was not there but he had risen. They explained to us what Christ had meant when he told us he must be crucified and then rise again on the third day. The words they spoke were the words I longed to hear for three days. Christ has risen, he is no longer dead, he has conquered death, and death has no hold on him! The joy, which filled my heart that day, was a joy I had never experienced before in my life.
We left the tomb and ran to the Disciples of Christ. I felt I could run forever, I was filled with joy and energy. As we ran I could feel the wind blowing through my hair and hear my heart pounding. When we arrived to the place where the eleven were I could barely get the words out. I was out of breath and so excited it took all I had to get the words out. When I did, Peter jumped to his feet. I could see amazement in his eyes. He ran all the way to the tomb to see for himself that what we said was the truth.
It was later on that spring day I realized, when Jesus died on that cross I did not loose a son but gained a savior from that empty tomb.
Who would have known my son would amaze and astonish us in the many ways he has. Who would have known the announcement made to me was only a glimpse of the things to come. Who would have known what was to come that spring day years later.
The weather that day was nothing spectacular a few white puffs scattered the bright blue sky left from a passing shower the week before. I could feel a brisk cool breeze and hear the birds which were chirping as if to celebrate the passing of winter. The air had the smell of morning dew mixed with fresh flowers. This was a beautiful day but for me at that moment it was horrifically dark. How could a mother enjoy such a day while heading to the tomb of her first son. A mother should not be anointing her son, it is her son that should be anointing his mother.
My son had done many unexpected things in his life. For instance the time when we left him at the temple as a young boy, we were all surprised to find him teaching at such a young age. He had no fear; I don’t believe he even knew we had left him. His compassion was shown at our neighbor's wedding when he helped them when they ran out of wine. Or the time when he fed so many people with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. He was always full of surprises. Walking to the tomb that day I could not be prepared for the surprise which was waiting us.
My heart was broken the day he went before Pilate for the second time. The first time he was released, I was sure this time that Pilate would have no reason to hold him. I never felt so distant from my people when they wanted Barabbas to be released in place of my son. How was I to relate to a group of people whom would let an innocent man go in place of a murderer? I can still hear the people chanting, “crucify him, crucify him, crucify him!” I wanted to make it all stop. I wanted my son to surprise us all again and escape in some miraculous way. I grew sick to my stomach when Pilate made his announcement, deciding to give the people what they wanted. My people had turned on me, who did I have to turn to.
When Friday came I was hopping my son would surprise us one more time and release himself. I could not believe after all the miracles he had performed that he would not perform a miracle to save himself. As he walked to the place of the skull I watched from a distance. I couldn't even recognize him as my son. He had been badly beat; his back was covered with dried blood glistening as the fresh blood was still slowly creeping out of his wounds. His forehead also had dried blood, which went came from his hairline and into his face. His face was swollen, discolored and distorted. And yet, he remained silent the whole way, not a word left his mouth. I could not hold the tears back my son was going to die and I could do nothing but watch. The next few hours were a blur. All I remember of them was it became dark and the ground shook before he breathed his last. Later that day the other women and I went to the tomb where my son lay. We prepared the spices and oils to put on the linens but we had to leave them until Sunday for the Sabbath drew near.
This Sunday morning was a morning I will never forget. The women and I returned to the tomb with the spices and oils we had prepared. As I said the weather was not unusual, the day had started like any other spring day. We all got up early to draw water and get everything in order that we might leave for the tomb. What we found when we arrived at the tomb was unexpected. I know I had seen my son do many wonderful things but there was no way I could ever dream of what happened that spring day.
We walked down the road to the tomb where the man named Joseph; a council member had laid him. We did not talk on the way to the tomb. The only sound was that of our sandals against the ground and the sound of the birds chirping. The walk was the longest of my life, it was not a long distance but it seemed like a hundred miles. I was not in a hurry to arrive at the tomb, I hoped if we kept walking I would not have to face the fact my son was dead. As we neared the tomb the suspense grew with each and every step. A tear fell from my eye as the fact my son had died was beginning to set in. I did not want to believe we were actually walking to the tomb to prepare the body of my son. In the eyes of the other women I could see almost as much pain as that which I was experiencing. I remembered the promise my Lord had given me before the birth of our son. How would he be great, how would he reign forever, how could my Lord let me down, how was my Lord going to fulfill these promises now that my son was dead. The smell of those oils and spices will always bring back the memories of the miracle, which would top all the other miracles of my son.
As we came with in seeing distance of the tomb the stone appeared to be rolled away. I wondered who rolled the stone away for I saw no soldiers standing outside the tomb. My wonder ended for the next thing I knew the stone was rolled away and we were entering the tomb. The air was dense and cool and it felt very heavy. My eyes took a while to adjust because it was so dark inside. When my eyes adjusted and I could see, I did not believe what I saw. Where my son had been laid was nothing but the cloth that had covered his head neatly folded and the linens in a pile separate form the cloth. I wanted to believe my son was not there and the whole thing was only a dream. As began to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming two men appeared in the tomb with us.
The men were dressed in shining garments, garments, which were familiar to a time in my past. As we bowed our faces the men began to speak. They asked why we were looking for the living among the dead. Then they told us the words, which would change the world for the rest of time. They told us he was not there but he had risen. They explained to us what Christ had meant when he told us he must be crucified and then rise again on the third day. The words they spoke were the words I longed to hear for three days. Christ has risen, he is no longer dead, he has conquered death, and death has no hold on him! The joy, which filled my heart that day, was a joy I had never experienced before in my life.
We left the tomb and ran to the Disciples of Christ. I felt I could run forever, I was filled with joy and energy. As we ran I could feel the wind blowing through my hair and hear my heart pounding. When we arrived to the place where the eleven were I could barely get the words out. I was out of breath and so excited it took all I had to get the words out. When I did, Peter jumped to his feet. I could see amazement in his eyes. He ran all the way to the tomb to see for himself that what we said was the truth.
It was later on that spring day I realized, when Jesus died on that cross I did not loose a son but gained a savior from that empty tomb.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
To Vote or Not to Vote
To vote or not to vote, that is the question which has been plaguing me these last few weeks. Many Christians feel that voting is something which we must do and others feel that it is something which we must not do. A friend of mine writes in his blog, (ttp://inhabitatiodei.wordpress.com) that he has ceased to vote because he thinks it doesn't make a difference and that whoever has the most power gets in anyways. Another friend sent me a web page which compares voting to treason against God (http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/content/view/135/9/). While recently on the Focus on the Family radio program, there was a person who made the statement, that the most spiritual thing a Christian can do is vote. While Dobson did not agree completely with this statement he did agree that voting was important for Christians. I personally have voted in every election possible since I registered to vote when I turned 18. However I have now had to reconsider whether or not I should be joining in this democratic ritual.
The conclusion I have now come to is that I will continue to vote. However I do not feel that voting is the most spiritual thing I can do, it is a political thing I do, not spiritual. While my spirituality may influence how I vote, it is a political act more than anything else. For pastors to pressure their congregates to vote is a down right atrocity. Voting is something I am free to do because I live in a democratic society which allows me to do so, it is also something which I am free to not do if I so feel inclined. To claim that one must vote because the Bible calls us to do so, is just down right ignorant and foolish.
So why is it that I will continue to vote? I will continue to vote because it is a way to be redeeming in this country. While my friend Halden (Inhabitatio Dei) does make a valid argument that any one persons vote is meaningless, I am not yet giving up on the very small hope that each person's vote is counted and counts. I can attempt to use my vote as one of many ways to extend the love of Christ. Although this must be done carefully. The way Christians vote for their morals can at times be more hate filled than loving. An example of this might be the homosexual marriage issue. While I believe that marriage should only be between one man an one woman, Christians voting on this issue has spoken hatred not love to the homosexual community. If you don't agree with me go ask one of your homosexual friends or go watch a movie like "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." When Christians vote "on the behalf of God" they are in dangerous territory.
When I vote, I do so as an American who happens to be a Christian not as a Christian who happens to be an American. Before you get upset that I am putting America before God let me explain. I am first and foremost a Christian before anything else. However when I am voting I am not "doing God's work." Think about this possible situation: Many Christians would agree that it is God who puts people in positions of power. In 2008 it is possible that Hillary Clinton will be elected president of the United States of America. If this happens, those many Christians would have to agree that God has put her into this office. For many of those Christians this will put them in a difficult situation, for they would not have voted for her. Have they voted against God and God's anointed? I am sure that in past real elections many Christians have voted in a way to support who they believe God would have wanted in office and have found someone else filling the position. If voting is doing the work of God, God sucks at politics. When I vote I do it as an American. Yes, me being a Christian is going to influence how I vote but it is not an act of "doing the work of God." When I vote I am doing the work of an American citizen. This is not something which is done against my citizenship in heaven.
Now I must explain how voting can be redeeming, if it is not the work of God. When I vote I need to vote in the most loving way. This may mean not voting for a particular race or measure. This may mean voting against how most other Christians are voting. This cannot be explained in a neat and clean way, but it must be done. When Christians choose to vote, as I have done, our votes must show our love for neighbor as much as our love for God.
The conclusion I have now come to is that I will continue to vote. However I do not feel that voting is the most spiritual thing I can do, it is a political thing I do, not spiritual. While my spirituality may influence how I vote, it is a political act more than anything else. For pastors to pressure their congregates to vote is a down right atrocity. Voting is something I am free to do because I live in a democratic society which allows me to do so, it is also something which I am free to not do if I so feel inclined. To claim that one must vote because the Bible calls us to do so, is just down right ignorant and foolish.
So why is it that I will continue to vote? I will continue to vote because it is a way to be redeeming in this country. While my friend Halden (Inhabitatio Dei) does make a valid argument that any one persons vote is meaningless, I am not yet giving up on the very small hope that each person's vote is counted and counts. I can attempt to use my vote as one of many ways to extend the love of Christ. Although this must be done carefully. The way Christians vote for their morals can at times be more hate filled than loving. An example of this might be the homosexual marriage issue. While I believe that marriage should only be between one man an one woman, Christians voting on this issue has spoken hatred not love to the homosexual community. If you don't agree with me go ask one of your homosexual friends or go watch a movie like "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." When Christians vote "on the behalf of God" they are in dangerous territory.
When I vote, I do so as an American who happens to be a Christian not as a Christian who happens to be an American. Before you get upset that I am putting America before God let me explain. I am first and foremost a Christian before anything else. However when I am voting I am not "doing God's work." Think about this possible situation: Many Christians would agree that it is God who puts people in positions of power. In 2008 it is possible that Hillary Clinton will be elected president of the United States of America. If this happens, those many Christians would have to agree that God has put her into this office. For many of those Christians this will put them in a difficult situation, for they would not have voted for her. Have they voted against God and God's anointed? I am sure that in past real elections many Christians have voted in a way to support who they believe God would have wanted in office and have found someone else filling the position. If voting is doing the work of God, God sucks at politics. When I vote I do it as an American. Yes, me being a Christian is going to influence how I vote but it is not an act of "doing the work of God." When I vote I am doing the work of an American citizen. This is not something which is done against my citizenship in heaven.
Now I must explain how voting can be redeeming, if it is not the work of God. When I vote I need to vote in the most loving way. This may mean not voting for a particular race or measure. This may mean voting against how most other Christians are voting. This cannot be explained in a neat and clean way, but it must be done. When Christians choose to vote, as I have done, our votes must show our love for neighbor as much as our love for God.
I Will No Longer Consume Church
In the past year I have spent a lot of time thinking about the consumer church. Mostly because a professor of mine has been working on a book and feeding his students chapters from it to give him feedback. The book recently released (Consuming Jesus by: Paul Louis Metzger). For those of you who are unfamiliar of the term "consumer church," I would like to propose a definition: A consumer church is a church which provides religious or pseudo-religious services in order to attract people to their location. In essence consumer churches are churches which are very much run like businesses. They look at their potential customers (church members) and target their programing (product) towards reaching those customers.
This post is not a cry to put an end to consumer churches, many people have already done that. I am here announcing that I will no longer consume church. As long as Christians including myself consume church, consumer churches will flourish. The blame of producing consumer churches does not go solely to those who run consumer churches, but also to me who consumes church. If I want to see consumer churches fade into history, I will need to resist the temptation to consume church.
The church I intern at has recently released its pastor and my internship advisor told me that this would be a great learning experience and that I should sit back and observe as much as possible without getting involved. I have realized that this advice is absolute crap. If I sit back and take in the suffering of a part of the body of Christ as "a great learning experience," I am becoming the worst type of consumer. I am consuming a product which is destroying those who are producing it. I cannot sit back and observe as a part of my family is ripped apart. I will not consume the church as it is being consumed.
As Christians we should not be consuming our churches. To put it in a way reminiscent of a great American president, ask not what your church can do for you, but ask what you can do for your church. The role of the Christian in the church is not to be a consumer but to be consumed. Consumed by our love for God, consumed by our love for our neighbor, consumed by the undying love of Christ.
This post is not a cry to put an end to consumer churches, many people have already done that. I am here announcing that I will no longer consume church. As long as Christians including myself consume church, consumer churches will flourish. The blame of producing consumer churches does not go solely to those who run consumer churches, but also to me who consumes church. If I want to see consumer churches fade into history, I will need to resist the temptation to consume church.
The church I intern at has recently released its pastor and my internship advisor told me that this would be a great learning experience and that I should sit back and observe as much as possible without getting involved. I have realized that this advice is absolute crap. If I sit back and take in the suffering of a part of the body of Christ as "a great learning experience," I am becoming the worst type of consumer. I am consuming a product which is destroying those who are producing it. I cannot sit back and observe as a part of my family is ripped apart. I will not consume the church as it is being consumed.
As Christians we should not be consuming our churches. To put it in a way reminiscent of a great American president, ask not what your church can do for you, but ask what you can do for your church. The role of the Christian in the church is not to be a consumer but to be consumed. Consumed by our love for God, consumed by our love for our neighbor, consumed by the undying love of Christ.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Crippled Christ vol. 3
Impotent Immanuel
Acts 1:8-But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (NIV)
Where is the power of the Holy Spirit in our communities today? Even in many of the charismatic churches the power of the Holy Spirit is not seen outside the church walls or outside the walls of home prayer/bible studies. God is with us, not only in our churches but outside them. When the curtain of the temple tore it represented the releasing of God's presence from the temple to the world, all were given access to the holy of holies through Christ. As Christians when the Holy Spirit comes on us we are empowered, to be witnesses to the world.
Holy Spirit empowerment is not meant to be kept in the church, it is given to us so that we can be witnesses to the ends of the earth. God is with us and he is not impotent. When we ignore the power of the Holy Spirit or keep it in our churches we are treating God as if he is impotent. It is about time that those outside our churches see the power of the Holy Spirit on their streets and in their lives. It is no wonder that Churches are closing all around the states and more and more people are turning away from God. The church will not see the fullness of its power in the Spirit if it does not move out in to the community.
Acts 1:8-But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (NIV)
Where is the power of the Holy Spirit in our communities today? Even in many of the charismatic churches the power of the Holy Spirit is not seen outside the church walls or outside the walls of home prayer/bible studies. God is with us, not only in our churches but outside them. When the curtain of the temple tore it represented the releasing of God's presence from the temple to the world, all were given access to the holy of holies through Christ. As Christians when the Holy Spirit comes on us we are empowered, to be witnesses to the world.
Holy Spirit empowerment is not meant to be kept in the church, it is given to us so that we can be witnesses to the ends of the earth. God is with us and he is not impotent. When we ignore the power of the Holy Spirit or keep it in our churches we are treating God as if he is impotent. It is about time that those outside our churches see the power of the Holy Spirit on their streets and in their lives. It is no wonder that Churches are closing all around the states and more and more people are turning away from God. The church will not see the fullness of its power in the Spirit if it does not move out in to the community.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Ex Nihilo. . . No, No
This article can be looked at as a double sided dagger, that is it is cutting two different ways at one time. I will be bringing up a new way to look at creatio ex nihilo while also exposing the importance of semantics in Christian theological discussion.
Let us begin with the problem of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing). The phrase is commonly used to describe how God created the universe. The argument goes that God created everything from nothing, he did not use any other material. As Genesis says, God spoke and it came into being. This language is not only misleading it is wrong. God did not create ex nihilo he created ex dei (out of god). God has always triunly existed (father, son, spirit). Creation was an outflowing of this eternal relationship. Creation did not come from nothing, it came from God. It is time we give credit where credit should be given. God, not nothing, should be credited for the universe. I do not believe that those who hold to a creatio ex nihilo theology of creation, would think I am saying anything wrong. They might however say, "we are not saying that God did not create, what we are saying is that God did not use any outside material when he created." To this I would have to suggest that we use the language creatio ex dei since it captures what actually happened. God created from himself, not from nothing.
This brings us to semantics. The old cl'ech'e goes "let's not argue over semantics," needs to be put to rest. Semantics are what allow us to communicate clearly. When we discuss semantics we are usually discussing the smaller meanings behind what the greater message is. In the argument of creatio ex nihilo vs. creatio ex dei the big issue is that God created, and the smaller meaning behind that big issue is how he did it. While in discussion among other Christians the semantical issues may seem meaningless (or at least not critical), although to those outside the Christian culture, semantics are huge. As stated earlier, semantics allow us to communicate clearly. As Christians when discussing theology it is imperative that we are careful to say what we mean. For, if we do not we run the risk of being gravely misinterpreted.
For the sake of clarity and to avoid being misinterpreted I must add one more paragraph. When I cay that God created ex dei, I am not saying that he created by spreading himself out, that is I am not saying that all matter is made up of God. What I am saying is that when God created he created by the means of himself. Matter was an outflowing of the triune relationship (which may be the topic of a future post).
Let us begin with the problem of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing). The phrase is commonly used to describe how God created the universe. The argument goes that God created everything from nothing, he did not use any other material. As Genesis says, God spoke and it came into being. This language is not only misleading it is wrong. God did not create ex nihilo he created ex dei (out of god). God has always triunly existed (father, son, spirit). Creation was an outflowing of this eternal relationship. Creation did not come from nothing, it came from God. It is time we give credit where credit should be given. God, not nothing, should be credited for the universe. I do not believe that those who hold to a creatio ex nihilo theology of creation, would think I am saying anything wrong. They might however say, "we are not saying that God did not create, what we are saying is that God did not use any outside material when he created." To this I would have to suggest that we use the language creatio ex dei since it captures what actually happened. God created from himself, not from nothing.
This brings us to semantics. The old cl'ech'e goes "let's not argue over semantics," needs to be put to rest. Semantics are what allow us to communicate clearly. When we discuss semantics we are usually discussing the smaller meanings behind what the greater message is. In the argument of creatio ex nihilo vs. creatio ex dei the big issue is that God created, and the smaller meaning behind that big issue is how he did it. While in discussion among other Christians the semantical issues may seem meaningless (or at least not critical), although to those outside the Christian culture, semantics are huge. As stated earlier, semantics allow us to communicate clearly. As Christians when discussing theology it is imperative that we are careful to say what we mean. For, if we do not we run the risk of being gravely misinterpreted.
For the sake of clarity and to avoid being misinterpreted I must add one more paragraph. When I cay that God created ex dei, I am not saying that he created by spreading himself out, that is I am not saying that all matter is made up of God. What I am saying is that when God created he created by the means of himself. Matter was an outflowing of the triune relationship (which may be the topic of a future post).
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Crippled Christ vol. 2
Paralyzed Potentate
We as the church are lead by an all powerful king (potentate) yet we treat him as if he has no power. We in effect paralyze the potentate when we ignore his healing power in our churches and culture. The body of Christ does not exist to build itself up, it is not an inwardly focused body. So much focus has been put on preaching the gospel, that we have forgotten to live the gospel. When we deny the healing power of God we paralyze the healing arms and legs of the body of Christ.
Healing is a part of God's redemptive work in the world. Throughout scriptures healing is present, healing has and always will be a part of God's work with humanity. By rejecting healing, or ignoring it we turn from that which at the heart of the gospel. In Luke 4:14-21 it is revealed that Jesus has come to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, restore sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed, then he went out and did that. We sing songs such as "Amazing Grace" and believe that we need healing of spiritual sight. Jesus went out spit in the mud and healed physically. He told the lame to get up and walk and they did. It is rare to see healing happening in our churches. Don't get me wrong, healing is more than just physical, however healing from God includes spiritual and physical healing. It is time this is recognized and the body of Christ starts moving out and healing those in their communities. The gospel includes healing. As Leslie Newbigin has said "preaching is meaningless without . . . healings" (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 132).
One final clarification, salvation does not equal physical healing. People who are not healed can be saved. However this is no reason to abandon healing, healing is part of salvation.
We as the church are lead by an all powerful king (potentate) yet we treat him as if he has no power. We in effect paralyze the potentate when we ignore his healing power in our churches and culture. The body of Christ does not exist to build itself up, it is not an inwardly focused body. So much focus has been put on preaching the gospel, that we have forgotten to live the gospel. When we deny the healing power of God we paralyze the healing arms and legs of the body of Christ.
Healing is a part of God's redemptive work in the world. Throughout scriptures healing is present, healing has and always will be a part of God's work with humanity. By rejecting healing, or ignoring it we turn from that which at the heart of the gospel. In Luke 4:14-21 it is revealed that Jesus has come to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, restore sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed, then he went out and did that. We sing songs such as "Amazing Grace" and believe that we need healing of spiritual sight. Jesus went out spit in the mud and healed physically. He told the lame to get up and walk and they did. It is rare to see healing happening in our churches. Don't get me wrong, healing is more than just physical, however healing from God includes spiritual and physical healing. It is time this is recognized and the body of Christ starts moving out and healing those in their communities. The gospel includes healing. As Leslie Newbigin has said "preaching is meaningless without . . . healings" (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 132).
One final clarification, salvation does not equal physical healing. People who are not healed can be saved. However this is no reason to abandon healing, healing is part of salvation.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Who or what do you worship?
About a month ago I was listening to the radio and John MacArthur was ripping on Brian McLaren and the emergent church movement. MacArthur admittedly was not able to follow McLaren's arguments saying, "how can you make an argument against someone who does not make sense." He then went on to make statements against the emergent church movement saying that those in the movement have created a new god for themselves. As he was speaking, he was continually saying that his beliefs are based on the Bible, that church needs to be biblically based, he kept pushing that everything came back to the Bible. With this continuous rhetoric of getting back to the Bible and basing everything on the Bible I realized something, it appeared that he was making a new god for himself. He appeared to be making an idol of the Bible. As I mentioned this to others and began observing churches and Christian conversations, this is not an idol which is limited to MacArthur. I believe that the biggest drawback of evangelicalism is that it has begun (or has been) worshiping the Bible and not the God revealed through the Bible. Since developing this conclusion I have seen this everywhere and have been bringing it up everywhere, this tends to be a sub-theme of my posts and conversations. I am now making it the theme of this post and this conversation.
This idolatry is found everywhere. When you look at the doctrinal statements of most churches they begin with their #1 statement being something to the tune of, "we believe scripture to be the authoritative, inerrant, word of God." Then after that comes either their statements on christology or the trinity. I think it is ridiculous that the godhead is not listed as #1 on every doctrinal statement. I know that most churches would agree that the order is not done because of priority, however it does say something when the first thing mentioned of what is important continues to be the Bible not God.
Another place where this idolatry is found is in the way Christians speak. When discussing theology or preaching we almost always support our arguments by saying, "in the Bible it says," or simply, "the Bible says," both of these show that we are trusting a book not God. The authority of scripture comes from it being the word of God. Why don't we say, "in the Bible God says," or simply, "God says?"
Another way this idolatry is found in our conversations is how we label things. We have, "biblical theology," "biblical leadership," "biblical seminaries," "Bible churches," "Bible schools/colleges," and the list goes on and on. The emphasis is put on the Bible not on God.
One more example came up in an evangelism class which I had. The professor asked if someone could be saved with out knowledge of the Bible. The class tended to think that a person must have at least some understanding of the Bible to be a Christian. I found this to be outrageous. Being a Christian is about having a relationship with God, not about reading a book, even if it is the recorded word of that God (which I believe the Bible is).
I do not want you to misunderstand me. I think that the Bible is the written word of God. I think that the Bible is inerrant. I believe that the Bible is inspired by God. I even believe that Paul wrote all the epistles credited to him, and that Jonah spent some time in the belly of a big fish. However I do not think that the Bible is the crowning achievement of Christianity. I think that that belongs to Christ who was sent by the Father in the Spirit, who reigns and will reign forever. I think that if we are going to get back to authentic Christianity it means that we need to get back to the authentic Christ not back to the Bible. I think that if we are going to get back to the heart of worship and not continue in idolatry we need to realize that it is all about Him, we need to worship God and God alone. As the Israelites thought they could control God through the ark of the Covenant, and began worshiping the ark, we as Christians are in danger of trying to control God through the Bible and worshiping the Bible. If we do fall prey to this form of idolatry we may be found without a god like the Israelites after the Philistines took the ark.
This idolatry is found everywhere. When you look at the doctrinal statements of most churches they begin with their #1 statement being something to the tune of, "we believe scripture to be the authoritative, inerrant, word of God." Then after that comes either their statements on christology or the trinity. I think it is ridiculous that the godhead is not listed as #1 on every doctrinal statement. I know that most churches would agree that the order is not done because of priority, however it does say something when the first thing mentioned of what is important continues to be the Bible not God.
Another place where this idolatry is found is in the way Christians speak. When discussing theology or preaching we almost always support our arguments by saying, "in the Bible it says," or simply, "the Bible says," both of these show that we are trusting a book not God. The authority of scripture comes from it being the word of God. Why don't we say, "in the Bible God says," or simply, "God says?"
Another way this idolatry is found in our conversations is how we label things. We have, "biblical theology," "biblical leadership," "biblical seminaries," "Bible churches," "Bible schools/colleges," and the list goes on and on. The emphasis is put on the Bible not on God.
One more example came up in an evangelism class which I had. The professor asked if someone could be saved with out knowledge of the Bible. The class tended to think that a person must have at least some understanding of the Bible to be a Christian. I found this to be outrageous. Being a Christian is about having a relationship with God, not about reading a book, even if it is the recorded word of that God (which I believe the Bible is).
I do not want you to misunderstand me. I think that the Bible is the written word of God. I think that the Bible is inerrant. I believe that the Bible is inspired by God. I even believe that Paul wrote all the epistles credited to him, and that Jonah spent some time in the belly of a big fish. However I do not think that the Bible is the crowning achievement of Christianity. I think that that belongs to Christ who was sent by the Father in the Spirit, who reigns and will reign forever. I think that if we are going to get back to authentic Christianity it means that we need to get back to the authentic Christ not back to the Bible. I think that if we are going to get back to the heart of worship and not continue in idolatry we need to realize that it is all about Him, we need to worship God and God alone. As the Israelites thought they could control God through the ark of the Covenant, and began worshiping the ark, we as Christians are in danger of trying to control God through the Bible and worshiping the Bible. If we do fall prey to this form of idolatry we may be found without a god like the Israelites after the Philistines took the ark.
Eternal Security
Lately I have been thinking about the whole eternal security thing and something hit me; can you really have eternal security if you cannot lose your salvation? Those who argue that we have eternal security say that once you are saved you are always saved. Opponents of this idea always bring up some example of someone who "becomes" a Christian and then "falls away." Those who are in favor of the preservation of the saints reply, "that person was never truly saved." And, it is with this answer I have decided that if you cannot loose your salvation you cannot be secure in your eternal state (you can not have eternal security). Following this logic, I cannot be assured of my salvation until I die and enter heaven. Why do I say this, because many people have thought that they became Christians only to have fallen away and been put in the category of "never really being saved." If this is true, how can I know that I am truly saved, well I can't, that is until I die. There is no way for me to know if I am "really saved" or if I only think that I am. However, If I can loose my salvation, I can be assured that I am saved right now, if I die right now I can be assured that I am going to heaven because I have not turned my back on God. If I can loose my salvation I can have eternal security. I can be eternally secure that if I remain in Christ I have salvation.
Crippled Christ
This is the beginning of at least three posts which are going to focus on how we as the church have crippled Christ. It is my belief that the church has crippled itself through denying its true identity and by denying the true identity of the God it serves. I am not saying that we have actually done damage to God but we have done damage to our-self (the church) by treating God as if he were crippled. My hope in this series is to expose where we are crippling God and get us thinking about how we can move on to a place where we can truly live as the body of Christ. I would also like to explain that the critiques I am making are generalizations of the church in America and are not representational of every congregation everywhere. Many congregations are living as the un-crippled body of Christ, to those congregations I am not speaking.
Vol. 1-Mute Master
I am astonished at how reluctant the church is to preach the word of God. A couple of nights ago I was speaking with my brother and mentioned to him that God has gifted me to "be his voice to his church." At first this statement might seem heretical, however if it is understood it is not. What I am saying is that God has gifted me to preach. He has not gifted me to merely repeat the Bible, anyone who can read can do that. He has gifted me to speak his words. This does not make the Bible meaningless. On the contrary, the Bible is the authoritative word of God, and I must not contradict it, I must remain within it. Anyone who feels called to preach the word, needs to preach the words of God's.Yet, the church has muted God. The church tends to believe that once John wrote "amen" that was it, God stopped speaking. This could not be further from the truth. God continues to speak today. It is God's desire that we are in relationship with him. If he does not speak how can we be in relationship with him. A relationship where only one person speaks is a poor relationship. And don't go off and say that he speaks through the Bible. I know he does. But, imagine if my wife stopped speaking to me and I only talked to her and the only way she spoke to me was through the letters she wrote at the beginning of our relationship. That relationship would suck. As important as early letters are, quite possibly the backbone of the relationship. If my wife stopped speaking to me, we would not have a good relationship. If God stopped speaking after John finished his Revelation of Jesus Christ, we would have a relationship with him which sucks.It is about time that preachers realize that GOD IS SPEAKING TODAY. I have been called to be (one of many) God's voice to his church. It is time that preachers realize that when they preach they need to speak the words of God. Preaching is not to be taken lightly. Preaching is the speaking of God's word to his church (and beyond). I hope that this can allow us to remove the gag from God's mouth. We need to stop muting the master.
Vol. 1-Mute Master
I am astonished at how reluctant the church is to preach the word of God. A couple of nights ago I was speaking with my brother and mentioned to him that God has gifted me to "be his voice to his church." At first this statement might seem heretical, however if it is understood it is not. What I am saying is that God has gifted me to preach. He has not gifted me to merely repeat the Bible, anyone who can read can do that. He has gifted me to speak his words. This does not make the Bible meaningless. On the contrary, the Bible is the authoritative word of God, and I must not contradict it, I must remain within it. Anyone who feels called to preach the word, needs to preach the words of God's.Yet, the church has muted God. The church tends to believe that once John wrote "amen" that was it, God stopped speaking. This could not be further from the truth. God continues to speak today. It is God's desire that we are in relationship with him. If he does not speak how can we be in relationship with him. A relationship where only one person speaks is a poor relationship. And don't go off and say that he speaks through the Bible. I know he does. But, imagine if my wife stopped speaking to me and I only talked to her and the only way she spoke to me was through the letters she wrote at the beginning of our relationship. That relationship would suck. As important as early letters are, quite possibly the backbone of the relationship. If my wife stopped speaking to me, we would not have a good relationship. If God stopped speaking after John finished his Revelation of Jesus Christ, we would have a relationship with him which sucks.It is about time that preachers realize that GOD IS SPEAKING TODAY. I have been called to be (one of many) God's voice to his church. It is time that preachers realize that when they preach they need to speak the words of God. Preaching is not to be taken lightly. Preaching is the speaking of God's word to his church (and beyond). I hope that this can allow us to remove the gag from God's mouth. We need to stop muting the master.
Jesusless Theology
If you were to ask most Christians what book of the Bible they should turn to, to get some deep theology, you might hear responses like, Romans, Hebrews or for those totally obsessed with eschatology (end times) Revelation. And, I think that this is the problem with our theology today. We are so concerned with "theology" we have forgotten what "Christianity" is all about. We are so concerned with the proper interpretation of this or that Greek word, the actual historical context, or the author's original intent (all things which are important) that we have overlooked the most important thing. Jesus. Don't get me wrong it is important to know how to read and interpret the Bible but we should not do it at the cost of neglecting Jesus. As Anne Graham Lots would say "just give me Jesus." I would give up all of the years theological studies I have done to be able to spend time discussing theology with Jesus for a couple of hours. Christianity is about following Jesus, isn't it? If it is shouldn't our best books of the Bible to learn theology be the gospels?
I think that one of the great problems with Christianity today is that we have left Jesus for "theology" and for "biblical study" for that matter. I never hear people in accountability groups asking "who did you love today?" Yet they always seem to be asking "how many times have you read your Bible this week?" The result of this "theology and biblically" based Christianity as opposed to Jesus (Christ) based Christianity, is a Christianity which "knows" but does not "do." I believe that if we as Christians paid more attention to Jesus and learned from him and looked at the rest of the Bible through Jesus colored glasses we would enter into a Christianity similar to that of the first century. A Christianity which was world changing, a Christianity which "did" more than it discussed.
I think that one of the great problems with Christianity today is that we have left Jesus for "theology" and for "biblical study" for that matter. I never hear people in accountability groups asking "who did you love today?" Yet they always seem to be asking "how many times have you read your Bible this week?" The result of this "theology and biblically" based Christianity as opposed to Jesus (Christ) based Christianity, is a Christianity which "knows" but does not "do." I believe that if we as Christians paid more attention to Jesus and learned from him and looked at the rest of the Bible through Jesus colored glasses we would enter into a Christianity similar to that of the first century. A Christianity which was world changing, a Christianity which "did" more than it discussed.
The "M" Word
I recently taught on Matthew 5:21-31 and realized something which I think is worthy of noting. This section of scripture is in the middle of Jesus' famous "Sermon on the Mount." In verse 21 Jesus begins talking about murder, in his discussion he states that if anyone is angry with his brother he is guilty of murder. Jesus then further clarifies his statement by with the examples of calling a brother raka or you fool. Later in verse 31 Jesus brings up the subject of divorce, in his discussion he states that there is no reason to divorce other than unfaithfulness. Again Jesus clarifies this by stating that anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The passage I skipped over, the one which goes from verses 27-30 are the verses I would like to pay special attention to. In this section Jesus is confronting adultery, again like in the other passages he furthers (fulfills see v. 17) the command against adultery saying that if anyone has looked at someone with lust he has committed adultery with that person in his heart.
Here comes the part which caught me off guard. In Jesus' discussion on murder and divorce he made his argument and then explained it further. In this instance Jesus uses an unusual way to explain his argument. He says that if anyone lusts after another woman he should gouge out his eye or cut off his hand. At first cutting out your eye does seem to go right along with lust, I mean lust usually happens after seeing something. Yet it is this second part which intrigues me. What does your hand have to do with lusting in your heart? Hopefully you have all caught on to my new discovery. If, not let me explain. I can only think of one reason cutting off your hand could be related to lust and that is masturbation.
I believe that many years have passes where we (main stream Christianity) has thought that masturbation was wrong (I know that not all of us feel this way) but when pressed could give no biblical basis for it. Well, I believe that Jesus in the "Sermon on the Mount," one of his most popular speeches, is dealing with this exact issue. I also believe that the reason it has been overlooked is because we have sterilized Jesus. We never think that Jesus might have beaten around the bush on certain things, or used some sarcasm. I tend to wonder what hand motion he was making when he said to cut off your right hand (body language can speak much louder than words). I am almost positive (although I could be completely wrong) that in this passage Jesus is telling us that it is better to cut off your hand than it is to wack off with it. Although let me clarify that I do not believe we should be going around cutting off our hands, I think that Jesus is using the extreme of dismemberment to show the seriousness of what he is talking about.
This then brings me to a deeper issue. In all of these passages Jesus focuses on building relationships. We shouldn't be angry with others, we should be reconciled to others, we shouldn't divorce so quickly we should reconcile troubled marriages. So, it comes as no surprise that masturbation can be equal to adultery. In adultery a married person robs their spouse of sexual relationship and gives it to another person. In masturbation a married person robs their spouse of sexual relationship and hoards it all for themselves. Masturbation is one of the greatest forms of anti-relationship. Sex and sexuality is to be shared in relationship (in a marriage relationship). We were created as sexual beings which can only be truly satisfied in relationship with another person. Masturbation removes the other person from the equation. Masturbation takes something which is great in relationship and turns it into something which isolating and imprisoning. Masturbation is a completely selfish act, and I do not see how our god can see it any other way.
The passage I skipped over, the one which goes from verses 27-30 are the verses I would like to pay special attention to. In this section Jesus is confronting adultery, again like in the other passages he furthers (fulfills see v. 17) the command against adultery saying that if anyone has looked at someone with lust he has committed adultery with that person in his heart.
Here comes the part which caught me off guard. In Jesus' discussion on murder and divorce he made his argument and then explained it further. In this instance Jesus uses an unusual way to explain his argument. He says that if anyone lusts after another woman he should gouge out his eye or cut off his hand. At first cutting out your eye does seem to go right along with lust, I mean lust usually happens after seeing something. Yet it is this second part which intrigues me. What does your hand have to do with lusting in your heart? Hopefully you have all caught on to my new discovery. If, not let me explain. I can only think of one reason cutting off your hand could be related to lust and that is masturbation.
I believe that many years have passes where we (main stream Christianity) has thought that masturbation was wrong (I know that not all of us feel this way) but when pressed could give no biblical basis for it. Well, I believe that Jesus in the "Sermon on the Mount," one of his most popular speeches, is dealing with this exact issue. I also believe that the reason it has been overlooked is because we have sterilized Jesus. We never think that Jesus might have beaten around the bush on certain things, or used some sarcasm. I tend to wonder what hand motion he was making when he said to cut off your right hand (body language can speak much louder than words). I am almost positive (although I could be completely wrong) that in this passage Jesus is telling us that it is better to cut off your hand than it is to wack off with it. Although let me clarify that I do not believe we should be going around cutting off our hands, I think that Jesus is using the extreme of dismemberment to show the seriousness of what he is talking about.
This then brings me to a deeper issue. In all of these passages Jesus focuses on building relationships. We shouldn't be angry with others, we should be reconciled to others, we shouldn't divorce so quickly we should reconcile troubled marriages. So, it comes as no surprise that masturbation can be equal to adultery. In adultery a married person robs their spouse of sexual relationship and gives it to another person. In masturbation a married person robs their spouse of sexual relationship and hoards it all for themselves. Masturbation is one of the greatest forms of anti-relationship. Sex and sexuality is to be shared in relationship (in a marriage relationship). We were created as sexual beings which can only be truly satisfied in relationship with another person. Masturbation removes the other person from the equation. Masturbation takes something which is great in relationship and turns it into something which isolating and imprisoning. Masturbation is a completely selfish act, and I do not see how our god can see it any other way.
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