Reading the Back of the Book First

In his book "A New Kind of Christianity," Brian Mclaren makes a compelling argument for a critical look at how the church conducts itself. One of the places that Mclaren suggests we should start, and I agree, is with the way we read the bible. Mclaren argues that our reading of the bible (and I am paraphrasing - I hope, faithfully) has been under an illusion that hindsight has given us 20/20 vision. The problem is, the lens through which we have read the bible has been colored not by the biblical writers themselves, but by western secular philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. We essentially read the bible backwards through the lens of the philosophers that have shaped western culture, rather than letting is speak for itself. Read Mclaren's  book. He makes a great case. I am happy to report, however,  that the world view that colors our understanding of the bible is changing. Mclaren writes, "But more and more of us are defecting from the project of cosmetically enhancing this story and trying to rehabilitate the image of Theos. We want to try reading the Bible frontward for a while, to let it be a Jewish story that, through Jesus, opens to include all humanity. We believe it is time to firmly escort the Greco-Roman reframing of the biblical narrative to the door and seek what master songwriter Michael Kelly Blanchard calls 'the other God'—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not the god of the Greek philosophers and Roman potentates." I could not have said it better myself.

"Be Prepared"

Lent is here. Oh happy day! The season of Lent is probably one of the most celebrated and anticipated seasons in the church year (o.k., maybe I am being a little facetious). Lent is a time of preparation for the holy mystery that is Easter (I am sure we will talk more about that in weeks to come). Lent is a time that, while it may not have a lot of popular cache, is full of opportunities for spiritual growth. The one thing Lent is famous for (other than the fact that it starts the day after Mardi Gras), is that people often "give something up" for Lent. They give up chocolate, red meat, wine, etc. You name it, I am sure someone has given it up for Lent. This might seem like a silly practice to some people, but I want to encourage everyone to try (go ahead, it's not too late). Lent is a time to "strip away" all that is absorbed with self, and to allow the full measure of God's spirit be born in us. Giving something up for Lent is one way to rehearse that stripping away process. The Apostle Paul wrote "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). That is what the season of Lent is all about. Be prepared!

WWJD

Now, stay with me; this could get complicated. I just finished reading a great book (by great, I mean full of challenging, thought-provoking insights, but drier than Death Valley) by Professor John D. Caputo of Syracuse University. Check it out. I will let the book speak for itself, mainly because I did not understand enough of it to speak on its behalf. However, one thing that I did understand is Caputo's historical treatment of the whole "WWJD" phenomenon (or perhaps, industry is a better word). WWJD means "what would Jesus do?" It is a phrase that has been utilized by the contemporary evangelical church to support its positions on a variety of issues. When in doubt, just proclaim, "what would Jesus do?" The implication is that Jesus would do whatever "we" (whoever that is) are doing. And, just so people remember, we will sell bracelets, keychains, baubles, etc. (at a tidy little profit, thank you - WWJD?). However, you might be interested to learn, as I was, that the saying originated in 1896, when a Topeka, Kansas pastor named Charles Sheldon wrote a book called "In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do." The book challenges Christians to respond in meaningful ways to the issues of poverty and homelessness. The challenge that Sheldon leveled in his query was to social transformation through acts of love, kindness, and justice in Jesus' name. He did not mention bracelets in the whole book. Caputo writes of Sheldon, he "called for personal transformation and personal responsibility, which was his evangelical side, but at the same time he was attentive to the larger issue of the need for social and structural transformation, which was his Christian-socialist side." Next time someone asks what would Jesus do, and you can't think of an answer, try something like "feed the hungry, love the unloved, heal the sick." How do I know? Because that's what Jesus did.

"Every Kiss Begins With Kay"

Maybe it is because I have become overly-sensitized to the emotionally manipulative way that TV commercials are made after participating in the Advent Conspiracy, or maybe it's just because I am a cynical cuss. Whatever the reason, I can't help but notice that this past Valentine's season Kay Jeweler's hit us men hard again with the commercials designed to make us believe that our love for our wives can be measured in karats. Check out this little ditty. I can't even begin to count the questions this commercial raises about the values we are teaching our children. Christmas is not two months past. And yet, if I am to believe the good people at Kay Jewelers, I would have to take out a second on my house to show Cindy I love her. The point is, especially during  recession, perhaps it is time to take stock of the things that we once considered important and to reevaluate our priorities. I think that we need to develop a critical eye for how media is used in our culture (I think I smell an upcoming sermon series).

"And the Winner Is..."

Super Bowl 44 (or XXXXIV as it is sometimes known) was a great event. Two future hall of fame quarterbacks battled it out. But, in the end, Drew Brees and the Saints won the big game. It was a victory not just for the team, but for the whole city of New Orleans (how's that for trite). Now, let's talk about the real winner. This year, there were a lot of great Super Bowl commercials. The E-trade baby continued to entertain. Betty White's Snickers commercial was especially funny. But, the winner of the best Super Bowl commercial has to go to the Doritos ad where the little boy slapped his mom's date and told him, "don't touch my mama. And don't touch my Doritos." Great stuff. Let me know your favorite commercial.

"Enough"

In my lifetime, I have experienced the wide spectrum of lifestyles on the socio-economic scale. I have lived in HUD quality apartments, selling my possessions at the pawn shop to make ends meet. I have lived in rural Ohio. And now, according to globalrichlist.com, I live better than 99% of the world. But, I live in Orange County, California. So, even though I am a rich man to most of the world, I am probably a bit of a simple man in my community. That is not a statement about my own piety; that is simply a statement of fact. However, like many people, even though my needs are taken care of many times over, I still sometimes wish I had a car as nice as my neighbor, or money to do whatever I darn well please whenever I want. Sometimes, enough is not enough. Apparently, I am not alone. In Jim Wallis' great new book "Rediscovering Value On Wall St., Main St., and Your Street," he writes, "According to a study by the wealth-management firm PNC Advisors, rich people almost never feel secure in their wealth. In fact, when they are asked how much they would need to feel secure, it is almost always twice their current net worth or income." At some point, don't we have to ask ourselves when we have enough? I wonder what enough looks like.

Perspective

We talked this past Sunday about how our perspective towards our "stuff" might change if we really knew how fortunate we are. How would our definition of what we want and what we need change? Now, you can find out. Go to globalrichlist.com and find out precisely where you are on the spectrum of wealth in the world. Get ready to have your eyes opened.