"Thank You Atheists"

I don't know about where you live, but in Orange County, California, lately there have been road signs popping up espousing atheism. The response from the Christian community, as you might expect, has been diverse. Some take offense at having the message of atheism "forced" upon them (I can't even count the ways that this is hypocritical at worst, and uber-ironic at best). This group has filled up on righteous indignation and is not afraid to "force" it on the rest of us. Others don't really care. Live and let live, they would say. Others, and I find this humorous, like preacher Ray Comfort wish that the atheists would not only pick on Christianity, but share their "attacks" on other religions, as well. Suddenly, we are ecumenical and want other religions to be on equal footing as we are, how nice. I have a different response. My response is to say thank you to the atheist groups that have "come out of the closet." Your courage will force the church to think very seriously about its witness to the world. For instance, we can have all kinds of debates (civil and otherwise) about religion, but ultimately the church must recognize that our authority does not rest on getting everything right (because, more often than not, we don't). Our authority comes from our witness to the love of Christ. If we truly believe in God, if we truly believe that God is love and that Jesus came for all humankind, than we will live our lives to reflect this reality. Your billboards serve as a reminder of the importance of our witness. They also serve to reveal much of what is wrong with Christianity. For instance, for any Christian to say that all non-Christians are going to hell (this is not a belief I am espousing, merely one I am pointing out), but then turn around and ask the atheists to pick on all religions and not just ours is the height of hypocrisy. And it kind of makes us sound like cry babies. I am a Christian, so I believe that the billboards that the atheists are putting up are wrong. However, I am thankful that they are there because they remind me that being a Christian is not like being in a country club where I get special perks that no one else gets. Being a Christian means that "the last shall be first," and that we are called to be "servants of all." In fact, Christianity is the only thing that I know of where your status in the world actually decreases after you become a member. Maybe if we in the church spent more time remembering that, our witness to others might be so meaningful that they wouldn't want to put up billboards. It's just an idea.

"Establishing Priorities"

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-7

Today we began a new sermon series based on John Ed Mathison's book "Transformed Living in Tough Times." We talked about the importance of priorities. I had a mantra that I would repeat over and over (which, I know, is what a mantra is) when I was a youth director. I used to say to the youth, “The person that you want to be 15 years from now, you have to start becoming today.” This is also true when we talk about the kingdom of God. Envision God’s kingdom as you see it in our corner of the world. What would it look like? How would people relate to one another? If we actually took Jesus’ commandment to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and loved our neighbor (which includes even our bitterest enemy) as we love ourselves, what would our lives look like? What would our church look like? In the kingdom of God, this vision does not happen by accident. It happens because God’s people establish priorities based on God’s call on our lives, and then we live our lives according to those priorities. As we begin our time of reflection on the stewardship of our prayers, presence, gifts and service, let us remember that the priorities that we establish are not just about today or tomorrow. They are also about eternity. Tough times do not identify the church, or our priorities. The church, by living transformed lives even in the midst of tough times, transforms the times in which we live, now and for all time. I think that’s pretty cool.

Evangelism I'm Not Fond Of...Part 2

Back in August, I talked about going to an Angel game and being confronted by "evangelists" with signs at the game. I won't bore anyone with a repeat of my rationale for why I think this kind of fear-mongering evangelism does more harm for Christianity than good. If you are interested, follow this link to that blog. A friend of mine sent me a picture that he took from the same game, and I found it very interesting. Check it out. The sign says "Christ will return and judge." I take no issue with that theological statement. I think it is incomplete (Revelation makes some mention of a "new heaven and a new earth," but that's a story for another blog). No, my problem is how scripture is used on this poster. I am making an assumption based in the kinds of signs I saw displayed that the people sharing the good news in this clever way hold the position that if you accept Jesus into your heart, you will go to heaven. That is a great oversimplification, I know, but it is not inaccurate. However, the scripture that they choose to make their point on this particular poster says something completely different. The scripture cited is Matthew 25:31, which reads, "‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory." That would lead one to believe that the sign is correct. But the enquiring person will read on. Christ will return to judge. And he judges people, but not the way these "evangelists" would claim. He judges based not on whether they confessed Jesus as their personal Lord and savior, or whether they made a profession of faith. Those words found nowhere in this passage. Christ judges the people based on whether they cared for the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited those in prisons. Any reasonable student of the bible would see that this list is not exhaustive, it is representative of what Jesus expects from people. Not only does he expect it, he judges their eternal reward (or lack thereof) based on it. Put simply, these people at Angels stadium, who feel completely comfortable and empowered to interrupt my beloved baseball time with their fear-based Christianity don't even get their signs right. If you are citing Matthew 25 as your text warrant, than you damn sure better be encouraging people to care for the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit those in prisons (and by the way, I am pretty sure, standing outside a prison wall praising God when someone is being executed inside is not what God had in mind here). And this is ultimately the problem with this kind of evangelism (and theology for that matter). It starts with its own conclusions (i.e. "we are saved by grace through faith"), and either ignores biblical passages that contradict it (i.e. Matthew 25 for starters), or reinterprets those scriptures to say what it wants. Either way, these "bible based" Christians get the bible they love so much completely wrong. If you are going to preach a fear based theology of heaven/hell and Christ's blood appeased God to let us into heaven, at least use the whole bible when you do, and get the bible you are using right. Those that claim to speak for God without having the humility to acknowledge they could be wrong are investing a lot - in this life and the next - to get it right. Good luck with that.

"Rest for the Weary"

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-12:8

During the sermon yesterday, I made the statement that by the time of Jesus, yoke had become a metaphor for the law. The religious leaders had turned it into an obligation, a ritualistic requirement. Rather than being a path to God (a means to an end), the law had become an end in itself. As we reflect on what “yoke” we carry in our own lives, it is helpful to consider this. What are the things that we do merely out of a sense of obligation, with no underlying purpose behind that obligation? Purpose is key. There are things that I do because I have to (take out the trash, kill spiders, etc.) that I do not enjoy. However, these things do have a purpose, and the purpose is a righteous one. That purpose is contributing to the well-being of my family. However, sometimes we do things because we feel we must. And that is the only purpose that we can come up with. I would encourage you to prayerfully reflect on whether you need to be involved in such an activity. The point is this. There are yokes that we must carry. There are yokes that we do not need to carry, we have but to let them go. And then there is the yoke that we are blessed to carry – the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ.