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“Americanized” Christianity

October 14, 2009

Americanized Christianity might sound a bit like “weaponized uranium.”  If it doesn’t, it probably should, because it’s just as dangerous.

Lately I’ve noticed far too much racism, bigotry and especially partisanship in the church to even call it Christian.  I am not picking on the church I lead in particular; however, I am picking on the American church in general.

Really, I’m picking on those who cannot separate their politics from their religion.  That is not to say that religion shouldn’t affect politics, it most certainly should.  Too many people, however, let their politics affect their religion (i.e. they cannot divorce their political persuasion from their interpretation of the teachings of Jesus).

Case in point: I have a Facebook Friend whose “friends” are discussing the merits of taking up arms in a bloody revolution against the US government.  These “friends” are all Bible-believing Christians (so to speak).  I know they are having a rhetorical discussion that is full of false bravado; but still, the fact that it’s an item for discussion betrays a great deal of ignorance regarding the teachings of Christ and His earliest followers.

If I sound arrogant here, I apologize; but working in a fairly-urban environment has taught me a number of humbling truths.  Of utmost importance: There are a great deal of faithful, Bible-believing Christians on either side of the political aisle.

Those who focus on justice for the unborn are generally conservative.  Those who focus on justice for the poor are generally liberal.  Those who focus on the independence-aspect of freedom are generally conservative.  Those who focus on the community-aspect of freedom are generally liberal.  Those who focus on individual morality are generally conservative.  And those who focus on social morality are generally liberal.

Ironically, and in regard to the above-mentioned issues, they all tout biblically-based, Christian principles.

One significant problem in Americanized Christianity is that the extremists on both sides would prefer to put a bullet in the head of those who disagree with them than to walk “two miles” with them; and this is surely not the way of Christ.

I’m not calling for political moderation.  Nor am I calling people to come together and just “get along.”  I’m asking Christians to study the teachings of Christ and consider: Would Jesus, in our context, be conservative or liberal; would He be capitalist or communist; would He be Republican or Democrat; would He be all-of-the-above or none-of-the-above?

Frankly, I’m not sure He’d have anything to do with any of us!

Posted in Politics, church, culture, religion | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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Michael Moore, Capitalism & Christianity

October 5, 2009

Most of my readers know that I operate from a conservative viewpoint (see my bio-page).  Although I am no partisan, I am not ashamed to be a conservative.  I believe the same values that made our nation strong will keep it strong:  Freedom, Independence, Liberty for All, Work Ethic, Justice and Fairness (as they are traditionally defined).  Capitalism is part of that system as well.

However, I also believe that we need to take spiritual inventory from time to time, as well as appreciate what the “other” viewpoints believe.  So I submit the following words from partisan filmmaker Michael Moore.  Some of his points are easily refutable.  Others are rather potent.  I’ll let you work it out in the ensuing discussion that is sure to take place.  Feel free to comment.

“Amidst all the Wall Street bad guys and corrupt members of Congress exposed in Capitalism: A Love Story, I pose a simple question in the movie: “Is capitalism a sin?” I go on to ask, “Would Jesus be a capitalist?” Would he belong to a hedge fund? Would he sell short? Would he approve of a system that has allowed the richest 1 percent to have more financial wealth than the 95 percent under them combined?

“I have come to believe that there is no getting around the fact that capitalism is opposite everything that Jesus (and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha) taught. All the great religions are clear about one thing: It is evil to take the majority of the pie and leave what’s left for everyone to fight over. Jesus said that the rich man would have a very hard time getting into heaven. He told us that we had to be our brother’s and sister’s keepers and that the riches that did exist were to be divided fairly. He said that if you failed to house the homeless and feed the hungry, you’d have a hard time finding the pin code to the pearly gates.

“I guess that’s bad news for us Americans. Here’s how we define “Blessed Are the Poor”: We now have the highest unemployment rate since 1983. There’s a foreclosure filing once every 7.5 seconds. 14,000 people every day lose their health insurance.

“At the same time, Wall Street bankers (“Blessed Are the Wealthy”?) are amassing more and more loot – and they do their best to pay little or no income tax (last year Goldman Sachs’ tax rate was a mere 1 percent!). Would Jesus approve of this? If not, why do we let such an evil system continue? It doesn’t seem you can call yourself a Capitalist and a Christian — because you cannot love your money and love your neighbor when you are denying your neighbor the ability to see a doctor just so you can have a better bottom line. That’s called “immoral” — and you are committing a sin when you benefit at the expense of others.”

Gospel According to Matt’s Opinion:  Jesus would have been neither capitalist nor socialist.  He would have been something else altogether.  What say you?

You can read Moore’s editorial in it’s entirity at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/for-those-of-you-on-your_b_308948.html

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Psalm 57:5 & Tozer’s Prayer

September 10, 2009

Psalm 57:5 says, “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above the earth.”

“O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions.  Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life.

“Be Thou exalted over my friendships.  I am determined that  Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth.

“Be Thou exalted above my comforts.  Thought it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee.

“Be Thou exalted over my reputation.  Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream.  Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself.

“Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase, let me sink that Thou mayest rise above.  Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon a the humblest little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, ‘Hosanna in the highest.’”

A. W. Tozer, “Restoring the Creator-Creature Relation,” The Pursuit after God

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Hand Sanitizers & American Christianity

August 21, 2009

In a micro-biology article, Regina Bailey tells us that: “Antibacterial hand sanitizers are marketed to the public as an effective way to wash one’s hands when traditional soap and water are not available.  These waterless products are particularly popular with parents of small children.  The manufacturers claim that the sanitizers kill 99% of germs.  Since you naturally use hand sanitizers to cleanse your hands, the assumption is that 99% of the [harmful] germs [on your hands] are killed by the sanitizers.  Recent research, however, suggests that this is not the case.

“Hand sanitizers work by stripping away the outer layer of oil on the skin and prevent bacteria in the body from coming to the surface of the hand.  However, the bacteria normally present in the body are not the kinds of bacteria that will make us sick.  In a review of the research, a professor at Purdue University, who teaches safe sanitation practices, came to an interesting conclusion, noting that hand sanitizers do not significantly reduce the bacteria on the hands, and may [actually] increase the bacteria.[1]

When I read this article I chuckled to myself for two reasons.  The first is because I’m nearly addicted to this stuff and apparently it isn’t doing me any good at all.  The second reason is because the parallels between hand sanitizers and traditional American Christianity are endless.

It’s like we’ve got this substance that can destroy all the bad stuff in our lives and in our world, but we have no idea how to actually make it work.  And so we smear it on the surface of our lives, and it might make us look clean and it might even kill some of the surface problems, but it doesn’t really sink in and make a difference.  So we interact with Christianity, and we get this pure-clean feeling, but we’re just fooling ourselves. Too often we are like the religious leaders that Jesus called “white-washed tombs.”  We are shiny and clean on the outside, but not on the spiritual inside.

It makes me think of the people addressed in 2Timothy 3:5 who “have a form of godliness” but “deny it’s power.”

 

[1] Accessed at, http://biology.about.com/od/microbiology/a/handsanitizers.htm, on August 20, 2009.

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The Real Meaning of “Christian”

August 19, 2009

One of the primary tests of Christianity is that we walk in the footsteps of Jesus.  Not just that we believe in Him, not just that we trust Him for salvation, but that we walk in His steps.  I’m not talking about His culture and customs, nor am I talking about securing salvation, I’m talking about our life-patterns.  Do our habits and patterns look anything like Jesus?  Do we care about the things Jesus cared about?  Do we talk about the things Jesus talked about?  Do we seek out the kinds of people Jesus sought out?  Do we love the things that Jesus loved and hate the things that Jesus hated?  Do we live like Jesus called us to live?  Real Christians walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

1 John 2:3-6 says: We know that we have come to know Him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him.  This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.

We can sum up this Scripture into three tests of Christian authenticity: (1) Real Christians obey His commands; (2) Real Christians embrace His truths; and (3) Real Christians walk in His footsteps.

1 John 2:3 makes it clear that true followers obey the commands of Christ.  It’s pretty simple: If we don’t obey Christ, then we aren’t true Christians.  The biblical word for obey in verse 3 means “to watch, to observe, and to keep an eye on” something.

When I was a boy, and when my mom would suspect that I was up to no good, she would say, “Matt, I’ve got my eyes on you!”  And then when I’d get caught for something I was sure I’d gotten away with, Mom would say, “I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.”  If you’re a parent then you know how important it is to keep your eyes on your children at all times.  Whether they’re in the house, or outside playing, or away at school or at some sporting event, every parent bears the responsibility of keeping their eyes on their children.

True Christians likewise bear the responsibility of keeping their eyes on the commands of Christ—that’s what obedience means—that they observe, watch, and consider His commands as they go about their lives.  1 John 5:3 says, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.”

Obedience plays itself out in two ways: We embrace His truth and we walk in His steps.  We accept what He says as gospel truth, even if it conflicts with our own values and preconceived notions.  And we pattern our lives after His life, even if it means that we have to change some of our habits and behaviors.

Real Christians obey His commands, embrace His truths, and walk in His footsteps.  Sadly, I think there are many people who wear the name “Christian,” who are nothing of the sort.  May this not be said of me.  What say you?

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A Christian Response to Michael Jackson’s Death

June 26, 2009

By now you all know that Michael Jackson is dead.  Heart attack.  Maybe natural, maybe-stress induced, maybe drug-induced.  The autopsy will tell.  No need for conjecture.  Like everyone else, I’m stunned by the fact of his death but not at all surprised by the news.  What I am surprised by is the negative buzz from the Christian world on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Quote: “At least he’s not wasting our oxygen anymore.”

Quote: “Michael Jackson ruined my day.”

Quote: “One less child molester in the world.”

Quote: “The world is a much better place.”

Quote: “You have a responsibility to take this opportunity to condemn Jackson.”

Seriously?  Do you think you would ever hear such words coming from the mouth of Jesus?  You might hear these words: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” (Matthew 7:5); “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven,” (Luke 6:37); and ”If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone,” (John 8:7).  But you will never see such quotes coming from Jesus as I’ve seen on social-networking sites.

But what about making judgment calls about people?  Is there a proper time and place to point out people’s sin?  Jesus also said, “By their fruit you will recognize them,” (Matthew 7:20).  Don’t we have an obligation to inspect people’s fruit, so to speak?  Yes and no.  Yes, we have an obligation to inspect the fruit of a believer, but it is not our business to judge an unbeliever.  “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?  Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside.  Expel the wicked man from among you,” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  Therefore, we conclude that is is sometimes appropriate to judge a Christian, or a Christian leader, or a Christian who is a “false-teacher,” but it is completely inappropriate to judge an unbeliever.

Jesus Himself, while on planet earth, made it very clear in John 3:17 that he did not  come into the world “to condemn the world, but to save the world.”  And if we are going to be authentic followers of Jesus Christ then we must adopt the same spirit.  When we interact with the world, we should interact with mercy, grace, and compassion; and when speaking the truth we must do so “in love,” as Ephesians 4:15 says.  None of the social-networking quotes could even pretend to be “speaking the truth in love.”

I think the real problem is that even Christians fail to understand their own salvation.  “It is by grace you have been saved, through your faith.  This is not from yourselves.  It is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8).  They may say they believe that salvation is by grace not by works, but their attitude of judgment demonstrates that they know nothing of the sort.  If they are operating in judgment, then they are operating in “law,” thus nullifying their own salvation.  “With the measure you use it will be measured to you,” (Luke 6:38b).  Likewise, Galatians 3:10 says, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse.”

If Christians truly understood that their own sins are just as offensive to God as Jackson’s sins, they would be more careful in judging him.  In fact, an unbeliever who sins is less egregious to God than a believer who sins.  The reality is that my sins, as a Christian leader, are far more offensive to God and far more dangerous to our world than Michael Jackson’s sins (James 3:1).  Therefore, I have no right to judge him unless I myself want to stand in God’s judgment.  I do not!

Here’s the reality of it all: If Michael Jackson was not a Christian, then he does not have access to God (John 14:6).  Michael Jackson may have been a good and benevolent man, but being good and benevolent does not get you into heaven (Ephesians 2:9).  Michael Jackson may have been an evil, child-molester; we’ll never know so let’s not quibble over this one.  God gave Michael Jackson tremendous gifts and talents, and there’s nothing wrong with celebrating God-given gifts and talents.

God is likely grieved over the life and death of Michael Jackson because it is His desire for all people to be saved (1 Peter 3:9).  If we are true followers of God then we should be grieved as well.

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National Man Day

June 15, 2009

For those of you don’t know, some people have declared today National Man Day.  It all started as a grassroots Facebook movement and has grown from there.  At least 260,000 men have pledged to do something manly on June 15.  I’m sure the fair-minded Federal Government will be making it official to promote gender equality (hear the sarcasm dripping from my keyboard).

Frankly, I think all of these ‘national’ days are stupid—when did we start celebrating mediocrity?  Let’s celebrate when people do exceptional things; but let’s just keep moving forward when people do what they’re created to do.  It’s like they say in football: “When you score a touchdown, act like you’ve done it before” (feel free to apply this metaphor to anything men like to do).

So how about we chuck this whole man-day thing and be manly everyday.  Contrary to what our culture tells us, it’s okay to be a man (just saw a Gillette commercial telling men how to shave their chest and armpit hair, no kidding!).  Can’t our manhood be the rule not the exception?  Can’t we be strong and courageous, adventurous and daring, direct and honest, everyday?

Let’s take our friends fishing, our sons hunting, and our bikes onto the open road on a regular basis!  Let’s get out of our boring basements and onto the battlefields of spiritual warfare—that’s something our wives would love to see!  Let’s get out of our 9-to-5′s and keep one eye in the moment and one eye on the future.  Let’s be proud of “the Grind,” so long as “the Grind” is an avenue to greatness for our families and our faith.  In short, let’s boldly be what God created us to be: Men.

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“Re: Dr. Tiller” (E-Mail from a Reader & Friend)

June 10, 2009

I received the following e-mail from a friend.  I share it with her permission.

I am pro-life. I abhor the work of Dr. Tiller. But even more than his grisly occupation, I detest his murder done in the name of “pro-life.”

I am a Christian. I am to love all people: born and pre-born. God loved the soul of Dr. Tiller so much that He sent His Son to die for him. I am to hate murder no matter who its victims are. Whether born or pre-born, innocent or guilty. While I was a sinner and an enemy of God, Christ died for me. I know these things and yet feel a kind of relief to know that Dr. Tiller will never kill again. I ought to feel more grieved than relieved.

His murder certainly didn’t help “The Pro-life Cause.” It certainly didn’t open doors for those of us who love Jesus to share the love of Jesus with those who are part of the pro-choice movement. How do we do that now? People are afraid to go to work because they think some pro-life wacko Christian is going to gun them down.

Last week as I was praying about this, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to buy a Panara gift card for the staff of our local Planned Parenthood office, deliver it in person letting them know that I am pro-life and how sorry I am for the family of Dr. Tiller and that his murderer does not represent the heart of the pro-life movement or of Christ — an apology of sorts.

I told my husband about it and he said I’d better do it.

So I did.

It was hard, Matt, to walk into that office. The waiting room was almost full of clients filling out paperwork. It sickened me to think of the process some of these families was putting into motion. But, with a quick ,”Help me, Lord!” I stepped up to the desk and very quietly (so as not to overheard by those in the waiting room) did as I felt the Lord had directed me.

The ladies seemed to understand and were appreciative. I was in and out in probably less than a couple of minutes — a bit shaken and praying that I’d done my appointed task exactly as God wanted me to. It’s nothing dramatic. Just a simple thing God asked me to do. But it was not easy to overcome the obstacles in my own heart to be kind to individuals who advance the pro-choice movement.

It made me appreciate the great heart of God and the grace He extends to me through Jesus.

Lots more thoughts on this, but I thought I’d share a bit of my story with you.

As hard as it may be for us to reach and and love those we see as unlovable, we are called to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to them.  Sometimes it’s with words, other times it’s with actions, but rarely is it optional.  I’m humbled by Christian friends who embody the grace of God in such a manner.

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What is a “Lost” Person?

June 9, 2009

This morning I made a casual Twitter-post about going to a bar for lunch today to spend time with “lost” people.  Needless to say, I received a number of interesting (and understandable) responses.  First, it sounds arrogant to presume that I am saved and have the solution for lost people.  Second, it sounds judgmental to insinuate that a person in a bar is categorically lost.  Finally, it sounds offensive to be labeled ”lost,” especially if your life is pretty good.

Before we delve deeper in the idea of being lost, let me respond to each of these points.  First, I don’t believe that I have the solution for lost people, I believe God does however.  Second, I’m not insinuating that any person who enters into a bar is lost, just as I’m not insinuating that any person who enters into a church is saved.  Jesus spent a lot of his time in bar settings and was even accused of over-indulging once in a while—He was certainly not lost.  Finally, I do not choose what to say based on it’s potential for offense (although I do want to be as gracious as possible).

Still, Jesus makes the potentially-offensive and politically-incorrect statement that He has come “to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).  The irony in this passage is that Jesus’ words are spoken tongue-in-cheek.  He is playing on the competing worldviews of the “sinners” and the religious establishment.  The “sinners” are clearly lost because they are selfish, greedy, and oppressive.  But the religious establishment is just as lost because they are harsh, judgmental, and unforgiving.  By judging the “sinners,” the Religious misjudge their own lostness.

More to the point: the only saved person in the Luke 19 story is the penitent Sinner.  He acknowledges his lostness, follows Christ, and begins to live a life of self-sacrifice and service to others.  When people marvel at this spiritual irony, Jesus explains that He lives for the lost.  And if we are going to be saved (ie. become followers of Christ) then we need to live for the lost as well.

Thus my desire to get out of the church and into an atmosphere of lostness.  Too many churches say “come into our building/fellowship and become like us.”  Not enough churches go out into the world.  Too many churches say “come join our church and help us serve one another.”  Not enough churches say “let’s go out and serve people very different from us.”  So what did Jesus do?  John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”  He didn’t just call us to heaven, He came to earth to seek and save what was lost.

So what is a lost person anyway?  A lost person is sinner who is disconnected from God due to his/her own selfish desires.  But a lost person is also a self-righteous, religious person who is disconnected from God due to his/her own spiritual certitude.  The best thing to be is another thing altogether—a penitent sinner who acknowledges the need for Christ, and follows Him by living a life of self-sacrifice and service to others.

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If Truth Does Not Exist…

June 6, 2009

This week someone said to me: there is no right or wrong, you just do what’s best for your family.  While I agree that we must do what is best for our families, there is right and wrong (it’s called Truth); and doing what is right is always the best thing to do.  So I thought I’d share a couple application points from a recent sermon I preached called “Absolute Truth Exists, Absolutely.”  It’s just a couple of notes about the problem with thinking that truth does not exist.

First, if truth does not exist, then Might makes Right.  If there is no such thing as truth, then whoever is the most powerful gets to determine what is right.  The top of the food chain gets to decide what is right and moral.  If they determine that they need your land, they get to confiscate it.  If they determine they need your money, they get to tax it.  If they determine they need your service, they get to enslave you.  If there’s no absolute truth then there are no inalienable human rights.  Right and wrong are relative to whoever is making the decisions.  The people with the most power decide what is right because there’s no truth to contradict, to contain, or to expose them.  If there is no truth then there is only tyranny.

Second, if truth does not exist, then everyday living is impossible.  Think about it: If you can’t know anything for sure then you can’t do anything for sure.  Francis Schaeffer “cites the famous example of the composer John Cage, whose commitment to pure chance was so strong that he believed that no one musical note or sequence or combination of notes is better than any other.  Thus he chose his notes by pure chance.  However, as a mushroom connoisseur, he knew he might die if he picked and ate mushrooms at random, regardless of their shape, size, or color.  Hence, when he gathered mushrooms, he went strictly by the book, in contradiction to his asserted relativism.”[1] 

Relativism simply doesn’t work.  Think about it like this: If you can’t know anything for sure then you dare not get inside your car because you can’t know if it’s going to blow up when you turn the ignition, or just start the engine.  Nor can you know if it will stop when you hit the brakes if you can’t know truth.  Every single time we get out of bed we do so with a set of assumptions and truths that we live by!  If truth does not exist then everyday living is impossible.

Third, if truth does exist, then we need to abide by it.  If truth does exist, and if we can know truth, then we need to abide by it.  At previous times we’ve established the fact that truth does exist.  And we’ve asserted that truth is knowable and that it’s most reliable source is the Scriptures.  Therefore we have a responsibility to abide by the teachings of Scripture.

Most people reject the idea of truth, not because they don’t believe in truth per se, but because they don’t want to abide by God’s truths.  They’d rather have it their own way.  And rather than acknowledging their contempt for God’s ways they simply disallow the idea of truth altogether.  Even the Bible says: “Where there is no law there is no transgression.”[2]  In other words, if we can’t know the truth then we can’t be held accountable for our sin.  But if we can know the truth then we are not only accountable for our sin, but we are responsible for following the truth.

 [These ideas are adapted from Jack Cottrell's book Faith's Fundamentals: Seven Essentials of the Christian Faith.]

[1]Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There (Inter-Varsity Press, 1968), p. 72-74.

[2] Romans 4:15

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