Prophecy & Nationalism? Proceed With Caution

"In my opinion, the next event on the prophetic calendar will be the rapture of the church. I think that could happen at any moment and as we see all of these other things happening that only reminds us that the rapture is even closer."

OK, that wasn't my quote, that's from Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Christian Church in Southern California.  The quote is from Laurie's recent sermon, "Israel, Iran, and America in Bible Prophecy"

Now Greg Laurie is a respected Bible teacher and pastor and I honor that (especially since he came out of the Jesus Movement which I have a soft spot for) but I find it interesting that it is American ministers in general that seem to focus the most on end time prophesy, timelines, and trying , awkwardly I feel , to insert America into that equation.  I mean why not, "Israel, Iran, and Canada?"  Russia?...Mexico?  See what I mean? I think we err when we, often unintentionally, begin viewing the Bible, and particularly prophecy, through the lens of culture and nationalism.

I know what you're saying, "but Steve, America is the superpower in the world not to mention the main ally of Israel.  Surely it has a role to play in the "end times"?

Maybe...

...but I also know that since that day when Christ promised to return there has been a number of superpowers that have come...and gone.  The Imperial torch passes again and again...and in the end it will be the Lamb (Jesus Christ) who is shown to triumph over them all.  Until Christ does come again there will always be a new power on the block that feels it has the right to rule nations and shape history.  If the Lord tarries 50 years, Laurie's teaching may be titled "Israel, Iran, and China"  Should the Lord not return for 150 years the sermon may become, "Israel, Iran, and Australia"

Yes, Australia...it could happen! ;)  

It's funny how my view of the "rapture" has changed as well.  When I first became a Christian as a young boy I totally understood the "prophetic calendar" Laurie is referring to.  A long map with the cross on one end, Christ's return on the other and a whole lot of action in between.  I even had a T-shirt that had two empty tennis shoes with a "whoosh" graphic like someone had been snatched from them and the words "In Case of Rapture this T-Shirt Will be Empty" emblazoned on the front.

A snatching away of Christians... Mmmmm makes me wonder who would actually "make the cut" if Jesus did return for His Bride.  I think we'd all be shocked but I'll save that for a whole other blog post.


Until that all reveals itself though I tend to resonate in my heart with something Pastor Brian Zahnd says.  "The Blessed Hope is not that 'we're going' but that 'He's coming.'

I think the thought that Jesus is coming is a joy all Christians can agree with.


 

Blue Like Jazz: Movie & The Book

When Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz came out in 2003 and was the "must read" book throughout most of the decade in the Christian community I thought "this will be the book for me."

It wasn't.

I mean, it should have been.  Lifetime Christian questioning the structures of his religious upbringing while attending "America's most liberal campus"; Reed College...sounds like something that would immediately warm my heart.

It didn't.

Maybe it was a narrative that seemed to go all over the place (I know, its supposed to...like Jazz)

Maybe it was that fact that I was already living in the very liberal college town of Boulder Colorado and didn't need anymore "fuzzy around the edges" in my life.


Maybe it was the famous scene in the book where they set up the "confession booth" and ask forgiveness of non-Christians for all the bad stuff Christians had done like...you know like, the Crusades! (I thought, "Really, this guy is taking responsibility for a political conflict that occurred 1000 years ago.  Couldn't Christians apologize for something a little more recent and relevant...you know, like maybe Jerry Falwell?)

Whatever the reason, Blue Like Jazz remained on my bookshelf with a bookmark about 3/4 of the way through...unfinished.

Recently though Donald Miller was being interviewed on a podcast I listen to and he was talking about how the movie had come out and they screened it at Reed College.

That got my interest!



Miller, in the interview was pretty humble and engaging.  He talked about how some conservative groups he thought would hate the movie, loved it and some more "progressive" groups didn't.  Go figure...  Miller went on to talk about the screening at Reed and how 2000 people who came out at first to mock the movie, instead were by the films end, silent and reflective.

I was intrigued! I got home that evening and watched the movie in my living room.  (How did I watch the movie in Hong Kong you ask?  Well, lets just say, this is Asia and when I meet Donald Miller one day, I owe him 10 bucks)

The movie itself takes the narratives from the book and loosely translates them into the fictional account of Don, a southern Baptist teen heading off to his first year at a Christian university.  He discovers though that his hyper religious mother is having an affair with the youth pastor and in an act of rebellion to spite his mother, church, and faith, heads off to the very secular Reed College. 



Under the direction of Steve Taylor, the iconic 1980s Christian rocker who was popping religious church balloons far before it became fashionable, Blue Like Jazz creatively navigates a difficult tension between showing the real challenge a Christian has in engaging a "real world"...and not showing so much of that "real world" that no one under 18 is allowed to watch it. 

At the film's beginning Don lives in a Christian bubble.  Anyone who has lived in that bubble and has come out will cringe at some of the scenes depicted here including when Don, before heading off to Christian college, is made to stand in front of the church in full Sunday School issued "armor of God" costume.

Like anybody living in that bubble though and then stepping out, the initial steps can be disastrous.  Don quickly succumbs to the temptations of Reed College and from there the film spends the remainder of the story reestablishing his faith on more solid ground than how he had begun.  The film concludes with the infamous "confession booth" from the book but which was much more emotionally relevant...especially as it didn't focus on apologizing for the Crusades.

Blue Like Jazz is not for everyone and certainly pushes the boundary of what can be considered a "Christian" movie.   My guess though is the film's creator's didn't set out to make a "Christian" movie.  They set out to make a film about how one discovers a legitimate faith in Christ that can replace the cultural doppelganger Christianity that is so pervasive in America and the West.  A faith in Christ that can stand in the storm of modern voices that ridicule it.

Blue Like Jazz accomplishes this.  Its not a "great" movie...but its pretty darn good! 

Book Review: The Gospel in Ten Words

I've been doing a number of book reviews here at Beyond the Pale but this is the first review I have done where I have known the author on such a personal level.  Paul Ellis, author of the Escape to Reality blog http://escapetoreality.org/ , has published his first "Christian" book.  I have to designate the "Christian" part because Paul, as a university professor of 15 years in Hong Kong, is one of the most prolific authors in the field of International business.  Fortunately for us, Paul has shifted his energies from the academic arena to the area he is most passionate about; the Grace of God.

The Gospel in Ten Words unpacks the grace of God through the use of ten, often misunderstood, words.  I have been on a Christian book marathon since about February and I have read a number that have blessed me greatly.  However, I can name two that will have long term impact on me and I will be buying and passing out copies for years to come. 

The first was Brian Zahnd's Beauty Will Save the World which caused a paradigm shift in my thinking about what church is meant to be.

The second is Paul Ellis' Gospel in Ten Words which will become a major resource tool for me as it is, in all honesty, the best book on explaining the grace of God I have ever read.

Loved
Forgiven
Saved
Union
Accepted
Holy
Rightous
Died
New
Royal

Using these 10 words Paul defangs law, cripples self-righteous effort, and reminds the children of God that they are His children and that none can pluck them from His hand! Ten Words reminds us that the "good news" is indeed, good!

Because of Paul's many years as a Christian and ten years as a pastor, he may not have seen it all, but he's seen ALOT.  For this reason,  he is extremely adept at turning long entrenched religious structures inside out and exposing them for what they are; dead works that often keep the Children of God in chains and ignorant of their position as sons and daughters of the Most High.

For example, much of my Christian life has revolved around getting people to "accept Christ."  However, Ten Words suggests:

"The gospel is not an invitation to accept Jesus; it is the stunning announcement that He accepts you.  Although the law reveals it is impossible for you to make yourself acceptable and pleasing to God, the gospel of acceptance declares that in Christ you have been made acceptable for eternity.  Nothing you do can make you more or less pleasing to God than you already are.  All this is to the praise and glory of His grace."

Now

"Secure in your Father's favor you will become fearless and bold.  You will dine in the presence of your enemies and laugh in the face of adversity.  You will dance upon the waves of circumstance and when you are tried by fires of life you shall not be burned."

I've enjoyed the irony of seeing a very academic professor, whose previous professional articles on statistics, research, and business models I could barely understand, produce a book on the gospel that is so profound and yet, so simple.  Probably the reason for that is he ultimately brings everything back to Jesus!

The individual chapters are bite sized nuggets that can be easily digested in a short read.  Hence in the coming weeks and months I will be returning to the book to spend 20 minutes reading about "Holy" or "Loved"; allowing these foundations to be reenforced so that my "good news" remains good.

I really recommend you allow this book to be a blessing to you as much as it has been to me.  Check it out on Amazon here 

My love for "Relevant Magazine"

My wife and I have a little inside joke between us;  Whenever we are a little critical of someone or something, that person or thing will, without fail, turn around and demonstrate some act of charity or kindness which leaves us with egg on our faces.  I think it started with Tammy commenting before our marriage that a particular female worship leader's attire was not appropriate one Sunday morning and then having that same person gush to Tammy how much she would like to volunteer to make our wedding reception something special...

...that kinda situation has been happening ever since.

In March of 2009 I wrote a blog piece on my view that there should be a moratorium on use of the word "relevant" in church circles as people were coming dangerously close to making it a sacrament alongside marriage and baptism.   In fact, my precise words were:

 There are a few words I believe the church needs to have a moratorium on. These include use of the word "Extreme" in any youth group related activities, use of the word "Victory" in any church names, and use of the word "Relevant" in any form whatsoever.

So it goes without saying that in a small way that post has come back to bite me.  Last week I subscribed to Relevant a periodical that monikers itself as a "Magazine on Faith, Culture, and Intentional Living."  And to add insult to injury, I'm addicted to the weekly Relevant podcasts which I often listen to on the train heading to and  from work.

Founded by Cameron Strang, son of Christian media pioneer Stephen Strang, the magazine, while maintaining an anchor in evangelical Christianity, penetrates outside the traditional Christian bubble and examines issues such as social justice and culture.

Put it this way, you're more likely to find Mark Ruffalo on the cover than Mark Driscoll. 

As they say at their website:

We try to publish ideas that break stereotypes, challenge the status quo and spur a generation to know God more—and change the world while they're at it. We want to engage our generation in a deeper conversation about faith, challenging worldviews and causing people to see God outside the box they’ve put Him in. Encountering God changes things.

I really love it but wished it had another name...  

Why Young Evangelicals are going Liturgical

I have a confession to make;  I have been, and probably still am, a "sneaker."

Now, don't look so surprised.  There are a LOT of us and if you are a Beyond the Pale reader there is a chance you either are one...or may give it a try :)

So what is a "sneaker" you ask?

Well, I read an interesting blog post over at Adorate Worship about how many, mainly young people, are "sneaking" out of their evangelical / charismatic churches on the off Sunday to go hang out with the Catholics, Anglicans, and other more mainline denominations to participate in a little liturgical worship.

Now some of you reading this are wondering "Why on earth would anyone want to do that?"  Others of you reading this are nodding your head and whispering an "amen" because you know exactly why they're doing it!

I've been a Christian for 37 years now and remember the 1970s when the "sneaking" went the other way.  Catholics, Lutherans, & Methodists, bored by the monotony of traditional hymns and church organs, were "sneaking" into charismatic worship times for a little hand clapping, foot stomping "Hallelujah" action.  I remember being 10 years old and telling my Catholic friend Bobby, "Dude, we have electric guitars and drums...in church."

Oh, how the times have changed...

So why, after 30-40 add years where evangelical "praise and worship" has become the new "traditional",  do young evangelicals "sneak" off to more liturgical and corporate times of worship?  The blog piece at Adorate Worship suggests:

The reasons for this new wave of sneakers are obvious.  They’ve grown up dancing, so they long to kneel.  They’ve grown up with masterfully orchestrated services, so they long for worship that may be planned, but never rehearsed.  They’ve grown up with the latest, so they long for the oldest.  They’ve grown up with, “God is here, let’s celebrate!”   They long for “God is here, let’s kneel and be silent.” 

 
They’ve grown up being urged, “Now, everyone can just worship God however you might want.  Just let the Holy Spirit move you.  We are all different.”  So now some are seeking worship where the implied advice is, “Now, everyone leave your hyper-individuality at the door.  Let’s say words together.  Let’s make gestures together.  Stand together.  Kneel together.  Let’s listen to the wisdom the Holy Spirit has given over the centuries."

My own experience in "sneaking" started in 2004.  I attended the Pastor's meetings in Boulder, Colorado and one of the attending minister's was the priest from the local Catholic church.  The very fact that a Catholic priest wanted to join with his protestant brothers instantly warmed my heart to him.  His church was nearly walking distance from my house so one Sat. evening (yes, its easier to do this on a Sat. evening especially when you are "sneaking" away from your own church :) I went over with the family to check it out.

I LOVED it!  There was just a different atmosphere and feeling of reverence that I longed for.  It wasn't "better" per se.  It simply allowed my spirit to experience a form of worship to the Living God that for many in that service was "normal" but for me, at that moment, was new and refreshing.  It's like having eaten hamburgers every Sunday for 30 years and then biting into a nice hot dog.  A different flavor...a different texture.

A visit to the Catholic church became a semi-regular occurrence for me. I even "snuck" out to visit a liturgical Presbyterian church and was amazed that during the Lord's Supper there was ten minutes of silence for reflection. TEN MINUTES!  When was the last time you had corporate silence for 10 minutes  in a charismatic church service?

Not better...just different...

Keeping Heaven, and Toy Story Land, in our Hearts!

Ethan just stood...and stared!

One of the best things about living in Hong Kong is that I have a Disneyland about 30 minutes from where we live.  Yes, God, in his infinite wisdom and knowing I would be returning to live in the city, had Hong Kong Disneyland built just for me...

...Ok, so it wasn't built just for me, but you have to admit, it's pretty cool to live 30 minutes from a Disneyland.

Anyhow, we visited the park late one afternoon last week and I got a little insight from my not quite 2 year old son, Ethan George, on what having a "focus on heaven" can do for one's ...mmmm... enthusiasm.

We were in Grizzly Gulch, one of the 3 new "mini-lands" being constructed at the park alongside Toy Story Land and the soon to be completed Mystic Point.  It was September hot in Hong Kong and the cool water geysers in Grizzly Gulch were helping to keep us all chilled.  (Grizzly Gulch is a recreation of 1880's America West)

The start of the path

After riding the new roller coaster and running through the water area we decided it was time to take little Ethan to his favorite place in the park, Toy Story Land.  Toy Story Land lay just beyond the "soon to open" Mystic Point but the park had wisely put up a temporary wall creating a path through the construction area thus avoiding a long walk backtracking around the Jungle Cruise ride.

Tammy went to use the bathroom and said she'd meet us in Toy Story Land which left Ethan George and I to make the walk together.  The walls along the path were quite tall as to mostly shield the building work as well as to not break the "fantasy" of Disneyland by watching construction workers build the latest attraction.

Is this heaven?

But from Ethan's vantage point it just looked like a cool tunnel and like a bullet raced onto the "path".  But as he ran for a bit he realized nothing changed; just the same old boring high walled road.  As he turned a bend only to discover more road his pace got slower and slower, till finally he turned around and started walking back toward Grizzly Gulch.  I grabbed the little buck-a-roo and spun him back in the right direction and then holding his hand we walked together.

But it was late afternoon, the sun was setting in our eyes, and it was hot.  On top of that, because of his height, Ethan couldn't see the tall buildings and Amazonian theme of Mystic Point that was rising just beyond the walls.  Nope, all the little guy could see was lots of never ending walls and hot sun in his eyes.  After a few paces, he turned around and was literally trying to drag me back to Grizzly Gulch.  If he could speak it would go something like this, " Papa, forget the Promised Land, I wanna go back to Egypt."

I again spun him around, much to his displeasure, and headed us off in the right direction.  I knew once he "saw" Toy Story Land his heart would change.  We trudged on...Ethan hated it...but we trudged on.

Then, after turning a bend, Ethan got his first glimpse of his destination.  I watched him try to make it out as the sun was in his eyes. "Was that Rex the dinosaur?  Is that the Toy Story music I hear?  Is it, no it can't be...Buzz & Woody?"  The contorted look of pain suddenly turned to joy.  A big wide smile from ear to ear broke out across his face.  Suddenly he was running...and in the right direction!

The long path still to be walked was ignored.  The heat, the sun, the humidity...the boredom was but a distant thought in light of the glory that was Toy Story Land!  The only thing that mattered was arriving at his goal!


In my last post I reviewed a book Things Unseen about the importance of keeping a heavenly mindedness in heart as we encounter the world around us.  When we fail to keep our eyes on Heaven we will be continually discouraged by the momentary things that surround us.  We may even be tempted to turn around and head back to Grizzly Gulch.

Last week I had a lesson from my 2 year old on the advantages of keeping Toy Story Land in our heart

Book Review: Things Unseen by Mark Buchanan

If there is is a passion for me right now, it would have to be the Kingdom of Heaven.  For someone who spent years (decades) as a political junkie, I think many who have known me are surprised how much my "politics" have transformed themselves from "things below" to "things above". But "things" have a way of changing  when you move from a theology of "getting from here to Heaven" to "getting Heaven to come here". I realized that many of my "good intentions" not only failed to help bring God's Kingdom to Earth but actually inhibited it's coming at all.

It's in this new environment for me that a pastor friend from Colorado recommended, Things Unseen: Living in Light of Forever by Mark Buchanan.  It has been said that "some people are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good."  Buchanan's premise is that without a proper fixation on heaven, you "earthly good" will be all but crippled.

Rather than paint Heaven as the great "Here After",  Things Unseen reveals a heaven that we can have written in our hearts.  A heaven that guides our actions and decisions here and now; and when the time comes that we do move on into eternity, we simply transition into the fulness of what we had already been living in. 

This "Heavenly-mindedness" says Buchanan, "is sanity.  It is the best regimen for keeping our hearts whole, our minds clear.  It allows us to enjoy earth's pleasures without debauchery.  It allows us to endure life's agonies without despair.  It allows us to see things from the widest possible perspective and in the truest possible proportions.  If anything can give us a true scale of values- one that enables us to sort out the disposable from the precious, the trinkets from the treasures, the surface from the substance- heavenly mindedness can."

Much of the book's strength rests on Buchanan's gift at spinning a phrase that makes our understanding of an issue more passionate and inspiring.  Take for example "holiness".  Any preacher announcing he will do a series on "holiness" will usually generate a collective groan from the congregation.  "Holiness" in Buchanan's hand however comes out like this:

"God intends the holy life to be an odyssey of wonder.  The religious impulse tends to make it into a journey both dreary and heavy, perilous and plodding.  But God designed holiness to be invigorating, the discovery of life so abundant that if He didn't unveil it for us, we would forever lack the imagination even to ask for it."

 See what I mean?

So if you are looking on getting a clearer view of Heaven before death rather than after, Things Unseen, should go on your "to read" list!

Does the Chinese Government understand Christianity better than America?

I was in a meeting a couple weeks ago with some Americans and the topic of the U.S. election came up.  O.K., full disclosure, I was watching the Republican National Convention with a group from Republicans Abroad  here in Hong Kong.

(Hey, it included breakfast at The American Club whose club membership I could never afford in a million years so...yes...I shamelessly took the opportunity to have coffee and bagels in such a swank setting  even if it did mean having to endure watching Fox News on the big screen)

Of course being Republicans somehow the conversation meandered on to the topic of God and as I am a pastor and have had a little history with Republican politics my opinion was sought.

"Well," I said, "sometimes I wonder if the Chinese government might understand Christianity more than the American government."

Yes, jaws dropped... and then they wanted to know what I meant.

"Well," I explained, " the Chinese government understands that Christianity is an alternative way to order society.  That it places Jesus as Lord of everything in Heaven and Earth.  For Christians to truly follow Christ is to ultimately have an authority higher than the State.  China rather frowns that; seeing any authority higher than itself as not such a good thing.  Hence, they actively persecute it"

"In America we have a Christianity that tends to put American patriotism and "We the People" as the highest authority.  Yes Jesus is our "Personal Lord & Savior" but it better stay just that...personal.  Any public proclamation of Christianity is expected to be accompanied by tacit approval (and blessing) of general domestic and foreign policy."

I went on to explain in Rome the disciples of Christ were executed, as was Jesus himself, for proclaiming a king other than Caesar. Rome was fairly tolerant of other religions and if the the disciples had basically stuck to an American styled Christianity and just told people if they accepted Jesus Christ they could go to heaven one day, followed up by a "God Bless the Roman Empire", hey, they probably would have lived to a ripe old age.

The early church, however, tended to take the words of Christ seriously.  That the Kingdom of Heaven which had come to Earth through Jesus Christ was fundamentally at odds, not just with Rome, but with the power structures of the age.   As Christians we certainly can honor governmental authorities and engage in the civic process, but when the church simply performs the role of a chaplain called in to bless the latest government policy we lose our prophetic voice which is calling all people everywhere to be citizens of the Kingdom of the Heaven.

When I see American friends who have been walking with Christ for years angrily attacking political rivals  and defaming even fellow Christians who have a different political view I realize the Kingdom of Heaven is but a soft whisper in their ears that, sadly, is all too easily silenced by the kingdom of this corrupt age.

In the end my breakfast companions polietly thanked me for my thoughts on that but, you know, Clint Eastwood was coming on now so lets give the God stuff a rest and watch what Dirty Harry had to say.

How not to get Sucked into Election Season Madness

Wow, my Facebook news feed has really changed lately.  I knew the 2012 political season was in full swing  when the normal posts featuring my "friend's" travel adventures, babies being born, and what they had for breakfast were usurped by updates showing why the apocalypse will reign down on America if there is a Democratic or Republican victory in November.

What's most disturbing from my vantage point is that the most bombastic and "cringe worthy" posts come from Christians who, ironically, are supposed to be identified by the love they have for people. I'm left wondering at what point during the election season is the Sermon on the Mount  no longer applicable to Christ's disciples?

Back in 2003 when I was a graduate student at the University of Colorado our department invited former Democratic Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson in for a panel discussion.  One of the questions asked was how things in Congress had changed from when they served.  Their immediate response was the adversarial nature between the parties was much more bitter and personal than it had been in their day.  They noted how President Reagan (R) and House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D) fought passionately over policy but at the end of the day "they were two Irishmen who enjoyed beer."

What happened?  Why have Christians, who are supposed to be putting out fires of strife and discord, are instead fanning the flames?

I recently listened to an excellent teaching by Brian Zahnd called Election Season and your Soul.  He gives his church congregation a 10 point "voter guide" on how NOT to get sucked into the "madness" of the political season.

The original post can be found here:  Let me say I agree with the below points 150%...and you should too.

1. The political process, while necessary, has little to do with how God is saving the world.
For more on this point go here: The Church as an Alternative Society

2. The fate of the kingdom of God does not depend upon political contests.
Don’t be swept away by apocalyptic political rhetoric. It is what it is. Another election cycle. Jesus is Lord no matter who wins the Big American Idol contest and gets their turn at playing Caesar.

3. Don’t be naïve, political parties are more interested in Christian votes than they are in Christian values.
Do you doubt this? Thought Experiment: Imagine if Jesus went to Washington D.C. Imagine that he is invited to give a speech to a joint session of Congress. (He’s Jesus after all, and I’m sure the senators and congressmen would be delighted to hear a speech from the founder of the world’s largest religion—it would confer great dignity upon the institution.) Imagine that the speech Jesus gave was his most famous sermon—the Sermon on the Mount. Can you imagine that? Jesus is introduced. (Standing ovation.) He stands before Congress and begins to deliver his speech. “Blessed are the poor…the mourners…the meek.” “Love your enemies.” “Turn the other cheek.” After some perfunctory applause early on, I’m pretty sure there would be a lot of squirming senators and congressmen. The room would sink into a tense silence. And when Jesus concluded his speech with a prophecy of the inevitable fall of the house that would not act upon his words (Matthew 7:26–27), what would Congress do? Nothing. They could not act. To act on Jesus’ words would undo their system. In the end, the U.S. Congress would no more adopt the policies Jesus set out in the Sermon on the Mount than they were adopted by the Jewish Sanhedrin or the Roman Senate. The Jesus Way and the Politics of Power don’t mix.

4. The bottom line for political parties is power. The bottom line for a Christian is love. And therein lies the rub.
The problem with our “change the world” rhetoric is that it is too often a thinly veiled grasp for power and a quest for dominance—things which are antithetical to the way Jesus calls his disciples to live. A politicized faith feeds on a narrative of perceived injury and lost entitlement leading us to blame, vilify and seek to in some way retaliate against those we imagine responsible for the loss in late modernity of a mythical past. It’s what Friedrich Nietzsche as a critic of Christianity identified as ressentiment and it drives much of the Christian quest for political power.

5. While in pursuit of the Ring of Power, you are not permitted to abandon the Sermon on the Mount.
When the world is arranged as an axis of power enforced by violence, the pursuit of power trumps everything. But in the new world created at the cross (an axis of love expressed by forgiveness), love trumps everything. The Sermon on the Mount is our guide to this new kind of love. Among other things, this means you cannot deliberately portray your political opponents in the worst possible light. (Attack ads? Remember the Golden Rule?) Jesus also taught us that if you call someone you disagree with a “fool” you are liable to the “Gehenna of fire.” I might put it this way: When your political rage causes you to hurl epithets like “fool” and “idiot”—you are kindling the fires of hell in your own soul!

6. If your political passion makes it hard for you to love your neighbor as yourself, you need to turn it down a notch.
Right?

7. Your task is to bring the salt of Christian civility to an ugly and acrimonious political process.
If you cannot contribute to the redemption of the political process, but are instead being contaminated by it, then you are salt that has lost its savor…and what’s the point?

8. To dismember the body of Christ over politics is a grievous sin.
This business of denying that someone is true brother or sister in Christ based upon their politics is horrible and must be repented of! It is no small sin. When the Corinthian church carried their class divisions to the communion table, the Apostle Paul said, “Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” Don’t do it!

9. Exercise your liberty to vote your conscience and conviction, while accepting that other Christians will do the same and vote differently than you.
There are committed Christians who conscientiously vote Republican. And there are committed Christians who conscientiously vote Democratic. This is true. You simply have to accept it.

10. It’s more important that your soul be filled with love than it is for your political team to win the game.
If your team loses, the sun will come up and life will go on. But if you damage your soul by succumbing to politically motivated vitriol that causes love to whither, you would have been better off to have never got yourself politically entangled in the first place.
I leave you with this…

Love is patient and kind.
Love does not envy or boast.
Love is not arrogant or rude.
Love does not insist on its own way.
Love is not irritable or resentful.
Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
Love rejoices with the truth.
Love bears and believes all things.
Love hopes and endures all things.
Love never fails.

This is what the Apostle Paul calls the “more excellent way.”
It is the way of Christ.
It is the holy way of love.
It is the way we are called to.
It is the way of human flourishing.
And if you have to choose between love and politics—choose love.

My review of Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

I realize I'm a little late to the party on this one.  Rob Bell's book, Love Wins has been out for more than a year now and the controversy surrounding it has moved on to other targets....but I've been on a book roll lately and this one was one I was meaning to get to.

Most of the controversy centers on Bell's flirting with universalism, which for those of you with a real job means that everyone will eventually be reconciled to God and no one is going to be left in hell to burn for all eternity.  What I always find interesting in any debate, and this one particular, is the attitude of peoples hearts when discussing it.  Seeing some Christian's reaction you'd almost believe they would be furious if many people were not thrown into the flames for all eternity.  Like a celestial crowd in a gladiatorial arena they  gleefully give a thumbs down to Caesar as he seeks their decision on whether a victim who has fought in the games should live or die.

Fortunately Bell brings a bigger and more loving interpretation to the debate.  Someone asked me after I finished the book what I thought.  I said I agreed with a large part of it.  Some of it was a bit of a creative stretch at times (Bell is an intelligent and creative guy).  For example his interpretation of the story of Lazarus and the rich ruler after death had me scratching my head a little but ALOT of what he brings to the table are questions that need to be asked and most church streams and denominations won't touch them with a ten foot pole.

And why?

Because if they do Pandora's Box would be opened and the whole thing could collapse. (which could lead to dancing :)

But didn't Jesus do that very thing?

Didn't he travel around asking questions that made the religious establishment very uncomfortable.  He'd say the Kingdom of God was like "this" or the Kingdom was like "that" in a way that made the priests and pastors of the day crazy with jealousy and anger.  Didn't Jesus then start saying that certain people were "in" when the religious leaders and holy men had declared them to be "out"?

(Believe me, humans are far more enthusiastic about throwing people into hell than God... could that affect our theology at all?)

For example when God says he desires all men to be saved, that every knee will bow and confess Christ to the glory of God the Father, that all creation will be reconciled in Christ... Does God get what he wants? Does the Creator and Author of Life get what he declares he wants to see happen?

Or does the Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End, Does "I AM" give up at a certain point and admit, "I did what I could but that's about the best I'm going to get." 

Mmmmm,

Much of the book though deals with heaven and getting away from a Christianity that seeks primarily to get people a ticket to paradise rather than participating in Christ's plan of bringing reconciliation and "heaven" to earth now.  That we would be active participants in fulfilling Jesus' prayer that His will be done on earth as in heaven.

Bell says right now the earth is filled with a lot of different "wills" and Christianity should be bigger in scope than has often been the case.

I actually have a good friend who I have known closely since high school.  At one time he was a strong Christian believer but after some years left the faith.  He told me not long ago that he believed in God again but one of the reasons he didn't consider himself a Christian anymore was that Christians made God far to small.

And you know, I agree with him.  We have made God to small. Bell's book seeks to get our view of God back to the standing and scope it should be at.

Do I agree with every aspect of what Bell suggests in "Love Wins".  Probably not...but it is an important contribution in making Christianity the Body of Christ that will bring Life to those in our world that are desperately looking for it.

In the end though I agree with Bell that "Love Wins."

Day 0: St. Bees

Our friends Mark and Christine drove us from their place near the Wales border all the way up to the Coast to Coast starting point in St. Bees.

Of course it would't be a trip through merry old England without a side trip of some form. Our side trip came in the form of a stop to visit The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. Gabriel is a HUGE Beatles fan but I had been telling him for weeks that we would not be able to stop in Liverpool on the way up as we were under a time crunch. Mark and Christine though thought it was doable but we decided to surprise him until the last minute. As we approached Liverpool he looked at me and I said, " Mark, is there anything you want to tell Gabriel?" Mark replied, " Thought we'd pop into Liverpool and see The Beatles museum". Yep, Gabriel was a happy.

After a tour of the lives of the Fab Four we were then off to ST. Bees. The rain hit just as we arrived in pulled into our B&B, The Stone Farm house. Dinner was at the Queens hotel up the road and we mostly settled on Fish and Chips except for Gabriel who got the Toad in the Hole. Jennings Bitter on tap and then we topped the evening off with a stroll down to the sea where we would begin the walk the following morning.

Would the Roman Empire Persecute Today's Church?

A friend sent me an article recently from Relevant magazine asking some leading voices in the church whether Christians are doing social justice wrong.   I lay in bed reading the article outloud to Tammy and as we commented on the different responders reply's I  suddenly turned to my wife and asked, "If the modern evangelical church existed 2000 years ago, would Rome have even bothered to persecute it?"

What prompted the thought was my own knowledge of the Roman Empire (I majored in Ancient History for my undergrad...which means nothing more than I remember a couple minor things about Caesar and the gang).  Rome was pretty progressive for the time period.  They were liberal in immigration dispensing citizenship far beyond Italy.  Hence why Paul the Apostle, who trumpeted his Jewish identity and culture, carried a Roman passport.

Rome was also quite liberal in the area of religion.  Although they had state gods, people were pretty much allowed to worship whom, or what, they wished provided they didn't disturb the peace.  The only caveat to that freedom was the firm acknowledgement that Caesar was the emperor and Rome was the kingdom.

Well, then along came Christ who proclaimed a new kingdom ... and he was killed for it.  And then his disciples and the early church took up the message and proclaimed there was a new emperor seated on the throne and that this new king, Jesus, was calling all men and women to come and become citizens of that new kingdom.  They began to live life in a different way which increasingly became a direct challenge to the power structure of the time.

Even progressive Rome could not tolerate a people group who were radically proclaiming a new king and attempting to create an alternative society alongside the current social structure.  Author Brian Zahnd talks about how a social structure built on an axis of love and re-enforced through forgiveness will always be at odds with a structure of power re-enforced through violence. The alternative life that Christ's Kingdom proclaims, with it's equal respect and love for the poor, the hurting, the broken, will chafe against current societies that marginalize such people as some whom, at best, are to be endured.

It was that church that was persecuted.  I would suggest that today's church would not only be free from persecution, it would be welcomed.  A church that focuses on getting people to say some "magic words" to become a member of that religion, and who tend to see God's Kingdom as some reward for after you are dead would not be viewed as much of a threat.  A mostly inward looking group who occasionally did some acts of kindness to appease their guilt and their god could be seen as a necessary part of civic life in the Roman world.

Yep, I'm pretty sure any report given to Caesar on the threat of today's Christian church would simply read, "MOSTLY HARMLESS"

My Spring 2012 Reading List

We're into June and that means its time for a reading list update.  If you've been following the blog at all you know I've been on roll reading books concerning Christianity, the church, theology etc. etc.  For those of you used to a little more diversity in my recommendations (I apologize for no Stephen King this time) but I am certainly tacking in a particular direction right now.  I went so long without reading any books on Christianity that I think I'm making up for it now or something...anyhow...you be the judge.

The following books I have read, or am in the process of reading, since February this year:

Beauty will Save the World by Brian Zahnd.

Zahnd suggests that we need to focus a little less on apologetics and ethics in our Christianity and let the natural beauty inherent in the faith rise again to the surface.  Also has an amazing examination of the Sermon on the Mount which I unashamedly stole and used as a basis for a sermon a couple months ago.  This book lit the fire in me that resulted in a flurry of reading that follows.

Insurrection: To Believe is Human, to Doubt, Divine by Peter Rollins

Like Zahnd above, I first saw Peter Rollins when interviewed on The Harvest Show. (So blame them :)  Rollins writes in Insurrection that for many Christians, God is not part of the natural narrative of our lives but is wheeled out when needed to address a problem or or help in some manner.  Instead,  those that claim the Resurrection of Christ must be willing to take part in an Insurrection that challenges not only cultural foundations but the church's.  Normally I shun books like this because the writers tend to be burnt out and angry.  Rollins instead is both humble and gracious even as he is challenging the very pillars of your beliefs.  And he will challenge them....this book is not for the faint of heart.

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

I must admit for a while I tended to avoid Rob Bell.  I was enjoying his NOOMA videos back around 2007 but when Mark Driscoll said he was "off" I kinda took his word for it.  Then later I realized Driscoll is a bit "off", and for that matter so was I. (aren't we all really?) So when my friend recommended Velvet Elvis, I gave it a shot.  Loved it!  It's a fast read and gives a new angle to look at in regards to our faith.  I especially enjoy his knowledge of Jewish history and putting the New Testament in context of its Jewish roots.

Destined to Reign by Joseph Prince

I must admit I'd seen this guy on the christian channels before...and kept right on switching the channel.  My friend Paul Ellis though said I needed to give Prince a listen...and he was right! Then he bought me the book Destined to Reign and it has been like a devotional book for Tammy and I.  I don't read this book straight through so much as I read little bites and let it soak in.  Great insights into just how much God loves you!

 


Sacrilege by Hugh Halter

I actually met this guy in Denver Colorado years ago where his missional church Adullam is located.  Just finished this book and it is a great encouragement and practical guide for people wanting to make their church integrated with the community.  Oh, and as the title suggests, he smashes a few sacred cows along the way.


How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins

Yes, my second Rollins book in as many months.  In this earlier book Rollins outlines some of the services they do in a bar called The Menagerie for his faith group IKON. I read one of the services outloud to Tammy on the balcony last Sat. morning and she got so depressed  (they were trying to recreate the dark time of the soul the Apostles must have felt on the Sat. night between the Crucifixion and Resurrection) I thought she was going to jump...she didn't. Alright, that's an exaggeration; but it really affected her...as it was meant to.  OK, some of what they do at these meetings even offended me...oh yeah! :)  Loved it!



So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobson & Dave Coleman

I never got around to reading The Shack but this is by the same authors.  Unlike the other books on this list,  this book is a novel.  Jake, is a pastor who meets the Apostle John in a modern day context.  Through a series of conversations Jake's understanding of what church is supposed to be, and what it has become are made front and center.  This book will resonate for anyone who has been a Christian for more than 5 years.  Since I've been a Christian for 37 years it REALLY resonates with me.  Oh, and you can get this book for free here

How God Became King by N.T Wright

Have downloaded the sample of this on my Kindle and am sure I will read the whole thing shortly.  I really enjoy Wright's take on the kingship of Christ and know it is a message the church at large needs to hear.

Well, that's what I've been reading the last 3-4 months...How about you?

Christianity Without "Hooks"

• What if sharing Christianity came without hooks?
• What if  "bait & switch" evangelistic tactics were scrapped all together?
• How does one introduce another to the Life Christ brings if we aren't allowed to use a little well- intentioned manipulation occasionally?

A few days ago I wrote a post on Lady Gaga and some of the attention she got here in Asia with "the church."  A couple days later I was reading a thread on a friend's Facebook page and a girl I didn't know was quoting it in her post.  Ok, I was mildly proud as any writer will tell you that it feels good to have someone say they read your work...and having a stranger quote it feels REALLY good.

But she was taking issue with it.  She seemed to struggle with the idea that Jesus enjoyed being with sinners.  She said that Jesus of course hung out with them to see them saved but that was about it.  This, I believe, has been one of the central problems with the modern church for decades.  People are seen as objects to be "converted" rather than individuals to be loved, cared for, and enjoyed without condition!

People just wanted to "hang out" with Jesus...

And you know what, we're supposed to be Christ.  Now that he is dwelling in us and we're "his body" people are supposed to want to hang out with us.  We're supposed to have "living water" in us that people respond to naturally...

But many of our "living water" wells seem to be dry and people don't want to be around us much so we come up with evangelistic "strategies" covering everything from cool music bands to free pizza,  packaged as "four spiritual laws" to make up for the shortfall..  Particularly in the West, people are conditioned to expect that when a church group does something nice, they have an agenda. "You want the meal, you have to listen to Pastor Jones share how Jesus wants to come into your life."  And then once you accept Christ, guess what, you can go tell your friends about him.

We've reduced the Creator of the Universe and the Author of Life down to the level of a pitch for Amway!

Back when I leading a church in Lan Kwai Fong (the nightclub district in Hong Kong) I started running a Shakespeare discussion group on Thursday nights at the church's meeting location.  We'd discuss Shakespeare's plays which would lead often to talks on politics and religion mixed with generous amounts of wine.  Although we intended to do the meeting every other week the group really enjoyed being with each other so we made it a weekly event and surprisingly, almost everyone who came was not attending the church.

Anyhow I can't tell you how many times I was taken to the side by Christians and pastors outside our church to "help them understand" why I was doing it.  The South China Morning Post had done a story about us so everyone seemed to know about it.  At a church leaders breakfast one pastor cornered me and wanted to know more about "this Shakespeare Group".

"Well, its a bunch of people from the Lan Kwai Fong area who get together to discuss Shakespeare's plays." I answered

"But why do YOU do it?" he asked

Not knowing what else to say I responded, "Because I love Shakespeare and I like being with other people who do."

Genuinely perplexed he then asked, "But you do it at the church, is it a church function?  Is it pre-evangelism?"

Dear Lord, you give them eyes, yet they cannot see... 

To this pastor's credit, he liked me and really did want to understand...he just couldn't.  Too many years of hardened church leadership had taken its toll.  He could not conceive of an event (especially one held in a church building)  where you just enjoyed being with people with NO STRINGS ATTACHED. (And I still haven't figured out what "pre-evangelism" is)

The funny thing was I often was able to share Jesus at these meetings in the natural flow of discussion;  one guy even joined the church...and it all happened naturally.

I'll close by saying last week at our homegroup meeting we were deciding what kind of weekend activity we could do in the summer that we could invite people to.  One friend said something along the lines of, "well how do we bring the gospel into it because otherwise we just get a reputation for throwing good parties."

Funny, attending good parties seemed to be a reputation Jesus had and I'd welcome the reputation of being one who throws them.

What would happen if the church started throwing parties people outside the church wanted to come to?  What if our relationships with people came without agendas and "hooks"....mmm I wonder.

Lady Gaga & The Church

Lady Gaga came to Hong Kong and I wasn't invited to go protest.  Man...I am really outside the "in crowd" circle!

Seriously though, one of the benefits of not hanging out with the fringe elements of Christianity (though some would argue they are mainstream) is that I don't see as much of the "crazy" as I used to.

So at the "small group" Bible study meeting at our home last week I was surprised to hear that a number of church groups had organized protests of Madam Gaga's 4 night concert stint in Hong Kong.  These protests were dwarfed by other protests on the Asian tour in the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea but hey, this is Hong Kong, and you know...we're busy!

I got to hand it to us Christians though, nothing demonstrates God's unconditional love coming into the world through Jesus Christ more than a good protest.  Because, surely, when John the Baptist was unjustly imprisoned by Herod, Jesus led a protest and a prayer vigil to see him released.  And when Paul the Apostle was living in hedonistic Greek cities like Corinth and Ephesus, he regularly led protests to show the early churches disgust at the sexual immorality of temple priests and prostitutes in their community.

Yep, nothing prepares a seeking heart to receive God's love more than anger and perceived self righteousness...

...NOT!

Anyhow, as the "home group" conversation continued we talked about what made Lady Gaga so popular.  In addition to a knack for singing some catchy tunes, she's essentially doing what the church is supposed to be doing.  The outcasts, the neglected, the disenfranchised, and others who feel alienation find in Lady Gaga a heart of compassion, acceptance, and love...things Jesus specialized in and commanded us to continue after his resurrection. In an increasingly disconnected world, people are looking for shelter from the storm...and many of them find that shelter in the lyrics and affirmation of Ms. Gaga. 

The tax collector, the drunk, the tavern keepers, the prostitutes, all genuinely liked being around Jesus.  It was at his feet that they found grace and mercy.  For most evangelical Christians however, there is a real discomfort in even being around "worldly" people unless its at an evangelistic meeting where the Christian has the home field advantage.  Jesus on the other hand seemed to enjoy going into the homes of "sinners".  He had to have because the religious leaders of the day were always accusing him of it.  And what seems to have really irritated those leaders was that Jesus enjoyed doing it.

So if you're a Christian who doesn't really love and enjoy people who are "sinners" you have your first glimpse into why hundreds of thousands of people prefer Lady Gaga to you.

Here endeth the lesson!

The LOST finale episode redux

I recently re watched the finale episode of the T.V. series LOST.  It's been two years now since the show wrapped and I remember there was a real polarization between those that thought it it was a grand, and daring ending and those that felt "cheated" at having invested 6 seasons into a show that really did require a lot of emotional investment and then fail to answer what they considered key questions.

I am part of the first group obviously.  I loved the show then and now realize that it actually gets better with time.  Ok, spoiler alert, the rest of this post deals with the episode itself so if you don't want to know what happens...stop reading now.

The last episode has two different storylines being played out simultaneously.  The first storyline is dealing with the castaways final battle on the Island that has been their home for 6 seasons against the "Man in Black".  The second storyline is in modern L.A. and has the castaways in everyday lives connecting to each other and "remembering" their time on the Island.  The castaways are drawn to a church where the lead character Jack, meets his deceased father, Christian.  Its at the church that Jack "remembers" his time on the Island  and in an emotional scene discovers that he, like all of his friends, are dead.  Some, he learns, before him some long after him.

Jack and his father then move into the main church sanctuary and into a celebration of closest and dearest friends greeting and hugging one another.  It is at this point that the the story resonates with my heart as a Christian.  I am one of these people that long "to go home".  I want to be where God is and in this scene I felt just a glimpse of eternity. I love the joy of everyone's faces in the church scene.  After so much pain and misery they experienced in their lives and on "the Island", all of that is behind them now.  There is no more weeping.  As Jesus promises, "I will wipe away all of their tears."
As important as their time on the Island was, it really was just a small prologue to the journey they were preparing to begin...and with those they love.  As Jack begins to enter into the celebration the scene shuttles back and forth between the joy he is experiencing in heaven and his dying moments having sacrificed himself on the Island to save his friends.

Because he is now in eternity everything seems to be happening at the same time...which I think has been one of the best representations of eternity shown on TV.  The bible often alludes to our already being seated with God in heavenly places.  That I am both living out a life in a linear mortal timeline on earth yet at the same time I am celebrating in heaven.

The episode ends as Jack "dies" and at the same moment Jack's father Christian (yes, Christian Shepherd) opens the main doors of the church letting in a heavenly light.  For me, it was a highly emotional moment and puts everything into perspective.  One day I too shall die, but I know, I am already greeting family, friends, and my Lord in eternity.

When Heaven Touches Earth: La Sagrada Familia

Sorry for the delay in posts but I just returned from 10 days in Spain.  What a beautiful country!  And more generally, what is it about Europe that is just so darn cool?  The food, the architecture, the history...sometimes its overwhelming.

Well, on my first day in Barcelona I got to visit the famed Antoni Gaudi designed cathedral La Sagrada Familia.  Let me say, I have been blessed to travel the world more than the average person and have had the opportunity to see some beautiful cathedrals but...

...this is the most beautiful church I have ever been in!


As our tour guide was explaining the history of the building outside its main entrance he replied to me, "Wait until you see the inside, its even more impressive than the outside."  And he was right.  When I entered the the vast place of worship I was suddenly overwhelmed.  A picture can not convey the moment.  My eyes misted up and I just stood there and absorbed it.

For lack of a better description the place felt...elven.


Those who are familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and the subsequent movies will understand when I say I felt like I was in Rivendell or Lothlorien.  The elves in Tolkien's world are higher than men, the first born of God.  One commentator noted that they are best described as what mankind would look like had we not "fallen."  The elven feeling of the place was reinforced when the tour guide explained that the architect, Antoni Gaudi, designed to the large columns and pillars to resemble trees and branches.

Looking around La Sagrada Familia I kept thinking this place was designed by a person inspired by the Holy Spirit.  I asked the tour guide if Gaudi was a religious man?  He replied "Yes, this entire cathedral was designed by him to reveal the Glory of God!

He certainly succeeded.  I have recently posted a bit about Brian Zahnd's book Beauty Will Save the World describing how Christianity needs to dial up the focus of the beauty inherit in our faith.

 La Sagrada Familia is certainly an example of this.  It's in places like this that for one brief moment you feel like Heaven touches Earth!

What if Christianity became Beautiful Again?

Brian Zahnd's starts his new book  Beauty Will Save the World by telling the story of Prince Kiev, a pagan ruler of Russia who lived a thousand years ago.  Seeking to discover a new religion that would help unify his people he sent dignitaries out to the surrounding realms.  These ambassadors reported back a number of faiths.  Some "were dour  and austere...others were abstract and theoretical."  However when they reported on the Christian faith found in Constantinople:

"Then we went to Constantinople and they led us to the place where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth for on earth there is no such vision of beauty and we do not know how to describe it; we only know that God dwells among men.  We cannot forget that beauty." 

When I look at some of the focus of the church at large in recent years I wonder, "Where has that beauty gone?"

I recently observed a little online Internet debate involving a lot of faith based Christian answers to some non-Christian's  "jabs" at Christianity.  One of the participants speaking for the "Christian" side admitted their lack of "apologetic" skills and wished they could be better at this kind of debate.

I stayed out of this particular exchange but for me, I had to disagree.

If this person had been C.S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharais, or even Jesus Christ himself there is no interjection, no pithy comment, no silver bullet statement that was going to be uttered that was going to change anybody's position among this group of debaters.  Everyone's minds, on both sides, were made up, unshakable, and equally dismissive of each other...

...and I realized this was not only "not beautiful"...it was "ugly".

When did the sharing of our faith become "ugly"?

What happened?

And where have I been guilty of adding to that ugliness?

Speaking of Jesus have you ever noticed he never really engaged in debates or "apologetics"?

I mean really...  Had he never read Josh McDowell or listened to Kirk Cameron?

In fact rather than be a "defender" Jesus tended to choose silence when asked questions by people who had other agendas.

When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.    Matthew 27:12-13

  When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort.  He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.  Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.  Luke 27: 8-12

I'm pretty sure these days God is not looking for "Defenders of the Faith" as much as he's looking for disciples who will 'Love God with with all their heart, soul, and mind and then out of that devotion,  Love their Neighbor as much as themselves.'

The world is growing accustomed to an image of the church that is angry and defensive.  We read books and listen to sermons equipping the Christian believer against all attacks against our faith but in the process, we lose the beauty inherent in that faith. Then we politicize our Christianity in a vain attempt to force others to conform to our morality....

...you know, because forcing people to behave in a certain way against their will has ALWAYS been so successful in the past...

But what would happen if people saw that following Christ was beautiful!





Brian Zahnd says in Beauty will Save the World:

"Beautiful!  Our task is not to protest the world into a certain moral conformity, but to attract the world to the saving beauty of Christ.  We do this best, not by protest or political action, but by enacting a beautiful presence in the world.  The Western Church has had a four century experiment with viewing salvation in a scientific and mechanistic manner, presenting it as a plan, system, or formula.  It would be better if we returned to viewing salvation as a song we sing."

Let's begin asking the question when we engage as "the church"; "Is what we're doing beautiful?"

"Let's Bring Heaven to Earth"...Bono

For a while I had been wondering what has been happening with Bill Hybels from Willow Creek. Seemed in the 1990's we were all reading his books and watching his teachings. Haven't heard from him as much these days...

Well, I perused YouTube looking for whats been happening with Bill lately and found a great interview he had with U 2's Bono. They both look a little younger so I'm not sure when the interview occurred but when I see it I get excited. I see a church that is beginning to "get it"! 

A church that that God applauds because we are doing for the "least of these" as unto Jesus Christ himself

A church that is not as concerned with:

• getting a particular political candidate elected
• church buildings and construction projects as it is with "living stones"
• leading social agenda crusades that do nothing to demonstrate Christ's love
• enforcing the "law" as it is with the dispensing of Grace

 But rather a church that brings the love that Christ first showed us to the world!

 And just think, when its all over, we get to go to a really great U2 concert in heaven!