Morality circus
Current mood: ready
Category: ready Life

Several years ago, I tried to write a song about how the Christian life is like a circus, always trying to be the act that gets the applause of the crowd. It spoke a lot as to how I understood the Christian life at that time. I was trying to redeem myself, to make myself worth something to people. That obviously didn't work and just left me feeling less worthy, less important. The song was really bad and, luckily, I lost the lyrics.

Finally, though, someone else has come along that feels exactly as I did. Fortunately, he seems to know why I felt that way and why it's wrong.

Thank you Donald Miller.

"Morality can be a circus act, giving a person a feeling of superiority. And while morality is good, anything we do to get other people to clap, or anything that gives us a more prominent position in a sinking ship, runs the risk of replacing a humble nature pointed at Christ, who is our Redeemer. The biblical idea of morality is behavior associated with our relationship with Jesus, not bait for pride.

"In fact, morality as a battle cry against a depraved culture is simply not a New Testament idea. Morality as a ramification of our spiritual union and relationship with Christ, however, is.

"Paul said to the church at Rome that those who chose immorality would be given over to a depraved mind and their lives would be ruined, but in the next breath he said that because of his great love for lost people, he would be willing to go to hell and take God's wrath upon himself. And he said this even about the Jews who were persecuting him. In other words, the call to morality is delivered through a changed and forgiven heart, a heart regenerated and delivered by Christ, desiring that people repent and come to know Him. There is nothing here we can use in the lifeboat at all. The agenda is all God's, not ours, and God's agenda is love.

"I was thinking of Paul recently when I saw an evangelical leader on CNN talking about gay marriage. The evangelical leader agreed with the apostle Paul about homosexuality being a sin, but when it came time to express the kind of love Paul expressed for the lost, the of love that say, I would gladly take God's wrath upon myself and go to hell for your sake, the evangelical leader sat in silence. Why? How can we say the rules Paul presented are true, but neglect the heart with which he communicated those rules?

"My suspicion is the evangelical leader was able to do this because he had taken on the morality of God as an identity with which he was attempting to redeem himself to culture, and perhaps even to God. This is what the Pharisees did, and the same Satan tricks us with the same bait: justification through comparison. It's an ugly trick, but it continues to prove effective.

Currently reading : Searching for God Knows What By Donald Miller Release date: 13 October, 2004

7:32 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I am a weakling
Current mood: sick
Category: Blogging

I live out in the woods. I live in a little cabin on the side of hill out in the woods. I live out of town. Several miles out of town. And because I live out of town out in the woods I get no cable, no TV reception, and because I live on a hill, I can't use a satellite.

I'm not complaining. This is just how it is.

A family in the church asked me to housesit/dogsit while they went on vacation this week. They live in town. They have DirectTV.

Now I was having a really good weekend. I was able to hang out with some friends. I had the honor of sharing in the officiating of my friends' wedding which was my first wedding. It was going really well.

Then I went to this house I'm housesitting and watched DirectTV.

I didn't emerge until this morning.

I'm a sloth. I'm a weakling. I'm a failure. I'm human.

No. Maybe I'm sub-human. God couldn't have intended wasting a day in front of DirectTV when he created humans.

I'm missing the ideal. I miss it more often than I hit it.

I'm not perfect. Maybe I should just try to be a little less imperfect today.

I'm sorry.

6:40 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

maybe it's opposite day
Current mood: full

Some days it is, some days it isn't...

Nothing but a chemical in my head
It's nothing but laziness
Cause I don't wanna read the book
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age

I think I'd rather play around
And I think I'd rather watch TV
Cause I don't wanna face my fears
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else

Because I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna see this now
It's all wrong but it's alright
And I don't wanna be here
And I don't wanna study now
It's all wrong but it's alright

I don't know what love is
I don't know who I am
And if I ever want to find out
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age

I don't wanna change the world
And I don't wanna be someone
I don't wanna write the book
I'll make the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else

I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna see this now
It's all wrong but it's alright
And I don't wanna be here
And I don't wanna study now
It's all wrong but it's alright

1:42 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

The image of God
Category: Quiz/Survey

What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

I want to know what you all think.

I'm not sure I know.

12:10 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

How long?
Current mood: waiting
Category: waiting Blogging

" Do you wake up every day to circumstances that have absolutely nothing remotely to do with the vision you sense God is developing in you? Then you are in good company. Joseph reviewd his vision from an Egyptian dungeon. Moses spent years following sheep. David, the teenage king, spent years hiding in caves. And Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the very king whose ancestors had destroyed the city he longed to rebuild! Be encouraged. God has you there for a reason.

"I don't know your situation. But from what I read in the Scriptures, I would guess the time required for God to grow you into his vision for your  life will be somewhere between four months and forty years. And if you feel you are on teh forty-year track, here's one other bit of information you might want to chew on. There seems to be a correlation between the preparation time and the magnitude of the task to which we are called. Leading God's people out of four hundred years of slavery required more than a four-year degree. It required forty years of preparation. But then again, we are still talking about it today."

I hope this encourages all of you that question why God has you where He has you today. And maybe tomorrow. Preparation is something our prepacked microwave dinner generation doesn't care about. But it is so necessary. Trust God's goodness and oversight.

Currently listening : Battle Cry: Worship From the Frontlines By Acquire The Fire with Michael Gungor Release date: 04 October, 2005

6:59 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Elijah by Rich Mullins
Current mood: frustrated
Category: Life

The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I'm begging for one last favor from You
Here's my heart take it where You will

This life has shown me how we're mended and how we're torn
How it's okay to be lonely as long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stoney
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
Well if they dressed me like a pauper
Or if they dined me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind
I don't care

But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye

There's people been friendly, but they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
Now that this is all ending
I want to hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing that I have ever found

But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain't never seen the other side
Still they say you can't take in the things you have here
So on the road to salvation
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears

There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well, I'm here to tell you I'll keep rocking
'Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
And when I do

When I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park

7:09 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Turning the other cheek p. 3
Category: Life

So throughout this process of reconciling Matt 5:38-42, I can't avoid the idea that the best reaction to evil done against us is not just to stand there and take it and not say anything or do any evil thing back to the offender, but to actually give the offender some good thing in return for their evil deed! This has stretched me to the limits of the commands or even suggestions of Jesus that I think I'm capable of fulfilling completely. But it seems to be an unavoidable truth (Romans 12:14-21).

The first century church was adored by the Roman culture that stood morally at opposite poles. They were adored because of their desire to give - to the poor, the needy, the sick, the imprisoned, the outcast.

There is a part of me that wishes that there were more John the Baptist-type believers out there. But then we wouldn't be called Christians, we'd be called (as much as I want to say Baptists) Johannians. It seems like the next time such a prophetic voice appears that publicly cries out against the moral failures of the nation are the two prophets in Revelation. Even Paul chose to testify about Jesus as opposed to cry out against the moral failure of the Roman Empire when he stood before Felix, Festus and Agrippa (Acts 24-26).

Why do we think that it is our right today as Christians to do what was never asked, suggested or commanded of us!

Show me a Christian who is publicly denouncing the immorality of society and I will show you one that has strayed from the teachings of Jesus.

The following is from the best asystematic theology book I've ever read. It's called Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. I'm pretty sure you will only benefit from it.

"I am learning that the church is at its best when it gives itself away. And this is because blessing is always instrumental. Let me explain. In Genesis 12, God tells a man named Abram that he's going to bless him, and through him, he is going to bless the whole world. This is the birth of the Jewish people, whom God wants to use to reach everybody. This blessing is instrumental in nature. God wants to use Abraham, to flow through him, to have him be the conduit through whom God can bless everybody else. Abraham is just a vessel. God doesn't choose people just so they'll feel good about themselves or secure in their standing with God or whatever else. God chooses people to be used to bless other people. Elected, predestined, chosen - whatever words people use for this reality, the point is never the person elected or chosen or predestined. The point is that person serving others, making their lives better.

"The second significant idea in Genesis 12 is that Abraham's calling is universal. It is for everybody. All kinds of people all over the place are going to be blessed by God through Abraham. God has no boundaries. God blesses everybody. People who don't believe in God. People who are opposed to God. People who do violent, evil things. God's intentions are to bless everybody. Jesus continues this idea in many of his teachings. In the book of Luke he says, "I am among you as one who serves." He no only refers to himself as a servant, sent to serve others, but he teaches his disciples that the greatest in his kingdom are the ones who serve. For Jesus, everything is upside down. The best and greatest and most important are the ones who humble themselves, set their needs and desires aside, and selflessly serve others.

"So what is a group of people living this way called? That's the church. The church doesn't exist for itself; it exists to serve the world. It is no ultimately about the church; its' about all the people God wants to bless through the church. When the church loses sights of this, it loses its heart. This is especially true today in the world we live in where so many people are hostile to the church, many for good reason. We reclaim the church as a blessing machine not only because that is what Jesus intended from the beginning but also because serving people is the only way their perceptions of church are ever going to change. This is why it is so toxic for the gospel when Christians picket and boycott and complain about how bad the world is. This behavior doesn't help. It makes it worse. It isn't the kind of voice Jesus wants his followers to have in the world. Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn't as bright as it could be.

"Another truth about the church we're [Mars Hill church] embracing is that the gospel is good news, especially for those who don't believe it.

"Imagine an average street in an average city in an average country, if there is such a place. Let's imagine Person X lives in a house on this street. Next door is a Hindu, and on the other side is a Muslim. Across the street is an atheist, next door to them an agnostic, and next door on the other side, someone from Ohio.

"Imagine Person X becomes a Christian. Maybe she read something or had friends who inspired her to learn more, or maybe she had an addiction and through a recovery movement she surrendered her life to God. However it came to be, she became a follwer of Jesus. Let's say she starts living out Jesus' teachings, actually taking him seriously that she can become a compelling force for good in the world. She is becoming more generous, more compassionate, more forgiving, more loving. Is she becoming a better or worse neighbor? If we are her neighbors, we're thrilled about her new faith. We find ourselves more and more grateful for a neighbor like this. We wish more people would be like this.

"Let's make some observations about this street. The good news of Jesus is good news for Person X. IT's good news for Person X's neighbors. It's good news for the whole street. It's good news for people who don't belive in Jesus. We have to be really clear about this. The good news for Person X is good news for the whole street. And if it is good news for the whole street, then it's good news for the whole world.

"If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.

"And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever. Besides the fact that these terms are offensive to hose who are the "un" and "non", they work against Jesus' teachings about how we are to treat each other. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor, and our neighbor can be anybody. We are all created in the image of God, and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God. Everybody matters. To treat people differently based on who believes what is to fail to respect the image of God in everyone. As the book of James says, "God shows no favoritism." So we don't either.

"Oftentimes the Christian community has sent the message that we love people and build relationships in order to convert them to the Christian faith. So there is an agenda. And when there is an agenda, it isn't really love, is it? It's something else. We have to rediscover love, period. Love that loves because it is what Jesus teaches us to do. We have to surrender our agendas. Because some people aren't going to become Christians like us no matter how hard we push. They just aren't. And at some point we have to commit them to God, trusting that God loves them more that we ever could. I obviously love to talk to people about Jesus and my faith. I'll take every opportunity I can get. But I have learned that when I toss out my agenda and simply love as Jesus teaches me to, I often end up learning more about God than I could have imagined.

"And one thing to keep in mind is that we never arrive. Ever. One of the illusions of faith is that at some point we get it all mapped out and things get smooth and predictable. It is not true. The way of Jesus is a journey, not a destination. On a journey, the scenery changes. A lot. We can prepare for some things, but not all. We make mistakes, figure it out as we go along, and try new things. Failures are really just opportunities to learn. If you are part of a church, is the dominant understanding of faith in your church that of journey or destination?...

"To be this kind of person - the kind who selflessly serves - takes everything a person has. It is difficult. It is demanding. And we often find ourselves going against the flow of those around us. Which is why we are reclaiming the simple fact that Jesus said the way is narrow. We are honest about this, especially to our friends who wouldn't say the are Christians. Very few people in our world are offering anything worth dying for. Most of the messages we receive are about how to make life easier. The call of Jesus goes the other direction: It's about making our lives more difficult. It is going out of our way to be mor generous and disciplined and loving and free. It is refusing to escape and become numb to and check out of this broken, fractured world.

"And so we are embracing the high demands of Jesus' call to be one of his disciples. We are honest about it. We want our friends to know up front that the costs are high, which is what is so appealing about Jesus - his vision for life takes everything we have....

"This is what we are all dying for - something that demands we step up and become better, more focused people. Something that calls out the greatness that we hope is somewhere insdie of us....

"Ultimately our gift to the world around us is hope. Not blind hope that pretends everything is fine and refuses to acknowledge how things are. But the kind of hope that comes from staring pain and suffering right in the eyes and refusing to believe that this is all there is. It is what we all need - hope that comes not from going around suffering but from going through it."

4:03 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Turning the other cheek p. 2
Category: Life

The test of observance of Christ's teachings is our consciousness of our failure to attain an ideal perfection. The degree to which we draw near this perfection cannot be seen; all we can see is the extent of our deviation.

--Leo Tolstoy--

This second part to the dialogue on 'turning the other cheek' is some thoughts from author Philip Yancey in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew. I am going to take some quotes from chapter 7 but would encourage you to read the whole chapter, if not the whole book, in order to get a more comprehensive view of his thoughts and also some interesting insight into how previous others have wrestled with this issue in the Christian life.

Also, most of this is Yancey's general thoughts concerning the whole of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). And will not necessarily contribute directly, but indirectly, to the dialogue about turning the other cheek. This will also not even come c lose to giving a solid conclusion but more ideas to ponder together.

Thanks for reading.

"The Beatitudes represent only the first step toward understanding the Sermon on the Mount. Long after I came to recognize the enduring truth of the Beatitudes, I still brooded over the uncompromising harshness of the rest of Jesus' sermon. Its absolutist quality left me gasping. "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect," Jesus said, his statement tucked almost casually between the commands to love enemies and give away money. Be perfect like God? Whatever did he mean?...

"Has anyone ever lived a life as perfect as God's? Has anyone ever followed the Golden Rule? How can we even respond to such impossible ideals? We humans prefer common sense and balance, something closer to Aristotle's Golden Mean than Jesus' Golden Rule....

"Offensive, astringent - yes, these are apt words to apply to the Sermon on the Mount.... A low-budget BBC production entitled Son of Man sets the Sermon on the Mount against a background of chaos and violence. Roman soldiers have just invaded a Galilean village to exact vengeance for some trespass against the empire. They have strung up Jewish men of fighting age, shoved their hysterical wives to the ground, even speared babies in order to "teach these Jews a lesson." Into that tumultuous scene of blood and tears and keening for the dead strides Jesus with eyes ablaze.

       "'I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.
       "'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, right? So our forefather said. Love your kinsmen, hate your enemies, right? But I say it's easy to love your own brother, to love those who love you. Even tax collectors do that! You want me to congratulate you for loving your own kinsmen? No, love your enemy.
       "'Love the man who would kick you and spit at you. Love the soldier who would drive his sword in your belly. Love the brigand who robs and tortures you.
       "'Listen to me! Love your enemy! If a Roman soldier hits you on the left cheek, offer him the right one. If a man in authority orders you to walk one mile, walk two miles. If a man sues you for your coat, give him the shirt off your back.
       "'Listen! I tell you, it is hard to follow me. What I'm saying to you hasn't been said since the world began!'

"You can imagine the villagers' response to such unwelcome advice. The Sermon on the Mount did not puzzle them; it infuriated them....

"The Sermon on the Mount details exactly what Jesus meant [when he said that no one will enter the kingdom of heaven unless his righteous surpasses that of the Pharisees], and this explication is what seemed so absurd to twentieth-century students at Texas A&M as well as first-century Jews in Palestine. Using the Torah as a starting point, Jesus pushed the law in the same direction, further than any Pharisee had dared push it, further than any monk has dared live it. The Sermon on the Mount introduced a new moon in the moral universe that has exerted its own force of gravity ever since.

"Jesus made the law impossible for anyone to keep and then charged us to keep it."

"Finally, Jesus spelled out the principles of nonviolence. Who could even survive whi the rule Jesus laid down: "Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

"I stare at these and the other strict commands of the Sermon on the Mount and ask myself how to respond.... How can I possibly translate such ethical ideals into my everday life?...

"Absolute ideals and absolute grace: after learning that dual message from Russian novelists [Tolstory and Dostoevsky], I returned to Jesus and found that it suffuses his teachings throughout the Gospels and especially the Sermon on the Mount. In response to the rich young ruler, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in his comments about divorce, money, or any other moral issue, Jesus never lowered God's ideal. "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect," he said....

"Yet the same Jesus tenderly offered absolute grace. Jesus forgave an adulteress, a thief on the cross, a disciple who had denied ever knowing him.... Grace is absolute, inflexible, all-encompassing. It extends even to the people who nailed Jesus to the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" were among the last words Jesus spoke on earth....

"For years I had thought of the Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for human behavior that no one could possibly follow. Reading it again, I found that Jesus gave these words not to cumber us, but to tell us what God is like. The character of God is the urtext of the Sermon on the Mount. Why should we love our enemies? Because our clement Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good. Why be perfect? Because God is perfect. Why store up treasures in heaven? Because the Father lives there and will lavishly reward us. Why live without fear and worry? Because the same God who clothes the lilies and the grass of the field has promised to take care of us Why pray? If an earthly father gives his son bread or fish, how much more will the Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.

"How could I have missd it? Jesus did not proclaim the Sermon on the Mount so that we would, Tolstory-like, furrow our brows in despair over our failure to achieve perfection. He gave it to impart to us God's Ideal toward which we should never stop striving, but also to show that none of us will ever reach that Ideal. The Sermon on the Mount forces us to recognize the great distance between God and us, and any attempt to reduce the distance by somehow moderating its deamnds misses the points altogther.

"The worst tragedy would be to turn the Sermon on the Mount into another form of legalism; it should rather put an end to all legalism. Legalism like the Pharisees' will always fail, not because it is too strict but because it is not strict enough. Thunderously, inarguably, the Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, theives and coveters. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace."

I really appreciate these comments from Yancey. However, it doesn't directly answer my question as to when, who, and how to turn the other cheek. It does seem to make the claim literal in EVERY case, but also unrealizable. If nothing else it should spur us on in our dialogue without the pressure of feeling like we're coming up short in our Christian journey by not knowing.

5:38 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Turning the other cheek p. 1
Category: Life

So I'm really struggling to figure out this whole turning the other cheek, Christian non-violence thing. I appreciate everyone who has given me their insights so far. I think the most striking thing about them is that everyone agrees about the application of Matthew 5:38, and to be honest, that scares me. But that could just be a sad revelation of the cloudiness of my vision, or the stubbornness of my character.

I hope there are some people out there that are interested in figuring this out with me. Most of us don't face physical assault on a regular basis, but it seems my sphere slowly increasing those that do. Maybe you'll start a prison ministry some day. :)

I no way am I trying to make a statement against war, or the military or any profession that uses force as a part of it's means.

Here are some thoughts others have had. I will admit that this is an EXTREMELY long blog, and I'm sorry. I hope you'll bear with me and continue the dialogue.

This first quote is from Deitrich Bonhoeffer. I think I tend to agree with him but then question his ideals since he was killed after being taken prisoner for plotting to assassinate Hitler.

"The followers of Jesus for his sake renounce every personal right. He calls them blessed because they are meek. If after giving up everything else for his sake they still wanted to cling to their own rights, they would have ceased to follow him. [Matt. 5:38-42] therefore is simply an elaboration of the beatitudes.

"In the Old Testament personal rights are protected by a divinely established system of retribution. Every evil must be requited. The aim of retribution is to establish a proper community, to convict and overcome evil and eradicate it from the body politic of the people of God. That is the purpose of the law whic his maintained by retribution. (my note: This is why Abram's victory over the twelve kings was approved by God as confirmed by the blessing from Melchizidek)

"Jesus takes up this declaration of the divine will and affirms the power of retribution to convict and overcome evil and to ensure the fellowship of the disciples as the true Israel. By exercising the right kind of retribution evil is to be overcome and thus the true disciple will prove himself.

"The right way to requite evil, according to Jesus, is not to resist it.

"This saying of Christ removes the Church from the sphere of politics and law. The Church is not to be a national community like that of old Israel, but a community of believers without political or national ties. The old Israel had been both - the chosen people of God and a national community, and it was therefore his will that htey should meet force with force. But with the Church it is different: it has abandoned political and national status, and therefore it must patiently endure aggeression. Otherwise evil will be heaped upon evil. Only thus can fellowship be established and maintained.

"At this point it becomes evident that when a Christian meets with injustice, he no longer clings to his rights and defends them at all costs. He is absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone. Again, his witness to this exclusive adherence to Jesus creates the only workable basis for fellowship, and leaves the aggressor for him to deal with....

"By willing endurance we cause suffering to pass. Evil becomes a spent force when we put up no resistance. By refusing to pay gback the enemy in his own coin, and by preferring to suffer without resistance, the Christian exhibits the sinfulness of contumely and insult. Violence stands condemned by its failure to evoke counter-violence. When a man unjustly demands that I should give him my coat, I offer him my cloak also, and so counter his demand; when he requires me to go the other mile, I go willingly, and show up his exploitation of my service for what it is. To leave everything behind at the call of Christ is to be content with him alone, and to follow only him. By his willingly renouncing self-defense, the Christian affirms his absolute adherence to Jesus, and his freedom from the tyranny of his own ego. The exclusiveness of this adherence is the only power which can overcome evil....

"The very fact that the evil which assaults him is unjustifiable makes it imperative that he should not resist it, but play it out and overcome it by patiently enduring the evil person. Suffering willingly endured is stronger than evil, it spells death to evil.

"There is no deed on earth so outrageous as to justify a different attitude. The worse the evil, the readier must the Christian be to suffer; he must let the evil person fall into Jesus' hands....

"How then can the precept of Jesus be justified in the light of experience? It is obvious that weakness and defenselessness only invite aggression. Is then the demand of Jesus nothing but an impracticable ideal? Does he refuse to face up to realities - or shall we say, to the sin of the world?...

"Jesus, however, tells us that is is just because we live in the world, and just because the world is evil, that the precept of non-resistance must be put into practice. Surely we do not wish to accuse Jesus of ignoring the realtiy and power of evil! Why, the whole of his life was one long conflict with the devil. He calls evil evil, and that is the very reason why he speaks to his followers in this way. How is that possible?...

"It looked as though evil had triumphed on the cross, but the real victory belonged to Jesus. And the cross is the only justification for the precept of non-violence, for it alone can kindle a faith in the victory over evil which will enable men to obey that precept. And only such obedience is blessed with the promise that we shall be partakers of Christ's victory as well as his sufferings.

"The passion of Christ is the victory of divince love over the powers of evil, and therefore it is the only supportable basis for Christian obedience. Once again, Jesus calls those who follow him to share his passion. How can we convince the world by our preaching of the passion when we shrink from that passion in our own lives? On the cross Jesus fulfilled the law he himself established and thus graciously keeps his disciples in the fellowship of his suffering. The cross is the only power in the world which proves that suffering love can avenge and vanquish evil. But it was jsut this participaiton in the cross which the disciples were granted when Jesus called them to him. The yare called blessed because of their visible participation in his cross."

So like I said I think I agree with Bonhoeffer. What do you think?

I find this principle of non-violence easier to digest when the aggression is against myself, then if it were against someone I love. Sometime I wish that the crowd had already begun stoning the adulterous woman before Jesus showed up so I would have an example of how to react...

11:40 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Thoughts on Christianity and Politics
Current mood: confirmed
Category: confirmed Life

"Sheep among wolves, a tiny seed in the garden, yeast in bread dough, salt in meat: Jesus' own metaphors of the kingdom describe a kind of 'secret force' that works from within. He said nothing of a triumphant church sharing power with the authorities. The kingdom of God appears to work best as a minority movement, in opposition to the kingdom of this world. When it grows beyond that, the kingdom subtly changes in nature.

"For this reason, I must say in an aside, I worry about the recent surge of power among U.S. Christians, who seem to be focusing more and more on political means. Once Christians were ignored or scorned; now they are courted by every savvy politician. Evangelicals especially are identified with a certain political stance, so much so that the news media use the terms 'evangelical' and 'religious right' interchangeably. When I ask a stranger, 'What is an evangelical Christian?' I get an answer something like this: "Someone who supports family values and opposes homosexual rights and abortion.'

"This trend troubles me because the gospel of Jesus was not primarily a political platform. The issues that confront Christians in a secular society must be faced and addressed and legislated, and a democracy gives Christians every right to express themselves. But we dare not invest too much in the kingdom of this world that we neglect our main task of introducing people to a different kind of kingdom, one based solely on God's grace and forgiveness. Passing laws to enforce morality serves a necessary function, to dam up evil, but it never solves human problems. If a century from now all that historians can say about evangelicals of the 1990s is that they stood for family values, then we have failed the mission Jesus gave us to accomplish: to communicate God's reconciling love to sinners.

"Jesus did not say, 'All men will know you are my disciples...if you just pass laws, suppress immorality, and restore decency to family and government,' but rather '...if you love one another.' He made the statement the night before his death, a night when human power, represented by the might of Rome and the full force of Jewish religious authorities, collided head-on with God's power. All his life Jesus had been involved in a form of 'culture wars' against a rigid religious establishment and a pagan empire, yet he responded by giving his life for those who opposed him. On the cross, he forgave them. He had come, above all, to demonstrate love..."

--Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew--

And so shouldn't our goal, now as the body of Christ, the literal earthly embodiment of God, be to do the same? We are the seeds that resulted from the death of the one seed, but seeds of the same kind nonetheless.

"Nowadays, as the U.S. grows increasingly secularized, it appears that church and state are heading in different directions. The more I understand Jesus' message of the kingdom of God, the less alarm I feel over that trend. Our real challenge, the focus of our energy, should not be to Christianize the United States (always a losing battle) but rather to strive to be God's kingdom in an increasingly hostile world. As Karl Barth said, '[The Chruch] exists...to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to [the world's] own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise.

"Ironically, if the United States is truly sliding down a slippery moral slope, that may better allow the church--as it did in Rome and also in China--to set up 'a new sign...which is full of promise.' I would prefer, I must admit, to live in a country where the majority of people follow the Ten Commandments, act with civility toward each other, and bow their heads once a day for a bland, nonpartisan prayer. I feel a certain nostalgia for the social climate of the 1950s in which I grew up. But if that environment does not return, I will not lose any sleep. As America slides, I will work and pray for the kingdom of God to advance. If the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church, the contemporary politcal scene hardly offers much threat."

--Philip Yancy--

And yet many American Christians live as if the polical factions that oppose their personal morality are the biggest threat and the worst enemy. The "soldiers of the cross" that have enlisted in "the Lord's army" are no longer promoting an army of salvation, reconciliation, and restoration to the lost souls, at least not primarily. The fight for the invisible kingdom has tragically shifted to a fight for the visible kingdom, the temporary kingdom.

*(My personal thoughts are in italics)

Currently reading : Jesus I Never Knew, The By Philip Yancey Release date: 01 February, 2002

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