Charlotte, NC, Nov 2010
I read the front page of the Charlotte Observer on Saturday morning, Nov 6 of this year and I noticed a story entitled: “6 volunteer police chaplains resign.” The story went on to explain that there were 15 volunteer chaplains from area churches who helped the police department in traumatic situations. Recently the police department added another chaplain, a lady who is gay, though very qualified to be a chaplain. Immediately six of the chaplains resigned.
I realize that not all chaplains are of Christian foundation, there may be some who are Jewish, some Moslem or other persuasions. But the term "chaplain" does refer to a religious practitioner. At least some of those chaplains were of Christian persuasion. I find it difficult to understand why they could not associate with a professional person who is gay. The article went on to say that some police serving Charlotte are gay.
Putting all politics and sociology aside, if one boils down in simple form what Christianity means, it means those who are followers of Jesus. Certainly the example of Jesus was to associate with sinners. (Luke 5:30) The worst we can say about gay people is that they are sinners...like the rest of us. (Rom 3:23) I may have a different flavor of sin in my life but it is sin, nonetheless.
If I am not really a follower of Jesus, but simply one who practices the American, popular, culture of Christianity then I might not associate with gay people. But I believe in following Jesus, first and last. I believe Jesus would have stayed serving the police department and its clients and associating openly with gay people and anyone else who needs his compassion and service, benefiting from his example.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Halloween...not so bad
Halloween in history is the last day of the ancient Celtic calendar, October 31. Druids gathered to protect themselves from the souls that were passing from the bodies of animals looking for one more chance to have a human body. (Ruth Kelley, The Book of Halloween, p.10) Early Christian leaders tried to replace this pagan feast with All Saints' Day to commemorate the saints who have died. It became a Christian memorial day. But that has not caught on with too many Christians.
Is there anything wrong or unbiblical about celebrating a Christian Memorial Day to remember those "saints" from our church that have died. Their loved ones haven't forgotten them. And we as a church might do well to remember their love, their example, and the nobleness in their characters. If you read Hebrews 11 you have a fine example recounting the experience of those who have died. Maybe there is some¬thing biblical here.
There are some who feel that because a belief or practice is of unfavorable origin, it should automatically be discarded or condemned today? Although the science of astronomy developed from astrology, we don't ignore the importance and the value of astronomy. Even more to the point, some of the months of the year and days of the week are named after Roman gods, but we haven't abandoned the calendar or changed those names. And even though the practice of saying "God bless you" when some¬one sneezes comes from superstition, we still do it. But then, consistency has not been the goal in many discussions.
Is there not logic in trying to replace and change rather then just eliminate a non-Christian celebration? Since we do live in the world, (John 17:15) our society makes it very hard to just ignore these things. It makes good sense to replace a bad practice with a good one. Too often the church restricts people from certain activities, even if it is for their own good, but does not give positive answers or fill in the hole that is left. This principle to bring balance when something bad is taken from the life was taught by Jesus in Matt 12:43-45. When we eliminate practices from people’s lives we have a responsibility to replace those with something good.
No, I don’t encourage you to be a “ghoulish” person scaring people this time of year. But neither do I judge those who wish to join in harmless fun or even remember our family "saints" who have passed.
Is there anything wrong or unbiblical about celebrating a Christian Memorial Day to remember those "saints" from our church that have died. Their loved ones haven't forgotten them. And we as a church might do well to remember their love, their example, and the nobleness in their characters. If you read Hebrews 11 you have a fine example recounting the experience of those who have died. Maybe there is some¬thing biblical here.
There are some who feel that because a belief or practice is of unfavorable origin, it should automatically be discarded or condemned today? Although the science of astronomy developed from astrology, we don't ignore the importance and the value of astronomy. Even more to the point, some of the months of the year and days of the week are named after Roman gods, but we haven't abandoned the calendar or changed those names. And even though the practice of saying "God bless you" when some¬one sneezes comes from superstition, we still do it. But then, consistency has not been the goal in many discussions.
Is there not logic in trying to replace and change rather then just eliminate a non-Christian celebration? Since we do live in the world, (John 17:15) our society makes it very hard to just ignore these things. It makes good sense to replace a bad practice with a good one. Too often the church restricts people from certain activities, even if it is for their own good, but does not give positive answers or fill in the hole that is left. This principle to bring balance when something bad is taken from the life was taught by Jesus in Matt 12:43-45. When we eliminate practices from people’s lives we have a responsibility to replace those with something good.
No, I don’t encourage you to be a “ghoulish” person scaring people this time of year. But neither do I judge those who wish to join in harmless fun or even remember our family "saints" who have passed.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Isaiah 58 and the Sabbath
Not having been raised in the Adventist church but attending various evangelistic meetings in the early 70s I soon learned Isaiah 58 was a very important text in understanding and keeping the Sabbath day. The evangelist would read verse 12 and explained that the mission of this church was that God was calling it to repair the breach in the wall of truth which included bringing back the seventh day Sabbath to the world. Verses 13 and 14 explained the principle of how to keep it.
Before we get around to verses 12 - 14 I think we should look at verses 1 - 11 and discover the context of this chapter. It is quite surprising what the emphasis of this chapter is and how that leads us into verse 12. The emphasis is on caring for your neighbor especially the disenfranchised and the poor. The humility and fasting that God wants is to loose the chains of injustice (Verse 6), set the oppressed free and break every yoke. Share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not turn away from your own family. (V.7) Stop pointing the finger and talking maliciously but spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed (Vs 9,10.
This is the context before you get to verse 12. Rebuilding the ancient ruins and raising up on the foundations; becoming a repair of the broken walls and restores of streets begins with treating one another compassionately, especially the poor. The emphasis in verse 12 finds its strength in verses 1-11. After that we could talk about keeping the Sabbath and careful way. In fact, doing things for the poor and the disenfranchised is an appropriate way to keep Sabbath even if it causes you to sweat.
Verse 13: If you keep your foot- This clearly refers to traveling on the Sabbath. And back in those days to travel 5 or 10 miles was work. Today we can fly from one coast to the next in little more time than it took them to walk 10 miles. But in major traveling I prefer not to do it on the Sabbath.
From doing your own pleasure or as you please… call the Sabbath a delight- I have often had difficulty with these two phrases. In one sense you are not supposed to have pleasure, in another sense you are. Make up your mind. Right here is where I discovered Adventist’s keeping of the Sabbath differs from the way the Jews and perhaps even the Bible teaches us to keep it.
With all of the Jewish laws recorded in the Mishnah with detailed and technical rules about what you could and could not do on the Sabbath, there were no rules that restricted fun, pleasure and play. The Jews put quite a bit of emphasis on having a good time on Sabbath. They had free reign on play with no restrictions. My wife and I visited a Synagogue in Jerusalem one Friday night. Though I was not allowed to take notes during the service, the children continuously ran up and down the aisles playing. None of the adults seemed to care. This would never happen in American churches. I assume it had something to do with the way the Jewish people regard the Sabbath. They want everyone to have fun, even in the service.
Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day. Jesus married them. The first Sabbath experienced together was right after their wedding. So, what do you think Friday night was? A honeymoon of course. Where do we get this idea that pleasure is somehow evil and sinful? It doesn't come from God. But it does come as a carryover from the medieval church and even Puritan, Victorian America. I discovered that when I looked at some of the faces of Adventists on the Sabbath they believed a false interpretation of Isaiah 58. When I saw them the rest of the week they looked happy.
What is Isaiah referring to when he says we should not do our own pleasure? The word pleasure here actually refers to business. We should not carry on our business of gainful employment.
Problems in our accepted practice: If you have ever spent much time around Adventist institutions like universities, hospitals, etc. you will discover that the way those institutions keep the Sabbath is very different than the way 90% of Adventists do. Just walk around on the campus of these institutions and you will discover that they have their own security patrolling the grounds day and night, workers in the cafeteria, cleaning floors, operating the power plant, running the laboratory, and numerous other tasks. When we hold Sabbath convocations in public buildings, we higher people to perform various necessary functions and we expect to be served in restaurants where we eat. There seems to be a feeling that if you're working for an Adventist institution you are exempt from keeping the Sabbath in the same way that people who live outside are. If we were to go to a restaurant in Charlotte and an Adventist served us we would think he was breaking the Sabbath. Are we being ethical?
Let's face it, if we really want to be strict about keeping the Sabbath we will go out to our breaker box on Friday before sundown and turn off the main power supply to our house as well as close the water tap into the house and not even flush the toilet. Because we are making somebody have to work so that we have those conveniences. It can really get complicated to keep the Sabbath strictly today in 21st century America and be consistent when your goal is somewhat legalistic.
We all have different ways that we keep the Sabbath. We all have settled in our own mind what we think is approved and what we think isn’t. One should not judge another. “You then, why do you judge your brother?” (Romans 14:10)
The bottom line, 3 things: 1- Spiritual day 2-Physical rest 3-Family. In fact, the Sabbath is a date with God where we spend time together without interruptions.
Before we get around to verses 12 - 14 I think we should look at verses 1 - 11 and discover the context of this chapter. It is quite surprising what the emphasis of this chapter is and how that leads us into verse 12. The emphasis is on caring for your neighbor especially the disenfranchised and the poor. The humility and fasting that God wants is to loose the chains of injustice (Verse 6), set the oppressed free and break every yoke. Share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not turn away from your own family. (V.7) Stop pointing the finger and talking maliciously but spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed (Vs 9,10.
This is the context before you get to verse 12. Rebuilding the ancient ruins and raising up on the foundations; becoming a repair of the broken walls and restores of streets begins with treating one another compassionately, especially the poor. The emphasis in verse 12 finds its strength in verses 1-11. After that we could talk about keeping the Sabbath and careful way. In fact, doing things for the poor and the disenfranchised is an appropriate way to keep Sabbath even if it causes you to sweat.
Verse 13: If you keep your foot- This clearly refers to traveling on the Sabbath. And back in those days to travel 5 or 10 miles was work. Today we can fly from one coast to the next in little more time than it took them to walk 10 miles. But in major traveling I prefer not to do it on the Sabbath.
From doing your own pleasure or as you please… call the Sabbath a delight- I have often had difficulty with these two phrases. In one sense you are not supposed to have pleasure, in another sense you are. Make up your mind. Right here is where I discovered Adventist’s keeping of the Sabbath differs from the way the Jews and perhaps even the Bible teaches us to keep it.
With all of the Jewish laws recorded in the Mishnah with detailed and technical rules about what you could and could not do on the Sabbath, there were no rules that restricted fun, pleasure and play. The Jews put quite a bit of emphasis on having a good time on Sabbath. They had free reign on play with no restrictions. My wife and I visited a Synagogue in Jerusalem one Friday night. Though I was not allowed to take notes during the service, the children continuously ran up and down the aisles playing. None of the adults seemed to care. This would never happen in American churches. I assume it had something to do with the way the Jewish people regard the Sabbath. They want everyone to have fun, even in the service.
Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day. Jesus married them. The first Sabbath experienced together was right after their wedding. So, what do you think Friday night was? A honeymoon of course. Where do we get this idea that pleasure is somehow evil and sinful? It doesn't come from God. But it does come as a carryover from the medieval church and even Puritan, Victorian America. I discovered that when I looked at some of the faces of Adventists on the Sabbath they believed a false interpretation of Isaiah 58. When I saw them the rest of the week they looked happy.
What is Isaiah referring to when he says we should not do our own pleasure? The word pleasure here actually refers to business. We should not carry on our business of gainful employment.
Problems in our accepted practice: If you have ever spent much time around Adventist institutions like universities, hospitals, etc. you will discover that the way those institutions keep the Sabbath is very different than the way 90% of Adventists do. Just walk around on the campus of these institutions and you will discover that they have their own security patrolling the grounds day and night, workers in the cafeteria, cleaning floors, operating the power plant, running the laboratory, and numerous other tasks. When we hold Sabbath convocations in public buildings, we higher people to perform various necessary functions and we expect to be served in restaurants where we eat. There seems to be a feeling that if you're working for an Adventist institution you are exempt from keeping the Sabbath in the same way that people who live outside are. If we were to go to a restaurant in Charlotte and an Adventist served us we would think he was breaking the Sabbath. Are we being ethical?
Let's face it, if we really want to be strict about keeping the Sabbath we will go out to our breaker box on Friday before sundown and turn off the main power supply to our house as well as close the water tap into the house and not even flush the toilet. Because we are making somebody have to work so that we have those conveniences. It can really get complicated to keep the Sabbath strictly today in 21st century America and be consistent when your goal is somewhat legalistic.
We all have different ways that we keep the Sabbath. We all have settled in our own mind what we think is approved and what we think isn’t. One should not judge another. “You then, why do you judge your brother?” (Romans 14:10)
The bottom line, 3 things: 1- Spiritual day 2-Physical rest 3-Family. In fact, the Sabbath is a date with God where we spend time together without interruptions.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Limit of Rational Thought
I read a book once, "Jesus-The Revolutionary". It wasn't about a wild man; it was about a meek and lowly carpenter, but with a message that turned the world upside down. When God ordained the Christian church, a revolution started and is still going on today.
Since Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit carries on this revolution.
Something has happened in the Adventist Church. We like rational thought, reason, and logic, things that we can put very carefully in a well defined box or system of belief. That way we will always stay in the protecting walls and nothing sneaks out or in. We are afraid to go outside the box; it’s safe in here. Those who want to live outside the box are suspect.
Our pioneers weren’t like that. Ellen White was very open to the experience of God outside the known realm. She had numerous dreams and visions that were unexplainable by reason. Our church was built on truth and the special work of the Holy Spirit.
But something happened along the way. We shut down any and everything that doesn’t follow our well defined reason. We don't encourage dreams and visions any more. We suspect them all...so we ignore our own.
When I say Rational thought I mean clear, concrete laws, policies, boundaries that protect us from anything new that might hurt us. We hold onto what we know then ignore or demonize everything else.
Hence we don’t know what to do with the wind, otherwise called the Holy Spirit.
That’s not who I am. I am one of those people who longs to live outside the box...who doesn't sense he belongs in society. I sometimes get into trouble because of it, but I am happier there...because I think God is there.
Since Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit carries on this revolution.
Something has happened in the Adventist Church. We like rational thought, reason, and logic, things that we can put very carefully in a well defined box or system of belief. That way we will always stay in the protecting walls and nothing sneaks out or in. We are afraid to go outside the box; it’s safe in here. Those who want to live outside the box are suspect.
Our pioneers weren’t like that. Ellen White was very open to the experience of God outside the known realm. She had numerous dreams and visions that were unexplainable by reason. Our church was built on truth and the special work of the Holy Spirit.
But something happened along the way. We shut down any and everything that doesn’t follow our well defined reason. We don't encourage dreams and visions any more. We suspect them all...so we ignore our own.
When I say Rational thought I mean clear, concrete laws, policies, boundaries that protect us from anything new that might hurt us. We hold onto what we know then ignore or demonize everything else.
Hence we don’t know what to do with the wind, otherwise called the Holy Spirit.
That’s not who I am. I am one of those people who longs to live outside the box...who doesn't sense he belongs in society. I sometimes get into trouble because of it, but I am happier there...because I think God is there.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Health Care
I try not to be political, I believe in separation of church and state. The state should stay out of the church’s business and the church should stay out of the state’s. But sometimes the issue is not politics but Christianity and morality. When I say morality I am referring to the spiritual truths that we find in the Bible. That is the basis of what I understand morality to be.
As I seek to understand and follow Christ…His teachings and His actions…for that is what a Christian is…I am increasingly confused as I hear and see those who are Christians acting and talking in ways that are opposed to what Jesus said and did.
Health care is one of the debates going on right now in Congress. Though I do not want to take sides, I do ask: How can one who is a Christian be opposed to Americans, people not having their basic needs supplied while all around them there are examples of people who have much more then they will ever need? When Jesus said we should give to those who ask you (Matt 5:42); how can we refuse? When Jesus said in Matt 22:39 that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, how can we refuse our neighbor who does not have basic needs met? How can we be enriched ourselves and refuse to enrich our neighbor? Where is the Christianity in refusing health care or any other basic needs to people who live next to us?
I don’t see it. Could someone help me understand this?
It seems to me people are Americans first and Christians last…we are only concerned about our own money, our own homes, our own lives and wanting to increase our own bank accounts and forgetting the poor who live outside our door. We come up with all kinds of excuses for not helping people who need it. But it is hard to argue with the clear words of Christ…following Jesus is last in our mind.
I just believe that if I am in Christ, what He said and did should take precedent!
What would our world be like if we actually took the words of Christ seriously? The love of God would be known by all and spiritual truths would be taught through out the land. The New Covenant (Heb 8:10-12) which says there would come a time when we would all know the Lord…would actually come true.
As I seek to understand and follow Christ…His teachings and His actions…for that is what a Christian is…I am increasingly confused as I hear and see those who are Christians acting and talking in ways that are opposed to what Jesus said and did.
Health care is one of the debates going on right now in Congress. Though I do not want to take sides, I do ask: How can one who is a Christian be opposed to Americans, people not having their basic needs supplied while all around them there are examples of people who have much more then they will ever need? When Jesus said we should give to those who ask you (Matt 5:42); how can we refuse? When Jesus said in Matt 22:39 that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, how can we refuse our neighbor who does not have basic needs met? How can we be enriched ourselves and refuse to enrich our neighbor? Where is the Christianity in refusing health care or any other basic needs to people who live next to us?
I don’t see it. Could someone help me understand this?
It seems to me people are Americans first and Christians last…we are only concerned about our own money, our own homes, our own lives and wanting to increase our own bank accounts and forgetting the poor who live outside our door. We come up with all kinds of excuses for not helping people who need it. But it is hard to argue with the clear words of Christ…following Jesus is last in our mind.
I just believe that if I am in Christ, what He said and did should take precedent!
What would our world be like if we actually took the words of Christ seriously? The love of God would be known by all and spiritual truths would be taught through out the land. The New Covenant (Heb 8:10-12) which says there would come a time when we would all know the Lord…would actually come true.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Compassionate Christians?
I read a fascinating book written by sociologist, Rodney Stark, “Rise of Christianity”. He describes the first few centuries after Christ: 165 A.D., 251 A.D., 260 A.D., a series of plagues hit the Roman Empire in which thousands died. The pagans, of course faced this time with fear, confusion, even mortal terror, treating one another inhumanly as each individual sought to save himself. Many of them left the area completely, leaving their sick families behind.
But the Christians welcomed this time. Life was so hard anyway they saw this as an easy way to enter heaven. Not only that, they shared real love for their fellow man. When pagan families were deserted by their loved ones Christians came in and nursed them, sometimes getting the diseases themselves and dying as they cared for fellow humans. The Christians even spared nothing in preparing the pagan dead for burial. They welcomed death, believing they would enter heaven.
The pagan world was greatly affected by the compassionate Christians and it led to a great influx of sincere people into the church. Emperor Julian, a pagan, hearing of this sought to set up compassionate communities among the pagans. But they never succeeded because their heart was never in it. It requires Jesus in your heart to truly show compassion to people in the face of death.
Christianity brought a new conception of humanity to a world saturated with cruelty. In this sense virtue is its own reward. I’m not there yet…but I want to go where God leads.
What can happen in our everyday life? Some pretty strange things. Instead of hoping that you'll get a raise, except your wage graciously. When the raise comes, we may even offer to continue working at the old rate. When you go to a restaurant, tip the waiter or waitress more than 15%, more than 20%. Have I lost my mind? Maybe. But the kingdom of heaven is different than the kingdom of this world. Give without expecting in return; forgive liberally as we are forgiven; love without regard to label or obligation; rather than trying to climb up the ladder of success, move down the ladder to success; seek to serve rather than dominate; prefer invitation to force; clean toilets rather than be afraid of dirt. I complain when it rains because I get mud on my shoes…some people have to sleep in it…I’ve been there.
Are these things nuts? Maybe they are, but they are things that speak of Christ's kingdom. Enemies are loved, wash basins replace swords, share power, love aggressively, make peace, flatten hierarchies and behave like children, compassion replaces ambition, equality supersedes competition and achievement, obedience to Christ blots out worldly success, prejudice is non-existent, servant structures replace bureaucracies, we join together in a common life for worship and mutual support. Who are these people? They are citizens of a future kingdom of heaven, now. To become like this will turn the world upside down because we serve another Lord. Be children of the most high and welcome the reign of God each day into our lives and into our world.
But the Christians welcomed this time. Life was so hard anyway they saw this as an easy way to enter heaven. Not only that, they shared real love for their fellow man. When pagan families were deserted by their loved ones Christians came in and nursed them, sometimes getting the diseases themselves and dying as they cared for fellow humans. The Christians even spared nothing in preparing the pagan dead for burial. They welcomed death, believing they would enter heaven.
The pagan world was greatly affected by the compassionate Christians and it led to a great influx of sincere people into the church. Emperor Julian, a pagan, hearing of this sought to set up compassionate communities among the pagans. But they never succeeded because their heart was never in it. It requires Jesus in your heart to truly show compassion to people in the face of death.
Christianity brought a new conception of humanity to a world saturated with cruelty. In this sense virtue is its own reward. I’m not there yet…but I want to go where God leads.
What can happen in our everyday life? Some pretty strange things. Instead of hoping that you'll get a raise, except your wage graciously. When the raise comes, we may even offer to continue working at the old rate. When you go to a restaurant, tip the waiter or waitress more than 15%, more than 20%. Have I lost my mind? Maybe. But the kingdom of heaven is different than the kingdom of this world. Give without expecting in return; forgive liberally as we are forgiven; love without regard to label or obligation; rather than trying to climb up the ladder of success, move down the ladder to success; seek to serve rather than dominate; prefer invitation to force; clean toilets rather than be afraid of dirt. I complain when it rains because I get mud on my shoes…some people have to sleep in it…I’ve been there.
Are these things nuts? Maybe they are, but they are things that speak of Christ's kingdom. Enemies are loved, wash basins replace swords, share power, love aggressively, make peace, flatten hierarchies and behave like children, compassion replaces ambition, equality supersedes competition and achievement, obedience to Christ blots out worldly success, prejudice is non-existent, servant structures replace bureaucracies, we join together in a common life for worship and mutual support. Who are these people? They are citizens of a future kingdom of heaven, now. To become like this will turn the world upside down because we serve another Lord. Be children of the most high and welcome the reign of God each day into our lives and into our world.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Christian Culture, part 1
Intro: A Construction worker revealed how disappointed he was and even hostile towards the church. He could not fathom how Christians could build church buildings all around the world of children and youth suffer and starve. No amount of explanation would deter his story. He ended the discussion by saying, "I like you Jesus but I don't like your churches. Maybe I would like your churches to favor more like Jesus." Today there is a culture of Christianity; Christianity is popular in America, so there is a complete culture built around it.
Culture: Social or intellectual characteristics in a community or population. Rome 321 A.D., Emperor Constantine declared Christianity was a legal religion. He ended the persecution which was a very good thing. But with that came popularity for Christianity and paganism and false doctrines rushed in and watered it down.
Today there is evidence that the message has been watered-down American. Bribing people to church in 2005? Church in Houston Texas gave away $120,000 house, church in Iowa gave away gas to its first-time visitors, and a church in Florida gave away a Hummer.
Christianity today has a distinct “gospel” that bears little resemblance to the biblical version. The good news it promotes is identified by the suppression of anything that feels threatening; the result is an evangel that is pro-family, pro-life, pro-american , pro-military, pro-capitalism, anti-feminist, anti-sex and anti-gay. The whole thing is sealed with a promise of heaven to boot. The fight is to create a culture that is hospitable to people receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a culture war. The result is a culturally triumphant Christianity. But in the N T there is no culture that is hospitable to the gospel. Tyler W. Stevenson, Brand Jesus. P 136, 137
When the Bible says in Romans 12:2, Do not be conformed to this world. What does that mean? The Christian culture says that “the world” is whatever the church believes itself not to be. So a church can blaspheme the gospel with the "prosperity gospel". Prosperity preachers point to their own lavish lifestyles as confirmation of God's blessing. This makes it possible for these preachers and churches to rail against worldliness, despite the fact that they are concerned with nothing so much as flourishing materially and physically in the here and now -- a definition of "worldly" by most any standard. Actually Mammon, in the form of consumerism, has established the pattern for our day. And Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon (or money). (Matt 6:24). The "pattern of the world" consists of forces like racism/tribalism, classism, and sexism which infect us all. In Galatians 3:28, race, class, and gender are the three attributes to tell us we transcend in Christ. The poor are still poor, the rich are still rich, the disenfranchised are still thus. Now consumerism threatens to become king of all patterns. We can understand all aspects of identity through our consumption habits. Romans 12:1, says to be transformed by the renewal of your minds. This happens from the inside out, the opposite of consumerism. Stephenson p189, 190
American nationalism, nationalism is devotion to the interests of particular nation. Christianity has taken on that role in the slogans "God bless America" to "we support our military" to "we will not forget 9/11". What is wrong with saying, “God bless Iraq?” “God bless Russia?” God loves the whole world, not just America. If other nations were blessed by God wouldn't that be a blessing to all of us?
Torture: Some of you may think this is a political statement, it is not. It is a moral statement. I am opposed to torture... in any of its forms. “September 2008, a Pew survey showed 48% of the general public believes torture sometimes or often is justified in order to obtain information from suspected terrorists. A poll of 600 Southern white evangelicals was released in Atlanta on the subject of torture. The new poll shows 57% of white Southern evangelicals hold this belief.” Can you imagine Jesus torturing someone? I can't.
Conventional-ism: Developed, established or approved by general usage; customary.
Conventional view:
1- Christ is solution to sin, saving us for eternity, only.
But this ignores current needs in the world.
2- The Christian message is focused on the last days and preparing for the second coming.
But there is no motivation to transform the world of here and now which Jesus spent most of his ministry doing.
3- "Removal" from the world is to keep us pure and prepare for heaven.
But Jesus said I must be in the world (John 17:15) to influence it, help it and save it.
4- God prefers his people over everyone else.
But John 3:16, God loved the world... not just his people.
5- God will destroy the world at the end so why take care of it, why care about it?
But Revelation 11:18, He will destroy those who destroy the earth. Isaiah 45:18, He created the world to be inhabited. Where is the responsibility to all life and our world?
6- Because salvation is for the afterlife and God will destroy the earth, the world will keep getting worse and worse; in fact this is God's plan. This view leads some to celebrate when things get really bad and even hope for bad things like the Sunday laws. A death wish?
But it also ignores the needs of real people today, the gospel of the good news, and the joy of serving Christ.
**A triumphant Church rather than a hurting church makes it difficult for hurting people to be apart.
Given as a talk by pastor Gary Tolbert for a Week of Prayer at University City Adventist church, January 20, 2010.
Culture: Social or intellectual characteristics in a community or population. Rome 321 A.D., Emperor Constantine declared Christianity was a legal religion. He ended the persecution which was a very good thing. But with that came popularity for Christianity and paganism and false doctrines rushed in and watered it down.
Today there is evidence that the message has been watered-down American. Bribing people to church in 2005? Church in Houston Texas gave away $120,000 house, church in Iowa gave away gas to its first-time visitors, and a church in Florida gave away a Hummer.
Christianity today has a distinct “gospel” that bears little resemblance to the biblical version. The good news it promotes is identified by the suppression of anything that feels threatening; the result is an evangel that is pro-family, pro-life, pro-american , pro-military, pro-capitalism, anti-feminist, anti-sex and anti-gay. The whole thing is sealed with a promise of heaven to boot. The fight is to create a culture that is hospitable to people receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a culture war. The result is a culturally triumphant Christianity. But in the N T there is no culture that is hospitable to the gospel. Tyler W. Stevenson, Brand Jesus. P 136, 137
When the Bible says in Romans 12:2, Do not be conformed to this world. What does that mean? The Christian culture says that “the world” is whatever the church believes itself not to be. So a church can blaspheme the gospel with the "prosperity gospel". Prosperity preachers point to their own lavish lifestyles as confirmation of God's blessing. This makes it possible for these preachers and churches to rail against worldliness, despite the fact that they are concerned with nothing so much as flourishing materially and physically in the here and now -- a definition of "worldly" by most any standard. Actually Mammon, in the form of consumerism, has established the pattern for our day. And Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon (or money). (Matt 6:24). The "pattern of the world" consists of forces like racism/tribalism, classism, and sexism which infect us all. In Galatians 3:28, race, class, and gender are the three attributes to tell us we transcend in Christ. The poor are still poor, the rich are still rich, the disenfranchised are still thus. Now consumerism threatens to become king of all patterns. We can understand all aspects of identity through our consumption habits. Romans 12:1, says to be transformed by the renewal of your minds. This happens from the inside out, the opposite of consumerism. Stephenson p189, 190
American nationalism, nationalism is devotion to the interests of particular nation. Christianity has taken on that role in the slogans "God bless America" to "we support our military" to "we will not forget 9/11". What is wrong with saying, “God bless Iraq?” “God bless Russia?” God loves the whole world, not just America. If other nations were blessed by God wouldn't that be a blessing to all of us?
Torture: Some of you may think this is a political statement, it is not. It is a moral statement. I am opposed to torture... in any of its forms. “September 2008, a Pew survey showed 48% of the general public believes torture sometimes or often is justified in order to obtain information from suspected terrorists. A poll of 600 Southern white evangelicals was released in Atlanta on the subject of torture. The new poll shows 57% of white Southern evangelicals hold this belief.” Can you imagine Jesus torturing someone? I can't.
Conventional-ism: Developed, established or approved by general usage; customary.
Conventional view:
1- Christ is solution to sin, saving us for eternity, only.
But this ignores current needs in the world.
2- The Christian message is focused on the last days and preparing for the second coming.
But there is no motivation to transform the world of here and now which Jesus spent most of his ministry doing.
3- "Removal" from the world is to keep us pure and prepare for heaven.
But Jesus said I must be in the world (John 17:15) to influence it, help it and save it.
4- God prefers his people over everyone else.
But John 3:16, God loved the world... not just his people.
5- God will destroy the world at the end so why take care of it, why care about it?
But Revelation 11:18, He will destroy those who destroy the earth. Isaiah 45:18, He created the world to be inhabited. Where is the responsibility to all life and our world?
6- Because salvation is for the afterlife and God will destroy the earth, the world will keep getting worse and worse; in fact this is God's plan. This view leads some to celebrate when things get really bad and even hope for bad things like the Sunday laws. A death wish?
But it also ignores the needs of real people today, the gospel of the good news, and the joy of serving Christ.
**A triumphant Church rather than a hurting church makes it difficult for hurting people to be apart.
Given as a talk by pastor Gary Tolbert for a Week of Prayer at University City Adventist church, January 20, 2010.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Can one be called a Christian and not follow Christ?
Intro: Here is a funny story: A cowboy walks into a bar in Texas, orders three mugs of beer and sits in the back room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, I'm a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time." To cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Australia, the other is in Dublin, and I'm in Texas. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink this way too remember the days we drank together. So I drink one for each of my brothers and one for myself." The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn. One day though, he comes in and orders only two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss." The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns and he laughs. "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains. "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking. Hasn't affected my brothers though."
It is so easy to justify and rationalize what we want to do and still consider ourselves a follower of Christ.
Hypocrisy: Barna, the Christian research organization says in virtually every study they conduct representing thousands of interviews every year, born-again Christians fail to display much behavioral difference from regular people. Activities over the last 30 days, born again believers were just as likely to bet or gamble, to visit a pornographic website, to take something that did not belong to them, to consult a medium or psychic, to physically fight or abuse someone, to have consumed enough alcohol to be considered legally drunk, to have used an illegal, nonprescription drug, to have said something to someone that was not true, to have gotten back at someone for something he or she did, and to have said mean things behind another person's back.
In all, they found that 30% of born-again Christians admitted to at least one sexually inappropriate behavior in the past 30 days, compared with 35% of other Americans.
We say: Adventists are different. In some ways we are different. In my 30 some years as a pastor I have found many very sincere, committed, saintly Adventist people. But they are in the minority. The majority is no different than what Barna found.
This is terrible... but true.
Denominations: One thing man created. God may have been helping. The dictionary: denomination is an organization that gives a name to a class or group of people. In the Bible: Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles then Pharisees, Sadducees. Later more, then finally today... thousands of denominations.
Our pioneers were against them. Why were they formed?
Our church grew out of the Reformation. We accept the best biblical teachings of the reformers and put them together into one system of belief. That is why we are called the remnant church because we are most like the original. Revelation 14:12, No mention of a denomination... just the people.
Traditions and practices:
Worship Order, Luther who revised the Catholic order.
Communion table, Zwingli, also carried the bread and cup to the people in the pews, taken quarterly.
Centrality of preaching, Luther and Zwingli.
Dressing up for worship, 18th century.
Distinction between Laymen and clergy, medieval church (1Pet 2:9).
Pews? Pulpit? Rostrum holy? Quiet in church? 11 o'clock hour?
A study can teach us something. Start with the cage containing apes. In the cage hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the banana, spray all of the apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result -- all of the apes are sprayed with water. Now turn off the cold water. If later, another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will try to prevent it even though no water sprays on them. Next, remove an ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants it. To his horror, all the other apes attacked him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb stairs, he will be assaulted. Next remove another of the original apes and replace it with a new one. The new one goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, remove one of the original apes and replace it with a new one. The new one makes for the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in beating the new ape. After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes which had been sprayed with cold water are no longer a part of this primate committee. Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? Because that's the way it's always been around here.
Sound familiar? Hopefully we are more intelligent than apes. But when it comes to traditions and practices that are not taught in the Bible and we take for granted, we are just dumb apes.
Understand: I am not saying what we do is wrong or bad, but it is not biblical, it is cultural and traditional, so it is not as important as following Jesus.
We can be so caught up in the tradition that we lose the spiritual meaning... worshiping God, encouraging one another, teaching the gospel and righteousness to the world.
Given as a Week of Prayer talk at University City SDA Church, Jan 19, 2010.
It is so easy to justify and rationalize what we want to do and still consider ourselves a follower of Christ.
Hypocrisy: Barna, the Christian research organization says in virtually every study they conduct representing thousands of interviews every year, born-again Christians fail to display much behavioral difference from regular people. Activities over the last 30 days, born again believers were just as likely to bet or gamble, to visit a pornographic website, to take something that did not belong to them, to consult a medium or psychic, to physically fight or abuse someone, to have consumed enough alcohol to be considered legally drunk, to have used an illegal, nonprescription drug, to have said something to someone that was not true, to have gotten back at someone for something he or she did, and to have said mean things behind another person's back.
In all, they found that 30% of born-again Christians admitted to at least one sexually inappropriate behavior in the past 30 days, compared with 35% of other Americans.
We say: Adventists are different. In some ways we are different. In my 30 some years as a pastor I have found many very sincere, committed, saintly Adventist people. But they are in the minority. The majority is no different than what Barna found.
This is terrible... but true.
Denominations: One thing man created. God may have been helping. The dictionary: denomination is an organization that gives a name to a class or group of people. In the Bible: Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles then Pharisees, Sadducees. Later more, then finally today... thousands of denominations.
Our pioneers were against them. Why were they formed?
Our church grew out of the Reformation. We accept the best biblical teachings of the reformers and put them together into one system of belief. That is why we are called the remnant church because we are most like the original. Revelation 14:12, No mention of a denomination... just the people.
Traditions and practices:
Worship Order, Luther who revised the Catholic order.
Communion table, Zwingli, also carried the bread and cup to the people in the pews, taken quarterly.
Centrality of preaching, Luther and Zwingli.
Dressing up for worship, 18th century.
Distinction between Laymen and clergy, medieval church (1Pet 2:9).
Pews? Pulpit? Rostrum holy? Quiet in church? 11 o'clock hour?
A study can teach us something. Start with the cage containing apes. In the cage hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the banana, spray all of the apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result -- all of the apes are sprayed with water. Now turn off the cold water. If later, another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will try to prevent it even though no water sprays on them. Next, remove an ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants it. To his horror, all the other apes attacked him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb stairs, he will be assaulted. Next remove another of the original apes and replace it with a new one. The new one goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, remove one of the original apes and replace it with a new one. The new one makes for the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in beating the new ape. After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes which had been sprayed with cold water are no longer a part of this primate committee. Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? Because that's the way it's always been around here.
Sound familiar? Hopefully we are more intelligent than apes. But when it comes to traditions and practices that are not taught in the Bible and we take for granted, we are just dumb apes.
Understand: I am not saying what we do is wrong or bad, but it is not biblical, it is cultural and traditional, so it is not as important as following Jesus.
We can be so caught up in the tradition that we lose the spiritual meaning... worshiping God, encouraging one another, teaching the gospel and righteousness to the world.
Given as a Week of Prayer talk at University City SDA Church, Jan 19, 2010.
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