Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Maintaining a dual citizenship

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Proof of CitizenshipI was born and have lived in one country for my entire life. I have one passport, from one country. From a physical standpoint, I am a citizen of one country.

In his greeting to the church in Colossae, Paul writes, “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae . . .” (Colossians 1:2a). In the Greek, he uses the same preposition to indicate that the believers in Colossae were both in Christ and in Colossae. The English translators use the word “at” in front of Colossae to make it sound less awkward.

As believers, we have a dual citizenship, we live in a country (or countries) but are also citizens of the Kingdom of God.  We live in this world but we also understand that this world is not all there is.

This is part of the reason why Christians have been persecuted throughout the centuries. We cannot be trusted to be “all in” with regard to the current regime in place. We answer to a higher authority and earthly authorities sometimes take exception to this.

We should not be shocked that the intelligentsia of our day ridicule Christians. We make them feel uncomfortable because we do not automatically accept their diagnosis and prescription for solving the problems of the world around us.

Our dual citizenship is uncomfortable when the two kingdoms are in conflict. It would be so much more convenient to agree with the moral code of the surrounding culture. Perhaps there are a few who enjoy being antagonistic with their peers, but most of us like to “go along to get along.” But, this we cannot do if we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We have to make the choice to reject some aspects of the culture around us.

This does not mean that we have to verbalize every objection to what is being said and done around us. It does mean that we should prayerfully consider when it is appropriate to speak up. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Both truth and love must be operative when we confront any aspect of our culture.

In the eighth chapter of Romans, Paul tells us that all of creation groans in anticipation of the time when the rightful king comes to make everything right (Romans 8:22). Until that time, we are both in Colossae and in Christ. We must learn to operate in the tension between the two kingdoms.

Our citizenship may be divided, but our loyalty cannot be. We must choose which kingdom gets the priority.

Tim Keller on Marriage

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Keller Marriage“The Bible’s teaching on marriage does not merely reflect the perspective of any one culture or time. The teachings of Scripture challenge our contemporary Western culture’s narrative of individual freedom as the only way to be happy. At the same time, it critiques how traditional cultures perceive the unmarried adult to be less than a fully formed human being. The book of Genesis radically critiques the institution of polygamy, even though it was the accepted cultural practice of the time, by vividly depicting the misery and havoc it plays in family relationships, and the pain it caused, especially for women. The New Testament writers, in a way that startled the pagan world, lifted up long-term singleness as a legitimate way to live. In other words, the Biblical authors’ teaching constantly challenged their own cultures’ beliefs – they were not simply a product of ancient mores and practices. We cannot, therefore, write off the Biblical view of marriage as one-dimensionally regressive or culturally obsolete. On the contrary, it is bristling with both practical, realistic insights and breathtaking promises about marriage.”

Tim Keller in The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

On bread, fish and urban ministry

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Based on almost every statistical category, Camden, New Jersey is one of the worst places to live in the United States. Just take a look at the graphic below as an example. Crime in Camden is 16 times higher than the national median. It is a tough place to live.

Camden Crime
From http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/camden/crime/

Yet people, real flesh and blood people, who have the same desires for health and security as we have, do live there. And some Christians who are attuned to a sense of calling to minister to the people of Camden also live there and are having an impact.

CamdenThe church I attend has partnered with a pastor in Camden to help him minister in that environment. One of the ways that our church partners with him is to put together backpacks full of school supplies which are distributed to the children in the area.

Last evening I sat in on a training meeting to prepare those who will help in distributing the backpacks. While I was in the training, I was struck by a sense of how overwhelming the task is to minister in that environment. My work has often taken me to Camden, so I have some sense as to how big the challenge is in meeting the needs of that community. On a human level, the challenge is overwhelming.

Then I thought of a little boy who two thousand years ago was carrying his lunch while going to hear Jesus speak. Jesus was teaching the crowds and the disciples came to Jesus suggesting that he disperse the crowd so that they don’t pass out from hunger. Jesus took that boy’s lunch of bread and fish (John 6:9) and multiplied it so that everyone could eat. The success of the mission was not dependent upon the boy’s skill or the volume of food he brought. Success depended only upon the boy giving the lunch to Jesus.

In the same way, giving a few backpacks to a few kids in Camden on the surface does almost nothing to address the needs of that community. Yet, as we learn from that boy, a small offering given into the hands of Jesus can make a big impact. The point is that while we may want to do something great for the Kingdom of God, perhaps God will use a small thing to produce great fruit.

One of the cool things about eternity will be hearing stories of how a small obedience will have resulted in a big change in someone’s life. A handshake and a welcome in the church lobby, a word of encouragement to the grocery checker or a simple thank-you to a co-worker can be multiplied by God to accomplish his purpose in those lives.

Ism’s that replace the Gospel

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How People Change - Living out the Gospel“The lies that capture us as Christians usually seem to fit well within the borders of our Christianity. Perhaps postmodernism and sexual immorality are not the greatest threats to the church of Christ in our day. Perhaps we are in more danger from the subtle lies that flow from subtle shifts in how we understand the gospel. We have not forsaken the faith, but we may have redefined it in ways that are fundamentally different from the gospel laid out in Scripture.

This redefinition of the faith does not happen all at once. It may not even surface in the public theological discussions of the church. Rather, the redefinition is a process of subtle steps at the practical level of the church’s fellowship, life, and ministry. Hope in Christ gets replaced with Christian activity, emotional experiences, Christian fellowship, or something else, without anyone consciously redefining or forsaking the faith.”

–Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp in How People Change

Lane and Tripp list the following ism’s as pretensions to the gospel. They use the word pretension to indicate a plausible lie. A lie that can be easily believed. The ism’s are:

  • Formalism – being busy with meetings and service
  • Legalism – following a list of dos and don’ts
  • Mysticism – looking for the next spiritual high
  • Activism – a campaign against evil
  • Biblicism – being the theological expert
  • Psychology-ism – a focus on healing the hurts
  • Socialism – focusing on relationships and connection

As they point out in the book these are so attractive because each of them has a part of what it means to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I should also point out that rather than using these as labels to pigeon hole others we should look at this list as potential pitfalls for ourselves. It is my guess that we are all tempted to be out of balance in one or more of these areas. I know for sure that I am.

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