Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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They’re still clueless

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CluelessIt turns out that those popular kids in High School really were as clueless as me; they were just better at hiding it. Now the popular kids are elected officials and still clueless. I came upon this thought as I wondered why the decisions made by our government representatives seem to be getting less rational.

I have heard it said that it is insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. Yet, humanity has been trying for at least 6,000 years to run things without God. The further we get away from the plan that God revealed to us, the worse the results are. Why am I surprised at the foibles of a government that is increasingly turning to Atheism as the state religion?

Jesus predicted that immediately prior to his return, things will get a lot worse. I should not be surprised that there is increasing hostility toward God and those who believe in Him.

As I move into 2011, I am reminded that as individuals and as a church, we have the responsibility to continue making disciples. The distinction between the citizens of Heaven and the citizens of this world will become more clear as we near the end. It is our job to be used by God to bring many into the Kingdom of Heaven before it’s too late.

It is my hope and prayer that God will bring revival to our country and that we will return to the principles upon which it was founded. But if not, we should not be dismayed because our King is soon to return to claim his throne.

Bring on 2011. We’re one year closer . . .

Nativity Battle

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NativityIt is the middle of December and the time for email notifications lamenting that a community or business does not allow the display of the Nativity scene or other religious symbols.

In the past, I thought that my lack of concern about this was an indication of lack of spiritual fervor. Yet, in spite of trying to dial up my fervor, I still find it difficult to burn calories over these cases.

Last week, I had some windshield time in a car that is not iPod compliant which gave me some time to think. Here are some thoughts on the move to ban religious displays:

  1. The church has always survived persecutions. I’m not sure that I would categorize a ban on religious symbols as persecution, but even so, we will not be hurt by this. As Ravi Zacharias has stated, “the Church has always outlived her pall bearers.” Even in communist states where no religion could be openly practiced, the Church survived.
  2. The trend against display of religious symbols is a symptom of the decline of the organized church, not the cause of it. In other words, the fact that much of the church lost its theological way through the 20th century is the reason for the decline in acceptance of Christianity.
  3. Does the Church (all believers) suffer because the distinction between believers and unbelievers is made more clear? The fact that unbelievers no longer revere religious symbols has no impact on the truth of Jesus Christ.
  4. We still have the freedom to be the Church and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I question how much value a Nativity Scene in a park has in bringing people to consider the claims of Jesus.

My conclusion is that we should be living Nativity Scenes. We should live our lives in such a way that we demonstrate that God has indeed come among us and brought real change. We should stop whining about the loss of a veneer of respectability and be willing to do the hard work of living out the claims of Christ before a watching (and sometimes hostile) world.

Comments are welcome . . .

Church the way it used to be?

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Abandoned ChurchI recently had a road trip through the Bible belt and saw a billboard advertisement for a church that read, “Church the way it used to be . . .”

I think that I get what they are trying to convey, but I can’t say that I agree with it. My guess is that they are attempting to portray a place where the values and message are consistent with what could be expected decades ago in the average church.

The problem with this approach is that this church will be a safe haven for those who are fleeing other churches who have allowed change (good or bad) into their body. This will be a church that grows by defection rather than infection. In other words, growth will come from stealing sheep from other sheepfolds rather than by setting conditions for sheep to reproduce.

In Matthew 9:17 Jesus reminds us of the futility of trying to recycle wineskins. We should not seek to contain a fresh work of the Spirit in old forms and rituals.

If our church demographic looks much different than the demographic at the local mall, we should ask ourselves if we are missing something that God wants to do. I see weird (to me) hairdos, piercings, tattoos and various fashion statements on the young people at the mall. If this is a group of people for whom Jesus died, then it would stand to reason that if we are doing our job of making disciples, some of those pierced and tattooed people should be showing up on Sunday.

The point is not whether piercing or tattooing is a good idea, the point is that it’s already done for a lot of young people who Jesus loves just as much as the ones who have steered clear of these practices. My personal opinion on fashion choices has nothing to do with how these folks are to be received by me or by my church. God loves them the way they are.

As a band from the 70’s encouraged us, “don’t look back.” Even if we could, it would be foolish to try to recapture what was happening 5, 10 or 20 years ago. We must press on and be what God wants us to be . . . today.

If it is spoiled, throw it out

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SpoiledThis evening I read 1 Kings 9 where God answers Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the Temple. In 1 Kings 9:8 God tells Solomon that the Temple will become a heap of ruins if Israel and her kings go after other gods and serve them.

The thought struck me this evening that the Temple, as opulent as it was, only had value if it helped the Israelites focus on their God. The Temple was a symbol to remind the nation of the God they were to serve and worship.

Contrary to what the Israelites may have thought, God did not value the building, he valued the response that the Temple was supposed to elicit in the worshippers. God wanted their hearts fully tuned to himself. When the Israelites no longer were affected by the Temple in this way, the Temple had to go. At best it then became a distraction. At worst, it gave a veneer of legitimacy to their spiritual misdeeds.

In the same way, we in the Church, have struggled to throw out the practices that no longer bring us closer to God. We cling to types of music, styles of dress, hair styles, programs and even Bible translations as though we loose a piece of God if we let these things go. I doubt that God cares about the style of music or dress with which we approach him; he wants our hearts, and he wants them in their entirety.

In business there is a proverb, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” When our methods and traditions no longer deepen our relationship with God and no longer assist us in our commission to make disciples, then they should be tossed. To keep repeating the same action and expecting a different result is insane. Let us choose sanity.

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