Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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McDonnell OKs abortion regulations – Comment on a Washington Times Article

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abortion is not a political issue

What strikes me about this article is that abortion proponents seem to care more about population control, eugenics or sexual freedom than they do about women’s health. Yet they persist in claiming that the issue is all about caring for women.  Abortion proponents often demonize the opposition as not caring about the health of women.

Here is the link to the article: McDonnell OKs abortion regulations – Washington Times.

My question is, why would you not want to have abortion clinics conform to the same standards that other surgery centers must attain? I would think that a major surgery such as an abortion would require as much care as any other procedure.

Are the abortion proponents contradicting themselves or am I missing something?

Putting Christ in Christmas? – Do we really need to fight that battle?

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Stained GlassWhile I get the sentiment behind the “put Christ in Christmas” rhetoric, to me some of it seems a little bit misguided. Putting Christ in Christmas is a little like trying to put the roar into the lion. The roar is an inseparable part of the lion just as Christ is an inseparable part of Christmas. Without Christ there is no Christmas.

Does it really take away from the meaning of Christmas to have someone say “Happy Holidays?” Does it really make a difference in his life if an atheist or an agnostic wishes me a Merry Christmas? Will the atheist or I be helped or harmed one way or the other?

Instead of attempting a superficial putting of Christ back in Christmas, we should be working to get Christ in our neighbors. I don’t think that arguing over trivialities will help us in this endeavor. How about instead of legal battles over nativity scenes we start living out the gospel? Instead of making a big deal out of saying “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays” maybe we should  spend the time to get to know the person who is greeting us. People will find ways of negating our rhetoric, but they will not find a way to repel our love, if we have the heart to love.

I’m not saying that we should remain silent. I am saying that we need to choose our battles wisely. How much more effective would it be if we shared the meaning of Christmas one-on-one with our neighbors or co-workers? We have a great story to tell about a Savior who can change hearts. Rather than forcing opponents of Christianity into acknowledging public religious displays or traditional greetings, it seems preferable to me to present the love of Jesus to them.

I have found that my ability to change my own thoughts and behavior is limited. I certainly cannot argue or force anyone else into real change. So why the fuss about making people acknowledge something that they are unwilling to embrace?

CandleChristianity will not be revitalized in this country through the courts. Christianity will not be revitalized by marketing campaigns, legislation or catchy greetings. Christianity will be revitalized when, and only when, we as believers take our call to make disciples seriously. When we begin living as though Jesus can change lives, when our own lives demonstrate that change and when we learn to articulate the message of the Gospel clearly then we will see the revitalization process begin.

I am reminded of a statement I first heard from Chuck Colson, “its better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” If we live in such a way that the light of Jesus and the Gospel shine through, then real change will come.

What do you think?

The sin of silence and what to do about it

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Yellow Star of David

Recently, a friend handed me a CD on which were written the words “The in of silence.” When he gave it to me, he informed me that it was a sermon and that I would be challenged by it. Perhaps he identified the speaker on the CD when he gave it to me. If so, I wasn’t listening well and did not catch the name. I have no idea about the identity of the speaker.

Some of the things that the speaker said made me think that the audience was made up of pastors. I assume that the speech was delivered at a pastor’s conference or some such event.

I was challenged by the speaker; it was a very powerful message. In it, the speaker built a case that unless the preachers in America start speaking out against the moral decline in our culture, they will have to face the regret of having missed an opportunity. He drew from the experience of German pastors who failed to speak out during the Nazi’s rise to power in the 1930’s.

When the systematic persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany started happening, most of the German church remained silent and turned a blind eye to the atrocities; they committed the sin of silence.

The call to action in the message was that American pastors need to clearly present what Scripture has to say about current cultural norms without fear of what might happen. Issues such as abortion, militant homosexuality, redefinition of marriage, devaluation of marriage and the breakdown of the family should be strongly addressed. Yes! I agree with this, we need to be strong in our proclamation of what Scripture says on these topics.

Here is my concern. Too often, when Pastors have spoken out on these issues, the tone is one of unloving judgment. The message is lost or rendered ineffective behind the anger and condemnation.

I want to remind myself and my readers that we need to use Jesus as our example. In the Gospels, the only harsh words recorded as coming from Jesus were reserved for the religious leaders and those who sought material gain from religious observance. We do not see Jesus spewing words of condemnation on the people who did not know better. To them he simply proclaimed the truth while healing their diseases and meeting their physical needs.

I recently did a study of the letter to the church in Ephesus as recorded in Revelation 2:1-7. This church was doctrinally correct and did indeed speak out against the pagan culture around it. The Ephesians stood strong against those who would lead people into moral chaos. Yet, Jesus had one condemnation against that church. They had left their first love. They has allowed their love of God to decline.

While I agree that the church in America needs to step up and boldly proclaim what Scripture has to say about the moral issues of our day, we need to so so after we return to our first love.

It is possible to be morally and doctrinally correct and be spiritually dead. The world around us will not accept our morality or our doctrine until it accepts our Jesus. We need to return to him with our whole being if we really want to impact our culture. We cannot expect the world to believe our message about Jesus if we don’t live as he did. We cannot impact our culture unless we love the people as Jesus did.

We must return to our first love.

Skepticism – Means or an end?

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SkepticismI seem to recall that in the introduction to at least one of his books, C. S. Lewis offered the caveat that he was not a theologian. In a similar vein, prior to the material below, I must offer the caveat that I am not a philosopher nor the son of a philosopher.

In a post reflecting on the death of Christopher Hitchens, one commentator drew a contrast between skepticism as a pathway to truth and skepticism as a destination. In the former, skepticism is a methodology for seeking truth. In the latter, skepticism makes the statement that there is no truth to find.

It is one thing to be suspicious of truth claims and seek to verify them before believing. It is another thing entirely to reject all truth claims. A piece of lyric from a Rush song comes to mind, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” To maintain skepticism as an end or destination is an attempt to remain as a spectator on the sideline, but ultimately it fails. Skepticism is a choice in itself.

It seems obvious to me that man is born to believe in something. As evidence of this I would point to the various religions that can be found around the world. Pantheistic, polytheistic, or monotheistic, there is quite a variety of beliefs. While the various religions are in fundamental disagreement on the particulars, they all are a function of belief.

But there is evidence that the irreligious also have a need to believe. Politicians, actors and musicians are followed with a devotion that borders on worship. Sports teams also function as a focus of belief. I live near the city of Philadelphia where a loss by the beloved Eagles (a frequent occurrence this year) is mourned like the death of state leader. Whether it is politics, music, sports or hobbies, many are caught up in these things with a religious fervor.

It seems to me that skepticism as a goal is a dead end. But is all skepticism wrong?

If you want to point to some of the foibles of the church throughout history as a reason to distrust religion, you are welcome to do so. The church, like her individual members, is not perfect and we get it wrong some of the time. But as Thomas Gilson points out in his thoughtful post on the death of Christopher Hitchens, it is important to make a distinction between God and religion. In my mind, some level of skepticism about the ability of the church to live out her relationship with God is healthy. We do not have a perfect track record.

I would ask those who are skeptical about the church to judge by the standard and not our inability to live up to it. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) I encourage the skeptic to do the same.

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