Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Thinking out loud – The Church and Political Process

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Political ProcessThinking out loud often gets me into trouble, but being slow to learn, I thought I’d record some thoughts prompted by a conversation.

Waiting in line to get some pizza at the Costco snack bar, we met a couple that we recognized from church but did not know well. We ended up getting to know each other better over a few slices of supreme pizza.

My new friend began to tell me how he is burdened by the American church’s lack of involvement in the political process and her seeming reluctance to speak out on issues that are affecting our society. He is especially troubled by the impact that current culture is having on the next generation. He would like to see church leaders of various denominations unite to rally the faithful as a voting block to demand change at the local, state and national levels.

To borrow a phrase from the book of James, I am double minded (literally double souled) on this topic.

On one hand, every time the church has gotten political power, it has gone badly for both the church and society. As Lord Acton observed, power corrupts and when the church has gotten political power, she attracts the bad men to which Lord Acton refers. Those who seek power then use the church toward their own ends rather than submit to the head of the Church, Jesus Christ. The wisdom of our forefathers to prevent America from having a state religion prevents the church from wielding this type of power; I see this as a good thing.

On the other hand, there have been times when the church began living out the truth of the gospel and society was changed as a result. When the church is living out the gospel she can then be used as a tool in the hands of God to bring about revival. A spiritual revival will change the way people vote and the types of candidates that are put in office. When the church becomes the Church (small “c” the visible church organization, large “C” the gathering of the redeemed), then good things happen. Spiritual revival in the Church brings reformation of the culture.

So how should the church proceed? How do we hold these things in tension? How do we find balance? Do we redouble our efforts to live out the gospel and make disciples? Do we get more active in the political process?

I think the answers to these questions will be different for each of us as we seek to be guided by God. I am glad that there have been men such as William Wilberforce who felt called to operate within the halls of power to reform society. Yet I am also glad that there have been preachers and pastors who have felt called to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

How think ye? Please share your thoughts on these questions below.

6 Reasons for a Church to Engage via Social Media

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Social MediaI am a relative newbie when it comes to social media (SM). My involvement with SM came as a result of a discussion we had in an elders meeting surrounding the potential benefit of SM for the church. In November of last year, I plunged into Twitter and paid more attention to Facebook.

Since my investigation was aimed at how SM could benefit the church, I would like to offer the following thoughts as churches consider using Social Media.

  1. There will be an increase of what some are calling “digital natives,” those who have never known a time without the internet and electronic communication. As a result, SM are the primary tools for communication for a increasing segment of the population. I was at an organizational meeting for a summer mission group recently where most of the participants agreed that Facebook was the preferred method of communication among the team.
  2. More people prefer to have information pushed to them as opposed to having to go looking for it. Twitter and Facebook can be used to push information to users. This saves people the effort of going to a web site and looking for the information they need.
  3. SM allow for a sense of community because they are interactive. People can post responses and engage in spontaneous conversation. We are called to build relationships with other believers and reach out to those who do not believe. SM is a tool to do this effectively.
  4. SM can provide near real-time response to issues and questions as they arise. In our electronic society, this speed is expected.
  5. Twitter forces brevity with its 140 character limit. Churches can get out a short message with a link to a registration form or web page if additional information in necessary. The benefit is that people don’t need to spend a lot of time wading through information that does not pertain to them.
  6. Facebook and Twitter give the account holders control over how and when they view information. Users can set up notifications and use filters to bring specific information to their attention.

I assume that there are other benefits that I have not included here. Please comment to add other considerations (both positive and negative).

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.

A Lesson From Eli – Do not let comfort keep you from doing right

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Resisting ChangeI recently heard or read “it is a sin to take good things and make them ultimate things.” Anything that we place in value above God becomes an idol and idols are to be destroyed, not worshipped. If you have been in the Church for any length of time, these statements are no surprise; you’ve probably heard them before.

Here is what we know of Eli. His two sons were corrupt and did not follow the instructions of Moses with regard to the management of the offerings brought to the Tabernacle. They took what they wanted, when they wanted it, from the food offerings brought by the people (1 Samuel 2:12-16). They also committed sexual immorality with the women serving at the Tabernacle (2:22).

In 2:22, Eli confronts his sons about their sin but does nothing to prevent these abuses. The question is why did he not prevent them? What held him back?

We can’t know for sure, but my opinion is that Eli was too comfortable with the way things were and did not want to disrupt his comfort. We know from 1 Samuel 4:18 that Eli was “old and heavy.” Eli was fat; he lived well off the corruption of his sons.

Comfort is a good thing. We are to enjoy good things as blessings from God and be thankful for them. But when comfort takes precedence over obedience, the good thing becomes an ultimate thing, which is idolatry.

The question is how do we obtain and manage the resources we have? In the case of Eli and his sons, there were issues as to how resources were obtained. They lacked the faith or self-control to live within the means that God provided for them. They wanted more and went outside the law to get it. This is clearly wrong.

The fact that the resources we have are legally and ethically obtained does not let us off the hook. How do we manage those resources? Specifically, I am thinking of time and money. Am I willing to do what God wants me to do with these two resources? Can my use of these resources be identified as worship of God? Is my use of time and money focused on my comfort or on fulfilling the commission to make disciples?

The only way to avoid legalism when dealing with these questions is to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The particulars will be different for each of us and may even change over time. If we are open to it, God will show us how to use our resources and He will bring conviction when our priority is inappropriately skewed toward comfort.

Comfort is not wrong, it is a good thing. But it should never become an ultimate thing.

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