Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Thoughts prompted by Ed Stetzer on the Death of Christopher Hitchens

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Recently I sat next to a well dressed man on an airplane. I engaged in some small talk with him while everyone was getting seated. I had noticed an Ohio State logo on his cell phone so we discussed his excitement about Urban Meyer taking over the football program.

As he sat down, he  pulled a paperback book out his briefcase and put it in the seat back in front of him. After take-off he pulled the book and read for the remainder of the flight. I did not seek to engage him in any further conversation.

As we were gathering our things at the end of the flight, I happened to notice that the book he was reading was God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens. It was then that I realized that I missed an opportunity. This man, whether he was in sympathy with Hitchens or not, was investing time thinking about God. Even if the man was reading to bolster his own desire to live life without God, he was still engaged in thought about God.

There I was, a child of God who should have taken the opportunity to point him in the right direction, and I missed the opportunity. I had an open shot and I passed the ball.

This morning, I heard the news that Christpher Hitchens is dead. Ed Stetzer wrote a thoughtful post that is worth reading, the following is a link to his post. Ed Stetzer – Reflections on the Death of Christopher Hitchens.

If we, as believers, would follow 1 Peter 3:15 and be prepared to engage the world around us, we could make a difference in some lives. We don’t need to win every argument. We don’t need to force our beliefs on anyone. We do need to lovingly present the truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do.

Some will remain angry at God, some will remain stubbornly resistant to Him, some will not believe in anything they cannot see, but some will indeed come to the place where they are willing to submit to God and seek forgiveness.

Am I willing to risk the anger of some to provide hope for the one who is open to it? I want to be. I choose to be.

God, grant us wisdom as we respond to those around us.

To death and beyond . . .

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I find John 12:10-11 very informative on how I should respond to death:

10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

To Death and Beyond . . . Perhaps it is only my warped sense of humor, but this strikes me as funny. The Pharisees preferred Lazarus dead rather than have him there to challenge their beliefs. The Pharisees, who thought themselves a light to the nation, could not tolerate the presence of one whose very existence was a critique of their life and practice.

The comedy comes in when you consider that the Pharisees are threatening to kill a man who has already experienced death and came back to tell about it. He could wear a tee shirt saying, “Death . . . been there, done that.” Lazarus’ life validated the words that the Apostle Paul wrote years later in Philippians 1:21, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Lazarus had experienced what happens after death and come back to tell about it. As a result, the Pharisees wanted to kill Lazarus for the effect he was having on the people who heard his story. His experience validated Jesus’ claims of divinity and lordship and many believed.

I learn two things from the example of Lazarus.

First, while I do not know in great detail what it will be like following death, I have enough evidence to know that I should not fear it. Jesus promised to prepare a place for me. Paul, who experienced Heaven in a vision, tells me that what follows death is better than life. Therefore I should live a life free of the fear of death.

If death is not to be feared, what else could be worse? Should I fear rejection, poverty, disrespect or insignificance? Certainly if death is not to be feared, these others should hold no power over me. Yet often they do.

It is not enough to put away the fear of death, I should also live a resurrected life. If I believe with Paul that I have been crucified and raised with Christ (Galatians 2:20), my life should reflect the changes that resurrection brings. Like the Apostle Paul, my life should be lived differently following my encounter with the risen Christ.

My guess is that Lazarus lived life differently than he did before his experience. Were I to have Lazarus’ experience, I suppose the trivialities that now trip me up would have a greatly reduced effect on me, if any effect at all.

Perhaps a good gauge of how well my life reflects the resurrection is whether my impact on others draws them closer to Jesus. As a result of his experience of death and resurrection, Lazarus was used by God to bring people to right belief in Jesus. God wants to do the same with me. I simply need to choose to prevent my fears from getting in the way and live the resurrected life that is promised me.

The Illusion of Security Apart from Christ

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Security is Elusive

 

TightropeIt is in the best interest of politicians and merchants to maintain the illusion of security. They tell us that if we elect the right person or party into office, if we invest properly, if we follow the prescribed diet, if, if, if . . . then we will experience security.

The problem is that those activities never provide the peace of mind that they promise.

We are heading into a presidential election year, promises will abound. Watch to see how much of the campaign rhetoric is geared toward promises of security. We have governmental departments and programs with “security” in their titles. The entire government purportedly exists to enhance our security as individuals and as a nation. We long for that security and will vote for the people we think best qualified to give it to us.

Since Genesis 3, mankind has been trying to establish his control over his own destiny. Yet, most of a man’s circumstances remain beyond his control. In spite of great scientific advances, we are at the mercy of our environment and other people. Where then can security be found? Is there a source?

Security can be Found

If you take the New Testament documents to be reliable (I do), they show us a good place to start our search for security. In a physical sense, death is the ultimate enemy. If a man proved that he could conquer death, that person might be a good resource in the quest for security.

Death has been conquered by Jesus Christ. His resurrection from death displays his power over death. He promises to provide this power for those who are willing to believe in him an surrender to him.

It is the death and resurrection of Jesus which provides the means whereby death can be robbed of its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus also promises to be with us forever (Matthew 28:20). Paul asks the question, “if God is for us who then can be against us?” (Romans 8:31), the implication being that no-one can be against us if we are in Christ.

Why then do I often respond in insecurity? Why does much of the rhetoric of Christendom resound with fear and insecurity? It is because we fail to believe and appropriate the promises that God has given us.

May we go into this weekend believing the promises and living them out. The world needs us to do this.

A Celebration of Death? – Response to the Death of Osama Bin Laden

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The announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden reminded me of a post originally published in February of this year. I have taken the text from that post and added additional comments below.

February 2, 2011:

ColosseumAs we toured the Colosseum  in Rome, the guide  described the events that were staged in that structure over a four hundred year period. There were gladiatorial battles, men hunting animals, animals hunting men, executions and other grisly displays. Each spectacle ended only when one side in the battle was killed or rendered unable to continue fighting.

Our guide made a special point about the fact that they would put sand on the wood floors to allow the competitors and victims to have traction in the midst of the blood that would inevitably flow.

In the 21st Century, we can easily feel superior to these Romans who sat and applauded such waste of human and animal life. We wonder how civilized people could enjoy such entertainment.

Upon further reflection, however, I have to come to grips with the fact that there are many movies and television shows that are just as graphic and grisly as the entertainment in the Colosseum. The fact that real blood is not being shed does not make the acts displayed any less despicable.

What does it say about a society when death and violence are seen as entertaining? What does it say about us as individuals when we can watch graphic violence (even if it is only special effects) and derive pleasure from it?

I’m asking these questions of myself and sharing them with you as food for thought as we consider what is healthy and appropriate for entertainment. Before we condemn the ancient Romans, we should be honest about how much we are like them.

May 2, 2011 Update:

Yesterday it was announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed. Should Christians rejoice in this? I don’t think we should.

Perhaps there should be a sense of relief that a man who pursued evil has been prevented from inflicting further harm. Romans 13:1-7 tells us that governments have been put in place by God to restrain evil. Osama will no longer be a threat and this is a relief.

Yet, I cannot find any evidence in Scripture that there should be rejoicing in this. Ezekiel 33:11 tells us that God does not rejoice when a wicked man dies, neither should we.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:4 that those who mourn will be blessed. Today we should mourn that this death was necessary. We should mourn the evil that that made this death necessary. We should mourn that others will follow in Osama’s footsteps.We should mourn that the tendency toward evil is present in our own hearts.

Yet in our mourning, we should remember that God is in control and is moving events toward his ends in his time. One day all will be set right. Then we will rejoice.

 

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