Posts (page 2)

Last night after church I found myself in a heated debate with some very dear friends of mine, spanning a complexity of religious issues.  Emotions abounded and vulnerable honesty poured forth.  I was surprised by how much I provoked their resistant words and passion.  Religious and political conversations can be quaint and peaceful until there is a terrible difference of opinion.

Although we were all a little shaken up from arguing, we walked away with hugs, tears, affirmations, and challenges of "more ammo" for further debate.  I felt that our relationships were taken to a new level; we were somehow tighter and freer to seek each other out at church and have a worthwhile conversation.  I sensed a deeper respect and gratitude between us.  And we all learned something new I think.  At least I did.

But it was painful too.  I am still feeling some of the intensity today.  This is because it caused me to face my short-comings, my failures and my sin.  Although this is an ignorant statement, I am wishing there was a nail being hammered through my hand instead of having to admit my wrong during the animated conversation.

Yet, this was one application of the sermon at church last night:  the death of Christ is our example to follow.  I nodded in agreement to the truths I was hearing while sitting comfortably in my chair.  But I had no idea that the evidence of my belief in the preacher's words was going to be called into question immediately after hearing them.

I have had to search my heart and ask God to melt away any bitterness in it.  I am not yet aware of any specific dislike toward any one person (at the moment) but I know that I have felt conflict towards categorical groups of people.  Namely and yet generally, these groups are Christians and Non-Christians.

Growing up with a religious faith, I began to learn that I needed to be a fighter if I was going to protect my beliefs, as I believed them of course.  Not only did I need to know how to defend my faith from the world, but also from modern day Christianity in some ways too.  I needed to be on the offensive in order to combat strong influences around me and also to help others avoid what I experienced to be pitfalls.

I also eventually began to understand that there are always more sides to the story, and that it is of great benefit to seek out these other viewpoints before forming my own.  Yet it is here that I have a great weakness.  I voice my thoughts before understanding, or before placing myself in the shoes of my opponent.  I have been told that I jump in argumentatively with my personal ideals and that I come across like I don't understand the topic, nor reality.  I state my opinion as fact and disregard the much more knowledgeable opinions before me.  Others can speak peaceably about controversial issues, but people might steer clear of controversy with me in fear of a firestorm.

These things not only slices open the flesh of my ego but it causes me unbearable grief to think that I might have (wrongly) turned anyone away from conversation or a relationship.  As a Christian standing up for righteousness, I unwittingly ban the sinners from my life, and I possibly miss taking part in their salvation.  Then I feel sorry for the sinners, since I am one too, and I become angry with Christians for closing their church doors to the weak and dying.  In both cases and in many a debate, I unknowingly turn my friend into an enemy.  And for this I am terribly sorry. 

I ask for forgiveness for any insensitivity.  A gentleness and care is something that I appreciate in others.  This morning I asked certain friends how I might be failing to relate to others when debating issues.  I also asked them to abandon all sensitivity and replace it with brutal honesty.  As much as it hurt, I wanted to be personally offended.  This would be the only way for me to understand my problem of communicating.  They instead replied with a sensitive honesty that distressed my soul even further yet also opened my eyes to some degree, causing me to thank God for friends.  Their outside insight sparked the thoughts for this post.

And now I ask God and my friends to help me change.  Do you have any further feedback for me?  I get private emails all the time that tell me my blogs are appreciated but why don't those people leave comments?  Some things should be left private and some people would prefer to keep their statements within a safe atmosphere.  Also, I talk about subjects that may not be of any concern or interest to others.  But is there something about the way that I communicate that might keep a reader from responding?

There are so many blogs and debates that I would like to now retract and delete as if this would make my shame disappear, but I know that this is not the answer to my dilemma.  To learn and grow is my objective.  As a Christian, it is through Christ's death that my shame is forgiven, and it is only in losing my life, or confessing my sin, that I will discover the light of life itself.

Here are some imperatives that I would like to now remember before speaking or writing:

1.  Restate the opposing side to make sure I understand it correctly.

2.  Give ample time to consider it.

3.  Agree with any statements that I believe are true or explain how I might relate to the other person.

4.  Creatively state my beliefs with respect toward and understanding of the listener/reader.

5.  Express my gratitude to the other person for engaging in the conversation or debate.

Lord God, these guidelines are also my prayer concerning my writing.  Thank you for loving me enough to discipline me and for the grace you love to give so that I can change. Amen.

Last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, Jdimytai Damour, a 34 year old Wal-Mart associate was trampled to death by shoppers on Long Island, N.Y.  Excluding all terrors that would involve my kids, I think that death by trampling might be on my list of top ten worst nightmares.

This is not only because the pain would be relentless, but also because of other factors that I might be thinking, if there was time amidst the whole shock of the situation, such as, "I'm actually going to die right now."

And the tragedy only multiplies.  Perhaps if I was standing only ten feet away from that deadly spot, my life would have been spared for another half of a lifetime.  Also, getting hit by a car in an accident, or getting run over by a herd of wild animals might be easier news to swallow than the fact that my own intelligent fellow humans were the ones killing me; in fact, they were the same ones I was getting paid to serve that day.

Is a bargain really enough to drive someone to murder?  Some (not so smart) people might call this passion, and maybe it is some twisted form of the definition but I'd like to think of passion as something that runs a little deeper than my desire for a 32-inch flat screen TV on sale.  I might be willing to pay good money for a good bargain on a high quality product, but one doesn't generally find that sort of thing at Wal-Mart.

Yesterday I went shopping for a new cell phone at T-Mobile because a single button on mine no longer functioned, making text messaging, my main form of mobile communication, impossible.  The sales assistant who was helping me explained that my phone had water damage and that they would not be able to repair the phone.  "Water damage?  But my phone has never come into contact with water," I said.  He said that even a little condensation could ... [destroy the whole electronic device].

I reminded him that we live in Seattle, where there is a 100% chance of condensation on a fairly regular basis.  He said that he could give me a small discount on a new phone if I add 2 years to my contract, as if he was doing me a favor.  He showed me their least expensive phone.  I raised my eyebrows and said, "Really?  Not only does this phone have very few features, but it's overpriced, and it's ugly.  And it definitely does not look condensation-proof."  Fortunately he was a good sport and was able to laugh along with me at the absurdity of the situation, but I'm still stuck with a non-working phone.

So what about these trouncing Black Friday shoppers?  I would much rather be the dead employee than the people so miserable they have to kill a man in order to satisfy a drug-like stupefied infatuation.  But in all fairness I must put myself in the shoes of these victims too.  I've certainly experienced a mob mentality before, in the form of mainstream Christianity, but that doesn't really have anything to do with this blog post.

One summer I was at a very large music festival and I had been separated from the rest of my party in the crowd.  The band I was watching had just ended their show and as the people in the front left their places, the section of the crowd where I was standing began moving toward the stage.  I felt like I was going to get crushed and there was nothing I could do except get carried along.

Eventually I found myself way too close to the monstrous sound speakers on the stage which would make my already deaf ears even deafer.  So I had to shove my way out of the front row and any concern for the feet I was stepping/falling on, or the faces I was shouldering would've only defeated my purpose.

Together, and even through competition, a mob can accomplish much more than individuals but it can also (obviously) do untold damage, such as in the case of a mafia.  Walter Lippmann said, "Where all think alike, no one thinks very much."  I would guess that the Wal-Mart mob did not intend to kill anyone, not literally at least, although it is a little disturbing that they wanted to keep shopping after their manslaughter.

Still, how many areas of life am I mindlessly being carried along with the rest of crowd because it is too much work and suffering of ridicule to swim against the school of flow?  When it is a matter of eternal life and death, no passionate rebellion is too extreme - only too ignorant.  Jesus was a lone ranger in many ways, including in His death.  Although we need each other, the responsibility for our thoughts, beliefs, and desires belongs to each of us alone.

Well, maybe this post is about mainstream movements after all.

       

I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away
How long, how long must we sing this song?

...

Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

...

And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart

...

And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die

...

The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won

...

~ U2, Sunday Bloody Sunday

Maybe this understanding is something that many Christians already grasp but I am just now beginning to be enlightened to it, not only intellectually but also in an experiential sense.  My many years of confusion are tightly wound up in this one sentence:  How do I reconcile my faith with the things of the world?

Teachings throughout Christendom, no matter which church denomination is attended, have emphasized two gospel truths of the issue; and these are imperative, yet they can be completely misunderstood, at least by me.  One mandate is to love God.  The entire Old Testament law and commandments can be summed up in the one law of love.  If we do not love, then we certainly do not know God, and are therefore not even a Christian.

The simple concept of love has been eloquently and valiantly composed, preached, sought after and worshiped like no other entity and yet it still remains elusive for many people.  There are creative excuses for a Christian's lack of passion for God and people, or else the whole idea gets mostly ignored through trite and predictable expressions, or an abuse of overstatements.  "It always comes down to the fact that you just have to love Jesus" as if it were a burden yet to be attained.

The other emphatic law that has been faithfully taught in many a Christian church is found in 1 John 2:15 (NASB) "Do not love the world nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."  The Scripture following it defines the things of the world as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.  So, what does this say about movies, fashion, Non-Christian friends, secular music, California-sized homes, casinos, politics and Black Friday?  Good question.

A true Christian, overall and in general is not going to be fooled for any long period of time with the emptiness, boredom and physical stress that result from a love for the world compared with a passion for God.  Anyone who personally knows their Creator will prefer Him.  God provides a meaningful purpose, excitement, and peace to the human life that can not be fabricated apart from Him.  Does this mean that a Non-Christian can not experience happiness?  Keep that question in mind.

These truths were taught by Jesus and his Apostles in real life situations while living every day life in the world although their culture, much like an American Christian's world today, was on a large scale, a religious one.  The Pharisees, specifically a lawyer, while trying to trap Jesus, tested Him with the question, "Which is the greatest law?"  Jesus explained that it is the law of love.  Although He was engaged in a life and death debate, this could also be an honest question at any point in history with a very valuable answer to life's every day dilemmas.

Contrary to this, my Christianity while growing up failed in many ways to be in the world yet not of it.  It consisted of a "safe" environment of Christian culture that really in all honesty, could not compare to the appeal or the talent of the world.  But my own fears and beliefs kept me in it.  Any desire for sensual music was considered secularism.  A virtuous movie was a sin if it contained disturbingly bad language.  An epicurean's sense for food was called gluttony or idol worship.  Although I attended public school with Non-Christians, any friendships with them were frowned upon.

Instead I must love God, but in the aforementioned sense, this was a lie from Satan in the form of a commandment.  The only alternative to an imprisoned faith was to abandon my beliefs altogether.  Christianity, as I understood it, gave me no other choices.  I had no idea, and still have no idea in many areas of life, of how to be a Christian in a fallen world except through isolation or with a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality.  Since I never completely learned this lesson, it is now affecting the way I parent my kids.  "But why can't we watch this TV show Mommy?"

Another confusion that has always beset my faith is the widely distributed belief that topics such as food, personalities, clothing and sports have no biblical value at all, if those things are even mentioned.  Jesus was homeless.  Does this mean that we should not purchase a house?  "No, it means that your home does not matter" is the common reply derived from such verses as, "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."  ~ 1 Timothy 4:8 (KJV)

It is possible to stress godliness and other spiritual characteristics so much that the things in this life are seen as evil, unimportant or as non-existent.  This is the great complaint of the world about Christianity and they have a good argument.  Because worldly things have lesser value than heavenly actualities, this does not mean they have no value at all.  It simply connotes that a godly perspective changes our view of heaven and earth.  It does not ignore material things, but it creates a value and appreciation for them that can not be understood otherwise.  Life in heaven has an infinity of value.  Life on earth has the same worth except that it's extremely short-lived compared to the life after it.

There is a deep crevice full of differences between life on earth and life in heaven.  One example is the fact that believers will have new (redeemed) bodies in heaven.  But roughly spoken, for a large part, our souls (who we really are) will continue the life we are now living.  The amount that we can enjoy God during our earthly pilgrimage is a good indicator of our enjoyment of Him, or absence of it, in the after-life.  This would have been a shock for me when I entered heaven.  Somehow I held a vague belief that a lifeless faith on earth will somehow result in overbounding reward and blessing in heaven.  Instead, while we will receive much undeserved mercy and grace, God's justice is still confined to the law of rewards and good works.

Good works?  What are those and when did they become so important?  In one reality, we are not saved by works, nor do we live by any ol' good, sweat o' the brow, 8-day work week.  But in another sense, there are going to be many, many believers in heaven wishing they did more than just barely escape the fire by the skin of their teeth.  They are going to regret all the time wasted that they could have used to learn to experience and serve God through earthly life, and this includes the world's culture.

An Experiment In Criticism, a book written by C.S. Lewis explains how to define a book as either good or bad with an uncommon intelligence.  His same principles can be applied to judging anything, including our religion.  What are the reasons we believe it?  Why do we portray certain attitudes toward things?  How often do we make a wrongful judgment without first living in another's shoes?  Is there some truth to the culture in which we live?  Is that perhaps why we are drawn to certain people?

God's principles of truth are, by His common grace, found all over this world of sin.  Growing as a Christian means learning to discern His truth in the world.  A good book is not necessarily one that is sold at a Christian bookstore.  Quality literature is not only one that quotes Bible verses, although it may be a signal.  The men God chose to use in the Old Testament to build His temple were skilled.  They were experts in their field of God-given talent.  David, as a shepherd boy, was a skilled musician as well as worthy in the area of caring for his subjects and therefore, unlike Saul, made a competent king.  Good books are written by talented authors with interwoven threads of truth, whether that truth animates the consequences of good or evil.

Some say that television and film has replaced literature in modern life.  While the intellect is often more challenged by reading, it can be argued that excellent films have been produced that would put mountains of books to shame.  My favorite movie is Chariots of Fire which was based on a true story.  It not only won four Oscars as well as numerous other awards and nominations for best picture, best screenplay, best director, best acting, best film editing, best cinematography, best art design, best music and best costume design, but it enchantingly portrayed the biblical truth I am now trying to explain.

Two British runners, one Jewish and the other a Christian, ran their races in order to prove something.  Harold Abrahams, although fast, ran to prove himself as a Jew in an anti-Semitic society.  He represented the law of God.  But Eric Liddell ran for God in an unChristian world, in the freedom of God's grace, which is why he experienced the uncommon joy of running and winning.  Abrahams won his Olympic race too, but he was confined to the misery of achieving his ultimate goal with nothing more to prove.  In seeking his life, he lost it.  Just as Liddell competed for God, he was also a missionary to China for God.  He found his life on the earth before he ever died, and in all that he set out to do.

This film did not utilize Christian actors and yet they portrayed God's truth like no other film in history in my opinion.  Non-Christians can obviously do good works and therefore experience an even large extent of happiness.  All we have to do is open our eyes to prove it.  But how much brighter and longer-lasting would be the effect of that good work if it were performed by a talented, Spirit-filled Christian?

G.K. Chesterton has taught me biblical principles through his books without ever quoting Bible Scripture.  The bible is larger than life.  Principle.  Skills.  Art.  Fiction.  Folklore.  Dreams.  Talking animals.  Colors.  Beauty.  Music.  Romance.  Pleasure.  Comedy.  Laughter and tears.  Miracles.  Crime.  Blood.  Holocaust.  Danger.  A battle for freedom.  A change of heart.  An observance of life.  Intense depression.  Honesty.  Vulnerability.  Health.  Geography.  History.  Logic.  Time.  Heaven and hell.  Philosophy.  Psychology.  Science.  These are all biblical terms never mentioned in the Bible and yet they are uniquely portrayed in it.

This is why Christians have outspoken opinions.  Our faith is not a half-way, politically correct compromise between church and world culture.  Just as Jesus was fully God and fully man, so we are whole-heartedly faithful to God as well as to the world He has placed in our care, including all people and all things.  Anything less than that is an oxymoron and not a true belief.  The Christian life is much more of a thrilling commitment than I realized.

There is much more to life than Christian culture which I think has been constructed from weak faith.  Mainstream Christianity has attempted to separate the wheat from the tares, which is something God has not called us to do.  There is a purpose for Christians and the world growing together and that temporary purpose is salvation and sanctification.  I would like to see a tearing down or abandonment of Christian media and its reconstruction in an entirely different form in order to avoid the confusion that I have experienced.  Our churches should not only be more of a welcoming place for all walks of life but our holiness, or distinction, can be seen in our talented contribution to the world, rather than a weak trail behind it.  

Church teaching should include the teaching of proper discernment between loving God and fleshly lusts, to equip us to go out into all of the nations in wonder and exploration rather than an avoidance. This is how and why we can delve into some books and be bored or disgusted with others.  This is why our children are allowed to enjoy certain TV shows but must leave other channels alone.  This is why we need to explain everything to them in a communicable language, not only in Christianese or worldly slang, and with a very broadened, open mind.  God is always throwing surprises at His people.  Prophecies are not always fulfilled the way we might assume, although it is possible to intelligently imagine them.

Our loyalty to God and to the world can be manifested in an insurmountable amount of ways.  We know if this is happening or not.  A believer will see God everywhere, His image in everyone, along with sin.  The same mundane world blossoms into a colorfully illustrated fairy tale of truth battling the lies of the evil one.  And it hits home as we realize that we really are characters in an eternal plot with a spiritual audience.

If we are constantly worried and weighted down, we will either have a discontent feeling, or maybe an inexplicit thought of, "Something isn't quite right."  A true believer will patiently grow into an undying passion and confidence toward God.  And we will not only naturally experience love for Him as a result of Himself, but just as importantly, others will see our light as it shines on the world.
 
I am learning.  I am finally learning.                 

    

 

 

America has been suffering loss.  Just as recent California fires consumed many homes and possessions, so are Americans across the country losing their investments, their businesses, jobs, homes, cars, health and other securities.  The human line to the food bank at the church near my house has been steadily growing each week and more than 36.2 million Americans are struggling with hunger.

It is a depressing time in American history.  Our national debt rose 45% since 2001 during the Bush Administration.  It took 183 years for our federal government to accumulate the first $1 trillion.  It then took 20 years to grow that debt to $5.7 trillion and a mere 7 years to reach $9 trillion.  Some Americans are beginning to catch on to the fact that capitalism eventually leads to bankruptcy.

But socialism is not the cure.  This only transfers the control of power from fortune-making industries to the government.  President-elect Obama is considering more government programs that would only encourage borrowing and spending.  There is also the question of raised taxes on businesses that provide jobs.  Only time will tell if his policy will have a positive effect on America's economy but it doesn't seem like it can get much worse in view of the current stock market meltdown. 

Common sense tells us that during a financial crisis, we must cut spending then pay off our debts.  Former presidential candidate Ron Paul suggested that we reduce the size of America's government, abolish many government agencies and programs, dramatically cut entitlement spending then allow the free market to self-adjust.  But Ron Paul was not elected president for a reason.  American socialists are not willing to let go of any perceived control and capitalists are unable to give up their lifestyles of luxury.

Meanwhile, Washington State voters passed the Death With Dignity Act.  This allows physicians to prescribe lethal medication to terminally-ill patients so that they can end their suffering, or in other words, the law allows for assisted suicide.

This is what G.K. Chesterton says in his book Orthodoxy:

"...Not only is suicide a sin, it is the sin.  It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take the oath of loyalty to life.  The man who kills a man, kills a man.  The man who kills himself, kills all men; as far as he is concerned he wipes out the world....  The thief is satisfied with diamonds; but the suicide is not:  that is his crime.  He cannot be bribed, even by the blazing stones of the Celestial City.  The thief compliments the things he steals, if not the owner of them.  But the suicide insults everything on earth by not stealing it.  He defiles every flower by refusing to live for its sake.  There is not a tiny creature in the cosmos at whom his death is not a sneer.  When a man hangs himself on a tree, the leaves might fall off in anger and the birds fly away in fury: for each has received a personal affront...."

If it were one of my children who was in pain and wanted to die earlier than predicted, I still would not be able to hand him his death weapon.  Who knows that his pain or his fate would not reverse with loving care, an advancement or discovery in medical technology, or simply a second, third or fourth doctor opinion?  Even in suffering, there are some lines that must not be crossed, and my love for him would prevent it.

But many modern hospital patients, and elderly, as well as those contemplating suicide are not experiencing love.  It has been something largely withdrawn from their lives in the way of receiving and therefore in the way of giving.  The Bible says that it is nearly impossible for a rich man to enter heaven.  In the same way, it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, or in modern terms, for an SUV to swoosh through a basketball hoop, than for an abused person to desire life for herself, as well as for others.

There are not only problems at home but suffering is abroad.  There is a bloodbath of political wars, religious wars, civil wars and military juntas creating refugees, most of them women and children throughout the world.  And the sanctity of life continues to be brutally beaten in the 42 million babies worldwide that are aborted every year.  Cruelty inevitably results in further cruelty.

In two days, Americans will gather together with family and friends to commune together over a meal either scarce or aplenty in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.  How can we enjoy such a blessing in the midst of the overwhelming suffering in and around us?  The same way as the agony and poverty-stricken pilgrims once celebrated with the Natives.  Even if the only thing in our possession is a faint breath, it is enough to form the words "thank you" and to restore some vitality.  It may even be enough to experience a miracle, or the birth a nation.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melodie Beattie

   

I've been thinking a lot about authority lately, and what the Bible says about submission, as well as what I have generally witnessed in churches and in Christians.  I have wondered if I have a submissive attitude toward my elders and those that God has placed in authority over me, especially since I have been accused of otherwise.  I have also been debating (with myself) of whether or not to become an official member at my church.

Lord God, am I unservile in the way that I think of, speak of and act toward others?  I am hoping that writing this post will provide some answer to my prayer which is usually the case when I write.  So often I begin a blog with one thought in mind only to discover truths that I had never realized before.

As usual, first some observable facts.  What does the Bible say about authority?  Or rather, what is my current understanding of what the Bible says about it?  In the Old Testament theocracy of the Israelites, God Himself and His law were no doubt the authorities.  He used men such as Abraham and Moses and the prophets to rule over His people but He spoke directly to and through them, by the Holy Spirit.

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is {a matter} of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."  ~ 2 Peter 1:20, 21

In the New Testament early church, the Apostles who were also moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.  The Old Testament Scriptures supported their words, as well as the words of Christ, even though there was a new fulfilling of prophecy.  The New Testament simply expounds and enlightens the Old Testament, as explained by many biblical scholars.

I can't think of any higher authority for myself, or for any Christian, than the Scriptures.  One might argue my interpretation of them, and I have to constantly question my translation of them as well.  There is much in there that I do not understand but that fact only adds to the enjoyment of studying God's word.  It also means that I need other Spirit-filled men and women of God as my supplemental authority to help clarify God's truth.

Not everyone is free to choose the authority placed over them.  I am thankful that I live in a country and a culture that provides that freedom to a large extent.  Dictators, tyrants, and military regimes are the opposite of what Christ taught concerning authoritarian leadership.  A monarchy does not fit within His teaching either.  If a perfect triune God utilizes elder rule in the plural sense, as well as choosing not a few, but twelve disciples, to carry on His truth, how much more should the common man rely on more than one authority?

The United States judicial system prudently makes use of the jury system, also twelve members, in order to make the best decision with a limited amount of knowledge for a case.  Lawmakers and other elected officials understand the necessity of the vote (from all walks of life) as well as the informed advice of specialists.  The laws of the land are enacted in order to protect physical life and property of citizens.  It is to our own personal benefit to obey these laws.    

If we are free to choose the authority over us, we must choose them wisely, for they exert much influence over our beliefs and therefore our lives.  A leader is also a teacher, which is why any kind of authority stands under a stricter judgment (James 3:1).

"Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith."   ~ Hebrews 13:7 (NASB)

Church teachers, leaders and pastors are responsible before God to lead the sheep like a shepherd.  This not only implies a gentle provision of (spiritual) life sustenence but also a protection against harmful and deceiving false doctrine.  In short, the whole point of their authority is to, together, teach the Scriptures.  Church members willingly submit to their elders as far as the leaders are discerned to be submitting to God's word.

The new Christian who has little understanding of the Bible will have a safeguard of strength as he greatly relies upon church leadership.  The older Christian needs this as well.  Still, all Christians should be taught not only how to submit to God's truth, but also how discern it.  If everyone blindly followed church leaders, we would have no gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus, as well as the Apostles, had to work against the religious leaders of God's chosen people in their day.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."  ~ Matthew 22:29 (KJV)

"But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men."  ~ Acts 5:29 (NASB)

Church leaders are fallible and they are not always filled with the power (the Spirit) of God.  The Scriptures command us to obey the authority over us, but they also command us to obey God rather than men.  Therefore, we obey human authority unless they lead us in a direction contrary to God's commands.  This calls for a tremendous responsibility of the Christian to learn God's truth for ourselves, as far as we understand and believe it (obviously).

I have witnessed way too much undiscerning submission in the church world.  I believe one cause of this is the American public school system which has trained us from an early age to conform to authority in a way that we must mindlessly learn whatever we are taught without question.  Submission to state-controlled school curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade is not a matter of choice but a matter of submission.  If one did not submit to at least some degree, the only other option is to be expelled or to drop out.

True authority provides some amount of freedom.  It convinces its followers that it is the correct path; otherwise, it must use undue force which eventually and inevitably results in some form of anarchy.  Submission is a willing submission of the heart and mind.  But, while church members must speak respectfully of their pastors and leaders, not slandering them, this does not imply pastor worship, or such belliefs as, "My church is infallible."  Exalting anyone or anything means that we have to defend that subject at all cost.

Authority is actually a ministry.  Do you ever get the feeling at church that leaders are only talking to you or praying with you because it is their "ministry"?  This is a common trap for church leaders because they must possess some type of authoritative leadership skills.  But I wouldn't want a friend or family member to invite me to their house, or do yard work for me, or give me a gift because it was their job, or they were getting paid, or so that they could announce it at Community Group.  That is a lopsided relationship.  I want to know that we're friends and that I can serve them too.  The authority of Jesus on earth was one of servanthood but also of friendship, not only on His part but also on the part of His followers.  This is why the crowds loved Him so much and left everything to follow Him.

These principles of attitude apply to any situation and they also answer the confusion of "gray areas".  Husbands while considering the counsel of others, including his wife's, must lead his family as Christ led His followers.  Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent, all females generally have a greater tendency than men to be led astray.  This does not make male and female unequal but it (thankfully) explains our strengths and weaknesses.  The husband has a physical strength that the wife can depend upon.  So, wives are biblically instructed to submit to their husbands, but with eyes wide open!  Sometimes husbands and wives need to coexist if they are serving two different masters.  Husbands and wives need to challenge each other as well as respectfully submit to each other and be at peace with one another.

"...and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ."  ~ Ephesians 5:21

Christian parenting can get this submission/obedience command wrong as well.  Not only does the Bible say that we are all to submit to one another, but it also says that children are to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1).  The reasons for this are blatant.  Just as the wife is dependent upon the husband's strength for protection and provision, so the children are dependent upon their parents.  As the children grow in independence (from the teachings of the parents - Deuteronomy 6:7-9) their counsel too can be considered in family decisions.  Children should neither demand their way from parents nor should they be treated like mindless slaves.

In the workplace, our bosses and managers pay us our salaries; therefore, we are dependent on them and we will naturally show an honor and respect for their wishes.  We help them so that they can pay us.  This requires some level of commitment to the company.  It also means that the employee will speak up if they notice an area in need of improvement.  Any investment a worker makes in the workplace will benefit the worker.  This is why we submit.

There is much room for me to grow in learning to love others without being negatively influenced by them.  Christ knew what was in man (sin) and He was able to give His life to us, even become one with us, yet without sin.  Perhaps He was only able to perfectly do this because He was God, but this is still our same high calling.  Maybe I have so much of a guard around my heart and mind that I intimidate others or I come across too harsh.  But that is definitely not my intention or my thoughts.  

I realize that I sometimes have a very opinionated and feisty attitude when it comes to my religious beliefs, but I am not yet convinced that I should repent of it.  I am eternally grateful and indebted to many people and institutions throughout my life, but I have found that they would've all led me in the wrong direction to either a small or terrible extent if I had not painfully and often in loneliness learned the truth that I wanted to believe.  Even when I was very young, I had to make choices to follow my parents' actions over the delinquencies of my friends at school.  There were many times that the teachings at my church over-ruled what I was learning from my parents.  And the behavior of my church also needed to be called into question at times, both privately and publically, simply because my pastors faithfully taught me the authority of the Scriptures.

Attending church is a high priority for me.  God tells me to go to church in Hebrews 10:25.  He knew there would be mistakened teaching as well as the fact that it would provide knowledge, warmth, safety, exhortation, fellowship, an equipping and an opportunity to serve that I could not receive otherwise.  The reason I am debating official membership is because I don't believe that one church has a monopoly on God's truth and Spirit.  Also, churches that need to remain as they are, often change.  Churches that need change often remain as they are.... I believe we should all be loyal to a group of believers but not to the point that they replace God as our first allegiance.  This type of influence and a general unspoken conformity is an easy and powerful snare - somewhat like a Lazy Boy and a TV.  On the other hand, we do not submit ourselves to faultless authority or else there would be no submitting at all.

Authority is a beautiful blessing, but it can be abused in many ways through the use of control.  Fear causes us to tighten our grips on our subects.  We are afraid we will lose them, afraid they will believe and act upon a lie and take others with them, afraid that they will rise up against us, etc.  If authority is subjected to God, there will be trust in His sovereignty.  Yes, people will go astray, people will mock God, persecute Christians, and take others with them.  But that is all part of the plan.  Authority must still provide as much freedom as possible while protecting and providing for its subjects.

With any amount of knowledge I have, I am responsible to live by that knowledge.  I too am fallible and I am dependent upon correction and different perspectives so that I can grow in my understanding.  I appreciate the kindness and sensitivity of my family and friends but I am desperate for the honest truth; I wish that confrontation was more socially acceptable.  Even hurtful words spoken in anger toward me give me things to consider and they sharpen my discernment.  We are missing out on a tremendous service if we can not receive criticism as a blessing.

As for the people I refute in my writing, I would completely ignore them if I did not feel they were worthy of thought.  I consider them higher than myself when I look to what they have to say, whether I can commend them or rebuke them or ask them questions.  I have learned that I can find truth nearly everywhere from a wide range of people.  I appreciate the professionals but I also adore the babe in Christ.  As far as authority goes, well anyone who makes me exercise my mind is some kind of authority to which I will gladly submit, and even moreso as far as I can tell that he or she loves my God, is led by my Spirit and follows my Jesus.

How can I be so confident that my God is the one true God?  And the Bible is His word of truth?  Well, that is something that you have the privilege of figuring out for yourself.  Never give up the search for truth, as well as the opposition of that truth, for it is the most priceless treasure that can be discovered on this side of heaven.  Gratefully submit to your elders, the laws of the land, your spouse, your children, and your friends - yet choose your authority wisely.

   

 

 

  

Church like any other institution can be a spiritually dangerous place if it is imbalanced and we must be on guard there just as much as when we are out in the world.  Theologians attempt to regulate the church through sound doctrine while charismatics try to restore the romance between God and man.  One Christian waves the intellectual banner calling the crowds to march to the beat of truth, and yet another uses sneaky appeals of the heart, claiming that it can be as exciting to follow Jesus as it is to watch football.  While there is much truth involved in these church services, too often one Christian preacher/teacher forgets the balance.

The result is a looming question mark.  The mind and the heart are often at odds with one another.  We want one thing but think we should do another; we are not sure if we should follow the mind or the heart.  Both can be deceitful yet both can motivate and direct us.  How does the confused Christian determine God's will for their personal life, which includes moment by moment emotions as well as required decisions?

Helpful scholars will exhort us to study the Scriptures and yet they often fail to make the application to our earthly lives.  What does the trinity have to do with my rebellious teenage daughter?  Other Christian ministries such as Focus On The Family concentrate so much on the teenager that Bible truths are twisted, beaten and completely forgotten.

An over-emphasis on anything will have unintended consequences, even if the focus is on some accepted goodness or biblical actuality.  Although America's technoligical advancement in medicine is the greatest in history, heart disease and cancer are our most common killers.  The public relies so heavily upon these promising antidotes that we fail to prevent the diseases from occuring.  Likewise, Christians might lean too much on psychological therapy instead of learning to to face and deal with social problems.  The rise of Christian family ministries in the 70's parallels with the rise in the Christian divorce rate which now exceeds the Non-Christian divorce rate.   

How does the Christian involve herself in the church as well as the world while avoiding its numerous pitfalls?  It is a difficult endeavor to be sure, yet it may be an issue of life and death.  Although the terms "balance" and "compromise" currently have shunned reputations in the Christian world, it is really only through a perfect balance and difficult compromise that one enters the kingdom of God in the first place.

For example, the Bible teaches us both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.  If Christians are predestined by God, how (or why) do we answer the Apostle Paul's pleading for us to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20)?  Somehow, a great sinner must meet a holy God and there is some degree of a painful sacrifice on the part of both parties.

It is through faith (man's responsibility) in God's grace (God's workmanship) which results in good works (God and man working together) that glorify man and God (God's sovereignty).  This statement has been a controversial debate throughout all of Christianhood due to the human misunderstanding of God's truth, or because of an emphasis of one truth over another.

We often single out either the earthly perspective or a heavenly one.  And we are forgetting things.  It is sadly true that many people view life on earth without the hope of eternity even though life goes on much, much further.  The after-life carries the greater weight in this sense.  Yet, it is also possible to spiritualize creation to such a degree that we completely bypass life itself.  

A Christian can be so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good, but if we were heavenly minded in its proper sense, we would be a world of earthly good.  This earthly good is what is noticeably missing in the church today.  We should not ask ourselves as Christians, "Why recycle when the earth is one day going to burst into an exploding ball of fire?" but "How can I express this deep love I have for the people and things around me, near and far?"  Pastors and teachers should not be afraid to make this connection.

God knows the outcome for each individual because He is outside of time, but for humans that are born, time is currently still running.  Eternity has chosen to live within the limits of our history, seasons, days and seconds.  Therefore, religious doctrine is manifested in our every day lives - our relationships, but also our jobs, homes, food, and clothing.  This is commonly misunderstood.  Earthly matters are not only significant, they are terribly significant.  Minor temporary details are not minor, because they are the determining vehicles of the eternal world (even though eternity has already been determined by the all-knowing God). 

Real religion is not a blind faith or a weak hope.  It is the working together of two very real entities:  the spiritual and the physical.  Although we try to separate them through their distinctions, they must remain together in order to have any kind of fruitful effect in the life of a believer.  Similarly, the mind and the heart are really one biological engine with two different roles.  The thoughts flow from the heart and passions are created from knowledge.  Both must work together rather than against each other.

Christians fluctuate from a fatigue of the extremes.  When an over-emphasis is placed on either the earthly or the heavenly perspective, which is the problem of many a systematic theology, a void is produced that eventually becomes desperate to be filled with anything one can get their hands on, which often includes the anti-beliefs of their teaching.  Or, the imbalance can create an apathy toward everything in life.

In order for the Christian to receive answers to his questions and live the abundant life that God has called him, there must be a proper order and balance of things.  The law of God helps us to understand what is required of us, as well as the fact that we do not have the strength, nor often even the will, to obey that law.  To admit God's strength and our personal human weakness is the first step for the Christian, not only in salvation, but every day.  Instead we often talk to each other as though obeying the law (of love) is no difficulty at all.  Knowing the law is confused with obeying the law.

Too often we shoot for the goal without first recognizing that we can do nothing to attain it.  Like prescribing a food diet or organizational tips for the home, the presenter tells us everything we should do, without ever giving us the willpower to accomplish it, leaving us in failure, or seeking after another method to try.  Many Christian leaders have a proven formula for attaining heaven:  Read one chapter a day in the Bible, attend a well-established church, marry a strong believer, vote Republican, give money to the charities for Africa, and you will live happily ever after.  But this is not salvation.  This is somebody's misconception of God's law and people are dying in it.

Believers willingly receive their nice, long To Do Lists.  There is much comfort in viewing Christianity neatly organized and narrowed down on paper, but there is also the temptation to believe that a list made is a list completed.  Many of us will continue working on this list for our entire lives and hardly conquer any of it, never realizing that there is so much more to life and that we have missed nearly all of it.

Focusing too much on the law of God creates either a starvation or a defensive apathy.  The hungry believer will beg for God's mercy while admitting that we have zero passion or that our desires are for everything except for His commands.  Through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven this tremendous short-coming of ours, but we must not stop there, because the (right) list must still be completed here on earth in order to prove our salvation.  Faith without works is dead.

When we finally release our vain actions of self-glory through repentance, we must not remain in this hopeless and motionless state.  Grace is the next step.  Believing and witnessing the love of God here on earth empowers us with a natural, driving love for God and anything that has to do with Him.  And we eventually figure out that everything somehow relates to Him.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:8

This is how the heavenly and earthly perspectives converge.  The law of our minds stops us in our tracks.  Our knowledge can not accomplish what we desire.  Sometimes our knowledge extinguishes our desire.  The believer then asks for God's help (His grace) and patiently rests and trusts that the heart will be strengthened.  Our minds will often tell us not to trust the heart because it can cause us to break God's law but sometimes our desires are God's desires too.  We might lack faith because we can not believe that God would allow us our own personal desires.  Either way, we must learn to walk with our minds and our hearts or else we will lose our balance.

Attention must be given to both our thoughts and our longings without denying one because of the other.  In time we learn to discern them and we can spot right away the difference between a passing feeling and a deep-seated passion based on truth.  Obedience for God can go no further than our love for Him (or for a Non-believer's love of goodness), although it is possible to become very skilled at pretending.  But these good works are empty and bear rotten fruit.

It is not the heart and mind that the believer gives up or compromises, but the empty actions.  God asks us to let go of them, stop concentrating on them so much.  Instead, look at your heart thoughts.  Are they on earthly things?  Good.  Meet God there where He is waiting.  Are they on heavenly things?  Bring those thoughts back down to earth where you live at this point in time.

Jesus said that whoever does not eat His flesh and drink His blood, there is no life in that person.  In this command, it is clear that there is at least some degree of symbolism; however, partaking of Christ's physical death is just as real as remembering it through the sacrament of communion.  This is an extremely difficult concept to grasp for it makes little sense to the religious society as well as to the non-religious, unless the two societies are brought together.  People might either view this as impossible... or as blasphemy.  The twelve disciples themselves answered, "This is a difficult saying!  Who can understand it?"  John 6:60

Jesus was trying to convey the fact that spiritual Truth relies on some tangible world in order to manifest itself.  The deeply committed religious person neither worships material things, nor does he abandon it altogether.  Instead he views every small detail as one from, to and for God in a very earthly way.  The nature of each detail matters not, for everything has the potential to glorify God.  This is an unknown perspective for many Christians, but it balances law and grace as well as the mind and heart.

This is how all things now become lawful for those who believe in grace, and why believers can not be judged for partaking in old covenant rituals nor for celebrating modern festivals.  They can all serve the righteous love of God.  This is why a person can become a Christian either at church, or at a drunken party.  A believer can grow in faith either from reading the Bible, or by visiting her New Age naturopathic physician.  God's truth as well as Satan's lies are found everywhere and sometimes in the same sentence.

The gospel is demonstrated through creation; creation in this sense is not only limited to mountains and rivers.  Although the Bible contains the whole counsel of God, His Truth goes well beyond those printed pages.  It is habitually believed that a sleezy, downtown bar can only glorify God if it is remodeled and transformed into a church building.  But Jesus would've also entered that bar and taught His congregation before the rennovation and the new people arrived.  Church buildings and bars are not sinful.  Sin lives in the flesh and it has every opportunity to be enacted while employeeing any created structure.  Yet, so does the goodness of God.

The Holy Spirit fills our hearts and minds with trustworthy emotions such as gratitude.  It is thankfulness that causes us to look at the new or old furniture in our home with the same fondness we have toward our generous God.  Amazement causes us to stare at any object and wonder how it was created.  The complexity of logic and math formulas awakens us to the fact that life does not function by chance and that everything matters.

Finding our passion in God is not difficult, for God is already involved in all of our passions if we would allow our eyes to courageously see Him.  He created the objects that we love and He gave us our soul to love them.  Only, we have separated God from our lives thinking He is too holy for us.  Christianity has successfully limited His goodness to the Evangelicals and chained up His truth in the theologians.  We are greatly deceived.

Evangelism is not limited to passing out tracts; theology is not only discovering the smartest teacher.  If we can manage to let go of our To Do Lists, we will find that the law of God has already been written on our personal conscience and the love of God will cause us to naturally live by it, but in joyous imagination and happy productivity - no matter who is our company, where we travel, or what we possess.  God has ensured that His word of truth will abide through the ages.  But it is nearly impossible for many Christians to let go of so much (perceived) control and trust that Christians will actually follow Jesus.  But, while authority is our safety net and it leads by example, it should never control our hearts and minds.  God gave those to the individual.

How does the Christian determine and also live in the will of God, and therefore experience peace in hardship and happiness in all else?  It is through compromise:  Let go of your presumed list of tasks, your man-made system or formula.  Jesus accomplished everything on the cross when He said "It is finished."  It is also through balance:  What is your mind telling you?  What is your heart saying?  Learn to trust and listen to both, for together they form the pathway of communication between God and you.  Do not only pray but listen then reply and listen some more.  Simple faith opens the floodgate that is blocking God's grace.

By giving up on our actions, and retreiving our minds and hearts from Christianity and the world, owning them for ourselves, we are now free to converse with God and work together with Him.  This personal relationship between God and our souls affects all else and all else becomes the evidence of our salvation.  This process not only makes our calling and election sure but it also earns us many rewards to be enjoyed in that day of eternity.   

While pondering the current issue in American politics regarding the civil rights of homosexuals as equal citizens under the constitutional law, one can not help but notice the similarities between the gays' and other civil rights movements in history.  Because the denial of gays to marry a member of the same sex is primarily a civil protest of the religious at this time, one can also not help but think of the problem of self-righteousness, or legalism.  Indeed, all segregation, as well as racism, is a result of self-righteousness.

God promises that one day He will judge the earth in which the sheep will be separated from the goats.  This is also a segregation.  But it is a righteous judgment from a loving God.  Until this day, God's people are commanded to be discerning but not judgmental, for while we are pronounced righteous, sin still resides in our earthly bodies.  Although we should all strive to adopt the character of God, earthly sinners cannot rightfully judge other sinners to the extent that God can do the same.

When God became a man, Jesus, He gave all humanity the example of righteous judgment which, to the surprise of many, included a righteous mercy, or love.  Through Jesus' perfect sacrifice for sins, a human can now be sentenced as holy who is not holy at all, by simply believing this truth.  This is the good news of the gospel.

As Jesus lived out the gospel (in every way) during His earthly life, mankind witnessed God spending time with everyone -  not only the Jews (commonly considered as the religious) but also the Gentiles (also known as the heathens or sinners).  The Jews segregated against the Gentiles until the gospel brought them together.  From God's perspective there was no elementary difference between the religious and the sinners, for they were all sinners but, generally speaking, the religious used their belief in God to cover their sin (from themselves).  The sinners knew they were sinners, but the religious had no idea that they were sinners.

What the religious did not understand was that the gospel, found in the Old Testament scrolls, was not just a covering of sin, even though sin-covering was an old covenant ritual between God and man.  But, there would be a final sacrifice for all sin through the death and resurrection of the Messiah, which the scriptures also foretold.  Sin could be judged by God as non-existent in anyone who believed and now believes in the Savior.  On the part of the human, salvation from sin and its punishment happens through faith (belief) not by doing good or religious works, nor by trying to hide or excuse our sin.

Jesus spent his ministry teaching and healing people such as drunkards, prostitutes, thieves, and people who never went to church.  He also went to dinner at the homes of the religious leaders, but He complained about it afterward.  He called the self-righteous nasty names and told them that they were spiritually dead, and spiritually killing the people they spoke to as well.  This was the very opposite of what they believed about themselves.  Jesus' love for the sinners was very apparent.  But did he love the religious leaders too?

It was clear that there was a war between the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Scribes, and Jesus.  The religious continually tried to trap him while Jesus consistently judged and rebuked them for their legalism.  Eventually, the religious leaders killed Jesus.  Yet, while He was dying on the cross, He asked God the Father to forgive them.  For just as the religious leaders had no idea of their self-righteousness, so they also did not know that they were torturing and murdering the very one they professed to worship with their entire lives.

Jesus did not mediate for the religious leaders because they were innocent, although deliberate sin is worse than sin without knowledge, but because they were sinners.  Jesus not only died for the elect, but for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

What are these sins exactly?  When God created the angels, there was one who was very admirable and he forgot that his existence was a gift from his creator.  His name is Satan.  We all do the same thing when we forget that everything we possess - our bodies, our breath, our souls, our faith, knowledge, compassion, homes, jobs, children - is a gift.  One might say that their parents gave them the gift of life, which is true, but who gave life to the very first parents?  There must be someone much higher in intelligence than the human being in order to create a world inhabited by people.

Satan was deceived when pride destroyed him, and he draws many people away from God with this same lie of believing that we earned our own gifts.  Did/does God love Satan?  Yes and no.  Righteous judgment is also righteous love and this is where many people get confused.  The promise of God to appoint sinners to eternal hell is not an easy one to swallow. Nor is any kind of human suffering on earth, which is the effect of sin, willingly accepted.

But this comes from a misunderstanding or a forgetfulness of love.  Before Jesus suffered on the cross, His humanity caused him to ask God if there was any way of avoiding the distress and pain ahead of Him, but then He realized the love of the Father's will which enabled him, even compelled him to be tortured.  Real charity is not some fluffy act of kindness shown toward lovable people, but it is an anguish and a painful sacrifice for others who have made for themselves a hideous mess of their lives, for whatever reasons.  It almost looks like a waste of a life, and on both sides of the equation.

We can rightfully love and admire what is beautiful but we must remember what made that subject beautiful in the first place.  It was because it was loved.  Love creates beauty; beauty only helps the love to remain alive.  Love always comes first.  Love takes some object that has no beauty at all, nothing to admire, only shame and ugliness, and loves it only for the sake of loving something, without condition.

Since "God is love" this is exactly why He loves and died for all sinners.  He could not do otherwise.  But God is also righteous and therefore He also can not allow evil to harm the now made innocent without consequence.  He loves the innocent ones so much that he will punish those who harm them so that His children can be protected from that harm.  This is a very crude way of explaining the relationship between righteousness and love.  Righteousness can not be what it is without love and vice versa, although Love came first; in fact, He has always existed.

In conclusion, it can be said that yes, God loves all of his creation, including those who attempt to be righteous apart from Love.  God cherishes his creation enough to create it, then to destroy it and then to offer salvation from that destruction.  But while righteous love contains some force, some anger, some punishment, it also must respect the free will of love.  It is because of this free will that sin runs rampant throughout all of creation.  It is because men love sin more than God (which is not righteous love).  God continues to allow good and evil to coexist on earth and it is between this good and evil that each person must choose.

Therefore, every created being must make a choice to receive this great love of God.  If one is saved or not saved from their prideful sin, God must through righteous love continue to allow and cause the consequences of both of them in order to be who He is, merciful and holy.  Yet He also causes this effect in order for righteousness as well as love to even be manifested.  It is only through the free will of man that the sovereignty of God is portrayed and that God is glorified.  The very thing we hate is the same thing that can become the beauty that we love.

The atonement of Christ is not limited, until the Day of Judgment.  All created beings have the chance to walk in the "footsteps" of God with Jesus as our example and with the help of the Holy Spirit.  Concerning righteousness and love, it is imperative that we avoid the two extremes while embracing both of them.  The self-righteous focus too much on righteousness but a false humility is also pride with no righteousness at all, or no absolutes.  Righteous love does not ignore wrongs.  Instead it points out error without abatement because we righteously love the victims of that error.

It is not wrong to be angered and hurt by sinners and to even express these emotions.  It would be wrong to not hate sins and sinners.  But the righteous emotions must be produced by unconditional love.  The subjects of our wrath must belong to us; they are the same ones we would die for and have already sacrificed ourselves for them, because ultimately, we are humans too.   

From all over the Reformed Protestant world, I continually hear the mandate "... to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" as man's primary goal; whether this concept accurately describes the Reformed theology, I do not know, but it seems to be a fundamental one.

At first glance, this appears to be a very noble endeavor and consistent with the truth of Scripture.  It certainly refutes the fatal misconception that man's greatest pursuit should be one of glorifying the self, or of worshiping the self before God, which is idolatry.

However, the phrase "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" also seems to leave out a very important biblical teaching and that is the one that concerns the human heart.  "Enjoying God" appeals to the heart.  This part of the statement and glorifying him are beautifully intertwined to occur simultaneously, except that a love for God, rather than self, must always precede the action; otherwise, it becomes a work of the flesh, or a legalistic action.  So it might better be clarified, "Enjoy God forever and thereby glorify Him" since this is how we glorify God.
 

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."  Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)

Secondly and lastly, when this aim or goal is mentioned, the hearer in our modern church world and society is almost always inclined to believe that glorifying God has nothing to do with ourselves, or the world in which we live.  It is believed that a better Christian is one who is not entangled with the lusts of the flesh or the deceptions of the world, and the Bible teaches this truth.

And yet it is also through our bodies and through the material world that God manifests himself to us.  The separation of God and the material world is a Gnostic separation.  On the other hand, a New Age philosophy states that God is creation and while that grotesquely limits God, there is also an element of truth in it.  For creation is the means used by God in relating to the souls of men and in which the souls of men commune with God during mankind's season on earth.

At this time in church history, I believe that glorifying God would be better understood if it did not inherently detach the material creation.  Therefore, I would love to hear an alternative command in place of the glorifying God concept.  Would it be disrespectful of me to suggest that Reformed theologians might take into consideration a different way of communicating their point?  Perhaps this one will work for everyone:

"Love God then do what you will."  ~ St. Augustine, translated

    

I have no intention of leaving my awesome and imperfect church, but I have been intrigued with other churches in the area so I have been visiting some just for the fun of it.  Yesterday I dragged my four kids to yet another one which is called Eastlake Community Church in Bothell, Washington after seeing an ad for it on Facebook.

ECC is where the young, rich and beautiful go to church.  I would've felt like a porkchop at a kosher wedding under any other circumstances, but I learned an unexpected lesson about rich people and churches yesterday.  Allow me to elaborate.

Everything about this church not only spelled seeker friendly and Suburbia with a capital S, but also gargantuan.  The building doorways were extra wide, its hallways extra long, ceilings extra high, and lights extra powerful.  Yesterday morning, my two older boys were tired from spending the night at friend's houses before they suffered a tough loss at their indoor soccer game that morning, and they really didn't feel like being at church.  I told them that the website said that the kid's classes were FUN at this church.  They didn't believe me for a second.  Until we turned the extensive corner to the children's ministry area, that is.

There were computer kiosks every 15-20 yards or so in order to self-check in kids and receive their very sticky sticker labels containing all of their info and a parent pager if desired.  Each extremely spacious classroom sporting bright, primary colors had its own age-appropriate fast-food type playland, inflatable castle bouncers or park equipment such as teeter totters.  Children's ministry workers wore uni-colored football jerseys.

In the class for my two 1st graders were video game stations, craft corners (with big fat markers), gym mats, and quality toy bins all organized like a Montesorri school (although the learning value might be debatable).  There was also a large projector screen from which they would learn their Bible lesson.  Yesterday the subject was "thankfulness" and my kids had a blast acting out a suspiciously-sounding comical story of the Ten Lepers.

My 5th and 6th graders entered an even bigger room full of arcade video games, electronic hoop fever, ping pong table, shuffle board, foos ball, air hockey, some contemporary sofas for lounging around, and much more.  It was the third heaven of the teenage kind, and my kids got that glazed over, lusting-after-pixie-straws look in their eyes before they even left my presence with hardly a goodbye to mom.

Whoever was behind the organization of this church deserves a medal of honor.  Not only were there easy-to-read maps and clearly-marked areas and rooms, but there were helpers everywhere happily ready to direct my way through the crowds.  The coffee/tea area had all possible condiments available with "greeters" at every station to talk to us while we stirred our beverages.  The servants at the sanctuary doorway aptly handed me a church bulletin along with a pen!  "Do I get to keep the pen?"  I asked, to which "If you want!" was the reply.  (After the service the same people held plastic bins in strategic locations in which to return the pens and any unused bulletins.)

I'd now like to interject a comment about the dynamics of public relations.  Everywhere I go in my daily life, I am consistently greeted with scowls in female passersby.  I also get a lot of smiles, both natural and salesman-like, and I also get ignored and forgotten.  For some reason new acquaintances seem to remember me as Stephanie (rather than Elizabeth) but I am getting way off topic.

About the scowlers, I have yet to fully understand this phenomenon regarding female competition but I've been experimenting with these haters to see if I can't release them from some inner turmoil by returning a smile (if there is time in passing).  Some  women completely change their facial expression and smile back at me, while others deepen their glowering creases even more.  But with others, I have been noticing a visible sign of relief in their body language as they look away.  You think I'm making all of this up, don't you?

Anyway, although I encountered a few scowlers at ECC too, I was overwhelmed with the amount of warmth and outgoing personalites that seemed to be everywhere in those gigantic spaces.  This might be attributed to all of the greeters (I'm wondering if there were even some in disguise) who created the atmosphere or maybe this was really just a fun bunch.  During the sermon, I had to let out a muffled sneeze and there were 4 or 5 people sitting around me who laughingly glanced my way to bless me.  An older gentleman and his wife sitting next to me sort of took me under their wing by introducing themselves and talking to me afterwards.  But that is not the interesting part.

This particular church didn't have much of a biblical depth and this is what I mean:  In order to make visitors and members feel comfortable and welcomed, there must be present quite a few entertaining fillers.  I'm not sure how to describe the morning worship music except as:  David Crowder meets Dick Clark, as if music could get any worse.  A line that was repeated over and over in one of the songs was, "No one should be left out".  From what I could tell from a single Sunday, this phrase pretty much sizes up the entire church's theology.

The pastor/teacher utilized acronyms, fill-in-the blank outlines and lots of humor.  And guess what the sermon was about?  That's right - money!  "The only way to get out of wicked debt is to change your perspective about money."  Other fluffily-cliched phrases centered on the "roadblocks" of guilt, envy and selfishness so we should "admire without the need to acquire" and, "Materialism begins when your income ends."  (I never did quite get that one.)

But the attentive people in the audience were intently writing these things down as though it was the first time they had ever heard such things.  Normally, I would have to shake my head at such a downfall.  There are very few other biblical mandates for churches than to teach the Scriptures.  However...

What this church lacked in biblical knowledge was made up for in the members' generosity.  This church was so obviously not only generous financially but also with their time and service to others.  In fact, the pastor reminded them that ministry also happens in the community in which Christians can and should participate.  "You don't need a church or pastor's stamp of approval for this kind of ministry."  Much of the audience nodded in agreement.

There are two things that make me cry on the spot:  Seeing pictures of orphans in Africa and witnessing grown men cry, for I know that it usually requires something very painful to bring a man to tears.  Yesterday morning I got to experience both of these things and in a bittersweet way it ruined my entire week.  ECC sends out periodic teams to Uganda in order "Help Ugandans Grow Spiritually (H.U.G.S) one village at a time".  Part of a returning outreach team related their experiences to the rest of the church from the stage.  I was bawling like a baby during this portion of the worship service as well as during the slide show and it wasn't because of the background music.

I love these rich people.  While I generally view the wealthy as somewhat of a fake society, I am now forced to rearrange my bias and prejudice.  I have a small and strange dilemma on my hands because my kids keep begging me to take them back to that church, but because of my background there is just no way I could sit under that kind of teaching every week and be challenged to grow.  Nevertheless, I am finding out with all of these churches that I visit that a group of like-minded people can accomplish so much more in the world, than can individuals alone.  And I am eternally grateful that America can offer so many different kinds of worship services to the diversity of Christians, in order to do just that.    

 

    

There are certain refutes by Christians who are using their legislative power to vote against homosexual marriages that contain some valid concerns, yet they do not withstand the line of reasoning if they are further examined.

First, a premise:  The first amendment of the constitution (along with the bill of rights) was added in 1791 in order to protect civil liberties; this includes the protection of the freedom of religion without establishing any one religion or religious beliefs or practices upon civil government.

Many Christians view homosexual marriage as an attack on religion, but this argument is nullified because religious institutions as well as religious individuals are still free to marry in accordance with their own beliefs and laws if homosexuals also marry.  Civil government supports this right through endowing a tax-exempt status for churches, as well as recognizing their freedom of speech, among many other liberties.

Furthermore, the legal marriage right of the land is not owned by the church, although the constitution ensures that the church is free to perform wedding ceremonies in accordance with their beliefs and their laws.  Many people, religious or otherwise, recognize the church's authority in its view of marriage as a sacred institution. 

Same sex marriages do not infringe upon any rights of other citizens nor do they cause bodily harm or damage to physical property to anyone outside of themselves.  The gay rights movement in this issue is not asking for special rights but equal rights.

Some Christians argue that same-sex couples would adopt children and these children have a right to both a mother and father.  I believe that this is a valid freedom to life and liberty, but this fight must be fought primarily in the religious arena because the government can not be expected to provide a mother and father to all orphans.  This is ultimately the Christian's responsibility as mandated in the Holy Bible and also the responsibility of the orphan's fellow citizens in a democracy.  The government's role can only support this endeavor by providing the freedom of adoption to all citizens without discrimination.

Some Christians argue that if we allow homosexual marriage, then we must allow sibling marriage or parent-child marriage.  When do we cross the line?  In a democracy, the line is crossed when physical harm is conferred to another individual.  I would think that there is enough evidence to show the harm toward offspring as the result of incest, as well as toward a minor.

"Homosexuals can never fulfill the role of procreation."  If we denied gay marriages based on this argument, we would also have to ban marriages of older couples and couple who can not conceive.

Another concern is the protection of the definition of the term "marriage" as the Bible defines it.  How does the Bible define marriage anyway?  It says that it is a union between one man and a virgin woman.  If the woman is not a virgin, she shall be stoned to death (Deut. 22:20, 21).  Many Bible teachers say that the Bible also forbids marriage between a believer and an unbeliever.  A law against male polygamy is difficult to find in the Bible but some believe that the law against it is found in 1 Cor. 7:2.  (A woman can not have her own husband if he is married to other women.)  But it is still clear that the Christian can not impose the biblical view of marriage on the law of the land unless the land is a theocracy.

Some people are seeking a middle ground with the issue by advocating for the term "civil union" between homosexuals.  The problem with civil unions is that it denies federal benefits, social security benefits, tax breaks, insurance breaks, sick leave for ailing partner, etc.  Homosexuals are either equal citizens or they are not, and this is really the heart of the issue.

Another dispute that I have been hearing a lot is a counter-argument against the comparison of denying same-sex marriages with the American segregation of blacks in recent (and current) history.  Homosexuality has thus far not been concluded as a biological cause and yet there is sociological evidence that it is a choice.  So it is true that there are very clear differences between gays and African-Americans.  Sexual orientation is different than race anyway.

Although the analogy between gays and African-Americans breaks down, there are still similarities between denying same sex marriages and racism.   Gays are currently experiencing government-sanctioned discrimination as well as social discrimination.  Rights, privileges and protections that are bestowed upon other citizens are not given to gays based on a single trait.  There is also present a hatred, bias or prejudice based on a single trait.

A segregation is any type of separation or isolation from a main body or group.  The segregation that many Christians are imposing upon gays prohibiting a basic right to marry is a legalistic one.  It is an attempt to separate moral people from sinners (although this concept as it applies in this case completely falls apart) which is something that Jesus never orchestrated.  The biblical separation of the righteous and the unrighteous are those whose sins have been forgiven and those whose sins have not been forgiven.  There is only one rightful Judge in this case, for humans are inadequate to make that final decision.

"Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society." -- Thomas Jefferson, to the Virginia Baptists (1808)