Is Global Warming A Real Threat?

As an American you have the right to deny the reality of global warming. 

You have the right to consider it a liberal conspiracy to subvert the profit margins of the big oil companies. 

You have the right to believe those who claim global warming is the brainchild of tree huggers and green fanatics.

You have the right to believe that global warming is some sort of Liberal conspiracy. 

You have the right to believe that the warming of our planet is cyclical.

You have the right to believe a presidential candidate who blames the whole idea of global warming on the Chinese. 

You have the right to stick your head in the sand and pretend that global warming is not real. That's your choice.

You also have the right to ignore some of our most knowledgeable climate scientists who continue to provide us with compelling evidence supporting the notion that we may be headed towards an irreversible global crisis. 

That’s your right. I get it.

But I have rights too.

I prefer to listen to knowledgeable scientists (as opposed to ignorant politicians or business profiteers) who are telling us another story, who are offering us a counter narrative with regards to the reality of global warming. 

I choose not to ignore the signs that our planet is in deep trouble: rising temperatures, intensifying storms and droughts, extreme weather patterns, melting glaciers, the melting of the earth’s polar ice caps causing rising sea levels, extreme weather patterns, and the pollution of our rivers with deadly toxins that have seeped into our water supplies (e.g., Flint, MI). 

And let's not overlook the massive quantity of scientific evidence pointing to global warming sitting right at our Google search fingertips.

I prefer to ignore those naysayers who debunk the notion of global warming by turning it into a political issue. 

When I witness a presidential candidate clearly demonstrating his profound ignorance on the subject of global warming I fear for the future of our planet.

So I have also chosen to listen to modern day prophets who are ringing the warning bell in hopes that we all will listen before it is too late, that we boldly set aside our political persuasions long enough to hear what they are really saying to us, that we educate ourselves on climate issues by reading good books and scientific articles available to us.

In response to the call of Pope Francis for us all to hear “the cry of the earth and the poor” author and activist Brian D. McLaren warns with prophetic clarity:

“Even the rich will eventually see their money party coming to an end as turmoil spreads within and among the nations until civilization as we know it becomes increasingly insecure and the whole system goes staggering, catastrophe by catastrophe, toward collapse. Whether it ends with a big bang of war or a pathetic whimper of slow decline, the extractive and consumptive way of life that we have created will not stand.”

In another words: Our lifestyle cannot sustain the future of our planet. Period!

Therefore I am exercising my right to believe that global warming is indeed a real threat to our way of life and to the lives of our children and grandchildren as well as to the future of our beloved planet. 

Our future hangs in the balance.

The future of our life-sustaining planet hangs in the balance.

We are being called to look beyond the bubble of our tight little comfortable worlds and see the bigger picture of an earth in travail. 

You and I can exercise our right to believe whomever or whatever we wish regarding the issue of global warming but we must realize that our decision will have a great impact on the future of Mother Earth.

Note: I would recommend the following resources for anyone interested in learning more about Global warming, from a theological perspective: Brian D. McLaren, Everything Must Change: When the World's Biggest Problems and Jesus' Good News Collide (2009) and The Great Spiritual Migration (2016), chapter 8, “Salvation from the Suicide Machine.” Also from a science perspective: Lester R. Brown, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (Substantially Revised 2009).

Why I Am A Christian 2

Following Jesus is hard.

It is really hard.

In fact, following Jesus is impossible without radical repentance—defined as a complete reversal in how one thinks. 

Don’t overlook the importance of repentance as being a reversal in thinking.

In my last post I addressed the issue of “Why I am a Christian.” Granted it was not the popular explanation many might expect and I am sure it may have raised a few eyebrows.

But you see there is a monumental difference between one’s claim of “being a Christian’ and one’s claim of ‘being a follower of Jesus.” 

In other words, it’s one thing to identify yourself as a Christian (nominal) and quite another to follow the teachings of Jesus (disciple).

As I have said earlier, being a Christian for many is understood as having invited Jesus into your heart and confessed him as your Lord and Savior and saying a formulaic “sinner’s prayer.” 

This creates one’s Christian identity, but in name only. Nothing else is really needed and the best part:we have always been told: 

It’s free!

That sounds all good and well and it fits the profile of the popular definition of a Christian for so many today; unfortunately it’s not Biblical. Jesus never told us to do any of those things in order to become his follower. 

In fact, and this will surprise many (maybe anger a few), Jesus never once told anyone to become a Christian.

So what did Jesus say we should do?

“Follow me.” 

In fact those who first followed Jesus were not called Christians but rather were called “The Way” (a great metaphor that has unfortunately fallen into disuse).

Those of the Way were later called “Christians” at a place called Antioch, and many scholars believe the Romans invented this moniker as a way to poke fun of the followers of Jesus. 

Ironically the moniker “Christian” became the Roman Empire’s official designation for the once fledging Jesus movement and “Christianity” became the name of the now State supported religion. 

So let’s return to the notion of what it means to follow Jesus and his teachings today:

I must warn you however that seriously following the teachings of Jesus can be both dangerous and risky. 

If a follower of Jesus names racism for what it is, whether it is in the individual or structural form, one is often cast as a liberal or in some instances anti-American. Yet we are called to rise above all forms of racism.

Or if a Jesus follower takes a public stand on the issue of climate change and the potential damaging effects it may have on our future one is then accused of being a tree-hugger or a member of some green party. Yet we are commissioned by God to be good managers of the earth.

Or if a Jesus follower demonstrates compassion towards the homeless he or she is often accused of being a supporter of those who don’t work or who are lazy. Yet we are called to show compassion to the poor and to resist any and all economic injustice.

If a Jesus follower protests for peace he or she is often considered unpatriotic or hates America. Yet Jesus said that the peacemakers will be called children of God and by implication not those who make war.

If one demonstrated the capacity to love when others call for revenge or retributive violence then one is dubbed a weakling. Yet Jesus said that we are to pray for those who persecute us and to love our enemies. We are to model reconciliation and not retaliation.

Finally, if one does not affiliate oneself with any particular political movement because of an abiding commitment to Christ’s kingdom then one is considered unpatriotic. Yet we are called put God’s kingdom first in our lives, even before our nation. 

There may be many reasons why one would claim to be a Christian these days but these are just a few that I can recount. 

I am a Christian because I have decided to follow Jesus in spite of the dangers and the risks. Now please understand that none of us do so in a perfect manner. I often disappoint God and those who love me because I sometimes given in to cowardice and fear when called to follow Jesus into the tough places and situations in our world.

But God’s grace is sufficient for us to keep at it no matter the consequences. Remember when Jesus said “follow me” he also said: 

“I will be with you even until the end of the age.” 

Take courage and fear not. Following Jesus may be hard but it is far from impossible.

Why I Am A Christian!

If you were to ask me earlier in my life why I am a Christian  I would have said:

“Well I took Jesus into my heart by praying the sinner’s prayer and thus accepted him as my Lord and Savior.”

This is exactly what I did as a ten year old in 1957 on commencement night of our Vacation Bible School. At the encouragement of my grandmother I stepped out of the pew and made my way down to the pastor and told him I wanted to accept Jesus as my Savior (I had been coached to say that by my grandmother).

This act of taking Jesus into one’s heart has become the gold standard of what it means to be a Christian for many today.

This is basic Christianity 101. It’s starter stuff. It all begins right here: Ask Jesus to come into your heart, say the sinner’s prayer, get baptized and the deal is sealed. Reservations for heaven are now made. You’re good to go.

Okay I really am not making light or poking fun of this understanding of what it means to be a Christian. It has worked for countless thousands of folks and it worked for me for most of my adult life. My experience was real even though I didn’t fully understand all the implications that it was to have on my life. I am thankful I had that experience and that I had a faithful grandmother who believed I needed Jesus in my heart.

I was taught that as my Savior Jesus promised me heaven when I died and as my Lord he expected me to live out my faith as best I would with the help of the Holy Spirit, although that part was not required to be a Christian.

Not a bad package deal is it? But something wasn’t quite right about it as I later discovered.

My perspective on why I am a Christian has dramatically changed as I have grown older and the big difference is a matter of focus—at least for me.

So if you were to ask me today why I am a Christian I might respond by saying:

“I am a Christian because I have made the decision to follow Jesus regardless of the costs.”

This answer is the result of my own recognition that Jesus never once instructed us to take him into our hearts. That’s not a Biblical understanding of what it means to be a Christian. 

Jesus's plan of salvation was described in two words: 

“Follow me.”

That’s pretty succinct wouldn’t you say?

No sinner’s prayer, no taking Jesus into my heart (I never quite knew what that meant anyway), but rather a conscious decision to follow Jesus out of the box. 

So how does one follow Jesus?

In the time that Jesus lived it was pretty cool to follow a Rabbi. To follow a Rabbi meant becoming his disciple or student. One learned everything the Rabbi taught and converted those teachings into a lifestyle. The Rabbi’s teachings became the foundation for the student’s core values.

Matthew concludes his Gospel with the words attributed to Jesus:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is Jesus’ call to salvation: 

“Become a disciple (lifelong student of Jesus), follow him through baptism (death to the old life and resurrection to a new life), and then make his teaching your life’s core values.”

I am a Christian not because I have recited some contrived sinner’s prayer (which is not even in the Bible), not because I invited Jesus into my heart (which is not a Biblical concept), and not because I have heaven locked up after I die (not in the Bible as well).

The point of the Christian life is not so much about life after death as much as it is about life before death.

I am a Christian because this life matters to me. I am a Christian because I am passionate about the life I am now living. I am a Christian because I take seriously the teachings of Jesus found in the Gospels and reflected in the other books of the New Testament.

So if you were to ask me why I am a Christian my answer would be different from what it was earlier in my life. I am a Christian because I have decided to follow Jesus and to make his teaching the foundation of my life’s core values.

I remember as a youngster being told that salvation was free. It didn’t cost anything to be saved. A simple prayer and voila you were in like flint. 

I now believe that that focus was mistaken: I didn’t get saved in order to go to heaven, I got saved in order to help bring God’s kingdom to earth now. Heaven will take care of itself although I now believe heaven is God’s restored creation and restored earth (Isaiah 11 and Revelation 21:1-4) and not some celestial place up there somewhere.

I never tell anyone who is contemplating becoming a Christian that salvation is easy or free. I would tell them that their decision to follow Jesus would be the most meaningful decision of their lives. It would be the best decision they would ever make. But it would be misleading and wrong to tell them it cost nothing.

I would warn them of the dangers, the risks involved, and how expensive it really is to follow Jesus. It requires death and resurrection in this life. It requires a total confession of Jesus as Lord (to the exclusion of all other lords including nationalism). It may even mean death or at least suffering. It requires a robust commitment to the teachings of Jesus. 

This is what it means to be a Christian today! 

This is how I would answer the question of why I am a Christian today.

Does God Cause Bad Things to Happen?

“I’m angry at God right now. I don’t know if I will ever have faith again.”

Those were the heartbroken words of a friend of mine who had recently lost his beloved wife to cancer. Yet he isn’t the first nor will he be the last person to express such anger towards God over the loss of a loved one.

As a pastor I have witnessed more anger directed towards God than I care to mention. 

In fact, I have harbored my own share of anger towards God over the loss of my mother many years ago. It is not unusual for one to get angry with God and a lot of that misplaced anger is the result of bad theology.

As Franciscan Richard Rohr so aptly observes: 

"I believe that behind every mistaken understanding of reality there is always a mistaken understanding of God." 

Often times we humans mistakenly interpret the events in our lives inappropriately due to an inappropriate understanding of who God is.

Allow me to explain.

The reason my friend was angry with God was because he blamed God for his wife’s cancer and death. So did I with my mother’s death. There was cognitive dissonance between what he believed about God and what actually happened to his wife. His inability to harmonize his understanding of God as an all-good all-loving God with the harsh reality of his wife’s death created anger in his heart towards God. I understood his pain. 

This is by no means unusual. 

As I said, it happened to me over thirty years ago when my mother succumbed to cancer. I became intensely angry with God given that I had committed my life to full time ministry as a pastor. 

“How could he do this to me” was my oft-repeated refrain.

I was fortunate to have a perceptive Rabbi as my roommate in Chaplain’s school during the final days of my mother’s fight with cancer. I shared with him my anger with God and my own disillusionment with him over my mother’s suffering (who was herself a deeply committed Christian woman).

He gave me a book that was fairly new written by another Rabbi named Harold Kushner. The book became a best seller and it helped me work through some of my own anger towards God. The title of the book was: When Bad Things Happen to Good People. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I still had a long way to go in developing a better understanding of God but Kushner’s book helped launch me in that direction.

What I have been describing is what is classically referred to as the “Problem of Evil.” 

It is traditionally stated in the following manner: 

“If God is All-Powerful, All-Good, and All-Loving then why does he allow bad things to happen to people?”

Christian apologists and theologians have written tons of books attempting to answer this perplexing question. But the short answer for me is this, without over simplifying a complex problem:

“God does not cause bad things to happen to people. God is not the author of death!”

In other words, God was not to blame for my mother’s cancer and death. God did not cause my friend’s wife to have cancer and eventually die. 

God is not in the death-dealing business. God is a life-giving God who offers life in abundance. 

There is a culprit behind all the sickness and death in this world and it isn’t God. There is a malignant spirit, or force in the universe that stands opposed to God. The Bible refers to this evil force as “Satan.” 

One author refers to him as “Old Scratch!”

Jesus made it definitively clear that he came to bring life (not death) and to offer it in generous abundance (john 10:10). The very first act of God recorded in the very first book of the Bible (Genesis) finds God creating life (not death). 

Death is of another origin or source other than God.

The eternal promise of God is the offer of life with him forever. 

So perhaps we have been placing the blame for the hard-to-deal-with tragedies of our lives in the wrong place. It is not God who is behind the death-dealing evil in the world. Jesus made this clear once and for all.

If we are to get angry with anyone it is with Satan, the prince of darkness.

One final observation: God does not cause bad things to happen to us in order to fulfill some perfect plan of his. 

More crudely put:

God does not create bad in order to bring about good. 

We just have to learn to quit blaming God for all the bad things that happen to us so that we might be able to embrace him as the All-Loving God that he really is. 

War or Peace?

I can honestly say that for my entire life my country’s default setting has had us on a perpetual war footing.

The same is true for my children and my grandchildren and this deeply concerns me as a parent and as a grandparent. It concerns me because of its effects on our nation’s future—their future more specifically.

Neither my children or grandchildren or me for that matter has ever lived one day of our lives in which our nation hasn’t been at war. Think about this for a moment. Our nation’s warlike default setting has become unconsciously normative for all living Americans under the age of 75. In fact if one were to challenge this default setting one would be considered unpatriotic.

Actually America has been on a perpetual war footing since December 7, 1941. There has not been one hour of one day in which America has not been on a war footing and this should be deeply disturbing to us all. 

Most Americans simply assume that being at war is normative for our nation—it was for me for many years. I served as a Navy Chaplain and also attended the USMC’s Command Staff College to study the Operational level of War. 

I was a staunch supporter of the so-called “Just War” theory. I believed that the only way America could be kept safe was by strength. This not only was my nation’s default position but also my personal position as well, even though I was considered a “non-combatant” by declaration of Congress.

I saw no conflict between my faith in Jesus and my commitment to use whatever force necessary to protect American interests abroad. I was in effect a non-combatant warrior for Jesus and as long as I had the Just War theory to fall back on there was no conflict between my faith and my unquestioned patriotic duty to support my nation’s wars.

All of this just felt normal to me until I began to challenge my nation’s warlike default setting in light of my readings of the New testament, especially the Gospels, and in particular the Sermon on the Mount.

I also began reading books authored not so much by Christian apologists but by former military officers and military historians who believed that our perpetual war footing has become a dangerous default setting that must be changed. 

I also began reading theologians whose views on war I once considered too liberal or suspicious, even bordering on treasonous. Yet their views began to make sense to me in light of Jesus and Saint Paul’s dispositions toward peace (a real eye opener for me).

This shift in my own thinking has led me to the sad conclusion that if America doesn’t shift its default setting away from war and move towards a more sustainable trajectory of peace we are doomed as a nation. 

In fact, former president Dwight D. Eisenhower warned prior to leaving office in 1960 against a permanent “military-industrial complex” becoming an integral part of the American ethos. Unfortunately America did not take Ike’s advice and instead built a massive military and security apparatus, one of the largest the world has ever seen. 

So where has it gotten us today?

Now many will claim that we must be strong militarily in order to face the dangerous realities of today’s world. Most Americans have been conditioned to believe that it is only by military strength can we survive in an increasingly dangerous and hostile world. 

My children and grandchildren know of no other option for dealing with international conflict: Call out the military and engage the enemy with mighty force! 

So how are those of us who have committed to following Jesus into this dangerous world to respond to this national default setting? Well I believe we can make a good start by simply asking ourselves some hard questions, but asked in light of the New Testament, the Gospels, and the Sermon on the Mount (this assumes that you have done your Bible reading):

First, is maintaining a huge military apparatus such as we have today really necessary (if nothing else, think economics)? 

Second, would a smaller national defense force be more appropriate were we to shift our default setting from war to making peace?

Third, as a follower of Jesus how do I align Jesus’s nonviolent teachings with my nation’s warlike default setting? Is it really possible to harmonize the two?

Fourth, how does my reading of the Sermon on the Mount square with my nation’s current position on the use of military might as a foreign policy tool for expanding American interests around the world?

Fifth, as a follower of Jesus how might I shift my thinking from Just War theory to a more non-violent approach to foreign policy (which appears to be Jesus’s default setting)? 

Six, are there other accessible options in order to achieve and maintain peace in the world other than violence (which seems to me to be what Jesus taught)?

Finally, what would our world look like if the strongest nation on earth decided to reset its default setting to making peace rather than war?

Think about that for a minute.

These are questions I believe every American follower of Jesus should ask himself or herself. If enough people who follow Jesus today actually began resisting our nation’s use of the military as the only viable solution to solving international conflicts I wonder what impact that might have on our future?

Not challenging our nation’s current warlike default setting is in effect a dangerous compliance to the eventual demise of our nation. If the people of Christ can’t see this based on their honest reading of the New Testament then I am afraid there isn’t much hope left for us as a nation.

We would be wise to reset our default setting to making peace rather than war. 

Our very survival may very well depend on it, at least for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

Why Can't We See?

We all suffer from myopia!

Metaphorically speaking we all suffer from myopia in varying degrees. 

Myopia may be understood as a “lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.” I would suggest that it also prevents us from seeing the point of view of others who live outside our own life experience or tribe or community or race. 

Its symptoms may be described as having tunnel vision or having blind spots or worse, viewing the world from within a silo. It’s all rather limited vision.

For example, we humans normally see those things that fit neatly within our own frame of reference or life experience and thus excluding what others might see who live outside of our particular context.

For example, white people cannot see or experience what black people see or experience. The reverse is also true. It becomes even more troublesome when one people group is on the bottom of the social ladder while the other is on top.

Whites and blacks have life experiences that are so different from one another and myopia prevents us both from seeing the other’s point of view in any helpful way.

Believe it our not the Apostle Paul dealt with this phenomenon of myopia as he attempted to unite Jews and Gentiles under the umbrella of the fledging Jesus movement. In his letter to the Ephesians he wrote that the incredible accomplishment of Christ’s work could be summarized in the following manner:  

“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us” (2:14). 

The “us” at the end of this statement represents the Jews and the Gentiles as two distinct people groups (the Gentiles being made up of several different subgroups). The truth that Jesus came to accomplish this remarkable feat is too often lost amidst the hyper individualistic understanding of salvation that seems to characterize so much of Evangelical Christianity.

In other words, it is myopic to think that the main reason Jesus came in the first place was to open the door for me to get my sorry butt into heaven.

Such thinking is myopic.

Jesus came to reverse the tragedy of the Tower of Babel. He came to unite humanity into one global community known as the “Body of Christ.” He came to unite Jew and Gentile (the rest of the world) into one living body of God lovers and Jesus followers.

In Christ we who have trusted in the work of Christ are given a broadened vision—a vision that is not characterized by myopia. We are given a new set of eyes and a new way to think about the world in which we live.

Myopia should never characterize Christian thinking. America may very well continue to have racial problems but for Christians racism died on Christ’s cross. 

African-American football players are trying to tell us something about America but we can’t hear them for all of our white myopia—we can only see what they are doing from our narrow white point of view and their peaceful protests really offends most of white America. Voices of protest always step on the toes of those who see no need for the protest in the first place.

Well the protests of the Old Testament prophets stepped on big toes as they called out Israel for becoming myopic in her understanding of what it meant to be God’s chosen people. Being chosen never meant being uniquely special when compared to the rest of the world. Being chosen did not equate with being on top in the world’s pecking order.

To be God’s chosen people meant that the Jewish people inherited the responsibility to carry out the covenant God made with Abraham to become a blessing to the whole world. Their myopia led them to believe that they were God's only chosen people (similar to our current version of American Exceptionalism). The prophets railed against such myopia (read Amos or Jeremiah for example). 

Yes we have race issues in America and I contend that much of it may be attributed to out own myopia. Think of what progress could be made if we could stop screaming at one another long enough to hear what the other is saying.

Think of what progress could be made were to think outside our own narrow life experience and make an attempt to understand what others are really experiencing in life. 

It’s not a lot to ask but it sure would go a long way in helping heal the long-standing racial tensions and structural racism in this country of ours. Denying that racism exists or casting blame on African-Americans does none of us any good.

In his insightful little book, A Letter To My Anxious Christian Friends, ethicist David P. Gushee perceptively writes: 

“The institutions of American state power at every level were set up by white people and were structured from the beginning in white racism and black subordination.”

Acknowledging this reality alone would go a long way in helping us white folks see and hear what our black and brown fellow Americans are trying to tell us.

Progress will never be made so long as our myopia narrows the way we see the larger world around us. As long as it prevents us from seeing what the other person sees.

“Open our eyes Lord, that we all may see fully the expansiveness of your marvelous grace towards all people—including those different from us.”

A Post-9/11 Reflection

Fifteen years ago today America was radically changed by the insidious attacks of Islamic radical extremists. Over six thousand American souls were lost in what has been described as the worse attack on American soil in our nation’s history. 

Those of us who remember that first 9/11 have a deep emotional ties to that day. 

I recall those of an earlier generation talking about Pearl Harbor. I now understand what they emotionally experienced on December 7 of each year. They never forgot and nether shall we.

But is not forgetting enough?

America was changed in the twinkling of an eye. The very young presidency of George W. Bush was altered in ways that not even he could have imagined; none of us could have imagined such a thing happening on American soil. 

A friend of mine called me just after the news broke of the attacks on the twin towers and she said: 

“America will never be the same.”

Little did I know how right she was.

Fifteen years ago today I was in the early months of my tenure as the pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Central Florida. I have often wondered what my fourteen and half years of ministry would have looked like had it not been for 9/11. I am sure President Bush has thought the same thing about his presidency. 

Neither one of us will ever know for sure.

Being the pastor of a congregation in a post 9/11-world was not easy. It was indeed a challenge to help guide my congregation through waves of anger while at the same time teaching them that prolonged bitterness leads to a hardening of the heart. 

I discovered that attempting to live according to the peace of Christ as well as model the reconciling values of the Gospel to my congregation was much easier said than done.

It was indeed a struggle right from the start.

It was also a challenge to remain faithful to the kingdom of God and not allow myself to become overwhelmed by an invigorating sense of idolatrous patriotism. Attempting to warn my congregation of this danger was not easy especially in an atmosphere of intensifying patriotism in the days following 9/11. 

So as I reflect back to that horrible day some fifteen years ago here are some observations that may be worth considering:

One, we live in a dangerous world but we do not have to live in constant fear. It is understandable how we may be overcome with fear; in fact it is the goal of terrorists to instill fear in the hearts of their victims. If we allow fear to overwhelm us then we have allowed the terrorists to win.

Within my own Judeo-Christian tradition fear is the opposite of faith. As Christians we are called to live as people of faith rather than people of fear.

Two, religious extremism is a threat to us all. Extremism in any form should never become the dominant voice in society. As my theology professor in seminary was fond of saying: 

“Any form of religious extremism is bad religion.” 

We must remind ourselves that all faith traditions are susceptible to religious extremism and we should remain resolute in guarding against and resisting it whenever it raises its ugly head.

Three, the events of 9/11 should remind us that aggressive tribalism is an ineffective and outdated way to live in this shrinking world of ours. We cannot survive as a human race so long as we build “dividing walls of hostility” between us. 

Our shrinking world of the 21st century continues to challenge our assumptions that we can continue to exist in a divided world separated by ideological differences and hardened borders (walls). 

This morning my wife and I attended church services and we prayed as a congregation for the victims 9/11, we prayed for family members of those victims, and we prayed for all the first responders, especially those who bravely gave their lives for the sake of others. 

Perhaps more importantly we prayed for our religious leaders to provide the leadership necessary to make us all instruments of peace in such a dangerous and volatile world. 

It is the least we can do. It is important that we engage our faith in the Prince of Peace in the face of the potential dangers that threaten us in the future. 

It truly is the only way we will survive as a human race. 

The Gospel and White Nationalistic Populism

If you are okay with nationalistic white populism then we have nothing else to discuss.

Seriously, my intentions are not to blow you off because we differ in our opinions over such things as health care, national security, taxes, economics and other political/social issues that affect us as citizens of our nation. 

My reason for suspending any further discussion with you goes much deeper than just our differences of opinion over political/social issues or who we believe is best suited to serve as our president or which candidate has the prettiest smile.

Truth is we should disagree with each other. Addressing our differences of opinion in constructive ways is much healthier for us all. Disagreeing over political policies that affect us as a nation is one of the best ways to develop better solutions that transcend the crippling partisan divide. 

For this very reason we need competing voices involved in the political discussions of our time. We need concerned voices that compete with each other for the benefit and betterment of our nation and not to gain an advantage for one political preference or party. We need diverse opinions working together for he Common Good.

We need competing voices that speak as one in terms of what is best for our nation. We need voices of dissent for the purpose of challenging each other’s assumptions and presuppositions over public policy. Healthy debate is good and much needed.

You see politics in America is not a private affair. It is indeed a very public exercise in determining how best we are to be governed by elected officials. Our government officials are in positions of authority by the consent of the people. We the people vote them in and out of office. The extent to which an individual actually participates in this political process will vary of course.

But it is our responsibility to be at least minimally engaged in the process of politics in America. So the notion that one’s politics is very private is somewhat misleading. It can lead to inaction when action is required.

Okay with that said, I’ve been leading up to what I think is a very serious point:

If you think white nationalistic populism is a platform is good for America then once again we have nothing else to discuss.

Why?

Because as I have indicated in previous posts: My Christian faith is what informs my worldview, which incidentally includes my political views. 

If you aren’t aware of this then nothing I say from here on will make any sense to you.

Any political movement that stands in opposition to my Christ shaped values is of no value to me, especially if that movement threatens the principles of a Democracy that continues to evolve or trend towards a better society as a whole.

With that said I will no longer debate with you over whether or not Donald J. Trump is fit to be our next president or Hillary Clinton for that matter. Here’s why:

Donald J. Trump does not have a political platform to speak of, but he does have a platform upon which he solidly stands as a candidate for the President of the United States. 

That platform is White Nationalist Populism and if you are okay with this then nothing I say will matter to you.

But just in case you might listening:

Jesus was no populist. He was not a nationalistic Jewish populist. He was not about building a kingdom just for the Jews though he himself was a full blooded Jew. Jesus was not interested in building a Jewish base of support that would exclude the Samaritans or the Syrians or the Egyptians (the brown people of his day) or anyone else outside the Jewish circle. 

By the way, Jesus wasn’t a Christian either. He did not come to build a kingdom that would exclude the rest of the world but rather a kingdom that would include all people. I’ve become convinced that Jesus would have never endorsed any form of Christian Exceptionalism (let alone American Exceptionalism).

Donald J. Trump and his white populist movement defies everything America should stand for as an evolving Democracy that has been heavily influenced by Christian values. We are making great strides towards inclusiveness in this country but it is not without serious resistance and Donald Trump’s white populist movement stands as a dangerous obstacle that would impede further progress.

Just so we understand each other, I am not saying all these things to prop up Hillary Clinton's campaign. She has her own set of issues for sure. So please spare me further debate over why she should or shouldn’t be elected or why she should be imprisoned. I am talking about an issue far more dangerous to the future of our nation than Hillary Clinton’s emails or her Foundation connections. 

Donald J. Trump is a clear and present danger to the United States. 

He is the living antitheses of the American principle of equality for all. 

But for me personally, he defies the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Gospel that I have devoted most of my adult life in promoting and sharing with the world. 

When I read in the Gospels that “God so loved the world” I take with extreme seriousness that all people are of infinitesimal value and worth to God. This is the Gospel upon which I stake my life. 

This is why I would subscribe to the mantra: 

“All lives matter because they matter to God.”

Trump’s white nationalistic populism stands in direct opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and if you're good with that then any further conversation between us is pointless.

A Nation Divided

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”

Abraham Lincoln may have said this but it was Jesus who first coined it.

When you live in a binary world only your choices or options are seriously diminished.

When your outlook on life is always either/or you really don’t have much wiggle room for a both/and way of looking at your world.

When your world is colored in black and white only you seriously restrict your options in the way you shape your worldview.

America is in trouble. 

America is a house (nation) deeply divided. 

America is a nation split almost in half both ideologically and politically.

Theologically America is all over the place.

We are so polarized we are allowing ourselves to be edged closer and closer to the point of not being able to recover.

In fact, if there were any substance to the mantra ”Make America Great Again” it would be located in the hope that our greatness lies in the paradoxical unity of our diversity. 

Now this doesn’t mean we all must think alike but it does imply that we all work together for the Common or Greater Good of our nation in spite of our differences.

It also implies that we identify the real culprit of our national divide. This may be a tall order to be sure but so critically important.

I tend to look at my world through the lens of my Christian faith. 

Not everyone sees their world through this lens. I get that and I am not implying that my worldview, which is constructed largely upon the teachings of Jesus and Paul and other Christian thinkers, is the only way to look at one’s world. It is not! I’m okay with this, I really am.

But it works for me and I do believe it is a good way to see the world-at-large. You may not agree and that’s okay too. But let’s attempt to answer what I believe is an important question for all Americans to answer at this time:

"Why are we so divided in America today?" 

There is a cosmic battle taking place that lies beyond our natural/physical capabilities of either seeing it or fully comprehending it. Satan, whether you envision  him as an evil force or as a fallen angel or as a rebellious personality created by God or as a dark energy,  is a major player in this conflict.

For me this Evil (Satan) is engaged in a cosmic conflict or battle with God. Jesus makes it clear that Satan is the principle antagonists and agitator behind this conflict. He is the great disturber of all that is good and unified in this world. So who am I to correct Jesus on the way he viewed the world? Read the Gospels for yourself rather than take my word for it.

Satan’s goal in this cosmic conflict is to divide so as to conquer. 

This has been his strategy for ages upon ages. 

Think Cain and Able, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, David and Saul, Paul and Barnabas, and the list goes on. 

Now Satan isn’t some little mythical red devil with a pitchfork sitting on our shoulder but rather a very dark and dangerous and powerful enemy of God whose goal is to create division rather than unity, whose goal is to frustrate us all from experiencing the harmony, peace, joy, and unity of God's presence.

Now this doesn’t mean that I think there is a demon behind every single bush or that every bad human act is the result of satanic influence. But I do believe we are caught up in the middle of a cosmic battle between God and Satan that impacts our world.

It’s not so much an ancient or primitive superstition as much as a worldview that acknowledges that we humans are not as smart and powerful as we think we are. We are not in charge and we never have been. We too often willfully allow ourselves to be used as instruments of division that can be deceptively dangerous and destructive.

America is a nation divided. America will not survive unless we all realize that someone or something more powerful than ourselves is using a strategy that will ultimately lead to our nation’s demise. 

So let me put it in as plain a language as I possibly can: 

We are not each other’s enemy! We are all Americans. Our enemy is far more powerful and deceptive than those who disagree with our politics or even our theology. Our enemy is not the number of immigrants coming into our country, our enemy is not political correctness. Our enemy is not each other.

The Apostle Paul was quite clear on this: 

“For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

How might we fight this divisive force that seems to have crippled our capacity for unity in America? 

By working for unity even at the expense of compromising our own point of view. By refusing to enter into the divisive and worthless game of name calling, scapegoating, or blaming others for our nation’s troubles, by listening rather than screaming at one another and by bending rather than stiffing in our point of view. We might also attempt to embrace the tension that exists between the far right and far left extremes that are so divisive.

This is not the ultimate remedy for sure, but it is one hell of a good start.

Why I Can No Longer Believe in the Rapture

When I became actively involved in my home church as a young man the one thing that fascinated me the most was a brand of eschatology that featured what we called the “Rapture.” 

Now look, this was exciting stuff. It energized me and my faith which was not a bad thing considering the direction I could have otherwise taken with my young life. For this I am grateful to have been introduced to the idea of the Rapture.

So when I read the most popular book of that time on the Rapture it made it so easy to understand . I must have read that book a half a dozen times. It was so marked up with underlines and personal notes in the margins that the original text was nearly impossible to read. Next to the Bible it was the most important book for me.

What was this book?

The Late Great Planet Earth authored by Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson.

Now the pastor of my home church who introduced me to Rapture theology also introduced me to the Scofield Reference Bible, along with all its annotated notes by Cyrus Scofield a staunch proponent of Rapture theology.

I became deeply convinced that this view of the end times was Biblical and in fact the view of real Christians. I never once considered that there might have been an alternative view of the End Times that was more in alignment with the Bible.

Well to make a long story short, after years of study, I abandoned my belief in Rapture theology. I’m still a Jesus follower however!

Here are the four big reasons why I no longer believe in the Rapture:

One, the word “Rapture” itself is not a Biblical word. 

It comes from Latin, not Greek or Hebrew. It is a word that has been imposed on the way we talk about the end times. It has no Biblical support. Paul does mention in his very first letter to the Thessalonians that Christians will be “caught up” in the air but this is highly metaphorical language and not intended to be taken literally. Paul has something else in mind by using this imagery and it’s not an escape from what’s coming in the future.

Once again, the word “Rapture” itself is absent from the Biblical text. The idea of a secret rapture is imposed on the Biblical texts rather than supported by it. Yet in spite of this the word “Rapture” is perhaps the most recognizable word among many Evangelical Christians today, although their number may be shrinking. 

Two, the theological system that gave birth to the idea of the rapture called “Dispensationalism” is really the new kid on the block. 

For the first nineteen hundred years of the church (that’s a long time friends) this system was unheard of; it had yet to be conceived. So for the first nineteen hundred years Paul’s so-called “Rapture text” 

(4:13-18) has been read in a different way? Google the word “Dispensationalism” and read the online history available to you.

Three, the idea that God is going to snatch Christians from the earth to protect them from impending disaster makes no sense to me anymore.

Everything that I read in Scripture tells me that God is going to renew and restore the earth as opposed to burning it up in fiery tribulation, and we are called to participate in this project. The title of Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth, implies that God is going to use horrific violence near the end of time to close things down.

The problem is that this narrative is based on a very flawed understanding of how God deals with His creation and with humanity. God is in the redemption business. He is in the grace business. He does not use violence (literally) as an instrument of His will. 

This bloody and violent version of eschatology (end times theology) is appealing and attractive, it sells books and bad movies (that are B rated at best) based on this disturbing narrative (“Left Behind”). Preachers used to fills their pews with End Times preaching. Such a violent theological vision may be popular but I question if it is even Biblical.

Four, Jesus didn’t come so that Christians might escape from this earth and live in heaven but rather to joyfully live with him on God’s renewed earth (Romans 8:18-25).

Likewise we Christians are not destined for an escape from suffering. We are called rather to participate in Christ’s suffering right to the very end. This is a key component of Jesus’ teaching that is often overlooked by Rapture opponents.

There will be future books written on the topic of the Rapture but I do hope we’ve seen the last of the bad movies on the topic. Let’s hope so.

Yes there are still some die-hard pastors who still preach about the coming Rapture and the Great Tribulation as they paint a very horrifying picture of the End Times.

I’m just not one of them.