For What It's Worth : Practicing Patience

For What It's Worth : Practicing Patience: I am not a patient person. Never have been. I have accepted the fact that I have been hard wired to be impatient.  Anyone w...

Practicing Patience

I am not a patient person.

Never have been.

I have accepted the fact that I have been hard wired to be impatient. 

Anyone who knows me well enough knows this about me. I work on it and I do believe I have made some progress towards being a more patient person. But I'm a work on progress.

I recently revisited one of my favorite stories in the Bible the other day. It is commonly referred to as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.” I now refer to it as the "Parable of the Patient Father."

So allow me to briefly summarize the story and then I want to share with you a new insight that I received from this parable.

A young man (probably in his late teens) asked his father for his inheritance in advance so he could step out and test the adventurous waters of life. 

Well the father relented without any apparent parental resistance. He gave the lad his inheritance and the boy parted ways with all that was familiar to him.

Well eventually the young lad fell upon hard times as the result of some really poor life decisions and suspicious behaviors. He found himself desperately alone and feeling as lonely as one can feel under such grave circumstances.

So he does the wisest thing he could do at this point in his life: He takes a good long look look inside himself. 

He determines that his personal failures were the result of his own doing (something narcissistic people are incapable of doing; they sooner blame others for their failures and bad behaviors rather than own any personal responsibility).

So the young man, having taken a personal inventory of his life, decides to return home to his father and throw himself at his mercy. 

Okay it is at this point in the story where I received new insight. 

Once the young man admitted to his own failures in life his first thought was to return to his father (and family). He did not hesitate for a second in formulating a plan to return home to the warm embrace of his father. 

Now I turn to the father:

Throughout the story the father is portrayed as perhaps one of the most patient people you will ever meet. 

But what if the father had impatiently resisted his son’s original request for an advance on his inheritance? What if he had reacted in a judgmental way by scolding the young man and by telling him he wasn’t ready for the big bad world?

What if a fight had ensued and the boy and his father parted ways on really bad terms? What if the father had said to the boy: 

“If you leave home son, don’t ever come back”?

What if?

I wonder if such an impatient response would have affected the son's willingness to return to his father?

Of course none of us want to hear those chilling words: “I told you so!” Do we?

But throughout the story the father displayed incredible patience, even in the face of his son’s reckless failures. Rather than acting in judgmental ways towards his son the father’s embrace revealed his unconditional love for his son. 

As a parent myself it is not easy being patient with your children. You want what is best for them but the truth is you don’t always know what is best for them. This is the part of the story that I resonate with the most as a parent myself.

But more importantly I now see a direct connection between impatience and our capacity for being judgmental of others. Impatience often leads to judgmental attitudes (new insight). I know from experience how true this can be for impatient people like myself.

So like the young lad who was the recipient of incredible parental patience, we too might discover the infinite patience of God towards us. For if God was anything other than patient towards us we would all be in deep trouble.

Now this doesn’t excuse us from bad behaviors or making poor decisions in life. Yes we all make such mistakes and missteps, but like the Prodigal Son we can return to our heavenly Father without the fear of being judged. He is always willing to warmly embrace us back into the family as it were,

So the new insight is this: Learning to be more patient with others also helps us to be less judgmental of others.

Maybe this is one of the lessons Jesus had in mind when he originally told this story.

[Rembrandt credited for the above picture]

For What It's Worth : "Jerusalem, Jerusalem"

For What It's Worth : "Jerusalem, Jerusalem": The recent announcement that the President is going to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and thus move the U.S. Embassy...

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem"

The recent announcement that the President is going to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and thus move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the City of David has created a mixed reaction, both positive and negative.

Though I personally don’t believe it was a politically wise move we all will have to live with the political fallout nonetheless. Let’s pray that the fallout will be minimal although there are already signs of unrest among Palestinians.

What concerns me more than the political fallout, however, is the pressure asserted on the Trump Administration to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital fueled by a minority (and minor) theological point of view. By minority I mean that this view is largely contained within the Evangelical tribe, and more specifically within Evangelical Fundamentalism. 

I will now address the theological motivations that may have been responsible for this decision.

It is no secret that Evangelical Fundamentalism is the fuel that animates some of the current Administration’s policies—the Middle East policy being one of the most obvious.

Many prominent leaders within the Evangelical Fundamentalist camp are avowed believers in a relatively recent theology known as Dispensationalism. For many it is the only theological position they have ever known.

Those who embrace this Dispensational point of view believe that Jesus will secretly return a second time and launch a worldwide global crisis known as the “Great Tribulation.” For seven years the world will be cast into utter chaos as millions will die in what will become the worse global conflict the world has yet to see.

At the end of this horrible time Jesus will visibly return and put an end to this global horror and launch his literal one thousand year reign on earth, headquartered out of Jerusalem. Those Christians who would have been miraculously raptured seven years earlier will return with Jesus and rule with him—out of Jerusalem of course.

Additionally, believers in the theological system of Dispensationalism believe that the creation of the modern Nation State of Israel in 1947 was a clear sign of Jesus’ soon return and only serves to hasten the coming of his earthly kingdom. So Jerusalem holds a place of prominence in their End Time theology.

In a nutshell this very violent depiction of how God is going to bring human history to an end and usher in his thousand year kingdom has attracted the imaginations of countless American Christians, including many of those who support the current Administration. 

Many of Trump’s supporters are praising his decision without a clear understanding of the theology that just may stand behind his recent decision. 

I should also point out that there is a huge difference between what is known as Biblical Israel and the Modern State of Israel. Biblical Israel was founded initially upon the covenant God made with Abraham (Genesis 12, 15). It was an unconditional covenant including the promise of land (thus the so-called, “Promise Land”). But the promise of land, though unconditional, was conditional in terms of their keeping the land as their own. 

This is a point often missed by many Dispensationalists. 

The modern State of Israel, in contrast to Biblical Israel, was not founded on a Divine covenant but rather on a secular ideology known as Zionism. Modern day Israel is not a theocracy. Many modern day Israelis do not practice their Jewish faith, to the chagrin of the more Orthodox among them. It is a Nation State like any other Nation State and cannot claim Divine privilege anymore than can the United States of America or Germany or Iran.

Additionally Dispensational theology is lacking any historical continuity with the past, especially a past that extends back much beyond the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is the original brainchild of an Irish Anglican priest whose theological ideas never took root in the British Isles, but found fertile soil in the United States. I’ve always been puzzled by this.

Be that as it may, those who think this Administration’s position on the capital of modern day Israel should be aware that there is absolutely no theological or Biblical justification for such a move. It is purely a dangerous political move driven by an Evangelical Fundamentalism that quite frankly has been elevated to positions of influence within the current Administration.  

As the old saying goes: “Might does not make right.”

If you embrace Dispensational theology then perhaps this recent presidential move makes perfectly good sense to you. For one who no longer embraces Dispensationalism it simply is baffling top me with regards to its possible benefits.

I pray that it will not escalate into further violence in the Middle East or even here at home. But please don’t attribute this decision to any kind of credible theology. 

It may be religiously fueled but it is indeed motivated by political interests.

Is America a Christian Nation?

Is there any difference between a militant Christian Fundamentalist wanting a theocratic government and a militant Islamic Fundamentalist wanting the same thing—that is, a nation governed according to either Islamic or Christian precepts/principles/law?

Yet the bigger question might be: Does God want America be a Christian nation—a nation governed or ruled by theocratic law. 

This seems to be the goal of militant Christian Fundamentalists today and alarmingly they are making inroads into government positions in hopes of achieving such a Christian theocracy (see Chris Hedges, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, 2006).

So do such aspirations of an American Christian theocracy please God?

Okay, I’m not at all qualified to speak on God’s behalf. But I do believe we can get a sense of what God may or may not want by going all the way back to the call of Abraham (Genesis 12 & 15). 

God made a covenant with Abraham (formerly Abram) promising that Abraham would be blessed (as well as his descendants) and they well as be a blessing to the whole world. 

The Lord established this covenant for the purpose of revealing himself to the world through Abraham’s descendants (known as the Abrahamic Covenant). 

Many years later these descendants, having been rescued from Egyptian slavery (Exodus), occupied a land to begin fulfilling this covenant God made with their ancestor Abraham.

But once these former slaves settled into the land of Canaan (The Promise Land) the people called upon God to give them a king, like the other nations surrounding them. 

They wanted to be a nation ruled by God’s law through a human king.

This defines a theocracy. 

This theocracy ultimately became Biblical Israel. It should also be noted that the modern State of Israel today is not the same as Biblical Israel. Modern Israel is not a theocracy (as many Christians assume it is).

Now the Israelites demand for a king seriously displeased God. Actually God took great offense that his people wanted another authority to rule over them. He knew the dangers of such a religious-political arrangement. 

He knew once a king was in place the road towards idolatry would be both slippery and wide (read 1 Samuel 8). It would also lead to their destruction.

The point to be taken from all this is that God doesn’t want to govern his people through human rulers or governments; rather he wants a faithful covenant people to love and serve him in the world.

Does God want America to be a so-called “Christian Nation” as militant Christian Fundamentalists believe he does? 

The short answer is “No!” 

God wants Christians living in America. or any other nation for that matter, to be faithful covenant partners with him as they bless the world on his behalf. We cannot be beholding to earthy allegiances while at the same time faithfully honoring the covenant God has made with us in Jesus Christ.

Yes it sounds good when Christians talk about America being a Christian nation. But that’s all it is: Talk with no substance, let alone Biblical support.

This doesn’t make America a bad nation nor should it prevent any American Christian from loving the country in which he or she was born. But America is not and should never be a Christian theocracy (as militant Fundamentalists so desire). 

Perhaps Peter said it best in his first epistle: “ . . . for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:8).

Just how clear can it be?

We Christians in America make up what Peter calls a “holy nation.” We are God’s covenant people, bound only in allegiance to Christ. Jesus is our Lord not Cesar. 

Finally, the only way we Christians can truly be a blessing to the world (as God’s faithful covenant people) is to be unfettered from any form of nationalism—a nationalism that will never fully comply with God’s will on earth. 

Biblical Israel learned this lesson the hard way. I suspect modern Israel will not make that same mistake again. 

For What It's Worth : Living as People of Peace in Times of Fear and Ter...

For What It's Worth : Living as People of Peace in Times of Fear and Ter...: The second way Christians can witness to the “principalities and powers” that control both our politics and our economy is to engage the...

Living as People of Peace in Times of Fear and Terror

The second way Christians can witness to the “principalities and powers” that control both our politics and our economy is to engage them as peacemakers schooled in the Way of Christ.

Jesus’ call for his followers to be “peacemakers” is not a mere suggestion. It is not an option for us only when it is convenient or safe to do so, for there are risks when it comes to non-violent peacemaking. 

Indeed, love-infused peacemaking is really difficult and often unpopular. It runs counter to the culture that glorifies and even sacralizes violence and war. 

Yet it inspires a moral vision that is so needed in a world that is determined to self-destruct through its own agencies of escalating violence. When two of the world’s leaders banter with nuclear weapons like two school children fighting in the school yard we know that our children’s world is seriously in danger of annihilation.  

Violence and war captures the impressionable imagination of our youth today especially through lifelike videos produced and sold to glorify them both (not to mention make a mind-boggling profit). These lifelike videos, including Hollywood’s own contribution with movies that sacralize killing (e.g., “American Sniper”), glorifies and normalizes violence as the only way to defeat violence.

Ironically this portrayal of violence as an appropriate response to violence actually makes sense. It is reasonable and logical. When coupled with the goals of nationalism (safety and security) it is the only course of action that will work (it hardly ever does). This is why young men and women are so willing to lay down their lives for the political aspirations of those who govern them (and often are unwilling to do the same).

Yet war continues. Violence is not eradicated but in today’s world only intensifies and expands—it is even glamorized as mentioned above. 

So into this violence prone and war saturated world Christians are called to take a much different path in making peace—the road less traveled as it were. 

I am so disappointed and saddened that much of the Western Church has favorably looked upon the Augustinian Just War Tradition as ample justification for its participation in perpetuating violence in the world. Just War for Christians needs to be seriously challenged and rethought if we hope to regain our moral bearings as Christ followers.

The belief that violence can forcefully produce peace may be logical but it remains delusional. It is disheartening for me to witness the perversion of Christianity exposed by much of the Evangelical Church’s kowtowing  to this worldly contagion of reciprocal violence.

The logic of such violence offers our children and grandchildren a truncated vision that has expanded about as far as it possibly can. There is absolutely no room for this vision to grow since the potential for a disastrous end is upon us with the possibly of a nuclear war.

It has used up all of its capital. 

But there is hope. 

Indeed, our children and grandchildren need a much larger vision for the world we are handing off to them. It is a vision that is filled with a hope that is grounded not in the promises of elected leaders, who themselves hold dearly to their own toxic vision for the world.

But first we must capture this huge life-giving vision ourselves. We must be willing to let go of that tried-and-yet-to-be-proven method that reciprocal violence is the only sustainable way to ultimately defeat violence. It may beat aggressive violence back for a while but it will never eliminated it once and for all. At best violence simply begets violence.

One of the great texts we Christians love to recite at Christmastime was composed by the Hebrew prophet Isaiah who saw prophetically God’s answer for Christians living in a world terrorized by violence:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (italics mine).

The real hope of this world is the Prince of Peace. It is in the illogical response of his followers to practice non-violent peacemaking. It is in our regenerative capacity to recognize the powerlessness of the Cross (Romans 1:16-17) as being the answer to the world’s persistent drive towards violence.

It is only by faith that Christ’s peacemakers stand against the Principalities and Powers of this world—a faith that is animated by the love of God for all of humanity.

In the words of author Marcus Peter Rempel: “Jesus’ answer to violent reasonableness is an unreasonable love.” 

I close with the words of the martyred Catholic missionary, Oscar Romero:

“The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work.”

For What It's Worth : Grace-Filled Justice

For What It's Worth : Grace-Filled Justice: This is what I know about Jesus:  He was a justice-seeking, peace-driven and love-filled peasant who inspired an unbelievable moveme...

Grace-Filled Justice

This is what I know about Jesus: 

He was a justice-seeking, peace-driven and love-filled peasant who inspired an unbelievable movement such as the world has ever seen.

I hesitate to call this movement “radical” (as some might) for fear of it being associated with such radical groups as the Black Panthers of the 1960s or the White Supremacist groups of today. The word radical just carries way too much negative baggage to apply it to the first century movement Jesus inspired.

Nevertheless, regardless of what we call his movement it indeed subverted the social and political norms of his day and eventually led to his horrific death by Roman execution.  

Jesus was born of the peasant class. His parents were peasants as were roughly 90% of the Jewish population living under oppressive Roman occupation in Galilee and in Judea.

Of course this was nothing new for the Jews since they had already suffered demoralizing domination of other foreign powers. So if anyone should have desired to revamp the political system with revenge-seeking justice it would have been Jesus. 

Yet he refused to become a political activist. He never directly engaged the political process of his day. Remember the attempt of the religious leaders to draw him into a winless debate over paying taxes to Cesar? It didn’t work! His response was genius.

His primary challenge to anyone who would listen to him was crystal clear: 

”Follow me!”

That was it: Follow him on a life-changing, world-shaping trajectory that stood in opposition to the very “principalities and powers” that claimed dominance over so many oppressed people living in the first century—including his one nation of Israel.

Now Jesus actually had an operational plan: To reveal the very heart of God; to reveal what concerned God more than anything else; to reveal how God desired for all humans to flourish under grace. 

"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). 

Indeed!

So to follow Jesus is to live in such ways that reflect God’s operational plan for humanity: to live justly, peacefully, and lovingly towards all.

First to live justly:

You may remember the story of the Amish children murdered in a schoolhouse located in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. The Amish of that area stunned the world by their response to the family of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the shooter who killed five Amish girls in an unexplained act of evil and senseless violence.

It is true that there was no legal justice to be had since Roberts subsequently killed himself and thus avoided the strong arm of the law. 

But justice was indeed expedited from he Amish perspective by an act of grace extended to the family of Roberts. In the context of their own unbearable pain of loss these followers of Jesus found the courage to offer a grace-filled justice that simply boggles the imagination. They were following Jesus indeed.

As Jesus hung from the cross, experiencing horrific pain and facing impending death he mustered the strength to ask God to forgive his executioners in the midst of intolerable suffering. This was a clear example of grace-filled justice.

He did not seek revenge. He did not ascribe to the world’s need for a pound of flesh. He did not even resort to the ancient rule of an-eye-for-an-eye that was so prominent in his own Jewish faith.

None of the above.

Jesus taught and lived justly in that he was always seeking for ways to restore humans to life as God intended it to be lived, in order that they may flourish under God’s unmatchable grace. He was not interested in a penal approach to justice (often referred too as “Retributive Justice”).

Jesus taught and lived a grace-filled life of justice. 

We cannot expect the world to accept this understanding of grace-filled justice. Neither should we attempt to impose such grace-filled justice upon a society that has yet to be effectively enlightened by the Gospel. 

However the Amish at Nickel Mines showed us that there is an alternative way for Christians to practice justice: We can live and interact with the world (including whatever political system in which we live) in ways that reflect the grace-filled justice of God towards all humans—even towards our enemies. 


We cannot and must not be responsible for the world’s response to God’s grace-filled justice. 

We can only witness to it and pray that it will do its work to bring healing and restoration to so many broken lives.

The Way of Christ and His Kingdom

Every once in a while someone will say or write something that really gets my attention, or reflects what I am feeling or thinking. It happens to me quite often and has played an important role in helping me clarify my ideas and my thoughts.

Such was the case recently as I reread Stuart Murray’s wonderful little book, The Naked Anabaptist. In the introduction Murray quotes several folks who discovered the Anabaptist way of life and offered brief testimonies of their discovery.

One in particular leapt off the page at me. It was the testimony of a lady in London who wrote:

I’d always felt uncomfortable with all forms of “civic religion.” I felt instinctively that Christians should not be ruling society but should be witnesses to it, and alternative society with different values . . . the church to me is not the glue of the establishment, but an outpost of the radical changes the kingdom brings.

I have experienced similar discomfort for a long time now. It was not easy identifying or even admitting the mental dissonance (conflict) that I felt over the active involvement of so many Christians in American politics these days. 

Equally disturbing was the entanglement of a large portion of the church in American politics. I sensed that we had lost our true identity; more tragically we had lost our “first love” similar to the church at Ephesus, as reported in John's Revelation.

In my last post I discussed the meaning of the word Ecclesia. I suggested that I believed it to be, as used in its original New Testament context, a very dangerous and provocative word. Yet historically it has been domesticated or tamed by its translation as “church." We all know the negative baggage that the word church holds for many today.

The root meaning of this Greek word is “called out ones.” Christians are called out by Christ to be his ambassadors to the world—representing Him and the values of His Kingdom.

Now the BIG question is: “What are we Christians called out from?”

Some will say we are called out from a life of sin or from darkness. Though there may be elements of truth in this understanding I believe it means that we are called out to live separately from those greedy, unjust and violent systems that rule this world and certainly one could include corrupt political systems into this category (2 Corinthians 2:17). At least this is how the early Christians understood the meaning of Ecclesia (before the era of Constantine that is).

Of course the issue then becomes: “What does it mean to live a “called out life” for Christ?

I have come to believe that a serious disentanglement of Christianity from American politics (nationalism) needs to occur in America before the church as a whole can reclaim its called out identity as ambassadors of Christ. I say ambassadors as opposed to legislators for whatever that’s worth.

The primary goal of the Moral Majority of the 1980s was to transform the American political system from within, once it obtained seats of power. Elect a Christian President or Congressperson who supported Evangelical (Fundamentalist) ideas and issues then America would be transformed into a nation under God, once and for all.

In fact this was about the time that I began to feel really uncomfortable with the church’s involvement in American politics.

Well it didn’t happen and quite frankly it won’t happen. America has not been turned back to God and perhaps never will. Just consider today's divisive and toxic political atmosphere. America will never be a carbon copy of the Kingdom of God no matter how many so-called Evangelical Presidents or elected officials there are in Washington or the State Houses.

So how might we Christians, who choose to live faithfully as Christ’s Ambassadors, live in Christ-following outposts of the American experience and effectuate any change at all on the political level?

Well the first thing that must happen is to recognize that we are called to be “witnesses” to Christ’s Kingdom first and foremost. In fact Jesus very clearly instructed his followers to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” Seeking “first” means just that, “seeking first.”

We must realize that we are called out to be active citizens of Christ’s Kingdom, first and foremost. Our allegiance is to Christ the King above all other rulers. As citizens of the Kingdom we live in obedience to our own Constitution: The Sermon on the Mount. 

I plan to offer subsequent posts that will explain how Christians might witness to this nation in which we live, witness in ways that disentangle us from the political system itself.  

I do encourage helpful and kind responses to these posts, responses that will further the conversation constructively beyond the hateful and toxic rhetoric that has exhausted us all. My goal is to offer an alternative way to live the Christian life in America, a way that is radical to be sure but joyful nonetheless. 

Living in Exile

The New Testament word Ecclesia is a provocative word—indeed a very dangerous word. Unfortunately it has been domesticated and tamed and  lost most of its edginess. 

It appears about 115 times in the New Testament and most of the time is translated into English as “church.” There are exceptions. Three times in the book of Acts the word is translated as “assembly” which probably comes closer to its original meaning.

So what’s so provocative and dangerous about “church?” 



Well that’s my point. 

I recently stumbled upon the following online source that clearly defines the meaning of Ecclesia as understood by early Christians:

A body of Christians called out of the Roman and Judean system to come together into a separate civil community. It meant a politically autonomous body of Christians under no king but Jesus; under no other jurisdiction but that of Jesus. No man ruled them! Only Christ. And that was the reason these same Christians ran into trouble with kings and rulers; were arrested, crucified and martyred. They dropped Caesar as their King and took up Christ.

Author Keith Giles has recently written a little book entitled, Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb. The basic premise of Giles book is that the Church (Christianity) in America has become so entangled with the affairs of the State that it is almost impossible to distinguish between the two anymore.

In other words, the American version of Christianity has become so nationalized and politicized that it has lost its unique identity as Christ’s ambassadors to the world. 

To be more blunt, American Christianity has lost its sense of "called out" identity. 

Moreover, its supposedly Kingdom politics has become entangled with national politics and in so doing much of the Church has been co-opted by political power (think the Moral Majority of the 1980s and a large swath of Evangelical Christianity today). 

Author Rance Darity offers an even bolder assessment:

There have been two opposite spirits that have been operative in American Christianity since the beginning of this nation. One is submission. The other is revolution. The one was learned from Jesus, the other from the Enlightenment. This dual spirit explains how guns, soldering,, and Old Glory are virtual sacraments in the life of the American Church. In fact, the average Christian may be more moved by tears by these symbols than they are by baptism, the broken bread and the poured out wine, and the preaching of the cross (Quoted in Jesus Untangled). 

Most recently author Diana Butler Bass posted a series of creative tweets I found interesting. Bass has concluded in her study of contemporary American Christianity, that there are two categories often listed by pollsters: the “dones” and the “nones”.  

The “dones” are those who simply have left the church and sought spiritual fulfillment elsewhere. The “nones” don’t profess any faith at all. 

Yet Bass suggests a third category that she calls the “exiles”.

Exiles are those Christians who have discovered a life of wandering in exile for more meaningful faith rather than being stuck in a church that is, for the most part, tethered to politics and  nationalism.

Exile is a prominent Biblical theme: Abraham and Sarah are great examples.

So maybe in the politically toxic time in which we Americans live we might consider rediscovering the original meaning of Ecclesia, that is to be “called out” from the systems of this world that are unjust, oppressive, violence prone, racist, and loaded with greed—not to mention being surrogates to so much untruth.

Perhaps if Christianity is going to survive and thrive in a postmodern America exiles are going to have to remain in exile and lead us all into a deeper and richer faith and theology.

Perhaps Diana Butler Bass is correct in suggesting that we need to stop trying to rescue these exiles and let them find their way in the wilderness. More importantly maybe we just might learn from them if we are brave enough to engage them in non-judgmental conversation.

Maybe they could teach us what it is like to live and thrive as exiled followers of Jesus in a world that is increasingly hostile to the Faith. Maybe they could teach us what it is really like to live as Christians being untethered to any nationalistic or political system. 

Maybe they could teach us a thing or two about what it’s like to be exiled from  a politically entangled church.

They definitely could teach us about the dangers of being in exile—to be "called out" from the comfort zones we have grown to depend upon as American Christians.

Love Drives Out Fear!

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love (1 John 4:18).

A term I hear often these days is the politics of fear.

Politicians often utilizes fear as a prime motivator to garner support and votes, whether it is fear of the economy collapsing, fear of external threats to our safety, fear of the demise of the American way of life, and the list goes on and on.

Fear is one heck of a motivator my friends. 

But isn’t it interesting that the most frequently used warning in the Bible is: 

“Fear not!” 

Someone has actually counted the number of times this warning appears in the Bible and the number totals 365. 

I find it interesting that in spite of these repeated Biblical warnings against fear many Americans are eaten up with it today: They fear terrorists or when the next terrorist attack will occur, they fear being gunned down by some deranged person, they fear our country being overrun by drug running illegals, they fear our American way of life will be threatened in some way, and again the list goes on and on.

So what do we normally do in order to compensate for our fears (real or imagined)?

Well we beef up security by shielding ourselves from the rest of the world; we stock our gun cabinets with weapons and sufficient ammunition, we depend on hawkish politicians who promise to build a wall to protect us from the raping drug crazed Mexicans fleeing across our borders, we turn to our own tribe and turn our backs on those unlike us, and we resort to all the worldly security measures we think will protect us.

I actually understand why those living without hope can be so fearful.

But I have great difficulty understanding how any Christian, especially a pastor, whose life is grounded in the hope and security of Jesus Christ, can live with such mind boggling fear. I was appalled and shocked by the words of the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Pastor Robert Jeffress: 

“When I’m looking for a leader who is going to fight ISIS and keep this nation secure, I don’t want some weak and mild leader who’s going to turn the other cheek, I’ve said that I want the meanest toughest SOB I can find to protect this nation.”

These words move way beyond legitimate concern towards utter fear. But this is the kind of fear that has permeated American society at least since 9/11.

On the morning of 9/11 I was driving to a meeting when an elder in my church called me to ask if I had heard what had happened. She then said something that I have never forgotten. She said:

 “America will never be the same after today!”

I’m afraid she was right. Many Americans have been living in dreadful fear for the past sixteen years. 

In fact, the most compelling narrative in America today is the narrative of fear. The surrogates of fear are the news media, politicians, and yes even certain members of the clergy. Fear has gripped the American heart and many have succumbed to the hollow promises of politicians who promise to protect us all. 

Truth is: We’ve been duped.

The Christian is reminded repeatedly in the Bible not to allow fear to control us. The Scriptures are crystal clear in reminding us:

“There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear.”

This is something the world will never understand: God’s antidote to fear is love. Not just any kind of love, but rather the special brand of love called agape—the kind of love that is self-sacrificing and redemptive.

The kind of love that was able to overcome fear and be led innocently to a Roman execution.

So do a reality check the next time you hear some politician (or any person for that matter) attempt to exploit you by the use of fear to earn your support and vote. Ask yourself: “Is this person driven by the love (agape) of God embedded in his or her heart or is fear itself the prime driver.”

I close with the words of the author of 2 Timothy:

“For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Here’s a love driven narrative we all can live with my friends. 

"I Pledge Allegiance to . . . "

For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works” (Luke 4:6-7).

This second temptation of Jesus is one of the most alluring and powerful temptations any Christian or Christian leader will ever experience. The temptation to receive and wield power by political means has been a thorn in the church’s side, at least since the time of Constantine (4th Century CE). 

The not so subtle meaning behind this second temptation is the call to worship nationalism and patriotism instead of the God revealed by Jesus Christ. The sad effects of such an allegiance have been disastrously numerous throughout history. The cost of such an allegiance is the loss of our true Christian identity as citizens of God’s Kingdom.

The lure to power is intoxicating and awfully tempting for many Christian leaders who yearn for personal and professional validation. The benefits of such a relationship may appear worthwhile to the average Christian, but the demands placed upon us by the State, as followers of Christ, are enormously difficult and calls into question our allegiance to Christ and his kingdom.

This was Jesus’s big temptation!

But the important thing to know is that Jesus resisted the temptation. In effect, Jesus said “No!” to the lure of political power. He knew he had a better strategy for living and it simply did not match the goals of any kingdom no matter how powerful or wealthy that kingdom was; no matter how great a military it had (Rome's was one of the best of its time). 

He resisted the powerful urge to entangle the mechanisms and mission of his Father’s Kingdom with the kingdoms of this world (including modern Democratic governments).

This is a difficult thing for many Christians to hear today. Being an American and being a Christian mean the same thing to many Christians. There are so many Christians, in fact, who sincerely believe that America was founded as a Christian nation, and remains so even today. This belief is pervasive and powerful, yet it is erroneous.

Since the 1980s, at least, there is this perception that it is possible for Christians to take over the government and legislate morality and Christian values, thus creating an American theocracy (sort of like Iran but with a different named god). We may thank the Moral Majority for such a misguided ambition and perhaps even Franklin Graham and Pat Robertson for perpetuating it today.

Much of Evangelical Christianity, as well as many Mainline denominations, support the belief that Christianity and the State make great bedfellows. It is not uncommon to see the American flag prominently displayed alongside the Christian flag in the sanctuaries of many of these churches; not surprisingly this does not create any theological dissonance for those sitting in the pews. 

Even more tragic is the practice of many pastors involving themselves in political elections by encouraging their congregations to support one political party over the other or vote for one particular candidate. Some even pass out voter guides to help prepare their congregants for election day.

Not only does this mixture of Christianity and politics violate the intentions of the Founding Fathers (who knew firsthand the dangers of State controlled religion) but it also stands in opposition to the heart of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Nothing good will ever come of this marriage I am afraid, but there is hope.

I sense a moving of the Holy Spirit that is nudging many Christian leaders in a Gospel affirming direction. I have noticed for sometime now a shifting of the American-Christian paradigm that has dominated the landscape for sometime. Something is in the air. A new Reformation? Who knows but something is happening for sure. 

Young Christian authors and pastors alike are sounding the alarm of the dangers of mixing our Christian faith with partisan politics. They are warning us that the only winner in this relationship will be the State, as the Church will be reduced to being a puppet for the political apparatus and (mis) adventures of our nation (including her wars).

In fact, I would suggest that one of the reasons (and there are many) for the continued decline of Christianity in America may have a lot to do with the loss of our unique identity as citizens of God’s Kingdom.

I believe we are headed for a reset regarding the role of Christianity in America today. Indeed, unless we shift the State-Christianity paradigm away from such a cozy relationship Christianity will continue to be used and pushed into irrelevancy. 

This is a difficult message to hear I know. But is it worth losing our credibility, our  integrity, as well as our identity in order to reap the benefits of living in such a close relationship with the political powers of our nation in hopes of making them more Christian (like us). 

Quite frankly it is impossible to change a political culture that has already changed us.

Jesus refused this temptation to be drawn into such an intimate relationship with the kingdoms of his world. He flatly refused to become a supporter or a surrogate of the political agendas of the kingdoms of his day. 

He understood the importance of pledging his allegiance and energy to God’s kingdom and to no other. He refused the lure of the Empire in spite of its promised benefits. 

He resisted the temptation to advance his kingdom by political means.

He remained loyal to the Kingdom of God and to no other. 

It is not surprising then that the Christians of the first three centuries followed Jesus’s footsteps in this regard. 

Will we follow in Christ’s footsteps as well? 

For What It's Worth : How to Debate the Gun Issue

For What It's Worth : How to Debate the Gun Issue: There is a belief among Christians that we are in this world but are not of this world. It is firmly grounded in our Scriptures.  ...

How to Debate the Gun Issue

There is a belief among Christians that we are in this world but are not of this world. It is firmly grounded in our Scriptures.

 Check out John 17:14-15 and Romans 12:1-2.

Growing up in the Evangelical tradition I was taught that not being of this world meant not consuming alcohol, not using tobacco products, not dancing, not playing Bingo (gambling) at the local carnival, and not dining in restaurants that served alcohol. The list was longer but you get the point.

The lines between being in the world and not of the world seemed pretty clear to me—or so I thought.

But then life happens in broader and more complex ways. Black and white approaches to complex issues begin turning grey and the lines that once clearly separated my being in the world from my being of the world began to blur.

This past week our country experienced another tragic domestic terrorist attack (do we call it that?) in which some 58 (maybe more) innocent people died and countless others were wounded by a gunman using automatic weapons to create his field of fire. 

Let there be no doubt abut it: This senseless act was Evil personified.

As usual the Social Media was aglow with the same old tired debates and inflammatory rhetoric between gun/Second Amendment advocates and those pushing for gun laws reform.

Folks will continue debating as they have in the past and chances are nothing will be accomplished other than the usual societal reset as it anticipates the next senseless massacre— and make no mistake about it, it will happen. It’s not a matter of if but when and how many innocent people will be injured or killed.

“Should we Christians engage our world in this debate?” which is the way of asking: “Should we take sides?” 

Perhaps we should ask: “How are we to engage our world in this debate?”

“How shall we frame the issue in compliance with the Gospel?” would be an even better question.

In his letter to the Roman Christians Paul offers a clue to how we might engage our world:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (italics mine).

Should Christians engage the world by participating in the so-called gun debate? 

Absolutely,  but with transformed thinking rather than conformed thinking. Conformed thinking is the way the world thinks. Transformed thinking is the by-product of the Gospel.

The values that frame this debate must find their origin in the Gospel rather than in the world. Participating in endless debates based on the world’s logic (or political affiliation) gets us nowhere and creates a pervasive sense of hopelessness. (not to mention it angers a lot of people). 

For the Christian, using arguments that are based on the world’s systemic logic is fruitless and leads one down dead end street. This is why I have never successfully won a debate over the gun issue by using confirmed thinking as my platform for debate.

But when I rely on transformed thinking to frame my argument I may not convince the one with whom I’m debating but I am witnessing to the non-violent peace loving Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

When the Apostle Peter cut off the Roman guard’s ear with his sword Jesus quickly reprimanded him for using violence even if it was meant to be in defense of his Lord (Peter was operating according to conformed thinking: the good-guy-with-a-gun logic). 

Jesus on the other hand provided the transformed approach to such violence: 

“Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

The operative Gospel principle behind Jesus’ words to Peter is non-violent resistance (a principle found in several places throughout the New Testament). This does not make sense to the world but it should make sense to the Christian mind. 

So what I hear Paul saying is this: 

We can allow the world to frame our debates and opinions based on conformed thinking or we can allow the Gospel to frame our engagement with the world. 

This is why I consider debating the gun issue with conformed thinking as an exercise in futility—a waste of time. Conformed thinking is certainly of this world. Transformed thinking comes from an entirely different Source: Jesus Christ. Christians ought too understand this distinction. 

America loves its guns and in the words of pastor Brian Zahnd will “deserve the hell it gets” for such idolatry.

Let’s hope Brian is wrong but if this issue is not framed with transformed thinking then I suspect he may be right.

Time will tell.

Limping Into Forgiveness

Forgiveness is messy business.

Don’t let anyone tell you that extending or receiving forgiveness is easy. How can it be? Forgiveness takes place within the context of broken and messy human lives. 

But equally as difficult is to seek forgiveness from one you have wronged or caused harm. The following story illustrates this truth for us.

There were two brothers (twins) whose lives separated because of a combination of bad parenting, poor life decisions, deception and lying, and the usual sibling rivalry that so many experience. 

Esau was the first born and therefore inherited certain rights and privileges according to ancient Near Eastern traditions. Jacob, being the second born, was excluded from the expected paternal blessing reserved for his older brother. This was a big deal in that ancient culture (check out the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15).

Both brothers were very different: Esau was the rugged outdoorsman and hunter (probably athletic as well) while Jacob was more creative and loved to stay close to home. One was a father’s boy and the other a mama’s boy. 

This is never a healthy family dynamic but in this case it eventually led to a painful schism between the two brothers. My sense is that the entire family was at least borderline dysfunctional when it came to rearing their children. 

Jacob, with his mother’s help, deceived Isaac (the father) and stole Esau’s elder son birthright, which was bad juju back in that time and place. Esau was furious. 

So Jacob fled to another country to avoid his brother’s vengeful wrath.

With the passing of time however the human heart should soften a bit and the intensity of old family feuds should dim.

This is true of Jacob as he apparently sensed the need to reconcile with his  brother Esau.

So Jacob headed for home in hopes of receiving forgiveness from his brother Esau.

Along the way Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-32). It was a life-changing experience. All night long Jacob wrestled with the Holy One. In the morning two things happened as the result of this all night WrestleMania: 

Jacob incurred a broken hip resulting in a lifelong limp. He also received a new name, Israel which appropriately means, “to wrestle with God”.

Biblical scholars are not real clear as to the meaning of this all night wrestling match between Jacob and God but there is a significant lesson to be learned from the incident:

Jacob had to limp his way into forgiveness.

To seek forgiveness one must take ownership and responsibility for his or her part in the broken and injured relationship.

Jacob’s lifelong limp was the tell tale evidence of a life dominated by lies and deception.

Such behavior as lying and deception always costs something. There is always a price to pay for the way we unjustly treat or talk about others, especially those close to us. 

It is costly to do unjust harm to another human being. 

Yet we all do it to one degree or another. We are human of course and our relationships are spiced with messiness.

So when we feel the need to seek forgiveness from an injured friend, or a co-worker, or a neighbor, or a spouse, or even a family member we will then have to limp into that forgiveness with a broken heart. 

There is of course a good chance that forgiveness will not be given. But we must take that risk and limp nonetheless.

No one comes to forgiveness with a clean slate, I don’t care who you are. Jacob knew what he had done. He wrestled with God because he had yet to find peace with himself or with his brother. He knew deep down that he had stolen something quite valuable from his brother. He knew that his lying and deception had finally caught up with him—it always does. 

Fortunately Esau forgave Jacob. He embraced him and kissed him as was custom for males to do in the ancient Middle East. 

Yes, forgiveness is messy but is so necessary to heal our broken relationships.

Living in Two Americas

It was never easy being a Hebrew prophet. Once we let go of the notion that the main task of the Biblical prophets was to predict the future (i.e., the End Times) or the coming of Jesus (the first time), we will then begin to appreciate them for their main mission: 

To remind Israel of her covenant relationship with Yahweh with a keen focus on justice and peace.

This was no easy task and certainly required an enormously high degree of courage to withstand the criticism of the citizenry and the vitriol of the political elites. Men like Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Hosea were not feeble and meek preachers, but rather men animated by the Spirit of Yahweh to speak truth to power. 

Today we need such prophets in America, more now than ever. We need brave souls, men and women alike, to remind us that we aren't quite the “City on a Hill” we think we are.

Author Suzy Hansen does just that by reminding us of a hard truth in a recent article published in the Washington Post:

The Pakistani novelist Kamila Shamsie once observed that there are “two Americas” — one at home and one abroad. The first is the America of Hollywood, work-in-progress democracy, civil rights movements and Ellis Island. The second is the America of coups and occupations, military dictators and CIA plots, economic meddling and contempt for foreign cultures. The rest of the world knows both Americas. But as Shamsie has written, Americans don’t seem aware of the second one at all (italics added).

It’s this first America that I love and is mostly admired by all those living outside our borders. Yet it is the second America that many Americans can’t see and non-Americans living abroad do see and dislike, and perhaps for good reason.

In fact, Suzy Hansen lives and works in Istanbul and certainly has a clearer perspective of what this second America really looks like to those living outside the borders of the “City on a Hill.”

The Hebrew prophets spoke truth to power and many were persecuted for being so honestly forthcoming. They interpreted the signs of the times rather than merely predicting the future. They were deemed unpatriotic and haters of their country. Some suffered extreme hardship for speaking truth to power (e.g., Jeremiah). 

Such modern day prophets as the Russian Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the American Martin Luther King, Jr., the South African Nelson Mandela, and many others understood the dangers of speaking truth to power and each paid a horrible price. 

Both Jesus and John the Baptist spoke truth to power and it did not end well for them. It rarely does for prophets, both ancient and modern.

I love America and because I love her I do not hesitate to critique her whenever I believe it is appropriate to do so. I believe anyone who truly loves America would do the same thing. I’m not talking about mindless complaining or partisan bickering, but rather a hope filled critique whose primary goal is to speak truth to power.

Jesus did warn us however: 

“A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”

Like all other nations America is deeply flawed. She falls way short of perfection.  She has skeletons hidden deep in her closet; skeletons that need to be exposed to the light of day. 

These are not easy words to hear. History may offend but it doesn’t lie. I well remember the first time I became aware of my country’s dark underbelly and once the proverbial toothpaste is out of the tube it is impossible to put it back. Once you see it you can’t unsee it.

Kamila Shamsie reminds us of what we Americans fail to see and are simply unable to critique in healthy ways.

Yes I love the first America as anyone should. I love the first America of generosity and open hospitality. I love the first America of freedom of expression. I love the America that the Statue of Liberty invites all to experience. I love the first America of apple pie, baseball, 4th of July celebrations, and the rich tapestry of so much cultural diversity.

I love the first America of medical and scientific innovation. I love the first America in which the ideal is liberty and justice for all, even though we are still working on that wonderful vision.

Yet I am not fond of the second America; the one that is often hidden and not allowed to be seen in public; the one that Americans have such a difficult time seeing, let alone acknowledging. 

I wonder, if the Hebrew prophet Amos were alive today would he speak truth to power? Would he call out the second America and force her to expose herself to an unaware citizenry? Would he challenge the first America to empty ther dirty laundry of the second America in order to promote justice and peace for all?

I happen to think that he would do just that and he probably would be labeled unAmerican and unpatriotic.