Corrupting Christianity

I was reading some classic eighteenth century poets this afternoon when I came upon this quote.

He who begins by loving Christianity more than Truth, will proceed by loving his sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all.

At first I thought this was an anti-Christian statement. I thought the writer was being harsh. Then, I began to think. If we do love Christianity (note, I didn't say Christ) more than Truth (which is found in Christ) than we soon see the world as 'us' and 'them'. We become filled with the idea that anyone or anything that has the label 'Christian' must be good, even if it is just a chicken sandwich (Chick-fil-A comes to mind). Soon we get upset if people don't like our group (even for reasons that have nothing to do with our faith or God, just everyday reasons) and we start to retaliate. Soon, we get upset with others in our band of Christians. We have to rename ourselves to show that we aren't 'like them.' We attack the other group because they are Christian in the same way we are. We soon find that this leads to more of the same. In the end, we start to see Christianity as being whatever we are, even in areas that have nothing to do with our faith. A Christian does not have to be a white skinned, bearded fellow with glasses who likes quirky humor. That part of me doesn't have anything to do with Christ. But so often we view Christianity as 'being like me (or someone else).' We forget what the word Christian even means. Little Christ. It isn't about our name, our group, or ourselves. It is about Christ. Not a single time did Jesus attack the politics of His day. Oh, the people tried. Christ was not interested in politics that change day by day or hour by hour. He was concerned for men's souls.

So what should we take from this? Well, we need to remember that we are not to be friends only to fellow Christians. (Matthew 5:47) We are to love all people. If someone else doesn't agree with you, love them. If they mock you, pray for them. We seem to think that this applies only to when we are being tortured for our faith. (which doesn't happen here in America) We need to remember that we are to love our enemies, our neighbors, and our brothers and sisters. There is only one way to God; that is through Jesus Christ. But we need to remember what else Jesus taught. He did teach love. Love and judgement are intwined. If God did not judge, He would not have any love for those who have been wronged. On the other side of that coin, if God did not love, He would not bother to judge, or would just condemn the whole group.

In the end, we must love God, not just love religion. There are many religions, and even many in Christian circles that love religion and follow that, without ever actually following God. We need to make sure that we fellowship with Him, follow Him, and love Him first. Then we are truly Christians.

Spiritual Stories

I was stilling and enjoying one of my favorite pastimes today, (drinking coffee) when I overhead a group of zealous, devoted Christians talking next to me. They were discussing one of my other favorite pastimes, reading. One of them was talking about reading Towzer and Ravenhill, both fine authors. The other was telling how they no longer read any fiction because it was a waste of time. This saddened me. I realize that many works of fiction are not of much, if any good. Indeed, many of them may be dark, or in extreme cases directly evil. But storytelling is a precious gift from God that we can enjoy and use to grow. I am personally very fond of storytelling, both others' and my own. Jesus Himself used stories to illustrate His points. In fact, we find that Jesus didn't teach the crowd with anything other than parables. (Matthew 13:35)

So what is 'good' fiction and what is bad? Does it have to be from a Christian author? Is it anything you can order from Christian Book Distributor's? Only if written by people with a degree in Theology? To make any of these our guideline for literature would be foolish. I have read books by 'Christian' authors that had far worse implications than those written by non-Christians. Also, I have read excellent books that were written by Christian authors.

God tells us about Himself in story. In fact, the entire O.T. is one long literary novel. It is indeed non-fiction, but it is a story nonetheless. The O.T. prophets often spoke in literary stories and the last book of the N.T. also gives us a narrative. If God puts such a value and usage into storytelling, why do we not do so as well?

Many times truth is revealed in story that is nigh impossible to show in other ways. Many amazing stories have been penned throughout history to show us points that we would not have been able to put our finger on if they had been told in a different medium. Imagination was given to us by our Creator. It is something He has and has given unto us. We are made in His image, and should use what we have been given to glorify Him. In the words of Dietrich Boenhoffer, ""Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will."In the same way, avoiding all fictional literature as a 'waste of time' is far more like avoiding the ability to reason and learn and instead  of actively learning and growing.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think that those friends were being sacrilegious; I think that they meant well. And if that is indeed the conviction that God has given them then I do not believe they should change them. God does not convict us all the same way. For good reason. God has created so many people because He has a unique story to tell in each life. God does not intend for us to all become identical. We are to be unique children of God. If we were not, there would not be need for more then one Son. If we were to become exactly the same, there would be no possibility of plurality. God desires for us to each be a unique work of His hand, for His glory. For this reason, we are all different.

In the end, God's conviction should produce our obedience. We are to be what He asks us to be. We are to love Him and His children. In doing so we are truly His children.

What is Will?

What is God's will? This is a question every Christian asks. In fact, the more we ask it, the harder this question becomes. Some people will tell you that God's Will is sovereign What that means is that nothing happens outside of His will. They reach this conclusion by realizing that God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient, (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere). Therefore, they assume that all that happens is what He want to have happen. They will confidently tell you that all things are in God's will and no matter what happens God wanted it to happen. That has to be true right? Because God is all powerful?

"Hold on a minute," I hear you say. "Then God wanted Hitler to kill all those people? God wanted man to sin? God wanted Lucifer to become the Devil? Do you mean that God wants rape, murder, kidnapping, and theft to happen?" This is indeed what that would mean. John Wesley said it well when he said: "this makes God worse than the Devil."

How could God ask, even demand, us to follow His Laws, claim to be Holy and Just, and do all these things? Doesn't that make God a sinner? The worst sinner in history? Would that not make God the Father of Lies?

Yes, it would.

As you can see, I do not agree with that teaching. I believe that God is indeed all-powerful. But I believe God is powerful enough to create beings that have their own free will. Free will is the most powerful thing God created, and He gave it to us. To humans.

What does this mean? Well it means that God created a perfect world, put people in it, then let them choose. There cannot be freewill without choice. God wants to have children that love Him. But love must be a choice. You do not love something if you could not choose anything else. That would not be love, it would be menial attachment by proxy. No, God wanted free children that loved Him. So He gave them the choice to love or leave.

Now, people did eventually choose to leave God. They disobeyed Him. Adam and Eve did so in the Garden. Here we find the first human choice against God's will. He desired to have them follow Him forever, but they did not. They broke His command. This was not His will. His will was for them to love Him and love on another. In disobeying Him, they did not follow Him.

Now we come to the most important question of this post. WAS IT GOD'S WILL FOR THEM TO DISOBEY HIM? If it was, then they were not disobeying Him, they were following His will. If that is true, they should not be punished. But God did punish them, He condemned them for disobedience. If it was disobedience, it was not His will. God does not EVER want people to disobey Him. He does not want people to kill, rape, or steal. But, true to His word, He gives us that choice. But He will punish us in the end if we disobey.

In the end, we cannot say that God hates lies and at the same time say that all lies told are part of His will. We cannot say that God does not sin and then state that all sin is part of God's will. The problem with this line of thinking is that people don't understand the difference between Power (God's omnipotence) and freewill (God's gift to man) There cannot be sin without it being against God; and God cannot will sin as it is against Him. Therefore, not all things are part of God's will.

Now, I have no doubt that God COULD force His will on us. He could squash us all in a second. But that is not what He asks. He asks us to choose to follow Him. He will not force us to do so. This is not for lack of power. In fact, the very nature of our freewill shows just how powerful God is.

Conclusion

Lying, theft, rape, murder; all these things are not part of God's will. I believe that He mourns with us. But He will not take away freewill. For to do so is to take away the reason He created us. So what is God's will? Simple: love the LORD your God with all your mind, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. Remember, God wants you to choose, and He will let you, no matter what. Choose wisely, my friend.

Personal Presuppositions

This evening I went with a friend of mine to watch Jurassic Park in 3D. Nothing like giant dinosaurs running around in 3D and surround sound. Throughout the movie they were talking about how dinosaurs evolved, where they went, and how many years separated man and dinosaur. As a young Earth advocate, I would not actually agree with these precepts, however they were assumed in the movie and everybody on film seemed to agree.

This got me to thinking, do people believe this and then watch the movie, or do they believe it because it is on the movie? Not just this one, but so many others. On TV shows, the smartest guy isn't just an atheist; oh no. He is always the one who laughs condescendingly when there are any people of faith. (You will also notice there are never any normal Christian characters, just nut bags, or fakes or people who say one thing and do another.) So there we see that the smart people are all the ones who don't believe in God.

So what, you may say. Why do we care? Well, most people assume that the person behind the writing has done their research, and they are showing us the truth. Not so. Often we fall for modern propaganda here in our 'free' country as well. We assume that what is on TV is what everyone believes. Other people assume the same thing. So what soon happens is that people do indeed start to believe it, so that they will fit in with everyone else.

An example of this is the way people view police shows. So often on those shows, they have to keep a caller on the line. If they don't, they can't trace the call. In the real world, if you can make a connection, it can be tracked instantly, otherwise you wouldn't have a connection. 

Another example is TV medical care. The odds of recovering after getting CPR are 5%-15%. To give CPR you must check and see if the person is breathing. That they do. But you are also to check if they have a pulse. They never do. In order to be authorized to give CPR the person has to have no pulse and not be breathing. Basically, we would say they are already dead. Technically, they are. That is why the odds of survival are so low. But if you believe what they show you on TV, every thing from car accidents, electrocution, drowning, and a blow to the head can be solved by CPR. This is not the case at all. 

Why does this matter? Well the point is that we assume that what we are shown is the truth, therefore we believe that this is how it works. In the same way, we assume that the beliefs held by characters written by an author show what everyone believes, so we tend to believe the same thing as well. We must always be wary of the presuppositions of the people who wrote the show. We need to test everything and use our critical thinking skills. Not only with TV and movies, but also with our day to day activities that involve other people. We need to learn that we do indeed pick up whatever we are around. We need to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

In the end, wether you agree with the young Earth theory or if you subscribe to a old Earth, we must all remember to study what we believe and see if we believe them because they are true, or if we believe them because other people do. This applies especially to us as Christians. We need to realize that we must have a reason for our beliefs, not just build on the latest teacher or preacher. Also we need to realize that some things people will not let go of so quickly because it has been so ingrained into their minds by popular media. In the end, the only way to do this is by prayer and supplication.

Serious Circus

My wife and I were at the circus over the weekend. The circus has changed much in the last decade. Gone were clowns with audacious makeup, only one less gaudy, but equally funny, clown remained. Gone were the 3-5 rings as only one ring was used. But what I missed most  was the absence of the tigers and lions. There was not a single one. There were elephants, camels, dogs, ponies, and horses. But my favorites were indeed gone. I was a bit disappointed.

Why did they no longer have them? The danger factor. Even though elephants are bigger, lions and tigers are more dangerous. And in recent times, we have seen several deaths when people lost their respect for these massive dangerous beasts. Just a week ago, I was watching the news and heard about a young woman who was killed by a lion in a private zoo. It only took one swipe of its massive paw to end the girl's life instantly.

What's all this got to do with Theology? Well, just like some people with lions and tigers, we often loose our respect for God's power and wrath. We think of God as cuddly, like a fuzzy cat, instead of the God of ultimate power and holiness. We think of His love as a get out of jail free card, and we abuse it.

Does that mean we should fear God? Absolutely. (Lev. 25:17, Deut. 5:29, Deut. 6:23, Ecc. 12:13, Is. 59:19, Acts 9:31, I Peter 1:17 and others) We are to fear God. Like a lion tamer fears the animal's true power, we are to fear God. But unlike tamers and lions, we are not in control. God is in control. We are given His grace, not to abuse, but to use. But fear is not a bad thing. Just like we fear animals for their power, we are to fear God. If we forget that factor in our relationship with God, we may be fall under His wrath as a careless zookeeper falls under the wrath of a great lion.

Another way we view God is like a loving Grandfather. We see Him as forgiving and indulgent. We think that we can get away with things if we just suck up to Him later, or maybe if we explain how much we want or don't want to do something.

I remember when I was a child, my grandfather was a patient man. He told stories and laughed often. He would tell jokes that didn't make sense to me, but I laughed anyways. I thought of him as a kind patient friend. I got away with far more with him than with my parents. But one day I saw a side of my grandfather I had not seen before.

It happened as we were visiting one summer. My cousin was up to no good. Running back and forth through the house, she would taunt everyone who was at their work. At first, my grandfather played along, but eventually he needed to get back to what he was doing. She continued to come through, but now she made it a point to bother him as much as possible. I was shocked. I had never seen anyone be that disrespectful to their grandparents. She was warned again, then again. Now she would run by and yell in his ear. As I watched, I saw my grandfather tense up as he sensed her approaching again. This time, as she shouted, she was grabbed by the shoulder, and as quick as lightning, ended up face down on his knee. Out of nowhere he pulled out a flyswatter and swatted her defiant little bottom. She was surprised, however I was far more so. This was a side of my grandfather I did not know existed. I saw him but rarely. My cousin lived right next door.

So was my grandfather inconsistent? Not at all. Judgement came only after warning, time and time again. I had been warned by my grandfather about things before, but never had I been disciplined like this. So what was the difference? Well, now that I am older, I am told that the cousin I speak of enjoyed bothering our grandfather. She had firmer discipline due to greater familiarity and more pronounced disobedience.

In that way, God is like a grandfather. He will judge us based on our familiarity with His standards (His Law) and disobedience of those standards. (Luke 12:48) He will not ignore our disobedience. After this episode, I marched to my grandfather's beat of the drum (or bum if you prefer). I knew that crossing the line could result in punishment. In the same way, God judges some as a warning to others. It is not in harshness that He judges some now, it is  in mercy that stays His hand for so many instead. So let us fear the Lord with proper fear. Love and fear go hand in hand. Let us fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Judgmental Jesus

We often see pictures of God in art. We see the wrath of God poured out in the Flood, (Genesis 6-9) the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah, (Genesis 19) and the gentle love of Christ. We see God the Father as wrathful and His Son, Jesus, as full of mercy and grace. How can this be? Do we have two versions of God? Do we see the Father as only wrathful and Jesus as only merciful? Where does that leave us in our Theology?

One of our base flaws is assuming that God the Father is only wrath. The Father shows His love to us by promising a Saviour. He shows mercy by not destroying us. His mercy is renewed every day. Indeed, He did impart judgement upon the wicked, and still does. Judgement does not show a lack of love. Indeed, if He didn't love those who were wronged in these matters, He would not punish those who were sinning against them. God is Holy, that is why He cannot just wink and ignore sin. To do so would make Him corrupt and a liar.

Not only that, but we sometimes see Jesus as the painters throughout time have portrayed Him. We see a gentle bearded white fellow who wouldn't offend anyone. However, even though Jesus was gentle with the meek and humble, He really let the wicked, like the Pharisees, have it. He called them snakes, told them they were the sons of Hell, and chased them with whips. (Matt. 23)

If we look at the book of Revelation, we also see Jesus with the authority to punish and condemn. He is given the power to judge the Earth and makes quick work of it. He is the Righteous Judge, and He does indeed judge. So what changed His mind? Did He lose His patience with us?

In a sense, yes. By the time we reach Him in Revelation He has come to judge the world; whereas in the Gospel He came to save us from our sins. He gives us one option, if we do not take it He will give us the other. There is not an option of neutral avoidance of the matter. We either capitulate or we die. We are on the wrong side of the battle and are given the option to change sides. God, both Father and Son, had mercy to give us one choice before handing us the other option.

So what do we say? Is God just waiting to impart judgement? No, if He were, He would. Instead He is waiting because He does not want any to perish but all to be saved. (II Peter 3:9) God wishes all to be saved, but will not force us to accept Him, instead He asks us to come to Him freely. But be warned, if we do not accept His conditions now, He will, as a Righteous Judge, give us what we deserve. And that, my friend, is not a pleasant thought.

God in Government

Our current president announced in his first term that the United States is no longer a Christian country. Some people were up in arms over this, however, I do not believe that he was wrong. Our nation is not a Christian nation anymore, no matter what the President says. He is right, but he isn't right because he is President, he is right because we have changed so much.

But is it the governments fault that we are not a Christian nation? Some would say yes, some no. It is not the job of the government to tell us what we believe. The government is in place to correct wrongs and protect its population. We often confuse government with society.

Whats the difference? Well, government is the elected group of people who run the country by the book. Society is everyone in that country. Morality is defined by society, not government. Government enforces the rules that society dictates, but it does not, in and of itself, create right and wrong. Even though right and wrong are often viewed differently in different times, this is not the fault of government. It is the fault of society.

To put it another way, we cannot have a government that is Christian. It can be run by Christians, it can also rule over Christians, but cannot be Christian itself. This is the same way a restaurant can be Christian run but does not serve 'holy food.' No titles, rules, or punishments will create a Christian government. In fact, history is full of examples of why the Church should not rule a nation. The problem rises from the Church having to make judgements on those who are not in the Church. This is not only difficult, it is impossible. We are only to rule amongst ourselves. Government is non-thiest. Those in power and those who are ruled may be Christians or not, but government is not Christian or non-Christian.

But wait, is not the government of some countries, say China, a non Christian government? Not quite, it is an anti-Christian government, but not non-Christian. What is the difference between anti- and non- ?

Well, look at it this way, I am not anti-female; that is I am not against them. But I am non-female, meaning I am not one of them. It is a difference between our state of existence and our preferences. 

In the end, our government is not the problem. Society is what has turned from God; our government is only ruling in favor of the majority, just like a democracy is supposed to work. So what can we do? Where do we turn? Do we take back government by force and rule with an iron fist? What happened to democracy? More importantly, what happened to turning the other cheek and suffering like Christ suffered?

We cannot reinvent our government without destroying the concept of democracy. Instead, we need to focus on what we can change: Society. We need to change the way the world sees things in order to have them agree with us.

So what exactly is society and how can it become Christian again? Good question. Society is the opinion and understanding of the group of people we are in. We need to lead it back to God by doing what God did. We need to be examples. Christ was ours, we are to be theirs. Suffering, that four letter word in our world of freedom, is key to this. Christ suffered for us, we are to suffer for those around us. This suffering does not mean we hurt ourselves and claim Godliness, no, it means we take what is dished out to us, fair or not. We do not seek our own, we seek the good of those around us. In the end, it comes back to loving our neighbor. That is what we have forgotten in our world of freedom and greed, we have stopped loving our neighbor. Let us do as Christ did, and maybe, just maybe, we can turn society back to God.