Book Review: The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg

Trying to find books about the emergent view of Christianity on a book store shelf in Utah can be a tricky proposition.  There isn't much there.  You can find plenty of Mark Driscoll or Duck Dynasty and their take on the faith, but don't bother looking for Brian McLaren or Marcus Borg.  That's why I was a little surprised to find this title and my local store a few weeks ago.  I gave it a shot and wasn't disappointed.

It's a challenging book, to be sure.  Some of Borg's propositions are very challenging to someone like me who was raised in a very orthodox American Christian home.  If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that I'm hardly a stickler for traditional doctrine or dogma, but Borg ends up more leftist than myself in some respect.  Of course, that's a bit of an injustice to Borg to label him that way, but that's really the best way I can think to describe him.  It might be more accurate to say that he's even more comfortable with things which sit outside of the realm of current Christian orthodoxy than I am. That's not a bad thing either.  In this book Borg is out to challenge what we think is traditional Christianity, and even though I didn't always agree with him, his points were always well thought out and gave me a lot to chew on.

He cuts right to the heart of the matter early in the book.  Borg asks "what does faith mean?" "Does God exist?"  "How should we view the Bible?" Also: "How should we view Jesus?"  These issues around faith, God, the Bible, and Christ are the foundational beliefs of Christianity.  I could spend multiple blog entries talking about his views on all of these things, but we'll suffice it to say that in his mind, a lot of what we think is traditional, orthodox Christianity is really fairly new, coming about in the last 200-300 years as a response to the Enlightenment.  Borg often advocates for what he sees as more accepting, and maybe a bit more of a mystical, pre-enlightenment view of these issues, and for the most part, I like that.  I enjoy exploring the more mystical side of life and faith.

The second half of the book talks about how now, after reconsidering these basic aspects of Christianity, we should live our lives as Christians.  He sees it as a two sided coin.  The first is love God with all your heart and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.  This can entail disciplined practice both within the church and as an individual, but it also involves a greater sense of social justice, advocating the view that Christians need to do more to stand for the poor and marginalized and also to stand against the systems of power and government in the world.  He sees these systems as rigged in favor of the already powerful and wealthy, and it's hard to argue with him.

I highly suggest this book, especially for two groups of people.  First, for people who aren't Christians that think that Christianity today only exists on the far right of the political spectrum.  This book shows that it's just not the case.  I would also recommend it for Christians who are interested in reading more in depth about their faith, and perhaps exploring different disciplines to help them deepen their faith.

The Prayer Room: 10/26/14, 20th Sunday After Pentecost

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.  He alone is my rock and salvation, my fortress;  I shall never be shaken.--Psalm 62:1-2 (NRSV)

This morning in our class we talked about how when Dietrich Bonhoeffer visited Rome he saw men, women, and people of all colors and races come together as lay people and members of religious orders.  This encouraged him to really think of the Church as a universal entity.  There he was, a German Lutheran, finding unity with Roman Catholics.  

It inspired me to really think along those same lines.  So I decided that I would reach out to all of you with the offer of prayer.  On Sundays I'll write an entry called The Prayer Room, where I'll list some of my own thanksgivings and concerns about the world as a whole.  I may also list some personal things.  I'll be praying for each of these things throughout the week, and I invite each of you, no matter your religious affiliation, to join me in praying about these things.  If you have something that you would like to add to The Prayer Room, feel free to leave a comment, drop me an email at brandonlbc@gmail.com, or contact me on Twitter @BrandonLBC.  I'll be happy to add it to the next entry of the Prayer Room and pray for your concern throughout the week.  If you would like me to pray for you privately, I'm more than happy to do that as well, just use the email or send me a DM on Twitter.

There's only one rule to this.  I don't want it to turn into some political thing or theological argument, especially with elections pending in our nation.  Let's keep it respectful, positive, and apolitical.  So I'm NOT looking for stuff like "Let's pray that such and such party wins the elections."  I truly believe that the church, as a community, is made up of people with different opinions on a range of issues.  However, when we realize that we are one in Christ, we realize that what unites us is truly bigger than what divides us.

So with all that being said, here is what's on my mind for the coming week.

THANKSGIVINGS

--For the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and all of those who work tirelessly, and sometimes give their lives, to bring the love of Christ into the world.

--For organizations like food banks and the Salvation Army, who will be working throughout the holidays and winter months to give people food and necessities, as well as to provide a Christmas for many children of folks who can't afford it.

--For the ability, for those of us in the USA and other countries, to express our belief (or lack of belief) freely without fear of government sanction.

CONCERNS AND PETITIONS

--For those who are not free to worship or express their belief (or lack of belief) freely.

--For the victims and families of the victims of the latest school shooting in the United States, which happened last Friday in Marysville, Washington.  Also let us not forget the family of the young man who committed the act.

--For the victims and all those affected by the shootings in and around the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, especially the family and friends of  Nathan Cirillo, the Canadian Soldier killed in this event, pictured here with his 5 year old son Marcus.

--For all those affected by the Ebola virus, as well as the brave doctors, nurses, and others who risk their own health and lives to help and care for the sick and dying.

--For the safety of children who will be participating in Halloween activities during the coming week.

--For people, who due to injury, disease, or disability, are no longer able to perform their jobs and must rely on others for assistance,

--For American and allied service personnel and their families, and that the current armed conflicts can be resolved with the least amount of violence done to the least amount of people.

--For people who do not have basic essentials of food and shelter heading into the winter months.

"Do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name.  Come and follow me, I will bring you home.  I love you and you are mine."

--Dear Lord, thank you for the week you have given us, and help us to seek to better the world around us through your son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray:

  Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
[For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.]

Amen.

The God of Liberation and the Ten Commandments

Moses said to the people "Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the Lord brought you out from there by the strength of his hand."--Exodus 13:3a (NRSV)

How often do we forget that one of the main themes of the Bible as a whole and the life of Christ is LIBERATION?  For Jesus, liberation was about freeing us from sin and excessive self interest and moving us into a place where we can live his Kingdom on earth, perhaps even bringing freedom and liberation to others.  Many of the great abolitionists of the 18th and 19th centuries were men and women of faith, folks like William Wilberforce.

The thread of liberation runs through the Old Testament as well.  Nowhere is it more pronounced than in the Exodus narrative where Moses leads the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.  This occasion is still marked by Jewish people all of these years later in Passover meals and traditions.  This was also an important aspect of the life of Christ.  It was at Passover that he sat with his friends for the last time and instituted the new covenant of Communion.

The fact that God stands with the slave and raises the oppressed is a part of the Biblical and Christian narrative that is often downplayed or totally forgotten in modern times.  We're all slaves to different things, be it money, power, or social position.  Then of course there is the very real situation that many people on this planet still live in cultures that keep them down because of lack of money, lack of power, lack of social position and such.  The governments and systems of power that run our world are largely neglectful to the needs of the most vulnerable among us, those to whom Christ was the closest.

It's this God of Liberation that Brian McLaren introduces us to in Chapter 10 of "We Make the Road by Walking."  He follows the Israelites from Egypt to Mount Sinai where this God, the God who freed the people from their bonds, gives them commands for their new lives,  This is of course, the Ten Commandments.  At the heart of this chapter is a restatement of these 10 Commandments as opposition to continued slavery and the slave economy.  Let's take a moment to consider these commands.

1. Put the God of Liberation first, not the God of Slavery.

We read this first commandment as "You shall have no Gods before me," and chalk it up to the fact that God is a jealous God.  That's true, but is that really all that's going on here?  If we restate it as McLaren has, then no.  When we put the God of Liberation first, we are free to live our lives in his kingdom ethic, an ethic that not only frees us from the slavery of the culture that surrounds us, but also inspires us to stand up for the rights of others and the least among us, people to whom the God of Slavery seems very real.

2. Don't reduce God to the size of an idol--certainly not one made of wood and stone by human hands, and not one made by human minds of rituals and words, either, and certainly not one is whose name people are enslaved, dehumanized, or killed.

The first level of understanding this command, or the Sunday School level as I call it, is that you don't make an idol to worship out of anything physical or in your mind.  However McLaren looks deeper. Can we make an idol out of our religious traditions and dogmas, emphasizing them over God? Sure, we can and do.  Can we use these traditions and dogmas to oppress others?  I would say we absolutely do.  The "gospel of wealth" has come to America and given us all kinds of excuses not only to "lay up treasures on earth" but to look down upon people who are less fortunate.  Instead of seeing folks as worthy of a hand up, we tend to see them as lazy people looking for a hand out. The particulars of their situation are given little to no thought as we continue in our selfish ways.

3. Do not use God for your own agendas by throwing around God's holy name.  If you make a vow in God's name, keep it.

Again the Sunday School version of this is "don't take the Lord's name in vain."  Truly this is something that Christians who love God shouldn't do.  But again, there's more. In the 18th and 19th centuries the God of Liberation himself was used to justify keeping slaves.  Today many Christian fundamentalists and people on the far right continue to use God to push their own agenda.  We use God to attempt to deny same sex couples the right to legal benefits of a marriage contract.  We use God to justify a culture of selfishness and wealth, where we have now talked ourselves into thinking that the God who came to earth in a manger wants us to all be fabulously wealthy.  We use God to justify a culture of violence, where the ownership and use of weapons is seen as the highest expression of freedom.  We use God to keep women in lower stations: many Christian denominations still exclude women from various positions in the church .  This shows the world around us that we're not living our lives as God would have us live.  Many of my atheist or nonreligious friends, whose opinions I respect greatly, see this as the biggest practical problem with Christians.

4. Honor the God of Liberation by taking and giving everyone a day off.  Don't keep the old 24/7 slave economy going.

Oh we Christians love to use this to get out of having to work on Sunday.  The funny thing is that maybe you don't work on Sunday, but I bet each and every one of us patronize businesses  that require others to work on Sunday.  It's not just about Sunday either. We expect people to be there for us at a business when we want it, when it's convenient for us.  We don't stand up for the rights of people who work blue collar or service jobs: rights like sick pay, personal days, and a living wage. This perpetuates the modern version of the slave economy.

5. Turn from self-centerdness by honoring your parents.  Honor is the basis of freedom.

None of us do this all on our own.  We succeed only with the help of others.  For many of us, including me, that begins with our parents and our families.  These people, while never perfect, deserve a place of honor in each of our lives.

6. Don't kill people, and don't do other things that frequently incite violence, including: 7. Don't cheat with others' spouses, 8. Don't steal others' possessions, and 9. Don't lie about others' behavior or character.

While the previous commands talk about how we, as people living under God's liberation, interact with God and our families, these next four deal with how we interact with others in our lives day to day.  Certainly don't kill people, and don't do anything that might incite violence against you or others.  Don't cheat with someone else's spouse and ruin their marriage covenant.  Don't steal from others, and don't lie about or defame people.  Though many of us claim that we live in a "Christian Society" violence, adultery, theft, and dishonesty are all rife in our culture.  These practices should not only be shunned, but confronted.

10. If you really want to avoid the violence of the old slave economy, deal with it's root source--the drama of desire.  Don't let the competitive desire to acquire tempt you off the road of freedom.

A couple of entries back we discussed the temptation of Christ and the temptation to be slaves to things and the acquisition of things.  This comes into play here in Exodus as well.  The God of Liberation wants us to be from these desires.  We shouldn't be focused on wealth or things.  We shouldn't be focused on the desire for power, or the desire to fulfill our sexual drives at all costs. These desires often to lead to negative, destructive, and sometimes even violent behaviors.

As we see throughout the Old Testament, including just a couple of chapters down the road in Exodus, the ancient Israelites weren't pros at keeping these commands.  Each and every one of them is broken multiple times throughout the story of the Bible.  The Israelites conquer and enslave others. There are also many stories of theft, violence, adultery, and other behaviors exhibited by people who would become known as heroes of the faith.

They were not perfect, and neither are we.  Much like the narrative of the Old Testament, our live are often a daily battle between our own excessive self interests and the interests of God and others around us.  Where we can be gracious and merciful, we are often cruel and judgmental.  Where we can stand for others, we often go on our merry, selfish way.  When we might use some of our resources to help others, we are often overcome by the drama of the desire to acquire, so much that it may even destroy our own lives and financial situations.

But there is good news, there is the Gospel.  Later in the Bible a man came along who did not give into these desires.  This man truly stood up for the interests of others.  This man gave us an example of how to live our lives in humility and service.  We will never totally live up to the example set by this man, but that's ok, because his death and sacrifice help make up for our shortcomings.  Then because Christ lives, he is able to guide us, be alongside us, and help us start over when we fall short.

Christ is the God of Liberation, and through him we are indeed set free.  My prayer is that we all live in this liberation and seek to stand up for others: the oppressed, the sick, the dying, the poor, the orphans, and those who are discriminated against by our worldly systems of power.  That is the life of his kingdom, the life of liberation.

Ebola 2014: The Cost and Response

Relief workers hand out information leaflets about Ebola in Guinea. (Time Magazine)

You'd have to be living under a rock to not be confronted with the US media's Ebola obsession. Seriously, I got home from work last night and turned on the TV only to hear the uber-important sounding BREAKING NEWS music on CNN.  I wondered what it was about, perhaps an update on the shootings in Ottawa yesterday?  Nope.  It was about Ebola.  Specifically it was about ONE doctor in New York City who had contracted the disease while treating patients in west Africa.  The anchor was indulging a near hysterical tone asking "Are New Yorkers safe?  Is the Subway safe?"  The doctors on the panel did everything they could to talk him down, but you could tell the interest was more in pedaling fear and obsession than actually disseminating relevant information to the public.

That's sad, and perhaps even dangerous for a couple of reasons.  First off, most of us aren't going to have anything to fear from Ebola.  Despite the constant media blaring, we know a lot about the virus. Most importantly we know how it spreads, and how it doesn't spread.  This allows health professionals to give guidance on how to avoid infection. Namely, don't come into contact with the bodily fluids of an Ebola patient.  Of course, this isn't anywhere near as sexy as "outbreak" and "pandemic" story lines now is it?  There's a fine line between urging people to exercise proper hygiene and precautions and stoking a panic.  We seem to be way on the panic side of that line.

But there's an even darker and deeper tragedy happening behind all of this.  While all of us comfortable, healthy Americans are worried sick over a disease that we'll likely never come into contact with, half a world away some of the most vulnerable people on the planet are dying left and right from the same disease, a disease that they don't have the power to escape by turning off CNN or logging off Twitter for awhile.  The plain fact is that most people in America and other industrialized nations couldn't have cared less about Ebola until white doctors and missionaries started contracting it.  

Even when this happened, the response was less than compassionate.  A couple of Americans who contracted the virus in Africa were brought home under controlled conditions so that they could be treated.  When this came out, people became apoplectic.  Yet these people recovered.  These people didn't make anyone else sick.  Serum produced from the blood of these patients is being used to treat others who have contracted the disease.  Pretty positive outcomes all around, yes?

Well, that was not the outcome for Thomas Eric Duncan, who began to show symptoms after returning to Texas from Liberia.  He went to the hospital, reported his symptoms, and told them that he had just returned from Africa.  He was sent home and given Tylenol for his fever.  According to his family, he had no health insurance.  Only days later when his symptoms had worsened was he admitted and treated for Ebola.  He died.  Even at his passing, the concern wasn't for this man or his family, it was about whether anyone else in Dallas had gotten it from him.  Would he have recovered had he been given proper medical treatment immediately?  Only God knows that I suppose.

Meanwhile, people in west Africa often lack even the kind of medical attention that Mr. Duncan received. Are we seeing stories about that on the news?  Very rarely.  So what do we do about it? The cost of this virus is high in Africa and can't possibly be measured in just dollars.  People's lives are ENDING.  Parents are losing kids, kids are losing parents, spouses are losing their loved ones.  Many are dying alone and afraid, with their corporeal remains perhaps cursed to infect another person who might stumble upon them.  Can we see past our own fear and manufactured panic to show compassion to these people, to try to help them?

There are many ways to help.  Secular and religious organizations around the world are responding to this emergency.  I'll list a few links here.

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Ebola Response

Doctors Without Borders Official Site

UNICEF Ebola Response

United Methodist Church Ebola Response Page

As always, please give only through reputable relief organizations or through official programs of your local church or civic organization to avoid people who are looking to make a quick dollar off of tragedy.

For fellow Christians, I urge all of you to join me in reflecting on how we're viewing and responding to this event, and how Christ would respond to it.  A good place to start is Jayson D, Bradley's blog entry entitled "Love in the Time of Ebola."

Here is a video and prayer put together by the United Methodist Church, a prayer for those suffering from this disease the world over.

"Gracious God, we call you the Great Physician.
We pray your healing power to touch those bodies that now shake with fever, ache with pain, and are too weak to sustain the demands of life.

Gracious God, we know you are a Mighty God.

Grant access to medical care for the most vulnerable in West Africa.
Protect doctors and nurses who kneel at the bedsides of the sick and the dying.
Provide resources in places of lack.  Guide churches and church leaders.
Empower all who work tirelessly to be Christ’s hands and feet.

Gracious God, we believe you are Hope for the hopeless.  Hold parents who’ve lost children.
Gently father and mother children who’ve lost their parents.
Make your presence known to those who are dying alone, in the streets, in wastelands, without friends or family.
Speak tenderly to all who feel abandoned by the world’s governments and systems of power.
Give strength to our friends in West Africa who feel that “life more abundantly” is an unfulfilled promise.

Gracious God, we know you are the Light overcoming darkness.
Why should we be afraid?
Help us, O God, to trust in your unchanging nature in times of uncertainty.
Grant us peace that Ebola or anything in this life that would threaten to undo us, is not impossible for you.
Hear our prayer.
Amen."

The Temptation of Christ: Sin With a Capital "I"

Last week I attended a Bible study with Pastor Gary, he's going through the entire book of Matthew. I decided to go because, hey, this is as close to the inside of a classroom as I'll ever get again!  Plus I was hoping that a fresh perspective on some of these stories that I know all to well would help me grow as a person and especially as a follower of Christ.  I wasn't disappointed.

We talked about the temptation of Jesus as found in Matthew 4:1-11.  I took copious notes, just like I used to do in college, but there was something that stuck with me most of all, and that was how Pastor Gary defined the word "sin."  We've all heard the saying "there is no 'I' in team," talking about how being selfish on any kind of a team causes the team to not play or compete as a true unit, which can lead to undesirable outcomes.  Well in "sin" there is certainly an "I," and as he pointed out it's really a capital "I." The implication is clear: sIn is all about me.  Sin is what happens when I think only of myself or when I exhibit excessive self interest.  This is the exact opposite of the life Jesus advocates, a life that denies oneself to the glory of God and to the selfless service of those around us. Let's take a few minutes and consider how "sIn" has the opportunity to appear in each of the three temptations as recorded by the author of Matthew.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
--Matthew 4: 1-4 (NRSV)

After Jesus is baptized by John in the previous chapter, he goes alone into the wilderness for 40 days before he begins what will be his public ministry.  He fasts during the entire time and saying he was "famished" afterward is probably a huge understatement.  Satan (or the devil, tempter, or adversary) appears to Jesus, seeing him in this state and says "Come on now, you're the Son of God.  You know all you gotta do is say the word and these rocks will turn into bread for you and you can eat all you want!"

Would that be tempting?  Oh yes.  I haven't really fasted much in my life.  One year I fasted all day on Ash Wednesday.  That was enough for me.  Come Thursday morning, I was "famished" myself. However, does bread equal more than just bread or even food here?  Jesus responds to the temptation by saying that man doesn't live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from God.  I don't think it's just about food, neither did Pastor Gary.  The bread here can be symbolic of all of the material things we want in life.  Let's face it, in the United States, most of us know where our next meal is coming from.  Certainly some of us (myself included) put way too much stock in food, but think about the other things that we think we "need" in life,

I came up with a couple of things as I thought about this concept.  Cable TV for instance.  Man, I really do feel that I NEED to be able to watch my soccer matches from England every weekend.  Also, internet access.  What would I do if I couldn't stay connected through my smart phone, computer, or tablet?  I love to play multiplayer modes on video games, that requires an internet connection.  I feel like I'd be lost without that.  Think about other toys that we think we need.  To me, one of the most mind-numbing exhibitions of American greed happens every time Apple announces a new product. People are glued to these products.  New Iphone?  Gotta have it.  Ooh, a new version of the Ipad! Let's line up outside the store on release day to get our hands on one.  You can't tell me that these devices haven't reached "necessity" status for some people.

Is all of this excessive self interest, this desire for all of these material things?  I think a lot of the time it is, thus falling into Pastor Gary's definition of sIn.  I'm not saying that it's wrong to desire or even to enjoy some of these things, but I know for me, and for a lot of others in our culture, it really does become excessive.  What might happen if we took some of the money we were going to spend on our cell phone upgrade this year and donated it to a food bank or homeless shelter?  John Wesley famously kept his hair long and used the money that he would have paid a barber to give to the poor and needy.  One thing I've started doing is just spending at least five or six bucks every week to buy some food for the local food bank in Ogden.  Our church keeps a shopping cart in the vestibule and every week someone takes the donations over to the food bank.  It's not a lot, but it's about the price of a meal I might buy when I get off work.  I feel it's the very least I can do.  That doesn't mean I've overcome excessive self interest, far from it, but it's a start, and it makes me feel great!

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” --Matthew 4: 5-7 (NRSV)

For his next trick, the Tempter takes Jesus to the top of the temple and says, "Hey man if you're the Son of God jump off the temple here.  Scripture says that God will send angels to catch you so you won't be hurt."  This might sound a little odd to us, but think about it this way: what are some of the reasons that Jesus might have had a desire to jump?  How about this: maybe Jesus DID want to prove he was the Son of God and just maybe he might have given in and done it so he could show the Tempter just how special he really was: out of PRIDE.  Does that sound like something many of us have a problem with?

Absolutely.  In fact, a good definition of PRIDE might also be "excessive self interest."  When we are overly prideful, we truly put ourselves not just at the center of our lives, but we like to try to put ourselves in the center of other people's lives as well.  It's as if the sun, moon, and stars all revolve around us.  We put ourselves up on a pedestal, and man, it's a great view from up there isn't it?  We can look down on everybody else, we become a judge of others.  We set ourselves apart from others.

Again this is the exact opposite of what Christ desires for each of us.  As Christians, we're supposed to put Christ at the center of everything around us.  When we do that, we're no longer testing our relationship with God.  It allows us to step outside of ourselves and our own needs and pride, then we can see, and minister to, the needs of the world around us just as Christ did.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. --Matthew 4: 8-11 (NRSV)

As it turns out, the Tempter has one more ace up his sleeve.  He takes Jesus up to the top of a high mountain where he can survey all the land and kingdoms around him.  Then he tells Jesus "I can give you ALL OF THIS.  All you gotta do is just bow down and worship me."  This appeals to one of our basest, most coveted desires: the desire for POWER.

Is there anything more addicting to us humans than power?  I'm not sure.  You know what's like, surely you've had power over someone in your life.  I have.  I'm a supervisor at work.  I can ask or tell certain employees to do something, and chances are, they'll do it.  Doesn't that feel great, even in small doses?  I like to think I'm a pretty good guy when it comes to being a supervisor, but I can also tell you that I've abused that power for my own interest more times than I'd like to admit.

And that's just a tiny sliver of power.  Think about our politicians.  These men and women (mostly men) literally have people's lives in their hands.  The decisions these people make not only influence happiness and quality of life, but sometimes their choices literally decide whether people live or die. Can you imagine?  One phone call from a governor can save a condemned inmate's life just moments before he is to be put to death.  Do you think that kind of power can go to someone's head? Absolutely.

Those other two things we've talked about: material desires and pride: power takes care of those things doesn't it?  Think of some our professional athletes or celebrities and the power they wield.  If you want regular folks to buy your products, get it in the hands of an NFL football player or A-List movie star.  I'm sure a lot of these people can pick up a phone, tell somebody that they want some material thing, and it's gotten for them immediately.  Think of the pride exhibited by some, but not all of these people.  If you think about Will Farrell's character in the movie "Anchorman" he goes around saying "I'm kind of a big deal."

We laugh at that because it's true  It's not just true for politicians, celebrities, and athletes either.  It's true for all of us.  We all have our sphere of influence in our lives, and man, the pond we're in may be pretty small, but we sure like being the biggest fish in it, don't we?  The drive for power is sIn, excessive self interest, in it's purest form.

Contrast that to the figure of Christ.  Contrast that to the Son of God, who was with God, and was God at the beginning of all things, to quote John 1.  He becomes a man, walks among his creations, feels their pain and needs their needs.  That's why the story of Christ being tempted is so important. We know that he went through what we go through every minute of the day. Though he was God, he knew he needed to be tempted so he had the chance to say no to these things.  We are given that same chance to say no to materialism. pride, and power: to excessive self interest.  It doesn't always work, at least it doesn't for me, and I've spent a lot of time over the last few years beating myself up about it.  I've spent a lot of time asking "what's in it for me" as opposed to "what can I do for others?"  It's only recently that I've finally realized the true gift of Christ, that stumbling and falling is ok.  I don't have just myself to pull myself up either.  I have Jesus, who's been there, and I have a wonderful family and friends to help pull me up too.  None of us are in it alone.

As I close this entry and this day, I invite you to think about sIn, excessive self interest.  How can you, how can we all change and truly serve others?  I also invite you to meditate on Christ in the Garden the night before he died.  Truly, his sense of self interest must have been operating full throttle, knowing what was going to happen to him over the next 24 hours.  He asks the Father: "Ïs there any other way?  Is there any other way for this to be done than for me to suffer what I'm going to suffer?  Is there any way for this cup to pass from my lips?"

Imagine the anxiety.

Imagine the anguish,

He could have ended it all there, but he chose not to.  "Let not my will, but yours be done."  It is perhaps the most selfless moment of his life, and he invites us to share in that moment, to share in that selflessness.  It is the exact opposite of "sIn," of excessive self interest.

"Let not my will, but yours be done."

Book Review: "Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It," by Adam Hamilton

My background as a Christian is largely Calvinist Reformed, with a dash of Roman Catholicism thrown in.  So how in the world did I end up drawn to the United Methodist Church?  Well, as I've stated in previous entries, I eventually found the other perspectives to come up short when I tried to square them with what I actually believed, not only about Jesus, but about the world around us and how we, as Christians, should respond to that world.  Then came a man named John Wesley.

Now, I already knew a bit about Wesley.  When I was considering going into the ministry I studied a lot about different perspectives on Christianity.  I knew he was the founder of Methodism, and I knew he used to travel around and preach outdoors.  As a musician, liturgist, and worship leader I was more acquainted with his brother Charles, who penned many of the classic hymns of the faith.  I never seriously looked into the Wesley theology though.

That changed over this last year as my search for light, my search for the sacred, brought me to the United Methodist Church, where my parents have attended for 10 years or so since our church closed. I began to read about Wesley bit by bit, to see what it was already about.  I watched a biopic about his life, which I figured was going to be like a B movie type deal, but I actually found it to be quite good and inspiring.  This lead me to read more and more about him.

As all this was going on, I heard that our adult Sunday school class was going to study Wesley and his teachings through a book by Adam Hamilton.  Even though I work most Sunday mornings and can't attend class after church, I bought the book and jumped at the chance to learn more about this man and his philosophy.

I'm happy to say that the book was outstanding.  It's a fairly short read.  I was reading it one chapter per week in concert  with what the Sunday school class was doing, but I could have probably finished it pretty quickly otherwise.  Over the course of six chapters, Hamilton looks at various pivotal moments/time periods in the life of Wesley and talks about how they affected his teachings and ministry.  He covers Wesley's early life in Epworth, his formative years and the first rise of Methodism at Oxford, his short time in the United States which led him to a crisis of personhood and faith leading to his Aldersgate experience, the regeneration of his ministry of grace at Bristol, the rise of Methodism in London, and finally how Wesley persevered and guided his faith and the faith of others until he died in London at age 87.

However, the book is more than just a biographical sketch of John Wesley.   Adam Hamilton really dives into Wesleyan theology and how it effects us as Christians today, and how it should inspire us in our daily lives.  This was finally a version of Christianity that was in sync with what I believed to be true.

There's a couple of things that struck me.  First, Wesley preached that Christianity is for everyone, regardless of race, gender, social status, economic status, or anything else.  After his Aldersgate experience, he traveled throughout the English countryside and ministered to the needs of the poor, the hungry, and the marginalized: people who were not usually welcome in the churches of the day. Much of this was done outside in fields, on mountainsides, and in market squares.  These people flocked to his message of Christ for all.

Second, I like what Wesley had to say about grace.  For modern Protestant Christians, it's the grace of God through Christ that "saves" or justifies us.  It's a gift that can only be accepted and not earned. Wesley was opposed to ideas like Calvinist predestination which claims that God destined some to be saved and some to be condemned from the very beginning.  As mentioned, for Wesley, God's grace is for all.  Wesley mentions three kind of grace.  Prevenient grace is God's grace at work in our lives before we ever believe in him or seek him.  It guides us closer to God through those in our lives and events around us.  This kind of grace is not irresistable and will not override one's free well, but can lead us finally to God.  At this point, we experience Justifying grace, the acceptance of Christ in our lives.  But for Wesley, it didn't end there.  Further we can experience Sanctifying grace.  This is how God works in us after we become Christians. It's how we grow and mature in our faith and respond to the world around us, and for Wesley this was very important.

The last thing is how Wesley viewed works of mercy.  For Wesley it wasn't enough to have achieved justification.  God wants us to reach out to others, especially the poor and marginalized.  This doesn't just include preaching, it includes helping them, attending to actual physical needs. However again Wesley is quick to underline that these works of mercy are not the means to grace, but the ends of grace.  They are the result of the people of God actively going out into the world to serve others.

So these are just a few things highlighted throughout the book.  I would encourage anyone, Christian or not, to read it and think about how you can affect the world around you for the better.  Perhaps, like me, and like Wesley himself, you will find that your heart has been "strangely warmed" to the message and mission  of Jesus Christ.

Why Is Being Anti-Gay So Important to Some Christians?

The culture is shifting.  Whether you like it or not, attitudes towards gay, lesbian, and transgender people are changing, becoming more accepting.  You may or may not be happy about this.  In the interest of full disclosure I'll say that I'm thrilled.  I do not believe that being gay is a choice. Therefore, if I believe that God created everything, he must have created them that way.  I have no problem with gay people entering into a marriage contract in the legal sense or a marriage covenant in a religious sense.

Now let me explain myself before you all either tune out the rest of this entry or fire up your flame throwers.  First off, I don't believe that churches should be forced to perform gay marriages if that doesn't align with the views of the congregation.  I also don't believe that the current court proceedings are going to force them to do so.  Churches refuse to marry couples everyday of the week across the country.  My wife and I were married at All Souls Catholic Church in Sanford, Florida.  We didn't just show up and say "Marry us or else."  We had to talk with a liturgist, a priest, and take a day long class before we could enter into the sacrament of marriage.  Had the church told us no, we wouldn't have been able to sue them.  So let's all calm down about that.

I have a question though.  Why is being anti-gay so important to so many people who call themselves Christians?  What is it about this issue that divides people, splits churches, and ruins entire families? After all, Jesus didn't address the issue in the recorded gospels.  So one of two things happened. Either Jesus didn't say anything about it or the writers of the gospels didn't think about it enough to include it.  So that being said, what's your problem with it?  At best this is a secondary theological issue.  Surely had it been more important there would be a recorded teaching from Jesus.  Yet all of Jesus' teaching about love and inclusion are so often tossed out the window when it comes to gay people.  I've boiled this down in my own thinking to five reasons why this seems to be such a big deal to so many Christians.

First off, Christians seemed to have adopted so many of the negative stereotypes about gay people that emerge from an aggressive male dominated culture, independent of religion.  How many times have you heard, or even perpetuated the thought that gay people are pedophiles?  Search the discussion on social media and I bet you find a reference to this harmful stereotype in less than 5 minutes.  Another one is the thought that a same sex couple cannot be suitable parents or that children in same sex households will grow up to be utterly confused in their sex roles.  The academic/scientific community consensus  is that there isn't a basis for this conclusion either, but that doesn't seem to matter.  For some reason, many Christians seem to be vulnerable to these kind of stereotypes, or even hoaxes.  How many times have you seen some chain mail sent through email or social media that is patently false, only to see it being perpetuated and nurtured by Christians?  The answer is.....a lot.

The second thing that leads to this issue being such a sore point is the practice of biblical literalism.   For people who read the Bible literally, every word of it is divinely penned and contains ultimate authority.  This authority cannot be contradicted.  They see the Bible as book that tells one story and should be read cover to cover, with every word being taken absolutely literal.  Of course, many problems arise from this.  The universe was created in six days.  People lived to be 900 some years old.  A major flood wiped out all of the animals in the entire world except for a few that some guy put on a boat.  Then when we get to Leviticus, being gay is an abomination and non-celibate gay people should be executed.  That's not very nice now, is it?  I mean, even the most stringent anti-gay people that I know don't want to see them executed.  But why?  I mean it says so right in the Bible!

Let's first say that the Bible is not one book that's meant to be read cover to cover with every word to be taken literally.  The Bible contains material related to two different cultures: ancient Jews and early Christians.  It records how both of these cultures, thousands of years ago, responded to the life and times around them.  The Bible contains poetry, mythology, metaphor, personal correspondence, legend, and a dash of actual history.  You can't read a book like that and take every word literally. Psalm 91 says that God will cover you with his feathers.  So God has feathers.  He's a chicken. Hebrews 12 says that God is a consuming fire.  Now he's a blast furnace.  Which is it?  Oh, you mean it's a metaphor?  Weird, I'll stop worshiping the chicken that lives on the next street I guess.  The plain fact is that while Bible passages have to be read in context with other passages, they also have to be read in the context of the historical time in which they were written.  When viewed this way, the Bible becomes not a constitution that must be followed to the letter, but a library of different books, written at different times, that conveys the feelings of different authors.

But you might say, "Ok, what about Romans 1?"  Yes, in Roman 1 Paul lists homosexuality as "ungodly."  First off, he lists a lot of other things too, and a lot of us are guilty of most of it.  However, something happens if you read the passage in context and you check out the first verse of Romans 2.:

"Therefore you have no excuse. whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things." (Romans 2:1 NRSV).

Sounds like what we were all taught as kids: "when you point a finger at someone else. three point right back to you."   So when you're using the passage against others, you're doing exactly what Paul tells you not to do.  Now yes, Paul still does seem to be against homosexuality, but in 1 Corinthians he also says that women should keep their mouths shut in church.  This view is also part of a bygone era.  If you're interested in learning more about the "Clobber Passages" that Christians use against gay people check out Ronald Goetz's blog Bible Thumping Liberal.

The third reason being anti-gay is so important to some Christians is because they are obsessed with sin and judgement.  It doesn't seem to matter that the expressed mission of Christ was to free all from sin and judgement.  For some reason, a requirement for being a Christian seems to be that you follow the Hebrew law as laid out in the Old Testament.  As Paul himself insists, this is patently false. He treats this subject extensively in Galatians.

"The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you had heard?" (Galatians 3:2 NRSV)

"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written 'Cursed is everyone who obeys all the things written in the book of the law'." (Galatians 3:10 NRSV)

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13a)

Paul seems to be pretty clear on the subject.  Throughout his epistles he constantly stresses salvation, or transformation, through grace, not through the following of a moral law code or by doing good works.  It is the central theme of his message.

Now that's not to say that Paul is giving everyone a license to go out and do as they please.  However what Paul is stressing, and what the church in the modern era seems to have largely forgotten, is a process of personal transformation made possible by Christ's love and grace, not through moral codes or judgement.  As so many people in the emergent view of Christianity are pointing out, this process leads to a person who becomes like Christ, a person who loves and serves everyone, including their enemies and people who disagree with them.

Yet of course, bending back into Biblical literalism, many Christians see being gay as a sin, or at least not being a celibate gay person is a sin.  And so this obsession with sin, despite clear teaching otherwise, becomes the central focus of faith.  The point is to abhor and virulently condemn anything you see as sinful because you're "standing up for God's will."  But guess what, God doesn't need you to defend him. He's good there.  Plus, why does he keep on creating all these gay people if he hates them so much?  Not to mention, our calling as Christians is not to go around proclaiming God's judgement on those whom we disagree with, or anyone for that matter.  Our calling as Christians is bear the image of Christ into the world.  That image is one of love, service, and sacrifice; not sin, judgement, and dogmatic obsession.

Fourth, not only are modern Christians obsessed with sin, but they're obsessed with sex.  Now there are a lot of people that are obsessed with sex, and a lot of it is unhealthy. Modern American Christians have taken this to new heights in the western world though.  For so many people the biggest part of that Law code that they think everyone has to follow is about sex. Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.  Nymphomaniacs aren't as obsessed with sex as some conservative Christians are.  So much of the conversation turns into issues about sex.  "That person is having sex before they're married."  "That couple is using birth control when they have sex."  "Those guys actively engage in gay sex."  "Those guys have multiple partners." "This person's kid is sexually active."  The list goes on and on and on and on.  Then when Christians are confronted by a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex the discussion nearly always devolves into things like incest and bestiality.  Seriously, who spends so much time thinking about sex with animals?  Conservative comment boards and websites have been full of it this week after the Supreme Court actions.  Sigmund Freud would have a field day.  Brian McLaren has a term for this kind of sex obsessed Christian in his book "A New Kind of Christianity." He calls it "fundasexuality" and devotes a whole chapter to it.  For McLaren, this obsession with sex comes not from faith or religion, but from an orientation of fear.  These people fear new things, new ideas.  They fear things and people who different.  They fear religious authority figures.

I totally agree with him there and I encourage everyone to check out that chapter in his book, well check out the whole thing too.  Certainly certain patterns of sexual relationships can have destructive consequences, but that's not where this is obsession comes from.  As McLaren states: "Sociologists sometimes say that groups can exist without a god, but no group can exist without a devil. Some group or individual needs to be identified as an enemy" (A New Kind of Christianity, Pg 175).

That leads me to my final reason as to why Christians get so upset with gay people.  People say that they're protecting their religious rights, but that is a phantom fable.  These folks aren't REALLY worried about their rights, they're obsessed with OTHER PEOPLE and what OTHER PEOPLE are doing.  Look, I promise you, gay marriage could be legal all through the country and you'd still get to go to church whenever and wherever you want.  As I said earlier, your church will not be forced into performing gay marriages.  You can go right on believing that being gay is a sin.  Nobody from the government is going to come stop you.  More and more people might disagree with you, but nobody is gonna throw you in prison for having that opinion.

Let's face it, what people are actually doing is being nosy, superior, and attempting to force their belief onto others, it's exactly what they fear that gay people are going to do to them, and it's exactly the the opposite of what Jesus asks us to do.  Once again we see the fear of the "other" rear it's head in our culture.  The problem for Christians is that Jesus didn't call on us to judge the other.  He called on us to love and serve the other.  Don't forget that Jesus was a guy who hung about with prostitutes, tax collectors, working class people, the sick, and dirty fishermen, all while being reviled by the religious conservatives of his day, people to whom he referred to as "white washed tombs," pure and clean on the outside but dead on the inside.

Look, I'm not under the impression that I'm going to change anybody's mind here.  I don't believe that being gay is a sin.  I don't believe that gay people having a committed sexual relationship is a sin.  I might be wrong, but if I am, I rest comfortably in the fact that I still try my best to exhibit the love of Christ to anyone and everyone, and I'm just fine with that being a legacy that I leave when I'm no longer on this earth.

If you're a Christian who doesn't share my views, that is your right, but I hope what I've had to say can help you understand where people like me are coming from.  You may cling to your rigid belief, but times are changing, and my viewpoint is not going away.  If you're a gay Christian who reads this, please take heart and know that not everyone is against you.  I can't imagine what it might be like for you to be placed in certain situations.  Know that I accept you for who you are, and that I will pray not for you to be "cured" of who you are, but that someday a spirit of love and understanding will prevail for everyone.

If you're gay but you're not a Christian and you read this, please know that not all Christians are against you.  I am not.  I'm certainly not in this to try and convert anyone, but as religious institutions are often leading the fight against your rights, please know that many of us, more than you might think, care for you and are trying to change things from the inside out.

May Christ's Peace and Love be upon ALL.

Communion: Two Perspectives

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them saying "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."--Matthew 26: 27-28 (NRSV).

It doesn't much matter what stripe of Christian you talk to: Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, whatever, we'll pretty much all agree that the practice of Communion is one of the most important parts of Christianity.  It's certainly one of our most sacred rites, going back to something Christ himself instituted the night before he died.  It was also an important part of life for the earliest Christians, with even non-biblical sources going back as early as the second century C.E..

If you've spent much time in any Christian church, you know how it works.  The pastor or priest will say a blessing over some bread and a cup of wine or grape juice.  After this blessing and some prayer, the elements are distributed to the congregants to eat and drink.  Nuances of the rite vary from church to church.  Some believe that the elements are actually changed into the body and blood of Jesus. Some believe it's a purely symbolic act.  Some churches serve communion every Sunday, others once per month or once per quarter.  Of course my high church friends such as Roman Catholics can go to mass and have communion every day if they wish.

In my life I've been of two minds on the issue of communion.  I'm not talking about whether the elements actually turn into the body and blood of Christ either.  I'm talking about open table vs closed table.  Let me explain.

I've been attending the United Methodist Church in recent months as I have found my faith again. Last month when we had communion, I returned to my seat after receiving the elements and watched as others did the same.  At the end of the line were all the little kids who had come down from the Sunday School classes.  They were all smiles as they received the Lord's Supper from Pastor Gary or one of the communion ministers. It made me smile as well.

You see, that was not my experience growing up.  I was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, a Calvinist denomination that practices what can be described as a "closed table" communion.  In that church, you have to make a public profession of faith in Christ before you can receive communion. In order to do this, you have to meet with the church council beforehand so they can determine if your confession is genuine, or rather, they want to make sure that you really know what you're saying.

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not trying to make it out to be a big, hairy, intimidating thing.  It wasn't.  If memory serves me correctly, I was in junior high when I made my profession of faith. My dad was an elder in the church, so I told him that I thought I was ready.  I went before the council, all of whom were happy that I was going to make that profession, and then a few Sundays later I made my confession in front of the entire church.  It was actually a very meaningful experience, and something that always stuck with me even when I most questioned my faith.

It should be noted that the Christian Reformed Church doesn't generally prohibit adult, professing Christians from other Protestant denominations from receiving communion.  Some other churches do. Certain conservative Lutheran, Baptist, and other reformed churches close or "fence the table" to everyone who is not a part of their religious community.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Tucson serves communion to people through the border fence that separates the United States from Mexico (2014).

The United Methodist Church, among others, practices an "open table" communion.  For them, the Lord's Supper "recalls the the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God's family."  Anyone who loves Christ, is repentant of sin, and seeks to live in peace with others is welcome to take communion in the United Methodist Church.  It's a powerful statement of the love of Christ for all people and the desire for all of God's children to live in peace and unity.

Now I'm not saying that either approach is wrong or right.  There's one approach that I like better these days, but that's not to say that the other has no merit.  Christians all over the world practice both open and closed communion every Sunday and have meaningful experiences of Christ through the sacrament.  

As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in a more closed table setting.  This gave communion a very special meaning and atmosphere.  It wasn't for everybody.  It was something to be taken very seriously. Usually people in the congregation were given notice the week before and asked to examine their own hearts and conscience in order to prepare to receive communion.  There's nothing wrong with that in my mind.  That kind of self introspection can be a very healthy practice.  The Lord's Supper was usually a solemn experience for me growing up, but it was always meaningful.

However, I've found that taking communion in the United Methodist Church is no less meaningful. As I watched those young kids take the bread and wine (well grape juice in this case), I wondered how my life might have been different had I grown up in that setting.  I wondered if I would have been less judgmental or more inclusive of others.  I wondered if I would have rejected the kind of "us vs them" thinking earlier than I did.  I also wonder if I would have been less hard on myself and on others.  I wonder if I would have felt the unity of all at Christ's free table long ago, and if that would have changed the way some things played out in my life.  I wonder what might have happened if I had been able to grasp not just the solemn closed table of Christ's Passion, but the celebratory open table of Christ's love, the table of plenty.

I'll never really know the answers to those questions, but there is something to be gained in considering them.  I can't go back and change my feelings and actions in the past, but I can try to be closer to the example set by Christ now and in the future.  For me, this includes welcoming all who love peace to the table of Christ to be reminded not only of his death, but his life as well.  The life of Christ was a life of love and charity, a life that for me is embodied in the spirit of the open table. However, no matter which you prefer, or which your church practices, I believe that the true power of Christ is revealed in his love, mercy, and grace.  We can all reflect this to the world around us.  When we eat the bread and drink the cup we can be so moved by Christ that we should want to share his love for others and seek to serve others just as he did.

Open or closed table, is that something everybody can get behind?  I hope so, and as Christianity keeps reevaluating and examining itself and how it responds to the modern world, I hope that we can all live it as well.