Church and State: Can the Church Be Too Nationalistic?

What happens when the church and the government, or the church and political parties, become close bed fellows?  This is something that's been on my mind a lot over the last couple of weeks for two reasons.  First, those of us in the United States have elections coming up tomorrow, and second, I've been studying the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his role in a plot to kill Hitler as well as being openly against the way the Nazi party had co-opted the Christian Church in Germany.

This is a huge issue in today's United States, whether you like it or not.  You can be the most irreligious person on the planet, but if you live in the USA, the interaction between the Government, particularly political parties, and Christian churches has an effect on you.  You may or may not think it should be that way, but for now anyway, it is.  The question before us now is: can it go too far, or perhaps has it already gone too far?

Let me give you a little background on what I'm talking about with Bonhoeffer, the Nazis, and the German Church of the World War II era.  In March 1933, the German Reichstag passed what was known as the "Enabling Act," granting then Chancellor Adolf Hitler plenary powers over the German state.  With these powers in hand, he and the Nazi party dismantled the machinery of state and all political opposition.  They also went to work on the church in Germany.  In April of that year, various protestants in Germany (likely Nazi stooges) began to advocate for a "German National Church."  This came to pass over the summer as the machinery inside the German church became steadily Nazified.  There was even a broadcast plea from Hitler to German protestants calling on them to join this movement.  Eventually one of Hitler's cronies was installed as the head of this new church as the "Reichsbischof."  In late summer of 1933, the new "Protestant Reich Church" adopted the "Aryan Paragraph" which included tossing out any clergy with a drop of Jewish blood or any clergy who was married to anyone with a drop of Jewish blood. The seminaries in Germany began cranking out pro-Nazi clerics, and with all of this in place Hitler and the Nazis had full control over the German church.  Throughout the Third Reich era it would be used as a propaganda arm for the Nazi government, an indoctrination center, and a tool to further eliminate Jews from German society.

Not all German Christians were thrilled with this.  One of these was a young pastor and theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Bonhoeffer and others broke away from the Protestant Reich Church and formed what would be known as the "Confessing Church."  These Christians contended that any government regime, including a dictatorship, had limits when it came to the church.   They renounced the Reich Church and their interpretation of Christianity.  This was of course, illegal. Bonhoeffer and others were persecuted for this, and some were even sent to concentration camps, including Bonhoeffer himself.  Bonhoeffer had also become a courier with the German resistance and was allegedly linked to Operation Valkyrie.  This was discovered and he was eventually executed by hanging at Flossenburg concentration camp in April 1945, just two weeks before the camp was liberated by Allied forces.  His body was never found.

Now I'm not saying that Christianity in the US is becoming Nazified.  The example of the German Church in the Third Reich is obviously an extreme case, but I am concerned that we are seeing elements of the politicizing of churches in our country.  This is problematic on a couple of levels. First off, the United States Constitution specifically set up the government as a separate entity from any religious organization.  Some conservative Christians disagree with this, but it's true.  The word "God" does not exist anywhere in the US Constitution.  However, the use of religious litmus tests for candidates and making laws about the establishment of religion are expressly prohibited.

As a part of this, churches and religious organizations in the USA are allowed to operate as charitable organizations that pay no taxes to federal, state, or local governments.  They are meant to be apolitical entities.  Questions have arisen in recent years as several churches have not only taken high profile positions on specific proposed laws, but they have also given church (tax free) money to interest groups fighting for or against these laws and have also began to advocate for or against these laws from the pulpit.  Now, this might be one thing if churches were out advocating for the poor, the homeless, the sick, and the dying, you know like Jesus did, but instead much of the church in America seems overly preoccupied with LGBTQ people.

This came to a head in Houston, Texas, in recent weeks.  Some churches in Houston had been gathering signatures that would require the city to put a controversial non-discrimination law on the ballot for public referendum.  The mayor of Houston, an openly gay woman, met with clergy members and came to believe that some pastors were advocating against the law from the pulpit. Five pastors, 4 men and 1 woman, had their recent sermons subpoenaed by the city as they sought to determine if this had actually taken place.  There was an immediate outcry against this by religious groups and conservatives, and the mayor decided to recall the subpoenas.  I will admit that even as a very liberal minded Christian, this made me a bit uncomfortable, and perhaps seemed a bit heavy handed.

However, this is an interesting test case for our nation in which churches have became more and more politically orientated, particularly in Conservative political circles.  I'm not trying to pick on conservatives here, but let's face it, you don't really hear people wondering if the American church is going too far in advocating liberal policies, do you?

Should the church have any role in politics?  Should the church somehow function as the "conscience of the state?" If it should, should there be limits?  Where should the line be drawn on these limits? Can our churches become too nationalistic?  These are important questions that we will continue to face in the years ahead, and as I mentioned earlier, the way these questions are answered will affect both religious and nonreligious people alike.

In order to illustrate my opinion here, I turn again to Bonhoeffer.  In 1933, in the midst of everything that was happening in Germany, he wrote an essay entitled "The Church and the Jewish Question." In this essay, he argued that the church should indeed be the conscience of the state, and he described three ways that the church can interact with the state.  I'll list them here as illustrated in Eric Metaxas' book "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy."

1. The Church can ask the state whether it's actions are legitimate and in accordance with it's character as the state, i.e. it can throw the state back on it's responsibilities.  

2. It can aid the victims of state action.  The church has an unconditional obligation to the victims of any ordering of society, even if they do not belong to the Christian community. "Do good to all people."

3. The third possibility is not just to bandage the victims under the wheel, but to jam a spoke in the wheel itself [to stop the state from perpetuating evil]. Such actions would be direct political actions.

These things are in line with what Bonhoeffer believed about Christianity.  He believed that as Christians, we are required to speak out for those who cannot speak.  He believed that this was the very least that the Bible requires of us.

My opinion is based on these three assertions and the belief that Christ requires me to speak out for those who cannot speak, for those who do not carry the power to influence government, those who cannot escape the crushing wheel that Bonhoeffer speaks of.  Yes, the church has a role in politics. Yes, the church should function as a conscience of the state.  However, yes there should be limits. Churches should not be aiding specific agendas of political parties.  The church should not be pushing the perceived moral absolutes of the ultra right wing on people whether they are Christians or not.  This was not the concern of Christ.  The role of the church is to advocate, and advocate strongly, for the those whom Christ advocated for: the poor, the needy, the sick, and the dying.  These people are becoming more and more ground down under the wheel of the moneyed elite and their powerful political interests in our country, and for the most part, the church is not even asking if that's the right thing to do or aiding those who are damaged by our system.  I would prefer to see Christians drive a spoke into the wheel of the political machine myself, and that's how I vote.  Instead much of the Christian church seems to be caught up in advocating against certain ideals that don't fit their archaic version of morality. much of which Jesus himself had nothing to say about.  In my mind, we've become distracted from the real purpose.  Much of what passes as "Christian advocacy" these days is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Republican party and their ultra right moral agenda. People are not asking what Jesus might say or think, they're too busy buying up books from the Duck Dynasty guys, who seem to be prophets and spokesmen for a new generation of Christians who care about nothing more than money, fame, and strict adherence to an Old Testament morality.

This is all leading to a national, American brand of Christianity, and that frightens me.  We have begun to cloak the cross of Christ and the Bible in the Stars and Stripes.  Want proof?  Click here.
This process attempts to connect our history specifically to Christianity, which is exactly the opposite of the secular republic set up by the Constitution.  This leads to Americans feeling superior to other Christians and non Christians alike and is resulting in negative and un-Christlike behaviors towards many people including poor people, gay people, and Muslims.  A couple of months back, one of the Duck Dynasty guys was on Fox News saying that ISIS members should be converted to Christianity or killed.  Many Christian circles have become hotbeds for anti-Muslim sentiment, and in this climate, I fear that we are only one terrorist incident away from having that sentiment explode into some very nasty outcomes, outcomes that might be sanctioned and advocated for by many Christians in our country.  In the end, is it all that different from earlier times?  Is wrapping the Bible in the Stars and Stripes really any different that wrapping it in the Swastika?

THE GERMAN PATRIOT'S BIBLE connects the teaching of the Bible, the history of the Reich, and the life of every German. Discover Biblical truths that formed the foundation of the Reich's values and how they apply to today's culture. Experience spiritual milestones in Reich history with beautiful, full-color insert pages. Examine the intersection between Reich history and the Christian faith through unique articles spotlighting the people and events that have made the Reich great.

Does reading that make you even a little bit uncomfortable?  Does that sound like something the Nazi propaganda machine might have put it out?  Does it sound like a Bible for the Protestant Reich Church?  All I did was take the paragraph on the "American Patriot Bible" and switch the word "American" with "Reich" or "German."  It makes me sick to my stomach.

That is what I have to say on all of this.  You may disagree or agree with me.  You may think I'm flat out crazy and reading too much into things, but the reality is that these questions and issues will continue to face our country for awhile to come.  They WILL have an affect on all of us no matter which faith we belong to, and even those of us who don't belong to any faith.  These questions are worth asking and it's a conversation worth having.  I've told you what I think, what do YOU think?

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.

I Was Just Like Them: The Power of Love and Grace

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."--Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

In my last entry I talked about how our church helped out with Stop Hunger Now.  Well, I made an observation that night that seemed just nostalgic and meaningless at the time.  However, the more I thought about it, the more important that observation became to me.  The more I thought about it, the more I came to an understanding.  This understanding really led to me to truly encounter Christ for the first time in over ten years.  I'd like to share it with you now, if you don't mind.

As we were finishing up with the meal packaging process, my table shut down and I engaged in one my favorite hobbies: people watching.  Of particular interest to me were a pair of teenagers, a boy and a girl.  I don't know their names, but I suspect that they're probably late high school age.  I admired them for taking a night out of their week to come serve.  I admired the zeal they had for service.  I admired how much fun they were having doing it!

As I watched them, an observation came to my mind.  I used to be just like them.  When I was in high school and my early college years, I was heavily involved in church, and for the most part, I enjoyed it!   I went to youth group every week.  I started playing my trumpet and singing in church during junior high school.  By the time I graduated and went to college, I was not only one of the worship leaders and liturgists at our church, but I was also a cantor at the biggest Catholic Church in Ogden.  I loved it!  I spent parts of two summers working at an orphanage in Sonora, Mexico, doing things like repairing swamp coolers, installing septic systems, and preparing meals for the kids.  I majored in Psychology and decided I wanted to enter the clergy.

Then it all went to hell.

The reasons that it went to hell aren't all that important.  Well, I guess they're still important to me, but I'm not going to go into great detail.  We'll suffice it to say that once I got a first hand look at inner-church politics, I wasn't impressed with what I saw.  One thing led to another, and our church ended up closing.  Hurt feelings abounded for many people, but me in particular.  I felt betrayed.  I was angry.  I was bitter.  I wasn't sure how God could let what was happening happen.  My desire to enter the ministry evaporated.

At this point, I started to ask a lot of questions about God, faith, and the world around us.  These questions were all asked while I carried a tremendous chip on my shoulder.  The answers I seemed to find made it impossible for me to reconcile being a Christian with what I had come to believe about the world in general.

I left the church, I left it all.  Not only did I leave it, but I came inherently hostile to anything that smacked of religion in general and Christianity in particular.  I openly espoused this viewpoint to anyone would listen and to a lot of folks who really didn't want to listen, which just made me even more angry.

There were a few times over the years where my stance softened for awhile.  When my wife and I got married, we were married in the Catholic church, and as I had already been exposed to that, I tried that out.  I was drawn to the liturgy and use of music that sounded contemporary without being a "praise chorus." Some more things happened, some significant, some not so much.  I had trouble in my marriage and started to watch everything I had fall away from me: again.  After that, my bitterness and anger reached it's tipping point, paralyzing my life.  I went out of my way to alienate anyone and everyone who tried to get close to me.  My wounds ran deep.

However, over the last year things started to change.  I had interactions with some people who showed me that not all Christians were Pharisees.  I came into contact with a new perspective that said that Christianity wasn't about judging, but that it was about love, love for everyone, love that Jesus lived. I also decided to take my parents up on their offer to come to church with them and hear their new pastor.  I immediately liked him and what he had to say.

Within a couple of weeks he knew my name.  Other people in the church made me feel welcome. These are people who have been praying for me for years.  They were familiar with my struggles, because my parents had been asking them to pray for me.  They didn't look at me as a weirdo or a newbie, they looked at me as part of their community. It's meant a lot to me.

Pastor Gary and these people have given me a place to heal.

I can't adequately express how much this means to me.  As I said earlier, my wounds run deep.  You might say I've lost a lot of spiritual blood.  To be certain, some of these wounds will scar over and always be with me in some way.  They'll always be a part of me, a part of my experience.

I've come to this realization though.  God's not done with me.  He never was.  I went from super-Christian teen, to ministry candidate, to militant atheist that openly denied everything I once believed, but I see now that God was always there waiting, working in the background waiting for this prodigal son to come home.  I had to get to the point where I wanted to come home. Once I was there, he put the path in place for me to do so.

And you know what?  Jesus doesn't care if we're broken and scarred when we come to him, or in my case, come back to him.  He's a specialist in dealing with people with scars because he bares scars of his own.  One of his followers betrayed him with a kiss.  As he was being tried and persecuted, his best friend denied that he even knew him, not once, but three times.  He was tortured and killed even though he didn't deserve it.

It's this Jesus who says to me.  "It's ok.  Don't be afraid, I always loved you, even when you denied me and cursed me.  Come home now, it's time to heal and forgive."  It all hit me this morning as I sang:

          I, the Lord of snow and rain,
          I have borne my peoples pain.
          I have wept for love of them, They turn away.
          I will break their hearts of stone,
          Give them hearts for love alone.
          I will speak My word to them,
         Whom shall I send?

And I wept, just a little, managing to hold most of it in.  I wept because I'm home and I'm loved.  I wept because God's not done, I believe he has a special place and a purpose for those with the most terrible scars.

This all started watching two young people serve others.  I was just like them once, and then life happened.  However now I know that God can live in me and work through me as he did with Peter, even after he denied him.

And for that grace I'm thankful beyond words.

The Heart of Christ, The Heart of Compassion

"I give you a new commandment: Love one another.  As I have loved you. so you should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."--St. John 13:34-25.

As I've traveled the road I'm on, from clergy candidate to hardcore atheist, to whatever I am these days, I've held one constant thought.  I've just not been able to escape from the fact that what often passes for Christianity these days has absolutely nothing to do with what Christ had to say.  I honestly don't understand.  I was raised in a Christian home and a church where I was taught the Jesus loved everybody, that his gift of purpose and life was open to all.  I studied theology, I learned from pastors and priests who further instilled this in me even more.  However, the more I got out in the world, the more it blew up in my face.  Eventually I got so tired of seeing and hearing Christians prattling on about judgement, prosperity, and Old Testament moral codes that it drove a wedge in between me and the faith I believed was calling me to be a servant of God.

The more I've thought about it, I've drilled down to three things that are found in the teachings of Jesus Christ that seem to be incompatible with modern "conservative" Christianity.  I believe these three things are are the cornerstone of Christ's teaching and ministry, so they should also be the foundation of the lives of Christians and churches.

1. Jesus loves and gave his life for everyone, and invites everyone to share in his life and love.
At first this doesn't sound all that controversial, but I contend that it isn't just controversial, but radically subversive and and contrary to modern, conservative, Christianity.  Most Christians today are more than happy to invite anyone to their table, as long as that person subscribes to the same creed or liturgical form, and as long as that person isn't gay, liberal, or heaven forbid not religious at all!  Is that really what Jesus had in mind?   I think not.  This is the guy who hung around with a bunch of dirty fishermen, prostitutes, and tax collectors.  That's right, TAX collectors.  Can you honestly envision Jesus turning a gay person away from his table?

Of course, then everybody comes back with "but the Bible says that being gay is a sin."  Well guess what folks, the Bible says a lot of things.  It's amazing to see what Christians will drill down to find.   People will spend a ton of time talking about how the Bible says "Do this and don't do that," yet they don't seem to spend all that much time on what Jesus said or did.  It's also worth noting that probably nobody absolutely conforms to these Old Testament codes anymore, and God doesn't smite everybody for it.

The message of Christ is absolute, unconditional love.  It's not "hate the sin, love the sinner."  This is just more us vs them talk that makes people feel superior to others.  When you turn away people in your life, for whatever reason, you are turning away Jesus as well.

2. Jesus envisions a humble community where people share with each other, help each other, and rely on each other as opposed to an individual, selfish, and overly self-reliant lifestyle.
American Christianity is heavily influenced by the puritanical version of Calvinism that was brought to our coasts by those guys and gals with the funny hats that we celebrate every Thanksgiving.  You want those strict moral codes?  It's hard to get stricter than your friendly neighborhood Pilgrim (or Puritan).  They also brought this code of "If you don't work, you don't eat."  This has translated to the modern day selfishness that is so inherent in many libertarian, tea bagger, and ultra-conservative circles.  Are there people who take advantage of the generosity of others?  Absolutely.  Does it mean that people, especially Christians, should dispense with the generosity and self sacrifice preached by Christ?  Absolutely not.  This is what Jesus looks like to these folks:

The only problem with this is that it's totally against everything that Jesus taught and did.   I kicked off this entry with a picture of Jesus feeding the 5000.   Take a look at this story either in Matthew's or John's Gospel.  Basically it's late on in the evening and there a ton of people around with nothing to eat.  The disciples tell Jesus to send them away so that they can go buy food for themselves.  Jesus says that this isn't necessary, and he takes the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish brought by a small boy and turns it into enough food for everyone plus some left over.

Note that Jesus didn't tell the people to go fend for themselves.  He didn't refuse to take the 5 loaves and 2 fish from the boy and give it to all of these other people because the crowd didn't bake the bread or catch the fish.  He made it enough for everyone.  Through the sharing of resources, everyone was taken care of.  Sure there was a miracle in this story, but think about it.  There is more than enough food and resources for everyone in the USA, with some left over.  We throw a ton of food away!   We go to church, give a tithe or offering, say a superficial prayer and feel that our obligation is done.  Everybody else needs to get off their butt and get a job, or a second job, or a third job.  Jesus had a vision of community where people share resources and talents for the good of all, not some Ayn Randian society where people just fend for themselves and are indifferent to or hostile to the suffering of others.  This is clear as can be all through the Gospels.

3.  Jesus thought the best of everyone and gave people the benefit of the doubt.
There isn't a more poignant or heartbreaking scene in the Gospels than some of the last words of Jesus recorded in Luke 23:34.  As Jesus hangs on the cross after being tortured and near death, as he watches the Roman soldiers below him gamble for the last of his possessions, he sends a plea to his father:  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Dwell on that for a few minutes.   These people just flogged him and then made him carry the instrument of his own execution though the city and up a hill.  When he got there, they nailed him to the wood and suspended him from the cross, his body weight causing him to drown in the fluid from his own lungs.  Most people at the foot of the cross are still mocking him, and he has to be still stinging from the crowds chanting for his death and the betrayals of his best friends.  Yet in the midst of this, with some of his last breaths, he prays to God to forgive these people.  There at the end, at the moment of death, he knows what's going on and is still thinking the best of the people who tortured and killed him.

Yet Christians today are so quick to judge and to think the worst about people.  Gay people, who desire nothing more than legal recognition of their relationships are considered evil folks who are out to push their beliefs on others.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Gay people are just like anyone else, people who want to live their lives in peace as they see fit.

Poor people, those people Jesus cared about so much?  They're all lazy.  They just need to get off the couch and get another job, because we're certainly not going to share what we have.  Some of the hardest working people I know work 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet, and they would have serious words with anyone who sat around in an air-conditioned office all day and called them lazy.

Jesus calls us to see the best in everyone.  It's not easy sometimes, but everyone is worth love and respect no matter who they are or what they do.  Jesus calls us to love the unlovable.  Jesus doesn't care if you're a criminal, he sees a the basic humanity that just might be turned around.  Jesus calls us to love the people our society hides away.  He calls us to love the sick, the handicapped, the dying.  It's not a suggestion for something to do if we get our latest project done at work.  It is the way of Jesus, the way of sacrifice, the way of the cross.

It seems like these days we all spend more effort finding excuses for not doing what Jesus asks of us.  "Well, I can't be in a community with these people because they're gay, and that's wrong.  It doesn't matter if they were created that way."  "I'm sorry Jesus, I just can't support social programs for the poor, unemployed, or sick because they'll just learn to depend on it and never fend for themselves."  Does this really hold water with the man who let himself be tortured and executed for you? I don't think so.

Christians are called to have a heart like the heart of Christ.  That heart loves everyone, shares with everyone, and thinks the best of everyone.  That heart is a heart of compassion and love, even when we may think it's not deserved.

Live that love, live that compassion.

And don't let YOUR heart be hardened. 

Modern Christianity: Adventures In Missing the Entire Point

My parents have been talking up their new pastor at the United Methodist Church for awhile now, and up until now, I've only really heard him on Christmas and Easter.  Well, today I decided to go hear what he had to say on a Sunday in ordinary time.  I was actually really glad I did.

If you read my previous entry, you know that one of the reasons I turned from someone who was going into the clergy to someone who often shuns religion is because of the focus that I often see in the Church these days, particularly in the United States.  This morning my parents' pastor pretty much hit it right on the head, clarifying the issue for me and giving me a lot to think on.

He's been preaching a series essentially on basic Christianity.  Today his homily focused on "what really brings us fulfillment" using the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet as a backdrop.  Folks were encouraged to bring an item that represented things that they felt fulfilled them.  In retrospect, perhaps I could have taken a Real Salt Lake scarf.  People brought various things, and some even tried to "guess the right answer" by bringing pictures of Jesus, which made me raise an eyebrow in amusement.  He spoke for a few minutes about the various items that had been brought and laid on the altar rail.  He even mentioned that for him pecan pie was something that was fulfilling!  But he deftly began to turn focus  by asking if you would want any of those things that fulfilled you listed on your tombstone.  Would you want it to read "Gary, eater of pecan pie?"  Now me, sure, you can write that I supported RSL in my obituary, but is there more to it?  He posited this by asking "what fulfilled Jesus?"

He asked us to consider the story of Jesus washing his disciples feet on Holy Thursday.  Most of you, Christian or not, know the story.  Before the passover meal began (the Last Supper) Jesus took off his outer clothes, tied a towel around his waist, and proceeded to wash the feet of the disciples then dry them with the towel.

Surely this would have been a profound moment for these men, who professed Jesus as the Son of the Living God.  Now when Jesus gets to Simon Peter, Peter goes reactive, as he often does in the Gospel stories, freaks out, and misses the point.  Starting in St. John 13:6, we get the account of what happened.  Peter asks Jesus if he is going to wash his feet.  Jesus says yes, and that Peter won't understand why just yet.  Peter comes back with "You ain't gonna wash MY feet!"

Often I imagine Jesus giving Peter a sly smile and shaking his head at his reactionary ignorance.  However here I imagine Jesus having a different reaction.  I imagine him being a little sad.  All this time together and Peter, the rock which Jesus will build his Church, is still missing the point, and Jesus knows that he is set to die in a mere hours.  Jesus tells him: "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."

Peter being Peter, he goes 180 degrees in the opposite direction, again missing the entire point in the process.  He says "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well."  Peter is now asking for the most important spongebath ever requested.

Jesus again elaborates saying "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for his clean all over, so you are clean."  This presumably stumps Peter enough that he lets Jesus wash his feet, and so he washes all of the disciples feet, even those of Judas.

When he's finished, Jesus puts his outer garments back on and returns to the disciples.  He tells them starting in verse 12.  "Do you realize what I have done for you?  You call me teacher and master, and rightly so, for indeed I am.  If I therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, then you should wash each others feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should do also."

The pastor reflected, noting that THIS is what fulfilled Jesus.  Jesus humbled himself before his followers and washed their feet.  He treated them with dignity and honor, and foreshadowed the sacrifice that he would shortly make on their behalf.  If this then, is what fulfilled Jesus, then should this not be what fulfills people, especially Christians?  Think about it.  When do you really feel good?  Chances are it's when you do something nice for someone, or help someone in trouble.  Selflessness and sacrifice are fulfilling on the human level.  He also mentioned love.  If you keep all your love wrapped up inside of you and don't share it with anyone else, you likely will not get love in return.  If you share it with others, if you share your love and give of yourself to others, usually people give you that love back in return.  You GAIN by GIVING.  The pastor then asked us to be generous with each other in our time, our money, our resources, and our love. This is what ultimately leads to fulfillment as people, and in the process makes the world a better place.  This then, is the way of Christ, the way of the cross.

This is where, to me, Christians these days miss the entire point.  Are you REALLY interested in serving?  Are you REALLY interested in giving?  Serving and giving inside the walls of a church building is a cop out.    Yes churches need people to do various things throughout the parish.  But Jesus isn't simply telling people to be on a committee or make sure you give your weekly tithe.  Jesus is challenging you, challenging all of us, Christian or not, to take it to the next level.  "Take up your cross and follow me" is not a suggestion.  Get out of the church and into the street.  How do you help others in your daily life?  More importantly, how do you treat others and how do you present yourself in daily life.

Christians today are like Peter, are obsessed with being "clean."  Is that really what it's all about?  Is that you want on your tombstone?  "Brandon--followed every bit of the Law to the letter."  That might sound good if you're a narcissist.  It would also be totally and completely FALSE.  I don't care who you do or don't have sex with.  I don't care, and I honestly don't think Jesus cares if you don't drink alcohol or that you don't go to rated R movies.  Seriously?  "Brandon--He never saw Braveheart."  Not exactly something to be remembered by is it?  Not exactly a legacy.  "Joe Christian--Crusaded against Gay Marriage and birth control."  Think about it.

Why follow this moral code anyway?  Because ye olde book commands it?  That you have to do it to get into heaven?"  Talk about selfish reasons.  Now I'm not advocating that everyone descend into the most debauched behavior that they could think of, but what REALLY MATTERS in the long run?  What does "wanting to get to heaven" do for anybody but YOU?  "I'll take two mansions and a street of gold on cloud nine please!"

You're putting yourself on a pedestal, advertising your Christian credentials.  You look gorgeous up there in your splendid white suit as you list your resume.  "I went to church every week.  I never worked on a Sunday.  I never touched alcohol.  I never attended a rated R movie and I made sure my kids didn't either.  Coffee?  Nope.  Had sex before marriage?  Nope.  Paid my dues into the church, I did that!  I signed up for all the requisite causes.  I railed against gay people, women's choice, and equal pay.  I voted straight ticket Republican ever year.  I did everything I could to protect my 'religious rights,' and I made doubly sure that my company didn't sanction contraceptives for women.  Oh also, look at my collection of old Bibles!"

Impressive.  And indeed it sounds like the perfect resume for the Conservative Christian in 2014.    You're exercising your piety and projecting your power from your pedastal, and if that gets in anyone else's way, well that's too bad because you're going to do what you have to do to collect your celestial rewards.

What is Jesus doing while you're looking smart on your pedestal, conducting your religious fueled witch hunts, and telling everybody how much you have on the ball?

Jesus is on the floor in nothing but a dirty towel washing the feet of a guy that is going to deliver him to the power of the day to be killed.  He's also washing the feet of a guy who while being considered his closest friend, will totally abandon him and deny that even knows him three times.  Your swearing off alcohol and rated R movies seems to pail in comparison doesn't it?  You still have the birth control thing going for you though I guess.

Jesus is feeding the hungry.  Jesus is caring for the sick and dying.  While you crusade against women's rights, gay marriage, and "illegal" immigration Jesus is down at the poor house serving meals.  While you worry about a fetus, Jesus weeps for the children being killed in uncontrolled gun violence and slaughtered in wars across the globe.  I'm not sure that your argument that you're "protecting your rights" is going to cut it.

Protecting the week, feeding the poor, clothing the needy, caring for the sick, and speaking out against violence is certainly not popular these days.  Poor, hungry, and needy people are told to get a job, or a second, or a third.  After all, you've worked hard for your share, your credentials, and your power, and you don't feel like sharing.  The man you believe was literally the King of the Universe washed the feet of 12 dirty, hardly perfect guys from Galilee and then died for every wrong you or anyone else on this planet will ever do, but you can't give a little more from your paycheck for national healthcare.  You're too burdened already.  You can't find it in your heart to avoid shouting down some children who fled their families and their country for a better life.  You're gonna hang on to that big gun until they pry it from your cold dead fingers and cheer on the sidelines as another country flexes their military power, killing hundreds of civilians on the other side of the world.

What would Jesus do?  Remember that?  I think Christians better rethink that, because most of us are missing the entire point.

In closing I leave you with words from the Magnificat, the highly subversive song that Mary sings when she finds out that she has been chosen to be the mother of God.  I give you a contemporary version, but feel free to look it up in St. Luke 1: 46-55.  See what she says about the poor and the  weak vs the powerful, the pious, and the prestigious.

2. Through me great deeds will God make manifest,
And all the earth will come to call me blest.
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
For all who know and praise God's holy name.

3. God's mighty arm, protector of the just,
Will guard the weak and raise them from the dust.
But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt.
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.

4. Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
Be richly blest, be given greater worth.
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham,
Will live in peace throughout the promised land.