The Time is Now.

"And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  Then he began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing'." (Luke 4: 20-21 NRSV)

In chapter twenty of "We Make the Road by Walking," Brian McLaren takes us into the early days of Jesus' public ministry in Galilee.  Of particular interest is his visit to his hometown synagogue of Nazareth.  McLaren offers a challenge in this story, and I'll present that challenge to you as well.

At a particular point in the Jewish Sabbath ritual, men are allowed to read from a particular scripture and offer comment on it, much like Christians today are used to hearing a pastor or priest give a sermon or homily.  Imagine sitting in the synagogue in Nazareth that day.  Jesus himself would be a familiar site, after all he had grown up in your town.  He'd probably read and offered comment in the synagogue before as well.  Let's say you've enjoyed what Jesus has had to say, so you settle in and look forward to it.

Jesus asks for, and receives the scroll from the prophet Isaiah.  He begins to read and then gets to the part which we today know as the first verses of Isaiah 61: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free."

We love verses like that today, don't we?  Certainly the people in the synagogue that day probably did as well.  As McLaren mentions, these kinds of verses give us hope that someday somebody will come along and really set things right.  This would have been especially meaningful back then as the people were living under Roman rule and oppression.  They were looking for that Messiah who could come and toss out the Romans and set things right, someday, they believed, he would come.

McLaren suggests that message could very well have been what the men in the synagogue were expecting to hear from Jesus that day. Someday, perhaps someday soon, the Messiah will come and set things right.  Are we as Christians in the same boat?  I think many of us are.  How many times have each of us sat in church over the years and listened to somebody read verses like these, maybe out of Revelation, and talk about how wonderful it will be when Jesus returns in glory and sets everything right?  I bet most of us have, multiple times.  These messages give us hope, hope for a better tomorrow.

But then Jesus goes in a totally different direction.  He says: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Wait now, what did he say?  He's not promising a better tomorrow, he's suggesting something better....today.  He's not suggesting that there will be some glorious afterlife with streets paved with gold, he's suggesting something that's happening....now.

There was some excitement in this.  Perhaps this man was a new prophet, could he, just maybe, be the promised Messiah?  And hey look, that's Joseph's son!  He's one of our own!  This man proclaiming this bold new message is one of us, from Nazareth, how awesome IS THAT?

But then thinks get ugly.  Jesus resorts to two stories from the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha, about how they went outside their own people to do some of their deeds, and how displeased some were back then.  You and the other folks are starting to get confused, and as his point starts to dawn on you, you start to get mad.  This guy isn't preaching some new thing just for you, but he's talking about others, outsiders!  This good news is meant for us, not for all of those sinners, rule breakers, and the OTHERS.  This guy is a heretic!

At that point, you and your buddies, in a fit of righteous, or shall we say self-righteous, anger, drive Jesus from the synagogue and corner him on a nearby cliff, where you're ready to give him the old heave-ho. 

That's pretty scary stuff.  However, Jesus holds out long enough and is eventually able to pass through the crowd without harm and continue his ministry, a ministry that would be marked by the calling of dirty fishermen and tax collectors, a ministry that would heal those with the most untouchable diseases, a ministry that would exalt adultresses and prostitutes over the "righteous" religious folks of the day, a ministry that would turn the world on its head even centuries later.

McLaren challenges us first to think about this kind of a situation today.  Imagine if some very charismatic guy, or girl, popped up on the all the cable news networks and started to say:  "The time is NOW! This is the time for bringing about the kingdom of God. This is the time for ending violence and oppression.  This is the time to treat the poor with dignity and make sure everyone has a place at the table.  This is the time to expand the blessings of modern medical care to everyone no matter their ability to pay for it.  This is the time for peace, justice, and reconciliation."

Moreover, this message is for EVERYBODY!  This light, this new life of service and sacrifice, of peace and understanding isn't just for Christians or people we think follow all the rules.  The life, the light of all people is for everyone regardless of creed.  This life is for everyone regardless of gender. No more are there to be things that people are excluded from because of gender.  This life is for everyone, no matter their skin color.  Now is the time for prejudice to cease, especially prejudice in the name of religion.  This life is for everyone, straight, gay, lesbian, or transgender.  No longer are we to discriminate against people because of who they love.  All are God's children, made in his image, and engraved upon the palm of his hand.

Well, how would you feel about taking part in that message?  Not just the parts you agree with, mind you, all of it.  Love all, serve all.  Would you be one that would join in and be a disciple of this person, or would you be one of those who would be more interested in tossing this individual off of the proverbial cliff?  We've seen the attitudes toward Pope Francis with some of these very things. It's not always pleasant, and there are things listed above that I'm sure he won't even touch, such as gender issues.

McLaren quite startlingly argues that many Christians today would seem to be in the camp that's ready to throw Christ off of a cliff, and it can be over any of those issues listed above.  In our culture poor people are looked upon as inferior.  Many of us still lean on ancient bits of the Bible in order to continue to justify legal discrimination against LGBTQ individuals.  Many of our most important positions in our workplaces, governments, and faiths remain closed to women. 

As I've commented on several times before, the inclusiveness of Christ has been totally lost in many of our churches.  It's one of the main reasons why, years ago, I left church. Fortunately through people like Pastor Gary and organizations like the United Methodist Church, I've finally found a place that not only accepts and loves me, but welcomes and loves everybody with the open arms of Christ.  A place where you don't even have to be a Christian to partake in the Supper of the Lord.  

I firmly believe that the table of Christ, the banquet of love is set and open for all.  It is unfortunate that as the poor, the outcast, the women, the gay people, and even people of other faiths and no faith sometimes come to that table, the Christians, the "righteous," turn their noses in the air as Christ welcomes all to his table of peace, justice, and love.

Words like McLaren's have challenged me, and comforted me,  Not only are all of these welcome at the table of Christ, but so am I, despite my shortcomings and failures, which are many.  You are welcome at this table too, at anytime, free of judgement under the grace of Christ given for all.  If people judge you, come to me.  I will not.  I will be happy to chat with anyone regarding faith and the love of Christ.

The time is now.  Will you join me, will you join Christ and proclaim peace, love and justice for all?  The more of us that do that, the more of us that gather around the table and break bread together, the better our lives and our world can become.

The Magnificat and the Manger: The Subversiveness of Christmas

"He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty." Luke 1 51-53 (NRSV)

I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to say today, on Christmas Eve.  I thought about just putting some kind of innocuous fluff post out there about everybody being happy and joyful as we gather with friends and family.

But it didn't seem right to do that.

In fact, it would misrepresent what the Christmas story has come to mean for me.

Think back to a time before Christmas shopping was even a thing.  Think back to a time before conquerors bearing the standard of Christianity colonized the western world and destroyed many native cultures and populations.  Think back to a time before Constantine converted to Christianity and forever linked the faith of Christ on the cross to a global empire.

Think back to a time when a young Jewish girl, having recently found out that she was expecting a baby in scandalous circumstances, took a trip into the country to stay with her cousin.  During this time the Jewish people, like many others, were under the thumb of the Roman empire.  They were looking for a messiah, a deliverer, a Christ.  They were looking for someone who would help them throw off Roman rule.  

It's also quite possible that Mary and her family didn't have much.  Certainly they didn't when compared to the Romans.  Her future husband was a carpenter, and while maybe that's not glorious, it was a skilled trade that should provide for her and her child.

Upon her arrival she finds that her cousin, an older woman thought barren, is expecting a baby as well.  As her cousin comes out to meet her she greets her with "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?"  The cousin proceeds to tell the young woman that the baby in her womb leaped for joy at her presence.  This is probably confusing to this young girl, Mary.  How did her cousin Elizabeth know about all this?  One can imagine that they talked quite a bit about all of these things in the days after that!

With all this now done and understood, Mary, this young, Jewish peasant girl sings a song of praise that to my mind is unrivaled in Christian scripture.  I quote it in it's entirety: 

And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

--Luke 1: 46-55 (NKJV)

I wonder, can you get more anti-establishment than this?  Here is this young girl talking about scattering the proud, throwing down mighty kings from their thrones, exalting the lowly of society, feeding the hungry, and turning the rich away empty handed.  When you think about it, it's quite startling.

Now think about this in context of today's well to do, pro-establishment, pro-money and extreme wealth version of Christianity.  How would this message really play today in age where poor people are frowned upon simply as lazy welfare takers and laws are passed in some locales that prevent feeding the homeless in public?  How would this message of raising the lowly and sending the rich away empty play to the crowds, the masses of people who still now, at 3 PM on Christmas Eve, are flocking to stores in search of those gadgets or those toys that we think we all really need?

My guess is that the message of Mary's song would be, and is, brushed aside like a pesky fly as we go our way in our empire-like religious establishment and participate in our corporate Christmas.

The First Christmas gets even more subversive, even more wild that that however.

Some months later, Mary is near giving birth and is in the town of Bethlehem with her husband, Joseph.  Joseph frantically seeks a room for them, someplace for them to stay, but is turned away.  It is an image that often pops up in the Bible, people unwittingly turning God, turning Christ away. Eventually they end up in a stable,  It may not have been a barn or stable in the sense that we see in our modern Nativity scenes.  Many houses in that time had a lower room where animals and livestock were kept.  Perhaps it was in a room like this.  Oral tradition in Bethlehem holds that it was in a cave like stable with animals around.

It is in these surroundings that Mary gives birth to her firstborn son.  She gives him the name Jesus, wraps him in a blanket, and lays him in a manger. I wonder if Mary and Joseph really grasped the moment, really realized what had just happened?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
--John 1: 1-5, 14.

God had become a human being.  No really, God, you know, Creator of the Universe, the beginning and the end of all things, had left his throne and came to Earth, not as King born in the finest palace, but as a baby born to a young peasant couple and placed in a manger.  It wasn't the kings and princes of the empire that came to greet him, but a bunch of sheep herders who had been hanging out with their charges.  Is THAT any way for the King of the Universe to enter his creation?

Do we lose sight of that at Christmas?  Sure we do.  Despite the fact that there are multiple manger scenes in many neighborhoods, we often forget about the wonder, the mystery, of the Incarnation of the Creator of the stars of night in lowly human form.

What does that say to me, say to us as we celebrate Christmas?  We look around at our establishment and we're comfortable.  The plight of the poor and the oppressed doesn't seem to bother us most of the time as we go about our business.  But it was to these people, the poor couple living under imperial occupation, that Christ came into the world.  What does the story, what does Mary's song tell us about the way that we should look at our own world?

I leave you with some words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

"For the great and powerful of this world, there are only two places in which their courage fails them, of which they are afraid deep down in their souls, from which they shy away.  These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ.  No powerful person dares to approach the manger, and this even includes King Herod.  For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent parish, because God is with the lowly.  Here the rich come to nothing, because God is with the poor and hungry, but the rich and satisfied he sends away empty.  Before Mary, the maid, before the manger of Christ, before God in lowliness, the powerful come to naught; they have no right, no hope, they are judged."

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "God is in the Manger," pg 26.

Advent: We're Not the Only Ones Who Wait

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. (Revelation 3:20 NRSV)

Christians are quite familiar with the concept of "waiting" during Advent, that's what the season is for, after all.  We wait in hope not only to celebrate the first Advent, the Incarnation of Christ, but the second Advent, when we believe he will return to Earth.  Of course when I was a kid it was about waiting for Christmas morning and presents, if I'm honest with you!  We make a nice show out of our own waiting at Advent, but I wonder, are we the only ones waiting?  I think not.

Think about a time when you got somebody what you might consider the "perfect gift" for Christmas. How do you feel as you wait for Christmas day and the opportunity for that person to open it: excited, nervous, expectant?  One year my wife got me a portable weather station (I'm a weather geek), and she was so excited to see my face light up when I opened it.  I trust that I didn't disappoint her!  

Well in the Advent study that Pastor Gary is presenting at our Church this Advent, he portrays God that way.  God has procured for us this great gift, and he's just waiting to see how we respond once the gift is no longer "under wraps," so to speak.  Of course the gift was originally given some 2000 years ago, and it was the gift of his son, indeed the gift of himself, Jesus Christ. God waits in excited anticipation to see how each and everyone of us responds to this special gift.

Which brings us to the matter of Christ himself.  In the book of Revelation Christ says that he is standing at the door knocking, waiting for us to open the door to him.  This is also a familiar image in Christianity, so much so that it has often become cliche, but make no mistake, Christ is waiting, and he is expectant of us everyday of our lives.  Consider this:

"Jesus stands at the door knocking.  In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help.  He confronts you in every person that you meet.  As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you.  That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.  Do you want to close the door or open it?"

                                                                                             --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Does those words give any of us pause?  Do they convict any of us in the slightest?  Here Pastor Bonhoeffer ties in the meaning of Advent to the seminal message of Christianity.  For so many of us, accepting Christ means "opening the door to hearts" so to speak, and inviting him into our lives. That is indeed the first step, but the journey ahead for those who would truly follow Christ is long indeed.  

Christ is there, confronting us in everyone we meet, everyone we hear about.  He waits, and how do we respond?  Christ is present in a young African American man who has been killed by a police officer and left on the street in the open for four hours.  Christ is present in a man who was strangled to death by a New York City officer.  Does that tie this is to everything that's going on around us? Christ presents himself to us in everyone, no matter race, creed, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, or any other qualifier.  He waits to see how we react to him, to see if we will truly continue to open up our lives to him, again and again. It is a constant, active process, where we must remember that an injustice done to anyone is an injustice done to Christ.

So what do we do?  How do we open the door?  It starts by recognizing the validity of each and every human life.    Once we have done this, this fundamental belief should invade every aspect of our lives.  It should inform how we talk to others and treat others around us. It should govern the way we give of our time and resources.  Even just dropping a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket helps, and that's a great way to start, but I encourage all of us to look for other ways that we can reach out to our community.

Finally it should also inform how we vote and how we interact in the political life of our nation.  We should be holding candidates' feet to the fire on these issues, trying to get meaningful change that can help all of us.  We need to be asking the questions:  What do we do about the poor?  What do we do to erase the blight of racism in our country?  How do we confront and change this culture of violence?  

I truly believe that Christ calls us to be active in the lives of those around us everyday and in the life of our country.  I invite you to use this Advent/Christmas season as a springboard to do both in your life.  Christ is knocking, waiting.

Little Gems: The Light That Shines on All

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5: 14-16, NIV) Photo: Eric Vogt

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most central documents in Christianity and is perhaps the most important, detailed discourse of Christ.  The verses cited above follow the famous Beatitudes given to begin Matthew 5, and as we worked through them yesterday in our class with the pastor, they really struck me.

Christians often speak of Christ as the Light of the World, and that's true enough, but here Jesus is doing something different.  He's passing on the responsibility.  He's bringing us in on it.  His message is clear as well, he doesn't only want us to be the light, he doesn't want us to hide it.  The "City on a hill" image has long been used in Christian thought, and has often been linked with the United States. I'm not overly fond of that linkage personally.  However, the image itself holds.  Pastor Gary and several members of our church just returned from a trip to Greece, and he talked about how all the cities had an "acropolis" which means "high point"  These high points not only let people in the city see who or what was coming , but it was a place where all the people in the city could see and perhaps come for refuge.  The acropolis could not be hidden.

The second image is of a personal light, and what one does with it.  In the first century CE people often used small, oil based lights or "lamps" to light their homes in the darkness.  It wouldn't do much good to light one of those and put a bowl over it.  You couldn't see it, and the light wouldn't get out to do what it was intended to.  Instead, one would put it on a lamp stand where it could illuminate as big an area as possible.

So what is it that light is intended to do?  What's the purpose?  One way we use light is as a beacon, like the city on a hill.  The smallest light in the dark will draw people to it.  We're all familiar with lighthouses on the coast being used in this same way.  We also use light to illuminate darkness.  We don't use oil lamps anymore for the most part.  We flip the switch, and the light bulb fires up, dispelling the darkness from all but the darkest corners of a room.

And just what is this light of Christ that we are meant to take forward, that we're meant to be?  For some today, it's the light of judgement.  I saw these verses, and their companion verses about salt, being used to motivate Christians before the elections, their primary purpose being to promote candidates who wish to shoot down marriage equality and benefit the rich powerful over the poor and needy.  

Of course this is the exact opposite of what Christ promotes.  To me the Light of Christ is the light of love, the light of compassion, the light of acceptance to anyone and everyone no matter their circumstances.  To be light of Christ means to help to the poor, not to just wait for someone else to do it or to just tell them to "stop being lazy."  To be the light of Christ is recognize that none of us are perfect, not others, not ourselves.  To be the light of Christ is to meet others where they are in life, and minister to them in love and compassion and allow them to minister to us in return.  To be the light of Christ is to love everyone, including your enemies and those who disagree with you.

Perhaps the most important aspect of light is this: it shines on everything.  It is not selective.  The light of Christ is meant to be for all: regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, or creed.  The idea isn't to go to people of other faiths, or people of no faith, and tell them to accept the light or burn in hell.  The idea is to live your life as an example of things that Christ valued and invite others to join you.  Love and compassion are still love and compassion whether they are exhibited by a Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist, or anyone else.  

This light also means justice and equality for all.  This includes extending social justice and civic benefits to everyone.  Period.  Love everyone and treat them as equal and as people of value.  Plain and simple.

Whether you're religious or not, Christian or not, how can you be this kind of light, the light of love and acceptance in the world around you?  We're coming into a season that will be full of joy and abundance for many, but also full of desperation and heartache for so many others.  I encourage all of you to join me in trying to be a light to these people.  It just might make somebody's day or even save a life.

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?

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."

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.

Little Gems: Micah 6:8 "Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly"

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  

--Micah 6:8 (English Standard Version).

Pastor Gary talked about the verse above last Sunday morning in his sermon.  He brought it back to my mind and made me really consider it.  I can't tell you how many times I've read this verse or sung it as either a Cantor in the Catholic Church or as a worship leader in protestant churches, but for some reason it never clicked with me.  The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write about it. The more I wanted to write about it, I started thinking about other verses that either were favorites of mine or some that maybe I hadn't really noticed before.  So I've decided that I'll do some entries about verses in both of those categories and call it "Little Gems."  This is the first of those entries.

The Book of Micah is one of those "out of the way" books in the Bible.  As one of the 12 books of the minor prophets, it doesn't get the consideration the major prophetical books like Isaiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel do.  It also isn't one of the big weighty books like Leviticus.  It's a pity, because Micah has a lot to say about what today we would call "social justice."  Perhaps that's why it doesn't get much play in conservative evangelical circles.

The verse above actually comes from a section (chapter 6) where God is indicting the people of Israel.  Basically God is saying " I brought you out of Egypt.  I've sent all of these upright men and women to you to serve as examples, but you don't still don't seem to have figured out what I want you to do."

Starting in verse 6, God talks about what he wants.  As it turns out, he doesn't want ritual sacrifices. He doesn't want lavish buildings with all the expensive accessories.  He doesn't want you to sacrifice your kids to redeem your soul (that's a good thing!)

Then we get to verse 8.  The prophet says "Hey, God has told you what is good before,  What more does he want of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with him?"  To me, this is the message of Christianity, the message of Jesus in a nutshell.  Let's take just a moment to consider these things.

First the prophet says we are to "do justice."  Some translations have it as to "seek justice."  What does that mean?  Keep in mind the social justice context.  Several times in the book Micah levels accusations at the rich, the people who control the resources and yet covet more and more of them. Just a few verses after the one above, God says:

"Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?  Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.  Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins."

God wants us to do economic justice.  He wants us to seek to end the way people lord and horde countless riches while so many others can't even get by.  He wants people to get paid fairly for the work they do.

The second thing is to "love kindness" or some translations have it as "love mercy."  This is every bit as subversive as the first idea. Kindness and mercy equal forgiveness.  They equal respect for everyone despite their circumstances.  They equal second chances for everyone, whether they deserve it or not.

This is another radical concept in today's world.  Christianity seems to stand for judgment and sin avoidance.  So many of us love to preach about "God's Law" at other people without realizing that none of us measure up either. Showing kindness and mercy toward those who might have committed an offense against us, or what we perceive to be an offense to our beliefs is difficult, but it is an absolutely essential element of Christianity.  How easily we forget that.

Finally the prophet says that we are to walk humbly with our God.  Think about the literal act of walking with someone and imagine walking humbly with them. You're talking to them, listening to them, interacting with them.  If you're walking humbly, chances are you're not walking around with your chest puffed out trying to get people to look at you. I mean, hey, you're walking with God!  You're a super Christian. You don't smoke, drink, swear, watch rated R movies or date girls who do!  Walking humbly means being quiet and, well HUMBLE.  It doesn't mean walking by other folks and shouting at them, thumping them over the head with the Bible because you think that they're doing something wrong.

When we do these things: seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, we become an example to others.  We show what walking with Jesus can really bring about in one's life.  We show that despite the trappings of modern Christianity, there are people out there who are dedicated to bringing the justice, mercy, and humility of the God who became man in a stable into the world and try to make it a better place for everyone.

It's worth trying.  I know it is.