american christianity ™

Fake Plastic Jesus

Frank

Her green plastic watering can
For her fake chinese rubber plant
In fake plastic earth.
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plants
–Radiohead Fake Plastic Trees

Roughly 80% of Americans claim to be Christians. Woo-to-the-hoo. I look around, and I don’t see it. Granted, I don’t expect to see Paradise. Not so long as sin reigns in this world. But I would hope it would look better.

So what’s the problem? You could point at many things: sin, lukewarm churches, cheap grace, a watered down gospel, politics, and I’m sure you could think of more. But this video, I think, does a great job summing it up. (Thanks Luke for sharing this Sunday!)

There’s much of this to which I can relate, and as I watched it last this last Sunday I could help but feel challenged. And what came to mind was The Fellowship of the Unashamed. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it and just as long since I’ve felt it.

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed.

I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..” (Romans 1:16)

This is often attributed to Dr. Bob Moorehead, though I’ve also heard it attributed to “an African missionary who recited this right before he was martyred.” This also may not be the correct version. In a sad demonstration of the division in the Church, some versions leave out “Holy Spirit Power” and others leave out “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ”. Ironic that some versions of The Fellowship of the Unashamed are ashamed to call themselves disciples of Jesus. Maybe their Jesus is plastic.

The Separation between Church and State

Frank

is 240,000 miles. Who knew?

I knew of the controversy surrounding the Apollo 8 mission and Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s lawsuit, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard this story.

The comments following the post are entertaining (as is usually the case) and do a poor job representing either side of the debate, but an interesting point is brought up.

Yes, there was enough publicity after Apollo 8 for NASA to choose not to broadcast Buzz Aldrin celebrating the Lord’s Supper. But that’s where it ended. As much of a publicity hound (pun intended) that Buzz Aldrin is (and I say that with all due respect, having met him on a couple of occasions), it says a lot that not much was made of this.

Contrast with today. The Religious Right fringe of American Christianity (TM) would be up in arms, appearing on every talking-head news show on cable and crying “persecution!” To them, I would offer up this advice:

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:1, 5-8)

The Separation between Church and State

Frank

is 240,000 miles. Who knew?

I knew of the controversy surrounding the Apollo 8 mission and Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s lawsuit, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard this story.

The comments following the post are entertaining (as is usually the case) and do a poor job representing either side of the debate, but an interesting point is brought up.

Yes, there was enough publicity after Apollo 8 for NASA to choose not to broadcast Buzz Aldrin celebrating the Lord’s Supper. But that’s where it ended. As much of a publicity hound (pun intended) that Buzz Aldrin is (and I say that with all due respect, having met him on a couple of occasions), it says a lot that not much was made of this.

Contrast with today. The Religious Right fringe of American Christianity (TM) would be up in arms, appearing on every talking-head news show on cable and crying “persecution!” To them, I would offer up this advice:

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:1, 5-8)

God Bless America?

Frank

For the warm-fuzzy 4th of July posts, check here and here.

I’m not going write a post dripping with patriotism, devoting more to my country than to my Lord. Instead I want us to consider brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe. Are we more blessed than they? Does God love us more because we’re “proud to be an American”? (ha, now you have that song in your head, don’t you?) Paul wrote to the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28) In today’s terms, there is neither Iranian nor American…

Last week my congregation raised over $100,000, a majority of which to be shared with churches we support in the Baltic and Nordic countries. The Baltic countries like Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are former Warsaw Pact countries and Soviet States. Just a short time ago, they were our enemies. And now we worship along side them, united in Christ. Again I ask, are we more blessed than they? Did God suddenly begin to love them once they rejected communism?

Turning our attention back to our own country, it is easy to see we are far from perfect. We have political deadlocks, economic turmoil, sexual scandals and often those fall under a single headline. Does God love us more just because we Pledge Allegiance to the Flag? The phrase “one nation under God” was added to distinguish our country from “Godless communism”. Some have tried to have that phrase removed, just like the words “In God We Trust” on our currency, or “God Bless America” at the end of nearly every political speech. But if that phrase was removed from the Pledge, I don’t think I’d recite it. Saying one nation under God puts things in proper order. God comes first. Without that phrase, I’m violating what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.” (Matthew 5:33-36) Now a ‘pledge’ isn’t an oath, but to my conscience it’s too close for comfort.

Would that then make me unpatriotic? A similar dilemma exists in our religious politics. Am I less than a Christian if I vote a certain way? There’s a unfortunate trend that’s dominated our politics in recent years, and that’s a sense of entitlement, of blessing, based on our own sense of righteousness. Take the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Was that because New Orleans ‘endorsed’ homosexuality by allowing a parade? Some would think so. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. I’m not about to put a motive behind anything that God does. But does God owe us blessings? Does he owe us curses if we don’t abide by his Law? Last I checked, his Covenant was with the Nation of Israel and we’re under a New Covenant now in Christ. Our country does not have a covenant with God. We as a people, as a church, his Kingdom on Earth, do. And that Kingdom knows no borders, no flag. I can worship right alongside my enemy because we are one in Christ.

That’s not to say that I won’t watch fireworks or wave a flag. I will celebrate the 4th, but with the understanding to what kingdom my allegiance ultimately lies.

Referring to Abraham and his descendants, “People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” (Hebrews 11:14-16a, emphasis added)

God Bless America?

Frank

For the warm-fuzzy 4th of July posts, check here and here.

I’m not going write a post dripping with patriotism, devoting more to my country than to my Lord. Instead I want us to consider brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe. Are we more blessed than they? Does God love us more because we’re “proud to be an American”? (ha, now you have that song in your head, don’t you?) Paul wrote to the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28) In today’s terms, there is neither Iranian nor American…

Last week my congregation raised over $100,000, a majority of which to be shared with churches we support in the Baltic and Nordic countries. The Baltic countries like Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are former Warsaw Pact countries and Soviet States. Just a short time ago, they were our enemies. And now we worship along side them, united in Christ. Again I ask, are we more blessed than they? Did God suddenly begin to love them once they rejected communism?

Turning our attention back to our own country, it is easy to see we are far from perfect. We have political deadlocks, economic turmoil, sexual scandals and often those fall under a single headline. Does God love us more just because we Pledge Allegiance to the Flag? The phrase “one nation under God” was added to distinguish our country from “Godless communism”. Some have tried to have that phrase removed, just like the words “In God We Trust” on our currency, or “God Bless America” at the end of nearly every political speech. But if that phrase was removed from the Pledge, I don’t think I’d recite it. Saying one nation under God puts things in proper order. God comes first. Without that phrase, I’m violating what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.” (Matthew 5:33-36) Now a ‘pledge’ isn’t an oath, but to my conscience it’s too close for comfort.

Would that then make me unpatriotic? A similar dilemma exists in our religious politics. Am I less than a Christian if I vote a certain way? There’s a unfortunate trend that’s dominated our politics in recent years, and that’s a sense of entitlement, of blessing, based on our own sense of righteousness. Take the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Was that because New Orleans ‘endorsed’ homosexuality by allowing a parade? Some would think so. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. I’m not about to put a motive behind anything that God does. But does God owe us blessings? Does he owe us curses if we don’t abide by his Law? Last I checked, his Covenant was with the Nation of Israel and we’re under a New Covenant now in Christ. Our country does not have a covenant with God. We as a people, as a church, his Kingdom on Earth, do. And that Kingdom knows no borders, no flag. I can worship right alongside my enemy because we are one in Christ.

That’s not to say that I won’t watch fireworks or wave a flag. I will celebrate the 4th, but with the understanding to what kingdom my allegiance ultimately lies.

Referring to Abraham and his descendants, “People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” (Hebrews 11:14-16a, emphasis added)

Burn Out

Frank

A while back I wrote about my family as a ministry with the intention of following up on that post later. When I started writing that post, the goal was to talk more about the last part (ministry burning us out) than the first (defining my ministry)- a classic case of the Spirit leading me somewhere else than where I was planning to go. So here I am more than a month later, reminded of the need to bring this up by Chip Ingram’s most recent blog leading into his current series at Living On The Edge. The Holy Spirit was definately moving because I read his post right after reading Matthew 11:25-30 in my Quiet Time.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)

If you look around at today’s Church, you could argue that the above passage cannot realistically be true. Far too many disciples of Jesus are burned out and you can understand why. Tuesday I studied the topic of grace with the teen I mentor. I described grace in the context of not being “treat[ed] as our sins deserve” (Psalm 103:10) as the most recognized form of grace. But we forget the other side of the coin, that we cannot earn God’s love or forgiveness (examples: 1 Corinthians 15:9-11, Romans 3:22-24, Ephesians 3:7, and of course Ephesians 2:6-9). There’s nothing more we can do that Jesus hasn’t already done. But we live in a performance-driven society when the most common trait among the successful is “drive”. So we burn ourselves out doing more and more “in the name of Jesus” to try and be better and better. But it doesn’t work that way.

So what do we do if our ministry is burning us out?

1) Get Away. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a). Bob Beltz, the author of Becoming a Man of Prayer, was motivated to write that book after taking a 21-day retreat in “silence and solitude”. Imagine how much closer to God you’d be after such a “date with God.” 21 days isn’t realistic for most of us, but we can definitely spare a Saturday morning. Don’t busy yourself, spend time alone with God.

2) Get the Sabbath. I heard once in a lesson that if we don’t take the Sabbath, the Sabbath will take us. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Don’t fill your Sundays with being busy- meeting after meeting after meeting. Take the time off. Worship God. Enjoy your family.

3) Get Help. The issue of Discipleship Journal I mentioned in that previous post had a section dedicated to “Soul Care for Spiritual Leaders”. Unfortunately, they don’t offer all their articles online to link. But the section written by Gordon MacDonald focused on spiritual elders teaching younger disciples from their own experiences dealing with burning out. The opposite is true: find someone who has faced the same challenges and seek advice.

4) Get On Your Knees. “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray.” (James 5:13ff) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) ‘Nuff said.

5) Get Grace. This is a biggie. If we don’t understand God’s unconditional love for us we will always be tempted to burn ourselves out to please him. In Chip’s blog that I linked, he relates a lesson from one of his theology professors, “Students, the wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means, for the most possible people, for the longest possible time.” That is only true because God wants the best for us, even when we are not at our best. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) That is Grace.

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

Burn Out

Frank

A while back I wrote about my family as a ministry with the intention of following up on that post later. When I started writing that post, the goal was to talk more about the last part (ministry burning us out) than the first (defining my ministry)- a classic case of the Spirit leading me somewhere else than where I was planning to go. So here I am more than a month later, reminded of the need to bring this up by Chip Ingram’s most recent blog leading into his current series at Living On The Edge. The Holy Spirit was definately moving because I read his post right after reading Matthew 11:25-30 in my Quiet Time.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)

If you look around at today’s Church, you could argue that the above passage cannot realistically be true. Far too many disciples of Jesus are burned out and you can understand why. Tuesday I studied the topic of grace with the teen I mentor. I described grace in the context of not being “treat[ed] as our sins deserve” (Psalm 103:10) as the most recognized form of grace. But we forget the other side of the coin, that we cannot earn God’s love or forgiveness (examples: 1 Corinthians 15:9-11, Romans 3:22-24, Ephesians 3:7, and of course Ephesians 2:6-9). There’s nothing more we can do that Jesus hasn’t already done. But we live in a performance-driven society when the most common trait among the successful is “drive”. So we burn ourselves out doing more and more “in the name of Jesus” to try and be better and better. But it doesn’t work that way.

So what do we do if our ministry is burning us out?

1) Get Away. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a). Bob Beltz, the author of Becoming a Man of Prayer, was motivated to write that book after taking a 21-day retreat in “silence and solitude”. Imagine how much closer to God you’d be after such a “date with God.” 21 days isn’t realistic for most of us, but we can definitely spare a Saturday morning. Don’t busy yourself, spend time alone with God.

2) Get the Sabbath. I heard once in a lesson that if we don’t take the Sabbath, the Sabbath will take us. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Don’t fill your Sundays with being busy- meeting after meeting after meeting. Take the time off. Worship God. Enjoy your family.

3) Get Help. The issue of Discipleship Journal I mentioned in that previous post had a section dedicated to “Soul Care for Spiritual Leaders”. Unfortunately, they don’t offer all their articles online to link. But the section written by Gordon MacDonald focused on spiritual elders teaching younger disciples from their own experiences dealing with burning out. The opposite is true: find someone who has faced the same challenges and seek advice.

4) Get On Your Knees. “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray.” (James 5:13ff) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) ‘Nuff said.

5) Get Grace. This is a biggie. If we don’t understand God’s unconditional love for us we will always be tempted to burn ourselves out to please him. In Chip’s blog that I linked, he relates a lesson from one of his theology professors, “Students, the wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means, for the most possible people, for the longest possible time.” That is only true because God wants the best for us, even when we are not at our best. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) That is Grace.

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I wish they all could be California girls…

Frank

No, not really. Especially if they’re anything like Miss California, Carrie Prejean. Is anyone tired of this yet? She was asked a question on gay marriage from an openly gay host whose only claim to fame is running an online tabloid and having a name similar to Paris Hilton. She was open about her faith in interviews leading up to the pageant and California is home to the controversial Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. What did she expect to happen?

So she lost. So she said it was because of her answer opposing gay marriage. So what.

So Miss Prejean did what Evangelical Christians have learned to do, not from the example of Jesus Christ, but from their political brand of American Christianity (TM)- she played the “persecution” card. Now she’s a celebrity to the Religious Right (scroll down down at the 558 mark and listen to the podcast if you want to hear this “great” interview) and a spokesperson for the National Organization of Marriage (I’d never heard of it before she came along, and I’m against gay-marriage).

Yes, the Perez Hilton went over the line by taking her response personal instead of crediting her for her honesty and not being tempted by peer pressure to be politically correct. He then left the line far behind in his rear view mirror when he went public calling her a “b—h” and “c–t” just because she thinks differently than he does. But that does not come close to equalling Christian persecution.

I’ve written several times before criticising the “persecution complex” of American Christianity (TM), and I’ll repeat myself by saying her crying about losing a beauty pageant is an insult to the thousands of Christians across the globe whose lives are threatened because of their faith.

Did I mention this was a beauty pageant? An celebration of vanity if there ever was one. And last I checked, vanity is a sin. It doesn’t help her cause that she got breast implants before the competition and that they were paid for by her California sponsor.

I’m sorry, but I have little sympathy for this woman. Was she treated unfairly? Yes, of course. Was it because of her faith? Not sure if it was as much a matter of faith than of politics. Is she being persecuted? Yes to a degree, but only because she’s elevated herself to the level of national celebrity. I’ll certainly pray for her and wish nothing but the best, but I won’t claim her as speaking for me, my politics, nor my faith.

Instead I turn to Jesus, who never backed down from persecution. “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ “(Luke 13:31-32) But his goal wasn’t political or to change the social norms (though admittedly he did speak out against some of them, emphasis on some) but instead to offer redemption to the world through shedding his blood.

Sell Out

Frank

One of the “tests of fellowship” my sisterhood of churches was infamous for was the call to be “sold out disciples” of Christ. As part of multiple lukewarm campus ministries over the years that sales pitch worked on me. While there is nothing wrong with that call in and of itself, that expectation unfortunately opened the fellowship up to all sorts of abuses. Part of the problem has been some just don’t get it. If they’re not being told how to be “sold out” they won’t be. While there have been many efforts to change parts of that old culture over the past few years I’ve noticed the cost has been “sold outedness”. Brothers and sisters just don’t seem to be motivated to serve and follow Jesus because no one is explicitly telling them to be. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not universal, but is prevalent enough to be noticeable.

I do believe there is a Biblical call to be sold out in our faith. Romans 12 reads, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Rom 12:11) At the same time, we can’t be zealous for zealous’ sake. Paul writes to the Galations, “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It’s fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good.” (Gal 4:17-18) And Proverbs 19:2 reads, “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” That’s what I think hurt our churches in the past- too many were zealous more for their leaders, the latest evangelism drive, etc and not for zealous for Jesus.

I also think this is part of the problem in the American Christian Church (TM). Many are happy to be Sunday morning Christians, give their tithe (sometimes), and be on their way. For many, living as a disciple of Jesus means having a particular political persuasion rather than daily taking up their cross. Or they’re proud to be a member of some megachurch led by a best-selling author.

So we could all use a little wake up call. I mentioned before that some just don’t get it. Praise God though, some do. Thanks to Jessie at Surrender All and Marcus at Transplant Ministries for bringing these videos to my attention.

What am I doing here?

Frank

Someone posted this on the bulletin board at work and I got a good laugh. It pretty well sums up my efforts at blogging. So why do I do it?

I hinted in my last post, that I relate to David when facing Goliath. He wasn’t motivated by the battle (though I have to fight that in my own pride), but he was motivated because Goliath mocked his God. “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26) I feel like our culture, in the name of political correctness and tolerance, is defying the armies of the living God- his Kingdom on Earth, also known as his Church. Like David asking who will stand against this, I look at American Christianity (TM) and ask the same. But our watered down church has let the world creep in and manipulate the Gospel while our mouths have been shut to preaching the Truth.

I also feel like Jeremiah who said, “his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jer 20:9) I feel like I have something to say, and I trust that the Spirit is leading me. In fact, that’s why I’ll go a while without posting- it’s not that there isn’t anything to blog about, but my spirit doesn’t feel moved to do so. I might be the only person who cares what I think, but I cannot “hold it in.”

I have to fight my own pride, thinking that I have some special insight. But I do want to share what’s on my heart and I don’t want to do it for my own benefit. That’s why I try to approach this like a ministry with various links (because it isn’t all about me) and try to include a scripture with every post (because again, it isn’t all about me).

If you’re a regular visitor, thank you. If you found this by Googling “nbc kings review,” please come back for more.