Jesus

An Army Without Swords

Frank

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Describing Jesus, “In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword… These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (Revelation 1:16, 2:12)

Michael Spencer was a radical. If he was a member of your church, your leadership might consider him a trouble-maker. He had unconventional thoughts and did unexpected things. Like giving a young disciple of Christ a Bible to read on her own.

This is the context Michael uses in Chapter 10 of Mere Churchianity, “Jesus, the Bible, and the Free-Range Believer” to describe the Biblical illiteracy that is present in the American Church (TM). This is a subject I am passionate about and have written on before. I’m going to try and restrain myself from going off on another rant. Instead I want to try and dig at the heart of the problem.

Why don’t we read our Bibles? I forget the survey numbers, but something like 90% of households own a Bible but only 10% (I’m guessing on that one) actually read it. You see the traditional, large, “family” Bibles on coffee tables with baptisms, confirmations, and weddings scribbled in the front. But those occasions are the only times those Bibles are ever opened.

Michael notes that Bible reading is actually discouraged in many congregations. I wouldn’t go that far, just that it’s not explicitly encouraged. But why?

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
In the Middle Ages, reading the Bible yourself, or even owning one after the printing press was invented, was considered in many places a crime that could cost you your life. Then, the church operated much like any dictatorship- control the information and keep the populace ignorant. A lay-person reading the Bible could lead to them having their own convictions. Let that spread and you lose your grip on power.

I don’t think that’s the case today. At least in terms of consolidating power. However, I do think churches do not encourage personal Bible study to protect their long-standing traditions. You’d be surprised all the things your church does that isn’t in the Bible. Transubstantiation? Not in the Bible. The Sinner’s Prayer? Not in the Bible. Infant Baptism? Not in the Bible. Of course you could take this too far. The Churches of Christ split in the early 20th Century over whether worship music should be a capella or with instruments. Why the debate? Worship with instruments isn’t explicit in the New Testament. (But then again, neither are church buildings, Sunday School, parachurch organizations, and on and on) And you’ll find things in the Bible that are missing in our churches today such as Love Feasts and evangelism that is more than just handing out tracts or knocking on doors. But there’s a danger in making the Bible your standard instead of Jesus.

We’re not going to find the perfect church that does everything right according to the Bible. But I do believe that personal Bible Study will lead you to what’s close. It did me. It did Glynn Young. This is how I approach my evangelism, in fact. I sincerely believe that if a person is truly obeying the Greatest Commandment, even if they are in another church, they will come around to seeing errors shortcomings in their church’s traditions and structure. They will then be on a quest for what Michael describes as Jesus Shaped Spirituality. I know I cannot make anyone come to my church and I know I cannot make anyone think my church isn’t just as wacky with our ways of doing things than another church down the street. But I do know that my church encourages each of us to study the Bible and come to our own convictions. We are encouraged to follow Christ, not traditions. (Though I will admit that historically we have had “leadership shaped spirituality”, cults of personality if you will. I want to believe that has changed. I know it hasn’t everywhere, but it has where I worship.) I believe we encourage Jesus Shaped Spirituality.

I’ll never forget reading in a book this take on the following scripture: we need to come to our own convictions on who Christ is; we cannot rely on anyone else’s conclusion to reach our own. That was radical to me in just the same way as Michael handing the newly converted a Bible to read. It changed my walk with Christ and still challenges me today.

“Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’


‘Is that your own idea,‘ Jesus asked, ‘or did others talk to you about me?’“ (John 18:33-34, emphasis added)

Nancy Rosback, Glynn Young and I are discussing Mere Churchianity by Michael Spencer. Check out Nancy’s blog, Bend the Page, for links to other discussions.

Did Jesus Contradict Himself?

Frank

Interesting discussion at my recovery group last night. Did Jesus contradict himself at the Sermon of the Mount? Specifically, Matthew 5:16, where Jesus instructs us to “let [our] light shine before men” and Matthew 6:1, where he warns us “not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.”

So my question of the week is simply, what do you think? How do you let your light shine while not doing “good deeds” to be seen?

I have my answer, but I’m first interested in your thoughts.

Flashback Friday: Jesus, Savior of the Rejected

Frank

***With all the recent news related to bullying, I kept thinking back to what pushes people to school shootings. Then I remembered these posts on Matthew Murray, a young man who opened fire at Youth With a Mission and New Life Church, killing two people at each back in 2007. This is a combination of two posts right after the event, the first before too much information was known. Given the climate today, both messages are worth reposting.***

I can’t post another word without acknowledging the tragedies that happened over the weekend in Colorado. First and foremost, I want to echo the prayer of Michael Sheridan, Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

This hits pretty close to home as it wasn’t far from the first shooting that I took some very early steps in my Christian walk. And although it’s been years since I lived in an apartment a few miles north on Wads, I still have the feeling of, “I can’t believe it happened here.” I feel the same way about the other recent shooting in Omaha. That one hit close too as I was there just the day before. So it’s hard to sort out all these feelings and try to form a coherent thought.

As of the time I’m writing this, the shooter has been identified although no motive as yet been disclosed. I fully plan to update this if/when that happens. It also looks like both the shooting in Arvada and in Colorado Springs are related. (Update: It’s been confirmed the shootings are related and that the shooter, “hated Christians” and was thrown out of Youth with a Mission three years ago.)

There is a lot of speculation as to why and how something like this could happen. As expected there are many messages posted on the Denver Post website placing the blame on the churches themselves or even Christianity as a whole. I prayed at length about this this morning and I still can’t comprehend how anyone can equate a doctrine or polity to the murder of the innocent. Regardless of any single person’s belief on any of the hot topics of the day, or what that person might hear from the pulpit, or the name above the door to the church they attend, no one deserves to be killed indiscriminately. Yet there are many (I hope and pray, only a very vocal minority) who flat out hate anyone who claims Jesus as their savior without knowing their personal creed.

But this is a very broad brush used to paint a very narrow (singular, really) issue. Let me state as clearly as I can, the Jesus I follow does not condone hate. The Good News is that he died for the forgiveness of our sins, no matter what sins those may be. And that the greatest love anyone can have is to lay down our life for another.

Now, I can’t think of any Christian who would disagree with any of those. Can anyone find any fault in what I just wrote that could excuse senseless killing? Yes, there are churches that emphasize some sins as being worse than others. But, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) Does it matter what our sin is if we all fall short? Don’t we all need to repent of the sins that keep us from having a fulfilling relationship with God? At the same time, we cannot excuse sin. And it doesn’t matter what that sin is. “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Rom 6:1-2)

But there are some that believe that since the Bible condemns their lifestyle that Christians “hate” them. That they can’t follow a God who is so arrogant to condemn anyone who disagrees with him. If we preach that Jesus is the only way to salvation, then that means we hate anyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus. The thing is, the exact opposite is true. If we really hated someone and thought we had the only golden ticket to heaven, would we bother telling them? Would we, really? For someone to say that they’re not surprised someone opened fire at a church because of current-event politics is absurd, it insults my faith and is contrary to everything Jesus lived and taught.

***

So I’m still grappling with what happened in Colorado and what would motivate someone to do such a thing. And I think about the kid in Omaha too and many, many others who turned their personal demons into another’s hell. Quite common with nonsensical shootings like these are that the shooter is overwhelmed with a feeling of rejection.

Sunday morning, before seeing the news, I taught Sunday School to a group of 3rd graders. My lesson juxtaposed the sinful woman caught in adultery in John 8 with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus in Luke 7. When I present lessons from the Bible to this age group, I need to emphasize why the story I’m telling them is important. In this case, the lesson was how Jesus accepts anyone and everyone despite their sin and despite what religious leaders might say about it. A lesson certainly applicable today. There are a lot of religious leaders, Pharisees of this day and age, who are quick to condemn, quick to judge. But not Jesus. Jesus accepts. Jesus forgives.

I think about the modern parable (an oft-forwarded email, actually) of a young man in ratty clothes, long hair, piercings and tattoos who walks late into a Catholic Mass. The church is full and he can’t find a seat and even where there is a seat available the looks from the parishioners made it clear he wasn’t welcome. So without any other seats, he sat down right in the middle of the center isle. Of course, the priest had yet to come down the isle himself and everyone in the church was breathless with anticipation to see what he would do when he came to the young man. The organ stated the opening hymn as the priest and altar boys began down the isle. But no one sang along. All eyes were on the priest to see what he would do next. Noticing everyone’s stares, the priest looked at the young man and…

sat down with him.

Maybe the young men involved in these shootings could relate to this young man. Maybe they could relate to the women described in the Gospels above. Maybe they never understood that Jesus would sit right down next to them, even if no one else would.

What makes this even more sad is that I know of ministries in and around Denver whose sole purpose is to reach out to the unaccepted, the rejected. The one that I think of first is Scum of the Earth. Yeah, you read that right. The name comes from 1 Corinthians 4:11-13, “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” They say Matthew Murray came from a very religious family, so maybe he had no interest in finding a community that would accept him. But sources also say that he was once part of Youth with a Mission and was looking at enrolling in Colorado Christian College. So somewhere in his heart and soul there was a desire to reach out to God.

Now some will say it’s arrogant for a Christian to say, “well, he just needed Jesus and this would’ve never happened.” To that I can respond based on experience in ministering to addicts, that while Jesus forgives us there’s no promise that he’ll heal us. No doubt he can, but there will always be scars. We need to face and deal with the baggage we carry and lay it at the foot of the cross. If he “had Jesus” would this have been prevented? There’s really no way of knowing. Did he “need Jesus”? Well, only Jesus knows the answer to that.

Instead of worrying about the arrogance of us Christians having all the answers, or of the eternal fate of the shooter, the focus should be on the victims. And to follow Jesus’ example and forgive.

Flashback Friday: Reading is Fundamental

Frank

***Originally posted March 2nd this year. Reposted in light of the Pew Forum poll showing that atheists and agnostics know more about the basic tenants of our faith and world religions than Christians. I was going to dedicate a whole (and original!) post on the subject, but as others cover it just as well as I could. Get Religion does a terrific job looking past the headlines to break down what the Pew Forum poll results really mean and points out the obvious: atheists and agnostics have those beliefs (or lack thereof) for a reason- they’ve done their homework. Does that make us blind followers, then? Matthew Paul Turner snarkly considers this in his response. Either way you slice it, from the serious to the snark, we have a Biblical Literacy problem. Christianity Today recently had a feature titled, “Why Johnny Can’t Read the Bible” that I encourage you to check out. I also want to point you to a recent Barna survey that is more depressing than the Pew poll. Keeping these in mind, maybe we need a Read Across our Churches Day?***
Today is National Read Across America Day. Celebrated on the birthday of Dr. Seuss, events are held all around the country to “motivate children to read.” A worthwhile event and a noble goal.

The American Christian Church needs something like this. Maybe not your priest/pastor/evangelist dressing up as the Cat In The Hat for the Sunday sermon. But something needs to be done in the Body of Christ to encourage reading and studying. Charles “Tremendous” Jones has often been quoted saying, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Reading was so important to the Apostle Paul that he asked Timothy to “come to [him] quickly” and bring his “scrolls, especially the parchments” while he was believed to have been in prison (2 Tim 4:9,13) While this most likely at least included Scripture, it was just as likely it included Rabbinic teachings given Paul’s education. Paul also taught that the Bible is “useful… so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Our reading shouldn’t be limited to the Bible however, though as a Body we sadly fall short in this area. The number of Christian books are limitless, some of course better than others. It is always worthwhile to see someone else’s perspective on a subject you hold near and dear. I encourage you to find a niche that appeals most to you- history, biographies, theology, apologetics, etc and dig in. Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide lists 166 different categories of books. If you can’t find something you like, well you’re not really trying. It is important to remember though, that books should compliment, not supplement, your Bible study. This is a lesson I have had to learn the hard way a year ago as I felt myself spiritually withering away even though I was reading about a book a month. I was convicted listening to a lesson that reminded me that spiritual books should never take the place of the Word of God. So I have recommitted myself to my Bible study and any book I read is intentionally tied to a specific Bible study.

Not only do we have Read Across America, but it is also almost exactly a month before Easter. If you observe Lenten fasts, you may have given up chocolate or Facebook. Some also add spiritual disciplines to their fasts. If you’re taking this season to dig deeper into your Bible study or read that spiritual book gathering dust on your bookshelf, amen! If not, don’t fret because there’s plenty of time. Many devotionals are written for a month’s worth of study so now is a perfect time leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
With that in mind, here are some recommendations keeping to the theme of Easter: Calvary Roadby Roy Hession, He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado, The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey, Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler, Thirty Days at the Foot of the Cross edited by Tom and Sheila Jones, and Your Jesus is Too Safe by Jared C Wilson.
Happy reading!

Jesus Works

Frank

Up until now, Michael Spencer has been pointing out where the American evangelical church falls short of “Jesus shaped spirituality” by picking and choosing doctrine to make themselves most comfortable and incomplete pictures of Jesus to support their religious culture. In Chapter 7 of Mere Churchianity, Michael lays out a complete picture of Jesus. Glynn Young, over at Faith, Fiction and Friends, lists out each of the bullet-points Michael gives that we too easily ignore or neglect today.

I want us to look at a specific example from Jesus’ life: the blind man in John 9. Jesus meets him and the cultural, religious, response was that he must have sinned to be that way. Jesus rebukes the notion and instead states that he is in his condition so that God may be glorified. (How often do we honestly look at the things our churches “do” as having the goal to glorify God versus pointing fingers at someone else’s sin?) This man is healed and is quickly questioned by the religious establishment. He gives one reply that relates directly to our discussion on this book. In verse 25 he says, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Do we need a complete picture of Jesus to have Jesus-shaped spirituality? Do we need to be theological experts on the life of Jesus? Or do we need to simply look in the mirror to see what our relationship with Christ has done in our lives and conclude that the true Jesus, not some cultural facsimile, is at work? I believe in an effort to “brand” our particular church, we focus on this part of Jesus or that, this miracle or that, this statement or that, and forget the Living Christ at work in our lives to transform us into His likeness.

Jesus prayed for unity amongst his believers in John 17. The early disciples in Acts 2 “had everything in common.” (v 44) The encouragement Paul gave to the church in Philippi was to “contend as one man for the faith of the gospel.”(v 27) And Paul further points to the unity of the Gospel in Ephesians 4. So what did these early Christians do? In Acts 4 we read they couldn’t help “speaking about what [they] have seen and heard.” (v 20) What did they see? Jesus at work.

The hundreds of different denominations are divided over every little nit-picked detail, and Jesus at work has been lost. All the people Michael describes who have left the little-c church in search of Jesus? The sad thing is, they already found him, but the church failed to remind them of that. At some point in their lives, the real Jesus did something or they would have never walked through those doors. It is tragic that we get so caught up in our petty differences that we no longer see Jesus still working in His Church today.

***Addendum: I also wanted to point out the irony of Michael’s example of Anne Rice. How could he have known that she too would be duped by the “cultural Christianity” and turn her back on the Church? For more discussion on that particular instance, check out the discussion on “Spiritual but not religious” over at the Washington Post’s forum, OnFaith.***

BBQ By the Pool

Frank

Please forgive me, I fell way behind on my “summer” virtual small group. What was supposed to wrap up by Labor Day has a couple more installments. Hey, it still feels like summer outside! At least a little bit anyway.

***

One of the things my kids most look forward to in the summer (as best as they understand it anyway, at their young age) is getting to go to Papa’s house to swim. Of course if we’re going to spend the afternoon in his pool, we might as well plan dinner and how else to you spell summer without BBQ?

There’s just something about relaxing in the cool water with meat cooking over a fire nearby. And it is not limited to pools, visit the beach in the evening and you’ll see crowds gathered around grills cooking. Cooking over an open fire is part of any camping experience as well. And later in the night, on the beach or up in the woods, we gather around the fire to roast marshmallows or just to watch the flames flicker to the sky.

It is refreshing, the cool water. And comforting, the hot meal afterwards.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19)

In the heat of the summer, how do you find refreshment?

Maybe you don’t relate. Maybe I’m spoiled living in Southern California. But I recently watched The Sandlot and the sight of the boys being out all day going from the field to play ball to the community pool to relax is familiar to me, even though I didn’t grow up someplace where everyone had a pool in their backyard. Maybe those days are long passed, where our children can roam the streets with such freedom, but the community pool is still there.

I can even hear in my memories the cacophony of the crowds gathered around the pool. Teenagers out sunbathing, kids splashing, parents keeping close watch while visiting with their neighbors. As a child, the community pool was a gathering spot, just as the local well was in Jesus’ day. John 4 tells the story of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman. Where did they meet? At the well.

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3)

Where does your community gather together in the summer?

But we cannot forget the barbecue in the evening after a day out in the sun. I recall a survey a few years ago that asked women what scents they find attractive. Can you guess the smell that came in last? It was smoke from a barbecue. But as a man, I love the smell! I can step out my front door any evening and smell someone down the street grilling up something. I can smell barbecue, mesquite, beef or pork, hamburgers or chicken, and I rush back into my kitchen to whip something up to throw on the grill, motivated only by the smell.

After being saved from the Flood, Noah prepared a burnt offering, a barbecue, to the Lord. “The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (Genesis 8:21, emphasis added) And then He gave a rainbow as His promise.

The burnt offering under the Old Covenant was to temporarily absolve Israel of their sins. What did they do with the meat once it was burned? They had a feast!

Do you like the smell of a barbecue? What memories does that smell evoke?

In the scriptures above, both water and fire call us to salvation. I began the summer with this scripture from Jeremiah, “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah 8:20) It is interesting how fire and water are linked to salvation. In the Old Covenant the Israelites were led in the day by a pillar of smoke and by fire at night. The burnt offering gave up a sacrificial lamb on account of their sins. Reflecting on God’s Law is like at tree planted by a stream. Isaiah gives us hope to draw water from the well of salvation. John prepared the way for the awaited Christ by baptizing. Then Jesus comes and offers “living water” at the well in John 4. The New Covenant leads us to living water for our salvation. Refreshment that comes from repentance. And cleansing through the waters of baptism, like the Flood that cleansed the Earth.

“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.


As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?'” (Acts 8:35-36)

Today continues this summer’s ‘virtual small group’ (VSG in the tags). I hope you come back as I take this season to reflect on the wonders of God’s creation, share vacation stories, etc, with the prayer that we come out of this season closer to God than how we came into it.

Jesus Shaped

Frank

I wanted to figure out a way to shoe-horn chapter 4 of Michael Spencer’s Mere Churchianity into Bridget Chumbley’s blog carnival on Hope. But that’s been our problem hasn’t it, trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, making the message of Jesus into something it’s not? Don’t get me wrong, second to love I would say that hope best describes Jesus’ ministry. But you couldn’t tell that today. And that is Michael’s point. What if Jesus showed up at your church for an “inspection”? Would he find it hopeful, in-line with his teachings? Or would he find it hopeful, filled with pop-psychology and an over-emphasis on feeling good?Would he even recognize it?

Michael argues that we’ve become so comfortable in our Jesus-culture, that we forget Jesus. In fact, to suggest following Jesus can be so radical that you may find yourself rejected, or worse, labeled a cult. To even have the nerve to advertise your church as “making Jesus popular” is so not-Jesus shaped it isn’t funny. I was recently in a toy store and I saw a Jesus action figure. I wanted it for no other reason than to remind myself that Jesus is real, not plastic. On and on I could go with examples, casting stones, with no suggestions of what to do about it. So let me share a recent personal journey in hopes it will lead us all to be more Jesus shaped.

A couple of years ago I was at a large event and an Elder was preaching on one of the miracles of Jesus. He made an anecdotal point using this miracle that didn’t hold up against the rest of Jesus’ miracles. As soon as he said it (I won’t say what) I immediately thought to myself, “that can’t be right” and I spent the rest of the sermon thumbing through my Bible to make sure I wasn’t crazy. He shoe-horned a good point into one of Jesus’ miracles that had nothing to do with that point, and he misrepresented the Word of God doing so. Mind you, this was an Elder, whose Biblical role is to ensure that the Church is teaching the Truth.

Hard, cold reality set in at that moment. I couldn’t rely on leaders, preachers, pastors or evangelists to chart my course spiritually. I needed to be led by Christ and his Word. But did I know it? So I made a vow to the Lord that I would study out the life and teachings of Jesus. I set out to read through the four Gospels in chronological order using several Bibles mixing up translations and commentaries and planned to read Jesus-specific books following (titles like Jesus the Same, the Jesus I Never Knew, etc) to close out the year. What was meant to last a few months in the Gospels and finish the year with a book a month, took over a year. I still haven’t technically finished (there are a couple more books to read).

I’m not saying this to boast. In fact it was so overwhelming I really need to take the time and go back over it. But it was an example of being proactive to be Jesus shaped. How can we claim to follow Him if we don’t know what He said, or how He lived? I want to approach this book positively rather than a blanket condemnation against the Church today. I can’t think of a better way to combat that cultural and spiritual malaise in the Church than to challenge ourselves to be Jesus shaped and there’s no better way to do that than to spend time immersed in his life through the Gospels.

This post adds to the discussion on Michael Spencer’s book, Mere Churchianity being hosted by Nancy at Bend the Page. Visit there for links to others in the discussion. And don’t forget to stop by Bridget’s for the Carnival too!

Are you a member of a cult?

Frank

Scary title, but bear with me for a moment. The term cult is thrown around a lot to disparage churches whose doctrine we don’t agree with. I don’t want to minimize real Jim Jones-like cults, but I want us to think about the definition for a moment. What are the three main attributes of a cult?

  1. Religious devotion to a single individual who alone defines doctrine and lifestyle
  2. Separation from the world, including family and friends
  3. Unorthodox theology and practice

Now consider the following:

  1. John 14:6
  2. Luke 14:26
  3. John 6:60

The notion in Chapter 4 of Mere Churchianity is that our churches actually don’t want to follow Jesus. After all, wouldn’t that make them a cult?

So my question this week is, Is Your Church a Cult?

Please come back later today for more discussion on Mere Churchianity.

The Uncomfortable Jesus

Frank

The premise behind Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew is that the Jesus we know is so familiar he’s become routine. We know the stories. We know how it all ends. Nothing surprises us or makes us uncomfortable.

Michael Spencer approaches the third chapter of Mere Churchianity the same way. Imagine being a disciple of Jesus and having your world rocked with his unconventional take on the Jewish religion. Been praying all your life? Jesus will teach you how to really pray. Judgemental of that Samaritan woman? Jesus will go to her and strike up a conversation. It’s no wonder some of Jesus’ disciples responded to him saying, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” and later turned away and left him (John 6:60-66).

I admit I’m young and naive and maybe too idealistic for my own good. Regrettably, I’ve taken the destruction I’ve seen in my fellowship of churches and combined that with the media stereotype of the Evangelical Megachurch to paint a broad brush over all of American Christianity (TM). But I look at the Christian blogosphere and twitterverse and I see brothers and sisters doing it; making things happen in the name of Jesus to God’s glory. And I realize I’m wrong. I need to “tear up my notes” as Michael puts it.

I’m wrong about my church, too. Last week I may have been overly harsh sharing a single anecdote in a sea of experiences. Not to say the criticism isn’t fair, but there’s more to the story. You see, there are some things my church gets right. Recognizing Jesus’ teachings as uncomfortable is one of them. Growing up religious, when I opened up the Bible with brothers who cared about teaching me what it really says, not just what I’ve always heard, it blew my mind. It resonated in my heart because I knew this is what I was missing in my relationship with God. Jesus was uncomfortable and that made following him challenging and exciting.

Yesterday I wrote about the Transformational Loop. Each of the seven properties listed are uncomfortable.

  • Missionary mentality, where you see your community as a mission field and serve it that way? Uncomfortable!
  • Vibrant Leadership where it’s not a cult of personality but of inspiring example? Uncomfortable!
  • Relational Intensity where you genuinely care about your brothers and sisters’ spiritual and physical well-being and “make every effort” to deliberately be involved in one another’s lives? Uncomfortable!
  • Prayerful dependence where going to God in prayer is natural and asking for help via prayer is common? Uncomfortable!
  • Worship that continues beyond Sunday mornings (Romans 12)? Raising your hands in praise? Uncomfortable!
  • Community that is intentionally built around the purpose and mission of the Church? Uncomfortable!
  • Mission, seeking and saving the lost, being a central part of your life, the focus of your conversations and relationships? Uncomfortable!

Of course, that’s just one of many similar books. You could add tithing, serving inside and outside your church’s walls, forgiving (ooh, that’s a toughie), fasting, eschewing the world, calling out sin, confessing sin, and I could go on and on.

Squirming in your chair yet? Well there’s nothing comfortable about being a disciple of Jesus. And you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

(I also encourage you to visit Bend the Page, Faith Fiction and Friends, and A Simple Country Girl for more discussion of this challenging book)

Blockbuster

Frank

In the movie biz, summer means three things: big explosions, big-name actors, and big receipts. If it’s not a big-budget shoot-em-up, it’s the innovative star-studded thriller. If it’s not pushing the limits of special effects, it’s pushing computer animation. Whichever, it is the summer blockbuster.

Which is this year’s big blockbuster? Salt failed to dethrone Inception over the weekend and I hear Inception is as good, if not better, than it looks. Earlier this summer Iron Man 2 left many underwhelmed, while Toy Story 3 made everyone cry. The Last Airbender may not be this year’s Avatar (bonus points if you caught the pun), but there’s nothing that looks like it will break box-office records like James Cameron’s 3-D spectacle.

“Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)

Why do we shell out $30+ (for two) to see the latest hits when we can wait a month and watch it at the dollar theater?

What is it that drives the blockbuster? It needs a compelling theme (Avatar knocked this one out of the park), a big name (I couldn’t tell you the main actor in Avatar, but everyone knows James Cameron), and memorable special effects (again, Avatar blew this away). But to be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of that movie. Maybe I’m the only one given all its hype. I found it entertaining and enjoyable and I have to commend the special effects. But the mythology introduced (which many found to be so alluring) was derivative and unoriginal and the acting was flat (mostly because the Navi were perilously close to the “Uncanny Valley”). It was a sight to behold on the big screen, but was it worth waiting in line for hours the day it was released on DVD? (Maybe more people have a 52” plasma screen than I thought)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2)

What is the best movie you’ve ever seen? What is your favorite?

The Gospel of Jesus is called “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, but if it were a summer movie release, would it make any money? The Passion of the Christ exceeded box-office expectations (no I won’t talk about Mel Gibson’s recent issues) but had the advantage of being released to coincide with Easter. I’m not sure that movie would have seen the same numbers if released during the summer. Yet the Gospel encompasses every crucial ingredient to be a blockbuster. What could be more compelling than the Son of God, Prince of Peace, Savior of the world? God is a pretty big name, I sure hope his son can live up to the hype and doesn’t fall prey to the temptations that befall many Hollywood protégés. And don’t get me started on special effects- raising people from the dead, driving out demons, re-growing some dude’s ear! The story is filled with action, betrayal, love, and passion. What is there not to like?

But there’s plenty not to like about the Gospel. It’s challenging. It’s exclusionary. It’s (gasp) religious! Most of all, its message is positive and hopeful, contradictory to the cynicism that is so pervasive in today’s entertainment. So why do we watch?

“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’


Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’…


From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (John 6:60-61,66)

Have you ever walked out on a movie? Why?

Driving to work today, my carpool buddy was telling me about Inception. He liked the special effects and the action, but didn’t like the message it delivered. This time last year, many derided Avatar because of its not-so-subtle politics. Personally, I don’t give movies (or more accurately, movie makers) that much credit. I don’t think it is some political conspiracy and oftentimes I don’t think there’s intention behind the message beyond what either reflects current events (you write what you know) or what is expected to strike a chord with the audience (and we relate to what we recognize). It could be argued that art is meant to be interpreted, so the messages are intentional, though I don’t consider movies to be art. But my friend countered that whoever first conceived the story was inspired by something and that something shaped the final product. There, he has a good point. I write what is on my heart. If I didn’t feel passionately about it, I wouldn’t write it. I expect the same to be true of novelists, screenwriters, poets and musicians. At the same time, the audience is also influenced by their pre-existing values and expectations. We will read into something what we choose to, independent of the artist’s inspiration.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

What inspires you? What influences your worldview?

Evangelicals have coined the term “Biblical worldview” to define everything from media to politics. I agree with the principle- our values, convictions, and faith should influence how we view the world. In fact, that is the underlying theme of this blog- seeing everything that passes through the public square through our Christian lifestyle. I believe if you want to find an inspirational message in something you can in anything. I fully expect there to be several sermons preached based on the themes in Inception, just as there were for the Matrix, or Lost, or Gladiator. That doesn’t make it a Christian film, nor does one (of probably many) Christian’s negative opinion of its themes make it inherently nihilistic or anarchic. Our interpretation is based on our preconceived attitudes.

At the same time, we are inspired to be creative. After all, creation is an attribute of God and we are created in His image. That creativity may manifest itself in different forms- music, writing, career, hobbies, etc. Regardless of the medium, the outlet is still inspired. Just as we can interpret media based on our values (our worldview) we can influence the world with our values (the world viewing). It goes both ways. We cannot simply sit on the sidelines pointing our fingers at what we disagree with if we are not also engaging the very things we desire the world to overcome. Back to our summer blockbuster analogy, you cannot have the blockbuster if we’re not buying the tickets.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Who is your audience? What story is your life telling?

Last weekend alone, over $150 million was spent on the top-10 movies. Assuming $10 per ticket, that means 15 million people went to the movies this weekend. I don’t know if that’s more or less than the number who showed up to church on Sunday morning. I’m not advocating turning our worship into a spectacle. But I do believe we need to turn our lives into something worth viewing. We need to capture the audience with a big-name star (you), a compelling theme (admit it, your life has plenty of drama, doesn’t it?), and awesome special effects (a life transformed by the Gospel of Christ).

Today continues this summer’s ‘virtual small group’ (VSG in the tags). I hope you come back as I take this season to reflect on the wonders of God’s creation, share vacation stories, etc, with the prayer that we come out of this season closer to God than how we came into it.