CrucifiedConDios

A Theological Critique of The Hunger Games

2012-02-11T13:41:00.007-05:00

Once, when I served as a youth pastor, I taught a lesson to the middle school students about peace. We discussed what God's peace looked like and how we could implement it into the world. We imagined what the world would look like when there would be perfect peace. I was just about to finish the lesson, confident that it had been a success, when one of the middle-school boys interrupted me.

"I don't think that a world with peace would be very much fun," he contended.

Puzzled, I asked him why he thought this way.

"If there wasn't any violence or killing," he replied, "there wouldn't be any good movies or video games."

A chill rose up inside of me and I tried to wipe my face of shock. Several of the students nodded their heads in agreement. This lesson had not gone in a way I had anticipated!

When a friend recently recommended The Hunger Games to me, I had no idea that it was one of the most popular young adult novels, closely trailing Harry Potter and the Twilight saga. Neither did I know that it was saturated with violence masqueraded under the pretense of entertainment. Since its release in 2008, this novel has rapidly sold copies to youth all over the world, making its way onto USA Today’s bestselling book list for 110 weeks and counting (USA). Two more sequels in the trilogy and a movie scheduled to make its debut next year have fans abuzz. But despite its popularity and rave reviews from critics and fans alike, there are some significantly sinister theological claims that the readers are subconsciously absorbing and accepting.

Story Synopsis

The story takes place sometime in the future in a country called Panem, situated in what previously was North America. Ravaged by war, famine, and natural disasters, the nation was fragmented into an affluent city called the Capitol and twelve impoverished districts. While the inhabitants of the Capitol lived in luxury, the oppressed majority lived from meal to meal. In order to keep the districts fearful of the regime’s power, the Panem government subjected the districts to the annual Hunger Games, a competition to the death on live television. During harvest, every child between the ages of 12 and 18 was entered into a lottery. A boy and a girl are drawn to participate in the Hunger Games. Since additional entries were rewarded with food, many parents were enticed to enter their children’s names into the drawing more than once.

In District 12, among the poorest of the poor, 16-year-old Katniss volunteered to take the place of her sister when her name was drawn. In the blink of an eye her life had been issued a death sentence. Unless she could somehow win the gauntlet, her life would be over and her family left to fend for themselves in her absence. The stakes were high as she and the other contender from District 12, Peeta, fought for their lives against the other children.

I was intrigued by how the author described the disparity between the rich and the poor in the book. By presenting Katniss as the heroine in the story, the author rallied the reader to the side of the poor. She satirized the inhabitants of the Capitol and pointed out their sadistic fascination with watching children murder each other for pure entertainment. I was anticipating a redemptive solution to the Games whereby Katniss and Peeta creatively resist the forces of the regime. I was shocked, however, when they complied with the Game and proceeded to murder other children in order to survive, with little reflection of their violent actions. One by one, the 22 tributes in the Hunger Games were viciously murdered until the only teenagers remaining were Katniss and Peeta. The author announced them as the triumphant victors of the game, but were they?

Theological Claims

Nevertheless, the good points stopped there. The main truth claims about violence cast a dark shadow over the remainder of the book. Collins fashioned death into a façade that made death palatable. The heroes of the story were actually antagonists. Even though they disagreed with the game, they still submitted to the game. Collins cleverly separated the reader emotionally from the other tributes so that the heroes’ actions seemed acceptable. She did not disclose the other contestants’ names but simply referred to them as their district number. This made the other contenders just that to the readers’ minds: numbers.

The author also cleverly avoided other ethical dilemmas by conveniently killing off certain characters before the two heroes had the opportunity. The only two characters that were named and attributed with character qualities were murdered by other tributes so that Katniss and Peeta would not have to do the ugly deed. This cunningly prevented the heroes from looking like the antagonists. Further, in the midst of all the violence in the arena, the author did little to demonstrate that the Katniss and Peeta were distraught over the others’ deaths. There is no reflection over the integrity of their actions, no musings about whether another way was possible.
It quickly became apparent that Collins is the faceless Gamemaker in the story, sadistically murdering innocent children and rendering it as entertainment for the masses. She may have parodied the Capitol inhabitants, but the youth who enjoy this book are nothing less than the Capitol TV watchers. This novel completely undergirds the one point the author appeared to be making. If Suzanne Collins wished to provoke youth to think about how desensitized we have become to ungodly entertainment, is she not almost fostering more desensitization through her novel?

Theological Reflection

When it comes to media that portrays violence positively, it seems like we play what I like to call the “but” game. We say, “That movie is violent, but…” or “That song condones violence against women, but…” As followers of Christ, there is simply no excuse for such displays of brutality. We are called to seek peace and reconciliation with one another. Enjoying or even condoning violent acts is in direct violation of the Imago Dei (Gen. 9:6).

Repeatedly, the Bible makes it clear that we are to overcome evil with goodness, not with more evil (Rom. 8:21). It is easy to conclude that the murders in the book can be justified because the heroes of the book came out alright in the end. This is based on utilitarian and teleology ideologies. It is utilitarian in that what works is the best solution, and it is teleological in that the end justifies the means. Just because the telos is “good” in the end (i.e. Katniss and Peeta survive and can later overthrow the government in subsequent books), it does not gratify the measures that were taken to achieve it. Rather than achieving results, it is more important that we as followers of Christ are being shaped into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.

When the first century Christians faced persecution by the Roman regime, the book of Revelation encouraged them to persevere through nonviolent resistance. The author characterized the people of God as those who “did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev. 12:11). On numerous occasions the people of God are advised in Revelation to conquer not with weapons but through sacrifice. Even the Lamb was bathed is his own blood and not the blood of his enemies (Rev. 5:6). I believe that the Cross tells us a lot about our response to violence. We are commanded to lay down our lives and take up our crosses, not to seek to save our lives (Lk. 9:23-25).

Right before the heroes were thrown into the gauntlet, Katniss and Peeta shared the following anxiety over their foreseen deaths:

“I don’t want them to change me in [the arena],” Peeta said. “Turn me into some monster I’m not.”

“Do you mean you won’t kill anyone?” [Katniss asked.]

“No, when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll kill just like everybody else. I can’t go down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to… to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” (141)

Peeta was so close to nailing it. He just missed it. Participating in the Games did not prove to the Capitol their lack of ownership of him; it further instated their hold on him. Peeta and Katniss could have sacrificed themselves and perhaps started a whole revolution, but they instead sought to hang onto their lives.

Let me propose a better ending to the book. Instead of complying with the Hunger Games, Katniss creatively subverts the Capitol and leads the other tributes in resisting violence. They resist to the point of death and die without innocent blood on their hands. Unfortunately, although this ending is biblically and ethically sound, it does not produce bestsellers. It does not produce money, and it does not produce sequels with which to make more money.

But we need to prophetically imagine another way. We need to dare to think that not only is another way possible, but it is commanded of us. If we are to be living embodiments of God's grace and love individually as disciples and collectively as the Church, how does our participation and/or approval of acts of violence make the love of God known?

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. NY: Scholastic Press, 2008.
“Michael A. Behr’s Review of The Hunger Games.” Amazon.com. 2008. 9 October 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R3M62HO4M6LXE6
“Solana2Mira’s Review of The Hunger Games.” Amazon.com. 2010. 9 October 2011. http://www.amazon.com/review/R2NORC5TO9QE6
“USA Today’s Best-selling Book List.” USAToday.com. 8 October 2011.
http://books.usatoday.com/list/index

Unaware

2012-01-30T09:42:00.003-05:00

My small group is reading through the Bible in one year. Although I'm really behind in my reading, I can't help but to keep returning to the story of Jacob's first encounter with Yahweh in Genesis 28:10-22.
Jacob is fleeing from his brother Esau and stumbles upon a "certain place." In other words, "no where in particular." He falls asleep and has this incredible dream in which Yahweh speaks directly to him. When Jacob wakes up from this monumental dream, he says, "Surely the Lord was in this place, and I was not aware of it."

God was there... and he didn't even know it.

This story is very countercultural for that day. Back then, you just didn't find God in the middle of nowhere. If you wanted to talk to a god back then, you went to the temple. Gods could not be reached beyond a temple because it was thought that that was their permanent dwelling place.

Yet here's a God who is not confined to the temple. He shows up off the beaten path in a place that doesn't even have name.

I can't help but to wonder how many times God is in my midst and I am completely unaware of it. I walk to school every morning without inviting Him to come walk with me. I sit down to eat lunch, oblivious that I just might have a lunch buddy with me. God is present in the everyday, often mundane, parts of my life, yet I am not aware.

I'm learning to cultivate a sense for God's presence and to invite him into my everyday activities. The God of the universe has chosen to dwell among a being as sinful and ungrateful as me. I want to join Jacob in exclaiming, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!"

God is closer than I think.

Trash Talking the Law

2012-01-20T14:09:00.004-05:00

Recently, a video entitled "Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus" has gone viral and sparked many discussions on Facebook. While I won't point out the many flaws in this video's theology (many others have undertaken this and done a fantastic job -- I don't have much more I could add), I was struck by the widely-held view about the nature of the [Old Testament] Law. Ever since I was a little girl, it was ingrained in me that the Law of the Old Testament is bad, but Jesus is good and replaced the Law. I was taught that the Law was bad because the Israelites thought that they could earn God's merit by upholding it. Instead, the Law brought death and self-righteousness.

This perspective completely disregards the greater witness of Scripture. This past semester, as I was studying John, I was really impacted by what the writer of John had to say about the Law:

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
- John 1:16-17

The word that the NIV chooses for "blessing" is the Greek word for "grace." In other words, this is saying that "From the fullness of [God's] grace we have received one grace after another." I think that we have often made "grace" into an ambiguous "Christianize" word. What does "grace" even mean? (I griped a bit about this in this post.) At its core, "grace" means anything that is given. It implies "giftedness."
The author of John gives two examples of God's gifts: the Law through Moses and Truth through Jesus. The Law is not presented as something that was bad; it is presented as a gift from God.

A few weeks ago, my husband took me out to lunch at a really nice Asian restaurant. It was late in the afternoon and I was starting to become really hungry. As we were driving to the restaurant, I saw all these other restaurants and desperately wanted to stop anywhere to satisfy my stomach rumblings. In my mind, I developed a rating system of what restaurants sounded really good to me:

Restaurant	Rating
Red Robin	Excellent
Bob Evans	Really Good
Fazoli’s	Good

But then I got to P.F. Chang's and the food was sooo good. I was so glad that I had waited! The other restaurants could not compete with honey sesame chicken. Now, however, I had a dilemma. I couldn't rate P.F. Chang's fairly on the rating scale. Red Robin was rated much too high. I could rate P.F. Chang's as "really excellent," but that still would not do it justice. It would be too close in rating to Red Robin.

So, in order to fix my dilemma, I need to rate the other restaurants lower.

Restaurant	Rating
P.F. Chang’s	Super Excellent
Red Robin	Okay
Bob Evans	Fair
Fazoli’s	Bad

Do I really think that Fazoli's is "bad?" No, I would gladly eat there any day of the week. But now that I've tasted the awesomeness of P.F. Chang's even Fazoli's ravioli pales in comparison.

I think that this is what's going on for the New Testament writers. The Law was a beautiful thing to them. It was the revelation of God himself to his people. It was a wonderful gift. By following the Law very carefully, the Israelites were loving God the way they knew best.

But now God revealed himself through His Son Jesus. How could this even compete with God's revelation through the Law? This is why many of the New Testament writers (like Paul) seem to be "trash-talking" the Law. It was a wonderful grace, but it was nowhere near as special as the grace of Jesus.

I learning to think of the Law in the Old Testament much in the same way that the first recipients thought about it - as a grace. God loves us so much that he has given us "grace after grace." Studying and mediating on the Law, even though it has been fulfilled (not annulled) through Jesus Christ is a way that I can reciprocate God's love and better appreciate his grace.

"God's Will"

2012-01-11T19:45:00.005-05:00

There's plenty of talk about "God's will." We have self-help books that contain the keys to "discerning God's will," as if it were some kind of secret knowledge that has already been determined. People interweave "God's will" into everyday conversations:

"But, only if it's God's will..."

"I trying to figure out God's will for my life..."

"I wonder if God wants this to happen?"

We've somehow conjectured the idea that God has only one plan scripted out for our life, and if we don't figure it out we'll fail.

Lately, even politicians have been joining in the conversation, claiming that it was God's will that they run for office. Jerry Falwell recently proclaimed that God revealed his presidential pick, as if only one [Republican, obviously] candidate can do God's will in office. Christian fans are proclaiming that it has been "God's will" for quarterback Tim Tebow to "miraculously" win football games as a testament to his outspoken Christian witness.

I think that we're a bit confused about the nature of God's will. I also think that determining God's will is a lot simpler than other people make it out to be.

One particular Scripture passage that we draw our theology of "God's will" from is Romans 12. Here, Paul discusses just how it is that the Roman Christians he is addressing can discern God’s will. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,” he writes, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (12:2). After our minds are transformed, we can understand God’s will. Unfortunately, many English translations do not accurately encompass the meaning of the latter half of 12:2. The NIV, for instance, translates the adjectives “good, pleasing, and perfect” as modifiers of “God’s will.” A better translation from the Greek reads as follows: “[…] so that you may be able to prove what God’s will is – that which is good, pleasing, and perfect.”

Text	Translation
English translations (NIV, KJV, ASV, etc)	“God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect.”
Greek	“God’s will is that which is good, pleasing, and perfect.”

Although these translation differences may be subtle, they make a significant difference in how we should understand the nature of God’s will. Are things “good” because God declares that they are “good?” Or can things be “good” in themselves, and God affirms and delights in their “goodness?” In light of Romans 12:2, the latter is the best understanding of God’s will. We can know that things are within God’s will for humankind and creation because they are in accordance with his goodness and perfection.

What is God's will for me? Pursuing a life that pursues God's goodness and God's perfection. Living a life that invites God's kingdom here on this earth, as it is in heaven.

May we continue to delight in God's goodness and seek to pursue it in all we do.

(p.s. Now you don't need to read any more self-help books. You're welcome.)

Discipline

2012-01-04T20:54:00.002-05:00

It is refreshing to look on a new year as a chance for change. It's strange, really. There isn't too much that is different between December 31 and January 1, save for the exchange of a 1 for a 2 and a new calendar for the refrigerator. And yet, something about taking down the old calendar and putting up a new one gives us a sense of a fresh start.

As is the case with just about every new year, I find myself longing for a fresh start for my "spiritual life." I begin setting goals that are sure to whip me up into spiritual shape, much like a new diet or workout routine.

Whenever I look at my journal I panic when I see the large gap in entries, especially as of late. Sometimes I'm even tempted to catch up by fabricating entries (do I think that it will be handed in...?). I reflect on how regularly I've been reading my Bible and spending time in prayer. If I've been faithful for a few consecutive days I give my "spiritual life" a shiny sticker. If not, I feel guilty and resolve to try harder. I vow to follow a strict, rigorous routine that is sure to make me a holier person (or, at the very least, a good legalistic Christian).

I think that the Sunday school answers of "read your Bible" and "pray" have been so ingrained on me from an early age that I've become attuned to gauging the quality of my relationship with God on their frequency. I'm only starting to learn that these two disciplines are by no means indications of my "spiritual life." They are not the end result, but the means to the end.

Am I loving God more and more? Am I falling in love with his people? Am I becoming more gracious, more compassionate, more generous? Am I becoming the person God created me to be? These are the questions I need to be asking myself, not whether I following a set of tasks. While I definitely think that spiritual disciplines (reading Bible, prayer, solitude, journaling, fasting, etc.) are some of the vehicles by which we can cultivate a healthy spirituality, the accomplishment of these tasks are not the results we should be aiming for.

This year, I resolve to be less interested in the tasks I am accomplishing and more interested in the person I am becoming.

Gifts that Give

2011-12-07T17:32:00.004-05:00

Year after year, I've heard people complain about how consumeristic Christmas tends to be. I've complained myself. This year, I realized that, although I gripe about, I have yet to actually DO something about it. I decided to make this year different. You can too! Here are some ways that you can purchase some nice gifts that will give back and make a difference.

1. World Vision's gift catalog.

World Vision provides a visual gift catalog that details how exactly the money you give will help change lives. Buy a family a goat. Provide clean water for a village. Help people from a different country learn a trade so that they can provide for their family. The best part about World Vision? All of the gifts are sustainable! You are not just placing a "Band-Aid" over poverty but are providing some real solutions to the effects of poverty.

And, if you want a physical gift to send to a loved one, World Vision will provide a card with the recipient's name. The contributions to the "Maximum Impact Fund" include a gift to give as well.

http://www.worldvision.org

2. Thistle Farms

Thistle Farms is an organization that gives women a place to live off of the street and employs them through their bath and body shop. The women, who are victims of homelessness, abuse, and prostitution, are taught about God's love through a program that provides counseling and healing. All of the body products that the women make are wonderful, and the proceeds goes directly back into the program to help the women who make the products. I have a pump of hand lotion and lip balm, and they are of great quality (and all natural!).

http://www.thistlefarms.org

3. Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace where artisans can sell their handmade items. It's amazing how creative and talented people are on here. Many artists donate some of their sales to charity organizations. Just type "charity" or "charity donation" into the search engine to see who's donating.

http://www.etsy.com

Fingerless gloves from GlenEchoDesigns.

4. One Cup

One Cup is an independent coffee roasting company based in Seattle. Not only do they have fantastic coffee, but they have dollar-for-dollar grants that match your coffee purchase and donates it to World Vision's famine relief efforts. Now that's a good cup of coffee!

http://www.onecup.org

5. Donate Fruit

The only thing better than a gift of fresh fruit in the winter months is fruit that helps end hunger. This fruit basket company matches your purchase dollar-for-dollar and gives fruit to families in the United States that are impoverished and malnourished. Give the gift of fruit -- twice!

http://www.donatefruit.com

This Christmas season, may we be aware of the hungry and oppressed and share with them. May we be consumed with the Creator and not with created things.

Good News

2011-09-23T11:24:00.002-04:00

"Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four..."
"Y entonces...?"

Lisbeth, the seven-year-old Hispanic girl I tutor, narrowed her eyes as she thought hard about how to say the character "5" in English. Her little nose crinkled in frustration.
I was struck by the determination Lisbeth had to persevere through her homework, even though she knew very little English. I wondered what it was like for her in school. I imagined her sitting in class while her teacher and all of her classmates freely spoke English. Did she have any friends besides her brothers and sister? Was she lonely?

Snack time. Another youth leader brought a tray of animal crackers and fruit snacks. The younger Hispanic kids eagerly devoured their food, but the oldest stuffed his into his pockets. "Puedo tener mas, por favor?" he asked. At my approval, he took the leftovers and stowed them away. His shorts started sagging and I helped him adjust his belt so he could transport them home.

While the group of kids left the classroom to listen to a Bible story (none of which the Hispanic children could understand), Lisbeth and I continued with her homework sheet ("Tengo que traerle a escuela manana." [I have to bring it to school tomorrow] she said). I overheard one of the leaders from the main foyer talking about how Jesus forgives sin. If Lisbeth could even understand this, would it really be pertinent to her?

Lately, I've been contemplating the idea of "good news." I think that we evangelicals primarily think of "good news" in terms of Jesus coming to forgive sins. While this certainly is good news, I'm not entirely sure that this completely encompasses what is meant by "good news." I'm not even sure if this is what Jesus meant by "good news."
I love the passage in Luke 4 where Jesus goes to the synagogue and chooses a scroll that contains Second Isaiah.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor [Jubilee].

Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

- Luke 4:18-19, 21; c.f. Isaiah 61:1-2 ff.

Luke uses this passage as a "thesis statement" for the rest of his Gospel. This is strategically placed at the beginning of his account to illustrate Jesus' main interests. And yet, I don’t think that this is a main interest of Western Christianity today. Whenever we find people talking about such things, we accuse them of dabbling in liberation theology. I understand the dangers of liberation theology, but I’m not ready to dismiss it in its entirety. Maybe they’re on to something that we're missing.

The proclamation of release from the bondage of sin may be “good news” for the person who’s struggling with habitual sin, but how is it “good news” for Lisbeth when her family is starving? In addition to her forgiveness of sin, Lisbeth needs to know that God wants to provide for her and her brothers and sister. She needs to know that God speaks her language. She needs to know that God hears her and her mother’s cries for help when everyone else gives a deaf ear and forces them on the fringes of society.

I'm convinced that Jesus' Gospel can be contextualized and translated into each person's/community's situation.

And that’s good news.

Blender Theology

2011-09-13T16:47:00.005-04:00

This past weekend I sat down and read the entire book of John in one setting. It was amazing to read it from start to finish, the way it was meant to be heard/read in the first century. Among many discoveries, one thing that stood out to me was the recurrence of many key words, such as life, truth, love, light, etc.

It got me to thinking: Do I really know what any of these key words mean?

I think that we use these words very carelessly today in Christendom. Public prayers, for example, are filled with them. "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your grace and your peace and your love... life, hope, faith, truth, joy, goodness... Amen." And then we utter "amen" in agreement without even realizing what they just said. What does that even mean? This is nothing short of the Christianize gibberish I griped about in this post a few weeks ago.

It's almost like our theology surrounding all of these words involves stuffing them all into a blender, pureeing them, and then pouring it back out for consumption.

As I continue to study John's Gospel, I'm looking forward to discovering what all these words mean. They had intrinsic theological significance to the author and recipients back then, and I think they have significance to the faith community now.

Normalcy

2011-09-08T10:54:00.002-04:00

Last night, while tutoring children in the area, one of my friends told the story about Bartimaeus being healed by Jesus. "Jesus healed him, and he could see!" she exclaimed. "Isn't that exciting?"

One of the little boys wasn't very impressed. He shrugged indifferently and said, "Oh, this is a normal story."
I think he meant that this was along the lines of a typical story he heard at church. But, I think he unintentionally made a profound point.

This is a normal story -- for Jesus.

I'm so thankful that the God I serve does these types of things all time. He continues to heal people, calls them from their lives of sin, and urges them to follow him.

Perhaps we need to rethink "normalcy."

For God's Sake, Think! - Biblical Literalism

2011-09-07T09:58:00.008-04:00

"Hermeneutics” is a fancy word to describe the process by which someone interprets the Bible. Every so often I blog about contexts behind certain biblical passages so that we can better understand God’s Word. I invite you to think critically about what the biblical writers are trying to communicate as I explain a passage’s background material.

----------------------------------------------------

Bart Ehrman has been a loud voice in New Testament study as of late. His recent book, Misquoting Jesus, claims that scribes actually changed the Bible so that it adhered to their own personal beliefs. People read Ehrman and think that he's the only voice on the issue, when in reality even secular scholars don't like him because of his poor scholarship. How did this man get such a loud microphone? I would argue that it's because he's voicing what our own culture is thinking. We're apprehensive about metanarratives and thus accept the other "marginalized," drowned-out voices from the Pseudepigrapha (books that were not accepted into the Biblical canon). Ehrman is voicing what we want to hear so we listen and accept it.

I would argue, however, that Ehrman does the same thing that he claims the New Testament does - he filters his scholarship through only one perspective. Not only this, but he adheres to the same kind of Biblical literalism he critiques.

Biblical literalism, both on the secular and religious sides, is possibly one of the most dangerous thoughts affecting Christianity today.

The interesting thing about Ehrman is that he began as a very rigid Biblical literalist. He attended Moody and then Wheaton, two schools that push the absolute inerrancy issue. It wasn't until he went to Princeton and came across a textual error in Mark that things went further downhill. He decided that, if the Bible is absolutely and completely inerrant, it cannot be true because he just found an error. Biblical literalism is always all or nothing.

It's really poor scholarship on his part to conclude this when there is such strong textual support for the NT. Here's why:
1. Spelling errors account for three-fourths of the errors. An error, yes, but not problematic.
2. Other errors include variance among manuscripts of synonyms and pronouns.
3. The only errors that are actually meaningful and vital account for 1%. Even then, they don't change our theology too much. For instance, a large portion of this 1% is the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Scholars are sure that this is not original. Without it, do we still know that Jesus is forgiving? Yes. It does not alter our picture of Jesus at all.

Ehrman is wasting his time on these.
The real issue is when we read the Bible and find literary inconsistencies. Christians plug their ears and close their minds, claiming that they must both be true and thus committing logical suicide. Secularists critically point them out and gather them up as further proof that the Bible is not to be trusted.

Like I said before, Biblical literalism on both sides is dangerous.

These two parties are completely missing the point. Literalism is a very modern phenomena that surfaced during the Enlightenment period. The creation story, for instance, was predominantly interpreted figuratively up until the Enlightenment. Augustine was a large proponent of interpreting Genesis 1-2 figuratively. Prior to the Scopes trial, Christians even accepted a figurative rendition of the gap theory so that the Bible could be consistent with scientific, evolutionary findings.

The Bible is a PRE-modern book. Let's read it as such. Let's be faithful to its historical setting. Let's be faithful to its ancient literary style.

We don't have to default to an "all or nothing" theology. God can still be the inspiration behind and imperfect, error-filled book. God can inspire fallible human writers and influence the theology behind their limited, human words.

God is bigger than errors... And his story about his interactions with humankind can still be treated as a beautiful, God-inspired text even if it contains some post-Enlightenment errors.

Gibberish

2011-09-02T13:04:00.002-04:00

When I traveled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua years ago, I listened very carefully to how translators would convert my group's words from English to Spanish. I find translation fascinating. The translator has to first interpret what the speaker is saying and then translate it into another language, all the while doing their best to keep the original meaning.
Occasionally, however, I noticed that the translations weren't always verbatim. An English speaker would say something that maybe (unintentionally) sounded a bit arrogant. Sometimes they would say something ambiguous or inconclusive. When this happened, the interpreter would make changes to the message in Spanish. He made the person sound better and communicated the person's intentions clearer. These translators were skilled with choosing Spanish words and phrases that did a better job at transmitting meaning to the recipients than their English counterparts did.

Now that I know enough Spanish to be dangerous, I find myself doing the same thing while translating. Although I know what the English speakers are saying, if I translate it literally into Spanish it won't make too much sense. I've learned to craft together Spanish words.

Sometimes, I feel like this is what my prayer life is like. I'm learning to think differently about prayer. I'm learning to understand it as encompassing more than just sitting still and mentally talking to God for a duration of time. There are sometimes, though, when I do verbally pray, that I feel at a lost as to what to say. I feel things that can't be conveyed into words. When I do use words, it seems like they're generic and ambiguous. I feel like I'm just talking gibberish (or, even better, just talking "Sunday School talk"... which is... gibberish).

It's frustrating.

It's during these times that I'm reminded that God's Spirit is praying with me.

"[...] The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." - Romans 8:26-27

I think I know what I may need, but God knows me better than I know myself. His Spirit translates my words so that convey meaning better than even I can articulate. God knows my heart, my desires, my fears, my doubts, my goals, and my frustrations.

I'm so thankful that God not only "speaks" my language but also translates it so that it contains deeper significance than I can clearly articulate.

The Illusion of Freedom

2011-08-30T09:45:00.005-04:00

It's always so tempting to "keep my options open." To make career choices so that I'm free to do many things instead of few things, to avoid committal so I can easily go in any direction.

More and more, however, I'm becoming convinced that this kind of "freedom" really isn't free at all.

I think that this whole idea of "keeping my options open" is really attractive to my prevalent postmodern world because it gives the illusion of freedom. It makes me feel like I'm in control. I don't have to commit to something in case it disappoints me. Not only is this seen in careers, but it's seen in religious beliefs. I'll choose the aspects of a religion that appeals to me, but I won't commit because of the responsibility that will ensue. Plus, I might be let down by the church.

Several of my friends had a very strong sense of direction in life in college but now are "keeping their options open." They reason that they can really do ministry anywhere, so why does it matter if they devote themselves to a specific ministry? While I certainly do agree that we've separated the secular from the spiritual too much and ministry can, in fact, be done anywhere, I think that this thinking is flawed.
Is doing God's work "anywhere" the best use of our limited time here on this earth? Wouldn't it be better to be whole-heartedly committed to "something" instead of "anything?" Wouldn't it be better to discover "something" that uses your talents, passions, and interests and REALLY matters than to listlessly float around amongst "anything?"

Seek first the kingdom. Be committed to God's kingdom. That brings freedom.

Identity Crisis

2011-07-06T10:10:00.003-04:00

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a very intrapersonal person. Being intrApersonal is much different from being intERpersonal. When someone is intERpersonal, they are skillfully capable at conversing and reading other people. When someone is intrApersonal, they are skillfully capable at understanding and sensing their own "self." Out of all of psychology's categories of intelligence, this one has always been my strongest.

Lately, however, I feel like I don't know who I am anymore. I sense that many characteristics about myself have changed. I still think of myself and describe myself in terms of who I used to be, but I can't help but to wonder if that person is still me.

I remember taking the Myers-Brigg test in junior high and coming up with the rare personality combination of INFP (often called the "healer"). I thought that this suited me quite well. Four years later I retook the test and came out with a different combination: INTJ (the "mastermind"). I remember being a bit devastated that my personality had changed. Were the first results the "real me," or were these new results the "real me?"
Looking back, I can see how much life's circumstances had in many ways helped alter my personality. I can't help but to wonder if something similar is happening in me now.

Who is the real me? How can I know? Which scares me more: the fact that my personality has changed again or that it can (and probably will) change again in the future?

And then I can't help but to wonder who "I" am a priori. I frequently think of myself in terms of my personality. But if that can change, what is the true essence of myself? Is there a part of me that is unchanging? What is the part that makes me, well, me?

Do I miss who I used to be?

So many thoughts running through my head, and they all seem to come when I'm lying in bed trying to sleep. No matter how long I analyze and brew over the issue, I don't feel like I'm any closer to understanding the "new me."

Bad Theology

2011-06-02T09:45:00.002-04:00

A snippet from a conversation at youth group a few weeks ago:

Middle schooler: "We have to remember that God isn't just love. I've been reading Revelation and it talks about how Jesus is going to, like, kill us."

Her mom: "Oh, no, honey. Jesus isn't going to kill us. He's going to kill everyone else."

I didn't know whether to burst out laughing or cry.

How have misreadings of Revelation (mis)informed our theology? With this as a forefront view regarding Revelation in modern Christian culture (but not in scholarly circles and Church history, mind you), how can we undo the damage?

There's so much work to do...

(W)holy Love

2011-04-17T12:10:00.005-04:00

On my right hand I have a ring with "agape," the Greek word for love, inscribed on it. The interior has a a reference to I John 4:16, which reads, "God is love." I can't tell you how many times I have seen this phrase on Christian-ize t-shirts or heard it in discussions. It's become a bumper sticker slogan for Christianity.

While this statement is true, it is also misleading. It leads us to believe that love is God's primary character quality. We equate the two things together.

If God's primary essence was love, then loving sinful human beings is something that just comes natural to him. He would only be doing what is his nature to do. It would not really be a free decision.

Instead of love, holiness is God's primary essence. God is set apart from sin to the point that he cannot have any contact with it, or the creatures that are infected with it. By loving us, God does not do what is his nature to do. He commits a profound act of love by inviting us to have a relationship with him. Loving us was not something that God had to do in accordance with his natural inclination. Loving us is an act of his free volition.
This is exactly what the Greek word "agape" means. Out of all the words for love that John could have chosen (there are several in Greek), John chose the one that signified a deliberate act of affection between unequal social groups. Agape in its truest sense is used when a person belonging to a higher class "stooped" to love someone below their class. Agape destroys social, physical, and spiritual boundaries.

In spite of our sinfulness, God chooses to "agape" us. He reaches down from his state of holiness in order to show his love to those who are unholy.

The simple sentence "God is love" has more theological significance than a bumper sticker can encompass. And yet, I am reminded of it every time I ponder the message on my little ring.

Never underestimate the significance of this three-word sentence.

(Re)Learning to Read

2011-03-10T09:31:00.004-05:00

I've spent my first year of seminary learning more things outside of class than in class. There are just some things that textbooks cannot teach.

In my undergraduate work in Biblical studies, I could exegete a passage and explain to you its grammatical construction in Hebrew. I thought that I already knew how to read Scripture... But in many ways I was doing violence to it.
I am still recovering from reading the Bible in this manner. Although exegesis certainly has its place, it can sometimes strip Scripture of its living, breathing qualities and reduce it to a set of impersonal, systematized ideas to be extrapolated.

I am (re)learning to read Scripture.

Here are some important things I've been (re)learning:

1. I am learning to read Scripture while listening to the Holy Spirit, who inspired and continues to inspire it. This involves engaging my intellect/reason, but not completely depending on it.

2. I am learning to read Scripture as God's revelation of His self to me, especially through Jesus Christ. I want to know the mind of Christ, not a collection of stories and principles.

3. I am learning to read Scripture in the hope of seeking my Father's Kingdom and righteousness here on this earth as it is in Heaven. It is not a utilitarian handbook for making my life "work."

4. I am learning to read Scripture with the intent of becoming a trained actor in God's Story. I read to become immersed in the text. Less can be more, slower can be better. Although it is a great practice, I am not trying to "get through" the Bible and finish it in a year.

5. I am learning to read Scripture for obedience, not for mastery and expertise.

6. I am learning to read Scripture as a response to God's grace and the means by which I can nourish a grace-filled community. I do not read so I can create a shame-oriented, legalistic demeanor.

7. I am learning to read Scripture as an act of love for both God and others.

8. I am learning to read Scripture as a text that is as much alive as at it was its time of writing. It is not the dead words of a dead God.

Who you like to join me in this (re)learning process?

"O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises. You may acquire the taste which you have not: what is tedious at first will afterwards be pleasant. It is for your life; there is no other way [...] Do justice to your soul; give it time and means to grow. Do not starve yourself any longer."
-John Wesley, 1760

What's In a Name?

2011-02-28T11:11:00.005-05:00

"What's in a name?" Juliet asked in Shakespeare's famous tragedy. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet!"

What's in a name? A name is what gives someone an identity. To strip a name away from someone would be to strip them of their personhood. Perhaps this is why we become offended when someone forgets our name, particularly if they have spent a good deal of time conversing with us. Even if we have talked to them about some very personal issues, they surely do not know us because they can't recall our name!
When we think about it philosophically we realize that a name does not primarily exist for our own benefit. I know who I am. My name exists so that you can know me. It creates a relationship between two persons.

We should be amazed, then, when God gave himself a personal name: Yahweh (Hebrew letters - YHWH). Here is this Being who metaphysically can exist by himself but instead chooses to exist as a being-in-relationship. He did not give himself a name for his own benefit. This transcendent Being gave himself an identity so that humanity could know him.

This is a beautiful paradox - the God who cannot be named chooses to be known by a name. He puts himself at the mercy of human language so that we can enter into relationship with him.

What's in a name? Everything.

A Revolutionary New Way of Thinking

2011-02-24T09:54:00.004-05:00

"Is Revelation the only book that anyone reads?" my husband sarcastically remarked the other day. Recent events have Christians opening their Bibles to the last book, claiming that it has all the explanatory answers to Middle Eastern affairs. Revelation has long been looked at as a crystal ball that reveals "end time" events in chronological fashion if we just look hard enough (actually, in reality, reading Revelation in such a way is a very recent interpretation that first became popular when the idea of a "rapture" was penned in the late 1860's... But that's a different topic!). Reading Revelation in this way, however, does violence to its historical and theological content. Instead of looking for theological answers about the Jasmine Revolution at the end of the Bible, I propose that we look for answers at the beginning.

Let me first say that I think that a theological understanding of the recent Jasmine Revolution has little to do with dictatorship vs. democracy. Functioning out of my subjective, biased American experience, I would have to say that out of these two options I am in favor of democracy. The deeper issue of this problem, however, is deeper than governmental identity. These people who are crying out in retaliation are longing for something that not even democracy in all its "glory" can deliver.

It is apparent early on in the Old Testament that God takes pain very seriously. From the very beginning God has heard the cries of the afflicted. When Cain murders Abel, his blood is said to have cried out to God from the grave (Gen. 4:10). He hears when the Israelites are in bondage in Egypt and mourns over their oppression. His sensitivity is not limited to the Israelites, either; in the prophetic books God frequently accuses the Israelites of doing the very same things to other nations that Egypt did to them.

According to OT scholar Walter Breuggemann, grieving is a strong critique against injustices. When we grieve, we are emphatically saying that something is not the way it should be. We long for a sense of justice that no governmental structure can give us.

The problem, then, is not that people are being denied democracy but that they are being denied the ability to express their grievances. The oppressed and marginalized are being silenced. If God takes the cries of the afflicted seriously, imagine how seriously he takes it when those very cries are being stifled.

The regimes of the day are right in thinking that their very structures are being challenged when marginalized people cry out. Such a critique is the beginning of the dismantling process. Whether dictatorship or democracy, they want to keep their totalitarian hold and will try to convince people that the world is as it should be. As I have already written, the issue is not so much about the choice between government systems.

This now brings us to the last book of the Bible. Here, the early Christians cry out because they are being persecuted and they resist to the point of death (Rev. 12:11). They do not inflict violence but overcome their situation by the shedding of their own blood. Even the Lamb is not marked by the blood of his opponents but by his own blood (Rev. 5:6-10). In their mourning, they paint a picture of reality that is completely contrary to their own. They seek and articulate with symbols an already/not quite yet Regime that will deliver them from injustice. The Roman Empire could not offer this hope. Neither could the "Christian" Constantine Empire nor a "Christian" democratic republic years later.

During these revolutions, may we grieve and pray for a different reality that neither dictatorship nor democracy can promise. May we articulate in words and symbol an imagination that is quite unlike anything the world has ever seen. It is not a question of choosing between reality and imagination; rather, it is a question of choosing which imagination we will choose to perceive.

Running

2011-02-02T13:24:00.003-05:00

For a long time now I've know that the best way to settle my mind is to go on a long run. Sometimes I feel like the rhythmic sound of my sneakers pounding on the pavement helps me think. Sometimes I feel like the excursion of my muscles helps me not think. Sometimes I feel like I am running toward a mental resolutions, other times I feel like I am just simply running away.

It is just so relaxing being able to think things through until my thoughts slowly turn into little blurps of images, popping in and then popping out just as quickly. When I run, I don't have to analyze any of my thoughts, but can just let them freely come and go.

I have been running a lot lately. For what reason, I am not entirely sure.

What's the Least You Can Believe and Still Be A Christian?

2011-01-26T08:54:00.001-05:00

This article that was written by United Methodist pastor Martin Thielen was so good that I just had to share. You can read the article in full here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-thielen/whats-the-least-you-can-b_b_811353.html

When I first met Danny, he said, "Preacher, you need to know that I'm an atheist. I don't believe the Bible. I don't like organized religion. And I can't stand self-righteous, judgmental Christians."

I liked him right away!

In spite of Danny's avowed atheism and my devout Christian beliefs, we became close friends. Over the next year Danny and I engaged in numerous conversations about faith. During that time Danny softened his stance on atheism. One day he announced with a laugh, "I've decided to upgrade from an atheist to an agnostic." Several months later Danny said, "I've had an epiphany. I realize that I don't reject Christianity. Instead, I reject the way that intolerant Christians package Christianity." A few weeks after that conversation, Danny said, "Martin, you've just about convinced me on this religion stuff. So I want to know--what's the least I can believe and still be a Christian?"

"What's the least I can believe and still be a Christian?" What a great question! Danny's provocative question prompted me to write a new book, using his question as the title. Part one of the book presents 10 things Christians don't need to believe. In short, Christians don't need to believe in closed-minded faith. For example, Christians don't need to believe that:

• God causes cancer, car wrecks and other catastrophes
• Good Christians don't doubt
• True Christians can't believe in evolution
• Woman can't be preachers and must submit to men
• God cares about saving souls but not saving trees
• Bad people will be "left behind" and then fry in hell
• Jews won't make it to heaven
• Everything in the Bible should be taken literally
• God loves straight people but not gay people
• It's OK for Christians to be judgmental and obnoxious

On the other hand, there are things Christians do need to believe, which is the focus of part two of my book. They need to believe in Jesus -- his life, teachings, example, death and resurrection. A great benefit of these beliefs is that they provide promising answers to life's most profound questions including:

• Who is Jesus?
• What matters most?
• Am I accepted?
• Where is God?
• What brings fulfillment?
• What about suffering?
• Is there hope?
• Is the church still relevant?
• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• What is God's dream for the world?
Like Danny, many people in the 21st century hunger for an open-minded expression of Christian faith. That's especially true for young people. For example, in a recent episode of the popular television show Glee, several high school students explain why they are turned off by religion. From their perspective, the church is down on gays, women and science. When you add to that the arrogant and judgmental attitudes found in many religious-right churches, it's easy to see why people are repelled by religion. If the only faith options are fundamentalism or no religion, many people will opt for no religion. Thankfully, a better alternative exists -- vibrant, open-minded, grace-filled, gender-equal, life-giving, centrist, moderate/mainline faith. Promoting that kind of faith is my greatest passion in ministry.

A Sense of Urgency

2011-01-11T15:01:00.005-05:00

Last week I had an intensive course in theology every day from 8am to 5pm. You think I would have learned a lot about theology. Instead,I learned more from talking to the other students than I did from listening to the professor for 40 hours.

One man I talked to told me about his job and how it at least "paid the bills." Just minutes later, I talked to another man about his job. His disposition toward his work was completely different from the first. His entire demeanor changed as he excitedly told me about all that God was doing through position. His passion was contagious. He had a sense of urgency for doing God's kingdom work.

Two men. Two jobs. Two completely different outlooks on them.

One man viewed his job as a necessity that provided money to live. The other viewed his job as an important instrument of God's kingdom.

I think that our country heavily stresses the "American dream" where we successfully build our dream career and do what we want for a living. And end up really rich in the process. When we achieve less than this we are "just paying the bills."
Both of these perspectives are inconsistent with Jesus' view. "Seek first God's kingdom," he says, and all your basic needs will be met (Matt. 6:33).

God's kingdom comes before my wants.
My desires.
My career.
My bills.
My dreams.

I feel like I am very much at a major crossroad in my life. There are several different career paths I could take, many of which are exciting to me. But I am realizing that I cannot choose what I want to do and then subsequently make it fit into God's kingdom as an afterthought. Sure, God could use and redeem that vocational choice, but He doesn't say to seek His kingdom second.

Everything I do must be centered on the idea of welcoming God's kingdom into my life and the world around me. God's kingdom is too urgent for me to satisfy my own desires.

God's kingdom come, God's will be done, in my vocation as it is in heaven.

For God's Sake, Think! - Antichrist(s)

2011-01-01T09:30:00.004-05:00

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When people think about "antichrist" they typically add a definite article to it and correspond it with end times, catastrophic events, and Nicholae from the Left Behind series. The problem with this association is that it is completely unbiblical. Nowhere in Revelation is the term "antichrist" even used, much less described in our present day's expectations. In fact, the only place where "antichrist" is used is in I John. The description of an antichrist is alarming. Not only can there be more than one antichrist, but you and I can possess such an office.

I John 2:18
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

John is certainly not foreseeing an incarnation of Satan in this passage. Here's John, 2000 years ago, writing that an antichrist is coming and that there are already many antichrists present.
John continues to describe just who an antichrist is:

I John 2:22
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son.

This is a pretty broad definition. An antichrist, then, is anyone who denies that Jesus is the Messiah. This may be an explicit or implicit denial. Some people verbally disbelieve in Jesus; others implicitly disbelieve Christ by their actions.
Each one of us possesses the possibility of being either for or against Christ. We can be like Peter, who opposed Jesus' plan to suffer and die and was commanded to "get behind" Jesus (Matt. 16:21-23). Or we can be full supporters of Christ's kingdom plan and "get behind" its implications for our lives.

The choice is ours. We must make a decision, for there is no middle ground. Either we accept Christ's message and plan for humankind entirely or we "get in front of" Christ and assume that our plans are better than his. May this New Year challenge you to reevaluate your lifestyle and surrender all of it to the control of Jesus. By aligning ourselves under the direction of God's kingdom we can be for Christ instead of anti-Christ.

For Better... AND for Worse

2010-12-13T14:22:00.006-05:00

Sometimes, life doesn't end up the way you want it to.

John was in prison. He had dangerously critiqued the political leader of the day and was shut up in prison. To top it all off, a threat of being decapitated loomed over his little cell. How was it that this was happening to him? Wouldn't everything be different now that the Messiah, the new, powerful conqueror, was finally here? Surely the Messiah's political coup and overturn of the throne would free John from his incarceration.

Just to make sure, John sent some of his students to ask Jesus about his situation in Luke 7:18-23. "Are you the one who was to come," they asked, "or should we expect someone else?" Jesus' response is strange:

"Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

This little discourse is a quotation from prophecy about the coming Messiah (Isaiah 61). It is the same quotation that Jesus borrowed from when he began his ministry at the synagogue (Luke 4:17-19). This probably was not good news for John. While helping the poor and healing people was all well and good, when would Jesus assume the role of conquering king? Better yet, when would Jesus bust John out of prison?
Notice that Jesus leaves an action out of this quotation from Isaiah - When compared with the quotation from Luke 4, it is apparent that there is no mention of Jesus' freeing the captives this time. Jesus leaves out the segment that was relevant to John's situation.
This is a special rabbinical interpretation of a text. They would omit something to emphasize it. John would have been very familiar with this passage and would notice that this one phrase was missing. By omitting this idea, then, Jesus was communicating to John that he wouldn't be freed from prison. Jesus was not the political, conquering king that John thought he was. Jesus then encourages John not to fall away on account of his true identity.

Sometimes, following Jesus does not turn out the way we would like it to. We want the benefits without the sacrifice. Like John, we want a conquering king instead of a suffering Savior who calls us to die with him.

The truth is, you can't have the relationship without the sacrifice that comes with it. You either follow Christ with all your heart, for better AND (not "or") for worse, or you don't. Jesus said that some people will receive his message about the kingdom but then fall away when trouble and persecution comes (Matthew 13:20-21). But blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Christ's true nature and true calling to his disciples: devotion at all costs and in all circumstances.

For God’s Sake, Think! – The Widow’s Two Coins

2010-11-21T18:27:00.009-05:00

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Luke 21:1-4

¹ As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴ All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

It has been many a time when a Christian organization has used the passage from Luke 21:1-4 to try to convince me to give to their cause. Jesus praised the widow for giving all that she had to the temple treasury, so shouldn’t you follow her example and give all you have to [insert organization]? While I certainly do think that giving is to be encouraged, I am very convinced that using this passage in such a way is unfaithful to its context. It is built upon a dangerous misunderstanding of the passage, resulting in spiritual manipulation (see 2 Cor. 9:7).

Part of the reason why a temple treasury was even collected was so that money could be dispersed to the poor and distressed social classes (widows, orphans) in the Jewish society. Somehow, the temple treasury was no longer meeting this need… In this story, not only is a widow poor and down to her last two coins, but the temple leaders required her to give to the treasury! She was supposed to be the one receiving from the fund, not the one giving to the fund. The system was corrupt and unjustly taking advantage of the poor rather than aiding the poor.

When Jesus compares the widow to the rich, he was not commending her for giving more than the rich because she gave all she had. He was commenting that she, in her poverty, should not have been the one giving to the treasury! It is for this reason that Jesus next predicts the complete destruction of the temple (21:5-6). The entire social system of Israel was corrupt, including the religious system. It was thus going to be destroyed, along with all of its unjust practices.

Idealism - Good Thing?

2010-10-27T09:40:00.002-04:00

"The need to perceive a deeper meaning for out lives is not just a midlife phenomenon. According to brain specialist Joseph Chilton Pierce, a brain spurt occurs in early adolescence related to the capacity for idealism. An adolescent's greatest developmental need is for adults whose model of a meaningful life encourages this idealism. If this capacity for idealism is not encouraged, the young person experiences profound frustration. Pierce suggests that our epidemic of teenage violence is a direct result of stunted brain growth and frustrated idealism caused by lack of meaning in the adult world that confuses them. When we move into adulthood without having discovered a deeper sense of meaning and purpose for our existence, our disillusionment can settle into a profound (and sometimes very subtle) cynicism and emotional detachment that are quite antithetical to the hope, passion and energy that are basic to our Christian faith."
- Barton, Sacred Rhythms - pg. 115

Does your life have meaning? Where do you find that meaning?

How are you modeling a meaningful life to those around you?

Salt Isn't Very Tasty...

2010-10-22T12:57:00.006-04:00

The indoor soccer team I joined last night won our game 7-6. In many way, though, we lost.

It had been a while since I'd been in a un-Christian sports environment. Playing intermurals at my Christian undergrad was, in many ways, an illusion to the real world where players cuss and fight among each other, occasionally threatening the referee. I hadn't experienced this since I was in high school and assumed that guys would mature by the time they were this age. Apparently not. As discouraging and even saddening as it was, though, it was quite refreshing. It was like I was meant to be there.

Christians are called to be the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). This image of "salt" is often misunderstood. I've always been taught that Jesus was trying to make a statement about how Christians are supposed to "make the world taste better" by sprinkling their Christian-ize everywhere they go. If we're going to be completely honest, the Christian life is by no means "tasty." How is loving your enemies appealing? How about turning the other cheek? Such signs of "weakness" are in no ways attractive.
Before Christ ruined my life, I would consider actions such as retaliation and revenge very tasty. Perhaps even spicey.

Luke gives us a better idea about Jesus meant here:
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, now can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out (14:34).
In first century Israel, salt was used to break up manure. It was thrown into nasty, smelly areas in order to decompose waste faster. This makes better sense with why Jesus parallels salt with light in Matthew 5:13-16. Both are symbols of how Christians are meant to expel evil from the world.

I think that too often we are hesitant to enter into dark, ugly and messy places because we are afraid that we will lose our "saltiness." We're fearful that the bad will influence us. Or perhaps we just use all of this as an excuse not to go outside of our comfortable Christian walls. Either way, regardless of whether we "save" ourselves by hiding or become too entangled with the world, we are going to become unsalty. Salt is only salty when it is used.

We are meant to be in the world, breaking apart spiritual strongholds, tearing down oppressive infrastructures, dethroning antichrists. When Jesus prayed for his followers, he asked that they would not be taken out of the world. He prayed that they would be protected from evil while serving in the world (John 17:15).

It was amazing what a few kind words at the game last night could do. A quick "thank you" was like water on a dry ground to the referee. I stuck out like a sore thumb because I didn't cuss out someone else who had "wronged" me. Salt is really salty when mixed in with very unsalty things.

I encourage you to dare to journey into messy places and share Christ by breaking something apart.

Blessed to Bless

2010-09-16T08:19:00.004-04:00

Last night, just before going to bed, I reflected on all of the good things in my life and was moved to the point of tears. In just that day alone I had enjoyed the company of good friends, an energizing run outside amidst breathtaking nature, the technology that enables me to enjoy beauty, the supplies that permit me to create art in my own little studio, various devices that serve to entertain, soft chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, a loving husband who deeply cares for me...

I always feel very apprehensive about saying that all these wonderful things in my life that I have the pleasure of enjoying are because "God is good to me" or because "God has greatly blessed me." Don't get me wrong. I sincerely do believe that God is a GREAT God and that I am blessed beyond understanding. But saying these things makes me think about people who do not have access to beauty and wonderment and entertainment. People who do not even have access to food, clean water, or the leisure of wearing a new pair of clothes every day. If I say that all these good things in my life are a product of God's goodness, what does that mean in other people's contexts? That God is not as good to them? That God has not blessed them nearly as much as He as blessed me?

Where do we get the idea that "God will always provide?" What about that starving orphan living in Mongolia who dies before the age of 12? God didn't provide for him. Why should God provide the jobs we need here in the US, or the new washing machine to replace the one that just broke down, or the money to "live comfortably" when He doesn't provide for people who are desperately just trying to survive?

Why was I born in America, where I have been blessed my socks off?

I ask a lot of questions, ones that I'm not sure that there are any answers to. At the same time, I think that it's very important that I ask these questions.

For reason that we don't know, we have so much in our lives that have come to us by no merit of our own. Has God blessed us? Tremendously. Does that mean that He has chosen not to bless others? Perhaps it better means that God has chosen to bless others through our well being. Those He blesses are the instruments by which He strives to bless others.

God does not desire us to be tight-fisted people who hold on to all of our good things. May we extend our hands to others so that God can be known as a good God everywhere.

"Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel."
- Psalm 22:3

Every Action Has an Equal and Opposite Reaction

2010-09-05T19:26:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I received a cute little fortune with my Chinese takeout:

"Do what you wish, as long as it does not harm anyone."

It's not much of a fortune, much less good advice. Yet, this seems to be this hedonistic philosophy behind much of our American lifestyle. A friend on Facebook recently posted a rant about how no one should tell her what to do because she is her own person and can do whatever she wanted.

Something I am still in the process of learning is that life isn't about you and what you want to do. I am not the most important person in this world, or even my own world. Every decision you make affects someone else.

Perhaps, then, others can tell you how to live.

Or Someone who knows it best.

Self[ish] Thoughts

2010-08-12T18:14:00.004-04:00

In a few short weeks I will be beginning my classes at seminary. From working on-campus this summer I've received many of those get-to-know-you questions, like "Where are you from?", "What are you studying?", or my personal favorite, "What do you want to do with that?"

Let me fill you in on my answers: "I just graduated from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and am continuing to further my education in Biblical studies. I hope to become a Bible professor someday."

This time of transition in my life has forced to carefully rethink my life's goals (which, I believe, are in line with God's... Not that I think that He has my life written out for me, but that's an entirely different topic for another blog post). What if the main reason why I want to become a professor is because of the authority I will acquire or the respect I will gain?

In the beautiful memoir In the Name of Jesus, Roman Catholic priest Henri Nouwen recounts his experience of living among mentally handicapped people.

"[...] Their liking or disliking me had absolutely nothing to do with any of the many useful things I had done until then. Since nobody could read my books, the books could not impress anyone, and since most of them never went to school, my twenty years at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard did not provide a significant introduction. My considerable ecumenical experience proved even less valuable."

What if, like Nouwen, I am somewhere down the road called to an area of ministry where I have no job title or status? Would I be ok with that?

The truth is, whether we are in full-time ministry or are simply full-time disciples, nothing we do in life should be for the edification of ourselves. Not accumulating money, not being famous, not being on the honor roll, not getting the next best position, not climbing the corporate ladder.

If we're trying to climb the ladder, we're going to miss Jesus, because He is climbing down it.

Jesus, equal with God, made Himself nothing (Philippians 2:5-11). We Greek nerds have a word for this: kenosis, or "emptying." Whereas Jesus made Himself nothing, we try to make ourselves something. When Jesus calls us to be His followers, He calls us to mimic this same lifestyle. To come and die.

Abba, teach me what it means to continue to die to myself, for it is only in dying that I am reborn. I am no longer my own but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be empty, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Your disposal.

Amen.

Art Journal - Mom

2010-08-12T17:48:00.002-04:00

Art Journal - The Rain Subsides

2010-07-19T14:05:00.002-04:00

Every good and perfect gift is from above.
- James 1:17

The Want-O-Meter

2010-07-03T18:16:00.006-04:00

I have this thing I like to call a "wanter." When I was little, I wanted a contraption called a "Skip It." My friend down the street had one, and I told my parents that I wouldn't want anything else if they got it for me for my birthday. Never ever.
So they got me the Skip It and to this day I have never wanted another thing.

If only that were the case.

I've wanted super soakers and art supplies and tapes and cds and G.I. Jane's and Play Doh and Polly Pockets and clothes...

Today I could probably come up with a list of dozens of things that I desire. Lately it seems like my "wanter" is getting a little out of control. I want more money so that I can add more things to my already existing pile of things.
There will never be too many things produced for our "wanters."

Our culture seems to be obsessed with this never ending cycle of spending money on the newest gadget. Sometimes even more money than we have (!). I think that the way we handle our finances can be one of the biggest spiritual transformations.

After David makes plan for the Temple, he erupts into a beautiful prayer:

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

Should we tithe net or gross? What is the least amount of money that we can give without making God angry? David doesn't even think about these questions. David understood that financial blessing was a chance to in turn be a blessing. "Who am I that I can be generous? I want to build your kingdom, not my kingdom."

I am convinced that God has financially blessed me so that I can bless others. Why was I born in such an affluent country? Family?
Even though I feel very strongly about this, however, my want meter sometimes fights for control. It's so easy to say that I want to honor God by giving generously but then become infatuated with getting the next new thing.

Abba, purge me of my consumerism and help me to view money through Your eyes... Your Kingdom come and Your will be done through my financial decisions.

Art Journal - Telephone

2010-06-29T18:10:00.004-04:00

And text messages don't count.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

2010-06-10T10:50:00.006-04:00

In one of the three books I've read within the last three days, a girl named Tibby finds herself working at a movie theater and contemplates the following:

She didn't used to fall asleep in movies. But working in a theater could do that to you. Once she'd taken the tickets for the four 0'clock show and made sure everyone was in their seats and vacuumed the lobby, she was allowed to watch. That was the whole reason she'd asked for Margaret's help to get her this job.
But now she'd seen The Actress fourteen times. The first three or four were pretty good. But slowly after that, the suspense drained out of the suspense. The spontaneity of the love affair shriveled to nothing. By the fourteenth time... well, she feel asleep.

As a lifelong movie lover, it was sad, in a way, for her to watch the magic of the illusion dry up like a piece of macaroni left overnight in her little sister's booster seat. It made Tibby feel dull and flat. And watching the excitement on the faces of the audience just made her feel worse. She knew that every audience member was taken in by the big sweeping climax, with the cellos and violins and gigantic close-ups of earnest, rapturous faces. They felt it was all happening magically and powerfully for them alone.
Tibby had gotten accepted to the film program at NYU. She was about to spend four years learning how to make films. She's thought it was what she wanted more than anything. But now Tibby was beginning to wonder.

She imagined, depressingly, what it must feel like to be a wedding officiator or a doctor who delivered babies. You'd watch these people in the middle of their personal wonders, imagining for themselves a pure, unique once-in-a-lifetime experience. And then an hour or two later you'd watch somebody else do the same thing. What they thought were miracles were your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
It was sad that what you once thought were marvels on the screen were really manipulations. What you thought was art was just some gimmicky formula.

What happens when the thing you devoted your life to begins sucking the life out of you?

Art Journal - Roller Coaster

2010-05-08T10:05:00.002-04:00

We Are Weird

2010-04-05T11:06:00.002-04:00

I have forgotten how weird Jesus' death and resurrection really is.

On Saturday I volunteered to help out with the annual Easter egg hunt that my church hosts for the Powell community. Before the kids were let loose to devour the thousands of eggs scattered on the church property they listened as a children's pastor presented the Easter story to them.

Maybe it was because of how simple the pastor told the story. She told the very basics so that the kids could understand things like "sin" and "crucifixion." Whatever the reason was, I suddenly felt like I was hearing this story from a non-believer's perspective. I was suddenly in the parent's heads. Man, do we Christians believe some really weird things:
God had a Son whom he sent on a suicide mission to save humans from all their evil deeds. After Jesus died and rotted in his grave for 3 days his body disappeared. Some said that his disciples stole his body, but they claimed that he came back to life and appeared to them. Jesus then returned to his mothership.

Weird.

This story is ridiculous. It sounds like a crazy fairytale that is even weirder than the Easter bunny. How can we believe such an incredulous tale?

And yet I find myself having to believe this. For reasons I cannot explain, I am compelled to believe that there is a God loves people so much that he is willing to do whatever it takes to be with them. No scientific fact or even Christian apologetic can ultimately prove or find reason in this story.
This story is ridiculous, but it is also powerful. It is crazy, but foolish things shame the wise. It is weird, but full of beauty.

I can give no other explanation as to why I still believe this story other than the fact that He lives in me.

"This is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
- I John 3:24

Be Still

2010-03-19T10:26:00.004-04:00

There is a contemplative in all of us,
Almost strangled but still alive,
Who craves quiet enjoyment of the now,
And longs to touch the seamless garment of silence
Which makes whole.
- Alan P. Tory

Today I came across my journal. It was buried under books and paper in my nightstand drawer, untouched for months. I used to write in this journal religiously. I recorded all my thoughts and aspirations, ponderings and emotions. I didn't even know that it was lost until I found it.

Recently I have felt as if I do not know myself. This is a strange thing for me, because I've always been very good as listening to myself and figuring out what/why I'm thinking and feeling. My top muiltiple intelligence assessment is even intrapersonal, or "self-smart."

It seems like every single time I sit still enough to reflect my mind does nothing but sit still. It's running at 100 mph, reminding me that I need to get this done, or remember to tell so and so this, or attempting to recollect the Hebrew vocabulary words I need to know for the quiz this week. I may seem serene and collected on the outside, but I frequently feel in turmoil on the inside.

I've read somewhere that it becomes harder to think critically about life and faith as you get older. A person may have been deeply reflective in college but do not seem to find the time to continue this practice as adults (Steele - One the Way 160)There are now bills to pay, chores to complete, and social expectations to uphold. It's hard to know what's going on in your soul when there is never-ending homework to complete, dinner to cook, and a spouse to communicate with.

Isn't it amazing how many people never listen to their own souls and never sit in silence with themselves? Isn't it amazing how many people need to have their TV or radio on? Silence can be scary. It forces us to be still and listen to what's going on.

I encourage you to join me today by turning off your iPod, putting aside your homework/chores/work and just being quiet for a little while. Stop, rest, and be still before God.

Maybe finding yourself again will show just how lost you really were.

Shiva

2010-02-12T21:18:00.005-05:00

There are two cats howling outside my window. They were so loud I thought that they were some breed of hound dog at first. I wanted to go out to investigate but got a sudden fear of rabies. I instead chose the safe side and looked up what is called "feline vocalization" on Google.
Cats, for whatever reason, cry and whine really loudly when they are in distress or grieving. The hurting cat outside my window has a friend huddled with him in the bush, shielding themselves against the cold. Whenever his cry crescendos, the other cat joins in. Their constant howling made me want to run outside to scare them away at first. After putting on my coat, I got this sudden feeling like I would be intruding on something sacred. As much as I hate cats, their meowing in unison has a sense of comfort. It is almost as if they are grieving together.

It is an understatement to say that Job was grieving after all he knew and possessed was taken away from him. The Hebrew word nud describes his reaction-- swaying back and forth, nodding his head, much like we see today with trauma victims. Job's friends come along and are so filled with compassion and grief for their friend that they sit next to him in silence. For seven days.
Imagine sitting with someone for seven days. Job's friends reaction was brilliant. It was a gift. It was so powerful, in fact, that the Jewish people adopted it as a grieving practice. To this day many Jews will perform the practice of shiva (literally, "sitting seven") and mourn with their loved ones for a period of a week.

Job needed this kind of support from his friends. But after the seven days were over his friends finally opened their mouths and talked -- a lot. They did so much talking that the book of Job is filled primarily of their speeches. They also got in trouble for it.

What does it look like for us to practice shiva today? What would happen if we avoided empty words of comfort and simply strove to listen and grieve with those who are hurting?

Just yesterday my husband practiced shiva. We were checking out at Odd Lots when Aaron looked up at the cashier, studied her face, and sincerely asked how she was feeling. What followed surprised me. With tears in her eyes, she explained that her sister was in the hospital dying and probably wouldn't make it until the end of the week. Turning to me, she commented that it felt like Aaron knew something was wrong. He seemed to be able to see right through her. She could see it in his face.

Shiva happens when we make ourselves available. It occurs when, instead of the casual "How are you?", we look in a person's eyes and ask them how they are really doing. It happens when we are intentional about making people, even cashiers at Odd Lots, a priority. This makes me uncomfortable. I see someone crying by themselves on my college campus and want to do something about it, but wimp out. I fear what they will think of me. I fear that I won't know what to say. I get uncomfortable thinking that I'll be making them uncomfortable.
In Romans 12:15, Paul simply says to mourn with those who mourn. He doesn't tell us to give a theological answer as to why that person is suffering. He doesn't tell us to say that everything is going to be ok. We don't have to have all the answers or worry that what we are doing is "weird." God uses uncomfortable situations like these to meet with people. All we have to do is be.

Maybe, just maybe, the best way to communicate God's presence and love to someone who is hurting is by simply sitting with them, being quiet, and meowing in unison.

Judgmental Conditioning

2010-02-09T18:31:00.003-05:00

"In our national surveys we found the three most common perceptions of present-day Christianity are antihomosexual (an image held by 91 percent of young non-Christians), judgmental (87 percent), and hypocritical (85 percent). These 'big three' are followed by the following negative perceptions, embraced by the majority of young adults: old-fashioned, too involved in politics, out of touch with reality, insensitive to others, boring, not accepting of other faiths, and confusing. [...] This is what a new generation really thinks about Christianity" (Kinnaman - UnChristian, pg 27).

And so pattern many of the other books I have been reading lately.

None of these perceptions are new. Nonchristians and Christians alike know these things. Problems is (well, a good problem), I do not know very many (if any) Christians like this. Perhaps that is because I am a religion major on a Christian college campus. I still would like to believe that the majority of Christians do not match up with these perceptions. Where do people get all of these ideas? The media? What other people say? Personal experiences? Why do they assume that all Christians are like this? You don't have a bad experience with one (or even a few) Russians and assume that all Russians are bad. Today we would call that "discrimination." Why do we generalize all Christians?

Here's the irony: These books are critiquing Christians for being judgmental, which in turn is making me judgmental toward Christians. I am tired of being angry and critical of other believers. I am tired of thinking of myself as more "righteous" because I am not like those judgmental Christians. Sometimes I think I may have been taught to be more judgmental toward my own family than unchurched people are.

Can I please read something positive? Hear some good things that Christians are doing? Please?

Divisions in the Church (that Paul did not address)...

2010-01-11T16:40:00.004-05:00

Theology is not a private reserve of theologians. It is not a private affair for professors... Nor is it a private affair for pastors... Theology is a matter for the church. It does not get on well without professors and pastors. But its problem, the purity of the church's service, is put to the whole church. The term 'laity' is one of the worst in the vocabulary of religion and ought to be banished from Christian conversation.
- Karl Barth, Theologische Fragen and Antworten
It is safe to say that unbalanced notions about either clergy or laity are due to unbalanced notions of the Church. Indeed, to be more precise, too low a view of laity is due to too high a view of clergy, and too high a view of clergy is due to too low a view of the Church.
- John Stott, One People
What do you think are the main points these theologians are trying to make? What are the dangers when there is dividing line between "laity" (ministers, pastors, missionaries, theologians, etc.) and "clergy" (everyone else)? Is the Western church still stuck in Gnosticism, where worldly things (ie - eating, working, playing, buying, selling) and bodily nature are a "lower level" than the spiritual?
More thoughts on these topics later...

2010-01-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

Lead me to Your heart.

Light

2009-12-22T11:11:00.006-05:00

I recently purchased a menorah to display in my home. Hanukkah just ended last week, so my purchase was a little late (but it was on clearance!). The story surrounding the Jewish Festival of Lights fascinates me. It has recently caused me to think of Christmas in a very different way.

During Christmas we usually focus on Jesus’ birth, but I want you to imagine back with me to 165 years before Christ was even born. If you were a Jew during this time, you would have been living in Palestine under the rule of the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes. Now Antiochus hated the Jewish people from the very beginning of his reign. He issued orders forbidding the observance of Jewish ritual laws. Not only did he construct statues of Greek gods all over Jerusalem, Antiochus even convinced the High Priest to participate with him in the sacrifices to these idols. Although all of these actions were horrifying to the Jewish people, the vilest thing Antiochus did was when he laid siege to the holy Temple in Jerusalem. After dedicating it to the Greek god Zeus, Antiochus sacrificed a pig, an unclean animal, on the Temple altar. He drained its blood and smeared it all over the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the Temple. As if this was not horrifying enough, the Greek army confiscated the sacred Temple menorah.

Once the menorah was taken, the Jews were thrown into complete hopelessness. The confiscation of such a holy instrument was a direct insult to the Jewish people. Before, the Hebrews had remained steadfast in their faith without confrontation. Now that the menorah had been taken, they could no longer tolerate anymore of this torment. A Jew named Matthias Maccabbee finally stepped up and retaliated against the Greek’s oppressive rule. Matthias was definitely a zealot. He slit a couple of Greek officer’s throats, declaring that the Jews had been standing by for far too long. “If we would just take action and fight back,” he said, “if we had the courage to start a revolt, God would give us the power to do it. Think of all of our ancestors—David, Moses, Joshua, Gideon. Whenever Israel was threatened, they resisted and won. If we attack and stand our ground, God will have mercy on us and deliver us.”
The Jewish people were immediately filled with fervor. Taking up their arms, they joined Matthias and raged war against Antiochus and his Greek army. They were determined to defeat the invaders and win back the sacred menorah.

After winning back the menorah, victory seemed sure. The Israelites returned to the Temple to clean up the mess that the enemy had wrecked on it. Altars were overturned an smashed in two, blood was smeared over the walls, scrolls were torns and lying among the dust. But before anyone begins purifying the Temple, before anyone starts cleaning up the mess, everyone searches the Temple for oil to light the menorah. This is the first thing that needs to be done, before anything else. All the priests sift around through the rubble until a small flask of oil is found. It doesn’t contain much, but at this point it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that the menorah must be lit. Now. Eagerly, the High Priest sets flame to the candles, and a warm glow settles over the Temple, casting shadows on the walls. With the lit menorah back in the Temple, the Jews were filled with a sense of peace and confidence. Now that the menorah was lit, there was hope. The Jewish people knew that they were finally safe.

When I first heard this story of the history behind the Jewish festival Hanukkah, I wondered what was up with the menorah. The only places where a menorah, or a lampstand, is mentioned in the Bible are in Exodus and Leviticus. God issued specific descriptions to His people about how the tabernacle was to be constructed, and among these descriptions were instructions about the menorah. The High Priest ritually attended the lampstand, making sure that none of the candles had been extinguished. God commanded that the menorah be lit all day and all night. It was to never go out.
To the Jewish people, this menorah was a symbol of God’s presence among them. As long as the candles were lit, God was taking care of them and dwelling among them. If the flames were blown out, the Jews believed that their God was no longer with them.
Now can you understand the devastation the Jews felt when the menorah was taken from them? Their enemies had extinguished the candles and removed it from God’s Temple. The symbol of God’s presence was absent, and because of this, it seemed to the Jews that He was no longer with them.

The desire to experience and connect with God is one of the deepest longings in the soul. We all have menorahs, symbols, with which we measure our favor with God. Many times its our wealth and financial security. Other times its our emotions, our "spiritual progress," our sense of worth. When we put stock in these symbols, we are as C.S. Lewis terms it saying “encore” by demanding that God reproduce an experience or an emotion.

That menorah was supposed to be a symbol of God's presence, not a gauge of God's presence. A symbol’s value lies only in its ability to lead to the spiritual. The menorah and the temple became worthless when the people were content with the symbolic representation of Yahweh instead of Yahweh Himself.

We are content with our wealth as an indicator of God's presence. We are content with our emotional well being and happiness. We are content with all our comforts and securities. We have made all of these elements symbols, and instead of directing us to God, they replace Him.

In Isaiah 9:2 the prophet promises that one day God would send a permanent Light. This Light would outshine the light from the menorah. Whereas the menorah’s light was transient and unreliable, this Light would be permanent and dependable.
Symbols will let you down. They will fail you. If you have not already experienced it, your menorah will be taken away from you someday.
But there is good news. God promises over and over again all throughout Scripture that He will never leave you. Regardless of whether you are aware of it, God’s presence is always with you. This is the reason why God sent the Light, because He wants to be with you.

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.
He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of
God.
John 1:9-12

The birth of Jesus marks the permanence of God’s presence among His people. The light that the Jewish people had longed and desired for was now attainable. And unlike the light produced from the menorah, this Light, God’s presence, could not be blown out.

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness can never extinguish it (John 1:5).

May comfort, peace, and joy direct you to God's Gift of Light this Christmas season.

Irony of the Day

2009-12-07T16:59:00.004-05:00

A while ago someone asked me whether I thought that the church I attended was a little too "worldly."
"Worldly?" I asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well," they began, "Your band plays some pretty rocky music that the rest of the world listens to, and everyone, including your pastor, dresses casually, like everyone else in the world. How will they know that you are different if you look and act like them at church?"

I almost couldn't keep myself from laughing a little. In other words, if we can't be holy or set apart by mimicking God's character traits, such as love and peace, shouldn't we at least be weird?

We expect people in our faith community to uphold certain religious doctrine. We expect people to attend our weekly worship services, to pray regularly, to support the church financially, to read the Bible, to avoid sin. And yet, we do not expect people to progressively become more and more like Jesus. We do not expect that people will become more compassionate, more joyful, more generous, more gracious. We might even be surprised if they did.

Instead, we settle for being weird.

In Romans 9-11, Paul confronts his Jewish brothers about a similar attitude that they had. The Jewish Romans were still convinced that the only way that they could obtain righteousness was by observing the law. This made them despise the Gentile Christians, who Paul claimed had been given "grace" by God. Why should they be given a free pass to righteousness when they had worked so hard for it?Paul presents many arguments to convince the Jews otherwise, utilizing the traditional rabbinical interpretation skills he had learned through his studies. In Romans 10:5-8, Paul makes the following argument:

Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart,
'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming."

Paul, in this passage, insists that Scripture has always affirmed that justification is through faith and not through observing the law. God has always accepted people on the basis of faith; this was not a radical, new idea. He uses two Scriptural passages to contrast the righteousness by law and the righteousness by faith. Christians today understand the law of righteounsess to mean that the Jews did not take the law seriously enough. They fell short of observing it faultlessly. Because of their failure to uphold it completely, they needed a Savior to redeem them and perfect the law. This viewpoint about the law is the product of our own "Christianise" view on atonement, where we were not good enough so God sent us Jesus. Yes. And no.
The law itself was never invented with the intention of it leading to salvation. The law’s purpose was to point the Israelites to God’s character and nature. When it was properly observed the Jewish people would realize God’s grace. But did they? The Jewish people unfortunately did not realize that the law was the direction to salvation, not salvation itself. Instead of pursuing a right relationship with Yahweh and as a result being transformed into His likeness, the Jewish people resorted to legalism in order to gain God’s favor. Christ, then, did not replace an old way of obtaining salvation. Christ is salvation.

And yet somehow we find ourselves as Christians, who have been given what Paul calls the "word of faith," still trying to be holy people through other means.
Jesus tried time and time again to convince the religious teachers of the law that righteousness was cloaked in giving to the poor, being compassionate to the outcasts of society, forgiving others of their wrongdoing. Righteousness is cloaked in love, peace, and justice, not circumcision, dietary laws, and observance of the Sabbath. The first century Jews had equated all of those practices with their identity and had come to recognize those practices as the dividing difference between them as the "children of God" and the pagans that Jesus was not just challenging their actions. He was challenging their identity and their understanding that they were people of God.

We have our own boundaries today. We do this, but they do that. We have come to understand our identity as God's people, both consciously and, in most cases, unconsciously, based on the "Christian" things we do. Here's the great irony of Jesus' day: The "righteous" were becoming more damaged by their "righteousness" than the sinners were becoming damaged by their sin.
What would it look like if Christians today clothed themselves in love? In justice? In shalom?
What would it look like if Christians found themselves being transformed into the image of Christ instead of being conformed outwardly into the image of Christian culture?

Perhaps Christians would be better Christians if they spent less time in church and more time becoming the people that reflects Christ's character.

Captive

2009-11-27T18:46:00.002-05:00

A while ago, someone commented to me that ideas are the most dangerous things in the world. This off-hand comment sounded strange to me at first. It sat unsettled until I took the time to think it over. I have gradually come to realize that this is true. Ideas are dangerous. Think about it:

Which is more dangerous: A nuclear warhead, or the idea behind it? A nuclear weapon would pose no threat if there were no idea of death and destruction behind it. Would it even have been invented?
Hitler was only as dangerous as the thoughts he transmitted to the German nation. The thoughts about the “uncleanliness” of Jews, homosexuals, and mentally and physically impaired people were the root of that genocide. Hitler was only as powerful as his ideas.

Ideas / thoughts are behind our every single conviction, action, word. They are what make us say the things we say, do the things we do, consciously and subconsciously. Most of the time we do not even realize it.
Christians can be just as “dangerous” with their thoughts. When we view the world through a Christ-centric lens we can effectively be “dangerous” to this world that is captive to another kingdom by instilling values of love, peace and joy. Conversely, when our thoughts are based on our own false, human understandings, we as Christians can just bring even more destruction and brokenness into the lives of the people around us.
When the Iraq war began a few years ago, a major news station held an interview with a prominent evangelical leader on TV. He praised the war efforts and declared that “God was on our side” in it. The news reporter began asking for his perspectives on fighting. “Doesn’t Jesus say in the Bible that we are supposed to love our enemies and turn the other cheek?” the news reporter asked. The pastor hesitated for a moment. His discomfort was apparent to the thousands of people who viewed the news that evening. Finally, the Christian leader carefully explained that Jesus’ teachings did not apply to politics or to the public arena, but were only to be practiced privately. Regardless of our individual stances on the Christian response to war, I’m sure we can all clearly see the dichotomous ideas the Christian leader was insinuating. There is something terribly wrong with the way he is reasoning.

All Christians currently, or at some point in their lives, have had thoughts, reasonings, and understandings that are contrary to their identity as people changed by the blood and truth of Christ. Many times we mix up “God’s truth” with other thoughts and convictions that we may already have had. This is very easy to do. Ideas and beliefs that are new or different from our already present schemas make us uncomfortable and defensive. Although we may think that we are shining examples of Christians who think like Jesus does, it is no different with God’s truth.

There’s a study that states that it is actually healthier not to wash babies every day so that they can build stronger immune systems. Try telling some mothers this. Keeping their babies clean is a ritual. Doing otherwise is inconsistent with the way they have been taught and will make them uncomfortable. Most mothers will deny that this research is true. In the same way, God’s truth can make us uncomfortable because it is not consistent with our already present (human) ideas. Instead of running away from such beliefs and reverting back to our own pre-accepted notions, we need to critically examine our philosophies and be open to discovering God’s truth.

This very issue is something that the early Christians at Colossae were having trouble realizing. Paul writes in Colossians 2:6-10:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and
the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in
Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been
given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

It must be noted that these Christians at Colossae were “rooted and built up” in Christ. They weren’t atheists or agnostics or even “Christmas and Easter Christians.” They had genuinely and whole-heartedly accepted Christ as the King of their lives. What had gone wrong? Somehow the Christians there had either begun “flirting” with other popular ideas of the day, or had borrowed from their former ways of thinking and added it to their new faith. They probably did not even realize they were doing it! The people liked some ideas their Christian faith offered, but it was not “good enough.” They chose some parts from Christ’s teachings that they liked and discarded the ones they disliked or maybe did not understand. Those holes were in turn filled with other “philosophies” and ideas, which as Paul said were from “human traditions and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”Although their ideas undoubtedly had some Christian theme imbedded within, God’s character had been distorted in some way. Somehow today we think that many of our ideas like these are permissible because they have some “Jesus” in them. As long as we have some biblical ideas, our understandings, perceptions, and worldviews must be true. This reasoning is false! Christ must be the center of our thoughts, not an afterthought or idea that is tacked on to our already constructed, human ideas. Christ is to be the identity of His followers!

One of Paul’s trademark sayings is that Christians are “in Christ.” Paul is apparently trying to make a very important point about a believer’s identity. We as Christians must realize that our true reality lies within Christ. Christ is the framework of how we should see ourselves. He is the very fibers of our identity. The decision to follow Him is not just something that involves our “quiet time” with God or our time here at church. Being “in Christ” means reconstructing our entire understanding of who we are based on who He is. This new realization of our identity in Him should affect every aspect about ourselves, especially the way we perceive the world around us. We cannot be wholly and radically transformed by Christ without being “made new in the attitude of our minds” (Eph. 4:22-23).Some of you may think, “Well, of course all of my beliefs are centered in Christ! I believe everything the Bible says. This sermon is for ‘those people’ who don’t know the Bible well enough. This sermon is for ‘those people’ who do not go to Sunday School or church regularly."

Many of our “Christian” ideas we have learned through osmosis are completely contrary to the teachings of Christ! Many times without realizing it we are like the church at Colossae. We think we have a pretty good handle of what “God’s truth” is, when in reality we have perverted many of His truth with our own reasonings, our own marred perceptions, our own culture, and even the church’s traditional teachings. As human beings, it only makes sense that our mental processes are still captive to our sinful nature and the principles of this world. The world has governed how we think and reason ever since we were born. Just as Christians need to be sanctified by emptying themselves of their sin, they also need to be sanctified of their minds. If there is one thing I have learned as I have continued to grow and mature, it is that we as Christians need to discover just what it means to be buried with Christ, to view our whole identity, our entire reality in Him.

Peter was one Christ-follower who thought he had his identity figured out. In Mark 8:27-33, Jesus asks His disciples who they think He is. Peter gives the winning answer. “You are the Christ,” he boldly replies. I can see Peter patting himself on the back. He has everything figured out. What Jesus says next, however, throws Peter for a curve. Jesus began to tell His disciples what it really meant to be the Christ. He told them how the Christ must suffer at the hands of men and die a painful death. He told them that they as His disciples must die to themselves and pick up their crosses. It got to be too much for Peter. He pulled Jesus aside and frantically rebuked him. “That’s not the way it’s supposed to happen!” I can see Peter saying. “Have you read the Scriptures? Have you heard what all the teachers of the law say? Jesus, you must be confused. The Christ is not supposed to die. Everyone knows that You are supposed to triumphantly defeat the Roman government and deliver us into a kingdom of stability and peace. And I'm supposed to be your right-hand man in battle. That’s what the Bible says!”
Like many of us today, Peter’s thoughts were distorted by human tradition. Even though his perceptions were based upon Scripture and the religious tradition of the day, it was completely contrary to Christ’s identity. He himself built his own identity out of this deceptive philosophy, thinking that he was to be Christ’s right-hand man in waging war. His identity was based upon the human traditions of the day instead of in Christ’s teachings of love.

Jesus dying on the cross was by no means what we would call “practical.” It was by no means utilitarian. It is completely contradictory to the way the world has conditioned us to think. Why do Christ's other ways of instilling the Kingdom need to be "practical?" We need to realize that God’s Kingdom values are counter to our own human ways of thinking. It may seem like it is upside down, but maybe that is the wrong way to look at it. Perhaps our world is the one that is upside down, and in reality, Christ's reality, God’s kingdom is the one that is right side up.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
- 2 Cor. 10:5

You Are God of This City

2009-11-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

Our cities cry to you, O God, from out their pain and strife;
You made us for yourself alone, but we choose alien life.
Our goals are pleasure, gold and power; injustice stalks our earth;
In vain we seek for rest, for joy, for sense of human worth.

Yet still You walk our streets, O Christ! We know your presence here.
Where humble Christians love and serve in godly grace and fear.
O Word made flesh be seen in us! May all we say and do
Affirm You God, Incarnate still, and turn men's hearts to you.

Your people are your hands and feet to serve your world today,
Our lives the book our cities read to help them find your way.
O pour your sov'reign Spirit out on heart and will and brain;
Inspire your Church with love and pow'r to ease our cities' pain!

O healing Savior, Prince of Peace, salvation's Source and Sum,
For you our broken cities cry-- O come, Lord Jesus, come!
With truth your royal diadem, with righteousness your rod,
O come, Lord Jesus, bring to earth the City of our God!

---E. Margaret Clarkson

It's Morphing Time

2009-10-14T14:37:00.010-04:00

It all started with a porn magazine.

A while ago I showed my husband Aaron one of my favorite childhood locations. There is a hidden wooded trail tucked away in a park I frequently visited as a kid. When I first found it, I felt like I had discovered a secret place of my own. It became the Sherwood Forest where all of the merry men camped out, the jungle where I discovered ancient ruins. Over the years, I have become fond of this special place.

As Aaron and I walked along the quiet the path, something caught my eye. Admist all of the flourishing green backdrop, something did not belong. Trash. I bent down to retrieve it and was shocked at what my eyes saw. There, lying in the grass and tinted with dirt, laid a remnant of a pornographic magazine. What was that doing all the way out here?
Afraid that someone else, particularly a kid, would come across it, I picked it up and tucked it away in my pocket. As soon as I arose to my feet I spotted another conspicuous piece of paper up ahead. Aaron and I shuffled over to pick that sheet of paper up also. Soon we found another, and another. We finally came to the end of the paper trail.
I was just about to continue down the trail when I realized that we weren't even on the trail anymore. In fact, I didn't know where we were at all! I had practically grown up on this trail... How could I have gotten lost?

Getting lost happens to us all. It could begin with a porn magazine, a swig of alcohol, a lust for material possessions, habitually neglecting your relationship with God, a sense that we are more "righteous" than other people. Some Christians tell you that the problem is that you were not spiritually strong enough to guard yourself from being tempted. The problem with this explanation of the problem is that it encourages followers of Christ to just avoid "not doing" certain sins. Perhaps the problem is not so much that we became enslaved in sin as it is that we stay enslaved to sin.

Many times we think of our "spiritual life" in terms of how we are doing, well, "spiritually." It is one more part of our existence. So, when we have wandered down the path of porn, we strive to "get our spiritual life together." We pray rigorously and more frequently. We suddenly focus on community service or attending church more regularly. Unfortunately, this is pretty much the religious equivalent of going on a diet. The truth is, our "spiritual life" is simply one way of referring to our entire life. God is not just interested in your "spiritual life" but is interested in your life! More than that, He wants to redeem it. There's a popular understanding that God loves you the way you are. This only presents half of the truth. God loves you the way you are, but He loves you so much He does not want you to stay that way.

Christ has not come so that we can merely abstain from sin. He did not come to make us holy people by making it easier to resist temptation. Jesus came so that we can become w(holy) transformed and renewed creatures. We do not become restored into His image by simply "not sinning" but by actively being transformed inwardly.
Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God's children are to be "conformed" to the likeness of His Son. This is a pretty bad rendering of the Greek text. Christ's followers are not to reluctantly comply to God's image. The Greek word here, sumorphizo, is where we get our word "morph." In other words, Paul is writing that we as Christians are to "morph" or take upon the identity and essential nature of Christ. When we conform to something we outwardly adapt. When we "morph", we inwardly and completely become transformed.

I think this is why it is so difficult to break sinful habits. Simply "not doing" something because we know it is wrong will ultimately keep us enslaved to our human nature. Yes, we may eventually stop committing that sin, but inside nothing has changed. We may look different on the outside, but the inside is still the same.

Finding yourself lost on that path may seem hopeless. Maybe you do not even know how you got there. Maybe you are convinced that you will always be there. Maybe you are not enslaved to sin but are content to stay right where you are, already on the path. There's good news: you do not have to stay there.

Some Questions

2009-10-10T15:30:00.003-04:00

Through what lens should we view other people?

What is the meaning of "justice?"

How should people with a holistic vision for Christ think/act relative to the issue of war?

If we are to be living embodiments of God's grace and love individually as disciples and collectively as the Church, how does our participation and/or approval of acts of violence make the love of God known?

What does the Cross say about the response to violence?

"Unorthodox"

2009-10-06T19:46:00.003-04:00

Have you ever feel like you are going crazy? Like you're the only one who really gets it, and everyone else thinks they do... but don't?

Last week I was driving some new friends back from Columbus when eschatological subjects popped up on the radar. I, for once, did not initiate them. The conversation began escalating, and I hadn't said a word. Finally, after saying a quick prayer, I offered my understanding of what the kingdom looked like - not just as a spiritual reality, but in its ever-increasing earthly/physical embodiment.

Silence.

They all thought I was crazy. It was against everything they had ever been taught, ever thought of. They had never heard anything like this in Sunday school or church. In a single moment I had become a radical, unorthodox liberal. I was one of "those" theologians.

And yet, the only replies they could muster up was that they did not "like it." I could see how uncomfortable they were with it.

I could write thousands of entries about this. I already have spent a countless number of hours developing these thoughts into writings. Maybe more of those thoughts will appear later on this blog, but right now something else is dominating my schema...

Why do so few people understand? Sometimes I feel so alone.

You Are Loved, Too

2009-08-24T12:53:00.005-04:00

Why is this guy still talking to me...?

I admit that I strongly dislike mingling and small talk with people I do not know too well. I'm an obvious introvert and don't care much for awkward conversations with people I will never see again. My new husband is the exact opposite. He thrives on conversations with new people and can't pass up an opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with the cashiers at WalMart. He's the life of the party; I'm the person who quietly talks to some close friends, away from the center of focus.

Imagine my discomfort, then, when an associate from a jewelry store inside Polaris insisted on talking to me as I was passing by. All I wanted was to pick up a new "I am Loved" button in a new language to add to my collection(http://www.iamloved.org/), but the salesman spotted me and approached me before I could hurry on my way.
I hope he's not going to try to convince me to buy a diamond ring, I could help but to think. The man instead asked me a whole bunch of questions about my personal life. Why did I collect these buttons? Did I know any foreign languages? Greek and Hebrew? Why those ones? Where was I going to college? What was I studying?
There was a slight pause in the conversation when I told him that I was pursuing a degree in Biblical studies. A flicker on interest seemed to shimmer in his eyes.
"What do you want to do with that?"
A little agitated with his endless supply of questions, I politley answered and made up an excuse about time. That's always a good, American excuse.

As I was walking away, it suddenly hit me that I had the opportunity to share what I believed with that jeweler. I didn't even have to set up the road to Calvary myself: All I had to do was ask him if he had ever read the Bible. I was rather shocked that the idea of telling him about what Jesus was doing in my life never had even occurred to me. I told him that I wanted to teach others about the Bible, but I didn't even take the time to teach him about the Bible.

I've been learning this summer to view every single circumstance with spiritual lenses on. The present world is not solely physical. Everything that is physical also has a spiritual entanglement. Perhaps things should not even be defined as "physical" or "spiritual." We as Christians need to see the spiritual in every encounter, every conversation, every action. The battle may have already been won, but we have seemed to forgotten that the battle for God's kingdom is still through our efforts joined with our King's.
There is a world filled with a countless number of souls who are headed for hell. Countries try to destroy the message of Jesus Christ because, as Richard Dawkins attests, religion is the weakness and threat to society. YouTube has a "Blasphemy Challenge" where thousands of people deny Christ on video for the rest of the world to see. Somehow, though, we shrug this off and conclude that evangelism is for hyper-Christians like Billy Graham and missionaries like Hudson Taylor.

Matthew 28:19-20, frequently referred to as the "Great Commission" passage, commands Christ followers to make disciples (notice it does not say "believers"-- but that is another topic for another time). The interesting thing about this command is that in the original Greek language is says that Christians should make disciples "as they go." There is no destination.

Some Christians may be called to a career in an organized ministry, but all Christians are called to full-time ministry.

Witnessing is not an option. It is not a "spiritual gift." It is not a task set aside for a select group. It is not something that we should wait until "God calls" us to do it. So many times I hear Christians claim that they didn't sense that "God was telling" them to talk to someone about Jesus, so they didn't do it. Claiming this is like saying that they didn't sense God telling them to love someone. Just as God has already told us to love others in Scripture, so also has He already told us to tell others about him in Scripture.

I have been trying to apply this command to witness to others "as I go" throughout my daily life. I now see why Aaron is so eager to talk to the waiter at Southside Diner, the greeter at WalMart, and our next door neighbors. Ever if he is not talking to them about Jesus directly, he is still sending the message that they are valued and worth talking to. I now try to strike up conversation, even though I am still a little uncomfortable with it. And, everytime I walk by that jewelry store, I look for that jeweler who challenged me. I intend to finish our conversation where we last left off and communicate to him the message on the buttons that I had previously ignored. I think I'll even approach him first myself.

Burn

2009-04-19T19:42:00.003-04:00

People are fascinated with fire. Last fall I ventured away from homework one night to attend a bonfire on the campus of my school. Perhaps I simply do not attend enough campus activities, but I was amazed at how many people came to this event. The school events I have participated in have attracted a good number of students, but I had never seen so many students gathered together as I did at this bonfire. As I sat on the cool grass, breathing in the cool, night air and enjoying the company of friends, something in particular struck me about fires.

Do you know why people are so drawn to fires? Not because they create light, nor because they radiate heat. The number one reason why people are attracted to fire is because they simply like to watch things burn. It was not long into the evening before students began throwing anything expendable into the large bonfire. People would gather around to watch the flames devour a marshmallow. Exclamations pierced the night air just because the searing heat quickly contracted a Styrofoam cup into a little ball. Something about burning things fascinates people.

John Wesley said that if you set yourself on fire, all of England will come to see you burn. Just as there is a fascination with fire burning wood, there is a fascination with people who allow themselves to become consumed by the fire of Christ. When you set yourself aflame, people will be curious. They will be drawn to the heat you are radiating and drawn to the light you are emitting, but more than that they will be drawn to the reason why you are burning.

Many people today claim that Jesus was merely a good teacher or a religious figure whose behavior should be modeled. Jesus portrayed some “guidelines” that “spiritual” people should follow. In the end, He may have exemplified an ethical life, but He was nothing more than human. Jesus Himself, however, claimed differently. His own followers thought that their Rabbi was a good, spiritual sage, but they did not have the slightest idea what His role as the Messiah fully implied.
In Luke 9:18-27, Jesus finally revealed His identity as the Christ and its implications. In fact, Jesus focused more on the implications of it in regard to His disciples than He did for Himself.

“If anyone would come after me,” Jesus said, “he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).

You would think that Jesus would be more interested in explaining the theological significance of His death, the biblical significance of His “Davidic” role, but He instead brushed all that aside. His death and resurrection would enlighten the disciples later. What was important to Jesus now was that His followers understood what their responsibility was in response to His Messianic identity. Ask any Christian today about the significance of Jesus’ identity and they can easily give an accurate answer. But can they explain the significance that has for them outside of their “getting into heaven?”

Ask many non-Christians and they, too, can mirror the responses of a Christian. One of my friends who is very passionate about evangelism once described her surprise about this. “Every unbeliever I have witnessed to knows exactly who Jesus is,” she said. “Somehow we get the idea that Christians are the only ones who know about Jesus’ identity and that once everyone knows that Jesus is God they will fall on their knees and convert.” It seems that just about everyone today, Christians and non-Christians alike, knows who Jesus is. The problem is that those who really do believe that He is the Messiah do not know what that means for them now.

This places believers and non-believers in the same position. One group knows, refuses to believe, and continues to live without interruption, while the other group knows, chooses to believe, and still lives without interruption. Something is wrong. Perhaps our presently construed definition of “atheism” needs modified.Christ has called His followers to live differently by picking up their crosses on a daily basis. Not just on days when they feel like it. Not just when God seems evidently present in their lives. Not just when they are with other Christians who are observing them to make themselves feel better about their own inconsistencies.

Following Christ requires a higher standard. Christians are called to forfeit their lives, to offer themselves on the altar and burn. It is easier for living sacrifices to crawl back down off of the altar when the burning becomes too intense (Rom 12:1). By daily denying and dying to themselves, followers of Christ testify that Jesus really was and still is the Messiah. Christ has not so much saved them from something as He has saved them to something. It all comes down to whether Christians will choose to act on their belief in the true identity of their Messiah and continue to light the night sky as they offer their very lives as living sacrifices.

Erected Walls

2009-02-12T14:05:00.003-05:00

"Listen, O Lord, to my prayers. Listen to my desire to be with you, to dwell in your house, and to let my whole being be filled with your presence. But none of this is possible without you. When you are not the one who fills me, I am soon filled with endless thoughts and concerns that divide me and tear me away from you. Even thoughts about you, good spiritual thoughts, can be little more than distractions when you are not their author.
O Lord, thinking about you, being fascinated with theological ideas and discussions, being excited about histories of Christian spirituality and stimulated by thoughts and ideas about prayer and meditation, all of this can be as much an expression of greed as the unruly desire for food, possessions, or power.
Every day I see again that only you can teach me to pray, only you can set my heart at rest, only you can let me dwell in your presence. No book, no idea, no concept or theory will ever bring me close to you unless you yourself are the one who lets these instruments become the way to you.
But Lord, let me at least remain open to your initiative; let me wait patiently and attentively for that hour when you will come and break through all the walls I have erected. Teach me, O Lord, to pray. Amen."
- Henry J. M. Nouwen

Stuck on a Treadmill

2009-02-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

4 February

I ran on a treadmill earlier today, but I still feel like I’m on one: Running, but not going anywhere. Tomorrow begins four months of routine. I will be learning about theology, the Bible, God, and religion. I will be teaching students about theology, the Bible, God, and religion. It seems that my whole life has become devoted to the study of theology, the Bible, God, and religion.

Treadmills are so funny to me. The reading device tells you that you have run two miles, when in reality you haven’t even left the workout room. It tells you that you have gone somewhere, when you yourself know that you haven’t budged.

I get good grades, my teachers praise me for my intellect and writings, my boss compliments me on my teaching skills. It would seem as if I were getting somewhere. All of these appear to be indicators that I am maturing, growing smarter and wiser. Despite all of these indicators, glaring at me in red, digital type, I know I’m not moving.

Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not getting anywhere. I’m not quite sure where I should be going.

Walls

2009-01-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

If there was a moment during my trip in Israel when I was going to die, I was sure that this would be it. With the rest of the group behind me, I silently slipped through the dark alleys of Bethlehem, guided only by the faded light cast by a few streets lights and the directions from the Palestinian tour guide. Rounding a corner, the only people in sight were two Arab men, intently watching the group pass by from beneath their head scarves. A slight chill rose when I finally reached the wall's checkpoint. How had I somehow managed to be the one leading the group? I wondered. To my relief, I heard our guide rapidly speaking in Arabic to one of the security guards behind me. So far so good.

The silent military check center was intimidating, especially at this time at night. There were no guards inside, and the sensation that I was being watched swept over me... Soon I realized that the Israeli soldiers monitoring the station were tucked away somewhere, watching us through the many security cameras and talking to us through a PDA. After passing through a steel revolving door and a metal detector, I came to the passport check. Two Muslim women up ahead of me were trying to leave the city's walls, but for whatever reason couldn't. The guard started reprimanding them loudly in Arabic and then pulled them aside. Another guard appeared and escorted them through a side door marked by a warning sign unreadable to me. My turn. The security guard glowered at me as he glanced at my passport, then motioned for me to continue.

As I exited the check station and neared the final exit, the graffiti plastered all over the wall struck me hard. There had been artwork, political statements, and posters all over the wall surrounding the rest of the city, but none had been as explicitly honest as this. The one that remains etched in my memory is a simple sentence sloppily scrolled across the wall in red spray paint: “Jesus will destroy this wall.”Safe on the bus once more, this single sentence turned in my head over and over. My memory kept returning to what had stunned me in Nazareth only a few days earlier. While walking along the streets there, our tour guide pointed out a peculiar plant growing up a telephone pole. “This is a mustard plant,” he remarked. He broke open the pod and showed us the tiny seed granules. Then, very casually and off-handedly, he added, “This grows in crazy places.”After continuing a little ways, we saw another mustard shrub. I had to do a double take to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me. This mustard plant was growing through a wall. As small as this plant was, it was somehow strong enough to penetrate a stone wall and start crumbling it. I was floored. If enough of those plants started infiltrating that wall, they could easily break it down.

Jesus once said that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (Mt 13:31, Lk 13:18). A farmer planted it in his garden and “it grew and became a tree.” The funny thing about this is that mustard plants are not trees. They’re shrubs. Although their external shaft may be small, they have incredibly strong root systems that grow to be twice as large as the visible plant itself. Interestingly, Isaiah 53:2 describes Jesus as a tender shoot whose roots grew out of a dry ground. Jesus declared that God's kingdom had come. He broke down gender and racial walls by talking to a Samaritan woman at a well and healing another in her "unclean" hometown. He broke down walls when He touched the untouchable, healed the unhealable, and loved the unloveable. Jesus even literally broke down the "wall" in the temple that separated man from God. Ironically, people in Israel still flock to the Wailing Wall because they believe that it is the closest they can get to God's presence still emanating from the destroyed temple beyond it. Even though Jesus destroyed such walls a long time ago, we've built them back up and have created our own walls in our own minds.

As members of this kingdom, maybe we, too, are supposed to sprout out of this dry ground that is captive to another kingdom. Maybe we are supposed to grow like a small mustard plant and welcome God's presence and power here on earth. Maybe this kingdom of heaven transcends earth’s boundaries and grows into something remarkable. Maybe this kingdom grows in “crazy places” and is capable of breaking down walls – not just physical walls, like the one in Bethlehem, but social, political, religious, and even spiritual walls.

Only when we realize God's kingdom here on this earth can Jesus truly break down walls. Walls may not be visibly crumbling and mustard plants may not be noticeable just yet, but we can be confident that the roots are slowly strengthening...

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility...-Ephesians 2:14

Violence Resistance

2009-01-17T11:09:00.001-05:00

Last night a friend of mine showed me this music video to a recent popular song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuK2A1ZqoWs

One of the images in this music video that has really stood out to me is a clip at the very beginning that only last for a few seconds. As the violence and hostility begins to escalate, a little boy flashes across the screen shooting a fake gun.
This image, as brief as it is, is a perfect reflection of what our fascination with violence looks like everyday. This past summer I interned as a youth director and taught the few middle schoolers who attended the church on Wednesday nights. One evening, we discussed what God's peace looked like and how to implement it into the world. We imagined what the world would look like when there would be perfect peace. One of the middle-school aged boys shocked me and stopped me dead in my tracks during my lesson. "I don't think that a world with peace would be very fun." I immediately questioned him why. "If there wasn't any violence or killing," he replied, "there wouldn't be any good movies or video games."

A chill rose up inside of me. Entertainment. The number one reason why we have become so desensitized to violence.

Numerous times people have become defensive when I raise up this issue. They admit that we are desensitized to violence, but are we really violent ourselves? Not really. Especially compared to other countries where killings are rampant. We've got it together pretty well here in America. Why should we be concerned about genocides and persecution occurring outside of our nation's boundaries? What does social injustice in other countries have to do with us?
Everything. When people everywhere discriminate against others, it challenges one of our most important values as Christians: human beings are created in the image of God. Such violence and dehumanization is a threat to all humans, because all humans possess this God-given quality. As Martin Luther King once said, "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere."

Since we are so desensitized, the desecration of human beings has been subversively occurring right here in the States. So many people don't believe that such an amazing government as that of the United States could possibly allow unjust violence, but abortion is one of the many ways we are threatening the concept of God's image. Parents can abort their fetus if the baby has a chance of having a handicap or mental illness, such as down syndrome. How long will it be before we permit killing a mentally ill baby once it has been delivered? Why don't we just kill all such people now and "cleanse" our whole human race?
Regardless of its physical/mental/emotional condition, that baby was created in the image of God. A threat to it is a threat to us.

We have the potential to do so much evil. "We can ride our bikes with no handlebars," and we can also easily start genocide. It all starts with a toy gun. Christ has called us to be active peacemakers, but we have somehow become content to be peacekeepers instead. How much longer will we continue to see but then look the other way?

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke

Spiritual Barometers

2009-01-17T11:08:00.001-05:00

A while ago someone asked me how my "spiritual life" was doing. This question caught me off guard. Even more so, the first things that came to mind caught me off guard. Usually I think about my spiritual life in terms of the things I do during my "quiet time." If I've been reading the Bible consistently over the past week, it's going great. If not, I feel guilty and as if I've failed. I've realized that this thing comprises my spiritual barometer. It is a definite way I can "accurately" tell whether God and I are doing great. This past month I've been realizing that I have another spiritual barometer that's even more compelling than the other:I judge myself spiritually by all the good things I am involved in.

This semester I've been involved in various ministries that have taken up a considerable amount of my time. To be honest, instead of spiritually enriching me, they have worn me out. Some of them I flat out did not even enjoy anymore. All of the energy I poured into them was draining. All of the effort I put into them was unfulfilling. But I kept pressing myself to continue. I told myself that I had to keep doing all of them because they were what made me a good, "spiritual" person. If I discontinued, I would be failing as a good Christian.

This passage in Matthew 7 was recently brought to my attention:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

So often I buy into the same lie that the people in this passage believed. If I cast out demons and perform miracles, then I must be doing great spiritually, right? No matter how significant the things you do for Christ, they do not ultimately take the place of knowing Him. It's really quite ironic, actually. Sometimes we can get so caught up following God's commandment to love other people that we do not love God. There's a reason why loving God is the first commandment.

Sometimes, loving other people is not loving God.

In the first chapter of Mark, Jesus went off by himself to spend some time with His Father. He had just healed many people and had cast out lots of demons, and everyone was flocking to His location, looking for Him. As if He didn't know He was being hunted down, His disciples came and informed Him. They told Him that He should go and help those people who needed Him. Jesus did something very profound in this passage: He said no. That's right. Jesus chose not to to meet the needs of those who really needed Him.

Decieving ourselves with these kinds of barometers is a dangerous practice. Cramming our schedules with good ministry opportunities does not necessarily make us "spiritual." Reading our Bible regularly does not necessarily show how devoted we are to God. Neither does journaling or community service, or fasting, or "Spiritual Life Credits."

Now, let me ask you this same question: "How are you and God doing?"Quick- what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

Unclean

2008-10-14T14:49:00.002-04:00

I have learned to keep my eyes open whenever I visit Capital Park Apartments each week. You never know what you just might catch a glimpse of. Sometimes I feel like I observe more of the Somali people's interaction there than I actually participate in it.

Last week, I was playing a pickup game of soccer with the younger boys when an argument broke out that ceased the play. Such an argument about the teams being unfair or the last play being a foul are typical. I was just thankful that no fists were flying during this particular one and decided to let them handle it. If we hadn't stopped playing, I probably would have never noticed a new boy I hadn't ever seen before. He quietly slipped out of one of the apartments, invisible but to me and a few others. Those who did notice apparently wished they hadn't. They hurled insults at him and ran away from him as soon as he approached them. It didn't take me long to figure out why. Judging by his facial features and the manner in which he ran it was obvious that this little boy had Down Syndrome. A closer look told me the extent of his treatment: one of his eyes was swollen shut, my guess from a a beating, and his hair was all mangled. I was just about to approach him and talk to him when he suddenly ran right back into the apartment. He slipped right back in, and everyone relaxed and carried on as usual.

That's where everyone thought he belonged. He had no place out here with the rest of us. He belonged behind the closed door of that lone apartment, separate from the rest of the community.The truth is, we push people just like this little boy behind closed doors all the time. We force them out on the fringes of society where they are isolated and silent. Pain and suffering and stuff that is not "normal" bothers us.

Last Saturday I went to a Jewish synagogue for a Bat Mitzvah. After the ceremony, the rabbi talked to my friend and I to answer our questions. One of the things the rabbi touched on was the ideas of "clean" and "unclean." In the Hebrew mind, something that was denoted "unclean" wasn't so much dirty as it was out of place. He demonstrated by placing his used paper plate with food residue on the floor. That was dirty. But when he placed it in the trash, it was suddenly clean. Had the paper plate changed any? No. The only the that had changed was its placement.

In the first century, people were "unclean" and forced to live in their own communities outside of the cities. Along comes this radical man named Jesus, who, instead of driving "unclean" people away from Him, invites them in and eats with them. He touches lepers. He forgives a woman caught in the act of adultery. That made the Pharisees and rulers of the Law mad. When it comes down to it, compassion provokes people to anger because it forces them to acknowledge suffering and take it seroiusly.

Don't we do the same thing today? I always knew that we did, but seeing that little boy last week illustrated to me just how often it really does occur every day. Somehow we've convinced ourselves that little boys like him are "unclean" when they are outside with us, but "clean" when they are shut off and out of our sight.

A little compassion is a powerful weapon.

Sabbath

2008-09-30T22:07:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I attended my first ever church service on a Saturday morning. My friend is a Seventh Day Baptist (bet you didn't even know that denomination existed) and had been telling me about her church's beliefs for a while. I finally had the opportunity to check it out for myself. Really, the only big difference between this church and mine was its emphasis on the Sabbath. Instead of observing it on Sunday, the day Constantine designated it, the practitioners of this faith believe that it should be observed on Saturday, the original Jewish designation.

I don't believe it matters whether the Sabbath falls on Saturday or Sunday, but I think that these Seventh Day Baptists are on to something... Sort of. They were right in acknowledging the Sabbath, but they emphasized the wrong aspect of it. Instead of focusing on the day of Sabbath, maybe they should be focusing on the observance of the Sabbath in general.

Not just them, but Christians everywhere.

I was reading through the book of Exodus this morning and came across the story of God sending manna for the Israelites to eat during their wilderness wandering. The interesting twist in the story (because bread from heaven isn't interesting enough) is that God commands the Hebrew people to collect manna for the Sabbath in advance. No manna came on the Sabbath, and those who did not save food for the next day went hungry.Reading this, I couldn't help but to wonder what the significance of picking up bread from the ground on the Sabbath was. Is bending over to pick up food so hard? Could it really be classified as "work?" But if God allowed this seemingly simple task, what other little tasks would He have to allow? Pretty soon the Israelites would be feeding their cows, sweeping up the dirt on the floor... The list of little tasks would pile up quickly.Isn't this the story of our lives? We're too busy to rest and spend time with God. Too busy to listen to ourselves and talk to our Abba. Even when we're not "busy" and plan on resting, we decide to tackle the little tasks that soon turn into a whole day of work.

God is serious about the Sabbath.

These past few weeks I have been neglecting rest. I allow myself to get caught up in the business of life that I lost contact with both God and myself. I bypassed the time I would normally spend reflecting and writing in my journal. I boycotted my time with God and justified it by saying that I had already spent all daily dose from chapel and Bible classes. I've finally caught on to what this was doing to me. I really haven't felt like I've known God or even myself, for that matter.

My mind has continually jumped to this passage from Isaiah:

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat; Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare" (55:1-2).

God is serious about the Sabbath.

So often spending time with God seems like even more work. It is something that will take effort, but, as this passage says, this labor satisfies in the end.
All throughout Scripture Yahweh commands His people to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. It's even one of the ten commandments.

God is serious about the Sabbath.

Because God is serious about spending time with you.

Being Theologically "Sound"

2008-09-13T20:26:00.004-04:00

In a previous post I mentioned that I took Sociology 101 at the OSU Delaware campus this summer. I enjoyed the learning environment and certainly liked being the minority racially and religiously. I even liked the subject of the course, but there was something about it that really bothered me. We addressed many significant social issues in class, such as poverty, discrimination, gender inequality, and social stratification. We analyzed them and approached them from as many different perspectives as we could think of. The thing was, we spent so much time on the problems that we never examined possible solutions. We were so concerned with the research of the issues that we never even considered that we might be able to do something about them.

Right now I'm taking a theology class, and I've immediately noticed the same pattern. So often I think that this same attitude carries over to theology. In fact, many times the first image that pops into my mind when I think about the subject is a whole bunch of people sitting around an oval table discussing insignificant details while other people right out their large windows are peering in at them, desperate for their help.

Of course, theology is essential to our Christian faith. Without a working belief system our faith would just fall apart. Still, theology can be a dangerous diversion from our real mission. In class, my prof mentioned angelologers. That's right- people who have devoted their entire lives to the sole purpose of studying angels. Angels.I don't think that even Jesus Himself would find that an imperative subject. Angels don't save people from their sins. They don't change people either. I think you can devote yourself to something (Someone) so much higher than that.

What exactly is theology good for? Sitting in class, I can't help but to perpetually wonder this. Here's my conclusion: theology's purpose is to prompt us to action. Theology is something that equips us in our ministry. Without implementation, it is merely what James calls "faith without works."

I think this concept is best exemplified by the early apostles. Acts 4:32 says that they were all "one in heart and mind." This isn't to say that they agreed theologically. I'm sure they had frequent theological discussions and debates. But, instead of spending ALL their time discussing the personhood of Jesus or eschatological subjects they united and acted within the community. They went out and affected people's lives with their already implaced theology.

Only when theology is acted upon can it transmit a vision of reality.

Preemptive Healing

2008-08-24T13:08:00.002-04:00

Christians place such a large emphasis on cleaning up after people once they've messed up. We have help lines, pregnancy decision centers, rehab programs, counseling sessions, outreach programs for kids in detention centers. We tell drug addicts that God can help them overcome their dependency. Cutters that God can heal their emotional wounds. We are challenged to be the Good Samaritan to people in need.

God has the power to change people, and He can definitely use us to help. But what would it look like if someone had cleaned up the road to Jericho before the man was beaten up?

What if we, instead of waiting for someone to get hurt, broken, and dejected, took the measures to make sure it didn't happen in the first place? Some support and personal attention could prevent someone from becoming an alcoholic. A seminar on godly stewardship could prevent someone from falling into bankruptcy. Sitting down with a pre-teen girl and explaining her how to select a boyfriend could prevent abuse and maybe even divorce.

It's time we start affecting people with the love of Christ before Satan even has a chance to get a hold of them.

"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."
-Isaiah 57:14

Violence Resistance

2008-08-15T08:15:00.002-04:00

A couple days ago I made a visit to the Somali community at Capital Park Apartments. This was by far one of the worst visits I've ever made. The little girls were hitting and taking things from each other, trying to be in control. The boys incessantly argued over the rules of the games and who could do what. Hayou, the popular little four year old, jerked on my arm and cried when I packed up the art supplies. Two fights broke out among the boys, each time with two boys rolling around on the ground, wrestling each other. By the time the day was over, my stress level had doubled. How could kids be this violent in just a two-hour period of time?

It's not just the Somali kids. Last week, when I was teaching my kids a Bible lesson on Wednesday night, we discussed what God's peace looked like and how to implement it into the world. We imagined what the world would look like when there would be perfect peace. Ironically, the kids were everything but peaceful. They were egging each other on to anger, hitting and kicking when they thought I wasn't watching. Or sometimes when they knew I was watching.
One of the middle-school aged boys shocked me and stopped me dead in my tracks during my lesson. "I don't think that a world with peace would be very fun," I immediately questioned him why. "If there wasn't any violence or killing," he replied, "there wouldn't be any good movies."

A chill rose up inside of me. Movies. The number one reason why we have become so desensitized to violence.

It's amazing how much violence we justify in movies. It's not real, so therefore it's ok. Or telling ourselves that just watching a violent movie isn't going to cause us to go out and kill someone.
There is something completely wrong with those statements. God hate violence. Period. Even if we aren't necessarily going to mimic what we see, even the visual images and notions of killing and death are despicable to God.
If we claim to have Christ within us, then viewing scenes of violence should affect us. If the Holy Spirit resides in us, seeing murderous scenes should sicken us.

If God hates something, His followers should hate it too.

Hawa

2008-08-08T11:48:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I went with my friend, Pat, to visit a Somali family on the west side of Columbus. That visit was different from anything I had experienced at Capital Park through Commissioned. The apartments were noticeably nicer, but drug dealing and violence was much more rampant. Further, I've mostly interacted with the kids and haven't spent too much time with adults.

Pat introduced me to a short Bantu woman named Hawa. At 21, a little older than me, she stood below my shoulders. She wobbled around the apartment, trying to maintain her balance with a child in her womb that was due any day. That day, Pat and I assumed the roles of social workers. I helped her husband with employment applications and called the clinics to verify Hawa's pregnancy checkups. Pat called the Franklin Family Service department for food stamps and asked the electric company to mercifully wait until the family received their welfare check before cutting off their power. The whole day proved to be stressful, but it was really eye-opening to see how Somalis like this family lived on a daily basis.

Yesterday wasn't so stressful, but it was fascinating learning more about their daily life. Mohammad, Hawa's husband, kept disappearing for days on end and refused to attend to the needs of Hawa and their two daughters. Hawa's girl friend just received another wife in the house, and she left her husband because she hated living with another woman. Another woman in the community stabbed a girlfriend her husband brought home one day, and a 19 year old boy was shot in the stomach and died due to conflict in the drug ring.

Last time I was visiting, Hawa told me how afraid for her safety, health, and financial problems. Tears began to well up in her large, dark eyes. Before I even knew what I was saying, I impulsively said, "Let's pray." I was rather shocked at my own boldness. What would this Somali woman, a Muslim, say to this? To my astonishment, Hawa simply agreed. As she closed her eyes and grabbed my hand, I just stared at her in disbelief. I think I was more surprised by what I had just said than she was.

People just like Hawa are in desperate of hope. This made me realize how I've been trained to mask my belief in Christ so as not to offend anyone. Not just with Muslims or people of different faiths, but with non-Christians in general. Why have we bought into this lie that we're suppose to shield and withhold our beliefs from other people? Paul writes in Romans that God is a God of hope, and hope does not disappoint us (5:5, 15:13). We have the Hope, so why hide it from people who desperately need it?

"Give Me the Book!"

2008-08-03T19:02:00.003-04:00

This past month I have been approaching my daily personal Bible study differently. I haven't been studying. At least, not the way I've grown accustomed to studying. As a Biblical studies major, I've been trained to examine commentary and analyze Greek words. I've been realizing how much this has sucked the desire for God's Word out of me. It lost its life and dynamic. It was too objective. The God who wrote it even seemed dead.

This past month I've been reading Genesis. At first I consulted commentary on it, but then I noticed that I was reading more commentary than I was actually reading the biblical text. I started reading it. Really reading it. No supplements. It's helped me renew my awe and longing for it. The Bible is finally quenching my thirst once again.

I remember sitting in a class at the beginning of last spring semester, wondering what on earth I was doing there. The whole course was dedicated to John Wesley and his interpretation of the Bible. I couldn't believe it. I was learning about John Wesley instead of Jesus. We watched an introductory movie to his life, and a phrase caught me off guard. "Give me the Book!" the actor quoted him. "At all costs, give me the Book!" This simple phrase prompted me to immediately drop the course and change my major.

But I think I'm just now finally starting to understand this phrase. New commentary is constantly being written. I even helped one of my profs write one this summer. But is it really needed? Do we really need more interpretations about the Bible? Do we really need more Christian books telling us how to live and taking the place of our Bible reading?

I'm sorry, but Rob Bell is not the vicar of Christ. Shane Claiborne's words are not infallible. Even Max Lucado, Donald Miller, and C.S. Lewis' words were not directly inspired by God.

Why do we think that these books are more exciting? That Claiborne is some kind of radical fundamental when it was Christ who rebelled against the Hebrew traditions of the day? Hung out with prostitutes and drunks? Even claimed to be God Himself?

If the Bible is static and no longer relevant, then it is the dead words of a dead God.

Mourning Morality

2008-08-01T16:39:00.003-04:00

This summer I'm taking Intro to Sociology at the OSU Delaware branch, and I've loved the new classroom environment. I've learned so much just within these last two weeks of classes. Since I've attended Christian institutions throughout my entire school career, this is my first exposure to secular education. This class has challenged me and prompted me to think about my faith in ways no other theology class ever has.

Everything I've been contemplating has been thought provoking, but there's one concept that has especially stood out among all the others.

Every belief, every thought, every decision I make is based on my choice to follow Christ.

I've always known that my spiritual life wasn't a separate entity from the rest of me, but this class has confirmed that Christ saturates every part of me. Unconsciously, all of my values and beliefs are centered on the character of God.
It's really frightening to hear some of the other students' point of views. They have no framework of morality. Whatever is "true" or "good" or "acceptable" is determined by their own judgment.

Morality is dying. It's perfectly ok for everyone to hold their own set of truths. The most frustrating part is that "my" Truth cannot be transmitted. They don't understand the way I think and establish my moral decisions. Without Truth as their moral foundation, they cannot understand or grasp the way society is suppose to be.

So many Christians mourn this death of morality, but maybe it's time we throw off the black garments and figure out a way to dig up and revive the truth of God that has been haphazardly placed in the grave...

God Smiled

2008-07-29T10:22:00.003-04:00

“I can’t believe that this is only one-third the size of the real one,” I declared once again as I looked out over the railing edge and took in the view of the earth below. The wind from the oncoming storm in the distance caught my hair and gently tousled it.

Aaron nodded his agreement, but he still seemed distracted. He had taken me to King’s Island for the day and we had so much fun just being with each other. In fact, we were enjoying each other so much that we only ended up riding one ride the whole day we were there. I was so happy just being with Aaron that my anxiety that he was going to propose subsided. His presence makes me the happiest girl in the world.
Before we left, Aaron declared that there was one thing we had to do. In the center of the park sits a replica of the Eiffel Tower, and we rode the elevator up it to see the view from the top.

“Is it ok if I ask someone to take a picture of us together up here?” Aaron went to find someone. A park employee was standing by supervising the deck and Aaron approached her. I walked over and Aaron quickly directed me to stand at an open spot by the railing.
I can’t even explain the surge of emotion that overswept me as I watched Aaron give the employee instructions in a low voice and reach for his cargo pocket. My heart was beating rapidly and my insides felt like they were going to melt and fall apart. Was this it?
Funny thing was, the woman was Polish or something and had no idea what Aaron was trying to tell her. Aaron came and stood next to me she took our picture. I was expecting the whole time for something to happen, but nothing did. The Polish woman alternated camera angles, so I assumed that that was what Aaron had instructed her to do. I relaxed a bit but was filled with disappointment.

Back on ground level again, Aaron led me over to a bench in front of the tower. I was grateful to be able to sit down because my stomach was hurting really badly. I think it was from all the nerves and anxiousness that he was going to propose. After it started to feel better, Aaron took both of my hands and started telling me how much he loved me and how much I meant to him.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said as he reached into his pocket and got down on one knee. A small box was produced out of his pocket. I wish I could have seen the look on my face as I stared into Aaron’s face, which was on the same level as mine since I was sitting. “Christina, will you marry me?”

I burst out crying and immediately wrapped my arms around his neck. As soon as I did, rain drops began to fall, as if right on cue. I was so excited and nearly bursting with emotion that I nearly forgot to give him an answer. Catching myself, I said yes over and over and over again, to the cheers of onlookers.

It started downpouring, but I didn't really mind. I'm not sure if I even noticed at first. My heart was soaring and all I could think about was how big God must have been smiling at that moment.

Open Mind, Hard Heart

2008-07-21T09:19:00.000-04:00

I realized something the other day.

I am so open-minded to the point that I am close-minded to close-minded people.

This summer I am interning as a youth director at an ultra-conservative church in Columbus. The church is the complete opposite to everything I am accustomed to. There's pews, deacon chairs, a communion table... The service is filled with formal liturgical readings and hymns accompanied by an organ. Although the style is not of my taste, the traditionalism of the church is not what bothers me. What bothers me is how conservative they are in their thinking and teaching.

This whole summer that I've been attending there the pastor has been preaching about nothing but the book of Revelation. No problem, except that he reads it as literally as possible without taking the original literary context into mind and then doesn't even draw a contemporary application from the text. Basically, the whole conclusion to each sermon is that the "Tribulation" is going be really, really terrible and that it is going to be suck to be one of the people who is "left behind." Seriously.

Now, I don't believe in reading Revelation like a crystal ball, especially since it was written to a specific group of people at a specific time in history. It drives me crazy sitting in that church and listening to this same thing every Sunday. Lately, I've been realizing that since I'm so opposed to this idea I don't bother to examine other things that the pastor may say. I quickly write them all off as wrong and don't really consider it too much. Anything that is conservative or spoken in Christian lingo is quickly disregarded.

That's when I finally started developing a deeper understanding of my generation's frame of mind. We're rebellious. We love going against the ideology of previous generations. In fact, we strive to think of new, provocative ideas in response to the old traditional way of thinking. It's almost as if we're always trying to come up with something more shocking, something more contradictory. Think about it. We try so hard to establish Christianity as a relationship instead of a religion. In fact, so many of us don't even like to call ourselves Christians. We instead assume the identity as a "follower of Christ." We place such a large emphasis on the present day and age, in opposition to the old concentration on the afterlife. Theological truths that were previously accepted are now viewed as "too close-minded." I've found myself even teaching all of these ideas to the kids I've been mentoring at the church.

One thing's for sure: Our generation is dramatically shaping Christianity.

This is such a scary thought. Christianity today looks so different from what it looked in years past. While I think that a lot of the changes we have been applying are for the best and are really shaping Christianity to look like it's supposed to, sometimes I worry about the power we possess. There is the huge danger of going way too far with our postmodern mindset.

Maybe we've already gone too far...