Luther and The Da Vinci Code!!??

In The Da Vinci Code controversies, a fascinating little anecdote was snuck in. In May of 2003, Time Magazine slips this statement in concerning Jesus and Mary, allegedly husband and wife.

But it fulfills a deep narrative expectation: for the alpha male to take a mate, for a yin to Jesus' yang or, as some neopagans have suggested, for a goddess to his god. Martin Luther believed that Jesus and Magdalene were married, as did Mormon patriarch Brigham Young.

Now I know that some Mormon’s teach Jesus and Mary are married, but Luther??!!

Then Entertainment Weekly gets in the act just this month.

Yes, a soupçon of research reveals that the Priory of Sion is a hoax invented in 1956, and surely it can't be proved that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were ever intimate (though Martin Luther believed so).

You have to be kidding. Yes, Luther said something like this sitting around talking to his students over a liter of Wittenberg’s finest. These conversations are recorded in Luther’s Works as Table Talks, and I am sure this is what these reviewers from Time and EW are referring to.

“Christ was an adulterer for the first time with the woman at the well, for it was said, ‘Nobody knows what he’s doing with her’. Again with Magdalene, and still again with the adulterous woman in John 8:2–11, whom he let off so easily. So the good Christ had to become an adulterer before he died.”

Luther's Works, v54, p154 © Concordia Publishing House.

As a member of the Luther team, I have to laugh. LOL. Hello, context is everything!! When considering Luther’s vast repertoire, filled with talk of Jesus’ perfection, a literally “sinning” Jesus would be impossible. So, what could he have meant?

Just a simple search on the net comes up with this Luther quote from his Galatians lectures.

But Christ took all our sins upon Himself, and for them He died on the cross. Therefore it was appropriate for Him to become a thief and, as Isaiah says (53:12), to be “numbered among the thieves.” And all the prophets saw this, that Christ was to become the greatest thief, murderer, adulterer, robber, desecrator, blasphemer, etc., there has ever been anywhere in the world. He is not acting in His own Person now. Now He is not the Son of God, born of the Virgin. But He is a sinner, who has and bears the sin of Paul, the former blasphemer, persecutor, and assaulter; of Peter, who denied Christ; of David, who was an adulterer and a murderer, and who caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of the Lord (Rom. 2:24). In short, He has and bears all the sins of all men in His body—not in the sense that He has committed them but in the sense that He took these sins, committed by us, upon His own body, in order to make satisfaction for them with His own blood.”

Luther's Works V.26 P.276-277

The biblical reference for this is Galatians 3:13.

13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Now you understand, but what about everyone who read EW and Time, and doesn’t know Luther? Send them this link, www.christcast.net Better yet, tell them yourself.

Christcast 12 all over the place

a tribute to ADD- we talk abuot space aliens, tinted windows, dating, the "F" bomb in film, Jesus as the light of the world...

are you a betting man/woman?

Rarely, if ever, will you get someone who doesn’t want you to pray for them. It’s not as if they are going to say, “I forbid you to pray for me,” because they know you will pray anyway. Now, praying aloud in front of them is another issue, but even then, self-described atheists still want you to pray with them most of the time, so they can “cover all the bases.”

This reminds me of the old Pascal’s wager. Named after philosopher, Blaise Pascal, it is betting if there is a God or not. Modified further, I would say it this way concerning Jesus as God.

First a disclaimer: If you follow Jesus, just about anyone from any religion or no religion at all will tell you that’s a good thing. Jesus is a good model to follow. Conceding this hypothesis, then the wager looks like this.

I am betting my life on Jesus as my Savior and following him. If he is who he says he is, then I must realize he is my Savior, want him in my life, and I will live with him forever. In the meantime my life on earth will be blessed as I am following him, whether I am right about him or not.

Now, if I bet my life that he is my Savior and he isn’t, there are two likely scenerios:

1. All people get to live with him forever, whether they want him as their Savior or not. This has been called “universal salvation.”

2. He isn’t who he says he is, there is no afterlife, but following him blesses my present life, regardless.

If the first scenario is false, do I want to bet my eternal life that I will be saved no matter what I believe, even though he clearly says, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to God except through me?”

If the second scenario is false, and he is who he says he is, then I get blessed by following him in this life, but I don’t get to live with him forever.

The best option would be simply trust in him as my Savior and follow him. That way, if he is who he says he is, I get to live with him forever. What is the downside? Almost everyone, regardless of worldview, admires the model Jesus follows.

acts 22

• can being "in the know" actually get in the way of growth in faith?
• is God pursuing us or are we pursuing God?
  
  

Sarai

It was a very sad weekend because one of our dogs, Sarai, became paralyzed in her rear legs. There were no warning signs and so it was very sudden. She was “put to sleep” on Saturday morning. The whole family was there in the exam room with the veterinarian. We consulted about options, actually none to really try, and so said goodbye. Nancy and the kids had a good cry and then left the room. I stayed in the room with the vet, knelt down and hugged Sarai, and then I started bawling all over her. The vet was very compassionate and actually was quite comforting.

We miss the sound of Sarai’s nails scratching on our hardwood floors as she follows Nancy wherever she goes. I miss her coming up to me and staring at me, like she would be right now as I am writing this. You touch the top of her head every once in awhile and she would stay with you forever. We got her in 2000 from an animal shelter on the day they were going to put her to sleep. She was probably about 5 or 6 then, and so she lived a good long life.

I always think of our dogs when I read Genesis 2.

18And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." 19So the LORD God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him.

Well, I named Sarai. I wanted something Biblical and different. For a dog, she was more than a “suitable companion;” she was a “life enhancer,” as it were, and she will be sorely missed.

cracking the da vinci code 1

first in a three part seminar about the book, movie, bible, early church history, and the vast conspiracy to hide the facts about Jesus.
oh wait, all we have is thousands of ancient documents about Jesus...we'll figure it out!

whispering sweet somethings

When we walked the “Heart Walk” at the Princess Tea, it reminded me of the tunnel at Pergamum. Nancy and I were there in 1989. This is the site of a famous healing center in ancient times; actually where the symbol for medicine was formed. The staff with the snakes.

The tunnel at Pergamum is the most interesting thing. The patient would walk slowly through the darkened, cool tunnel which feels so good in the first place in the extremely hot sun of Western Turkey. There were holes in the “roof” where ancient “life coaches” would whisper encouraging words as people passed. I know this sounds like a Tony Robbins firewalk or something, but it must have been successful. You aren’t known as a healing center unless people are actually…healed.

You can again see the mind, emotional, physical connection that God designed. Heart, soul, and mind, as it were.

personal healing

When we are talking about personal sin, it is the first step to healing. This is why Jesus was looking for repentance (turning to God in an honest way) as a critical factor in physical healing, as well as emotional.

Matthew 9
1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

Nothing is more powerful than to be encouraged by Jesus that I can start fresh. The healing that begins knowing I am reconciled to Jesus is powerful. It is such a cleansing. Think of your body as connected to Jesus. If I want it to be, it will be. Then when I think of who I am, I am not alone. I am actually so enmeshed with Jesus I am hidden.

Colossians 3
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
You can be connected to the Kingdom power of Jesus now! That which would separate you from God is dead and gone. With Jesus, your appearance is a reflection of him. Hidden with Christ…Not a bad option…

personal sin

One of the fundamental challenges to actually growing spiritually is self-deception. This is why anyone starts telling you how you should think about any issue, whether it is moral, political, social, religious, whatever, ask them if they believe in sin. If they say, “Yes,” then you know they have to have some concept of a God whom sin is working against. There are standards that are inherent to who we are.

Then when you are being told you need to fear global warming, homosexual teachers, Marxism, the vast Right Wing conspiracy, (fill in the ________), you simply reply, “What is the sin that you are currently struggling with?”

You see actually making the world a better place to live begins and ends with personal transformation. Becoming a different person who can do the things that are necessary for benefiting the life of others. This is the little secret that no “activist” will let out.

Using the metaphor of an organism, we are only as healthy as the individual building blocks of the cells. Sick cells, unhealthy organism. Non-transforming people, society in trouble. No matter how wonderful your ideas are, unless they are being lived out through a person who is dealing with his/her sin and becoming more and more who God would have him/her be, your political views, morals outrages and all the rest are pretty much garbage.

Don’t waste your breath telling me what I need to be doing or not doing until we have a conversation together first about what is the personal sin you are struggling with most lately. Oh, and make sure you let me know anything you tell me you may be dead wrong.

Someone else had all of this in mind.

1 Corinthinans 13 (The Message)
1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

to all the princesses

While settling back in at home after being away for about 10 days, I realize how you just want to stop the world and take a deep breath. There was no time however, as Sunday we had an awesome event for women, young and old, the “Princess Tea.” Hair done, makeup, nails, massage, you name it, the little ones were pampered by the teenage beauty parlor workers and “older” friends. The message is clear.

You are all princesses, daughters of the King.

My highlights were being able to sing “My Girl” to my favorite princess, Kristina, and taking the “Heart Walk.” This was like “The Mummy” walk at Universal Studios except instead of monsters leaping out to scare me, we were guided to stations while Monica read scripture that reminded us about what godly character and the power of the Holy Spirit can do in our lives. Lucky the tent path was dark because this macho prince was shedding a few tears. This was a very healing experience which reminds me of another. I will let you know tomorrow.

Sidenote: Who is reading this from Benin? I would love to know who you are, living in the former site of the great kingdom of Dahomey. E mail me at christcast@gmail.com if you are still reading this.

two by two

(Luke 10:1) After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Something I have been considering lately is the sending out of the disciples two by two. Paul continues this process in the early church. Leaders like St. Francis have the same system. Why all this two by two sending?

The obvious answer is support and encouragement in the midst of a “seldom wide open, sometimes neutral, frequently reluctant, occasionally hostile” audience. There is another reason that is compelling.

Christian faith is a way of life. Jesus invites us into this life in God’s Kingdom. We experience this life now rather than simply waiting around for it someday when we “go to heaven.” When we are led by God’s Spirit we live differently. We live well. Hence the going out in “twos.”

The disciple exhibits the power of the good news of Jesus by the way he/she treats his/her ministry partner. Going out in twos provides a visual illustration of a way of life rather than someone just talking about it. The potential disciple of Jesus doesn’t so much discover a teaching they wish to follow, but rather a life they wish to lead. They see the way Christians treat each other and want to be treated that way, too.

So, quit going to church, studying your Bible, praying, and putting that “not perfect; just forgiven” bumper sticker on your car if you aren’t going to get along in your family. Don’t wear a “My boss is a Jewish carpenter” T shirt if you are fond of bagging on Christians of a different denomination. The old saying, “I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care” is not an optional bit of wisdom that is up for debate. If we can’t get our relationships right we will not be seen as right in the faith that informs those relationships.

videoChristcast 1

our church goes to Ensenada to work with brothers and sisters south of the border

Christcast 11 The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code- Why all the fuss? Kristina, Dana, and new Christian friend Rob discuss the movie and book.

Dallas the rock star

I am at a Building Spiritual Formation Communities conference in Long Beach. I have met some wonderful people. Heard from Dallas Willard twice yesterday. Once in a keynote; once in a luncheon. There are about 1500 people here looking for ways to be present with God and opening up to the power of the Holy Spirit. No church growth seminars, no “my church has this program and we reached 20% more Latino marathon runners, so buy this book” or whatever. In the midst of this, Dallas is the rock star. His personality being the exact opposite of a rock star, it works out just fine.

I remember he was speaking at a Christian college to a thousand students in Minnesota and I happened to be there with Faithinkubators and so I brought Melheim to meet Dallas. After his talk, we waited in a line where he was speaking to students, autographing books if they desired.

Each 20-something kid was telling Dallas how their life had changed after reading his books, and they were on the path of moving from being a Christian (fire insurance to make sure I get to heaven) to being a disciple (partnering with Jesus in his Kingdom living now, where I am about doing what Jesus would do if he were me in any given situation). When I got to him, I said, loud enough for all the students around to hear,

“Could you just sign my hand and then I will never wash it off and cherish it forever!!”

Dallas started laughing, grabbed me and said, “I’ll sign something, you knucklehead!”

Well, every keynote speaker, every workshop leader, conversations in the Jacuzzi, elevator, lobby, you name it, you hear “Dallas” so much you think you are back in a Superbowl year with Troy Aikman and Emmit Smith The number of leaders who have been transformed through God’s Word working through Dallas is amazing. The fruits of this in American Christianity will be seen for decades to come. Maybe longer…

It isn’t just America, however. From lunch, Dallas left for the airport to fly to Budapest to meet with Eastern European leaders. He has been impacting Great Britain for quite some time and so we will see what transpires on the continent.

Pray for this man of God that he has the energy and health to continue doing what comes natural and easy through the Spirit. Sharing Jesus.

washing feet

Yesterday I was talking about touch, or more specifically massage. I know that seems like kind of a strange topic (My friend Mike was wondering) but what a remarkably sensitive sense it is. Touch. Jesus uses it all the time in healing. As in,

Luke 4:40 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.

The disciples are also encouraged to do it, as well. They must have seen some results.

Acts 8:18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money

Then there is washing feet. When Jesus washed the disciple’s feet it was a very interesting phenomena. We all know it was the slave’s work in Jesus’ day. What we may not know is that slaves were also naked or near naked when they did this. Jesus took off his clothes and put a towel on to dry the feet. It is not as if he had another robe underneath like Harpo Marx. Remember how he used to be wearing several suits and then he would take them off?

So Jesus was near naked, a state of shame, which of course would be repeated when they took his clothes before nailing him to the cross. A metaphor of ultimate servanthood even in the midst of shame? Perhaps.

Why did he do this? Well, let’s let him tell us for himself.

John 13:12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

It is not just the humility of doing servant work that bothered Peter. It is the cultural shame of near nakedness. Still a taboo in many places in the Middle East. Later, Peter is also ashamed of Jesus on the cross. At least he goes and hides.

Jesus tells all of us, “Enough of that. No one is too cool to serve in any way necessary.”

Footwashing is not an option but a model.

massage and life

I had a massage while in Colorado, and the masseuse was wonderfully talented. It was an experience that I will remember for a long time.

The first thing William wanted to know was a life history of my body. It is not as weird as it sounds. Was there any problem I was aware of? Had I had surgery or any other trouble recently? I let him know about surgery on my knee two years ago and that my back got sore once in a while when I travel. Then he was ready..

He said he was going to take about 1 ½ hours. You can either talk or be quiet. I decided to talk, or rather have him talk. I asked William how long he had lived in Colorado and then he went on from there.

From a bed and breakfast built out of hay bales, adobe, and stucco, to meeting his wife at Esalen Institute way back in the day; it was a movie script of a life. I listened and grunted once in a while, lying on my stomach most of the time. It was unbelievably relaxing.

How much of anyone's life is like a fascinating movie? Like, everyone you meet? Probably. Everyone has a story. You just need to ask. You might even get practical advice for your life.

For example, the bottom of your feet, especially below the toes, is the most sensitive area of your body to massage. No wonder I can't go barefoot! It didn't tickle but it was refreshing. Such a feeling of well being. I bought some foot lotion at the airport and I am going to do some massaging of my wife's feet when I get home. Nancy likes it and she deserves such attention.

More on feet tomorrow. Really!

beaver power

Beavers are awesome animals. They cut whole trees down in just a certain way with teeth specifically designed to do such work. Then they drag the tree sections down to the dam, where it fits perfectly, according to their blueprint. I am not talking about a human. I am talking about a beaver.

One thing you have to know, though, is beaver dams look solid, but they are not. I stepped on the dam to do some filming and then, boom, I fell through the dam, got crotched by the log, and was left dangling. As I stopped the initial scream of pain, and I realized I had no breaks, it was actually hilarious. I guess besides engineers, beavers make good nijas!!

I could see them coming slowly toward me, chomping, with eyes burning red, sharpening each others tails with wedges of granite as they are preparing to come for me…

Whoa…

Christcast 10

my Lyman Coleman interview
...working for Billy Graham, the “father” of the modern small group movement, “Serendipity,”
the original creator of the Christian coffee house model over 40 years ago....

Colorado skies

I am in Colorado meeting people who are at the forefront of reaching the next generations with the love of God. I spent a couple of days with the “father” of the modern small group movement, “Serendipity,” who also birthed the Christian coffee house model in the early 60’s, Lyman Coleman. Lyman is the bomb. He is still as creative and energized as ever. He is specializing in men’s ministry currently, and I will podcast an interview soon.

I have seen some amazing beauty in the Sangre de Cristos mountains. In English, the “Blood of Christ” mountains. For those who are teaching Jesus’ death on the cross is not necessary, that all people will be saved in the end, these are the “Masochistic idiot” mountains. Without the atonement, there is no reason for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The passion of Jesus without the sacrifice for our sins is a cruel and sadistic Father screwing over his son. Nice…

a guy thing?

We are starting to do stuff with the high school guys at church. The young women do a cool God Chicks ministry together and so we thought we would expand, as well. We went to MI 3 together and then talked about life at Fatburger. We decided we weren’t naming our group because, “Name? We don’t need no stinking name!”

The high schoolers are looking forward to our time together. Guys enjoy bonding, sometimes similar to women, sometimes different. We’ll see. I am bonding right now in Colorado with my good friend Rich Melheim. Just 5 minutes ago, we were talking about why many men “hate” church. As we talked, I was multi-tasking and looking at the songs for worship this Sunday. Then we laughed as I saw this.

Draw Me Close
Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say
that I’m your friend

You are my desire.
No one else will do.
‘Cause nothing else
Could take Your place,

To feel the warmth
Of your embrace.
Help me find the way,
Bring me back to You!

You’re all I want!
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want!
Help me know You are near!

Now picture this-- Truck driver, construction worker, middle linebacker…Don’t understand the biblical intimacy metaphors with Jesus as the object of my affection.

Is this a worship song or am I a guy singing an erotic love song to another guy? What is wrong with this picture? And I will certainly wonder about every other guy in the room.

Christcast 9 podcast

Dana and Kristina, father/daughter, go off on Hollywood celebrity and do some gossip mongering!

piling on?

Well, it happened as predicted. I blogged March 28th and 29th about the Christian youth rally in San Francisco that was opposed by the city board of supervisors. State Assemblyman Mark Leno, said, concerning the Christian youth, “They’re loud, they’re obnoxious, they’re disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco.” He later realized he may have been a bit over the top and apologized for the hyperbole. “Not one of my prouder moments,” he said.

I wrote this on the 29th,

For publicity purposes, it is not lost on me that the organizers of the event staged a rally on the city hall steps of San Francisco which had advocated same sex marriages at an earlier date. While they were there, their message wasn’t about homosexuality, same sex marriage, or the like. Looking at their website, and hearing reports from their events, this is not even an emphasized agenda item. I have to say, Battle Cry did this on purpose. I think they are right in getting their word out. I think they are wrong in knowingly providing opportunities for those who disagree with them to look foolish. Again, I go back to one of my favorite sayings, “Do you want to be right or do you want to be helpful?”

Well, sure enough, what I was hoping would not happen, happened. I received a flyer with “THEY’RE LOUD, THEY’RE OBNOXIOUS...” The same quote in all capital letters. The back of the flyer says this.

WE’RE COMING BACK!

“This year in San Francisco we created quite the scene. We’re excited to let you know we are coming back next year.”

The message of the Teen Mania Ministry is one of hope, compassion, and obedience to God’s Word. It is not intolerant or spiteful. So why the publicity stunt behavior? 23,000 seats have already been sold for next years March event. I am sure they will sell out. Why continue to make the city of San Francisco or someone like Mark Leno look foolish? He did acknowledge his foolishness and it isn’t really that necessary to let the world know there is an anti-Christian bias that is alive and well in America. I am not totally saying this publicity is wrong but I am asking the question is this piling on? What do you think? christcast@gmail.com

acts 19-cross

To follow Jesus means giving up one way of life for another. Just what does that look like?

that radical President!

Romans 13
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Following the Romans passage means legislating for a change in immigration laws that you think are unjust. It does not mean arbitrarily choosing to follow some laws and not others according to your wishes. As I have mentioned in prior blogs, civil disobedience also means accepting the punishment of breaking the law, not demanding rights that are not present. You don’t have biblical permission to be too quick to civil disobedience in the first place. Remember this…

Jesus, Peter, and Paul who are the primary recorded teachers in the New Testament didn’t advocate breaking the laws of Rome, though Rome was an extremely oppressive and tyrannical government. A practical rule of thumb for civil disobedience is if a government law causes me to sin egregiously, like turning Jews over to be killed, forcing me to have an abortion, or jailing someone because they are not my religion, then I may in good conscience disobey, with the understanding that I must be willing to suffer the consequences.

All too often Christians immediately default to the “Love your neighbor as yourself” card and mistakenly think this means anything goes. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The disciple who “wills the good for himself and does it”, a biblical definition for “love of self,” is denying what he wants way more than giving in to his desires. To “love my neighbor” is to want what God wants for them. This often means doing the thing I don’t want to do and not doing the thing I want to do.


This passage leaves room for the Christian who is a citizen to be politically involved and work to change legislation that reflects their values, whatever they may be. For example, according to our legal system, President Bush does not have any say in immigration other than deportation issues during time of war. Immigration is a congressional issue.

Yet the President can express his support for legislation that reflects his thinking. In this case, he finds himself supporting the widest guest worker policies and his position would be similar to the most vocal advocates for more immigrants. This is why it is so naive and disingenuous when you saw signs in the protest speaking against the President. First, immigration is not in his jurisdiction. Naiveté. Second, he pretty much advocates the same position as the protesters. Disingenuousness.

what do we do?

Leviticus 19
33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Romans 13
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

OK, so here are two words from God. What do those who follow Jesus do?

First, the Leviticus passage is speaking of a specific nation, Israel, and is not a generalization for all countries. Yet, for the sake of exploration let’s use ancient Israel as our model. To treat the person who is here illegally as native-born would be equivalent to a guest worker visa where taxes are fully paid and benefits are available. At the same time, just like the native-born in Israel, those who could work but refused or those who are criminal would be exiled from the community. This is more like deportation.

A biblically informed response may be to try to influence legislation that would secure the borders of our country and allow guests who have gainful employment. The tension occurs with what you do with people who are here illegally already. Are those who are felons deported? Modeling ancient Israel, yes. What about if you have been here working and you are not a felon?

Consider this. Uprooting someone from a life they have been living where they have been a benefit to our society because of their hard work and their children are improving their chances to be contributing citizens of this country in the future…

vs.

Haitians, people from India, Laos and such who are trying to get here legally and who may be spending 20,000-30,000 dollars to get through the red tape it takes to even become a “resident alien,” waiting patiently for years, and their only mistake is they didn’t just cut to the front of the line, break the law and come here illegally.

Who said it was an easy decision…

The Romans passage revisited tomorrow.

did the US "steal" Mexican land?

In some of the immigration protests recently, there have been spokesperson’s who make the claim that the American Southwest is actually Mexican land to begin with. It was “stolen” in the Mexican-American War. Indeed, the Southwest was added to US territory as a result of war. If you read the history of the war, it was not a shining moment in American history, as many, including future President Lincoln realized. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848, and America paid Mexico $628,0000,000 (in 2000 dollars) for the land. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson at the time, "Most of the great results of history are brought about by discreditable means."

Does the US “owe” Mexico the land back? Well, let me introduce the topic of “infinite regression.” This means if one thing is true than you have to go back and the things that led up to that truth are true, as well. Here is what it looks like:

The US gained Mexican territory as a result of war and payment through a treaty. How did Mexico acquire the land?

They took it from the Spanish after they declared independence in 1821. They didn’t pay anything for it.

How did the Spanish acquire the land?

They took it from the Indian tribes that were living in the area. They paid nothing.

How did the various Indian tribes get the land?

They took it from earlier Indian tribes. Paid nothing.

According to anthropologists, the first settlers in American territory came from Mongolia and migrated across the frozen Bering Strait. So, there is technically no such thing as “native Americans,” only early Americans. How did these migrants originally get the land in Mongolia?...Welcome to infinite regress.

immigration and standards of critcism

If we are a global community, which is the primary filter of the world for some people, than if we criticize the actions of individual countries, we would logically focus our attention on the worst offenders. The best stewardship of time, focus, and resources would start with the worst violators and work backwards to the least. By this criteria, whether it is real human rights violations, giving to the needy (public money/ private money), and other judgments, you would rarely get to the USA. Other countries are generally so much worse in so many more arenas that we would spend most of our time addressing their actions.

If we are a collection of sovereign nations, then we can individually hold up higher standards than the rest. We can be self-critical. We do this all the time. The piddling human rights violations such as prison abuse in American institutions pales in comparison to many of the countries in the rest of the world. Yet, as many of our own citizens hold the US to a zero tolerance standard we must always be critical of our country. Without actually expressing this, logically, the reason our own citizens would criticize our country so much is we think we should be different because we are so much better. They would never say this, but it is intellectually honest.

Other countries may not hold themselves to those same standards, may not be as self-critical and so the world media only reports on those who hold themselves to the highest benchmarks, and as a result, of course we appear to be the worse violators as we are doing the most criticizing of ourselves. The immigration issue is certainly one such situation.

Do you know of any country in the world that has more open borders and gives more aid to people who are present, even if they are here illegally? Please e mail me with a link to information about other countries that have looser or more generous standards than the US www.christcast@gmail.com

Currently the United States is criticized for seeking to secure her borders and address the expenditure of resources for people who are here illegally in education, medical help, and government assistance. This is all we hear about in this present time. What about another country like, say, Mexico? Well, we can know this information as Mexico has a southern border with Guatemala and Belize.

For example, 200,000 Guatemalans who entered Mexico illegally were sent back last year. In order to receive government assistance or attend school in Mexico, you must show proof of citizenship with a birth certificate. To receive medical attention, you must have the proper funds. To be in Mexico without proper credentials is a felony. I guess the standards set by the USA are so much higher and that is why you may not even have been aware how restrictive it is in Mexico.

Continued tomorrow…

more on immigration

Had some good responses to the blog from yesterday. Questions were asked about civil disobedience. I covered this on March 7, 8 of 2005. You can look in the archives at those posts. Basically, one can break a law on purpose, if through a thorough study of scripture and reason one’s conscience is guiding the action. At the same time, like St. Paul in Acts 25:10-11, one must be willing and open to suffer the punishment for the crime.

I don’t think this has a bearing on the case of immigrants who are here illegally because this is not a justice issue. It is a matter of national sovereignty, pure and simple. Like any nation under international law, it is the right of the United States, to enforce its sovereignty. The anecdotal evidence of US authorities looking the other way when people are here without the proper documentation notwithstanding, to be here illegally is breaking the law.

The issues of how people are treated by disciples of Jesus regardless of their status, I addressed yesterday. Dignity and respect for fellow humans is a hallmark of discipleship. Approval of all the behavior of fellow human beings is not a sign of dignity and respect. To love one’s neighbor doesn’t mean approving of everything they do.

The challenge for a disciple of Jesus who is living here illegally is they enter a shadow world where they are forced, in one way or another, to lie again and again when it comes to their documentation. If they have children they will have to teach their children to do the same thing. Lie about who they are in regards to their living in the United States.

Now, anecdotally we have all said, “I would do the same thing for my family because the economic conditions of Mexico (for example) are so miserable.” This sounds good but it doesn’t take into consideration the vast majority of Mexicans who choose to remain in Mexico working for change there.

More considerations tomorrow.

Christcast 8

back from a mission trip to Mexico, Dana and Kristina talk about their experience with our neighbors to the south.

the bible on immigration

The Old Testament has much to say about “aliens.” Those who live in Israel who are not Jewish. Examples.

Ex 22:21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.

Dt 10:19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

Ex 12:49 The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you."

The “alien in your midst” was to be treated well and was to follow the laws of Israel.

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of strangers in general. Those you don’t know.

Mt 25:35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Jesus isn’t talking about government response to immigrants. He is talking about how Christians are to treat people. A person who is here legally or illegally is to be treated as a human being and cared for if in need. These words are addressed to Christians. Jesus has no specific instruction for human government.

The Bible does have clear guidelines for the immigrant who is Christian, as well. For the Christian who is in the United States legally there are specific instructions for public behavior. The same guidelines apply to Christians who are here illegally. Here are the guidelines clearly stated.

Romans 13:1-7
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

The biblical picture is not complex on this issue. There is no “gray” here.

If you are a Christian you help anyone in need.

If you are a Christian you don’t break the laws of a country.

The simplistic response to say, “Jesus would welcome the stranger,” doesn’t do justice to the careful thinking of the Bible on an issue like immigration.

May Day

Today is May Day. May Day when I was a kid, was a day we honored the ladies of the neighborhood, by secretly bringing flower baskets to their doorsteps, ringing the bell and running away before they can see us. Can you imagine?

That one custom is a good example to take inventory on how things are going today. Let’s look at the same scenario from a modern perspective.

· In many neighborhoods, I couldn’t even get to the front door. The home is behind gates, or maybe in a guard-gated community.

· I may not even know who the women in my neighborhood are, let alone wish to leave them flowers.

· 12 year old boys letting neighborhood women know how much they appreciate them? A little awkward… Do you feel the sexual tension? Sounds like the beginning of a future Oscar-nominated movie.

· Will I get arrested for leaving a basket unattended on the doorstep of a neighbor? After all, it might be a bomb!

· Will I get arrested for trespassing?

· Will I get sued because I left a basket at one house but not another?

· What if the lady of the house has an allergic reaction to the flowers I brought? Sued again?

Who would have thought May Day could be so bittersweet? Mrs. Kwas, Mrs. Helland, and all you other ladies on Elmwood Drive, God bless you or bless your memory. Happy May Day.

e mail me at christcast@gmail.com