preaching at Oasis

Friends- I will be preaching at the 6 p.m. service at Oasis Christian Center, in Hollywood (the Godchicks church!) this Sunday, November 4th. Worship is at Oasis Theatre, located at 5100 Wilshire Blvd, in between La Brea & Highland. I am giving the message, seven reasons why people say they aren't Christian. Here is a sample essay that will be handed out.

Christians are way too exclusive

You must be kidding. When Carl Sagan, the most well known scientist of my generation, gave the keynote address at the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal organization’s annual meeting, he said this.

In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (Carl Sagan, 1987 CSICOP keynote address)

I’ll leave politics out of it, but there are a few little events that have occurred to change the way people think about religion, like say, Christianity out of Judaism, the whole Protestant Reformation, or more recently, the rise of Mormonism out of Christianity. Whatever you think of the merits of these outcomes, Carl, change does happen, even in religion.

So why would someone as brilliant as Carl Sagan be so naive concerning religion? I am most familiar with my own faith, of course, so I’ll ask the question this way. What’s your problem with Christianity? Actually, people have a lot of problems with Christianity. One strong criticism of Christianity is it is so exclusive.

“Christians think they are right and everyone else is wrong.” “Christians think they have the inside track to the truth.” “Christians are intolerant toward others.” What is really going on with these and similar statements?

Actually, everyone is exclusive. Everyone thinks they are right about their viewpoint. It’s just that Christians are honest enough to be open about their exclusivity. Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.”

I mean, really, who doesn’t think they are right about the way they think? Christians aren’t saying there is no truth anywhere else, because we think whatever is good and right and honorable comes from God, anyway. We just think Jesus is the ultimate truth. If you want to see potentially unhelpful exclusivity, for example, stay tuned for the current presidential election. Do you think the candidates think they are right about their viewpoints? How about what the other candidate thinks? Perhaps it goes something like this.

“My opponent has some great ideas; actually quite similar to my own. In fact, I wish I could adopt a couple of his positions because they really might work well, but I can’t, because they are ideas he supports. Instead, I need to try to convince you that he is Satan incarnate.”

Everyone thinks they have to be right. Everyone believes they have the exclusive truth. Even people who say there is no truth think they are right. That is the latest theory. A very white, European idea floating around for the past couple of hundred years. Relativism.

Relativism asks the question, “Whose to say your truth is anymore real than my truth? It is just your opinion based on your cultural bias. Truth is simply a contextual thing.”

Well to say, “There is no ultimate truth” is, in and of itself, an ultimate truth statement. Everyone thinks they have the truth. Christians are just honest enough to admit it.

I like what author, Anne Lamott said, at a National Pastor’s Retreat a few years back. She was commenting on the phrase, “Well, that’s just your opinion.”

Yes, that’s just my opinion but I think I am right. If I didn’t think I was right I would have another opinion.

Yet, if everyone is exclusive in his/ her viewpoint, isn’t that being intolerant? I don’t know how this could be intolerant because the very definition of tolerance includes thinking you are right.

Tolerance says, “I respect you as a human being and I respect your right to have an opinion and I think your opinion is wrong.” You can’t be tolerant with people you agree with. You would be, “agreeable.” You can only show tolerance with people you disagree with.

To be intolerant would be to not respect people as human whom you disagree with, and/or not respect their right to have a worldview, and actually try to force that opinion to never be uttered. If you actually know anything about Christianity you would know that is the furthest thing from the model or message of Jesus. Here is what he said about people who disagree with Christians.

‘If people vehemently disagree with you, tell them you think they are wrong, leave them alone, and find some other people who might be more open to your viewpoint' (Luke 10:10-11).

Wow, how exclusivist and intolerant can you get? “Leave them alone.” You can see how this whole issue is a matter of full disclosure and honesty. If you are going to criticize Christians for being exclusive, you must criticize every human who ever lived, including of course, yourself. Everyone thinks they are right. Everyone is exclusive.

(Dana Hanson 2007 www.christcast.net )