what are we thinking?

I haven’t been following the case of the missing teenager, Natalee Holloway, in Aruba. Too sensationalist and too close to home, having a teenage daughter ourselves. My instant response is probably that of most parents of teenagers. Concern for the young woman followed immediately by “What in the world is a kid doing going on a trip like that anyway?”

Kind of like a high school trip to Cancun. Hello, looking for a place we can engage in a little CH3CH2OH at an earlier age, are we? If alcohol isn’t involved in this case, I would be shocked.

I did finally read an article this morning. It’s good to know that the 124 students from the same Alabama high school who were down in Aruba at least had chaperones. Seven. A healthy ratio of almost 18 kids to one adult. If you have ever chaperoned a high school trip anywhere you know that ratio is a bit excessive! Maybe 8 to 1 in a biosphere, but 18 to 1?! I know most of the students were probably 18, but then why are there chaperones at all?

I pray for Natalee and her parents. If you are a teen or a parent of a teen, stop what you are doing and think for a moment. Think.

thoughts from the poolside

I spent the day with a group of 8 church leaders from various locations in southern California. We met at Charlie’s house, sat around the pool and talked about how we could most effectively be used by Jesus to invite others to live in the reality of his Kingdom now.

The Bible talks a bit about the “lost” and we wondered what that term might mean today. Are the lost those who haven’t discovered what God has in store for them? Actually living the life he designed them to live? Then, I dare say, there is a bit of “lostness” in us all. In this context, the most “lost” would be those who don’t realize they are lost.

If you trust in Jesus and are finding ways to learn from him by being immersed in the Bible, conversing with God, conversing with other disciples, giving your money to support his mission, and giving yourself away to others, that’s a start. Discipleship is a way of life, isn’t it?

What was strange about yesterday is it was just a glimpse of what disciples do. Here was a group of people BBQing (carne asada, of course), jacuzziing, talking and listening, all for the sake of trying to make progress in helping others make decisions in their lives that would have eternal significance. Will someone get to love Jesus and join with him in his Kingdom, in part because of yesterday? I have no doubt. Why is this so strange?

I wonder if there are other people who haven’t discovered living with Jesus yet, who are spending the day trying to figure out ways they can be used to be a benefit for others? Sure. In a way that profits are not involved? Ah, sure.

I wonder are other people meeting together poolside on a southern California day who don’t know Jesus but are trying to figure out ways they can give themselves away for the sake of others and do whatever it takes to make a difference?

Ah…

If you aren’t a Christian disciple are you pouring your life out for me? See, you will never know what I am willing to do for you. You might think you know what “Christians” are all about, especially Christians who actually believe the Bible, believe that Jesus is the way to eternal life with God, and people who believe in you. You might try to dismiss me as the “Christian right” or Christian left,” or an “extremist,” or “out of the mainstream,” but my hunch is you have no idea who I am or why I spend almost every moment of my life in one way or another living for you.

You might dismiss me and say I am dedicating my life for you so I will get blessed by God, but then you would be clearly showing you don’t have any idea who I am. God blesses me the same way he blesses you. By giving us life and everything we have and by making it possible for us to live in his Kingdom now. He gives this freely, with no strings attached, and all we can do, you and I, is realize God loves us so much and wants us to join with him in his mission to reach out in love to others.

Please think deeply about this. I am thinking deeply about you.

listen carefully

Deut. 6:3 (NLT)
Listen closely, Israel, to everything I say. Be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Careful listening is an essential part of the life of a disciple of Jesus. Without it, one is left with selective listening. I find this way of selective listening to be way more the order of the day for Christians. This happens in two ways.

1. You have a viewpoint you wish to follow and so you go to the scripture and find texts to support your viewpoint.

2. You have a viewpoint you wish to follow and so you dismiss any scripture that speaks against your viewpoint as not pertinent today.

The corrective to these two strategies to think only on what one wants to think about is simple.

What does the whole Bible say about this viewpoint? Listen closely. Pray. Discuss this within a Christian community. Decide a course of action. Act. If you are honestly seeking God’s wisdom, he will reveal what he considers necessary. We are always careful to understand that our interpretation of his revelation might be incorrect, but if it is within the context of the Bible as a whole we are not paralyzed to act, knowing as we continue to listen closely God’s corrective is certainly available, as well.

what are you waiting for?

What if you could actually learn to be answerable to Jesus? Throughout our adult life it seems we are always beholden to someone. Our boss at work, or our employees if we are the boss. Our spouse and children if we have them. All of these various individuals command our attention either directly or indirectly. What happens when we get to the point where we don’t have the work responsibilities, we worry about our children but we don’t have day-to-day involvement, and we learn to “dance” with our spouses without stepping on their toes too often?

It’s time to get serious about the Lord.

Think of Abraham, well into his 90’s before he even gets started. Think of Moses, whom we are told began confronting Pharaoh only after “years had passed.” Their God connection didn’t blossom until late in life.

Jesus is waiting patiently until he can command our attention. If we aren’t focused on him with everything we are he will not usually intervene. Jesus would prefer to be Lord of our lives always, and we have the chance to start really living the God-immersed life at any age. For some of us it just might be that last third. If this is the case then the last third would be the time where we are living the Kingdom life for the first time.

Is it going to take a burning bush (Exodus 3:1) or a call to leave Haran (Genesis 12:1)? Or is it going to take some time to do a little inventory? If you are not in the “retirement” mode what are you waiting for? If you are in that third period then let’s get started.

graduation and retirement

This is a transition time of the year. Graduations, in particular high school and college, are taking center stage. When graduates leave their respective schools they move to a new venture. College or employment for the high school grad, and graduate school or employment for the college grad. Always moving toward something.

When does it stop? I suppose you could say that for some the move ahead ends at retirement. It’s interesting that we don’t have a uniform time of the year for this to occur. The unbelievable amount of benefit given to society by those who labor over many years and when it comes time to retire, it’s almost like it happens with stealth in the middle of the night.

What is retirement nowadays anyway? So many folks continue to work as consultants or take on other part time work. Others become more involved in volunteer work of various sorts. With the improvements in healthcare and lifestyle adjustments, people are living longer, as well. If you retire at 65, you literally could have a third of your life ahead of you. Living in your 90’s is not as rare as one might think and it will not be uncommon in the future.

Perhaps retirement is becoming like another graduation. Moving to a new venture. What can a person do with meaning and purpose in the “third period” of their life? More tomorrow.

argumentum ad nauseam is alive and well

You must not be too bright. That appears to be the assumption of those who engage in discourse in popular culture today. A fun game to play if you have the time is to read or listen to someone report the news or attempt to persuade you. Logical fallacies are the rule rather than the exception. Few seem capable of stating anything in a principled, reasonable fashion.

One technique that really questions public intellect is argumentum ad nauseam. This was the specialty of Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister of Nazi Germany. If you tell a lie over and over again people begin to believe it. One that this is accomplished is to simply change the definition of a word without the understanding of all interested parties.

An example of this is the lie that intelligent design theory is simply another way of saying, “creationism.” Here we get two lies for the price of one. Intelligent design states there is too much information present from DNA strands to the fine tuning of the universe that the weight of evidence is there is design. A creative agency of some sort appears to be the most logical conclusion. Who or what that agent is doesn’t enter in to the equation. If by “creationism” you mean “created by a God,” then this may be the viewpoint of many in the ID movement but it is not part of the theory. To call ID “creationism” is a lie.

The second lie is to switch the meaning of “creationism,” simply the understanding that the universe was created by a deity, and deliberately make the assumption of young earth creationism,” the view that the universe is 6-10,000 years old and was created in 6 literal 24 hour days.

Just click on this google news link for “intelligent design” and have some fun.

trust and the stranger

Taking someone into your confidence is a trust issue. I have not lived anywhere else but the US, but I would guess it must seem strange to people from other countries as to how open some Americans are to let anyone know of their struggles and challenges. You are apt to meet a complete stranger who will immediately tell you all about the disasters of his/ her marriage, struggles at work, and other private concerns.

I know this is partially an American phenomenon as we witness in the popularity of our “reality” shows. Shows like Survivor, The Bachelor, or Nanny 911 are kind of weird when you think about it. Watch me at my best. Watch me at my worst. But watch me.

What gives with this whole reality theme? It has to be more than simply making a buck or becoming famous for a while. Is it a pleasurable experience taking millions of people into your confidence?

Or is it simply wanting to gain a sense that I am alive and I count for something?

There is another way and another One whom you can open up to.

trust and the olive tree

Psalm 52:8-9 (NLT)
But I am like an olive tree,
thriving in the house of God.
I trust in God's unfailing love
forever and ever.
[9] I will praise you forever, O God,
for what you have done.
I will wait for your mercies
in the presence of your people.

Olive trees can live for 3000 years. The more fruit the better longevity. Being healthy and secure in the presence of God brings about a trust that lasts forever. As verse 9 explains, this trust is further strengthened as you live a life of worship and gratitude being fueled by the Holy Spirit working through other Christians in community. To be in a trusting relationship with God makes it possible to be in trusting relationships with people.

This is the base camp that you live out of and you face everything else secure because you never leave the base. Your camp is always moving ahead of you. Surrounded by God and his people, you are completely safe to risk the intimacy that basic trust entails. You will be disappointed, perhaps betrayed, but from the core of steadfast love you will not be broken by your circumstances.

If I can trust Jesus with my life then I can trust you. I will take care with my trust, using the wisdom Jesus gives me through his Word, his community, and the situations I discover as I travel on the way. Risking trust becomes a real possibility.

Chances are, olives are going to appear on the tree next season, too.

trust and the internet

I mentioned the internet a couple of days ago and how it has changed everything about our sources of information. We don’t need to rely on anyone to be a gatekeeper of “special” information. If you’re online, you’re connected. You still have to have a filter, however.

If you have a medical ailment, you can find 100 different viewpoints about what you have and how to treat it. You still need to trust a physician enough to seek help. He/she is going to make a diagnosis and treat you and this will always take more trust.

Even when you use a search engine like Google, you have to trust the network. If you have used Google long enough you know there is a certain slant on what comes up first. As long as you know the slant you’re fine.

Like anything else in life, you have to decide. You can’t be paralyzed by indecision because you don’t have enough information. You can’t be so clouded by skepticism that you miss good evidence.

Trust is essential to survive. How can I learn to trust?

Memorial Day reflections

Reflecting on Memorial Day this year has been a bit different. This day was originally called “Decoration Day” instituted by General John Logan of the US Army of the Grand Republic in 1868. The idea was to decorate the graves of Union soldiers in honor of their service. Confederate soldiers were honored state to state on various days, and it wasn’t until after WW I that the whole country focused together.

I had the opportunity to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg about two months ago and with that fresh in my memory, I was struck by the strangeness of the situation. Everywhere you looked there were statues, plaques, or monuments commemorating various aspects and participants in the Battle, both Union and Confederate. It was ironic to read (my paraphrase), for example:

“Here is where so and so’s battalion of the Army of Northern Virginia fired massive amounts of cannon balls upon the Union lines blowing them to smithereens.”

Then you go down the hill and there is a plaque that says,

“Here is where so and so’s battalion of the Grand Army of the Potomac received heavy casualties…”

Doesn’t this seem a little strange to you? Commemorations of both sides of a conflict on the same battlefield? I suppose it has something to do with this being a “War between the States” and so all sides are represented. Still, let’s look at this in another way.

“Here is where we killed them.”

“Here is where we got killed.”

I am at a loss when it comes to the horror of war. I have a combination within me of revulsion and anger mixed with honor, grief, confusion, helplessness and quiet determination.

God have mercy on us all. Lord Jesus, come.

the crusades and the internet

I saw the movie The Kingdom of Heaven the other day and it reminded me of the internet. Here is how I made that connection.

The film depicts one of the Crusades, the second specifically, and it has its interesting moments. Historically, however, it had a bit to be desired. So what does one do? Up until about ten years ago, one would go down to the local library and see if one could find anything on the Crusades. Or perhaps, if you knew a pastor, he/she might have a book on medieval history you could borrow. Options have slightly expanded.

I first went to a film review sight that has a faith theme called “Decent Films Guide.” From there I was linked to an excellent article giving a brief summary of the Crusades. Having studied the Crusades myself and being frequently disappointed by the misinformation and the misunderstanding of the evidence of what actually happened it is refreshing to hear from a Crusade historian. For those who address the connections between Islam and conflicts today, including the meaning of the Crusades, this brief article would be a huge corrective for assumptions made without carefully following the evidence. If only some journalists would take a little time to explore.

You still have to examine your sources when it comes to information you glean from the internet. If you take your time giving a careful read and comparison, it is usually very possible to arrive at some conclusions on what is revisionist and what is straightforward in regards to history.

human embryo

A word on human embryos. What is a human embryo? Is it a thing? No, embryo is a stage of development. It is a term for a stage of development identical to infant, toddler, adolescent and such. A human embryo is a human being at an early stage of his/her life. The word “ontology” is helpful here.

Ontology- the study of existence or being.

Does an embryo exist?

What is a human embryo? A developing human being. A human embryo doesn’t develop into a rabbit or a squirrel. Rabbit embryos are developing rabbits, and squirrel embryos are developing squirrels. A human embryo is a developing human. This distinction is important. Why?

We hear the phrase, “potential human being” used for human embryos, but that is incorrect terminology, ontologically. Embryo is a stage of development, and so a human embryo is ontologically a “human being with potential,” or more specifically a human embryo is a human being at the embryonic stage of development with potential, like a human being at the infancy stage with potential.

what I think

When I am spiritual but not religious, in decision-making I am identical to an atheist. Whatever I think is my guide. Here are my filters.

Follow your heart- What exactly does this mean? Go by my instinct? Go by my feelings? It is very difficult for me to see how you could make a decision of any consequence when you act on something as arbitrary as how I feel. Without principles and values it is like going to a physician because I am feeling miserable and having him/her say, “I sense it might be this. Let’s do surgery on Monday.”

Do what you wish, as long as it doesn’t harm someone else- What is harm? Does this mean it is not good for another? Then what is good? How do you decide this? What if your actions harm you? Is it wrong to hurt yourself on purpose? Without standards I have no idea how you can make a decision on what is harmful.

Do what is legal- What is legal? Based on the law. What do you base the laws on? Principles and values. Who decides the principles and values? Do we ask the lawmakers to follow their heart? Do we ask them to decide based on what doesn’t hurt someone else?

It is an illusion to think we can have any order and meaning in public life without standards and principles as benchmarks. How can we live in community if whatever I think is my guide?

spiritual, but not religious?

“I am very spiritual, I am just not religious.”

What does someone mean when they say this? Ask them. Chances are you will not receive a principled, reasonable answer based on evidence. Chances are you will receive an emotional and experiential response based on feeling.

When someone says they are “spiritual, not religious” it generally means they follow one of these religions.

• 
  All of life and creation is connected somehow and one becomes one with the universe. This is called, “monism.”
  
• They believe in a God or gods, but they don’t wish to explore too deeply. This is called, “theism.”
  
  

What is the common denominator in these viewpoints? Let’s look at some basic questions concerning reality.

What is the meaning of life?
What is my purpose in life?
What is good?
How do I become a good person?

Logically, you need a coherent system of beliefs in order to answer these questions. You have to have benchmarks to compare. Why do you believe what you believe?

Here is where it gets sticky. You can compare and contrast worldviews, but you have to do the work. Monism is simply a worldview. So is theism. If someone says “they aren’t religious they are spiritual” it is arguing, “I have a worldview but it is not like other worldviews.”

Generally, this usually means, “I haven’t really thought this out.” Why wouldn’t someone think this out? Perhaps their greatest religious principle is to not provide any opportunity for someone to be offended by their point of view. But that’s just the challenge, isn’t it? They have a point of view. To say “all is one” is an absolute truth statement. To say “there is a god or are gods but I don’t believe in following any specific religion” is a truth statement. What is your evidence that it is that rather than something else?

Maybe what is really going on is I don’t want to be responsible for how I live my life. If I make any value judgments about myself I will necessarily be calling myself into question. I will live by my feelings and react to how others respond to me.

However, because you have the consciousness to even consider these questions, making choices by instinct is not a viable option. If you don’t want to impose your views on others you cannot live in community because by simply being present with others you will influence them. Human relations and the decision making process don’t occur in a vacuum. Your choices are guaranteed to have some kind of effect on those around you.

You do justice to other human beings by examining the evidence in as thorough a fashion as possible to inform your choices. Your effect on my life can have tremendous impact. By not thinking deeply about the key questions of meaning, purpose, and goodness, I respectfully submit, you do me a disservice.

my genes made me do it?

One of the things that the movie, What the Bleep…, really emphasizes is the evidence against determinism. Determinism would state that free will is an illusion. The most prevalent deterministic viewpoint today is that we humans are “prewired” to think a certain way and act a certain way depending on our genetic, neurological, and physiological makeup. Instead of, “The devil made me do it,” of Flip Wilson days, “My genes/ neurons/ hormones/ etc. made me do it.”

But not so fast. Two things to be said. One obvious. There is a gap between stimulus and response. We can choose not to do what our physiological makeup is signaling us to do. Second, according to brain research, we can actually “rewire” those loops through our thinking. Much of the discussion in the film is about addictions. Breaking the physical patterns supposedly predetermined is possible.

As evidence is gathered on all of this, it might be helpful to remember what another said about it.

Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

what the #$*! do I know?

I watched “What the Bleep Do We Know?” last night. It is a movie with some amazing graphics having to do with quantum physics and brain research. Now, you have to realize it was actually entertaining, following a storyline with actress Marlee Matlin, as she has an “Alice in Wonderland” kind of adventure interspersed with commentary from various scientists in quantum physics and neurology, with a mystic thrown in.

I know enough about quantum physics and neurology to say when you stuck to the sciences they followed the evidence and made a case. The challenge was when philosophy and mysticism were added ingredients. Pretty much standard Hinduism in a quantum package. For a good analysis go to the Reasons to Believe discussion (05-03-05) of the movie.

Within the movie there is a not so subtle critique of “organized” religion, in particular the writer’s slant on Roman Catholicism. The science appears so well thought out and then you have the “horny” priest scoping out babes. Give me a timeout with Catholics for awhile. Is there any film maker who is ever going to have a Muslim imam slamming down a few shots of raki and then hitting on some 16 year olds?

So, here is my question. How can those who know so much understand so little about something that is so important? Basic and essential questions are asked like,

Why am I here?
What is the meaning of life?
What happens to me after I die?

Throw in some great computer generated animation, a bit of humor, the obscure theologian who doesn’t trust in a normal, straight forward view of God, and what do you have?

New package. Same old questions. Same old answers.

Come on folks, let’s follow all the evidence, but then again, what the #$*! do I know?”

1 Cor. 3:19 (NLT)
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,

"God catches those who think they are wise
in their own cleverness."

kids today

Yesterday I was a little nostalgic about my activities as a teen and how it doesn’t really reflect our own children. What do they do? Well, it is similar in some ways, just different settings.

Going over to a friend’s house is still a viable option. We just have to drop off and pick up. Or in our case, the friends spend an awful lot of time here. It seems like kids sleep over more today. There are weekends when I think we have a youth hostel going on.

There is still much basketball in our boys lives, it’s just outside in the back alley, rather than the park. Actually that is a plus, because if our twins fight too much, I can yell from the house to knock it off.

IMing is a reality for our teens. Way more talking than we did; the phone was restricted in my teenage household. Gossip is gossip and so there are reminders from me about bagging on other kids and so on. No chat rooms allowed, however. I just seems a little too bizarre for me. Call me old fashioned, but if I am holding a conversation with someone I don’t know, I want to look them in the eye.

The lack of grandparents is a pain. My parents and my wives parents are all alive. It is great to see them once of twice a year, but it is nothing like dropping in, whenever. The only plus I see is our church community is our “tribe” and so our children have many “aunts” and “uncles” who are in their lives to encourage them, listen, and give them other adult models. Not the same as my parents or my in-laws, but it will have to do.

It seems like our kids have way more homework than we ever did. I was in a similar “magnet” type program as our daughter, but I don’t remember carrying near the load of homework. Maybe I did have a lot of homework, but I am just suppressing the memory. I also don’t remember carrying so many books around. You grab one of our teen’s backpacks and it’s like a Gold’s Gym workout. What’s up with that?

When I am thinking of raising teens today, what strikes me most is the circumstances of our life have brought us into our kids lives way more than I remember my parents spending time with me. They weren’t negligent or anything, far from it, but we talk and share activities way more now than I remember ever doing with my mom and dad. My wife and I make it a point to be a presence in the lives of our kids in tons of different ways. It just makes sense.

A gardener doesn’t plant seeds and walk away. You have to do some tilling, weeding, watering, and as the flowers grow, you just stand back and do a large amount of admiring. Alright, that’s enough touchy-feely for me. I just thank God for every minute I get with the offspring.

teen then

What do you want to do? Classic question. It doesn’t matter what age you are. I remember most vividly as a teenager.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know what do you want to do?”

As a teen, here were my options.

• Go play basketball at the school.
• Go play basketball at the park.
• Go play basketball at the rec center.
• Go ride bikes.
• Go mess around by the pond at my grandparents house.
• Go listen to records at a friend’s house.
• Go shoot pool at a friend’s house.
• Go talk to a variety of kid’s in the neighborhood.

If alone, and not doing any of the above?

• Go read.

We are raising three teens right now. Let’s try my list on them.

Go play basketball at the school- they would have to jump the fence and might get jumped.

Go play basketball at the park- What park? Also, might get jumped.

Go play basketball at the rec center- It’s all leagues now.

Go ride bikes- Where? With cars coming by at 60 in a 35 zone?

Go mess around at their grandparent’s home- Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota or Florida? Where and when?

Go listen to records- still an option, only CD’s or mp3’s on the computer.

Go shoot pool- Does that have a game controller attached?

Go talk to a variety of kid’s in the neighborhood- who would that be? The few teenagers who are close go to all different schools. Our kids know 3 friends who are within walking distance. Though they don’t walk. Here comes the mantra again. Might get jumped.

Teenagers don’t change much. The world around them does. What do they do?

Stay tuned.

let's clear things up

Wow, the controversy brewing in Kansas concerning the theory of evolution sure brings out a lot of logical fallacies. I am very aware of the specific controversies surrounding this, as I am familiar with the work of Discovery Institute, the leading proponent of intelligent design. I read an editorial in the New York Times concerning these events, and I counted five in a brief piece. Whenever someone resorts to logical fallacy, keep moving ahead with your argument!

Besides the fallacies, it was a highlight to me to see the use of a phrase first used in context with this issue in the famous quote by Richard Lowentin, Harvard University geneticist.

We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.

It is not that the methods and institutions of science compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door. (my bold)

Here is a line from yesterday’s editorial,

Although the chief critics say they do not seek to require the teaching of intelligent design, they add the qualifier "at this point in time." Once their foot is in the door, the way will be open.

Using logical fallacy and making unsubstantiated claims bodes well for the work of those questioning some of the “givens” of the Darwinian evolution model. I seem to recall a line from Shakespeare,

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

This is getting more and more interesting.

it's all religion

“a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith”

This is one of the definitions for the word “religion” from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Everyone has a religion. Everyone has a system of beliefs held with ardor (today’s buzz word, “passion”) and faith.

An atheist is no exception. Your belief system is one of two things. Either everything that appears to exist is simply an illusion, or everything that exists comes about by random, purposeless chance. These are systems of belief held by some with ardor and faith.

Illusion is just that. An illusion. There is no evidence to consider. With this kind of atheism, you just accept it as fact and then you are done with it.

Not so with atheism based on the idea that everything that exists comes about by chance. There is a way to follow the evidence. One way to test the theory that everything comes about in a random and purposeless fashion is to see if there is any inference of design in the universe. What is the weight of the evidence? Does it appear more likely that something happened randomly or more likely that something is designed? We can make that distinction.

We know about human design. The computer on my lap right at this very moment appears to have been designed by someone. It would be illogical for me to think that atoms in the universe just connected in a random way and produced this machine. But what if there were machines in the natural world that appear designed, too? What would be a reasonable conclusion?

Consider this.

yes, everything

Col. 3:17 (NLT)
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

A disciple is a representative of Jesus in every area of life. Every action taken and every word spoken is done, literally, “in the name of Jesus.” This doesn’t mean we are just modeling the “Jesus” life, but it is also under the power and character of Jesus. What we do can be as he would do it if he were us in any situation. What we say will be as if he spoke those words in the same circumstance.

How do we become that kind of person? We have seen in the prior 16 verses. By losing ourselves in Jesus. Hidden with him, we no longer abide by human nature standards. We are no longer slaves to our desires. Our attitudes and actions are totally our responsibility. “Response + ability.” We have the ability to respond to whatever life brings around the corner because we are already living in the new life where impulse, desire, and rights are replaced by the character of Jesus, the only one who lives in true reality. We are designed to live in the Kingdom now. Where his reality becomes ours.

What are we left with? That generosity thing again. Give thanks. Living every moment of our lives thinking, “I can’t believe I am here and this is happening to me. How awesome is it to be ready and able.” When we face challenges and hardships saying, “Thanks Jesus. I can’t wait to see your next move.” When we face favor and unusual blessing saying, “Wow, I know I don’t deserve this, but you deserve my gratitude, so, ‘Thanks, Lord.’”

If this seems like a strange way to live, “all the while giving thanks,” it is just because we haven’t sold out knowing that Jesus is in charge of it all. This is the day to say,

“I give up. It’s your life, Jesus. I’m just going along for the ride.”

sing away

Col. 3:16 (NLT)
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

The words of Christ are the Bible, not just the words recorded in the Gospels. The use of these words begins with knowing them. They are to ‘live in our hearts.’ Again, it is our choices that come from our will, that reflect our heart. If the words of Jesus take up residence as a filter for our decisions, wisdom is the result. We can then use the guidance we gain from knowing God’s Word in teaching and counseling others. This means there is nothing new that you could learn that is not already addressed generally in the Bible.

There is new specific information that we might discover, but it is to be weighed with the general wisdom of the Bible. What the Bible has to say about our managing life on earth as stewards of God, for example, has much to say about the issues of our time from cloning to the environment, harvesting embryos to euthanasia. This is why the thought of a Christian purposely not using the filter of the Bible in decision-making would ludicrous. Peter said it well.

“Lord to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Then Paul says fill your life with gratitude measured by the songs you sing. Interesting instruction. All kinds of songs. Celebration. Praise. What is most interesting is that the literal connotation of this instruction is to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to teach and counsel each other. The King James Version of the Bible keeps this context.

“….teaching and admonishing each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (KJV)

Some of the most influential teaching of the Bible is delivered through song. From yesterday’s “Amazing Grace” to today’s “Better is One Day,” to tomorrow’s new songs our children will write, God is glorified. Also, singing is one of the best ways to memorize the Bible, as we have always known, and as projects like Bible Song Sunday School are rediscovering. With a mind filled with music, and music filled with the Word of Jesus, there isn’t much room for the thought that leads to sinful action.

peace and gratitude

Col. 3:15 (NLT)
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let’s look at words. “Peace” comes from a word meaning to “umpire.” “Give a prize in the end.” Peace is the outcome of Jesus declaring us “innocent” in the eyes of God. Then what do we do?

The word “heart” and “will” may be interchanged here. Our “will” dictates the choices we make. When Jesus rules our choices, the peace we obtain from being forgiven is the fuel for us to live on in community with other disciples. Then we can live in peace together and be a model for the world. Our differences don’t separate us from the peace we share when Jesus rules our choices.

This doesn’t mean we have warm fuzzy feelings for each other and approve of all viewpoints in the Christian family. There are some real differences. It does mean we find ways to focus on what we have in common. What is the core?

Jesus is God raised from the dead and ruling in his Kingdom now, giving access to that Kingdom life to all who have confidence in him to rule in their own lives. If you give your heart, your will, your choices over to the fact of the resurrection and the rule of Jesus now, then there is only one lifestyle left. Thankfulness. It seems like Paul’s little throw-away phrase, but it wraps everything together.

“(‘By the way,’) And always be thankful.”

Gratitude is the pillar of reality. Do you want to live the good life? Build it on gratitude for what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do forever. Christians who focus on what is wrong with the world are looking in the wrong direction. It becomes an obsession. This appears to happen in two ways. Obsessing on the personal choices and lifestyles of those who don’t follow Jesus or obsessing on the human institutions and structures that are the seat of temporary control of this world. Note how related this is to the ways of sin Paul spoke of earlier. Pursuing pleasure (“I want what I want when I want it”) or pursuing control (“It’s my world”).

There is only one cause worthy of a Christian’s full passion. Learning from Jesus in any way available to become the kind of person he would be if he were me in any given situation. A situation I can face in gratitude because I know Jesus is in charge.

to will the good

Col. 3:14 (NLT)
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Love is the universal clothing we are invited to wear. It is a summary act. If you love, then you are kind, patient, etc. (1 Corinthians 13) What is love?

Love is to will the good of the other and act upon it.

Note two assumptions are made when you think of “love.” First, you know what good is and second love ultimately rests in action.

What is good? That is a key question when comparing worldviews. What is a good life in Christianity?

In Christianity one would say the good life is living in the Kingdom of God now. This is where the action of love comes into play. The practical application of love is to think “what would Jesus do if he were me in this situation?” and act upon it. The “good” is what he would do under my circumstances.

This is different than the typical way “love” is defined in society. “Love” is generally a feeling of pleasure towards. I “love” my wife. I “love” pepperoni pizza. You can quickly see how confusion can set in.

From a Christian context, to will the good of another and act upon it will not necessarily be pleasurable for the other. I love my children and there are times I deny them their pursuit of pleasure because it is not healthy for them according to the ways of God.

For example, I know it “feels good” for our daughter to use sarcasm toward one of her brothers but I don’t permit it. Her pleasure in this would not be healthy. When I say, “Stop,” I am acting out of love.

There is a lot of behavior that may bring pleasure that is no healthy. We have seen this in Paul’s opening remarks about sexual and other behavioral sin. The most loving thing a person can do in these situations is to be an influence on someone moving away from sexual sin and away from the will to control.

no offense

Col. 3:13 (NLT)
You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

If we are to be a light of the world, (Matthew 5:14-15) then we are going to be spending time in the world. Not just individually, but with fellow Christians. When we are together, we want to model the five attributes of kindness, patience, humility, gentleness, and tenderhearted mercy toward each other. What is the secret ingredient to being able to live these qualities amongst ourselves? Forgiveness and non-offense.

Forgiveness is being gracious. Giving grace. Willing the good of another even if they have wronged you. The way to approach forgiveness according to Paul, is to “make allowance for each other’s faults.” This is an interesting phrase. Literally, “to put up with the other’s faults.”

What this assumes is I have to know you well enough to know what your faults are. We must be in community with each other and not withdraw from one another. So our boundaries are wide. We don’t set up standards of behavior for others that are narrow and rigid. In fact, the more Jesus rules in our lives the less likely it is we will take offense. If you know you are hidden with Christ, how can someone offend you? Not that they can’t say or do something that is offensive, but that you are not required to take offense.

Even when your boundaries of gracious acceptance are wide, forgiveness is still necessary. If someone knows they have said or done something offensive and they seek your forgiveness, you can move to restore your relationship by forgiving for their sake. So they know they are forgiven. There is an art to let another know they are in a restored relationship with you. This mimics the forgiveness God makes available for all.

When I am thinking about this whole forgiveness and offense issue, it strikes me that we need to know each other well enough that we don’t do anything that we know is likely to bring out offensive behavior in them. We don’t set them up for failure, as it were. So, the life of a disciple is not only knowing yourself and your weaknesses, but knowing others and their weaknesses. You avoid putting them in an offensive position in the first place. How? Back to kindness, patience, humility, gentleness, and tenderhearted mercy.

Ahhh. See how this works?

housewives aren't the only ones who will be desperate

Col. 3:12 (NLT)
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

When we are reading these words we put ourselves into the text. Paul says, “We’re chosen,” well then, we are chosen.

For what? “To be the holy people whom he loves.” The object of God’s loving intention.

Describe what being holy looks like? People who make choices that show:

• tenderhearted mercy
  
• kindness
  
• humility
  
• gentleness
  
• patience
  

Notice we have five attributes going again. Only this time we want them. When you look at this list you realize if you have these qualities you have a tremendous amount of leverage with others, voluntarily. People may be attracted to you for what they can get out of you sexually, and they might be manipulated by you through your controlling behavior. But there is nothing like the influence you have when you are the "best-dressed.”

“Clothe yourself with qualities that will make you the kind of person people desperately want to hang around with.”

You think there are only “Desperate Housewives?” Wait until the tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience kicks in. Who can resist you?

no distinctions

Col. 3:11 (NLT)
In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

When you trust in Jesus and are clothed by him, you have a new life. You can follow Jesus. The sins that would weigh you down become meaningless to who you are. They no longer define you. You are defined by your clothing. Jesus wrapped.

The result of being in Jesus is a new life where you are capable of denying unhealthy desires and the need to control. No more using people or manipulating people. So, what are the end results? Your new life connects you to a community. Where others who have put on Christ share your life. Together, you begin to mirror how Jesus would live if he were you.

The first thing that happens in this new life is distinctions that separate disappear. Our human categories no longer apply. Sin doesn’t define us, and neither does what we are before we connect to Christ. The categories Paul uses are ones that make a clear separation of people pursuing God in his day. Jew and everyone else. Those who become Jewish before they come to Christ, and those who don’t. Those who are a specific cultural group, “uncivilized,” literally, “Scythian.” These are the mean and nasty, uncouth ones of Paul’s day. Must be like the “Siths” of Star Wars! Coming to a theater near you. And those who are separated by circumstances in life. Slave or non-slave. When you are clothed with Jesus, you are hidden with him. Those who choose the new life live the new life.

Disciples of Jesus show the new life by defining who they are by what they hold in common with each other. They don’t need laws that tell them not to discriminate. How do you make a distinction with Jesus being compared to Jesus?

I have always been wary of Christian organizations that make use of human distinctions when governing their group. Quotas of so many men or so many women, so many people of one race or one culture or another. Do we trust each other to serve each other? If we have been clothed with Jesus, why do we still focus on human differences?

No, Paul shows us what true reality really looks like, when you watch disciples in action with each other. His description is coming up.

new clothes

Col. 3:9-10 (NLT)
Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. [10] In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.

It would be a cruel God indeed who would tell us we must not sin and then not give us the capacity to not sin. The God of Jesus offers a remedy. When we connect to Jesus we are a new creation. We are no longer bound to our human desires for pleasure and control.

The metaphor Paul uses is powerful. Who hasn’t stripped off some really filthy clothes, took a long hot shower, and put on some clean sweats, smelling the fabric softener when you pull the sweatshirt over your head? Or getting into fresh clean pajamas? Maybe you just returned from a long tent camping trip, where there were showers. Maybe you were out in the yard digging all day. Whatever the case, just get out of those smelly, dirty clothes, and wrap yourself in the new.

This is not a once in a lifetime thing. It keeps going on all our earthly life. We continue to become newer and newer as we “arrange and rearrange our lives as apprentices of our Master Teacher Jesus to learn from him all that we can to become the kind of people who can do what he would do in any situation of our lives if he were us.” (Dallas Willard)

This is why the life of discipleship is not giving in to the need for pleasure and the need to control, and the corresponding despair that will surely come when they begin to destroy you. This is why being a disciple is being a hope-filled person, or a “hope-wrapped” person, as it were. Clothing yourself (your choice) for what is to come.

degradation of manipulation

Col. 3:8-9a (NLT)
But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. [9] Don't lie to each other…

Now Paul does round two for sins. These are the second group of five he speaks of, and then he throws in lying. Here we have anger and rage, first. Anger is the emotion of choice for those who don’t get their way. It is a classic response to not being in control. Rage, literally, “breathing hard,” is when anger goes nuts. Rage is just giving in to everything that is in you that wants to be God.

Malicious behavior, slander (literally, “blasphemy”), and dirty language (“shameful speech”). Again, all of this has to do with control. “When God is not in control of our lives, our lives are out of control.” (John Maxwell) Is there a difference between the first group of sexual sins and the second group of emotional sins? One is about giving in to our desire and drive for pleasure, and the other is giving in to our need to be in control.

We use anger, rage, malicious behavior, etc. as a tool to get the upper hand over someone else. If we can’t make our case in a principled, reasonable fashion, then we kick these sins into gear. Or maybe we never intended to reason. Emotional sin is a quick shortcut to actually seeking the truth.

When we allow personal desire for pleasure to rule our lives we are cursed to a life of immaturity. When we allow the second list of sins to shackle us, we are cursed to a life of manipulation. Both lists are front and center in our culture today.

Paul points this all out as a lie. We are simply lying to each other when we try to change reality into what we want. To be healthy, we need to be stripped of all of these allusions. Pursuit of pleasure, and doing what we “feel” like sexually, even if it goes against God’s plan, is just going to ruin us. If not now, some day. Using anger and rage and other emotional sin to try to control others is a dead end, as well.

But Paul introduces us to the real world. Tomorrow.

unprotected

I am continuing my posts on Colossians 3, a key section of the Bible for living as a disciple in the real world, which is, of course, God’s world to begin with.

Col. 3:6-7 (NLT)
God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. [7] You used to do them when your life was still part of this world.

Paul pauses here from his “state of the union” address on life lived from natural human desires, or life lived through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Chances are we don’t think much about God being angry. After all, this isn’t the Middle Ages of Martin Luther where he cowered in his tiny monk cell thinking God was just waiting for him to mess up so he could get zapped. But, Luther discovered the God of trust reading from Romans 1:17, where Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4.

Romans 1:17 (NLT)
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

We are made right with God through connecting with Jesus. The angry God frees us from the consequences of our sin, in this life and in eternal life. What is this all about?

God is consumed with anger when we ignore him and die to his ways rather than follow him and die to our human nature, which is to follow our own desire wherever it will take us. We cannot be trusted with our own healthy living, as Paul has given many examples of what people will live like apart from God. So, if God is so mad, why doesn’t he just get over it? Why doesn’t he just let us live and let live?

First, God's anger is not wrong. He can be trusted with anger because he is in control. It is not like our anger, which we will address tomorrow. God can feel however he wants about what he creates. In a way, I suppose, God has set himself up for frustration because he has given us free will. We can reject him.

Second, God knows what he has in store for us and so it upsets him when we don’t do what is good for us. Follow him. But, notice Paul says, “You used to do them…”

The assumption, thus far, is we are not bound to sexual sin and greed. And if we honestly admit they are sins, struggle with them, repent of them, and open ourselves up for his healing, we are freed from the long term consequences of what we deserve.

Paul’s warning here is when we say sin is not sin, don’t struggle with it, and are not driven to Christ for forgiveness. When sin is not considered sin, we are exposed to God’s righteousness unprotected by Jesus, which is his wrath. To not know God and his forgiveness is to know God's anger, eventually.

more sex and stuff

In the last post I talked about the ways Paul portrays sexual sin. Sexual sin is real and it is present and, like all other sin, it is about who is in charge. Are my desires in charge or is God in charge of my desires? God sets up sexual intimacy to build on the foundation of the complementary relationship of a husband and wife. Sexual desire plays an important role in God’s design as “completing one another” goes to the very core of our humanity. One “being” or “person,” as Jesus has in mind (Matthew 19:6). God designs us, and when he is in the driver’s seat, it is OK to go on the journey. If our desires take over and we go in different directions, we are no longer living in his reality. Sexual sin is not part of the real life God designs for us. Then Paul takes it further.

“Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.”

What are these good things? “Stuff,” more than anything. Does your stuff and all that surrounds it become an obsessive focus in your life? Sexual sin is real and it is prevalent. The videotape of the mind is running. So is being obsessive with stuff.

Like sexual sin, material obsession knows no boundaries of humanity. The rich and the poor, and everyone in between partake in equal opportunity material obsession. The drive for more if you have little or much takes over.

I always find it interesting when people design theologies that focus only on the wealthy when it comes to being obsessed over stuff. Either they have never been poor or have never known poor people, but the fact is it takes supernatural intervention is say, “Enough,” regardless of your circumstances in life.

The sin here is a matter of security more than anything else. If your security is focused on anything but Jesus first, you are going to have issues with God. We hear a lot about social security, and 401 K’s and the like, but there is only one form of security that lasts. “Hidden with Christ in God,” under the power of the Holy Spirit.

The 3 in 1 plan.

so good to be bad

Col. 3:5 (NLT)
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.

Why does every actor want to play the role of a bad guy? They don’t want to be typecast that way but read any interview of an actor known for being a hero or good guy and they relish the evil role. Tom Cruise in Collateral comes to mind. Why is it so good to play bad?

I don’t know but when you read Paul’s list of sin here it starts getting stuffy in the room. In the King James version it even sounds “naughty.” especially “evil concupiscence.” Evil concupiscence? Gotta’ get me some of that tonight!

No, I don’t think so. “concupiscence” literally means getting a “rush,” as in breath. Evil concupiscence means just being consumed by your passion for something evil. Paul is talking about how good it feels to be bad.

At least humanity has evolved enough where these sexual and bodily obsessions no longer are a problem…

I don’t think so.

These passions for the wrong stuff have been devouring us since Adam. Modern humanity may think of our being sophisticated but to tell you the truth, our bodies ache with the desire to be the bad guy. Obsessions. In the language of the Bible, Paul is saying literally, “Put to death your body parts.”

But we can’t go back to the days of beating ourselves with thorn branches like the monks of old. Sleeping naked on the cold stone floor in the middle of winter like Luther in the monastery. It might help for the moment, but the body part that gets in the way the most is not just our body at all. It is our mind. Our thought life.

Here is a test for those “sinful, earthly things lurking within you.” Imagine videotaping your thought life for a day and then playing it back for your mother. Ouch!!

Now, realize Jesus sees that tape every day.

What are we going to do? Paul is not finished, yet. He has another list.

real life

Col. 3:4 (NLT)
And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

This is what I am trying to understand. This is what I so desperately want to have happen. This is what I am trying to avoid??!! Christ is my real life.

I thought my real life was negotiation. My real life is not my wife, negotiating with her as we move along the journey of nurturing our three children? It’s not working out a system where we step in, retreat, step in, retreat, with our blossoming offspring? Yes, raising teenagers is a lot like fencing. But that is not real life?

Or what about my thought life? Failures and accomplishments being worked out during every waking moment. The struggle of what it means to move. Move ahead. Move ahead without looking behind. Move ahead without looking behind at what I did and did not do when I moved ahead. My thinking is not my real life?

Jesus has a plan in all of this. I have a purpose in that plan. My real life is actually all of those things and more but it is not real unless I am no longer the focal point, but Jesus who is working through me. The reality of who I am is not me. I am hidden in Christ, remember? Real life is happening right now, but it won’t be crystal clear until he shows up again. Really. Then for the first time, I will see, along with the rest of creation, who I really am, as well as who he really is.

hidden with Christ

Col. 3:3 (NLT)
For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

I remember when the singer, “Prince,” decided to change is name. In 1993 his name became a symbol O(+>. Well, you aren’t going to pronounce that, so he was called “the artist formerly known as Prince.” By the year 2000, he was back to good old “Prince.” This is rock and roll, or funk, or whatever label you would give Prince music (he wouldn’t), so this is not weird. We expect strange things to come from a “strange” world.

I am reminded of this whole name change situation when I think about the words, “your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Do I really know who I am? In one sense, yes. Born and raised in Racine Wisconsin. Son of Edward and Nancy Hanson. Now, husband of Nancy (don’t get all Freudian on me), and father of Kristina, Gregory, and David. This is good for a start. But, is this who I really am?

I don’t know.

When I connect with Jesus and trust in him, what you see in me is not all there is. The life I am living and the life others are witnessing is not my real life. My whole life. The essence of who I really am is known only to God. Just call me “the disciple formerly known as Dana but hidden with Christ now.”

the real world

Col. 3:2 (NLT)
Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.

If we think about life immersed in God’s grace and knowing that he is in charge, we are inoculated from the false view that we are at risk here on earth. Notice Paul says in Colossians, “only.” We are to think about what concerns us in life, of course. But we don’t take a human view. We view life through the God’s-eye filter. Our security rests in our ability to allow God’s view to become dominate in our mind.

In this age of instant access to everything, cell phones, text messaging, wireless “hot spots,” and on and on, is it any wonder we “let heaven” in at all? We are bombarded with the urgent and the pseudo-urgent. Everything is a crisis or an opportunity or a critical opportunity. The only thing for sure is you have to act now. It’s a “first 30 callers” world. You know, as in “if you act now, the first 30 callers will receive…”

We are overwhelmed by the “things down here on earth.” This naturally means we are under whelmed by God’s eye thoughts. But, what is reality? The security of knowing God is in charge. Knowing that all that seems so desperately important today and tomorrow will amount to what in the blink of eternity? The real world is the world where heaven fills your thoughts. The real world is what you and Jesus can accomplish together today.

a God's eye view

Col. 3:1-2 (NLT)
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. [2] Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.

What are you thinking? Apparently, this is an important question. How so?

Well, what is going on in our mind affects everything else afterward doesn’t it? The actual reality of our circumstances becomes tremendously influenced by how they are filtered through our mind. This is why these words from the Bible make so much sense.

“Set your sights on the realities of heaven.” “Heaven,” or the “things above,” is the Bible’s way of saying, “Take a God’s eye view.” Does that ever change everything.

God sees past, present, and future; everything at once. God sees us conquer anything that would keep us from seeing him. God sees that for those who have new life with Jesus, the final word in any situation is, “Jesus was with you before, he is with you now, and he will be with you after.”

When heaven fills your thoughts it doesn’t mean you are ignoring reality. You have a superior view of reality because you are viewing the world through the truth. Taking a God’s eye view instills a tremendous amount of confidence in living moment to moment, day to day. You are able to see things in the big picture and the healthier your view the healthier you are.

some final obsevations

Today, I am concluding my postings on the Catholic/Protestant similarites and differences. I hope I was able to provide a bit more clarity. Protestants can always find things we disagree with when it comes to the Roman Catholic Church. Purgatory, celibacy for the religious, and such, but the bottom line is all who call on Jesus as Lord and follow him as his disciples are on the same team.

Let me make a final observation. There appears to be an anti-Catholic bent in our public media forums. Some of the fantasy of Dan Brown’s The Di Vinci Code certainly didn’t help. Obviously, the Roman Catholic Church is scrutinized more than others because of the size of the Church. 1.2 billion Catholics and there is going to be a lot of attention. Obviously, when there is ungodly behavior by some within a Church, such as the sexual misconduct of some priests and the subsequent secrecy exhibited by some Church authorities, it is a bad mark on all of Christianity. At the same time there is awful sinful behavior found within all Christian Church bodies, as with any human organization (Catholic brothers and sisters I know you will disagree with me calling the Church a human organization, but that is simply one of those places we disagree. I would argue that only Jesus can see the Church). We are all sinful people in need of repentance, and as fellow Christians we can encourage each other to connect with Jesus and live life as a new creation.

I don’t believe everyone who calls themselves a Catholic is a Christian. Same with any other Christian group. God will sort out those who trust in Jesus as Lord in the end. In the meantime, it is not a Christian’s place to criticize and fan the flames of bias against brothers and sisters. Let’s focus on what we hold in common. Our mission to reach those who don’t know Jesus with our message of hope and new life. Protestants and Roman Catholics and all Christians throughout the world are invited to lift each other up in prayer and remember the words of Philippians 2:3.

Philip. 2:3b (NLT)
Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.

hard-line Pope?

I have been reading some accounts about Pope Benedict XVI. I find it interesting when I see news organizations use the adjective, “hard-line,” in describing him. I have no idea what that could mean in this context. I would describe the Pope as a “normal” Roman Catholic. This is a person who is faithful to the teachings of his Church. A Church that includes in these teachings that the bishops elect a man who is the one God would choose. Then, according to this logic, all you are really saying is God is “hard-line” if you want to describe Benedict this way. That’s fine to say but let’s be clear about it. To those outside the Roman Catholic Church, the Church doctrine may appear “hard-line," but they aren’t bound to those teachings.

To those within the Roman Catholic Church, “hard-line” doesn’t have meaning because the Pope is the “Vicar of Christ,” represents Jesus, and so you are faithful to him as you are to Jesus. If you disagree with this then you disagree with the Roman Catholic doctrine. You can either choose a different Church body to connect with or be faithful to the teachings of your Roman Catholic Church. Either way, no one forced you to become Catholic and no one is forcing you to stay in this Church. If you choose to stay, and follow Roman Catholic doctrine, you are normal, not hard-line. If you wish to work to change the Roman Catholic doctrine from within, you are working to reform the normal teachings.

Mary, the mother of our Lord

The Roman Catholic teachings about Mary, the mother of our Lord, are different than Protestant teachings in several key points. First, in general, just as I posted yesterday, praying to Mary is not considered necessary from a biblical standpoint. You do not have to go to the mother to get the ear of the son. The God who knows “when a sparrow falls” and knows the “number of every hair on your head” can certainly hear you prayers outright. But, again, it is understandable to view Mary in this special light because she is such an awesome model of faith.

Second, the Catholic Church teaches Mary was forgiven her original sin at conception, her soul receiving grace through the merit of Jesus before it was infused into her body. This “Immaculate Conception” was finally established as official Catholic teaching in 1854. There is no direct biblical support for this doctrine and as such, Protestants would not support the theory. There is direct support (Matthew 11:11) of another human born of mother and father being superior in trust in Jesus, John the Baptist. Jesus said,

I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.


Third, another Catholic tradition concerning Mary is that she was taken directly to heaven when she died. As with the Immaculate Conception, the “Assumption of Mary” does not have biblical support and, therefore, is not part of Protestant teaching. Interestingly, there are those who are taken directly to heaven, Enoch (Hebrews 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), though the Bible doesn’t say they died!

Finally, another teaching of many Catholics that is gaining in prominence (probably Pope John Paul II supported this, Mother Theresa, e.g.) is naming Mary, coredemptrix. This does not put another person in the Trinity, but honors Mary as one who participates in Christ’s redemption. The participation is supported by two events, the saying, “Yes,” to the angel Gabriel for bearing Jesus, and the suffering she experienced at Jesus’ Passion. A subtle view of the coredemptrix influence seems to appear in the film, The Passion of the Christ. Again, no direct biblical support for such a title, therefore, not a Protestant teaching.

So, you get the picture. Many Protestants have a great admiration of Mary, the mother of our Lord. Protestants do not have the Marian dogma concerning her, however, as Roman Catholic Church tradition is not on par with the Bible. Of course, some Protestants who are former Roman Catholics may continue to reflect Marian devotion in their prayer life.

Side note: Congratulations to my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters for the election of your new pope, Benedict XVI. May he be covered by the Holy Spirit and be given continued health and wisdom.

saints

The word “saint” is used in the New Testament 62 times. A saint is one who trusts in Jesus. One who is set apart by virtue of connecting to Jesus as Lord. In the Roman Catholic Church, the word “saint” takes on more specific meaning. Special saints are chosen by the Church as those who are lifted up as models of faith and are “routers” for prayer. Specific saints may be prayed to in order to get a more focused word to God the Father. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is considered the supreme example of a saint. More on Mary tomorrow.

Protestants emphasize the biblical aspect of a saint being one who follows Jesus. A Protestant would not prayer through a saint, but rather prays to God directly. Protestants route their prayers to one of the persons of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Depending on the Protestant Church, a specific person of the Trinity may get more focus in prayer, though Jesus is probably most frequently the one addressed. Protestants place a strong emphasis on the biblical model of prayer offered by Jesus to pray directly to God. “Take it to the Lord in prayer,” as the beloved hymn proclaims.

For many Protestants, the Roman Catholic practice of lifting up saints as models of faith is also shared. You will find Protestants who share a special place in their hearts for certain saints. Many Protestants also commemorate saint’s days. Many Protestant congregations also share the Catholic practice of naming their congregations after saints.

Another practice of some Protestants that is not official but is similar to the practice of praying through saints is addressing loved ones who have died and gone to be with the Lord. They may not admit to it, but the practice of asking mom or grandma or some other close loved one to put in a good word for them is not unheard of.

more on authority

The Roman Catholic Church has canon law. These are rules that govern the way the Church operates. The Catholic Church makes declarations about various issues of life, both within the Church and expectations for Catholics. Canon law is considered binding in all matters of faith and life. Again, the passing down of the teaching of the apostles through the papacy is central here.

For Protestants, the Bible is the ultimate authority of all matters of faith and life. Some Protestants take a much defined viewpoint of what the Bible teaches. Others use the Bible as a guide but have a more loose structure for interpretation. In most cases Protestant congregations there is a constitution that governs how the individual church operates. Protestant denominations will have rules and guidelines to follow; always with the understanding the Bible is the final say.

In matters of daily life, a Roman Catholic follows the canon law, informed by scripture reason, and conscience. The Protestant will more likely follow scripture, reason, and conscience, informed by guidelines from the church. Roman Catholics would be disciplined in specific ways spelled out by the law, while Protestant discipline varies. Some Protestant Churches are “covenant” churches, where specific guidelines are adhered to by members who sign what amounts to contracts. Other Protestant Churches are more loosely governed, with many following a guideline of based on Matthew 18:15-17. Almost all Protestants would have specific standards for pastors.

authority of leadership

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that from the time of Christ the Church is preserved through passing on faith, the sacraments, and the hierarchy of ministry. This hierarchy is bishop, priest, and deacon. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the head of the Church. Then the hierarchy proceeds downward through other bishops, then priests, then deacons, and then lay people. Authority rests in the order of this authority.

The Catholic Church teaches that Peter was the first Pope. They use the biblical support of Jesus’ emphasis on Peter’s leadership (e.g. Matthew 16:18; John 21:15-17) as their main reason for this hierarchy, passed from Peter to successive leaders, being chosen by other bishops. A technical term for this passing on the mantle of leadership is “apostolic succession.”

For Protestants, it is the teaching of the apostles that is passed down, not the validity of the leaders that follow. Anglican Protestants, however, have a similar hierarchy of ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon. Other Protestants may use the model of elders and deacons. All Protestant churches have leaders, though the authority of the leaders varies. For many Protestants, the concept of “priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9),” reemphasized through the teachings of Martin Luther, places the authority of the Church in the people. From out of the people, leaders are called to lead, usually under the oversight of the senior pastor working with or under the authority of a board or council. Decision making in most Protestant churches ultimately rests with the entire congregation, though some Protestants have connections to a wider church emphasis in denominations. Denominations set up guidelines that their churches follow, though authority rests in the local church. If there is disagreement about teachings then congregations who voluntarily join denominations may be disciplined or expelled.

A good rule of thumb to follow in considering authority is the authority rests in the hierarchy in the Roman Catholic Church and authority rests in the local church in the Protestant church, understanding the voluntary arrangements made in denominational churches. How this authority is carried out will be the next post.

the Church

We continue with similarities and differences between Protestant and Roman Catholic teachings.

The Church

Roman Catholic teaching is that Jesus trained his 12 leaders and chose Peter as the head and gave them the office of teaching, ruling, and sanctifying (making holy). The Catholic Church has the entirety of revealed truth “through the faithful preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the sacraments, and through government in love exercised by the apostles and their successors under the action of the Holy Spirit.”

Protestant teaching varies on this issue, but most groups would place their main emphasis on following the model of Jesus and the authority of the Bible. Most Protestants would agree that handing down the teachings of the apostles is essential, though they would not accept the validity or requirement of some succession of human leaders, beginning with Peter. Leaders within Protestant Churches would be based more on the biblical teachings of elders and deacons. Protestants would also vary as to what constitutes a sacrament.

The bottom line for Roman Catholics appears to be that the Catholic Church is the true Church set up by Jesus. Other Churches are recognized as places where Christ can work and bring salvation, and the Catholic Church is working on emphasizing the truths held in common with other Christian communities.

The most practical place where most Protestants have a challenge on the issue of the Church is the Roman Catholic practice of not inviting non-Catholic Christians to receive Holy Communion together. Some Protestant Churches (e.g. Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) also share this practice.

some basics

Romans 10:9 (NLT)
For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

“Jesus is Lord” means, Jesus is God who died for our sins, raised from the dead, and rules in our lives. Christians are those who trust in these truths. Christians live out that trust by joining with Jesus in the work of reaching others for His Kingdom. Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants; all who trust in Christ, crucified, raised, and ruling now are brothers and sisters in the faith.

There you have the essence of Christianity.

Now, within the community of those who trust, there are many similarities and many differences. My purpose in making observations is not to say one thing is bad or good, it is just to clarify. Christians of the Orthodox traditions, please forgive my not including general obsevations from your perspective. I will post on that for another time. Everyone, I repeat, I am only giving very general views. Here are some basics.

Baptism
Roman Catholics and many Protestants baptize infants and young children as a sign of a family’s connection to the family of God. When these children reach an age of accountability, they declare their trust in Jesus publicly in a rite of affirmation of baptism, or confirmation.

Teenagers and adults who come to trust in Jesus at a later point in their lives are baptized, after a public acknowledgement of their trust.

Many other Protestants baptize a young person when they publicly declare their desire to be baptized. These Protestants would also rebaptize a person who was baptized as an infant, as a sign of faith being declared as their own. This coincides with the Roman Catholics and many Protestants affirmation of baptism or confirmation.

Holy Communion
Jesus left the gift of Holy Communion as a way for him to be present with his people in a visible way, and as a sign of forgiveness of sin. Roman Catholics trust that the bread and wine are miraculously changed into Christ’s body and blood. Many Protestants also trust Jesus is present in the bread and wine in a special way. Other Protestants believe that the bread and wine are reminders of Jesus’ death and resurrection, though it remains bread and wine.

The Bible
Protestants and Roman Catholics trust that the Bible is the Word of God. Roman Catholics interpret the Bible under the teaching authority of the Church. Protestants interpret the Bible under the guidance of leaders, though it can be said that ultimately the authority of the Bible speaks for itself.

For Protestants, the Bible is the 66 books, divided into the Old Testament ("Hebrew scriptures") and the New Testament, recognized early on by Church leaders as the Bible. For Roman Catholics, the Old Testament has seven more books added after the early Church formed the Bible. These books are recognized as helpful for teaching by some Protestants, but not on par with the Bible. These Protestants would call the extra books, “Apocrypha,” or “Intertestamental Writings.” Other Protestants would not recognize these books.

Roman Catholics and Protestants?

I grew up in a Midwest city where the majority of Christians were Lutheran or Roman Catholic. I can’t recall there being a lot of tension between the two groups, but there were certainly differences. Being in the Lutheran “camp,” Reformation Day was a big deal. We would always start worship on that day singing, “A Mighty Fortress,” Luther’s best known hymn. The sermon would always be something about the importance of the Bible.

But there were differences. I remember another song we Lutheran kids would sing. Not in church, but privately, we would serenade our Roman Catholic buddies. It went something like this.

‘Ol Marty Luther
Good ‘ol Marty Luther
Played by the Reformation Band
He wrote the 95 theses
They tore the Pope to “pieceez”
I think the Reformation’s grand

‘Ol Marty Luther
‘Ol Marty Luther
Played by the Reformation Band
‘Ol Marty Luther
‘Ol Marty Luther
I think the Reformation’s grand

There you have a bizarre jingle (where the heck did that come from?) that is a trace of the left over radiation from the Big Bang of the Reformation. By the time I was a child, though, Catholics and Lutherans had basically gotten over the earlier tensions (I remember hearing stories of my grandparent’s generation having Protestant and Catholic families almost disown children who married a Catholic/ Protestant, ala’ Romero and Juliet), but we knew we were still different.

Are there basic differences in the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches? Most assuredly. One hesitates to make generalizations, but at the same time some observations may be helpful to answer questions by those who aren’t Christian, or for that matter, the many Christians who may not understand the differences. Considering the Roman Catholic Church is on center stage now, it will be timely to address this in the next couple of posts.

more on being a model

More rules of thumb to be a model of influence as a disciple.

Learn from people you disagree with. For example, the writings of Reinhold Niebuhr have had a strong influence in my life. There is much of his theology that I don’t hold to, but I didn’t stop studying him. Interesting that one of his teachings really helped me in this exact arena.

Niebuhr taught that we must not demonize those we disagree with. He said whatever we think about an issue in life, someone who has a different viewpoint than us is more right then we think, and we are less right than we think. Because we are human, our thinking needs to be adjusted along these lines.

Don’t get caught up in a language trap. Avoid using code words or phrases that are not clear. For example, what do we mean when we say things like, “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?” I know what some of my brothers and sisters mean by this. They mean, “Do you just call yourself Christian but don’t really practice your faith?”

Now, a personal relationship with Jesus is the essence of being a disciple, I agree. I agree with the premise that there is a difference between a Christian and a disciple. But, discipleship is a path we are on. It’s not, “you’re either in or you’re out.” Disciples make themselves more and more available to learn from Jesus but it is not an either/or proposition. I don’t know any Christian who doesn’t in some sense want to be in relationship with Jesus in a deeper way, so the question about “personal relationship” seems set up more as an opportunity for me to correct you.

Work out your own ‘d***’ program. Friends in the recovery movements use this phrase. It is like Jesus’ comment about getting the log out of your own eye. In other words, worry about your own faith journey, without spending undo time correcting someone else.

Now, if you are in an accountable relationship with other Christians, in a small group and such, then you may voluntarily seek the wisdom of your friend as to how your “walk” is going. But that’s a far cry from figuring I have all the answers and so I need to let you know where you are at fault, whether you have asked me for counsel or not. Encouragement goes a long way compared to condemnation.

on being a good model

What are you passionate about? That probably goes a long way in analyzing issues from Jesus’ perspective in yesterday’s post. People make decisions most often by our passions and emotions rather than by pure principled logic. So, we naturally go to the “Jesus card” when it comes to our own passions.

Of course Jesus would have… (fill in the blank).

Well, like other Christians, I am called to speak for Jesus as he is using me as a conduit for what he wants known in the places in the world I find myself. This includes many actions, few words. Here are some rules of thumb I look to, in order to patiently and respectfully be a conduit, in particular with those whom you disagree.

I am not about using condemning absolutes. I am not about condemning at all. I can’t declare a person is outside of God’s care or love, because it is not my business to declare anything like that and through examining the Bible and the model of Jesus, I don’t believe that is true. God’s care is for all people and God’s love is for those who seek him and can recognize it as such. Not that he doesn’t love, but when I use the word in this context, it presupposes some sort of relationship to know the love. God is the final judge of everyone.

Don’t try to assume you know what is going on in a person’s mind and soul when you disagree with them. I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure Michael Shiavo out, for instance, though I didn’t agree with many of his decisions. I believe he was wrong in the process, but I am not saying he was intentionally trying to wrong Terri. He may have thought he was doing what was best. We may not have known what was going on in Terri’s mind and soul, but neither do we know Michael, either.

More rules of thumb to follow.

Jesus said...

Everyone wants Jesus on their side. If you want only men in key leadership positions in churches you bring up the fact that all 12 of Jesus’ key leaders in his job training program were male. If you want women in key leadership positions you speak of the women who followed Jesus, and who appear to be the venture capitalists, funding his project (Luke 8:1-3). Everyone knows, “money talks.”

If you want to approve homoerotic behavior, you mention Jesus didn’t talk about it so he must not have been against it. Except that the evidence from ancient Jewish culture is this was considered such a forbidden practice that he wouldn’t need to address it (e.g. Robert Gagnon's work)

You might say, “Jesus would never support war,” because he said, “Turn the other cheek.” Of course in the context of the Sermon on the Mount he is describing what Kingdom Life looks like for a disciple, not giving military advice to the nations.

Jesus wasn’t married and so priests shouldn’t marry. Jesus said, “Tithe.” Jesus didn’t say, “Tithe.” This list is endless, but I will stop.

So, what is going on here? Obviously Jesus gives us the general model of the godly life. His words and actions from the Gospels are key to understanding God. But, if you are a Christian, why stop there. Normal, straightforward teaching of Christianity is that Jesus is the source behind the whole Bible, not just the Gospels. You may disagree with Peter or Paul or any other of the 40+ authors of Scripture but Jesus doesn’t disagree with them. Why would he disagree with himself?

Certainly we are always interpreting the Bible through our own filter and we have challenges and confusion with many passages. But overall the source of the message of Jesus is Genesis- Revelation, not just Matthew- John.

the Trinity

The Trinity is an essential doctrine unique to Christianity. It is the great mystery of the Christian faith, a challenge to talk about, but not impossible. For example, Dr. Hugh Ross gives us understanding into the whole awesome nature of the Trinity in books such as, The Creator and the Cosmos, and Beyond the Cosmos.

That the Trinity would be a challenge is understandable. What kind of God would one worship that a human mind could totally comprehend? Only a God created by human imagination. We are limited in visualizing the true God because he isn’t limited to the four dimensions we are of height, width, length, and time. When we try to explain God by limiting him to the four dimensions we live in, it is putting God in a box. Fortunately, our metaphors are changing. What if we could speak of God as existing in extra dimensions, indeed, in no dimensions at all?

Well, the Bible already speaks of our extra dimensional God (e.g., Colossians 1:15-17) thousands of years ago, and we now have evidence through general relativity, the big bang, and superstring theory that points to there being at least six more dimensions besides the four we humans experience. Since God is the creator and controls these dimensions, he can certainly operate within them or outside of them if he chooses. A Trinitarian nature is no problem for such a God.

The bottom line is, religions invented in the minds of humans are going to be limited to human perspective, while it is logical to assume a message from a transcendent Being is going to in some ways transcend the limits of human perspective and visualization. New metaphors are readily available for those who are seeking.

freedom for

We are hearing a lot about freedom lately. In particular “freedom from.” In the Middle East, the rumblings of freedom from oppression, freedom from the domination of dictatorships, is not just a byproduct of elections in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian Authority. Many will argue that “freedom from” is inherent in the human conscience.

And Pope John Paul II represented a biblical view of freedom which is different than “freedom from.” It’s called, “Freedom for.” Freedom to reach out to your neighbor as a result of your being forgiven by Jesus. Freedom for the sake of the other. The Pope had a key influence in the fall of communism in Europe and his message was consistent. Men and women need freedom in order to be free to serve the needs of others. Christian freedom is not, “Free to do whatever I want,” and it is not, “Free to take advantage of you.” The healthy mix of “freedom from” and “freedom for” obviously has a powerful intrigue as witnessed by the outpouring of affirmation for the Pope from around the world. The truths of the Bible ring strangely true when they reach beyond the walls of opposition to give the Word a fair hearing.

a legacy of the Pope

I was teaching at a conference in Pennsylvania this weekend and so had little time or access to news. With the death of Pope John Paul II, there is much tribute to his legacy that will be expressed. Having lived through the oppression of Nazi and then Communist dictatorships, I think the most important lesson he may have left us with is the danger of moral relativism.

The idea that “there is no absolute truth, but only that you have your truth and I have my truth, and what is truth after all?” has swept through large parts of the world. Certainly this relativism is alive and well today. This is why it was so refreshing to hear from someone who had lived through two of the most destructive defining “truths” of human history, with his message intact. Pope John Paul outlived the Nazism and Communism of Poland to give another message to the world.

A message of respectful debate about the issues of our time. Making a case for the good- that which benefits lifting your fellow humans up rather than tearing them down. You could call this message, “Seeking the truth at all possible cost, with courage and consideration.” The benchmark of true tolerance (I disagree with you but I respect you as a fellow human being and will attend to what you are saying) is a rare legacy indeed in this age of “anything goes” or ad hominem (name-calling) attacks where the truth is off on the side of the stage somewhere.

I thank God for working through John Paul II. I pray for all who are mourning throughout the world.

grab a yoke

Here is the situation.

First, if you follow the teachings of Muhammad, the Buddha, I Ching, The Book of Mormon, Depak Chopra, you name it, if it is based on teachings similar to Jesus’, then your life may improve for a while. But, there is also a key difference. Jesus will not work against himself. There is much in the sources I named that is contrary to the message of Jesus as recorded in the Bible. Jesus may use other religions and philosophies to open your eyes to his Lordship, but he will not work with you if you deny him.

Second, if Jesus is really the resurrected Lord of all, then his promise to yoke with you will only happen if you are following his lead. Jesus is not going to work with you to do that which is contrary to him. There is a huge difference in serving humankind under human power compared to under Jesus power. The reason why most of us don’t experience this is we don’t realize the power is there or Jesus won’t trust us with his power because we still think we are in the driver’s seat. Jesus is perfectly capable of saying,

“You want to drive? Fine. Thy will be done.”

I think it was John Maxwell who said,

“When you pray, don’t always ask Jesus to bless what you are doing. Ask him to guide you to do what he is already blessing.”

Grab a yoke and hang on.

the yoke of Jesus

Matthew 11:29-30 (NLT)
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

Matthew 28:20 (NLT)
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. I can learn from him and accomplish what he wants done. But the way he works means I can’t apply his teachings to my agenda. I am no longer in the drivers’ seat.

Jesus says, “Take my yoke…” The yoke is a tool that is used to increase the effectiveness of the work of two animals. Take an ox. An experienced ox is yoked to an inexperienced one and they work together. In time, the rookie learns to work in cooperation with the master. The experienced ox sets the pace and gives direction. Good plowing occurs when the two animals work as one.

This is what Jesus means (I think) when he says, “Take my yoke..”

“Join me in my work and you will find rest for your soul.”

Why?

“Because you will be doing exactly what I created you to do all along.”

What does this have to with the resurrection? Because he is alive, he can yoke with me. When he says, “I am with you always,” it’s not primarily saying, “I will protect you.” We so often think of security and safety. O, we are completely safe and secure with Jesus, in the long run, don’t get me wrong.

But it is more than this. It is Jesus saying, “Join me in my Kingdom work and I will remain yoked to you.” This means so much more.

More tomorrow.