0 - 2017 - Jeremiah's Vow

Why I believe God does not celebrate Reformation Day…but does not condemn our recognition of it.

If you didn’t know, the 500th anniversary of Reformation Day is today. Of course, if you are a part of a church context whose direct lineage is not the Reformation (like me), then you have no immediate reason to know this other than simply because you keep up with the extended Christian Church family. So in thinking about this momentous event, I figured I would offer a few reflections.

First, I do not believe God is ultimately pleased with division.

There are many reasons why God would not celebrate Reformation Day in the way that many Protestants do nowadays, but mostly because I do not think God celebrates division in his people – even when it’s perceived as necessary…

The immediate push-back to this line of thought will be statements like:

“But the Protestant Reformation ‘saved’ the Church!”
“The Reformers didn’t seek to separate, but just to reform – so it’s the Catholic Church’s fault, not theirs.”
“Look at all the good that has come from the Reformation!”

However, none of these statements get at the heart of the issue. The issue I perceive is whether God would celebrate such an event like we do, or would he mourn it? Or would it be some combination of both?

As I reflect upon this all I can think is: Did the Reformation please God?

Did the fact that the Reformation happened the way it did please God? Did the state of the Church that existed at the time which “required” the Reformation please God? Did the reality of the Reformation (which ultimately has caused all-out schism) dividing the largest representation of the Christian family at the time please God??

You may say: “Yes, it did please God, because Reformation Day represents those in the Church who were championing the Gospel and the Truth.” And I would say you are correct in what many feel it represents. But it is also about a host of other realities, both about that time period and the results that have been caused today…and are those things about the state of the church then and the state of the church now pleasing to God? I think it is much more up for debate than many who religiously celebrate Reformation Day would allow.

Second, I do not think Scripture teaches us to desire division.

From the very beginning division was not a part of God’s plan for humanity. Separateness (from God and from each other) has always been a result of sin. We see this first in Genesis 3 with Adam, Eve, and the Garden; then again soon after in Genesis 6-9 with the Flood and Noah and his sons; and then again in Genesis 11 with the Tower of Babel.

So even when division is deemed necessary (like God kicking Adam and Eve out of the Garden so that they would not eat from the Tree of Life after eating from the other tree), it does not seem to be something God is pleased with – nor should we be.

We see God’s desire for unity most prominently in Jesus’ prayer for his disciples and for us in John 17:20-21 (NLT):

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

So this places us as Christians in an interesting position, where we acknowledge that division can be necessary at times but that God does not celebrate it…and if you simply look around the Christian world today, you will see rampant division (much of which could be argued is unnecessary) which seems to simply fly in the face of Jesus’ own prayer.

Why is it a big deal whether we celebrate the Reformation or not?

Our celebration of the Reformation unfortunately is entangled in a much larger reality than just what Luther did on that day years ago. The very reality that Luther had to do what he did reveals that God’s people had become distracted by their own pursuit of knowledge rather than a relationship with God. And this would not be pleasing to God. God would have been burdened by this reality, not pleased. And so the action of Luther (while that specific action may have been pleasing to God), is still the result of a situation that God would not be celebrating.

So should we be so short-sighted as to celebrate a day in which the church had lost its way simply to acknowledge a single action of one man who was calling the church back to its first love?

Maybe. But probably not.

The issue with celebrating this day is also not about the day itself. It’s about the resulting realities of what this day has now come to create. To talk about what I’m trying to get at it might be interesting to look at the concept of the “butterfly effect”:

“In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.” – Wikipedia

“The butterfly effect is the concept that small causes can have large effects.” – Scholarpedia

Reformation Day was a small event in and of itself. But it had large effects on the broader church culture and history of the church…

No, Luther was not trying to divide from the church. Yes, Luther was trying to help bring reform to the church. And yes, the Catholic Church is the one who decided to divide from Luther. However, understanding all that, and all the positives of the Reformation, division was still caused – a division that I still do not believe is pleasing to God just because there are justifiable reasons.

Also, this is not an issue of dividing based upon someone fully leaving the Christian faith behind, which I might be more willing to understand. Luther did not leave the faith.

What I would relate this situation to is a marriage – since Paul relates Jesus’ relationship to the church to a marriage, it seems like a good analogy to work with.

When a marriage ends in division (or divorce) because of a potentially necessary or justifiable reason, should we celebrate? Certainly we should celebrate the faithfulness of a person who may have remained faithful when infidelity is the cause. That’s not the issue. But should we celebrate the day that begins the end of that marriage? Even if it’s the unfaithful spouse who initiates it and even if it’s for a supposedly Scriptural reason (infidelity), there is still no reason to celebrate such a thing. Why? Because division is harmful no matter what the reason and is certainly not what God desires.

The same reality is true in the church. And most division in the church post-Reformation is for far less justifiable reasons than Scriptural infidelity.

Just like the butterfly effect, the effects of Reformation Day on the worldwide church have been traumatic, if we are honest. It gave way to the immediate multiplication of more divisions based upon personal readings of Scripture that led to persecution even within the Reformation camp itself!

How quickly we forget the atrocities…Anabaptists were being drowned for their belief in immersion baptism…people were being burned at the stake for their differing views on the Lord’s Supper…

Seriously. These realities were a part of the results of the Reformation (no matter whose fault they are) and we still desire to celebrate Reformation Day?

And that does not even count the ridiculous divisiveness we see in the church today that are mostly results of a reformation movement that eventually gave way to the justification of division based upon secondary issues of personal preference in interpretation of Scripture (including the explicit racial division that exists!). Is it the Reformers faults that such division has been caused? No. Is it still a reality that exists largely because of the movement they led? Yes.

So are you saying we should just refuse to acknowledge Reformation Day at all?

No I am not. Remember earlier in this post I acknowledged the differences between mourning and celebration. And this is where I would say that Reformation Day should be acknowledged, but should be done with sobriety and realism.

It should not be a celebration of achievement. It should not be a celebration of victory. And it certainly should not be a celebration of advancement.

We should appreciate the contributions of the Reformers. We should appreciate the context in which the Reformation happened and the positives that came from it (like Scripture being translated into native languages!). And we should look to the Reformation as a reminder of the importance of Scriptural Christianity.

But in all of that, we should not forget that ultimately the Reformation was about a division in God’s people that eventually would fracture His people into a multiplicity of divisions (mostly based upon personal preference or secondary issues). So as much as we would like to divorce the results from the cause, the reality is still there: the Reformation began a period in the church unlike any other – where our differences became what we were known for rather than our similarities.

And this should make us sad.

And that sadness should propel us to seek healing (in our circles of influence) for the brokenness and division that has for too long existed in the church. We should lay down denominational names, theological distinctions, and personal preferences where appropriate and find ways to serve & worship together.

And even more boldly, we should combine our congregations with other congregations, and our denominations with other denominations, in order to once again move back toward the displayed unity that the body of Christ once had – to the best degree we can. If there is going to be necessary division, those divisions should be few and far between – and they should definitely not be what we are known for.

And most importantly, we should pray the very prayer that Jesus prayed for us:

“May [we] experience such perfect unity that the world will know that [God] sent [Jesus] and that [He] loves them…” – John 17:23, NLT [my adaptations]

The Pastor’s Greatest Enemy

It was one of the most pronounced encounters with the Holy Spirit of my life because I knew that I had crossed a line in my relationship with God.

I have shared this story in a couple of places, but I will share it again here for those who may not be familiar with it. It is the best example I have of what can happen to those of us called to vocational ministry if we are not watchful over our lives. I actually give thanks to God for his grace in teaching me through the events you will read below about how wrong my thinking was with regard to my place in God’s great plan.

I was 19 years old and had accepted the position as Interim Pastor of a small, country church. I want to say from the outset that this was a wonderful church filled with some of the finest folks I have ever known. This is not a story about them exactly even though God used the intersection of our paths to teach me an important lesson.

My responsibilities were to preach on Sunday morning and evening and to teach a Wednesday night bible study. At the time I was trying to figure out what I should be doing because I knew God had called me into full-time ministry. At the campus ministry where I was involved, I saw an advertisement had been posted for someone to come and preach. After some “encouragement” (a story for another day) I called and made plans to go and preach. For the next three weeks, I was asked to return and preach the following week. After the fourth week, I told the members (all 7 of them) that I would continue to preach until they were able to find someone to take over the position full-time. I was still in school and did not feel that I should take on the church.

Everything was going wonderfully (or so I thought). After several months I was growing frustrated because I felt that my talents were being wasted in this small, country church. I decided to vent to my dad as I was driving home one Wednesday night. I can’t remember if I actually said these words, but they capture the sentiment from which I was speaking. To summarize, I was essentially telling my dad, “I am too good for this place.”

Even now as I write those words it is shocking how pretentious and arrogant they are. But that is how I was feeling at the ripe old age of 20. My dad reminded me that I wouldn’t be there forever; that God was using that small church to help teach me some things about preaching and ministry. I don’t remember everything he said, but I do remember not being entirely satisfied with his words.

A few days later it was Sunday again. The service was going as normal. We typically sang a song before the message and this morning a song I had never heard before was chosen. It is called “Little Is Much If God Is In It” by Kittle L. Suffield.

Here is a rendition of that song by The Gaither Vocal Band.

They do a much better version of the song than I heard that day. However, I can tell you, as God is my witness, I will never forget how the Holy Spirit used that moment and that song to absolutely take a wrecking ball to my pride.

In particular, the second verse brought on me such a heavy weight of conviction after the things I had said and thought in the days prior, that I began to weep. I lost all control. It was one of the most pronounced encounters with the Holy Spirit of my life because I knew that I had crossed a line in my relationship with God. I could not deny it and I accepted the burden of my shame. I had not only been disobedient, I had become rebellious against God’s purposes in my life.

The second verse goes like this:

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.

Refrain:
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown, and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

After that day, I made a promise to God. I told God that I would NEVER hold back in my preaching or shy away from any opportunity to share the Gospel. I promised to never look at the numbers and determine how good I was going to preaching. If all I was called to preach to were 7 (as was the case in that small church), I would preach with everything within me. And if it was to 700 or 7,000, I would preach with the same energy and passion. I have not gone back on my promise.

If you are a pastor or called to some form of vocational ministry, you have a great enemy. But, that enemy does not exist “out there.” That enemy is that small voice that keeps telling you that some task is beneath you. It is that feeling that you are too good for some assignment or that you are too talented to listen to someone of lesser ability. That is not the posture of a servant of God.

Your calling is a gift to you. God did not have to call you, but he did. But your calling is also a gift to those to whom you are sent. When you accept an assignment you are there to take what God has placed within you and share it with others.

That is why when we hold back we are doing harm to both them and us. We harm those we serve because we deny them the best we can offer. And, we harm ourselves because we grieve God with our disobedience, causing a rift in our relationship with him.

I want to encourage you to not give ground or to give in to this enemy. Never forget that where you are is where you are supposed to be. God is at work if we are available to work alongside.

I’ll say this as final thought. It’s something my dad says frequently: “I want to be so available to God that he has no choice but to use me.” That has become a helpful reminder to me.

How about you? How available are you to God?

Confessions of a Functional Deist

Sometimes we assume too much about how far we have traveled down the road of spiritual maturity.

Sometimes we assume too much about how far we have traveled down the road of spiritual maturity. We assume that we have gone farther than we actually have. We talk with too much confidence about what we know; pretend at having more insight than we actually possess; greater wisdom than we have actually attained. I know that has been a part of my story. I have learned a few lessons along the way, but I try and remind myself that if I am not careful I can slip back into bad patterns of living.
Continue reading “Confessions of a Functional Deist”

Selective Outrage and the god named “Social Media”

If you claim to be a Christian, and if you cannot separate your feelings about an issue from your feelings about a person or people, then we have a problem.

If you frequent social media then selective outrage is not a new concept for you, because you are constantly flooded with examples of it…

I actually posted on Facebook about this over a year ago. Remember when Harambe was killed? I bet you haven’t thought about that in a long time due the amount of outrage that has popped up since then. Well here is some of what I said:

“This new culture of selective outrage is about the dumbest thing since the Roman Coliseum. Basically our culture has returned to the ignorance of the masses that existed in the Roman Empire. We are the most school educated and socially ignorant society that has ever existed up to this point. We know a lot of things about everything, except how people should actually live together. Technology has simply reverted us to a place of base humanity. We’ve become barbaric in how we treat one another and react to our fellow humans. We can’t hold normal conversations about serious issues anymore. And that’s just sad. We should all be sad.

“I wish people were this passionate about things that mattered in life. Like their marriages, and families, and Jesus. If we had this sort of passion about seeing our world actually be a place where people are loved, supported, and matured – then maybe we wouldn’t have ever had this incident to begin with. Maybe we could redirect all this wasted energy into something productive? Here’s to hoping…”

Here is the common denominator in all our cultural social media wars:

Most seem to care deeply about our opinions on current issues (and boldly declare to everyone where we stand).

Few seem to care deeply about the people we disagree with about that issue (and typically try to demonize those people).

This is evidence of our worship of Social Media as we use it to promote ourselves at the cost of others.

Concerning the first 2 statements:

If you claim to be a Christian, and if you cannot separate your feelings about an issue from your feelings about a person or people, then we have a problem. And likely, you should be concerned that you may not have the Spirit of God in your life – or at least not leading your life. Before you go attacking me about this, let’s look at what God has to say.

Here is a quick overview of a few Scriptures that teach us about quarreling, fighting, being angry, and name calling – which are all aspects of our current culture of selective outrage:

Proverbs 20:3 [NLT] – “Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.”

Matthew 5:22 [NLT] – “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.”

Romans 13:9-14 [NLT] – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law…Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ…”

2 Timothy 2:23 [NLT] – “Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights.”

So we must watch ourselves closely. Mostly because our selective outrage not only affects our witness as Christians to the world, but also reveals a lot about what is inside of us. And because too many of us think that just because we can do something, that we should – but that is false, and un-Biblical (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Concerning the 3^rd statement:

Christian, stop worshiping at the altar of your Social Media.

You might feel like that is harsh. But I am speaking to all of us as modern American Christians – myself at the top of the list.

We have bowed our knees and lives to the god of Social Media. How do I know?

Where do we run when we feel lonely?

Where do we look when we are seeking affirmation?

Where do we go to share our concerns, our needs, our desires, and our questions?

Where do we spend the majority of our time throughout the day?

You would think Paul taught us to check social media “without ceasing” instead of praying…

The root of our sin

If you think this is difficult to hear, I know. It hit me first! I am only sharing what I have been feeling God confronting me with in my own life. But we need to think deeply about what Social Media is doing to us and how it is distracting us!

The sinfulness of selective outrage is rampant among believers on Social Media. And if you think God is just overlooking these actions, you are wrong. If you think God is ignoring what you post, the anger with which you comment, or the condemnation you feel when you share or re-tweet, then you are sadly mistaken.

We have allowed this to go on for too long without confronting and rebuking this sin. And what is the sin at the core of this issue? Pride.

The desire to be heard. The desire to be seen. The desire to be right. The desire to be popular. The desire to be like God and stand in judgment of those we deem beneath us.

I know this sin well because I constantly have to identify it in my own life and overcome it by the Spirit’s power. It’s like a lion that we keep in a cage like a pet, when what we should do is kill it. But we don’t, because whether we admit it or not, we kind of like how it make us feel when we let it out to play.

Social Media, and more so your pride, is killing you from the inside out. And your use of social media might be influencing other people’s eternities, as they see someone who calls themselves a Christian and yet behaves like the Devil’s second cousin on social media. Watch out my brothers and sisters that you do not cause someone to stumble on account of your pride. Heed these words from Jesus’ own brother:

James 3:2-12 – “For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

“We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

“But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

“People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

So what does Christian love look like in the era of social media selective outrage?

If Jesus had a social media profile, I’m pretty sure he would see all of the hatred Christians are spreading with their participation in the current culture of selective outrage and call us “white-washed tombs” (Matthew 23:27).

Matthew 23:28 [NLT] – “Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy…”

A Christian approach to what is happening has to look different than what we are seeing. It should look like taming our tongue: not commenting on someone’s status you are angry about, not posting about a divisive issue just so people can know your opinion, not sharing articles and memes that are clearly filled with hate, and so on.

It looks like compassionately listening to people and putting ourselves into their situation. Not immediately reacting based upon your own opinions, judgments, presuppositions, or preferences. But taking time to live as Jesus lived – “eating and drinking” (Luke 7:34) with those we disagree and are looking to understand.

It looks like laying down our lives, rights, and feelings, so that we might display for the world the same love that Christ displayed for us.

The Value of a Valuable Bible

Last week I bought the most expensive Bible I have ever purchased.

Last week I bought the most expensive Bible I have ever purchased. It is the Crossway ESV Heirloom Legacy Bible. You can get one here if you are so inclined. It retails for $275, but it was on sale. I had some money saved up for the possibility of getting it.

I don’t normally make purchases like this. There are so many cheaper options. We don’t even need physical bible’s anymore. We can read the bible in any translation we want in a matter of seconds on our smart devices. However, I am starting to wonder about the wisdom of that. I have come to realize that there is something wonderful in holding God’s word in my hands.

I had been considering buying an heirloom bible for quite a while. So, I finally bit the bullet and got it. The main reason I wanted a “heirloom” bible is so that I could gift it to my girls. It is going to be one that I will read, write in, and pass on to them. I will be getting a second bible (later on though) to be able to gift one to both of my children.

It is a beautiful bible. It is an amazing work of craftmanship. It feels great in my hands, which is a plus, and I look forward to reading it for years to come.

But, there is something that has happened as I have been reading from it over the last week. It really is something rather odd. Something I did not anticipate or even expect. I have come to value the fact of having a bible more because of this purchase. I cherish having access to the Scriptures; having the privilege of reading God’s very words to me more because of the value of the bible.

The quality of the materials has heightened my awareness of my need to see the scriptures as having far greater worth than I normally ascribe to them. (I feel bad even writing that last line. But, it’s true.) This rather ordinary decision has elevated my sense of the worth of the words that these physical materials convey to me. I did not expect that. But, it happened.

We have such a privilege in America to have access to God’s word. We have so much access that we actually take it for granted. I give thanks to God for opening my eyes to this terrible oversight. It should not have taken buying a valuable bible to see the value of the Bible. But it did.

I want to challenge you to grab your bible right now, to hold it in your hands and give God thanks for allowing you to have access to his word. Don’t take it for granted!

Video Spotlight | “God Himself” by Matthew Smith

The promise of God’s comfort is so wonderful that it really is beyond description.

I found this song simple and beautiful. Take a few minutes and meditate on the message.

The promise of God’s comfort is so wonderful that it really is beyond description. I love the way this song points to it without trying to explain it.

Lyrics:

In the day when silent sorrow
Seems to shake me to the core
Then I hear the heavenly comfort,
“You will weep no more.”

God Himself will dry your tears
God Himself will soothe your fears

In the day when earthly weakness
Weighs your weary spirit down
All around you seems a burden
All above you seems a frown

God Himself will dry your tears
God Himself will soothe your fears

In the day when sin oppresses
And the battle rages strong
When the victory seems doubtful
Or triumphant seems the wrong

God Himself will dry your tears
God Himself will soothe your fears
God Himself will dry your tears
God Himself will soothe your fears

Oh I hear the heavenly comfort,
“You will weep no more.”

Worship is the Result, Not the Cause

Most of the people who attend worship services have become consumers of worship rather than the producers of it within the local church.

Since I have been tasked with leading worship at my church, I have given significant time to think about the topic of worship. During this time, I have found the biggest issue I find being discussed (in one way or another) that most churches face in the area of worship can be boiled down to one issue: We have allowed the congregation to become the audience rather than the performers of worship. Whether intentionally or not this has been the trend. And it is a trend that must be changed.
Continue reading “Worship is the Result, Not the Cause”

3 Failures That Charlottesville Revealed about the Church’s Approach to Justice

The Church is supposed to be the greatest agent of change in the world. However, as it relates to the “justice” conversation in our culture, the Church’s voice is not resonating.

Now that we have some space between us and the events of Charlottesville, I want to share some thoughts about how we, as the Church in America, got here. Where exactly am I talking about? I am talking about our position on the outside of the conversation of Justice looking in. I am talking about how we find ourselves reacting to the events in Charlottesville, and events like Charlottesville after the fact.
Continue reading “3 Failures That Charlottesville Revealed about the Church’s Approach to Justice”

Will Anything Actually Change?

I’ll be honest, I’ve struggled with whether to post anything about the recent events in Charlottesville surrounding race.

Partly because so many have already posted wonderful responses.

Partly because I wanted to do more than just react.

But mostly because I have been wondering to myself: “Will anything actually change?”

Some of my skepticism comes from my awareness that the sinfulness of humanity is ever present in our world. But some of it also comes because nowadays there’s a lot of “correct talk” that is happening and yet still so little action.

I’m certainly appalled at the actions of white supremacists – just like I am at any group that seeks division based upon racial lines. But you know what I’m also appalled at: the continued and unquestioned racial division within our churches (especially those of popular and visible church leaders who have spoken out about this event).

I’m sorry, but it’s honestly difficult for me to take seriously the words of a public Christian figure who has shown little or no attempt in their own ministry context to help bring racial reconciliation to our country. It just seems like we are in a place where there are people who are saying the right thing (like the child who answers “Jesus” to the question in the Sunday School class) but don’t actually understand what they’re saying.

If we really believe that racism is evil (and it certainly is), then we would be doing everything possible to eliminate its effects from our churches. For example, we would work to remove the deeply ingrained effects of some denominations and congregations that were created based solely upon racial division!

Yet, instead, I continue to see the majority of our churches filled with mostly one race or another. I continue to watch leadership of these churches being unwilling to give up their spotlight in order to let someone of a different cultural heritage or ethnicity step on stage. I continue to hear from church people more concerned with keeping things the way they’ve always been or the way they’re comfortable with, rather than exploring the way it could be (or really should be) for a true people of God, genuinely filled with the Spirit, to join to together in one body. And I continue to see people who are merely too lazy or simply unwilling to seek the change they know needs to happen.

I guess that’s why I’ve held off until now to post. Because I’m still not sure whether Christians who have spoken out so far actually care enough to start doing something about a problem that’s been right in front of their eyes for their whole life.

I only recently entered into attempts in my own life and ministry to seek racial unity within the body of Christ. In our own little community there is a stark history with racial division (I mean “crossing the tracks” still means something here…). Well we have been seeking to create a new community of diverse believers that are willing to explore what it will look like for the future of the American church to no longer choose race as a valid division. Yes, there is the difficulty of creating a new shared culture, but unless we start that process somewhere then it’s never going to happen!

And the irony of the church being divided based upon race is that it’s the one group of people that have the key to this entire issue! The Gospel unifies humanity in a way that was never possible before (Ephesians 2). We become a people with a shared story, a family with a shared Father, and a place of worship inhabited by a shared Spirit!

This brings several tough questions to mind for me:

Will Christians and the church actually be the example of unity and love we talk about being? Or will we continue to stay in our comfort zones and justify it because of “racial differences”?

Will there actually be leaders bold enough to risk their popularity, job, size of the church and/or personal preference in order to really live into the “new humanity” described in Scripture? Or will we simply give the same party line about worship style differences (as if that in and of itself is not simply more evidence of unaddressed racial division in our society)?

Will churches finally repent of their sin, turn from their selfishness, and begin to partner with those who they have for so long perceived to be different because of race? Will we begin to create new unified expressions of church that actually represent our diverse God by displaying for the world a diverse people of God who are united in Christ by the Spirit? Or will we continue in our culturally created versions of the Christian faith that we deem meaningful when they might be perpetuating the divide that we verbally say we are against?

Maybe I’m wrong to be so blunt. Or maybe something in what I said is actually incorrect. I am open to being corrected and informed if so. But if not, if all we continue to do is say the right things and never actually change anything, then aren’t we all simply complicit in the racism that we have in this moment so strongly verbally opposed?

MLK Jr. challenged us in a similar way over 50 years ago (so why is it taking us so long to heed his words?!):

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity…Over the bleached bones and jumbled residue of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: “Too late.” …

We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace…If we do not act we shall surely be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.

Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter – but beautiful – struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message, of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.”

An Open Letter to the Church in America Regarding Charlottesville

I am writing this letter because I am becoming convinced that these kinds of events will happen more, not less, if we don’t go to the source.

To the Saints of God found in the United States of America,

I greet you as one also called out of the darkness of sin and into the glorious light of our God and King Jesus Christ. May the grace of our Heavenly Father fill you to overflowing and the comfort of the Spirit build between us the bonds of peace. Continue reading “An Open Letter to the Church in America Regarding Charlottesville”