To quote myself

I'm in the final week or so of my first semester of seminary. I am currently writing my final paper for my Christian Ethics class and I'm enjoying the topic. We have been asked to evaluate the implications of having an American flag in a church sanctuary. Here's the introduction. I don't know if I will keep it or not, but it's worth posting.

The American flag is the symbol of the United States and its presence in a church sanctuary becomes troublesome. It is the symbol of American freedom. It has been carried into battle, laid over coffins, flown in front of buildings, and entire books have been written about flag etiquette. As citizens we are not allowed to burn the flag or fly it at night without a light shining on it. It is something so valued and cherished, one would think that the American flag was an actual person. We treat the flag as if it has feelings and that it should sit down and have a conversation with us.

This has been an easy paper to write so far, but that's because it's one topic that has been brewing in my brain for a few years. It's nice to get it all on paper. We'll see how it goes.

Preaching in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the Ends of the Earth

Lately I’ve been reading through Acts. I have just started my first ministry job in Richmond and I decided to get back to the roots of the church and read Acts. It’s been worth another read. It’s amazing to see the effect that the resurrection and Pentecost had on these early believers. At the end of some of the passages I would scratch my head and wonder, who are these people? What were they thinking?
The first verse that hit me in the first chapter of Acts was this one:

“But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

I know that I’ve skimmed over this verse and didn’t make much of it. It’s easy to pinpoint the geographic interpretation of this command from Jesus. Jerusalem is their home town, Judea is their homeland, Samaria is their neighbor, and the ends of the earth is the Roman Empire. Rome was the only known world at the time. Usually I’ve interpreted this geographically and just went to the next verse. But not this time.

This time I began to see the real implications and difficulty that this verse presents to these early believers. Where were the believers preaching in Jerusalem? The temple, of course. The same temple that ordered Jesus crucifixion. I can’t imagine trying to preach in such a hostile environment. The Jewish leaders thought they got rid of Jesus and his following, but now the followers are preaching in their temples. That takes some guts.
Judea is also not easy to preach in either, because of the Judaism. Many Jews were wrapped up in the laws of the Judaism and to hear a message of grace and forgiveness is totally foreign to them. The new believers and the young church had a lot of undoing to do. To tell the Jewish people that the Law of Moses really doesn’t mean a hill of beans in comparison to God’s grace is no easy task. But they did it.

Samaria is Judea’s neighbor. The Jews hated these people because essentially Samaritans took a little bit of Judaism, but not all of it. Jesus even used the illustration of the good Samaritan to drive home a point about prejudice and hatred. I can’t imagine that the Samaritans liked the Jews either. The Jews and Samaritans probably hated each other. And now Jesus tells these new believers to go preach to the people they hate. And to the people who hate them. Not an easy task either. But they did it.

That leaves the last part of the verse which refers to the ends of the earth. To these early Christians the end of the earth was the Roman Empire and the rest of the unknown. The Roman Empire was the known world to them and Rome looked down upon the Jewish people because they were usually troublesome to deal with. The Jewish people hated the Romans too and were even expecting Jesus to deliver them from Roman control. Jesus has now asked the believers to preach to people that oppress them. Go tell someone who despises you about God’s grace. And they do it. They actually do it.

Who are these people? They’re preaching to the very people who crucified Jesus, to the people they hate and hate them, and to the people who oppress them. There’s nothing simple or romantic about this. These people seem to be downright crazy. All of this just shows how much of a hold the Holy Spirit has on these people. Pentecost is the key ingredient here. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, the church would not have made it. All of this just blew my mind when I realized the implications of this command to preach in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. It’s inspiring and mind blowing all at the same time.

Jesus' Mother and the Impact of her Pregnancy

One of the things that really stands out to me about Jesus is how he treats women. After reevaluating the story of the woman caught in adultery, I’ve recently had another conclusion about it all. Look at his mother. Mary was pregnant before marriage and was most likely ridiculed and even hated. She probably faced harsh criticism and public scorn. Her calling to bear the Christ child was very difficult. She was probably isolated from some of her friends and stared down when she was in public. His father Joseph, didn’t reject Mary, instead he made her his wife. He obeyed God’s command and went against public opinion.

Don’t you think that Jesus saw a glimpse of his mother when he saw this woman caught in adultery? All the public scorn and rejection of her probably seemed very similar to some of the stories Jesus grew up with. I really think he had a soft spot for her because of his parents. Jesus probably faced some rejection himself just because Mary was unmarried when she was pregnant with him. After all, not all Jews believed he was the Christ child. Some may have thought he was just a polite, illegitimate child. Jesus grew up in a household in which his mother was probably rejected by society and he may have faced it too. No wonder He continually has a soft spot for women all throughout his ministry.

I suppose that I’ve overlooked this reality because I am only just beginning to see the human aspects of Christ. He really suffered emotionally. He didn’t spend his ministry gliding along from crisis to crisis without any of it bothering him. Sometimes I want to paint this eternal smile on his face and pretend that his life was easy. It certainly was not.

Lastly, I think it’s incredible that even while in the womb, Jesus was turning the world upside down. The way in which his mother conceived him through the Holy Spirit and how that was perceived in the community, was a huge event full of impact. It impacted his community and his earthly ministry.

Head scratching stuff

One of the biggest issues that has come up in my theology is that of Biblical inerrancy. What does it mean? Who says what? and How to come to a laymen's term answer are all questions that instantly pop into my mind. One of the most obvious things that I have noticed is that the arguments folks use to prove that the Bible is inerrant are very difficult to get my head around. I do know that there are key pieces of scripture that are used to prove the Bible's inerrancy.

One of the key passages in the Bible inerrancy question is this one:

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Matthew 5:18

First of all, what is the law? That's a very basic question isn't it? Could it be the law of Moses? The entire Bible itself? Maybe?

I do believe that Jesus gave a purpose to the law of Moses and that purpose is such: That it showed humanity's weakness and inabililty to follow God on their own. We're completely incapable of being everything that he wants us to be without Christ. Since this is the purpose of the law of Moses, then I do not think that's the law that Jesus is referring to here. It's purpose has been accomplished. It was accomplished then and it is accomplished now. It told the Hebrews back then how incapable they were and it still shows us today how incapable we are. There's got to be a bigger picture here.

I don't think that Jesus is referring to the entire Bible in this passage because that doesn't fit the context. The entire Bible has not been canonized by this point in history. Obviously he can't be talking about the entire Bible here. (And this is something that others would argue against, I know)

However it is important to look at the context of this passage. Jesus is getting ready to reinterpret the Hebrew scriptures. The verses that follow contain the words, 'You have heard..., but I tell you....'. Jesus provides his interpretation of the law. I believe that this is the law he's referring to here. Not Mosaic law, not the entire Bible, but the law that he gives us as he reinterprets scripture.

Okay, so now what. All of Jesus' law has to be accomplished. Everything He gives us to do is impossible to accomplish. He takes the Mosaic law and makes it even harder to follow.

Exactly.

I think His law is accomplished when I am in a relationship with him. Grace is the new factor that wasn't present here. When all of humanity realizes how much we are in desperate need of grace, then the law will be accomplished. I think that this will happen at the final end, when God reveals Himself.

I just think this passage has more to it that just face value interpretation. I don't think it proves that the Bible is inerrant, I think it proves God's grace. Isn't that the purpose of scripture? To see God and his judgement and mercy? Isn't it?

Feel free to comment. Even if you think I'm a heretic. I'm interested to see what people think.

Paul's frustrations

I know that I have been ignoring this blog for the past few months and there are good reasons for it. First of all I didn’t know what to write anymore, because I was so emotionally, mentally, and spiritually drained. I needed to hide out for a little while to have some time for myself and God. I needed and still need a break from ministry, because I was on the verge of a huge burnout. I am moving in a good direction at this point, and I’m excited to see what is in store for me. Another big reason was that I didn’t just want to put political opinions or denominational rants on here. There may be some, but I don’t want to get too involved with that. Some of the denominational rants hit a little too close to home for me and I am deliberately trying to be careful here. I’m trying. They will probably come out of me sometimes, but I really just want to put ideas about scripture on here. Mostly what I want to write about is what hits my brain when I open the Bible in the morning. Besides, that’s the stuff I get excited about.

All that being stated, one of the topics that I kept coming across after I graduated is the topic of the Universal Church and the Body of Christ. I decided to read Philippians a few months ago and I noticed that it’s full of Paul’s frustrations. This letter is all about working together as a Body of Christ. At the beginning of the letter it is evident that he’s shaking his head and trying bravely to be positive,

What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true, and in that I rejoice. Philippians 1:18

Sometimes I think we fantasize that Paul lives in a Disney movie and that he’s just a great guy and nothing ever bothers him. He lives in chains, converts Roman guards, and does it all while all the birds are singing and skipping through the ancient world. But that is not the case at all. This verse in particular contains a tone of resignation in my opinion. It’s as if he’s throwing his hands in the air and desperately trying to be positive. After all, in the previous verse he informs the reader that some proclaim Christ, ‘out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment’. Now this is not to say that Christians try to make other Christians’ lives miserable, because that is another argument on another blog. However, it is to say that Paul is really suffering at the hands of his fellow ‘family’ members and he’s trying to be the bigger person.

I know firsthand how complicated the Christian Church is today. I am a Baptist after all, and we definitely know how to complicate things. I think that this verse and the context of it just makes Paul more real to me and it gives me hope. Because if Paul could find comfort, then maybe I can too.

Jesus Christ? A Cause?

Why is Christianity a cause? Why is it considered to be something to fight for? Is Jesus Christ my savior or my cause? I think that’s the fundamental question here. Did Jesus Christ die a horrible painful death for one such as I so he can be my cause? I think not. That idea simply does not settle with me, because that is not who Jesus is to me.

The one fact that I would like to point out here is that Jesus has already overcome the world. He did that on the cross. There is nothing that us Christians need to worry about because Jesus has already overcome the world. No fear needed. No battling needed. There is no reason to live our lives like our religion is better than all the others, and that our denomination is better than others, and that we have all the answers. Because these are all lies. I may think that my religion is better than all the others, and that’s simply because I haven’t found anything better. There’s no room for arrogance. As far as denominations go, there are good reasons for having them, but there is no room for arrogance in the church. We all need each other whether we like it or not. I know for a fact that not all Christians have their lives together. There’s no pretending or hiding from this fact.

Maybe I am just a party pooper, but I am tired of trying to be sympathetic to this type of warrior Christianity simply because of the implications of it. It means that as Christians we are warriors and that we have to fight for Jesus. However, that war has been overcome and done. So what is there left to prove? Jesus proved himself didn’t he? Another implication of this is that warrior theology implies that what I do for Christ is really important. He may have died on the Christ and rose again, but I am going to stand up and convert all my friends. I am just that important and significant.

Maybe not.

I think that the real truth that is missing from this warrior theology is that Jesus did not ask us to fight for him. He asked us to let him in and to let Him transform us into something more like Him. In the process of this transformation, we are to realize how unwarrior-like we are and to see how weak and small we truly are.

We need to simply be and not worry so much about how much we do. I can do all the good things in the world in His name, and its not going to matter if Jesus is not everything to me. Jesus needs to be my being and to be inside of me. That’s all that matters.

Why are there so many swords? Why do we really think that we can make a difference? There’s a whole evil world out there and we weren’t asked to take it by storm. We were asked to serve others, love others, and to follow our Christ wherever he takes us. To me this is a more daunting prospect than fighting for conversions.

The real Jesus

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately and I came across something in one of Phillip Yancey’s book, The Jesus I Never Knew. One minor side note that he includes is about what he thought Jesus looked like when Yancey was a child. He remembers Jesus portrayed as a friendly guy, with nice eyes, and generally attractive features. He always saw the peaceful Jesus talking to the children and feeding the five thousand. Yancey later discovers the other non peaceful side of Jesus when he gets angry with the money changers in the temple.
Another discovery that Yancey writes about is the physical appearance of Jesus himself. In the pictures we have of him it is apparent that we tend to like our Jesus tall, charming, endearing eyes, definitely not overweight, and generally attractive. God forbid that our savior of the world look fat, chubby, and with a stubby beard. Oh no, that simply would not do. We like Jesus to have all the features that we value and are important to us. The truth of the matter is that Jesus had no home other than his mother’s home; he was dirt poor, and hung out with all the ‘wrong’ people. He was not what we would think of as successful in today’s world. Jesus was not a part of the status rat race that pervades our very materialistic society. He had bigger problems, like the furtherance of his Father’s kingdom.
Just something for everyone to chew on. I really thought it was worth a posting.