I don't know if intentionality is a real word. But i'm using it. Because it fits. And i can.
I am currently called by the Lord my God to live single. I have felt this calling on my life ever since just over a year ago, at the beginning of my junior year of college. You can read more about that decision if you want here and here. It was at a time when i really felt the Lord calling me to a deeper walk of discipleship with Him, to devote my life more fully and completely to His purposes. I read 1 Corinthians 7, the famous passage where Paul talks about living celibate for the sake of Christ. He talks about how if one is called to live single, then they can devote more of themselves to the Lord's service and to ministry, without having their interests divided between a family and ministry, and i thought Yes! This is great! This is what i want to do! Serve God fully! And when i committed myself to not pursuing dating in order to try and discern God's call on my life, it was fantastic. My relationships with female friends grew immensely, and this time with pure motives on my part, and i just had a better outlook on life.
A year later, and i'm struggling. At the end of this past summer, i decided that i needed to renew my commitment for another year, because i had been slacking off. And so far this semester, it has been one large struggle to maintain a pure heart and mind in intentionally being single. My old thoughts and habits have begun to return to me. Doubt crept in. Did i rush into renewing this commitment? Am i just supposed to get married and stop trying so hard, when all i do is fail?
This week is a spiritual emphasis week here on our campus, about Living Single for the Lord. It is being put on by the same monastic community that i visited last J-term, and i learned an immeasurable amount about living single from them. Through having them here, God has reminded me why He called me to this in the first place--for the sake of ministry. I haven't been called to live single for this time in my life just for kicks and giggles. I've been called for a purpose. I have been called out so that my life can be more fully devoted to the Lord's service. This is what i'd forgotten. This is what i'd been missing, and why i'd been struggling. I was missing the intention behind the action.
As Christians, we are all called for the purpose of sharing and spreading the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the world, investing ourselves in the Kingdom of God and showing the love and light of Christ to all those around us. We can do that whether we're dating, married, widowed, or single. It's just a matter of serving this purpose the best you can in whatever situation you are in. But those who have been specifically set aside for singleness have the purpose of being single-mindedly devoted to this work. I've been missing out on the intentionality and the purpose of what i've been called to. My heart has not been focused and devoted to the Lord throughout this discernment process, which makes the whole process kind of pointless.
We are all called to live with intention. We are all called to one purpose. We are called to live deliberately serving the Kingdom, not just by accident or just when we feel like it. But all the time, on purpose, for a purpose. Some are called in different ways than others. But our purpose remains the same, all glory to God.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My First Philosophical Musing
Going through my philosophy notes in preparation for my midterm tomorrow, i came across something we did the very first day of class. We were asked to distinguish between facts and values. Nothing ever really came of this (i think it was just intended to make us start thinking philosophically), but i rather liked the definition i came up with:
Facts are knowledge about reality.
Values are the reality of our worldview.
Interesting to think about. Back to studying for me.
Facts are knowledge about reality.
Values are the reality of our worldview.
Interesting to think about. Back to studying for me.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Of Foundations and Blessings
Last week was a week of incredible learning for me. It was a week of incredible shame and growth (i hope). It was a week where part of my foundation was revealed, and it was not what i thought it would be. Which was at the same time scary and wonderful.
It started last weekend when i went to go visit my good friend Austin in Columbus. On the way there, just outside of Columbus, i got into a tiny car wreck, in which i rear-ended someone, who rear-ended someone else at a stop light. Everyone was fine, and insurance is taking care of the damage, but as it was my fault, i got a citation for it. Fortunately, the officer there told me he could have held me in custody until i could pay the ticket, since i was an out-of-towner, but he was gracious with me and didn't. Now typically, a $130 traffic citation isn't that big of a deal, you just pay it and you don't have to show up for your court date and all is well. But this happened to come at a time when i was completely broke.
I had about $15 to my name. And my family is just about as broke as i am, with both parents, for all intents and purposes, out of work--so they couldn't help me. And then it happened that money i thought i had coming to me pretty soon, wasn't. I thought i would be getting my scholarship check from the church i interned at this past summer any day now, but when i emailed my pastor, he said that they were having trouble rounding up the money, and they might have to split up the checks, but they would definitely get it all to me by the end of the year, 2009. When i read those words, my heart, and my hope, started to sink. I had no options. Suddenly a small ticket turns into a big deal if you have no way to pay for it, and you know that they will come and arrest you if you don't pay in time.
This all started to come crashing down on me on Tuesday of last week. This is when i started to realize that i had no options, i was broke, and this might end with me getting arrested. I started to panic. I'd never been in a situation like this before. I didn't know what to do. I cried multiple times that day, and was praying about it all day, crying out to God because it felt like i was cornered in the ring and about to go down. Cornered, helpless, and panicking--these weren't feelings i was used to.
And all the time, i was thinking to myself, Why am i getting so worked up about all this? I knew that Christ was my source of hope and life and that i was never helpless with Him on my side. I knew that. I knew that verse that said how beautiful and well taken care of the birds and the flowers are, and since i am so much more important than them, why should i worry? I knew that God was always with me, would never leave me nor forsake me. So why was i acting like this?
It occurred to me then, in the midst of all this stress, that maybe the Lord was trying to show me something about myself. My foundation has not been built solely on Him or the authority of His Word. A big part of my foundation has always been my comfort. My security. I've never been rich or well off or wanted to live with high standards, but i've always had money available to me if i needed it. There is a great security in that. There is a great security in knowing that, even if i don't have much money, still i have enough. I've never been attached to money or been materialistic or greedy, and was always fine with living simply, but just knowing that it was there was enough for me.
This struck me like a bag of bricks. My foundation has been built on something other than Christ.
This is sin. This is idolatry. And i've allowed it to become a foundational part of who i am. This is a big deal. And i think that shook me up more than anything. But at the same time, i was so grateful. Grateful that this was happening now, and that this sin was being revealed now. I posted on my facebook status something to the effect of "sometimes the house has to be shaken in order for the foundation to be revealed." And my friend Brian replied, "I'd rather be shaken sooner than later - to reveal any weakness before things get built too high!" So true. God chose through this extremely stressful occasion to reveal to me the quality and make-up of my foundation at this time in my life, before i continued to build and build on top of it until it would cause irreparable damage. The truth of Matthew 6:24 really hit me here:
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
Since last Tuesday, God has blessed me abundantly. Whether through the generosity of friends or mentors, or from earning money where i didn't expect to, the Lord has provided me with much more than i needed. Last Wednesday, i had lunch with my campus pastor, and told him how stressed i had been because of this situation, and he stopped and pulled out his wallet, handing me $130 right there. I was flabbergasted (always a fun word to use) at this, until he reminded me that, we always seem so astounded when things like this happen, but we forget that this is what the Body of Christ is for--to support each other and be there for each other in need. Last week i was definitely blessed by the Body of Christ, receiving much more than i needed. And just today, i checked my campus mail and in it was my check from Good Shepherd, in full, and it was actually more than i was expecting.
God is so good, and so faithful to provide for His children when they are in need. Sometimes we need to be shaken in order for our weaknesses to be revealed. Sometimes we need to trust in a power beyond our own. And another lesson i've learned from this is that we are only blessed so that we can bless others. Money is only a blessing if you use it for the glory of God. I pray that God has received the glory due to Him through my situation, through the money that i have received, if only so that we can praise Him for His goodness to us. But also, i pray that He is glorified by showing me how i can bless others through what i have received. I submit this story to you, not to prove that God will always provide you with money if you need it, or to say that my life is so much better now that i have money. But i pray that together we can praise God for being a God of provision, being a God of faithfulness, and being a God of hard truths. I give this story for His Kingdom's sake, praying that God will be praised and the Body of Christ will be built up in the Spirit, learning to give and receive with the intentional love and support of Christ. You and i are blessed only in order to bless others.
It started last weekend when i went to go visit my good friend Austin in Columbus. On the way there, just outside of Columbus, i got into a tiny car wreck, in which i rear-ended someone, who rear-ended someone else at a stop light. Everyone was fine, and insurance is taking care of the damage, but as it was my fault, i got a citation for it. Fortunately, the officer there told me he could have held me in custody until i could pay the ticket, since i was an out-of-towner, but he was gracious with me and didn't. Now typically, a $130 traffic citation isn't that big of a deal, you just pay it and you don't have to show up for your court date and all is well. But this happened to come at a time when i was completely broke.
I had about $15 to my name. And my family is just about as broke as i am, with both parents, for all intents and purposes, out of work--so they couldn't help me. And then it happened that money i thought i had coming to me pretty soon, wasn't. I thought i would be getting my scholarship check from the church i interned at this past summer any day now, but when i emailed my pastor, he said that they were having trouble rounding up the money, and they might have to split up the checks, but they would definitely get it all to me by the end of the year, 2009. When i read those words, my heart, and my hope, started to sink. I had no options. Suddenly a small ticket turns into a big deal if you have no way to pay for it, and you know that they will come and arrest you if you don't pay in time.
This all started to come crashing down on me on Tuesday of last week. This is when i started to realize that i had no options, i was broke, and this might end with me getting arrested. I started to panic. I'd never been in a situation like this before. I didn't know what to do. I cried multiple times that day, and was praying about it all day, crying out to God because it felt like i was cornered in the ring and about to go down. Cornered, helpless, and panicking--these weren't feelings i was used to.
And all the time, i was thinking to myself, Why am i getting so worked up about all this? I knew that Christ was my source of hope and life and that i was never helpless with Him on my side. I knew that. I knew that verse that said how beautiful and well taken care of the birds and the flowers are, and since i am so much more important than them, why should i worry? I knew that God was always with me, would never leave me nor forsake me. So why was i acting like this?
It occurred to me then, in the midst of all this stress, that maybe the Lord was trying to show me something about myself. My foundation has not been built solely on Him or the authority of His Word. A big part of my foundation has always been my comfort. My security. I've never been rich or well off or wanted to live with high standards, but i've always had money available to me if i needed it. There is a great security in that. There is a great security in knowing that, even if i don't have much money, still i have enough. I've never been attached to money or been materialistic or greedy, and was always fine with living simply, but just knowing that it was there was enough for me.
This struck me like a bag of bricks. My foundation has been built on something other than Christ.
This is sin. This is idolatry. And i've allowed it to become a foundational part of who i am. This is a big deal. And i think that shook me up more than anything. But at the same time, i was so grateful. Grateful that this was happening now, and that this sin was being revealed now. I posted on my facebook status something to the effect of "sometimes the house has to be shaken in order for the foundation to be revealed." And my friend Brian replied, "I'd rather be shaken sooner than later - to reveal any weakness before things get built too high!" So true. God chose through this extremely stressful occasion to reveal to me the quality and make-up of my foundation at this time in my life, before i continued to build and build on top of it until it would cause irreparable damage. The truth of Matthew 6:24 really hit me here:
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
Since last Tuesday, God has blessed me abundantly. Whether through the generosity of friends or mentors, or from earning money where i didn't expect to, the Lord has provided me with much more than i needed. Last Wednesday, i had lunch with my campus pastor, and told him how stressed i had been because of this situation, and he stopped and pulled out his wallet, handing me $130 right there. I was flabbergasted (always a fun word to use) at this, until he reminded me that, we always seem so astounded when things like this happen, but we forget that this is what the Body of Christ is for--to support each other and be there for each other in need. Last week i was definitely blessed by the Body of Christ, receiving much more than i needed. And just today, i checked my campus mail and in it was my check from Good Shepherd, in full, and it was actually more than i was expecting.
God is so good, and so faithful to provide for His children when they are in need. Sometimes we need to be shaken in order for our weaknesses to be revealed. Sometimes we need to trust in a power beyond our own. And another lesson i've learned from this is that we are only blessed so that we can bless others. Money is only a blessing if you use it for the glory of God. I pray that God has received the glory due to Him through my situation, through the money that i have received, if only so that we can praise Him for His goodness to us. But also, i pray that He is glorified by showing me how i can bless others through what i have received. I submit this story to you, not to prove that God will always provide you with money if you need it, or to say that my life is so much better now that i have money. But i pray that together we can praise God for being a God of provision, being a God of faithfulness, and being a God of hard truths. I give this story for His Kingdom's sake, praying that God will be praised and the Body of Christ will be built up in the Spirit, learning to give and receive with the intentional love and support of Christ. You and i are blessed only in order to bless others.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Claiming our Anointing
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed (Greek crio) me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
-Luke 4:18-19
According to Luke, this prophecy was spoken and claimed by Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. Here, Jesus is claiming to be the one spoken about in the prophecy, the Lord's anointed one. Christ is the Greek word for "Anointed One." Jesus is claiming to be the Christ, to be God himself, and declares his foretold mission on earth. To preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor, to proclaim freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and proclaim the Year of Jubilee (the year of the Lord's favor), in which all debts are canceled, land is restored, and slaves are set free. This incredible claim of Jesus is one of my favorite passages in the gospels because of the boldness and radical nature of such a claim.
Even more radical though, is that this anointing continues to be claimed. We, as Christians, bear the name of Christ, the anointed one.
We are the anointed ones.
We have been anointed by God himself to go and preach the Gospel, to bring freedom for prisoners, to heal the blind, and join in with the counter-cultural paradigm of the Kingdom of God that turns the values of the world on their head. We have been given the Spirit of the Lord. We have been given the gift of His anointing. Everything that Jesus did, we are called and empowered to do. You, as an anointed one of the Lord, have been given power to preach the Gospel, which is good news to a world starving for meaning.
Claim this anointing that is upon you. It's not a physical, material anointing, but a spiritual one, one that goes much deeper than the surface, down to our very core and purpose. Claim the power of the Spirit within you. Preach the Gospel. Free those bound by whatever it is that holds them prisoner. Bring sight to those who cannot see. Live radically, in the light of the Kingdom. You Christian, claim that name that you have the privilege of bearing. Claim the anointing of the Spirit, and the power to change the world.
because he has anointed (Greek crio) me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
-Luke 4:18-19
According to Luke, this prophecy was spoken and claimed by Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. Here, Jesus is claiming to be the one spoken about in the prophecy, the Lord's anointed one. Christ is the Greek word for "Anointed One." Jesus is claiming to be the Christ, to be God himself, and declares his foretold mission on earth. To preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor, to proclaim freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and proclaim the Year of Jubilee (the year of the Lord's favor), in which all debts are canceled, land is restored, and slaves are set free. This incredible claim of Jesus is one of my favorite passages in the gospels because of the boldness and radical nature of such a claim.
Even more radical though, is that this anointing continues to be claimed. We, as Christians, bear the name of Christ, the anointed one.
We are the anointed ones.
We have been anointed by God himself to go and preach the Gospel, to bring freedom for prisoners, to heal the blind, and join in with the counter-cultural paradigm of the Kingdom of God that turns the values of the world on their head. We have been given the Spirit of the Lord. We have been given the gift of His anointing. Everything that Jesus did, we are called and empowered to do. You, as an anointed one of the Lord, have been given power to preach the Gospel, which is good news to a world starving for meaning.
Claim this anointing that is upon you. It's not a physical, material anointing, but a spiritual one, one that goes much deeper than the surface, down to our very core and purpose. Claim the power of the Spirit within you. Preach the Gospel. Free those bound by whatever it is that holds them prisoner. Bring sight to those who cannot see. Live radically, in the light of the Kingdom. You Christian, claim that name that you have the privilege of bearing. Claim the anointing of the Spirit, and the power to change the world.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Love through Community
I am going to tell a story, one that happened to me, not to toot my own horn, but to glorify God because of how He works and to demonstrate a larger point.
The other day i was in the midst of my prayer time and randomly a friend of mine popped into my head, and the feeling that i should pray for them. I did, as well as i knew how, but then afterward emailed that friend to see if there was anything that i could be praying for them about. The friend emailed me back the next day and said, yes, actually there was some crap going on in their life, below the surface, that really needed prayer. The friend remarked how incredible God was, because in the past few days, no fewer than 5 people had come to them, saying that the Lord had put them on their heart or asking if they needed prayer.
Now, this isn't an incredible, rock-your-world kind of story, but to me, this was a Kingdom story. This was a story about how God works through the Body of Christ to show His love and His strength in my friend's life. This was a story about how, through several, God gave grace to one. And this just caused me to praise God for His faithfulness and His goodness and His love.
God is glorified when we submit to be used by Him. This is the cycle of glory--all for God's glory, for the sake of His people. One is encouraged or comforted, and the rest praise God for His work in that person's life. The Community of Christ exists for God's glory--to showcase His power and His love in our lives. We are all ministers of God's grace, not only to the world at large, but to each other. If YOU are a member of this community, then your purpose is to be a vessel of God's grace to EVERYONE, for the sake of God's glory and His Kingdom. How can God be working through YOU? WHO is God trying to reach through you?
You have a purpose. You have a mission. You are here to show your brothers and sisters, and to show the world, that God's love is strong, stronger than any chains that might be binding them, stronger than any walls that they may have built up between them and God, stronger than the power of sin and death in their lives. God's love is strong, and YOU have the strength of that love within you, waiting to be unleashed to the world. YOU are a vessel of the LORD Almighty, and of His love. You are a minister of His grace.
And you are a member of this divine community. Take advantage of it. Use it for the glory of God. When you are going through crap in your life, tell your brothers and sisters and ask them to pray for you. And when you witness a Kingdom moment, share it with brothers and sisters so that you can all praise God together. Build each other up, hold each other accountable, worship together--all of this is for the glory of God.
Don't waste time. Don't waste your life. Start fulfilling your purpose NOW. God wants to use you. Yes, you. He wants to show His love through you. Will you submit to Him, or keep giving in to the myth that your purpose is greater than His purpose?
The other day i was in the midst of my prayer time and randomly a friend of mine popped into my head, and the feeling that i should pray for them. I did, as well as i knew how, but then afterward emailed that friend to see if there was anything that i could be praying for them about. The friend emailed me back the next day and said, yes, actually there was some crap going on in their life, below the surface, that really needed prayer. The friend remarked how incredible God was, because in the past few days, no fewer than 5 people had come to them, saying that the Lord had put them on their heart or asking if they needed prayer.
Now, this isn't an incredible, rock-your-world kind of story, but to me, this was a Kingdom story. This was a story about how God works through the Body of Christ to show His love and His strength in my friend's life. This was a story about how, through several, God gave grace to one. And this just caused me to praise God for His faithfulness and His goodness and His love.
God is glorified when we submit to be used by Him. This is the cycle of glory--all for God's glory, for the sake of His people. One is encouraged or comforted, and the rest praise God for His work in that person's life. The Community of Christ exists for God's glory--to showcase His power and His love in our lives. We are all ministers of God's grace, not only to the world at large, but to each other. If YOU are a member of this community, then your purpose is to be a vessel of God's grace to EVERYONE, for the sake of God's glory and His Kingdom. How can God be working through YOU? WHO is God trying to reach through you?
You have a purpose. You have a mission. You are here to show your brothers and sisters, and to show the world, that God's love is strong, stronger than any chains that might be binding them, stronger than any walls that they may have built up between them and God, stronger than the power of sin and death in their lives. God's love is strong, and YOU have the strength of that love within you, waiting to be unleashed to the world. YOU are a vessel of the LORD Almighty, and of His love. You are a minister of His grace.
And you are a member of this divine community. Take advantage of it. Use it for the glory of God. When you are going through crap in your life, tell your brothers and sisters and ask them to pray for you. And when you witness a Kingdom moment, share it with brothers and sisters so that you can all praise God together. Build each other up, hold each other accountable, worship together--all of this is for the glory of God.
Don't waste time. Don't waste your life. Start fulfilling your purpose NOW. God wants to use you. Yes, you. He wants to show His love through you. Will you submit to Him, or keep giving in to the myth that your purpose is greater than His purpose?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Attacking the Church from Within
"Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
--Galatians 5:3-6
I feel like this passage still rings true today for many of us in the Church. But instead of the Law, or circumcision, the way many seek righteousness and salvation is through right doctrine. There are many who are beyond certain that their set of doctrines and beliefs is THE only way, the perfect way, and the only doctrines/denominations/type of preaching that Jesus would approve of. They point the finger at everyone else, crying "HERETIC!" or "FALSE TEACHER!" because the spreading of proper and true doctrine is the most important thing. These people decry teachers like Rob Bell, Richard Foster, Brian McClaren, and those "post-modern liberals", and the "egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church--morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC)" (<--quote taken from Apprising Ministries website: www.apprising.org), all because they see these people as tarnishing Christianity and teaching false doctrines and perverting Scripture. I feel like these people have completely missed the point of faith. They are the new Judaizers of Christianity, who try to push their righteous agenda on those who are encouraged by the writings of the New Testament to cling to such things as faith, hope, and love. I mean, the phrase "egregiously ecumenical" doesn't even make sense to me. When did ecumenism become a bad thing? I think the ecumenical movement is one of the best things to happen to the Church in recent history. Many of these reformed believers think that the Reformation was the greatest thing to happen to the Church since Pentecost. IT WASN'T. Indeed, reforming definitely needed to take place within the Church at that time, but the Reformation RIPPED GOD'S HOLY CHURCH IN HALF!
I realize the irony in my rantings, that i am pointing the finger at them for being wrong for pointing their fingers. But i have felt for the past several years that one specific focus of my calling from God is toward Christian unity. I feel so strongly within me that Christ died for His Church and desires to see His Church working together and worshiping Him in unity (see John 17). So when i see these blatant attacks against the Church, sowing seeds of division and hatred, rather than peace and love--it hurts. I love the Church. I love working for Her, i love serving Her, and i want so badly for Her to be united. St. Augustine said, "The Church is a whore, but she's my mother." How can a broken Church serve a broken world?
I'll be honest, most of my frustrations stem from one guy that i'm facebook friends with (but don't really know that well in real life), who all the time posts articles and YouTube videos with attacks like these. I have never responded to one of these linkings, even though i'm always tempted to, because i know that what i respond with won't be nice. But sometimes with all the crap that's posted, i'm at a loss for how to respond. If i'm formulating a response in my mind, i'll come across some other article that answers my point with some close-minded attack. I've seen articles that denounce certain Christians for exalting "love" and "unity" over preaching right doctrine. I just read an article on apprising.org entitled "Turning God's Grace into an Idol," with the tagline saying "Grace Does Not Relieve The Christian From Their Duty To Contend For Proper Doctrine." This is disgusting to me. I am at a loss for how to respond to this. Or should i even bother? Any of these believers is obviously not going to really hear anything i, a blatant heretic and false teacher, would have to say. I do believe that these people are still my brothers and sisters, and that i should love them as such. But that is not going to be an easy task. But no one ever said that love would be easy.
--Galatians 5:3-6
I feel like this passage still rings true today for many of us in the Church. But instead of the Law, or circumcision, the way many seek righteousness and salvation is through right doctrine. There are many who are beyond certain that their set of doctrines and beliefs is THE only way, the perfect way, and the only doctrines/denominations/type of preaching that Jesus would approve of. They point the finger at everyone else, crying "HERETIC!" or "FALSE TEACHER!" because the spreading of proper and true doctrine is the most important thing. These people decry teachers like Rob Bell, Richard Foster, Brian McClaren, and those "post-modern liberals", and the "egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church--morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC)" (<--quote taken from Apprising Ministries website: www.apprising.org), all because they see these people as tarnishing Christianity and teaching false doctrines and perverting Scripture. I feel like these people have completely missed the point of faith. They are the new Judaizers of Christianity, who try to push their righteous agenda on those who are encouraged by the writings of the New Testament to cling to such things as faith, hope, and love. I mean, the phrase "egregiously ecumenical" doesn't even make sense to me. When did ecumenism become a bad thing? I think the ecumenical movement is one of the best things to happen to the Church in recent history. Many of these reformed believers think that the Reformation was the greatest thing to happen to the Church since Pentecost. IT WASN'T. Indeed, reforming definitely needed to take place within the Church at that time, but the Reformation RIPPED GOD'S HOLY CHURCH IN HALF!
I realize the irony in my rantings, that i am pointing the finger at them for being wrong for pointing their fingers. But i have felt for the past several years that one specific focus of my calling from God is toward Christian unity. I feel so strongly within me that Christ died for His Church and desires to see His Church working together and worshiping Him in unity (see John 17). So when i see these blatant attacks against the Church, sowing seeds of division and hatred, rather than peace and love--it hurts. I love the Church. I love working for Her, i love serving Her, and i want so badly for Her to be united. St. Augustine said, "The Church is a whore, but she's my mother." How can a broken Church serve a broken world?
I'll be honest, most of my frustrations stem from one guy that i'm facebook friends with (but don't really know that well in real life), who all the time posts articles and YouTube videos with attacks like these. I have never responded to one of these linkings, even though i'm always tempted to, because i know that what i respond with won't be nice. But sometimes with all the crap that's posted, i'm at a loss for how to respond. If i'm formulating a response in my mind, i'll come across some other article that answers my point with some close-minded attack. I've seen articles that denounce certain Christians for exalting "love" and "unity" over preaching right doctrine. I just read an article on apprising.org entitled "Turning God's Grace into an Idol," with the tagline saying "Grace Does Not Relieve The Christian From Their Duty To Contend For Proper Doctrine." This is disgusting to me. I am at a loss for how to respond to this. Or should i even bother? Any of these believers is obviously not going to really hear anything i, a blatant heretic and false teacher, would have to say. I do believe that these people are still my brothers and sisters, and that i should love them as such. But that is not going to be an easy task. But no one ever said that love would be easy.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Endurance
I preached this weekend at Good Shepherd. Four services total: Saturday evening's and 3 on Sunday morning. Phew. It went really well i think, and i think that the Lord definitely was able to speak through me, which is what counts, right? That being said, i am pooped. Doing four services like that is draining. I don't know how pastors do it every week. I came home and immediately took a 2 1/2 hour nap, which was wonderful.
In addition to being physically exhausting, it was also spiritually exhausting. I come off big things like this and just feel like i've got little juice left in me to be strong in faith. Right away, as i let my spiritual guard down, i am hit with temptations and just a general lack of motivation to do what i need to do to continue being an active servant of the Lord.
And it's then that i'm reminded of exactly what i preached on this morning. Faith, following Christ, being a Christian, etc., has to go deeper than just when we feel like it. What's required is a commitment, a commitment that stands the test of trials, temptations, exhaustions, and apathy. To really follow and serve and know and love the Lord is to continue to follow and serve and know and love Him when you don't feel like it. The easy times are just that--easy. They don't really do much for our growth. Romans 5:3-5 says, "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Not to say that i've experienced suffering though this--i haven't. But i'm beginning to see the value of real endurance in faith. This race we run is not a sprint. It's a marathon. And this Hope, this Love planted in me is the blood that pumps through my veins and the oxygen that goes to my muscles to keep them going. It is my means and my end. Jesus--He is my means and my end. It all comes back to Him, every time, doesn't it? I guess He's pretty important.
So "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:1-3). Amen.
P.S. - Pray for your pastors, they need it!
P.P.S. - If you want to check out the sermon i preached, a rough draft of it can be found here, and you can listen to the recording here.
In addition to being physically exhausting, it was also spiritually exhausting. I come off big things like this and just feel like i've got little juice left in me to be strong in faith. Right away, as i let my spiritual guard down, i am hit with temptations and just a general lack of motivation to do what i need to do to continue being an active servant of the Lord.
And it's then that i'm reminded of exactly what i preached on this morning. Faith, following Christ, being a Christian, etc., has to go deeper than just when we feel like it. What's required is a commitment, a commitment that stands the test of trials, temptations, exhaustions, and apathy. To really follow and serve and know and love the Lord is to continue to follow and serve and know and love Him when you don't feel like it. The easy times are just that--easy. They don't really do much for our growth. Romans 5:3-5 says, "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Not to say that i've experienced suffering though this--i haven't. But i'm beginning to see the value of real endurance in faith. This race we run is not a sprint. It's a marathon. And this Hope, this Love planted in me is the blood that pumps through my veins and the oxygen that goes to my muscles to keep them going. It is my means and my end. Jesus--He is my means and my end. It all comes back to Him, every time, doesn't it? I guess He's pretty important.
So "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:1-3). Amen.
P.S. - Pray for your pastors, they need it!
P.P.S. - If you want to check out the sermon i preached, a rough draft of it can be found here, and you can listen to the recording here.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Of Silly Arguments
I get so tired of Christians fighting among themselves. Whether from the right or left, evangelical or catholic, emergent or fundamental--it's just frustrating. Everyone thinks they have the ONLY correct slant on the Gospel, and it is their God-given mission to convince everyone to think exactly like them. Everyone can quote abundantly from Scripture to support their agendas, and everyone can point the finger and call an opposing group heretical or sinful. And we don't get anywhere. Is this what Jesus wanted from us? No, of course not. One of my favorite chunks of Scripture is in John 17, where Jesus prayed in the garden before He was arrested. The largest focus of His prayer was for unity among all believers. Jesus desired "complete unity" among all who would believe in Him. Certainly there are going to be things we all disagree on, but how much time do we waste on debating doctrine and arguing over interpretations that we could be spending actually doing what Jesus told us to do?
That's why i loved this article. You should really check it out. It's well worth the read. Plus, watch the video it links to. I love Jon Stewart, i think he's brilliant.
I could go on and on, but what's the point? Unity is good. Disunity is bad. Let's go for it.
That's why i loved this article. You should really check it out. It's well worth the read. Plus, watch the video it links to. I love Jon Stewart, i think he's brilliant.
I could go on and on, but what's the point? Unity is good. Disunity is bad. Let's go for it.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Ministers of Grace
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
1 Peter 4:10-11
I read this the other day and it really struck me. WE are ministers of God's grace. Grace is a gift that is given primarily through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. But i think i'm continually learning that grace is something that keeps on giving. It is in its very nature and definition for grace to be a continual outpouring of love. Isn't it incredible that God continues to give out His grace, and to give it out through us!! Think about this: if you speak to someone about the love of Jesus Christ, then you are administering God's grace. If you are speaking, the Gospel, then you ARE speaking the very words of God! It is the word that he continues to speak to humanity, and will continue to speak until that day when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father! When we serve others, we are literally being Christ to them, showing His love, and administering His grace! When God works through us, there is power, and there is strength. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be administers of God's grace. This is not something we should take lightly. We have an incredible responsibility, but it's also exciting, isn't it? Even the fact that God uses us is incredible.
I'm heading to Nashville next week for a missions trip, so i'm excited to try and live this out there. Not that i need to go outside my own town in order to do that. For those of you reading, whether you're in ministry right now or not, know this: God is working through YOU! His grace is being poured out, THROUGH YOU! When you speak, speak as one speaking the very words of God. When you serve, know that you are a vessel of God's grace, and depend on the strength He has provided through the Holy Spirit within you. Grace can take a lot of various forms. How is God working through you?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Religulous, and Doubt
I just watched the Bill Maher documentary Religulous. I know, two anti-religious documentaries in one week. But have no fear, they haven't converted me. I just find them really interesting. Religulous was a lot better than the other one--much more well done, funnier, and it just made more sense. Rather than trying to prove that religion was all false, Maher just went off the basis of his perspective, that it was false already, and just set out to show how ridiculous (and dangerous) it all is. In the end, he basically concluded that all religions are dangerous and are going to bring about the end of the world all their prophecies looked forward to themselves, rather than God bringing them about in His wrath and judgment. Of course, Maher interviewed all the real crazies of the religions. Many of the Christians he interviewed I found myself disagreeing with. It made me wish that Bill Maher would have interviewed me, so I could tell him how it REALLY is. Hah. It did make me wonder though, because I'm sure he did have some interviews with really rationally-thinking Christians that made sense, but that wouldn't fit into the theme of their documentary, so obviously they couldn't make the cut.
One thing that I did like was that in the end, Maher said that the best "religion" that he had found was that of doubt. There's no way any of us can know everything for certain or have a certain claim on the truth, so why bother. It's a much more humbling standpoint than all that religious rhetoric. While I do think that we do possess a unique angle on the truth because of God's special revelation to us through Scripture, I'm in favor of this attitude. Why do we NEED to know exactly how things are going to play out when Jesus comes back? Why do we NEED to know exactly what happened in Genesis? These are the things that we argue over the most (and make us look the dumbest to the world when we do), yet these things are not essential to our faith.
After the Reformation, the Church was split apart into literally hundreds of different denominations/sects/claims to truth. People were arguing over so many minute details of theology and Scripture interpretation and religious practices that it was pure chaos. So a bunch of important guys got together and came up with a new concept. It was called adiaphora, a Greek word that literally means "non-essential." This was the category that they put everything that they argued about that was not essential to the Christian faith. It made room for disagreement, doubt, and unity within the Church. It made it so that it's OKAY to not know everything for certain. And it has to be that way if the Church is ever going to achieve any kind of unity.
One of my favorite things that my dear friend Joel Reichenbach ever said to me, when we were talking about teaching, was, "I don't want everyone to agree with me, I don't want everyone to agree with one certain denomination, I just want everyone to be as confused as I am!" Confusion is okay. We don't have to have the answers to everything, or know exactly how everything is supposed to be. Bill Maher is right, saying "I don't know" is a very humbling thing. Maybe we need a bit more of that. Maybe the world would take us more seriously if we started being more real with ourselves and with our beliefs.
One thing that I did like was that in the end, Maher said that the best "religion" that he had found was that of doubt. There's no way any of us can know everything for certain or have a certain claim on the truth, so why bother. It's a much more humbling standpoint than all that religious rhetoric. While I do think that we do possess a unique angle on the truth because of God's special revelation to us through Scripture, I'm in favor of this attitude. Why do we NEED to know exactly how things are going to play out when Jesus comes back? Why do we NEED to know exactly what happened in Genesis? These are the things that we argue over the most (and make us look the dumbest to the world when we do), yet these things are not essential to our faith.
After the Reformation, the Church was split apart into literally hundreds of different denominations/sects/claims to truth. People were arguing over so many minute details of theology and Scripture interpretation and religious practices that it was pure chaos. So a bunch of important guys got together and came up with a new concept. It was called adiaphora, a Greek word that literally means "non-essential." This was the category that they put everything that they argued about that was not essential to the Christian faith. It made room for disagreement, doubt, and unity within the Church. It made it so that it's OKAY to not know everything for certain. And it has to be that way if the Church is ever going to achieve any kind of unity.
One of my favorite things that my dear friend Joel Reichenbach ever said to me, when we were talking about teaching, was, "I don't want everyone to agree with me, I don't want everyone to agree with one certain denomination, I just want everyone to be as confused as I am!" Confusion is okay. We don't have to have the answers to everything, or know exactly how everything is supposed to be. Bill Maher is right, saying "I don't know" is a very humbling thing. Maybe we need a bit more of that. Maybe the world would take us more seriously if we started being more real with ourselves and with our beliefs.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The God Who Wasn't There, and Moderation
I just finished watching the documentary The God Who Wasn't There, a film intended to disprove that Jesus really existed and to basically say that modern Christianity is silly. I didn't think that the film did a very good job of actually disproving Jesus' existence. In fact, it spent much more time examining modern Christianity than its historical foundations. Most of the project seemed like a vendetta of the director, a former fundamentalist, against the silliness of the religion that had oppressed him for so long. Nearly every time Scripture was quoted, it was taken out of context or quoted from a bad translation. I didn't think it was very intellectually honest with itself, or objective. The guy who did this went out with a mission to make Christianity look stupid. And i'm sure lots of people will believe him.
The film also took great advantage of interviews with Sam Harris, the champion of atheist antagonism. Harris has written two books, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation, both best-sellers. Harris is very intolerant against all religion, particualarly Christianity and Islam, which he sees as the two most dangerous paradigms for modern society. I haven't read his books, but i've read excerpts, and although i think Harris is more intellectually honest than this film was, he still seems to have a predetermined antagonism in his work that hinders historical and religious objectivity.
Aside from that, there were actually some good points made in the film. One of the best ones (i thought) was that moderate Christianity makes no sense. This came up while they were on the issue of Christians and homosexuality. Because the Bible says (somewhere in Leviticus) that homosexuals should be put to death, these extremist Christians were actually right in hating homosexuals. According to the film, moderate Christians know about what the Bible tells them, but decide that that's too radical for them. So moderate Christianity makes no sense, because it says that it believes the Bible is the infallible Word of God, but then doesn't obey it. I'm actually in complete agreement with this, but from a different perspective. Moderate Christianity makes no sense. It says one thing and believes something different. It is in conflict with itself, a house divided, and it will eventually fall. From a New Covenant standpoint, in which the message of the love and forgiveness and the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus is central, it is understood that Jesus is the only one with the right to judgment. I believe that, as Christians, our place is not to judge but to show love to our neighbors AND enemies, even those who are labeled as "sinners." If we are following the example of Jesus, at least, this should be our aim. But the issue of homosexuality is not the main point. When Christians read the words of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, whose teachings and actions are the foundations of our faith, and we ignore them, THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! When we do that, we are contradicting ourselves.
When we read, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44), but continue to throw stones and protest funerals, we are contradicting ourselves!
When we read that Jesus judges our eternal salvation partly on how well we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit those in prison (Matt. 25: 31-46), and we continue to rest in our own comfortableness, we are contradicting ourselves!!
When we read Jesus' words saying, ""If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26), and we by-pass that verse because it makes us uncomfortable to think about it, then we are contradicting ourselves!
I could go on. But the point is, for us to be true disciples, we must embrace the whole truth of the Gospel, truly seek the Kingdom of God with all our heart, and learn to love the people that God has called us to. If we do not do this, whether out of fear or complacency or discomfort, then we contradict our own talk, and we will fail. Moderate Christianity makes no sense. If we do not act on what we believe, then do we really believe it?
The film also took great advantage of interviews with Sam Harris, the champion of atheist antagonism. Harris has written two books, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation, both best-sellers. Harris is very intolerant against all religion, particualarly Christianity and Islam, which he sees as the two most dangerous paradigms for modern society. I haven't read his books, but i've read excerpts, and although i think Harris is more intellectually honest than this film was, he still seems to have a predetermined antagonism in his work that hinders historical and religious objectivity.
Aside from that, there were actually some good points made in the film. One of the best ones (i thought) was that moderate Christianity makes no sense. This came up while they were on the issue of Christians and homosexuality. Because the Bible says (somewhere in Leviticus) that homosexuals should be put to death, these extremist Christians were actually right in hating homosexuals. According to the film, moderate Christians know about what the Bible tells them, but decide that that's too radical for them. So moderate Christianity makes no sense, because it says that it believes the Bible is the infallible Word of God, but then doesn't obey it. I'm actually in complete agreement with this, but from a different perspective. Moderate Christianity makes no sense. It says one thing and believes something different. It is in conflict with itself, a house divided, and it will eventually fall. From a New Covenant standpoint, in which the message of the love and forgiveness and the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus is central, it is understood that Jesus is the only one with the right to judgment. I believe that, as Christians, our place is not to judge but to show love to our neighbors AND enemies, even those who are labeled as "sinners." If we are following the example of Jesus, at least, this should be our aim. But the issue of homosexuality is not the main point. When Christians read the words of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, whose teachings and actions are the foundations of our faith, and we ignore them, THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! When we do that, we are contradicting ourselves.
When we read, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44), but continue to throw stones and protest funerals, we are contradicting ourselves!
When we read that Jesus judges our eternal salvation partly on how well we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit those in prison (Matt. 25: 31-46), and we continue to rest in our own comfortableness, we are contradicting ourselves!!
When we read Jesus' words saying, ""If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26), and we by-pass that verse because it makes us uncomfortable to think about it, then we are contradicting ourselves!
I could go on. But the point is, for us to be true disciples, we must embrace the whole truth of the Gospel, truly seek the Kingdom of God with all our heart, and learn to love the people that God has called us to. If we do not do this, whether out of fear or complacency or discomfort, then we contradict our own talk, and we will fail. Moderate Christianity makes no sense. If we do not act on what we believe, then do we really believe it?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Hunger
The U.N. just reported that the number of people suffering from hunger in the world surpassed 1 billion this year. Most are in Africa or Asia, but no country is unaffected. That is absolutely shocking to me. That's 1 in 6 people throughout the entire world!
I just read that in the paper while i was eating my yogurt, shortly after having consumed three hot dogs. Not that i should be guilted in to feeling bad about how well i eat (well, with three hot dogs, maybe i should), but it just makes me think that, as the Church, what are we doing? If we are to carry out and continue Jesus' mission in the world, the mission that He stated in Luke 4, where He came to preach good news to the poor, to bring freedom to prisoners, and release the oppressed, then we should be doing the same! If Jesus called us to feed the hungry, as He did in Matthew 25, why do we not take that seriously? It's obvious in reading the Old and New Testaments that God has a heart for the poor and the oppressed. If we do not have the same kind of heart, what kind of followers are we?
What are we doing, Church?
I just read that in the paper while i was eating my yogurt, shortly after having consumed three hot dogs. Not that i should be guilted in to feeling bad about how well i eat (well, with three hot dogs, maybe i should), but it just makes me think that, as the Church, what are we doing? If we are to carry out and continue Jesus' mission in the world, the mission that He stated in Luke 4, where He came to preach good news to the poor, to bring freedom to prisoners, and release the oppressed, then we should be doing the same! If Jesus called us to feed the hungry, as He did in Matthew 25, why do we not take that seriously? It's obvious in reading the Old and New Testaments that God has a heart for the poor and the oppressed. If we do not have the same kind of heart, what kind of followers are we?
What are we doing, Church?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
For Sarah
Since Ms. Newkirk complained that i don't blog regularly enough, here is a new post.
Actually, her complaint got me thinking. Why do i blog? Because in all reality, i know that not many people read this, and blogging is definitely not the best form of ministry i could be practicing on a regular basis. Blogging is a really popular thing right now, and i think it's a place where a lot of talking is done, but nothing actually gets done. We can discuss and argue and debate over issues, but what is that doing to accomplish the work of the Kingdom of God in the world? I think it definitely can have its good effects, but seriously? Is blogging just an outlet for my own narcissism, in order for people to read my stuff and know how wise and spiritual i am? maybe sometimes. that's why i'm so hesitant about Twitter. I'm tempted to join sometimes, but part of it just feels like pure narcissism wrapped up in less than 140 characters.
but in all honesty, i really do think my main motives are for good, and for good outside myself. i want to bless others with what God has blessed me. I want to teach people. I think the Lord has called me to be a teacher of His Word in some form, and since i don't really have an outlet for teaching at the moment, this is a good place. Even if one person is blessed by it, then it's worth it, isn't it? Ironically, i blogged about this a long time ago, back when i first started this blog. Jesus has called me to proclaim that which He is teaching me, and i want to be obedient to that, whatever form it may take.
So maybe i'll keep trying for now. Not just for Sarah (not that i'm not annoyed by your complaining!), not for me, but for the sake of God's people and being faithful to the calling that the Lord has placed on my life.
Actually, her complaint got me thinking. Why do i blog? Because in all reality, i know that not many people read this, and blogging is definitely not the best form of ministry i could be practicing on a regular basis. Blogging is a really popular thing right now, and i think it's a place where a lot of talking is done, but nothing actually gets done. We can discuss and argue and debate over issues, but what is that doing to accomplish the work of the Kingdom of God in the world? I think it definitely can have its good effects, but seriously? Is blogging just an outlet for my own narcissism, in order for people to read my stuff and know how wise and spiritual i am? maybe sometimes. that's why i'm so hesitant about Twitter. I'm tempted to join sometimes, but part of it just feels like pure narcissism wrapped up in less than 140 characters.
but in all honesty, i really do think my main motives are for good, and for good outside myself. i want to bless others with what God has blessed me. I want to teach people. I think the Lord has called me to be a teacher of His Word in some form, and since i don't really have an outlet for teaching at the moment, this is a good place. Even if one person is blessed by it, then it's worth it, isn't it? Ironically, i blogged about this a long time ago, back when i first started this blog. Jesus has called me to proclaim that which He is teaching me, and i want to be obedient to that, whatever form it may take.
So maybe i'll keep trying for now. Not just for Sarah (not that i'm not annoyed by your complaining!), not for me, but for the sake of God's people and being faithful to the calling that the Lord has placed on my life.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sex and Humanity
Sex is (for obvious reasons) a very interesting topic. It's so interesting to me to observe the attitudes about sex in our popular culture, and especially within Christianity. We have moved from the Victorian-era taboo attitude towards sex, where talking about it is socially forbidden, to the post-sexual revolution, where sex is very casual and not really a big deal to most people anymore. Many Christians in this generation have turned sex into a big deal again, but in a good way. We are led by the Mark Driscoll's, who's favorite book in the Bible is Song of Solomon, and preach more about sex than most other topics relevant to Christianity. Christians have begun to embrace sex as something God-given and awesome, and propagate it as the highest form of physical intimacy that borders on the spiritual experience.
I think sex is definitely a God-given thing for us to experience pleasure, but I think the pendulum of sexual attitudes has swung all the way to the other extreme of exalting sex too much. This has been a topic talked about in several blogs that I read recently. One great point that was made was that, if we Christians look to Jesus as the archetype of all that it means to be human, then sexuality can tell us nothing about what it truly means to be human, because Jesus was never married or had sex. Sexuality can't be the ultimate human experience, because Christ, the ultimate human, never experienced it. I think that's part of the reason why so many Christians have the attitude towards marriage as bringing completeness in someone's life. Marriage and sex have been so over-theologized that if someone is still single past the expected time when they should be married, then they have not experienced fulfillment as a human being and are somehow not following God's will. Because of course, it is God's will that everyone should be married and have 3 kids and a white picket fence.
I can know the full reality of being human without ever having sex. Because Christ, my ultimate example in EVERYTHING, is the full reality of being human. Frankly, sex and marriage are not necessary to being human. This is not to discount that they are, in fact, gifts from God. There's no doubt in my mind that they are good within their God-given context, but we've just over-glorified and over-spiritualized them.
Humanity has tried making sex taboo, and we've tried glorifying sex, and neither really works. Can't sex just be something ordinary? Why does it have to be something that we haggle over whether it is good or bad, or appropriate to talk about in Church? We just need to get back to the focus of making Christ our ultimate goal, and let everything else fall into place after that.
I think sex is definitely a God-given thing for us to experience pleasure, but I think the pendulum of sexual attitudes has swung all the way to the other extreme of exalting sex too much. This has been a topic talked about in several blogs that I read recently. One great point that was made was that, if we Christians look to Jesus as the archetype of all that it means to be human, then sexuality can tell us nothing about what it truly means to be human, because Jesus was never married or had sex. Sexuality can't be the ultimate human experience, because Christ, the ultimate human, never experienced it. I think that's part of the reason why so many Christians have the attitude towards marriage as bringing completeness in someone's life. Marriage and sex have been so over-theologized that if someone is still single past the expected time when they should be married, then they have not experienced fulfillment as a human being and are somehow not following God's will. Because of course, it is God's will that everyone should be married and have 3 kids and a white picket fence.
I can know the full reality of being human without ever having sex. Because Christ, my ultimate example in EVERYTHING, is the full reality of being human. Frankly, sex and marriage are not necessary to being human. This is not to discount that they are, in fact, gifts from God. There's no doubt in my mind that they are good within their God-given context, but we've just over-glorified and over-spiritualized them.
Humanity has tried making sex taboo, and we've tried glorifying sex, and neither really works. Can't sex just be something ordinary? Why does it have to be something that we haggle over whether it is good or bad, or appropriate to talk about in Church? We just need to get back to the focus of making Christ our ultimate goal, and let everything else fall into place after that.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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