Friday, July 31, 2009

Crazy Christians


"Sometimes I feel like when I make decisions that are remotely biblical, people who call themselves Christians are the first to criticize and say I'm crazy, that I'm taking the Bible too literally, or that I'm not thinking about my family's well-being." -from Crazy Love by Francis Chan

"I need a church that's going to talk me into following Jesus, not talk me out of it." -Ron Slockett; Immanuel member

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Gender Justice In Churches of Christ


No matter where you fall in this discussion, you should read this and this.

I was particularly struck by K's six word memoir. I read it and wept.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

The Great Compromise


"[Most Christians seek] a compromise between the Christian creed and the interests and suggestions of worldly life. To the first of these standards he gives his homage; to the other his real allegiance. All Christians believe that the blessed are the poor and humble, and those who are ill-used by the world; that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven; that they should judge not, lest they be judged; that they should not swear at all; that they should love their neighbor as themselves; that if one take their cloak, they should give him their coat also; that they should take no thought for the morrow; that if they would be perfect, they should sell all they have and give it to the poor. They are not insincere when they say that they believe these things. They do believe them, as people believe what they have always heard lauded and never discussed. But in the sense of that living belief which regulates conduct, they believe these doctrines just up to the point to which it is usual to act upon them." -from On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

"Great faiths can only be preserved by men willing to live by them." -I.F. Stone

Friday, July 24, 2009

Chase What Matters


Chase Bank has this commercial. In it we see a guy buying a yacht, a man opening his garage and breathing a sigh of satisfaction at the sight of his cars, a husband and wife crossing the threshold of a gorgeous home. We hear a soothing voiceover reminding us that we work hard for our money and deserve our reward. And the commercial wraps up with the Chase Bank slogan: Chase What Matters.

In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus is in the midst of preaching what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Here he tells his disciples not to store up treasures on earth, but treasures in heaven. He reminds them that the eyes are the lamp of the body, and that no one can serve two masters. And we read Jesus' words and we nod our heads without thinking about the implications.

The passage is so basic. Treasures in heaven, not on earth. Serve God and nothing else. It's important to remember that Jesus’ language of heaven refers to the here and now as well as the hereafter. He is saying that we will find greater reward in this life if we seek God above all else, keep our eyes on Him, and serve Him only.

And so this is a passage where the Kingdom runs up against “the real world.” We are told a story, almost from birth, that goes something like this. Succeed. Get yours. Make progress. Know that you are making progress because once you lived in 800 square feet and now you live in 1200 and one day you’ll live in 1600. Understand that there will be compromises you must make and masters you must serve in order to build up your treasures or, at the very least, your portfolio.

And we accept that this story is true because it’s the one everyone is telling. And then we hear the story of Jesus, which also rings true, and we try to make the first story work alongside the story that Jesus is telling. And here is Jesus saying it can’t. You cannot serve both God and Mammon (stuff, things, wealth, security). You cannot live out God’s plan and pursue America's dream. You have to choose. 

Now to those who have fallen in love with one story (or, at least, can't see how to get out of it) this sounds like bad news. Everything Jesus ever said about money and stuff sounds like bad news for those who have lots of money and stuff. But Jesus means it as good news. As freedom.

A young author named Joshua Ferris recently wrote a novel called Then We Came To The End. It is a story reminiscent of the television show The Office or the movie Office Space,a commentary on the daily grind of the "wage slave." In the novel, there is a passage about those that “get free”: 

Yet for all the depression no one ever quit. When someone quit, we couldn't believe it. 'I'm becoming a rafting instructor on the Colorado River,' they said. 'I'm touring college towns with my garage band.' We were dumbfounded. It was like they were from another planet. Where had they found the derring-do? What would they do about car payments? We got together for going away drinks on their final day and tried to hide our envy all the while reminding ourselves that we still had the freedom and luxury to shop indiscriminately.

Now stop for a second and ask yourself if some part of that rings true. And that’s just talking about being a rafting instructor or in a garage band. Jesus offers the freedom to begin to live in the Kingdom right here and now. We’ve seen the lives of those who “settled for less” so that they might have more; so that they might have the “abundant life” that Jesus promised. We’ve heard their stories. My own father tells a story of being so afraid to lose his paycheck that he stopped trying to do real Kingdom work...and he worked for a church.

The truly sad and sick part is that, when we settle for earthly treasures, we commit ourselves to making them the good news. Now that we’ve put all this time and effort into this job, this car, this house, this stuff, we find we've put our heart into them too, that we want them to matter more than they do. And so we’re like those in Then We Came To The End, reminding ourselves that we still have the freedom and luxury to shop indiscriminately all the while knowing what an empty victory that is.

Jesus says the eyes are the lamp of the body. This is God’s call for us not to lose focus. If we focus on your own dreams and desires, our own hopes and happiness, then that’s all we’ll have to light our way. We cannot expect to keep our eyes on one thing and receive light from another. If Christ is whom we seek, then our lives can be full of light. If happiness and security and money and Mammon are what we seek, then their light will seem like darkness and our lives will feel empty and wasted. There is a reason why this country is more rich and less happy than it has ever been, the two things aren't disconnected.

We cannot pile up stuff and still be free to pursue Christ. Money and Mammon make demands and give orders and call us to obey. If you don't see a Mercedes commercial as a call to worship, then you haven't been paying attention. We can live for the Almighty Dollar or the Almighty God, but we cannot do both. This is a passage about priorities and a call to sort them out. 

When your life is over will you rejoice in having put first things first or regret that you didn’t? In the end, will we have chased what matters?

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Michael Jackson


I don't have a lot to say about Michael Jackson's death, but I feel compelled to throw in my two cents.

The fact that Michael Jackson was a celebrity doesn't make his death more tragic. Yes, he was a gifted musician and yes, his music touched many people in profound ways. But you didn't lose your best friend when he died, unless your name is Janet Jackson. His death was a reason for his family and friends to get worked up over and to grieve deeply. It is not something for you to treat like as a personal loss just because you loved the Thriller video.

However, and more importantly, the fact that Michael Jackson was a celebrity doesn't make his death fair game for snide comments and tasteless jokes. A man died. Yes, a man who had his share of problems, but also a man who had parents and siblings and kids. His death isn't a punchline just because you and he never shared coffee. Regardless of whether or not you watched the memorial (I did not) or how you felt about it and all the coverage surrounding it, that last moment was of a small girl overwhelmed by life without her dad. That's a tragic moment. It isn't funny. It isn't tantalizing. It's just very sad and very real.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Tim Keller On Hell


This is worth a listen. Especially for those who consider themselves done with the subject of hell.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Been two weeks visiting family and friends throughout Chicago and Michigan. More on that soon enough, but for now...

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

-Wendell Berry