Conservatives Cannot Be Christians

A conservative can be Jewish.  A conservative can be Muslim.  But there is no way outside of Hell that a conservative can be a follower of Jesus.

Bold words?  Stupid words?  Follow the logic for a moment.

Jesus is quoted in Matthew 5-7 saying, “You have heard it said of old. . . but I say to you.”  He is taking on the conservative Jewish teachers and leaders by saying God has something new.  Essentially he is teaching that if you rule out the new works of God by sticking to the good old ways, you miss God and you (be extension) don’t “get” Jesus.  

On the other hand, a Liberal cannot be a Christian either.  

Espousing any creed, any belief system, even a “liberal” position means the mind is closed to whatever God is doing right now.  Tomorrow.  Next year.  

God works with “what is”, and keeps working with “what is” extending grace, passing judgment, impregnating young girls (at least once), giving covenant laws and then abandoning covenant laws in favor of a new covenant.  God even embraces conservatives.

I speak of “conservatives” and “liberals” as folks who have taken a stance, adopted a position or become an evangelist for a point of view.  I don’t speak of people whose inner nature tilts toward the good old days, or towards the unknown future.  These folks always have a battle to follow Christ, but they can (and many do) choose to listen for God, look for the works of God, remain open to God every day.  Not the god of the good old days, not the god of the latest liberal cause — the the living God.

What do you think?  Leave your comment and let us know.  

In What Do You Have Faith?

In what, or in whom, do you have faith?

In how many "whats" or in how many "whoms" do you have faith?

A person lived to be 80 years old.  During this person's life many objects of faith came and went.  Mother, Father, god, doing homework accurately, the stock market, one or more weapons, dressing a certain way, one or more hairstyles, taking orders, resisting orders. . . the list was long.  If asked, "In What Do You Have Faith?" this person might have said, "Allah" or "God" or "Jesus" and let it go at that.

This person would have answered inaccurately.  I haven't even mentioned the effects of alcohol, the promise of drugs (including medicinal drugs), the power of love or hate, or avoiding stepping on a crack in order to NOT break his mother's back.

During any person's life time he or she venerates many objects of faith.  Sometimes he consciously gives up an object of faith.  I recall a friendly acquaintance who gave up on Jesus as the answer and bought into civil rights as the object of faith.  When that movement didn't produce quickly enough he sought his salvation in alcohol and drugs.  We lost track of each other. . . I don't know what other objects of faith he may have embraced as life continued for him.  Or did he die along the way stuck in the dead end of misery?

In what or whom to you have faith?  Do you have any faith that seems "ultimate" to you -- leading to the meaning of life, or salvation, or eternal rest?  Is it possible to have mixed an "ultimate" object of faith for a "transient" object of faith?  For instance, have you substituted an approach to investing that seems to be working for faith that will last into eternity?  Or, have you invested a faith in god for a sound approach to investing?

Thank about it.  Leave a comment about it.  Let us know. . .

Looking Through A Glass Darkly

The reference is probably to the difficulty seeing clearly, with yourself or someone else.  In context, it probably means we don’t really know what’s going on with someone claiming to have a spiritual gift like “tongues” and therefore — the MAIN THING is to behave with agape’.  

Think of all the people you meet whose inner life, motives, hurts, broken relationships, satisfying relationships, pressures, illnesses, fear and hopes and stuckness you do not know.  Talk about looking through a glass darkly (I Corinthians 13:12)  The more excellent way, the harder, more rarified “way over a high mountain pass” is that of agape’.  

For the person of faith, the way of agape’ combines well with the inevitable lack of clear vision we have. 

Christianity, Church and Authenticity

I read of "Christians" who torch villages of Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus.  I read of Christian leaders who connive, coerce, weasel and whore.  I read of churches where preaching/teaching a party line is more important than exploring, searching, and becoming.  And I wonder:  what does it mean to be a Christian?

I do not think it means being born in a Christian village, Christian culture or Christian home.  Tribalism is not a valid answer.

Here's what I think.  In Romand 10:9 the apostle Paul wrote:  "If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved."  Paul goes on to explicate a bit, but the concept seems personal, individual, and it involves a couple of important things.

First, it involves confessing "Jesus is Lord".  As Paul Brown once wrote, "If Jesus is Lord, then Caesar is not lord." A "lord" in the first century Roman culture, for which and in which Paul wrote, had the absolute power of life, death, obedience, punishment, etc. over those who owned him "lord".  In an essentially verbal society, confessing "Jesus is Lord" made a contract with society and with Jesus that one's life was Jesus to command, lead, send, shape, or end.

Following that to a reasonable next step, then, a person is a Christ-follower if she/he lives in obedience to the teaching and command of Jesus.  To the extent one does not, questions arise about whether one is a contract breaker (living in breach of contract) or a liar.  This confession must be personal and authentic.

Then there is believing that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Wow!  Paul puts his finger on the only real stumbling block.  The virgin birth is not worth fighting about.  Whether or not Jesus healed people, or turned water into wine is not worth arguing over.  But if God really, actually, literally, raised Jesus from the dead then a persons who believe that have a different basis for living, dying, obeying, laughing, staying silent, speaking -- for everything, really.  While one might still be afraid to die, at some level a person who believe God raises the dead can push through the fear and love his neighbor as himself, just as Jesus taught.  He or she can accept people who seem to need rejecting.  He or she can walk the extra mile when it hurts so much.  He or she can say loudly and often, quietly and persuasively, "I will not help burn my neighbor, or my neighbors village, or steal my neighbor's possessions."

I live in a community that is quite churchy.  The churches are churchy, whether right wing, middle or left wing.  Liturgies are more important than people, and large is clearly better than small.  Mostly peole are "raised" in church, but I am learning that while they might be Christians, they might not be either.

What do you think?  Leave a comment, a thoughtful comment, and let us know.