looking for baby jesus under the trash
This morning started like any morning does. Wake up, lay in bed, think about how much I hate waking up (not a morning person), shower, dress, breakfast, coffee, stare at the wall, think about how much I hate mornings, more coffee, dressing my kids, and getting them breakfast.
This particular morning my son, daughter, and I headed off together so I could drop my son off at school. Then my daughter and I went on a date. A date in the morning with her involves chocolate milk and donuts, and more coffee.
We then went to a Christian bookstore so that we could buy candles for our Advent wreath. I usually bring a brown bag with me into Christian bookstores because they often cause me to hyperventilate (in addition to a massive breakout of hives). These stores are the epitome of everything that is not Christian. I readied the paper bag, which was a good thing as upon entering I saw a Christian t-shirt with the Burger King Logo. Inside the logo was cleverly written, “Christ is King” in the bubble font that BK uses for their design.
Now that makes sense, Jesus and fast food. Not to mention parodying the fast food chain who oppresses and abuses its farm workers by paying them what people made in 1965 (for more on that see: burger king's tomatoes). My breath was staccatoed and my neck started to itch. My daughter walked around looking at all the Christian stuffed animals. These are no ordinary stuffed animals mind you, they are Christian. This is because they have a bible verse embroidered on the ribbon tied to their neck.
I looked around for the candles as quickly as possible, and finally found some small ones that were not the right size. It was then I began to realize that I endured all the Christian stuff only to not find what I was looking for. I approached the counter to ask about the candles and was told that they were all out. Then the woman behind the counter, on which were stacks of Christian Chocalates, Christian Candies, and Christian Key Chains, said, “I’m sorry we have no candles left, but we have a lot of wonderful Christian resources here on sale.” As she motioned I looked at the Christian books to which she pointed.
When I looked, something struck me as odd. I saw the faces of many men and women, both of whom looked as though they were wearing a lot of make-up, smiling back at me. These were the Christian authors of the Christian books that were sold at the Christian store. On many of the books were pictures of these authors.
There were Christian books on (between 7 and 21 ways) how to have the most unbelievable, wealthy, amazing life ever of all time, which are not selling too well in places like Darfur or Uganda. Christian books about knowing which voice is God's, by the way if you are hearing many voices you may need more than this book can offer. Christian books about being happy in every and all circumstances, which I suppose I should read because I was not happy in the Christian bookstore. Christian books about being authoritative when you pray, which sounds odd. I mean are we now telling God what to do? And several Christian books about finding purpose, no doubt trying to capitalize on a million dollar idea. The more I looked the more bothered I was. It was then the woman told me they had Christian bags for me to breath in and out of.
All I wanted were some candles. A symbol that my family and I use as we celebrate this season of hope, peace, and anticipation. Advent is perhaps a holiday that focuses on simplicity more than any other. As we celebrate and contemplate what it is we are hoping for, we see Jesus. A peasant from the North of Israel. The part of Israel that caused people to say, “Can anything good come from up there?”
In the midst of all of this, I had to sort through the Christian trash of this Christian store. Incidentally I am not sure if I saw Jesus in any of it. I saw a lot of Christian people on Christian book covers smiling at me. I saw a lot of Christian candy, Christian t-shirts, Christian stuffed animals, Christian gift bags, Christian pictures of eagles, Christian sno globes, and a host of other Christian crap. But no Jesus. I suspect if I had been in the stable on that wonderful night I would have seen Jesus plainly. After all isn’t that what Advent is all about?
This particular morning my son, daughter, and I headed off together so I could drop my son off at school. Then my daughter and I went on a date. A date in the morning with her involves chocolate milk and donuts, and more coffee.
We then went to a Christian bookstore so that we could buy candles for our Advent wreath. I usually bring a brown bag with me into Christian bookstores because they often cause me to hyperventilate (in addition to a massive breakout of hives). These stores are the epitome of everything that is not Christian. I readied the paper bag, which was a good thing as upon entering I saw a Christian t-shirt with the Burger King Logo. Inside the logo was cleverly written, “Christ is King” in the bubble font that BK uses for their design.
Now that makes sense, Jesus and fast food. Not to mention parodying the fast food chain who oppresses and abuses its farm workers by paying them what people made in 1965 (for more on that see: burger king's tomatoes). My breath was staccatoed and my neck started to itch. My daughter walked around looking at all the Christian stuffed animals. These are no ordinary stuffed animals mind you, they are Christian. This is because they have a bible verse embroidered on the ribbon tied to their neck.
I looked around for the candles as quickly as possible, and finally found some small ones that were not the right size. It was then I began to realize that I endured all the Christian stuff only to not find what I was looking for. I approached the counter to ask about the candles and was told that they were all out. Then the woman behind the counter, on which were stacks of Christian Chocalates, Christian Candies, and Christian Key Chains, said, “I’m sorry we have no candles left, but we have a lot of wonderful Christian resources here on sale.” As she motioned I looked at the Christian books to which she pointed.
When I looked, something struck me as odd. I saw the faces of many men and women, both of whom looked as though they were wearing a lot of make-up, smiling back at me. These were the Christian authors of the Christian books that were sold at the Christian store. On many of the books were pictures of these authors.
There were Christian books on (between 7 and 21 ways) how to have the most unbelievable, wealthy, amazing life ever of all time, which are not selling too well in places like Darfur or Uganda. Christian books about knowing which voice is God's, by the way if you are hearing many voices you may need more than this book can offer. Christian books about being happy in every and all circumstances, which I suppose I should read because I was not happy in the Christian bookstore. Christian books about being authoritative when you pray, which sounds odd. I mean are we now telling God what to do? And several Christian books about finding purpose, no doubt trying to capitalize on a million dollar idea. The more I looked the more bothered I was. It was then the woman told me they had Christian bags for me to breath in and out of.
All I wanted were some candles. A symbol that my family and I use as we celebrate this season of hope, peace, and anticipation. Advent is perhaps a holiday that focuses on simplicity more than any other. As we celebrate and contemplate what it is we are hoping for, we see Jesus. A peasant from the North of Israel. The part of Israel that caused people to say, “Can anything good come from up there?”
In the midst of all of this, I had to sort through the Christian trash of this Christian store. Incidentally I am not sure if I saw Jesus in any of it. I saw a lot of Christian people on Christian book covers smiling at me. I saw a lot of Christian candy, Christian t-shirts, Christian stuffed animals, Christian gift bags, Christian pictures of eagles, Christian sno globes, and a host of other Christian crap. But no Jesus. I suspect if I had been in the stable on that wonderful night I would have seen Jesus plainly. After all isn’t that what Advent is all about?
god and war, part two
From the earliest of civilizations warfare was somehow connected to the gods. The ancient people believed that the forces that controlled the world - sun, rain, earth, growth of crops - were a divine force. Mythologies grew out of this, and some of the earliest mythologies began to compare all that happened on earth as a representation of what happened in the heavens.
War between cities and nations, which happened on earth, was thought to represent battles between deities in the heavens. So it was not just one brother killing another. It was a citizen of one nation fighting for his god. His enemy was a brother who was a citizen of another nation fighting for his god. War which grew out of a connection to the divine, now had become battles that represented the gods in the heavens.
As such gods were created who represented warfare. They were called upon by people to be their gods of war. Ianna (called Ishtar by the Akkadians) was the Sumerian goddess of war. Her story was one wrought with aggression, wrath, and vengeance rooted in betrayal and rejection. The ancient story warned people not to reject her at the risk of their own lives. A goddess with an attitude like this would be the perfect goddess to represent war. For the Sumerians war was associated with the gods.
The Egyptians had their own goddess of war. Her name was Anuke. She was pictured as a woman dressed in armor carrying a bow and a quiver full of arrows. She existed in the Egyptian pantheon before the dynastic period of Egypt. For the Egyptians war was associated with the gods.
Mars was the Roman god of war, not to mention one the most worshipped gods in the Empire of Rome. Roman soldiers were trained on the Campus Martius (The Field of Mars). A Roman soldier never went to war without having the name of Mars on his mind. For the Romans war was associated with the gods.
Has much changed since the beginning? Civilizations began by using the names, stories, and mythologies of their gods as reason for fighting wars. Today the names of gods are all over wars that are fought in our world.
During the Revolutionary War George Washington, whose faith in God is famous, gave a message to his troops in which he said, “…Let us therefore rely on the goodness of the cause and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions.” Across the ocean the King of the country he was fighting against claimed to be king, “… by the Grace of God.” Both sides were calling on the name of God.
The South African government who enforced the system of Apartheid handed out Bibles to its soldiers who were involved in enforcing racial segregation. Inside the Bibles issued to the troops was a message from the President which read, ”… of all the weapons you carry, this is the greatest because it is the Weapon of God.” Eugene DeKock who was head up the Apartheid death squads has spoken openly about the Bible studies he and his squads would have together.
Muslim extremists call on the name of Allah. These extremists have declared a holy war in the name of Allah against the infidels. In response world leaders have responded by using saying things like, “Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.”
Once again we see that both sides have couched themselves in rhetoric involving the divine. The wars that are fought today are still connected to the gods. Like the ancients we believe deep inside that our wars represent struggles among deities. In our own country we speak in military terms of God and Country.
War without the gods behind us would just seem barbaric. Without humans being mere pawns in a divine clash we would be reduced to people killing people. Brothers killing brothers. We need the gods to make sense of what we do to one another in warfare.
Without the gods humans would be killing one another over plots of land, resources, or money. We would attack one another out of fear, or because we feel threatened. Without the gods we would be taking our orders from mere mortals. The gods make sense of war. Or do they? The first time war broke out between brothers God spoke. He came to the gardener and said, “Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.” I wonder, just what would this God have to say about warfare today?
War between cities and nations, which happened on earth, was thought to represent battles between deities in the heavens. So it was not just one brother killing another. It was a citizen of one nation fighting for his god. His enemy was a brother who was a citizen of another nation fighting for his god. War which grew out of a connection to the divine, now had become battles that represented the gods in the heavens.
As such gods were created who represented warfare. They were called upon by people to be their gods of war. Ianna (called Ishtar by the Akkadians) was the Sumerian goddess of war. Her story was one wrought with aggression, wrath, and vengeance rooted in betrayal and rejection. The ancient story warned people not to reject her at the risk of their own lives. A goddess with an attitude like this would be the perfect goddess to represent war. For the Sumerians war was associated with the gods.
The Egyptians had their own goddess of war. Her name was Anuke. She was pictured as a woman dressed in armor carrying a bow and a quiver full of arrows. She existed in the Egyptian pantheon before the dynastic period of Egypt. For the Egyptians war was associated with the gods.
Mars was the Roman god of war, not to mention one the most worshipped gods in the Empire of Rome. Roman soldiers were trained on the Campus Martius (The Field of Mars). A Roman soldier never went to war without having the name of Mars on his mind. For the Romans war was associated with the gods.
Has much changed since the beginning? Civilizations began by using the names, stories, and mythologies of their gods as reason for fighting wars. Today the names of gods are all over wars that are fought in our world.
During the Revolutionary War George Washington, whose faith in God is famous, gave a message to his troops in which he said, “…Let us therefore rely on the goodness of the cause and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions.” Across the ocean the King of the country he was fighting against claimed to be king, “… by the Grace of God.” Both sides were calling on the name of God.
The South African government who enforced the system of Apartheid handed out Bibles to its soldiers who were involved in enforcing racial segregation. Inside the Bibles issued to the troops was a message from the President which read, ”… of all the weapons you carry, this is the greatest because it is the Weapon of God.” Eugene DeKock who was head up the Apartheid death squads has spoken openly about the Bible studies he and his squads would have together.
Muslim extremists call on the name of Allah. These extremists have declared a holy war in the name of Allah against the infidels. In response world leaders have responded by using saying things like, “Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.”
Once again we see that both sides have couched themselves in rhetoric involving the divine. The wars that are fought today are still connected to the gods. Like the ancients we believe deep inside that our wars represent struggles among deities. In our own country we speak in military terms of God and Country.
War without the gods behind us would just seem barbaric. Without humans being mere pawns in a divine clash we would be reduced to people killing people. Brothers killing brothers. We need the gods to make sense of what we do to one another in warfare.
Without the gods humans would be killing one another over plots of land, resources, or money. We would attack one another out of fear, or because we feel threatened. Without the gods we would be taking our orders from mere mortals. The gods make sense of war. Or do they? The first time war broke out between brothers God spoke. He came to the gardener and said, “Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.” I wonder, just what would this God have to say about warfare today?
god and war, part one
Not long after humanity was created, two sons were born to their parents. They were brothers, and their story is ancient and tragic.
One brother was a gardener. He grew vegetables and fruit. He worked the soil hard and grew wonderful food. He recognized that this food, while it grew from the ground, was provided by the God of his parents. So he decided that he should show thanks to this God by giving him back some of what he had given him.
The other brother was a shepherd. He took care to make sure his sheep remained safe, well watered, and well fed. His sheep were of great value. The sheep provided warmth from their wool, milk for the family, and meat for eating. He recognized that the sheep were provided by the God of his parents. So he decided that he should show thanks to this God by giving him back some of what he had given him.
One day these two brothers brought their gifts to their parents’ God, and this God responded. He looked with favor on the gift from the shepherd, but he did not look with favor on the gift from the gardener. This upset the gardener.
Out of jealousy, the gardener led his brother away and killed him. Then the God of his parents returned asking him, “Where is your brother?” This murder led to a curse being placed on the shepherd. He was prone to be a wanderer for the rest of his life.
This story is so tragic perhaps because they are brothers. Brothers are not supposed to murder the other. Brothers are supposed to drive their mom crazy together, play football, stand in one another’s weddings, and be the best of friends. Murder is not generally something found in the memory scrapbooks of brothers.
What is interesting is the reason behind the murder in this story. The killing stems from their relationship with the God of their parents. The idea of killing the shepherd stems out of some kind of ritual in which they participate. The first murder ever recorded in the history of humanity is connected to religion.
While we do not know much about the psyche of the gardener, and what led to his wanting to kill his brother; we do know it was connected to some sort of belief in the divine. Since this time the same story has been replayed over and over again. While we can hardly call this situation a war, we must remember that this murder killed one quarter of the world’s recorded population.
Thousands of years later brothers are still killing one another - and often there is a connection to the gods of their parents. It is harder to see how we are all related. Hundreds of generations have passed, families have moved all over the globe, the language barrier has interrupted communication, and people have reinterpreted the gods of their parents in all sorts of ways. Even still, in one way or another we are all still connected. There are still gardeners and shepherds, and there are still brothers killing brothers.
Over time we have created ways to justify killing our brothers. Now the killing happens on a grander scale. Brothers lock arms under the banner of an empire or nation, and take up arms in the name of one god (or another) of some country or family. Not all the wars today are directly connected to religion or rituals, but religion and the gods are never far from the art of war.
One brother was a gardener. He grew vegetables and fruit. He worked the soil hard and grew wonderful food. He recognized that this food, while it grew from the ground, was provided by the God of his parents. So he decided that he should show thanks to this God by giving him back some of what he had given him.
The other brother was a shepherd. He took care to make sure his sheep remained safe, well watered, and well fed. His sheep were of great value. The sheep provided warmth from their wool, milk for the family, and meat for eating. He recognized that the sheep were provided by the God of his parents. So he decided that he should show thanks to this God by giving him back some of what he had given him.
One day these two brothers brought their gifts to their parents’ God, and this God responded. He looked with favor on the gift from the shepherd, but he did not look with favor on the gift from the gardener. This upset the gardener.
Out of jealousy, the gardener led his brother away and killed him. Then the God of his parents returned asking him, “Where is your brother?” This murder led to a curse being placed on the shepherd. He was prone to be a wanderer for the rest of his life.
This story is so tragic perhaps because they are brothers. Brothers are not supposed to murder the other. Brothers are supposed to drive their mom crazy together, play football, stand in one another’s weddings, and be the best of friends. Murder is not generally something found in the memory scrapbooks of brothers.
What is interesting is the reason behind the murder in this story. The killing stems from their relationship with the God of their parents. The idea of killing the shepherd stems out of some kind of ritual in which they participate. The first murder ever recorded in the history of humanity is connected to religion.
While we do not know much about the psyche of the gardener, and what led to his wanting to kill his brother; we do know it was connected to some sort of belief in the divine. Since this time the same story has been replayed over and over again. While we can hardly call this situation a war, we must remember that this murder killed one quarter of the world’s recorded population.
Thousands of years later brothers are still killing one another - and often there is a connection to the gods of their parents. It is harder to see how we are all related. Hundreds of generations have passed, families have moved all over the globe, the language barrier has interrupted communication, and people have reinterpreted the gods of their parents in all sorts of ways. Even still, in one way or another we are all still connected. There are still gardeners and shepherds, and there are still brothers killing brothers.
Over time we have created ways to justify killing our brothers. Now the killing happens on a grander scale. Brothers lock arms under the banner of an empire or nation, and take up arms in the name of one god (or another) of some country or family. Not all the wars today are directly connected to religion or rituals, but religion and the gods are never far from the art of war.
current reads
One question I am asked more frequently than "How are you?" is "What are you reading?" So to answer that question for all of my blog readers I have decided to create a "Current Reads" link on my sidebar. So if you want to know, what I am reading take a peak ... it will change every one to two weeks.
so impossible a kid can do it
The other day my son and daughter were fighting. Now this is nothing surprising, as it is what little kids do … especially brother and sister. So I broke up the fight. Both of them were crying and yelling at me to tell me why they were right and the other wrong. I finally said to them both, you need to apologize to one another and ask forgiveness.
In the more “grown up” world, we would say I was asking them to reconcile. With as much as my children apologize to one another, and presumably will continue to apologize to each other and others, one would think that people get better at the whole reconciliation thing. However, it seems that nothing could be further from the truth.
We live in a world that seems to think that reconciliation is impossible. When we hear of stories of reconciliation we stand in awe wondering how men and women could actually do something like that. Forgiveness and restoration are the exception to the rule in today’s world, not the rule. Admittedly reconciling is difficult.
One the one hand is the perpetrator. For reconciliation to occur the one who has committed the offense needs to confess to the “crime.” Most people are not good at doing this. Usually a confession is connected to the perpetrator telling the victim why he what he did, why he reacted the way he did, what the victim did that made him do what he did, or why he feels like he was not really wrong, but can understand why some people think he may be wrong.
None of these things are a confession. They are excuses. Confession is so difficult because it is simply saying three words “I was wrong.” It is giving the offended person the power to forgive or not forgive. It is placing the ability to fairly dispense justice to the party who was offended and claiming nothing for oneself. Confession is standing naked before the victim offering everything and demanding nothing. Confession, one part of reconciliation, seems impossible.
The second part of reconciliation is forgiveness. If confession is difficult, forgiveness is ridiculous. How can we forgive someone who has done something to us that cannot be undone? This is precisely why forgiveness is so difficult … no matter what we do we cannot change what has been done to us. So in our minds, if we do not forgive we do not close the door on the memory, we keep it alive. Withholding forgiveness keeps us in the place of power … or does it? When one confesses (or even if they do not confess) and the victim offers forgiveness they are asserting unbelievable power. By forgiving they are telling the perpetrator that that person will have no grip on them any longer. They are also giving something the offender is unable to get for himself. Forgiveness can only be given at the discretion of the victim.
Forgiveness also accuses the perpetrator. When we tell someone that we forgive them we are calling attention to the act performed against us; we are pointing to the offense and indicting the perpetrator. In doing this we are also placing justice in its proper place. When we forgive the offender we stand recognizing what that person deserves, and at times give credence to the consequences that inevitably follow. Forgiveness truly restores and moves the offender and the offended in the right direction.
Writing this is so simple. Living it is not. I am still mad at the person who cut me off this morning. My instinct tells me to cut them off worse than they did me. To give them some sort of single finger sign, to yell at them (even though they will never hear me), and if given the opportunity tell the people in my car why the other is a complete and total waste of flesh. This is not only my instinct but a cultural norm.
This is our world isn't it? Revenge not reconciliation. Getting even not offering forgiveness. The great epic movies of our time are predicated on the hero brutally killing the antagonist (think Gladiator, The Patriot, or a little less brutally violent ... Dodgeball). It is about the offended attaining vengeance on the offender.
Think about these words, "... there's no question about it, this act will not stand; we will find those who did it; we will smoke them out of their holes; we will get them running and we'll bring them to justice." These became a mantra of a presidential administration referring to the the violent retaliation they would inflict on men who inflicted a violent act on civilians. They hit us, we would not only hit them back, we would hit them harder and swifter. We would repay violence with violence. This is normal. The injustice done by the perpetrator would be rectified by injustice performed by the victim.
This is the world we live in. This is the norm. So why would we ever think that reconciliation is possible if all we see is retaliation and revenge?
The only way through this melee is for the Church to understand her role as reconcilers. We have been called to reconcile our relationships with one another, as God reconciled us to himself. He has given the church the task of telling everyone what he is doing, he uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them (adapted from The Message).
We are called to create a culture in which reconciliation is normal. We are called to live in such a way that confession is possible. We are not to create a place that is terrifying for the one confessing as they rightfully expect to be castigated and judged by their own faith community. We are to live as people who forgive as Jesus forgave. We are to pursue reconciliation (not apologizing then never, ever under any circumstances speaking to one another or hanging out together ever again while in the meantime causing all of your friends to be on your side) as the preferred outcome. Creating a culture of reconciliation is the job of the Church.
So there I stand with my kids. Asking them to apologize to one another. My son wraps his arms around my daughter’s head, kisses her on the top of it, and says, “I’m sorry I hit you, I forgive you.”
She looks up wiping away the tears that she had so recently cried because of her brother’s offense, and says “I forgib you, I yub you.”
She then kisses her brother. They look at me waiting to see what I will say. I bend down and give them both big hugs and kisses, and tell them I love them.
Then they both run away laughing with one another like nothing ever happened. As they did I thought to myself, “If only the Church could be more like children.” As this thought crossed my mind I was reminded of Jesus’ words, “Unless you become like little children …”
In the more “grown up” world, we would say I was asking them to reconcile. With as much as my children apologize to one another, and presumably will continue to apologize to each other and others, one would think that people get better at the whole reconciliation thing. However, it seems that nothing could be further from the truth.
We live in a world that seems to think that reconciliation is impossible. When we hear of stories of reconciliation we stand in awe wondering how men and women could actually do something like that. Forgiveness and restoration are the exception to the rule in today’s world, not the rule. Admittedly reconciling is difficult.
One the one hand is the perpetrator. For reconciliation to occur the one who has committed the offense needs to confess to the “crime.” Most people are not good at doing this. Usually a confession is connected to the perpetrator telling the victim why he what he did, why he reacted the way he did, what the victim did that made him do what he did, or why he feels like he was not really wrong, but can understand why some people think he may be wrong.
None of these things are a confession. They are excuses. Confession is so difficult because it is simply saying three words “I was wrong.” It is giving the offended person the power to forgive or not forgive. It is placing the ability to fairly dispense justice to the party who was offended and claiming nothing for oneself. Confession is standing naked before the victim offering everything and demanding nothing. Confession, one part of reconciliation, seems impossible.
The second part of reconciliation is forgiveness. If confession is difficult, forgiveness is ridiculous. How can we forgive someone who has done something to us that cannot be undone? This is precisely why forgiveness is so difficult … no matter what we do we cannot change what has been done to us. So in our minds, if we do not forgive we do not close the door on the memory, we keep it alive. Withholding forgiveness keeps us in the place of power … or does it? When one confesses (or even if they do not confess) and the victim offers forgiveness they are asserting unbelievable power. By forgiving they are telling the perpetrator that that person will have no grip on them any longer. They are also giving something the offender is unable to get for himself. Forgiveness can only be given at the discretion of the victim.
Forgiveness also accuses the perpetrator. When we tell someone that we forgive them we are calling attention to the act performed against us; we are pointing to the offense and indicting the perpetrator. In doing this we are also placing justice in its proper place. When we forgive the offender we stand recognizing what that person deserves, and at times give credence to the consequences that inevitably follow. Forgiveness truly restores and moves the offender and the offended in the right direction.
Writing this is so simple. Living it is not. I am still mad at the person who cut me off this morning. My instinct tells me to cut them off worse than they did me. To give them some sort of single finger sign, to yell at them (even though they will never hear me), and if given the opportunity tell the people in my car why the other is a complete and total waste of flesh. This is not only my instinct but a cultural norm.
This is our world isn't it? Revenge not reconciliation. Getting even not offering forgiveness. The great epic movies of our time are predicated on the hero brutally killing the antagonist (think Gladiator, The Patriot, or a little less brutally violent ... Dodgeball). It is about the offended attaining vengeance on the offender.
Think about these words, "... there's no question about it, this act will not stand; we will find those who did it; we will smoke them out of their holes; we will get them running and we'll bring them to justice." These became a mantra of a presidential administration referring to the the violent retaliation they would inflict on men who inflicted a violent act on civilians. They hit us, we would not only hit them back, we would hit them harder and swifter. We would repay violence with violence. This is normal. The injustice done by the perpetrator would be rectified by injustice performed by the victim.
This is the world we live in. This is the norm. So why would we ever think that reconciliation is possible if all we see is retaliation and revenge?
The only way through this melee is for the Church to understand her role as reconcilers. We have been called to reconcile our relationships with one another, as God reconciled us to himself. He has given the church the task of telling everyone what he is doing, he uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them (adapted from The Message).
We are called to create a culture in which reconciliation is normal. We are called to live in such a way that confession is possible. We are not to create a place that is terrifying for the one confessing as they rightfully expect to be castigated and judged by their own faith community. We are to live as people who forgive as Jesus forgave. We are to pursue reconciliation (not apologizing then never, ever under any circumstances speaking to one another or hanging out together ever again while in the meantime causing all of your friends to be on your side) as the preferred outcome. Creating a culture of reconciliation is the job of the Church.
So there I stand with my kids. Asking them to apologize to one another. My son wraps his arms around my daughter’s head, kisses her on the top of it, and says, “I’m sorry I hit you, I forgive you.”
She looks up wiping away the tears that she had so recently cried because of her brother’s offense, and says “I forgib you, I yub you.”
She then kisses her brother. They look at me waiting to see what I will say. I bend down and give them both big hugs and kisses, and tell them I love them.
Then they both run away laughing with one another like nothing ever happened. As they did I thought to myself, “If only the Church could be more like children.” As this thought crossed my mind I was reminded of Jesus’ words, “Unless you become like little children …”
what the ...?
Given that I just wrote the preceding blog titled Church Culture ... I have now come across a website that in many ways proves my point in the most disturbing of ways. Click Here
church culture
Yesterday I was in a meeting with several pastors. The focus of the discussion was “How to Become a Missional Church.” In my head I was thinking, “Isn’t the Church missional?” The church, simply put, is a group of people who have been called to continue to mission that Jesus started 2,000 years ago. The Church in its very nature is missional. So why are we having a conversation about how to become missional? If there is a group of people meeting together who are not missional, they are something, but are they the Church?
As I sat there I began to think about the Church in America. I listened to these pastors say things like, “I know I am going to experience resistance from my people over this.” I heard others say “We had a lot of people leave when we spoke of our new emphasis.” It took everything in me not to blurt out, “These people have never been a part of the Church! They are not leaving anything!”
As I listened to these comments I began to wonder who has had the greater influence in America’s congregations over the last hundred (or more) years … the Kingdom of Heaven or the Empire of America? I asked myself questions like, "What kind of power impresses us?" "What is normal for us?" "How do we define success in our churches?" "How do we govern in our churches?" Before you jump to an answer so quickly let’s consider together the state of many churches in our country, and reflect on just who it is influencing them.
When I was sitting in the with these pastors one of them commented on Jesus’ command, “Go sell your possessions and give them to the poor.” He spoke of how difficult that is for people today, and that in our minds Jesus must have meant something else. Well, Jesus also said he was homeless, told people to be willing to die, and said woe to the rich and the oppressors. These words kill us don’t they? We are told that we are supposed to manage wealth so that we can get more and retire when we are 55. We are to “reward ourselves” by driving big Buicks in an aloof manner all over America’s highways and by-ways. The reality is that Jesus speaks against hording wealth more than he speaks about being born again. Yet which do we hear more about?
Is this influence the Kingdom or the Empire?
I have been asked by many people, “How is the growth of your church coming?” The success of our faith community is measured, by some, by our church’s bottom line … how many butts in the seats, how big is the building, how swollen the budget. Let’s just be honest and say that a church is counted as successful by the numbers; like anything else. I wonder what people in America would think about a homeless, God-loving prophet in today’s world who had twelve flaky teenagers who were a part of his "church". No by-laws, no membership classes, no strategic plan … just living in such a way that others were pointed toward the good news of Jesus. I look at the largest Evangelical Church Conferences in the country today. More and more they are bringing in business experts to speak to pastors about systems, numbers, theory, strategy, Human Resources and staffing. The Church has become a billion dollar business.
Is this influence the Kingdom or the Empire?
At the pastors meeting we shared prayer needs I told them about my wife and I, and some of the thoughts that we have had about how we should live. I told them that we had been praying for families to live with and a neighborhood to live in. Our desire is to live communally and missionally together in our daily lives. I spoke of some of the neighborhoods we were thinking of moving into. Each time I speak of these neighborhoods people say things like, “Why would you live there? There is no plan to improve those neighborhoods!” “Don’t you know what those neighborhoods are like?”
Beneath these questions there is another question being asked. “Why we would not look in the wealthy, white suburbs (or neighborhoods) offering safety, good education, hope for a future, no trees because they were all cut down to develop non-energy-efficient homes, and the peace of mind knowing all of my neighbors think like me, look like me, and speak my language?” This is normal, this is what a good paycheck gets you. This is what four years of undergraduate work, and three years of graduate school have offered me, right?
Is this influence the Kingdom or the Empire?
So who has been more influential, the Kingdom or the Empire? If you are still curious walk into your church’s building and see what has been removed the American flag or the cross. Both are central to their respective cultures, yet it seems to be the cross that has taken the bigger hit so as not to offend people.
The church’s attempt to learn culture’s characteristics, thoughts, feelings, presuppositions, and values so we can streamline the message of Jesus has led to our mastery of the culture of the Empire. We create clever slogans like, “Got Jesus?” We wear the T-shirt and know that although we do not have a milk moustache people surely know what we are getting at. We have become so deft in learning the culture of the Empire, and in the meantime we have forgotten what the culture of the Kingdom is supposed to be.
The people of God are to be an alternative to the prevailing culture of the Empire. Our role as salt and light is to be about something else … we have encountered a new culture, the culture of the Kingdom. We have encountered the gospel of Jesus. Our role is to be a people who are constantly challenging to the norms, assumptions, and presuppositions of our culture based in the alternative culture of the Kingdom. It is more than simply withdrawing from our culture and becoming invisible. After all no one puts a lamp under a bowl, right?
We are to be in our culture, being for them, the gospel lived-out, experienced, and demonstrated in our daily lives. We are to be in the world, but not of it. The problem seems to be that we are of the world but not in it. The Church is to be the people of God that present an alternate way of living that brings healing, hope, love, peace, and justice to any culture in which it exists. If this is our role, then we cannot pay allegiance to earthly cultures, even the culture of the American Empire. No culture leads people toward true healing, hope, love, peace, and justice except the culture of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom culture is missional.
The Church is missional. Any attempt to “make it missional” is like telling someone you want to make an apple more like fruit. An apple is fruit. The Church is missional. As we move toward understanding this more fully we may want to begin by throwing off the dominant culture in the Church which is of the Empire, and dive into the subversive culture of the Kingdom. When we live according to the Kingdom’s culture then we can stop talking about the Church becoming missional, for we will understand that our very lives are a mission.
As I sat there I began to think about the Church in America. I listened to these pastors say things like, “I know I am going to experience resistance from my people over this.” I heard others say “We had a lot of people leave when we spoke of our new emphasis.” It took everything in me not to blurt out, “These people have never been a part of the Church! They are not leaving anything!”
As I listened to these comments I began to wonder who has had the greater influence in America’s congregations over the last hundred (or more) years … the Kingdom of Heaven or the Empire of America? I asked myself questions like, "What kind of power impresses us?" "What is normal for us?" "How do we define success in our churches?" "How do we govern in our churches?" Before you jump to an answer so quickly let’s consider together the state of many churches in our country, and reflect on just who it is influencing them.
When I was sitting in the with these pastors one of them commented on Jesus’ command, “Go sell your possessions and give them to the poor.” He spoke of how difficult that is for people today, and that in our minds Jesus must have meant something else. Well, Jesus also said he was homeless, told people to be willing to die, and said woe to the rich and the oppressors. These words kill us don’t they? We are told that we are supposed to manage wealth so that we can get more and retire when we are 55. We are to “reward ourselves” by driving big Buicks in an aloof manner all over America’s highways and by-ways. The reality is that Jesus speaks against hording wealth more than he speaks about being born again. Yet which do we hear more about?
Is this influence the Kingdom or the Empire?
I have been asked by many people, “How is the growth of your church coming?” The success of our faith community is measured, by some, by our church’s bottom line … how many butts in the seats, how big is the building, how swollen the budget. Let’s just be honest and say that a church is counted as successful by the numbers; like anything else. I wonder what people in America would think about a homeless, God-loving prophet in today’s world who had twelve flaky teenagers who were a part of his "church". No by-laws, no membership classes, no strategic plan … just living in such a way that others were pointed toward the good news of Jesus. I look at the largest Evangelical Church Conferences in the country today. More and more they are bringing in business experts to speak to pastors about systems, numbers, theory, strategy, Human Resources and staffing. The Church has become a billion dollar business.
Is this influence the Kingdom or the Empire?
At the pastors meeting we shared prayer needs I told them about my wife and I, and some of the thoughts that we have had about how we should live. I told them that we had been praying for families to live with and a neighborhood to live in. Our desire is to live communally and missionally together in our daily lives. I spoke of some of the neighborhoods we were thinking of moving into. Each time I speak of these neighborhoods people say things like, “Why would you live there? There is no plan to improve those neighborhoods!” “Don’t you know what those neighborhoods are like?”
Beneath these questions there is another question being asked. “Why we would not look in the wealthy, white suburbs (or neighborhoods) offering safety, good education, hope for a future, no trees because they were all cut down to develop non-energy-efficient homes, and the peace of mind knowing all of my neighbors think like me, look like me, and speak my language?” This is normal, this is what a good paycheck gets you. This is what four years of undergraduate work, and three years of graduate school have offered me, right?
Is this influence the Kingdom or the Empire?
So who has been more influential, the Kingdom or the Empire? If you are still curious walk into your church’s building and see what has been removed the American flag or the cross. Both are central to their respective cultures, yet it seems to be the cross that has taken the bigger hit so as not to offend people.
The church’s attempt to learn culture’s characteristics, thoughts, feelings, presuppositions, and values so we can streamline the message of Jesus has led to our mastery of the culture of the Empire. We create clever slogans like, “Got Jesus?” We wear the T-shirt and know that although we do not have a milk moustache people surely know what we are getting at. We have become so deft in learning the culture of the Empire, and in the meantime we have forgotten what the culture of the Kingdom is supposed to be.
The people of God are to be an alternative to the prevailing culture of the Empire. Our role as salt and light is to be about something else … we have encountered a new culture, the culture of the Kingdom. We have encountered the gospel of Jesus. Our role is to be a people who are constantly challenging to the norms, assumptions, and presuppositions of our culture based in the alternative culture of the Kingdom. It is more than simply withdrawing from our culture and becoming invisible. After all no one puts a lamp under a bowl, right?
We are to be in our culture, being for them, the gospel lived-out, experienced, and demonstrated in our daily lives. We are to be in the world, but not of it. The problem seems to be that we are of the world but not in it. The Church is to be the people of God that present an alternate way of living that brings healing, hope, love, peace, and justice to any culture in which it exists. If this is our role, then we cannot pay allegiance to earthly cultures, even the culture of the American Empire. No culture leads people toward true healing, hope, love, peace, and justice except the culture of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom culture is missional.
The Church is missional. Any attempt to “make it missional” is like telling someone you want to make an apple more like fruit. An apple is fruit. The Church is missional. As we move toward understanding this more fully we may want to begin by throwing off the dominant culture in the Church which is of the Empire, and dive into the subversive culture of the Kingdom. When we live according to the Kingdom’s culture then we can stop talking about the Church becoming missional, for we will understand that our very lives are a mission.
can we just speak?
I have had the opportunity since moving to Denver to strike up a great mentoring relationship with a seminary student named Paul. He is a great guy, with a heart the size of his head in his chest. I have enjoyed our time spent together immensely over the last few months. The other day during our time hanging out, I asked him a question, that I pondered for a long time afterward.
We were discussing theology and theologians. We spoke about how so many people are concerned with nailing down the perfect way of articulating a propositional truth that for so many seems irrelevant to daily life. We reflected on how some are concerned with the world of “scientific theology” and others are concerned with how people are living theology.
As we discussed these subjects we began speaking about those who study all of this. So I asked him, “Have you ever had a conversation with an Evangelical about theology in which one or the other wasn’t trying to prove why he or she is right?” We both sat silently for a time. As I asked this question, I began to wonder why we do this.
Beyond trying to prove our point, there are also things like anger, aggressive language, and dogmatism that begin to creep in. Why? Why do have to speak about our faith in ways that challenge the beliefs of others? What would our beliefs look like if we spoke about them as a love story?
I have told a lot of people about my wife. I have told her about the things that I do that she loves, I have told them about my shortcomings as a husband, I have told the story of how I asked her to marry me, and how we met. In all of this I have never challenged the love that anyone else has for their spouses. I have never claimed to have the best wife ever, and told everyone else their wife is inferior. I simply tell others that I am in love with an amazing woman, and that everyday I can’t believe she is my wife. That’s it.
So what would it be like if when we told people about our God whom we loved? As we discuss what we believe what if we began telling them about our life? What id we told them about our shortcomings as Jesus followers, what if we told them of what we believe about God and why, and what if we spoke about the love that we believe he has for us?
What is interesting is that when I simply tell people about my wife they often say, “I would love to meet her sometime.” And why wouldn’t they? They have just heard a husband speak about how wonderful his wife is and how in love with her he is. What would people say about a God of love, hope, justice, compassion, who challenged the prevailing culture, and allowed himself to be a sacrifice for all humanity?
Rather than backing someone into a corner with our brilliant arguments maybe we should just tell people about a relationship in our life. Maybe our theology should become more of a love story about God and humanity. After all the book on which we base our beliefs is a great love story. Why do we have to argue and become defensive? We have nothing to fear, and no reason to be defensive. We have a story to tell, not an argument to win.
We were discussing theology and theologians. We spoke about how so many people are concerned with nailing down the perfect way of articulating a propositional truth that for so many seems irrelevant to daily life. We reflected on how some are concerned with the world of “scientific theology” and others are concerned with how people are living theology.
As we discussed these subjects we began speaking about those who study all of this. So I asked him, “Have you ever had a conversation with an Evangelical about theology in which one or the other wasn’t trying to prove why he or she is right?” We both sat silently for a time. As I asked this question, I began to wonder why we do this.
Beyond trying to prove our point, there are also things like anger, aggressive language, and dogmatism that begin to creep in. Why? Why do have to speak about our faith in ways that challenge the beliefs of others? What would our beliefs look like if we spoke about them as a love story?
I have told a lot of people about my wife. I have told her about the things that I do that she loves, I have told them about my shortcomings as a husband, I have told the story of how I asked her to marry me, and how we met. In all of this I have never challenged the love that anyone else has for their spouses. I have never claimed to have the best wife ever, and told everyone else their wife is inferior. I simply tell others that I am in love with an amazing woman, and that everyday I can’t believe she is my wife. That’s it.
So what would it be like if when we told people about our God whom we loved? As we discuss what we believe what if we began telling them about our life? What id we told them about our shortcomings as Jesus followers, what if we told them of what we believe about God and why, and what if we spoke about the love that we believe he has for us?
What is interesting is that when I simply tell people about my wife they often say, “I would love to meet her sometime.” And why wouldn’t they? They have just heard a husband speak about how wonderful his wife is and how in love with her he is. What would people say about a God of love, hope, justice, compassion, who challenged the prevailing culture, and allowed himself to be a sacrifice for all humanity?
Rather than backing someone into a corner with our brilliant arguments maybe we should just tell people about a relationship in our life. Maybe our theology should become more of a love story about God and humanity. After all the book on which we base our beliefs is a great love story. Why do we have to argue and become defensive? We have nothing to fear, and no reason to be defensive. We have a story to tell, not an argument to win.