Posted on

GOD: When All the World Is a Stage

I once had a friend who was a nationally elite wrestler and with Olympic caliber talent. His junior year, he was ranked number one in the nation and was picked to win the national title for his weight division. He lost. Over the summer he found Jesus, was baptized, and began going public with his faith. He talked about renewed strength and sharing his faith with anyone who might listen, including the news media. When he entered his final season as a senior, he was again ranked number one in the nation, and with his renewed faith, he believed his future was secure. Once again, he lost, dragging him into a crisis of faith. He had a stage to bring glory to God, and the stage was taken from him. Why wouldn’t God endorse his win in order to receive the glory for it?

A couple of weeks ago the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Superbowl. Heading into the big game, reports surfaced that Nick Foles was a man of faith, that the Eagles conducted regular Bible studies, and videos surfaced of members of the team participating in baptisms. They had a stage to bring glory to God, and the stage was elevated during and following their championship win.

Tim Tebow was the evangelical/Christian hero. Born to missionary parents, he was given a gift for football and a powerfully vocal faith in Jesus. Written on his Eye Black was his favorite verse for the day, and often it was John 3:16. Every touchdown he made was immediately followed by a prayer on his knee. What is amazing is that the quality of Tim Tebow’s character should have made him the perfect candidate for God to place him on the largest stage. Yet many wonder why God allowed that stage to allude him?

Wednesday an American Icon passed away. He was given the largest stage when he preached to thousands upon thousands (if not to millions) of people. He sat with every sitting president since Truman. He was never caught up in a moral or ethical scandal, though he did compromise himself with President Nixon (he did beg the Jewish community forgiveness). He was born for the big stage and he lived his life to glory God on that stage.

We’ve convinced ourselves that the successful athlete, business man, politician, or performer, author – who is also a Christian – is the one God uses to make the biggest impact for the kingdom. We believe that the best advertisement for God is to market the Christian who is defined by success based on our terms: status, wealth, appearance, charisma, etc.

Somehow, God sees things a little differently. On the worlds’ biggest staged he placed a cross.

In the process of calling Saul (Acts 9), God had a conversation with Ananias. God wanted Ananias to meet with Saul to restore his sight. Ananias was a little fearful since Saul had been persecuting the church. But God reassured Ananias, and among the information given to Ananias comes this little line, “I will show him (i.e. Saul/Paul) how much he must suffer for my name.” God was going to put Saul on the biggest stage and show the world how much he had to suffer for Jesus.

Second Corinthians is essentially Paul’s argument that the greatest stage God can give someone is the stage where their weakness is exposed and they suffer the most. So Paul records his “Affliction Lists” (4:8-10; 6:3-10; 11:23-29), saying that God does his greatest work through our suffering. The strength that Paul experiences is not the ability to avoid walking outside the realm of suffering, but the strength to endure the very heart of suffering because God empowers him (4:7). For it is through our weaknesses, not our strengths, that Christ’s power is made perfect in us (12:8-10).

So maybe we’ve got the stage thing all wrong. Maybe those on the big stage can’t always be trusted with the spotlight; how many people, we’ve propped up, have “fallen” off the big stage? Maybe the suffering stage keeps us closer to the cross. Maybe the suffering stage gives God greater glory, for the power to endure hardships clearly comes from God not from within. Maybe the church should start questioning who we’ve decided to prop up onto the stage, and why we’ve chosen them. Instead, maybe we should look for the ones who’ve modeled faithful endurance in the face of suffering, because they are more likely the ones God wants on stage.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

Sometimes It Just Takes a Miracle

1980 was a milestone in the Cold War era. With the Summer and Winter Olympics played in the same year, the Winter Games were hosted by the United States and the Summer Games were held in Moscow, capital city of the USSR. If the standoff between the two greatest world powers wasn’t enough, in December of 1979 the USSR had invaded Afghanistan. The aggressive military move sent shockwaves throughout the world. When Russian refused to back down and pull out of Afghanistan, politics merged with athletics; the US boycotted the Moscow Olympic Games.

Such a move seemed to up the stakes for the Winter Games. Without a presence in Moscow, the US had to make their presence known at Lake Placid, NY. Enter the US Hockey Team.

The remarkable story of this team, and what became known as The Miracle on Ice, is well-told in the 2004 movie, Miracle. Where many nations, particularly the USSR, had national teams who played together under one coach for years, the US assembled a team of college’s best players months prior to the Olympics. But 1979 saw a shift in how to assemble and prepare the US Hockey team Olympic competition.

Herb Brooks was hired to coach the team. When choosing players for his team, he looked for qualities other than talent; he administered psychological exams. Some of the best player in college hockey were on the sidelines. Nine of the players played for him at Minnesota, while six came from rival Boston College. He employed an authoritarian approach to unify the team, believing that the team could unite if they all agreed to hate the coach.

In the movie, Miracle, Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russel, addressed the teams division and effort after tying a game they should have won. He assembled the players and made them skate the lines (we might call them “wind sprints” or “suicides”). At each break he passionately preached effort, the passion lacking in their play until he yells, “Again,” and they skate again. On and on he goes through the drill until the players, exhausted, barely able to stand much less skate, but who’s stubborn will is broken. The assistant coach and team doctor questioned Brooks’ wisdom. Finally, one players, dejectedly looks up and says, “Mike Eruzione from Massachusetts.” Throughout the movie, Brooks had asked a simple question, but it was a question as he asked time and time again, the team failed to answer correctly, “Who do you play for?” Eruzione continued, “I play for the United States of America!” With his point made, Brooks walks off the ice and simply tells his players, “That is all, gentlemen.”

The miracle was Team USA defeating the USSR, then going on to winning gold. However, the miracle wasn’t just the David conquering Goliath moment, but conquering the battle within. The real miracle might have been the coming together as a team who was willing to suspend personal loyalties for the greater cause.

The greater loyalty, only the Bible might call it “the only loyalty,” comes in our relationship with God. Everything else must take a back seat: money, job, family, recreational activities, religious heritage, politics, etc. The reason is two-fold. First, God is a jealous god who does not like to share loyalties with anything or anyone. He does not want to be cheated on, which is why we must choose between him and everything else (Josh. 24:15; 1 King. 18:21; Mt. 6:24, 33). Secondly, anything other than unity in Jesus is just another reason to divide. In order to ensure the unity God established (Eph. 4:12-13) peripheral issues in the Kingdom of God, like “pet” doctrinal preferences or political positions, must stay on the peripheral. Personal agendas must give way to maintain church unity (Phil. 2:4).

Sometimes, when God is actually placed first in our lives and unity becomes more important than personal agenda, it just takes a miracle.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

Posted on

You Might Be a Pharisee If . . .

In Sunday morning’s sermon, Jamie Riley (my fellow minister at Sunshine Church) listed a number of warning signs for Pharisaic attitudes that permeate throughout churches. As he was speaking, my ADHD mind began chasing thoughts, such as, “how did/does the Pharisaic mind rise to prominence?” An over simplified answer might be that anytime a high view of Scripture is embraced, a Pharisaic expression of legalism soon follows. People who are passionate about following God’s Word will eventually create their own rules to protect God’s Word from being broken. When they find themselves in positions of power and authority, they’ll impose their interpretation and rules on the people, believing they’re holding true to God’s Word. Ultimately, what started as good intentions ends with protecting the status quo, their authority and position. 

The second thing that went through my mind was the connection to all the redneck jokes, and how easy it could be to connect Jamie’s list to Jeff Foxworthy’s one-liners. So with apologies to Mr. Foxworthy, here is an expanded list of Pharisee tendencies provided by Jamie from Sunday morning. 

You Just Might Be A PHARISEE If . . .

you experience years of spiritual unrest, because you’re never quite secure in Jesus’ promise of forgiveness . . .

you’re a surveillance expert, looking and monitoring people to see if (or hope?) they fall in their walk with God . . .

you feel like you can thank God that you are not like (insert label here [see Luke 18:9-14]) . . .

you hold an unhealthy relationship with authority, i.e. taking great pride in holding a place of authority and abusing that authority to gain control over people . . .

you practice un-merciful exactness so that God’s mercy is limited to only people who follow every minute command in Scripture . . .

you believe that simply showing up for worship every Sunday makes you right with God . . .

you spend more time talking about what you are “against,” and not what you are “for;” certainly, you rarely ever act on what you are “for” because the position on the topic is more important than actually ministering to the people impacted by the position . . . 

you believe God actually needs you, and that the church cannot survive without
you . . .

your salvation is based on works, not on Jesus; you actually think that your good works will get you into heaven . . .

you make every issue either “black and white” or that every issue holds “heaven and hell” ramifications . . .

you read the Bible to substantiate your convictions, not to be shaped into God’s image . . .

someone tries to confront you, and you get angry or offended . . .

a creative and charismatic leader is a threat to your place and position in the church . . . and

you pick and choose which parts of Scripture you’re going to follow and obey.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

(Clarification: Jamie did not invent his list but gleaned them from numerous sources. I have expanded and fleshed out his list with more examples for the purposes of the article).                                 

Posted on

Reclaiming the Voice in the Wilderness

John’s ministry was located in the wilderness of Judea, near the Jordan River. His message called people to repentance, and no matter who stood before him, his message never wavered. To those who believed their religious/political heritage was going to save them, he called for them to produce good works of generosity (Lk. 3:9). To the tax collectors, he told them to curb their greed (Lk. 3:13). To the soldiers, he told them not to falsely accuse people, and to be content with their pay (Lk. 3:14).

But some believed John overstepped his boundaries; he switched from “preaching” to “meddling.” In his passion for righteousness, he rebuked Herod for the evil he had done, including, but not limited to, stealing his brother’s wife, Herodias (Lk. 3:19). Such an indictment stirred the waters of political unrest, giving Herod’s enemies a means to stand against the king (according to Mark 3:6 he had his supporters). At best, a seed of discontent was planted, fueling responses to the “Complaint Department.” At worst, John was stirring political unrest which could fuel civil unrest, riots and embolden a foreign power into an aggressive position.  Beyond right or wrong, John’s voice needed to be silenced. For that, he found himself locked up in Herod’s prison (Lk. 3:20).

We applaud John because he was willing to stand against the tide of political pressure for what was right. And while he was removed from his wilderness “pulpit,” and eventually executed by Herod, he never lost his Wilderness Voice. Other prophets failed where John succeeded. 

In 2002 Billy Graham’s voice was heard on a 1972 recorded tape in tandem with President Richard Nixon as the President made disparaging remarks concerning the Jewish people of America. How could a man of God, who preached repentance to thousands of people all over the world, who also embraced desegregation and refused to hold segregated revivals during the 1950’s, be complicit to such racist comments? I’m not sure of the answer, except that when God’s man gets joined to the hip of political aspirations, the result is often a selling out of integrity (followed by a diluted prophetic message). The arena Billy Graham operated in is power addictive, so that the position he holds becomes more important than the message he preaches.  Where Billy Graham should have questioned the President, he found himself complicit in racism. 

When the church snuggles too closely up to the political world, we risk losing our Wilderness Voice. I’m very comfortable linking arms with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, as they seemed like godly men whose spiritual conscience helped guide their presidency. But what does the church do when the presidents (or any of our government officials) get their hands dirty? What does the church do when we’ve rallied people for a candidate who eventually acts on immoral or unethical principles? The same can be asked when the party we support acts unchristianly or supports an action which stands in violation with God’s Word.

During the 1930’s too many of Germany’s churches lost their Wilderness Voice by endorsing the Nazi movement. Sympathizing with their government, Adolf Hitler had their support, as he led the nation out of the brink of economic devastation to prosperity. National pride replaced shame. Hope emerged once again. And the church, caught up in the national movement, turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the travesty of racial hatred at the core of the very nation they loved and supported (in part because the preachers and Christians who Reclaimed the Wilderness Voice were quickly silenced). In the end, to say the least, the churches in Germany were complicit in the deaths of six million Jews.

When the church endorses the political movement or climate, they risk losing their Wilderness Voice. When the relationship between the church and the government is too friendly, a conflict of interest arises for who then will stand for God’s Message? For them the political clout is more important than the Word, and the Wilderness Voice is finally silenced. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

Posted on

CHURCH: Surviving the Dream Land

In the past Sioto County’s Portsmouth, Ohio gained a reputation for successful shoes companies, as well as the shoestring company that employed many of its residences. Portsmouth was part of the “Rust Belt” in America as a big manufacturer of steel. Portsmouth produced some household names who played in the Major Leagues like Al Oliver and Gene Tenace, while across the river came Don Gullett.  Who could talk baseball without mentioning the influence of local hero, Branch Rickey, the Dodger’s General Manager who signed Jackie Robinson? From an iconic marker who couldn’t think of Portsmouth without the pool, Dream Land, where friends and family gathered at the park to swim, eat and dream away the summer days. 

But those days are past. The shoe companies abandoned the region. The steel factories shut down. Portsmouth’s presence in the Major Leagues has been quiet. And the Dream Land pool has been filled in and paved for a strip mall.

In the void, Portsmouth became Ground Zero for the opioid crisis. According to Sam Quinones’ book, Dream Land, a perfect storm converged that hit in Portsmouth. First came the pharmaceutical companies who perpetuated a misinformed and fallible research belief that opioids were virtually non-addictive. The pharmaceutical industry believed they found the solution to controlling pain without fear of addiction; they were wrong. The second gathering storm was the “Pill Mill” factories, where doctors, focused on pain management, set up practice for the purpose of dispensing the opioids. What emerged was an industry without regulation being run by many doctors who had lost their license to practice. Patients paid in cash and were given, what turned out to be, an open ended prescription to opioids like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin (honest doctors were caught in the middle of either prescribing for pain or being seen as insensitive to patients pain). Finally, smuggled in from a small state in Mexico came the Black Tar Heroin. In a “pizza delivery” format, the Mexicans sold heroin, to white middle-class people in bigger cities like Columbus, Ohio and to smaller towns like Portsmouth. Instead of you going to a crack house or allies, they delivered to you in a public area. The price was cheap, accessible, and the product was potent. Many who were addicted to opioids eventually became hooked on this form of heroin. 

Living in the wake of this perfect storm is certainly better than the storm itself. Federal regulators finally stopped the Pill Mill industry and held the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the damage done. Law enforcement agencies figured out how the Black Tar Heroin ring was operating and started convicting dealers to long-term prison sentences.  Most importantly, family members of drug addict victims started speaking out to remove the stigma and shame of their loved one being an addict.  What happened to them could have easily happened to anyone, anywhere. 

As Quinones drew conclusions to his opioid story, he noted the important role community plays in heading off addiction and gaining support while recovering from addiction. For thirty years our society has barricaded itself within its homes believing that it’s safer than engaging the world. The opioid crisis struck at this belief as the ones hit hardest by the crisis were the white middle-class who believed their home was a sanctuary. It’s time to engage our neighborhood community.  Also, our prison system needs to look at the role they play in helping recovering addicts.  Simply locking up addicts without long term drug intervention will not curb the epidemic nor the addiction. Finally, churches must rethink their role in staying off the drug epidemic. One church in Portland, Oregon started with the intent of sharing the gospel with addicts. Their teachings focusing on Jesus: love, forgiveness and transformation. They’re known as “The Rehab Church.” 

Church is the first and last line of defense in surviving the Dream Land. Church provides a built-in community needed for an alternative to a destructive lifestyle and a protection against drugs and the drug world. Church provides a venue for confession to transpire, confessing either an addiction or the battle a family member is fighting. Church provides the grace to struggle along with the cushion to fail and to fall without fear. Church provides the hope for a recovering community to succeed. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

Posted on

Behind the Masks

For the past couple of months, the news media has reported a number of disturbing episodes arising out of our society. None of these stories are related. All these stories seem to be tied together by a common social (or possibly spiritual) problem behind the joyous mask of our culture. 

Episode #1 . . . Media mogul Harvey Weinstein has been ousted by his production company because of ongoing sexual harassment charges brought against him. Women have been coming forward in droves to report the abuse they’ve faced by this powerful man in an industry known for making women nothing more than sex objects for men. The indignation has set off a firestorm across Hollywood; they’re scrambling to figure out how an industry known for exploiting women could have an executive treating women as an object of his own lust. Others have been coming forward to make their voices heard. Ayssa Milano took to social media and began the #Me Too campaign raising awareness for women who have been sexually abused; her tweets have given women the courage to come forward to share their own story.  

Episode #2 . . . University of Louisville officially fired head basketball coach Rick Pitino, who is embroiled in a scandal where the FBI has conducted a “sting” operation over the past two years. Simply, at least five NCAA basketball coaches, including an assistant coach at Louisville, have been indicted for bribery, wire fraud and mass corruption.  These coaches, assisted by Adidas, operated a “pay for play” scheme where six digit figures were funneled to top recruits’ families promising to sign with Adidas once the player reached the NBA. The fear is this problem is systemic to the NCAA. For Pitino, innocent or not, his firing emerged because of a lack of “institutional control” as this corruption was operating under his watch.  It’s not the worst scandal he’s found himself tied to, but it’s the latest in a string of scandals.

Episode #3 . . . Members of a now defunct Penn State fraternity are facing misdemeanor charges in a hazing incident where a 19 year old pledge, Tim Piazza, died (felony charges have been dismissed). The under-aged victim was forced to drink vodka, beer, and wine on an empty stomach. Intoxicated, he passed out and fell down the stairs of the fraternity house. He was carried to a couch where he was slammed and punched in the stomach. The fraternity men poured beer on him while he groaned and held his stomach. In the wee hours of the morning a decision was made to call 9-11. He was rushed to emergency surgery, but died of a ruptured spleen, brain injuries and internal bleeding. 

The three episodes have very little to do with each other, except that the public outrage has been loud and clear. Stop men like Harvey Weinstein from making women objects of man’s desires! Stop the greed-driven organization that makes millions off of poor and vulnerable athletes. Stop turning our higher education system into one party after another!

The outrage is loud and clear, and people want justice (i.e. where individuals are treated fairly and with respect). But the outrage is a mask, for behind it lies an ugly, decaying truth. We’re outraged over the treatment of women, but we’ve supported the dehumanizing of women as sex objects. We’re outraged over the flow of money to our universities sports programs, but we want our teams to win (at all costs). We’re outraged over the death of an under-aged fraternity wanna-be, but we dismiss the parties as a normal part of the college experience. Yes, the outrage continues, if only as a way to mask our true selves. 

On the Greek stage the actors wore masks to cover their faces as they pretended to be people other than themselves. The Greek word for actor is hypocrite. Jesus applied this word to those whose piety to God was motivated by applause of men (Mt. 6:1-18). The word may be used to describe America, outrage by the injustice, without admitting we’re the ones causing the injustice. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

CHURCH: A Darker Side

The Church is a beacon of light and hope to the community, and even to the world. For two thousand years the Church has built hospitals to heal the sick. They’ve built orphanages and provided adoption agencies to give children a home off the streets. They’ve dug wells in third world countries, and sent doctors overseas where medicine cannot be found. They’ve worked with people to break their addictive behaviors. They’ve provided counseling for troubled people and couples. They’ve comforted families during times of painful death, and celebrated with families during times of joyful birth. They’ve provided the foundation for education and have been prolific in publications. They’ve been a part of changing people’s lives. More importantly, they’ve provided the framework for a community to connect with God. 

If the Church’s accomplishment is a banner flying high, then the Church’s failure is the black eye, exposed for all to see. We’re not speaking of missteps, where the Church fails to show compassion, or fails to close the back door and members are lost. We’re talking about systemic failure that has tarnished the Church, both locally and world-wide. 

Three words come together that may stand at the root of the Church’s darker side: Power, Politics, and Protection. 

  • Power is the ability to manipulate or control the direction of the Church, or its membership. Leadership uses their power to force people in line (Mk. 10:42) instead of serving them. They will resort to intimidate, threaten, and verbally assault people to comply with their wishes. Being right is more important than doing right. Members exercise their power through attendance and contribution. The fact is money talks, and congregations need people in the pews and a means to finance ministries. Members resort to manipulation in order to achieve their own personal agenda. 
  • Politics skews right and wrong, and justice is lost. Politics involve the abuse of power through key individuals. Maybe they have money. Maybe they have influence. The result is that certain subjects are not addressed, and certain individuals are never confronted. Too many preachers have been forced to sell out their own integrity for fear of offending the wrong members of a church; truth has often been sacrificed for position. 
  • Protection is a Biblical mandate, but only in regard to the weak and vulnerable (Jam. 1:27). However, when certain members, because of money, position or family connections, commit indiscretions that are covered up, then protection is flipped on its heels. For years the Catholic Church protected priests who abused boys in their diocese. The abuse fractured the Church, but the cover-up sent shockwaves beyond the Church. 

In an era when Church’s reputation has been tarnished, when Churches are viewed as irrelevant, and when the good the Church has accomplished has been outweighed by the bad it has done, the Church needs to be proactive in securing its own integrity.  John tells us that “light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). Light needs to continually shine in and on the church in order to prevent the dark side of the church to overcome the light.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

A Piece of the Action

A few years ago, a speaker at a conference painted a picture of the church in modern day Jerusalem. He said that when the church comes together, the membership is drawn from the demographics in the region. Such can be said for many and probably most churches. You plant a church in a certain community, and that church is a cross section of that community (or at least it should be). So what do the members of a growing church in Jerusalem look like? He said, their membership is comprised of Christians whose backgrounds include Jews, Palestinians, Israeli’s and Muslims.

I think it’s hard for us to get our minds wrapped around a church comprised of so many different, if not volatile, backgrounds. We’ve bought into the American belief that the best way to grow a church is through minimizing differences and maximizing commonalities. White Christians have their white churches, while black Christians have theirs. Rich Christians have their churches, while poor churches have theirs. Christians to the “so-called right” have their churches, while Christians to the “so-called left” have theirs. Such a mindset is so pervasive, we cannot imagine another option for building churches. 

The more I reflect on this church in Jerusalem, the more intrigued I am about the inner-workings of this church. What do they talk about? How do they manage separating their national heritage from their spiritual reality? We’re looking at Christians whose national people have shed blood over a God-given land, and over a city where his Name resides. In a region so divisive, holding peace together by a thread, how does that church not tear itself apart?  Surely, individual members want a piece of the action!

In the final chapter of Romans, Paul issues greetings to almost thirty individuals (more so if you count the households and house churches). Scholars will tell you that the list of names include Jews and Gentiles, slaves and freedmen, men and women. The core problem in Rome was primarily the Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian trying to come together as one. In an over simplified illustration, when they came together to eat, were they serving ham sandwiches or kosher fish sticks? So as Paul was encouraging the church to apply his rich theology of the previous chapters, he tells them to “greet one another.” More so, the commonality for their greeting was not their Jewish or Gentile heritage, but in the One who saved them. Four times he tells them that their relationship is rooted in Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:3,7,9, 10), while five times he says it’s rooted in the Lord (Rom. 16:8,11,12a,12b,13). What brings Christians together is beyond one’s ideology, but is found in our relationship to the Risen Savior. He’s the common point of reference. 

Beyond Christ, everything of importance becomes a reason to divide, and it fuels our passions to have a piece of the action. Fans defend their sports teams, and even turn a blind eye to the unscrupulous conduct of the players, coaches and schools/ownerships. Christians mark off denomination territories to defend their doctrinal positions, at the expense of justice, mercy, and humility. Citizens take their personal political views to draw a line in the sand daring someone to cross or to hold an opposing viewpoint. And when sports, religion and politics converge, it’s always combustible. We’ve witnessed this as if we’re sitting in box seats: instead of seeking peace, everyone wants a piece of the action. 

So how do you counsel members of the church in Jerusalem, whose background includes such divisive political perspectives, and where unity is frail? Do you tell them to stand their ground? Do you help fuel the fires of division, or help bridge the gap by seeking the one commonality they can hold on to? After offering your counsel to them, what advice do you bring back home?  Do you really want a piece of the action, or a peace in the midst of the action?

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

Finding Mercy in the Wake of Justice

When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, my dad believed it was punishment from God for the sins of America. He never quite told me what sins America had committed that would unleash the fury of God, though looking back on it I can imagine the sins. Twenty-five years later, when Katrina hit the gulf coast, I heard the same statements coming from multiple sources, only louder. This time, though, the storm came on the heels of 9-11, and numerous people connected the dots to the conclusion: God was punishing America for their sins. Recently, with the fires in the Northwest and hurricanes in Texas and Florida, the voice of doom has been heard again, “God is punishing America for her sins!”

Retributive Theology is the belief that when something bad happens, it’s because of sin and the result is God’s punishment. It’s the kind of thinking being drawn from when people, like my father, associate the natural disasters with God’s punishment. The belief is rooted in stories like the flood (Gen. 6), where God destroys the entire world because of the people’s sin. Or when God uses Israel as punishment to evict the Canaanites from their homes because of their grave sins (Gen. 15:16). 

The story of Job is a story rooted in Retributive Theology, and all the players were driven by the belief that God was punishing Job for the sins he committed. The difference between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) was that Job kept trying to defend his righteousness while his friends condemned him for his unrighteousness. Job might say, “I’ve done nothing to deserve this punishment from God” (see 6:24-29; 9:17-18; 13:15). His friends might counter with, “God only punishes the wicked, thus you’ve done something wrong” (see 4:7-10; 5:17; 8:2-6; 11:5-6, 10-11). The problem, of course, is that we know from the opening pages of Job’s story that he’s not being punished for wrongdoing, and that in the ending pages of Job he’s not only exonerated, but his friends must beg his forgiveness for speaking out of turn, an important fact often ignored.    

Beyond the fact that we live in a fallen world where bad things naturally happen, two points are worth highlighting. First, God’s answer to pain, suffering, sin, and rebellion is not fires and floods, but the cross.  God’s purpose for the cross was to redeem and save mankind, not to condemn us (Jn. 3:16). One could argue that if God is punishing people by way of flooding and fires, then God is devaluing the reason for sending his Son in the first place. I wouldn’t want to take the attention off the cross, but we might want to try and figure-out how to keep the cross front and center to his message. With the cross central to our faith, we might find ourselves more compassionate with the victims of the disaster instead of more condemning. 

Secondly, if God is punishing the people with fires and floods, then what is the appropriate response? When Jesus told the parable of the talents (Mt. 25:14-30), the man with the one talent held a conviction about his master (he reaped what he did not sow).  The man’s response did not line up with his conviction about his master. The master confronted him, “If you held those convictions, then instead of burying my money you should have invested it in the bank.” He then called the servant lazy, and threw him out of his presence. If these disasters are punishment from God, then the response from the people is to repent. Those making the “punishment” claim should be the ones leading the charge in repentance by tearing their clothes, putting on sackcloth’s and ashes, or in our society, by coming forward on Sunday to confess their roles in the sins of our nation. Unfortunately, what I’m seeing is a whole lot of self-righteous finger pointing, and very little repentance. 

When the disciples saw a man born blind, they created a theological debate over the reason for man’s blindness (Jn. 9:1-3). Jesus refused to enter the blame game, and instead looked for mercy and compassion, while seeking a means for God to bring healing. Maybe we ought to start doing the same. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God Is Glorified!)

Posted on

Shades of Truth

The use of shading in paintings or sketches allows for depth and realism.  Shading the truth only brings lies and deception to the forefront. I once colored a picture and was showing it to an artist.  She said, “I love your use of shadow, it makes it look like the sun is shining.” I looked at the picture I had drawn, studied the colors as I could see where I pressed harder on the left side of the paper, and lightened the coloring as I moved to the right.  I looked at her and admitted in all honesty, “It does look cool. But I never purposely tried to shade the picture. I guess I just got lucky.” Shading a colored picture is brilliant; shading the truth is another story. 

We’ve always known people who’ve shaded the truth; we’ve even done it ourselves. Abraham introducing Sarah as his sister while ignoring the glaring truth that she was also his wife shaded the truth to the Egyptians (Gen. 12:10-13). However, it seems that the shading in our society has gotten darker not lighter. Stephen Colbert coined the phrase, “truthiness,” to describe a person or people who hold convictions as true, even though empirical evidence, logic, or intellectual examination of the facts say otherwise. At the beginning of the year, Kellyann Conway coined the phrase, “alternative facts” (i.e. truth) to counter the report of the low turnout for the Presidential Inauguration. If fact is fact, or truth is truth, then what exactly is an “alternative fact,” if not shading the truth? 

This last week, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, FaceBook lit up in what only became known as the next cycle news story perpetuated by those who like shading the truth. The facts slowly emerged, but never fast enough to counter the lies. What is true is the Lakewood Church, home of Joel Osteen’s mega church in the old Compact Center, never opened its doors for the displaced. Another truth is that the outcry against him was heard all over the internet. As the facts emerged, Lakewood was never asked to open their doors by the city, for fear of another Superdome tragedy from Hurricane Katrina (bad plumbing, no showers & fresh water, and reports of sexual abuse). The Compact Center received its own damage during the rains; between flooding and structural integrity issues, the city feared escalating problems. Besides, the city had made arrangements for a number of other places designated as refugee spots, and using the Compact Center was only a last resort plan. 

In all candor, I am not a fan of Joel Osteen, but that doesn’t mean I don’t that I have no admiration for him. Not only do I admire his personal narrative of how he reluctantly entered the preaching ministry, but I also admire his ability to attract people who flock to his church every week in a culture where many (or most) churches are struggling to maintain status quo (Phil. 1:18 might apply here). My critique is that in his attempt to offer a “positive” message, the message he offers is rooted in the self-help, prosperity gospel. If we’re going to criticize someone, let’s make sure the accusations against them are the truth, without having to shade them for our advantage. Osteen never closed his doors to the people of Houston, but offered assistance where his church could. 

FaceBook has become a breeding ground for Fake News, which is another word for lies. We share and post articles without determining their validity.  We assume far too much, and it helps perpetuate lies. We post memes because they fit our conclusions. We’ve stopped reading, and when we do read we fail to allow for reflection on what we’ve read. We share articles without ever double checking the source, the agenda, or consulting with www.snopes.com (a website committed to filtering the truth from the lies). 

Jesus claimed to be truth (Jn. 14:6). Paul exhorted his readers to embrace truth and reject lies (Eph. 4:25). David plays the role of Diogenes as he searches for anyone who will tell the truth, but he searches in vain (Ps. 12:1). Maybe it’s time for our discipleship to Jesus to force us out of the shades and into the light of truth. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God Is Glorified!)