Arguing Christianity

Ever wonder why Christians focus so much on beliefs? According to Amy-Jill Levine in The Bible With and Without Jesus, Christianity is the first religion solely based on beliefs. As a Jew, Levine offers a helpful perspective for us. Most religions have a heavier cultural, ethnic element. One is born a Jew, Hindu, Buddhist. But historically one chooses to be a Christian. Obviously people are born into Christian families, but in evangelical tradition children are still urged to choose the faith.

So, if Christianity is based on beliefs, not heritage, then we must be very careful what those beliefs are. What do you have to believe to be a Christian? To answer this question, the Christians through history have offered extensive "creeds," statements of specific beliefs that express orthodoxy, or right belief.

Jews, on the other hand, freely argue their opinions about their scriptures. They don't worry about being labeled heretics. For them, Judaism is like family. It's permanent. You can't be kicked out, no matter what you believe. "Two Jews, three opinions," as the saying goes. One can speak of an atheist Jew, but there's no such thing as an atheist Christian.

Jews and Christians both argue within their traditions, but Christians are more interested in deciding who is "in" and who is "out." We must determine who is right and who is wrong. Jews are stuck accepting each other, even those with strange views of God.

Seems like we can learn something about accepting each other.

Freedom from Politics

Today we can celebrate freedom from political ads. It was almost humorous to hear competing ads back-to-back during TV commercial breaks. So, even if the election is not settled, at least we are free from those ads.

Can we be free from politics?

History shows that we need governments. We need some rules for orderly society, and we need some means to encourage people to follow those rules. That's what government is all about. Some versions of governments have been good for populations, and many have been cruel and oppressive. When government is absent, anarchy rules until that vacuum is filled with, usually, some sort of tyranny. Government, then, is necessary in human society, even if it is typically full of imperfection. We need government.

Unfortunately the delivery system for government is politics. It is full of imperfect people with imperfect motives. People long to have power but rarely anticipate the corruption that comes with power. Even those who begin with good motives learn to compromise on principles for the sake of their larger agenda. Corruption nearly always creeps in.

If we want to be free from worldly politics, we need to focus on Jesus as our King. He has the greater power of love. He transforms the people in his kingdom. There is no corruption in his reign.

We can free ourselves from the mental tyranny of worldly politics by remembering that Jesus is our King. Yes we need to participate in worldly government, voting and staying informed. But the kingdom of Jesus is greater. He says, "Take heart! I have overcome this world!" (John 16:33).

Election Day Prayer

 Lord, we are a needy people.

We need justice, community, connection.

We need freedom from addiction, food on the table, health in our bodies.

We need hope.

Our land promises freedom. But freedom is fragile. We must handle it responsibly.

Today we in this land we choose our own leaders. Few in history have had this choice.

As we choose leaders today, remind us that our ultimate hope must be in you. 

Politicians will disappoint, even betray. Populations will make foolish choices. Power plays rule the day.

Let us return to you for hope, for help, for life. Let us stand for justice, for freedom, for kindness. Let us forgive, and turn from our own selfishness. 

God, have mercy on us.

Toxic Breath, Contagious Breath

Who knew? Anything we read or watch from before 2020 seems so quaint. There was a time when thousands of people could gather for...anything. We thought nothing of it. Breath was not considered toxic. 

Today, everything has changed. You know what's on the list, because you are living it.

In ancient languages, there was one word for breath/wind/spirit. When the Bible talks about the Holy Spirit, you could read it "Holy Breath." 

The Holy Breath is not toxic. He breathes life into us. He heals and restores. He brings hope and joy.

So, this Holy Breath is not toxic, but He is contagious. When the Spirit of God shapes your thinking and guides your heart, people can sense the peace, the love, the joy. And this Holy Breath penetrates more than lungs. He gets into the operating system of our souls and transforms us from within.

Spread the Breath.

The COVID Steam Roller

We moved our clocks back an hour this morning. It was a reset. It requires recalibration for our internal clocks. For some folks it takes a couple of weeks to adjust. And when March rolls around, we will have to adjust again. We are used to this regular time change, although many find it annoying.

The pandemic world also requires us to recalibrate. We keep hoping that we can switch back to normal, but infection numbers only seem to get worse. It looks like all our efforts from mid-March have not worked. It looks like we are stuck in this new time indefinitely. 

The changes of Daylight Saving Time happen overnight. The changes of the pandemic keep coming. As each new season of normal life arrives, the steam roller of COVID flattens them. In some cases, the virus stops events cold: Easter gatherings, the ACC tournament, live worship services. We had a social-distanced Halloween yesterday. Thanksgiving will not be the same without a real parade, and many families will not be able to gather. Christmas traditions will have to adjust: parties, shopping, parades, dinners.

COVID flattens everything in its path. It crushes businesses, weddings, traditions, sports, hospitals  It infects people and puts them out of work, taking lives and forcing quarantines. Soon we will have a whole year in the age of quarantine, and we will know more what to expect. 

But the COVID steam roller does not have to crush us. 

What are you rethinking? How are you adapting? How can you become better as you find new ways to do life?

No longer can we thoughtlessly go through the motions. Nearly every routine has to change. Let's consider what really matters and why.

Don't let COVID flatten you. Let it squeeze out the shallow parts of life and release you to live on purpose.

On Columbus and Motives

It was 528 years ago today that Christopher Columbus first came ashore on the island we know as San Salvador. Happy Columbus Day.

He and his crew bravely set sail to find a new route to an Old World. But they actually found a New World. Columbus never knew what he had found. In fact Columbus made three more trips to the New World, always persuaded that he was exploring southeast Asia. 

For centuries Columbus has been celebrated in this New World. Today's his day. Countries and cities are named by him and for him. In recent times we have rethought his status as a hero. He seems to be a man of great contradictions.

On the one hand he wanted to claim his discoveries for Christ, bringing Christendom to savages. On the other hand, he and his crews took all the riches they could find and treated many indigenous peoples savagely. His discoveries ushered in a new age of colonization, in which European nations employed native tribes to harvest riches of resources.

So, was Columbus a good guy or a bad guy? It's complicated. Like all of us he was a complicated person. We may never know his true motives. His bravery and leadership led to important discoveries. His greed and cruelty led to centuries of exploitation. There is no simple answer to the character of Columbus. He was a complex person. We can't dismiss him as evil any more than we can hail him as flawless.

We also need to be careful when judging history. History is complicated, just as people are complicated. If Columbus had not discovered the New World, someone would have. How might have history unfolded differently? We can never know. Rather than harshly judging historical events, we ought to learn what has happened and recognize our own responsibilities today. Were wrong committed? Of course. Is there something we can do today to correct historical wrongs? Let's make appropriate changes today. 

More importantly, let's evaluate our own times--policies, practices, laws, traditions--and commit to do what is right today. Future generations will certainly find fault with us in the 21st century. Let's find those flaws in our systems now, and do what is good.

And on the issue of motives: I don't know what motivated Columbus. Often, I don't know what really motivates me.

Pandemic Observations

Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." Here are some of of my recent observations.

Construction seems to be moving along just fine. I see road work, commercial building, and home construction everywhere.

From political ads, I now know that all politicians are alternately saints and Satan.

The COVID-19 statistics are almost worthless, because we don't really know what they mean. If our positivity rate is 5%, that's good unless we are testing a lot of people who don't need a test. Or it's a bad thing if we want to have herd immunity. But then herd immunity includes people who are not COVID positive, but have antibodies. What are we really measuring, now?

In some public places no one notices if you are wearing a mask or not. In other places, you get dagger gazes with a bare face.

Some industries are killing it in the pandemic, like Amazon and Netflix.

Other industries are struggling, like theaters and gyms.

Some people are making adjustments and finding a new normal.

Others are figuratively holding their breath until everything gets back to the old normal. Which it never will.

The current normal will not be the final new normal. But we don't know what the new normal will be or when we will get there. Or if we will even know it when we get there.

Life used to be more predictable than it is now.

The pandemic stress has shown where a lot of weaknesses are, in families, businesses, industries, churches, systems.

Sports seem less important than ever. Unless your kid plays. Then sports are very important and you miss them.

I'm going to keep observing. And I also want to jump in and get involved. Sometimes you can really make a difference just by doing something.