Tacky With a Capital T

This is really, ummm, nice.

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Evangelical Emancipation

It’s official, I no longer wish to be known as an evangelical Christian. I am grateful to evangelical Christianity, and all I have learned from it. The first church I ever joined was an evangelical church. I learned a lot about God there. A lot of my closest friends are evangelical Christians. They are great people sincerely seeking God. I just don’t like what the term evangelical Christianity has come to represent.

There are a lot of great things about evangelical Christianity. I especially appreciate the clear presentation of the Gospel. The fact that salvation comes by faith in Christ Jesus and by no other means is well explained in every evangelical church I have ever visited.

The missional nature of most evangelical churches is admirable. Here are groups of Christians committed to sharing the Good News with the world around them. Sometimes their methods may fall a little short, but no one can argue with their sincerity. Ninety-nine percent of the evangelical Christians I know are great people.

At this point you are probably asking yourself, why does he want to be distanced from evangelical Christianity? It sounds like he has seen a lot of good in it. Before I move on to the con, let’s look at the Webster’s Dictionary definition of evangelical.

Webster’s Dictionary defines evangelical as:
- Of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel, especially as it is presented in the four [canonical] Gospels.
- Protestant
- Emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, through personal conversion, the authority of scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual
- Of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism.

I think the last definition is the reason I wish to distance myself from evangelicalism. Fundamentalism has become one of the dirtiest “f” words in my vocabulary. Fundamentalism represents those who are intolerant, harsh, and critical of those who disagree with their personal viewpoint. It characterizes those who are smug in their own salvation. So smug that they see those on the outside of their narrow sectarianism as truly being on the outside of God’s salvation.

Fundamentalism leads to death of personal thought and responsibility. Instead of taking charge of your own spiritual growth, asking tough questions, and learning what God is saying to you. Fundamentalism leads people to follow along with the group consensus, rather than risk being wrong (or right).

Fundamentalism has come to represent Christians who believe that war is a great way to solve problems rather than a last resort to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Fundamentalism has come to represent those who are conservative in their thought and politics to the point of being closed minded. Fundamentalism has come to represent those who deny the rights of others if it disagrees with their ideal world view. Fundamentalism has come to represent what is ugly about religion.

It is ironic to me that the evangelical church has become a lot like what the Catholic Church used to be. They have the balance of political power (at least in the USA). They feel that their world view is God ordained and that when they speak, they are speaking for God. By all appearances, when they adhere to a belief or position, they recognize it as being infallible.

As the third point in the Webster’s definition says, evangelicalism emphasizes Biblical preaching as opposed to ritual. I agree that hearing a message based on the Bible should be an important part of every church service, I am also rediscovering the value of Christian ritual. Not as a means to earn salvation, but as a channel to achieve communion with God. I wonder if in the future, many evangelical churches will themselves rediscover Christian ritual? For many of these churches it will be a difficult, if not impossible transition. They have painted themselves into a corner by teaching that ritual is wrong. They may have to admit their error as it pertains to this teaching, or risk alienating and losing many of their congregants. Maybe I’m wrong, but I personally see a lot of Christians of all stripes in the future practicing the disciplines of the Christian faith.

Some of you may be asking the question, so what kind of Christian is he now? The answer is, I am a Christian, plain and simple. I understand the need for labels. When you find a church or theology that you identify with, it is comforting to link yourself with that denominational tag. However, labels have a way of separating us into an either/or decision and I am not comfortable with this. I am not convinced that any one denomination or school of thought is one hundred percent right. I do not want to stifle my growth by identifying too closely with any single theology. I want to be free to study, question, pray, and grow.

So where does this leave me? As with anything, it is a lot easier to critique something from the outside, or to run away when things get uncomfortable. That is why I am choosing to still be involved in the evangelical movement on some level. I know that there is good in there, I just think that like a like of things that started out with noble intentions, the original idea got lost along the way. I will continue to worship in evangelical churches when given the opportunity, participate in evangelical Bible studies, and to assist in evangelical ministries whenever possible. I am going to take the good and leave the bad. Why? From talking to other Christians I am finding that there are a lot of others out there who feel as I do. The emergent church movement that is springing forth out of evangelicalism is more evidence of this.

The world will be a better place when we learn to let go of our need to be right, our need to have all the answers. It may not be the safest or easiest course to chart, but like anything that is difficult, the rewards will be great.

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Life And Death On CNN

As I write this, it’s Monday night and Terri Schiavo has not passed away yet. From all of the news reports I have heard today, her death appears to be imminent. The media circus that has surrounded the unfortunate circumstances of this woman’s life has displayed contrasts in ugliness, and not much to really admire. The only positive I think we can take from this, is the undying love that her parents and siblings have for her.

Whether or not you believe in euthanasia, the concept that starving someone to death as a reasonable means of mercifully ending life is not only mistaken, it’s idiotic. If I was to end the life of a sick dog by “mercifully” choosing to starve him to death, I would be (rightfully so) charged under animal cruelty laws. The idea that it is reasonable to starve another human being to death is morally repugnant to me. One only has to turn on the TV and see commercials urging us to donate money to help those suffering around the world from malnourishment, to see just how much people without the necessary sustenance to survive suffer.

The United States is the only western country that still employs the death penalty. Inmates on death row in the USA can expect an easier passage into the next life than Terri Schiavo.

On Easter Sunday, Terri’s brother came out to address those who have been protesting outside the hospice where his sister has been living. He thanked them for their help, and then conceded that the legal battle had been waged and that they had probably exhausted all hopes of saving his sister. He encouraged the protestors to go home, spend time with their families, and given the religious significance of the day, go to church. The protestors ignored his pleas, instead they continued to maintain their vigil outside the hospice, taking advantage of every photo op they could.

Their protest is not really about a woman named Terri Schiavo. Their protest is about furthering their own cause. Mrs. Schiavo’s story is a convenient one for them to latch onto to further their own agenda. If they truly cared for, and respected her, and what her family was going through, they would have treated her family’s request with the respect it deserves.

On Monday, as I dozed on the couch with CNN on, I heard a Jesuit priest speak about the removal of feeding tubes being part of some Catholic teaching. This priest went on to encourage those watching to create a Living Will so that in the event they ended up like Terri Schiavo, they too could have their feeding tube removed.

The Catholic Church, which has long held itself up as the protector of lives of unborn children is actually supporting the killing of disabled adults? I’m more than a little bit confused here. I am sure that not all Catholics support this teaching. However, this does seem like some very mixed messages.

One of the weirdest parts of the segment for me was where Miles O’Brien , the CNN correspondent, actually got the priest to agree that the religious right had “hijacked Catholic teaching in this area.”

Terri Schiavo will probably pass away within the week. After about another week or so of coverage, this story will join so many others in the abyss known as yesterdays news. I am ashamed, once again, of how Christians have conducted themselves in the public eye. Instead of reasonably standing up for someone who cannot speak on their own behalf, they have taken every opportunity to grandstand and make a spectacle of themselves. I firmly believe that so much more would have been accomplished and more hearts and minds would have been changed, if they had coherently presented their beliefs to the media.

Those who advocate for euthanasia have not been much better. They also have used this unfortunate situation as a means to further their agenda. They are just a little more media savvy than the religious conservatives so they came across a little better on CNN.

Personally, I don’t support euthanasia, but I can understand why people believe in it. If there is one thing that human beings wish to have control over, it’s their death. The idea of wasting away in a hospital somewhere, is a horrifying idea for all of us. However, I personally wish to leave the end of my life in God’s hands.

If euthanasia is going to be something that we as a civilized society decide to undertake, we must find a more merciful way to make it happen than starving someone to death.

I’m not sure if we can blame Hollywood for the violence in movies, CNN for the way we were able to watch the deaths of those on the other side in the two Iraqi wars play out like some kind of video game, or some other cause. But, our society seems to have forgotten the sanctity of human life. Whether it is an Iraqi citizen, a disabled woman in Florida, or the homeless person living in your city. Until we once again see our fellow human beings as being created in the image of God, and respect their lives as being precious. We cannot call ourselves a civilized society anymore. The fact that a human life has become a political commodity cheapens us all.

I’ll end this post with the words of John Donne:

No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee.

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Of Mustard Seeds And Faith Healings

This was an interesting and blessed Easter weekend.

On Friday, my wife and I ducked out of work to attend Good Friday services at the church we usually attend, Circle Drive Alliance Church. For those of you here in Saskatoon, if you have kids, I recommend you check out this church. They have the best kids programs I have ever seen.

But I digress.

At the Good Friday service, all of the Alliance churches in Saskatoon were represented. It was cool to have a variety of pastors speak, and to see a lot of unfamiliar faces. One pastor from the Spanish Alliance church in particular really made an impression on us. He spoke with a great deal of passion, he had a fire in his heart for God that really came across in the short time that he had to speak.

At the end of the service, the pastor of Circle Drive, invited those who were suffering from any type of ailment to come to the altar to have an elder pray over them. For those of you who don’t know me, I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have tried a variety of drug therapies to attempt to stop the progression of this disease. As of yet, I have not found any relief. The latest treatment I have undertaken is once a week injections of the cancer drug Methotrexate.

I digress again.

I am pretty skeptical about people praying over other people for healings. I watch that Benny Hinn guy on TV and wonder to myself, “if he is such a great healer, why doesn’t he fix his hair?” So, I wasn’t exactly running up to the altar, but my wife encouraged me to go. As I walked up the pastor said “you may not get healed, but maybe you will receive Gods Grace to help you make it through.” That statement touched me.

As I approached the altar the Spanish pastor and his wife came to pray over me. I was wearing my shirt from work. Ironically, one of the young ladies who works with me is their daughter. So, it started to seem a little more God ordained. I told him that I didn’t have much faith in this area, he said that “the Bible tells us the smallest faith can move mountains.” As they prayed over me I kept wondering if I was going to fall down like the people on TV do. I also felt incredibly self-conscious!

Right now you are wondering if I am healed. I’m not. I did, however, feel really blessed by the love that these two strangers had as they prayed over me. I walked away feeling God’s Grace in spades, realizing that come what may, Jesus walks for me (sorry Kanye, I love this tune, to me it’s one of the great new hymns).

Sunday morning. Tiffany and I wake up early. We need to go to an early service because we have to go pick up our daughters from their dad’s house. The last two Wednesdays, I have been going to St. John’s Anglican Cathedral, I have been really touched by the beauty of the liturgy there, and the open community that is the Anglican Church of Canada.

This morning they had an 8 AM service, which we checked out. Once again, the beauty of the cathedral, the solemnity of the Anglican mass, and the presence of God were keenly felt by me. The Bishop of Saskatoon shared a message. He spoke on faith the size of a mustard seed.
Seems like a theme this weekend.

He was talking about how in the Anglican church, any baptized child is permitted to take communion. One time, a particularly wise bishop was asked, “can children understand the full meaning of communion?” His reply, “my friend, I don’t understand the full meaning of communion.” The bishop speaking went on to talk about how many sitting in the pews that morning may not fully understand the resurrection, and what the significance of it is. He also said that the mere fact that they were there showed that they had faith the size of a mustard seed. Which as the Bible tells us, is enough to move mountains.

I don’t fully understand or comprehend everything about God or Christianity. For instance, the Trinity, is something that I have trouble wrapping my head around. The best description I can come up with is that God the Father is the mind, Jesus is the body, and the Holy Spirit is the soul. This description seems woefully inadequate to me. It’s the best that my three pounds of grey matter can do.

What about this mustard seed? I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one or not. from what I understand though, they are really small. Apparently these small seeds grow into pretty big trees. How many of us are like that? Our faith is so small in some areas, me with my health, you with the whole Jesus thing, somebody else with the Bible, whatever it is that troubles you. Don’t sweat the fact that your faith is small. Like I said before, the Bible tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. It also tells us that anyone who asks of God will have the doors to understanding opened to them.

If there is one theme that we can take from this Easter season, it’s that God understands us. He understands fear, He understands doubt, and He understands pain. Jesus is patient, He bears with us through it all. Nothing is beyond His capacity to love and understand us. Whatever your “thing” is, God wants you to give it to Him. He may not wear a flashy white suit, or have His own TV show, but that’s a faith healing if I’ve ever seen it.

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Risen

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28:1-7

On Good Friday, one of the pastors at the service I attended spoke of us gathering to “celebrate the crucifixion of our Saviour.” With all due respect to that pastor, I don’t personally feel the urge to celebrate the crucifixion. His torture was an aweful, grisly act, His death took Him into unspeakable horrors that we will never understand. Good Friday was not very “good” for Him, and in my heart, I cannot celebrate what He had to suffer for me. We cannot even begin to understand what it all really meant. What it was that He went through.

Today is the day for celebrating. The stone has been rolled away, the tomb is empty. Death and sin no longer have any power. Humanity is free like we have never been free before. We can come into the presence of God without fear.

He is Risen.

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Silence

It’s Saturday, the Sabbath. I can’t stand just sitting here anymore. Running the events of the last few days over and over in my mind. Maybe if I write some of these thoughts down I’ll feel better. Somehow though, I doubt anything will help right now.

What happened? How could everything have gone so wrong? I thought He was going to give us victory and freedom from the Romans! What were these last three years about anyway?

How could I have betrayed Him so easily?

The silence is deafening today. I am so confused, so sad, so ashamed. I wonder how everyone else is doing?

These last three years were the best years of my life. They weren’t always easy and we definitely had a lot of opposition, but I never felt closer to God. I know that Jesus is the Christ, I know He is the Son of God. Or at least, I thought he was. I’m not sure what to believe right now. They killed Him. They didn’t just kill Him, He was crucified. The death of a criminal! When I think of how they tortured Him before He was nailed to that cross, it makes me want to throw up.

My head is swimming. So many emotions, so many thoughts running around in my head. Great memories. Remember the mountaintop? Moses, Elijah and the voice of God! What an incredible moment. All the healings that He performed. He raised Lazarus from the dead. Why couldn’t He save Himself?

I’m so confused!

This day is dragging on forever. I just want this Sabbath to be over so I can go see the others. I have to admit, though, I’m also afraid to face them right now.

What will I do with my life now? I guess I’ll go back to what I did before I met Jesus. Seems like a pretty pale existence compared to what I’ve been doing lately. My life had so much purpose and meaning. I can’t imagine living like I used to. I guess after the way I acted, I don’t deserve anything better.

I just wish I could say sorry. This guilt is eating me up inside. God please forgive me for my weakness. I’m so sorry Jesus for turning my back on you.

I guess the revolution is over. I thought we were going to change the world. I thought we were going to finally be free and Israel would be returned to glory. Now, I don’t know what to think about anything. I wonder if they will let me back into the synagogue?

Poor Mary. What she must be going through today. I wish I could do something for her, but I can’t imagine looking her in the face after everything that’s happened. Maybe I can send something over to her. Some food maybe.

When is that sun going to set! I can’t stand just sitting here anymore.

This silence is deafening!

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Sounds Intense

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, He’s calling Elijah.
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:45-54

I wonder just how dark it got that day. In my life I’ve seen some pretty bad storms roll in, where the sky gets incredibly black right in the middle of the day. Still, I imagine the darkest storm I’ve seen pales in comparison to what they saw on Calvary.

I don’t want to write too much today. I feel that the usual poverty of my words would be magnified by the enormity of the event I would be speaking of. I do, however, want to look at one important aspect of Good Friday that I am afraid many of us do not understand the significance of (I know I heard it myself a million times without knowing what it meant).

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

The curtain in the temple separated the main sanctuary from the “Holy of Holies”. No one was allowed to go beyond the curtain except for the high priest, and even then he could only do it once a year. When he went in there, his normal priestly garb was accented by some interesting, and necessary accoutrements. He wore a bell and a rope. The bell was so that the people in the main sanctuary could hear him moving around, if the bell stopped ringing the rope was to pull him out because he had dropped dead. You see, it was a very likely possibility that due to his sinfulness God would strike him dead while he was in there.

Sounds intense.

When that curtain ripped, God was symbolically showing us the reality of what had just occurred. Namely, there was no more need for any kind of separation between man and God. Our sins were no longer a barrier to fellowship with Him and we can enter His presence without fear.

Now that is intense.

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Thanks

“When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals”one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:33-34

Forgiveness. The defining theme of the Easter season. In fact, in many ways, it is the defining theme of Christianity. We have been forgiven so much, a great burden has been released from us. How can we possibly say thanks enough for this?

As I ponder over this reality, I realize that there is nothing that I can do to adequately express the gratitude that I have (or should have) for being forgiven. Yet in my heart, I feel compelled to somehow thank God. Words will only fall short, actions that I can perform are only a shadow of what Jesus has done. It seems there is nothing I can do.

Then I have one of those eureka moments.

Having an attitude of gratefulness is the best way to be thankful. Realizing that we are forgiven, and yet, having done absolutely nothing to merit this forgiveness. Being thankful for this truth, and instead of it making us self-righteous, it causes us to fall prostrate at the feet of our Saviour in humble adoration. This is the attitude, the lifestyle even, that will properly express our gratitude.

How easily we forget how much we have to be thankful for. How often the cares of this world define our lives. Let’s face it, when things are hard, it is easy to forget how blessed we are. Does God castigate us for this? Actually, part of the beauty of Jesus is that He understands when and why these things happen. Would He prefer that we were able to live in gratitude in difficult times? Yes, but not because it is something He needs, it is what we need. Like a loving father, God shows us the way to righteousness because it is what is best for us.

There is another we can demonstrate our gratitude to God.

Live your life.

God has called us all to live for Him. For some of us that means very different things. Many of us aspire to be in full-time ministry, or to have some other tangible way that we serve God on a regular basis. This in and of itself, is not a bad thing. We must remember though that not everyone is called to full-time ministry (and that’s ok). We must also remember that sometimes God will call us to worship differently than those around us (and that’s ok). Sometimes too, our interpretation of scripture may be different than those around us because God is speaking to you in a different way (and yes, this is ok too.) You are an individual, that is who God wants you to be. Jesus calls us to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, it’s ok to think about scripture, its ok to not accept the conventional interpretations, and to prayerfully find what God is saying to you.

This time of year is all about liberation. As I write these words I feel so much gratitude for this freedom. I am free to be me, I am free to follow God as He shows me. I am free from the condemnation that sin brings.

For all of these things, I say thanks.

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This Is Cool

The folks over at Good Friday? Have an online stations of the cross going. I encourage you to take a few minutes and meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ.

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C n E’ers

When I was a kid I attended a Roman Catholic church with my family. Every year at Christmas and Easter the church was always a lot more full than usual. This spike in attendance we attributed to the “C n E’er’s”, which stood for Christmas and Easter. The only two times of year that “these people” would attend church. At the time I got the distinct impression that these people were no better than pagans who sacrificed their children to some unknown God.

As I have grown older my feelings on this matter have softened considerably. I am, however, left with an interesting question. Why is that people feel compelled to attend church on these specific dates and at no other time? The obvious answer is that they do it out of a sense of duty. Still, I think their may be more to it than that. Somehow, even those who don’t practice their faith, feel that something sacred is at work this time of year. Let’s face it, if there is one day out of the year that you are going to go to church, Easter seems like a very good choice to me. It’s probably your best chance on any given Sunday to get a very clear presentation of the Gospel.

After I read over that last sentence I wrote, I can see where the last three years or so I have spent in evangelical church circles have really rubbed off on me. For those of you who aren’t familiar with evangelical churches, I’ll give you a bit of background on them. Evangelical churches, as the name implies, are very focused on proclaiming the Gospel to the world. I don’t say this as a commentary in any way, just as a statement of fact. Most of the great evangelical leaders (Billy Graham, Max Lucado, etc.) have dynamic ministries that use a variety of means to share the Gospel.

I wonder though, is getting people to believe in the Gospel all that we should be focused on? I am saying this having been a part (and still in many ways am a part) of the evangelical movement. I have just been questioning lately whether there is something even bigger that we can aspire to. Instead of being focused on saving souls and getting people into heaven, maybe our biggest focus should be on bringing people into a relationship with God. While I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I also believe that what God desires most is to have a relationship with us. The God that I have come to know is not cold and impersonal, focused on our faults or good deeds. The God I know is interested in who I am and in walking through my life with me everyday.

How do we temper this? How do we balance our need to fulfill the great commission while not neglecting the reality of who the God incarnate in Christ Jesus is? We must also be cognizant of the fact that many times in our attempts to fulfill the great commission, we come off being judgmental, which does far more to hinder the Gospel than to spread it.

The United Church of Christ in the United States has begun an ad campaign that has stirred up quite a bit of controversy. This commercial in particular has led many to comment. I am not going to wade in here myself (I’ve done enough social commentary lately). I saw the commercial on CNN today, I have to say I liked it. This is the kind of thing that is going to bring people to church. I also believe that this is the kind of approach that will help bring people into a relationship with God. Nowhere is the Gospel mentioned per ce’ and yet the Gospel is presented very clearly at the same time. People are shown that in Jesus there is no condemnation, that they can come to Him just as they are.

This Easter season, as I ponder what Jesus did for me on the cross I want to understand it on a new level. Not just as a means to my salvation, but to also see it as God removing any barriers that could ever come between us.

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