Month: May 2014

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Shut up! Stop talking about me!!!

shut-up-fool

Sometimes a story really gets under my skin. In the last couple days I’ve come across three separate news stories about powerful men seeking to silence critics.

The first story that caught my eye was about Dave Ramsey.

The second story was about Mars Hill and Pastor Mark Driscoll.

The third story was about Peoria mayor Jim Ardis.

Powerful people have a way of silencing critics. It is tragic when people use power, influence, and wealth to mute those who raise valid concerns and criticisms. This is nothing new, but that doesn’t make it any less tragic…

Or wrong.

I can’t speak to Jim Ardis, I know very little about him, but I do know a bit about Mark Driscoll and Dave Ramsey. Both are Christian men, leaders of their community. Yet the way they are handling things goes against a biblical view of leadership.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)

The idea that a leader would try forcibly to silence critics and maintain an iron grip on all under him doesn’t seem to fit the general direction Jesus is trying to take his disciples.

I understand that there are always two sides to every story. I understand that a news article may not give the whole picture. I hope and pray that these situations are not as bad as they appear to be. My concern is that they are just as bad, if not worse.

Everyone who does anything is going to receive criticism. Shoot, I get criticized for things I haven’t even done! (ask me about the latest rumor sometime and we’ll laugh together – or cry?)… And, while we cannot control what others say, we can control how we respond.

These men have responded poorly.

As Christians we can do better. We NEED to do better.

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No Matter How Many Times I’ve Seen It, I’ll Still Watch…

Movies

I’m a movie fanatic.

Truly.

In fact, there could be a movie with the worst production value EVER on tv but I will ultimately be drawn to watch.

If the tv is on there is a weird pull. I think it’s genetic. It must be, because my children suffer from the same affliction. If the tv is on and I need to talk to them I have to turn it off (putting it on mute doesn’t work).

And there are some movies/shows that I will sit and watch no matter how many times I’ve seen them. So, as I often do, I turned to Twitter:

Seems I’m not the only one. EVERYONE has that movie they will watch over, and over, and over, and over again!

And they kept pouring in.

It made me think about our attitude towards the Bible.

There are certain verses, stories, and passages to which we always turn. Preachers often find themselves preaching from the same handful of texts over and over again during a career in ministry. But even the church member in the pew (or chair, if that’s how you super hip churches roll) has a few key verses.

Usually it’s the passage that really resonates with us, or helped us get through a rough time.

They have a special place in our hearts. Cherish them.

But there’s a lot of other good stuff in the book, too. So change the channel.

Read part of the Bible you’ve never taken the time to read before. And when you come across something that makes you scratch your head, write your questions down and go talk to your pastor. Most of us LOVE when people approach us with questions about the Bible.

How about you? What’s story or passage from the Bible speaks to your heart? Where can you turn no matter how many times you may have seen it before and still find enjoyment?

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You Tried to Tell Me Islam Meant Peace, But You Lied

persecution

I’m not dumb – I know that the translation of Islam actually means peace (or submission, but the root slm is the same as the Hebrew shalom). But the façade of peace is wearing mighty thin.

While Christians in America cry persecution too easily, Christians in other areas of the world are highly persecuted. According to a 2014 report from the Pew Research Center, Christianity is the religious group most likely to be persecuted worldwide. We’re seeing this horrible truth play out in the story of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim.

She’s a 27 year old mother of one and eight months pregnant with child number two. She and her child are in prison in Sudan.

Why?

Because she’s a Christian and refuses to recant. And conversion from Islam is a crime punishable by death. Thank you, Sharia law, for your righteous judgment.

But Islam is the way of peace.

Uh-huh.

Eye roll

This whole situation is tragic. It’s the kind of thing that has me saying, “Let’s just send in Army Rangers and extract her and her family (her husband has U.S. citizenship) by force!”

Probably not gonna happen.

As Christians, stories such as this should not surprise us. Once upon a time they would have been the norm for all Christians. But we’ve grown soft in the last 1700 years. Many of us have had protection and shelter from real persecution.

But it seems as though we’re returning to a place where we can expect more and more of the world to turn against us. It’s in times such as these that the Bible speaks loudly about hope and perseverance. Though troubles like this come, we know that our God controls the big picture, and one day the struggles and trouble of this world will be behind us.

Until then, we can contact political leaders and make a push for intervention. We can share the story and get the word out to the world.

Most importantly, we can pray hard for Christians around the world who face these situations.

**Update**

Meriam has reportedly given birth to a baby girl. Now we wait and see what the Sudanese government does. Now we wait and see what the international community does…

*Related Post*
– Persecuted Christianity

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You’re Breaking the Law But You Want the Church to Protect You?

Breaking the Law

Recently I read an article from MSN about a man who was ordered to be legally deported out of the U.S. back to Mexico. Instead of surrendering himself to the authorities, he took refuge in a church and sought sanctuary. As it stands now the government is not immediately taking action.

For some reason I can’t get Homer Simpson out of my head yelling out, “SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY!” and Reverend Lovejoy muttering to himself, “Why did I ever teach him that word?”

In all seriousness, though, I get that how we deal with illegal immigration is a hot topic for many.

The Bible calls us to treat well the foreigner in our midst. At the same time, I believe that Christians are called to be law abiding citizens (when the law doesn’t conflict with the Bible).

I understand the desire to help people, but I don’t think that the church should be getting involved in politically assisting people who break the law. I’m not cold-hearted, and I would see exceptions being granted for unjust, unethical, or immoral laws, but for all intents and purposes, we should not be assisting criminals – even in the name of grace and mercy.

Our primary purpose as the church is spiritual, not to protect people from the law. I’m reminded of the baptism scene from “O Brother Where Art Thou?”

Delmar thinks that his earthly crimes are no longer held against him because of his baptism. Later on his companion has to tell him that, though God may have forgiven him, the state will take a different view.

Ed Stetzer once wrote, “When you mix faith and politics you get politics.” We in the church ought to help the disenfranchised and show kindness to those who hurt and suffer. I don’t think the church should get involved in the political arena as much as it has been (especially in the U.S.). Where do we draw the line? For what crimes will we offer sanctuary? When will we turn people away?

It’s hard to balance demonstrating love and practically governing a nation. I don’t pretend to have all the answers on this issue, and I recognize that good Christian people will have different opinions. So I’m asking you:

What do you think? (keep it civil, keep it nice, and keep it from being racist…)

Related Post:
– Christianity and Immigration Reform

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When Women Shouldn’t Minister

Lottie Moon, Southern Baptist Missionary to China
Lottie Moon, Southern Baptist Missionary to China

So the other day I published a post called Skirts in the Pulpit about women in ministry.

Long story short, I don’t have a problem with women in ministry in any role. I was criticized by several who vehemently disagree with my position.

I’m not here to rehash any of the arguments – I think my post was fairly clear and treated the Bible honestly.

I do, however, have some follow-up questions for those who contend that it is sin for women to be ordained ministers.

1. Historically, even Baptists have allowed women to be missionaries, preaching and pastoring in foreign cultures. Why is it acceptable for women to pastor and minister to “savages” but not with civilized men? Or have missions organizations been acting in sin to use women?

2. If it was sinful for the Southern Baptists to send Lottie Moon as a missionary, is the fruit of her ministry tainted? Or did God use her for the Kingdom?

3. It is commonly acceptable for women to work in Children’s Ministry. At what point do you say that it is no longer acceptable for a woman to teach young boys because they are now men? What standards do you use to determine the age cutoff between “acceptable woman’s work” and “unacceptable woman’s work”?

4. Is every seminary that employs a female instructor engaging in sin for putting a woman in place of teaching and having authority over a man?

5. How do you respond to women as the mouthpieces of God in such cases as Luke 2:36-38, Acts 2:17-18, Acts 21:8-9, and Romans 16:7?

Care to respond? If you feel you can engage in civil debate, please feel free. I have no desire to interact with people who just want to criticize, though.

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I Thought It Was Shampoo…But I Was Wrong

No

Do you have a “normal” morning routine?

I do.

I get the kids up, brush their teeth, get them dressed, and feed them breakfast. Then I go shower and get myself ready.

Today was a day like any other…or so I thought.

As I started to wash my hair in the shower I thought, “Hmmm…this doesn’t seem like our usual shampoo.” Turns out – it wasn’t. It wasn’t shampoo at all. You see – our shower products are ALWAYS in the same location. I didn’t realize that my wife had moved some things around yesterday. Thanks to muscle memory, I automatically went to the bottle that was SUPPOSED to be shampoo. I didn’t even stop to think about it.

I was reminded of one time when Jesus was talking about being a disciple.

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? (Luke 14:27-31)

In other words, Jesus is saying, “Look before you leap!”

Being an authentic follower of Jesus is going to cost us something. Perhaps not now, but somewhere along the way it will. So he tells us to count the cost. Think about what we’re doing. Don’t do anything mindlessly.

The stats of how many people in America consider themselves “Christian” is astounding. Clearly people don’t understand what they’re saying. Following Jesus is not going to be a cushy road, and it gets continually harder as the Western world turns away from Christendom and turns towards a humanistic secularism. We will have to count the cost like we’ve never had to before.

Let us not be mindless about our faith. We’re not here because it’s the “good thing to do” – we’re here to follow Jesus.

Follow him. Count the cost

‘Cause that ain’t shampoo you’re holding….

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You Make God Angry!

Angry God!

So the other day a lady in the church approached me and said very hesitantly, “Um…can I ask you a question?”

My automatic response was, “Sure. Shoot!”

She then went on to ask a question about faith that had been bothering her. But she felt really uncomfortable asking the question.

After I answered her another question popped into her mind. “Um…can I ask another question?”

Answers kept spawning new questions. Every time she felt bad about asking, as though her very speaking the questions would ruin her salvation.

At that point I told her, “Any god that is not big enough to handle honest questions is not a very big god. My God is so big that he can handle any question we might have about faith.”

It’s true. The Bible is filled with people asking God tough questions. Don’t let atheists and agnostics fool you – Christianity has never been mindless and blind following. Faith is tough stuff. We wrestle with serious and difficult issues – the most important questions humanity has come to faith for answers.

No matter what your question, you won’t offend God. He’s heard them all. He knows how broken we are. In spite of our brokenness he loves us anyway. That’s real love.

So when you wrestle with the tough stuff, it’s okay to ask God, “Why, God? I don’t get it!”

You’ll be in the company of biblical writers and faithful Christian men and women throughout history.

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‘Cause Nobody Likes Having Less Money

hobo

The issue of giving money to the church is often a touchy subject for many. Even within Christianity there can be great division regarding the tithe. I’m reminded of an old joke:

Three ministers are out playing golf and they’re trying to decide how much to give to charity. So the first says, “We’ll draw a circle on the ground, throw the money way up in the air, and whatever lands inside the circle we give to charity.” The second says, “No. We’ll draw a circle on the ground, throw the money up in the air, and whatever lands outside of the circle – that’s what we’ll give to charity.” The third and most senior pastor says, “No, no. We’ll throw the money up in the air and whatever God wants he keeps!”

Tithe is an old word for tenth, and the overwhelming model in the Bible is that people of faith give back to God (via the local place of worship) one-tenth of all our income. For example:

This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give me. (Genesis 28:22)

Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30)

You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. (Deuteronomy 12:6)

Sometimes it’s hard to think about giving away 1/10 of our income – a dime of every dollar. So I asked on Twitter: Do you tithe to your local church? Why or why not?

And responses came pouring in:

There is no promise in the Bible that if you tithe then God will repay you with worldy riches. God doesn’t have a savings plan – you give 10% and you’ll see dividends 100x what you paid. It doesn’t work like that.

Giving says several things:
1) God, I give you this as an act of worship.
2) God, I recognize that all I have is from you.
3) God, I trust that you can take care of me even if I give my income away.

I believe that God will be faithful to us even if we give away 10% (or more) for his kingdom.

What’s your gut reaction? Are you a tither? How does the idea of giving a dime of every dollar sit with you?

Related Posts:
– Fat, Greedy, Money-Grubbing Churches
– How to Get Money From God