Defending Christians Is Hard to Do (Sometimes)

This week has been a rough one for those of us on the religious left. It’s not often that you have to defend your faith before a vast multitude of people who assume you believe something that you don’t—oh wait, nope that’s every day. This week just seemed to be worse. And it’s got me thinking about something that I’ve been toying with for a while now—and it’s not something I’m completely happy about: leaving the Church.

I won’t get into the whole Chick-fil-a versus Gay Rights battle, but I wish that the fervor that was shown to defend Chick-fil-a could be shown to fight homelessness, or world hunger, you know, things that Jesus actually spoke about. But no, many Christians (and I’m sure non-believers as well) took to their neighborhood fast food chicken shack in protest of the “gay agenda” or whatever that means. But still, this isn’t the reason that I’m thinking of leaving, though it’s not helping.

I’m thinking of leaving because this morning I received an invite on Facebook from a friend and youth pastor at the church I used to attend (and frequently defended to atheist and unreligious friends). The name: Harvest America. Sounds good, something to do with harvesting, must be about food. Maybe it helps out the local food bank? There are tons of starving people in Brevard County—we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Awesome, count me in. Then I read the next few lines:

This is the simulcast with one purpose, one message, the simple proclamation of the gospel. CCM is partnering with churches throughout the nation and 32 countries to create settings where community churches can join together and invite their friends and relatives to comfortably come and hear a clear and precise presentation of the gospel, respond to its message, and be given direction and materials to assist in their new faith.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I understand the need to proclaim the gospel—it was a commandment given directly by Jesus—but when do we finally accept that we’ve focused on one mission and forgotten the others? When do we start to care a little bit less about where people will go when they die and care a little bit more about helping them stay alive? When did Christianity become the monolith that is pure evangelism, and stop being about caring for the poor, the hungry, the “least of these”?

I’m torn. I know that I love God and I follow Jesus, but at a certain point I have to say no more. When Christians care more about who someone can love and less about whether a child goes to bed hungry, I cannot call myself a Christian any longer. When Christians care more about fighting contraception than helping to provide babies with adequate prenatal and healthcare once born, then no I can’t call myself a Christian. When Christians care more about the immortal soul of a person than the body that it inhabits, then no I cannot call myself a Christian. Modern Christianity—or at least that which is portrayed in the media—has lost sight of the true mission of Christ: service. You are not of service to the King by eating at a fast food restaurant that will likely kill you one day; you are of service when you stock a food pantry to help feed those who likely could never afford that restaurant in the first place, when you’re sorting clothes at a homeless shelter, or by building a Habitat house for a needy family to move into. Don’t get your priorities twisted, Jesus had one priority: to save. What are you doing with that salvation?

Unquestioning Authority

Barack Obama’s base of support is being betrayed by the administration—and they only have themselves to blame.

With the election of Barack Obama in November of 2008, with the Hope campaign slogan and the possibility of the first black president of the United States becoming a reality, hope really did seem like a possibility for the millions of Americans who had felt marginalized and disenfranchised for decades, and most notably during the Bush presidency. Even before that, when the Democratic ticket was split between two minority groups, that up to that point had seemed impossible to appear on a ballot, a woman or a black man had the real possibility of becoming president. Hope was in the air in 2008, and despite the negative attacks from the right it was a near unilateral support from the left—something not seen in recent history. However, with this enchantment with our new president, whose story is both heartwarming and truly American, we somehow forgot our principles.

Unlike in previous presidencies, where protests over policy were a mainstay, the Obama administration has been fraught with protests from their opposition on issues that seem only to matter to them. While they may rightly be called conspiracy theories, and have largely been debunked as such, it has caused democrats to build up a wall in which they cannot traverse. Due to their continual defense of the president over baseless claims of ineligibility and fiscal irresponsibility that are just untrue, democrats have lost their ability to question the president at all on matters of substance for fear of being called the worst thing a progressive may be determined—a republican.

With republicans continually pushing farther and farther to the right, progressives and democrats are scrambling to keep the little ground achieved, or hoped for, when the president took office three years ago. Through subsequent concessions in the name of efficiency, the president has quietly moved his administration farther and farther to the right. This is only possible because the alternative is the republicans, who want to strip union rights, want to deport as many immigrants (illegal or legal) as possible, disenfranchise the poor and elderly, dismantle the educational system and fundamentally damage the environment all in favor of big business.  However, under the Obama administration, we still do not have a single-payer health care system; deportations have only escalated; whistleblowers are being prosecuted at an alarming rate despite calls for transparency; Guantanamo has come no closer to shutting down; and while he has ended the conflict in Iraq he has created a new war with drones rather than soldiers that have killed thousands unnecessarily. These are not only things that he campaigned on, but has promised throughout his time as president. Why is he not being held accountable?

This is likely the only time we will ever be able to have a conversation about progressive values—issues that the right cannot attack him on without betraying their base—and we are giving it up in favor of electability and allegiance. Questioning our president isn’t about defaulting to the opposition; it’s keeping him or her on track with what he has promised us as a constituency.

Buy Nothing New: A Year of Sustainability

So I was trying to find blogs on being more sustainable (especially in light of this news I found today)  a couple weeks ago and came across a few blogs talking about pledges to be more ec0-friendly and save some money, and finally found an actual how-to on the subject. Thrift Core has an actual how-to list on creating a pledge not to buy anything new for a year. So, I was thinking of what better way to consolidate my life?

So, for the next year (well, technically starting from June 1, 2012) I am pledging not to buy anything new to work on becoming more sustainable, and hopefully working back to  being a Zero Carbon Footprint house.

As with everything, there are a few exceptions:

1. I’ll be a teacher for the next two years, so if I have to buy something new for my kids, I will.
2. What I must buy new (ie food, toiletries) are going to be Fair Trade
3. If I absolutely must buy something new (as may happen when I’m in Institute) I’m making the expressed point of donating it when I leave.

 

#GoForth

I went to something tonight that I never really considered possible. Like, really possible. An entire community of people (people my age!), in my own town (not some fancy movie set!), working to actively show the world what it means to follow Christ. I know, I know, the platitudes, the fakeness that comes with saying that one is a Christ Follower–but for real, these people are it.

It’s a group called Status in Orlando, FL. They had the simple idea to go forth into the city to see the world as God sees it–and to want to fix it. We’re a twenty-first century bunch–there’s a reason we’re called Millennials–we’re  ridiculously connected to social media, we blog (!), we’re desperately attached to our phones, and it’s incredibly hard for us to take our eyes away from our digital screens and look at the world around us. That is what their #goforth movement is about: Seeing the world as Jesus sees it, and desiring to make a change.

The stories we heard were incredible–from a hungry man that someone took out to dinner, to a guy running who let us take pictures of him to better explain Paul’s “running the race” metaphor to a leaping lion, something so majestic that it can only come from God. And, at the intersection of all of these things was a plaque: “Presented to the People.” We are that presentation. We are here to show Jesus’ love to the people, and it is SO amazing to finally see that lived out by the people that no one expects to care about anything.

We are the presentation. We are Christ’s love on this earth. Love Jesus; Love people.

Sound Familiar?

Micah 2:8b-9
Whether ancient Israel or current America, evil does not change its tactics.

How to Respect Other Religions

Via saltproject.org

Bigotry is the biggest challenge to the Church, not Gay Marriage

Just as an aside, I’m the one in blue, my old student pastor is the one in red. THIS just happened on my facebook

Women in Ministry and the Millennial Church

There are problems within the contemporary Church. While there have always been problems in the Church, as people are known for their fallibility, today people are leaving the Church in waves exponentially greater than those of previous generations. Most surprising of this news is that women, long considered the base of Church membership, have begun to leave in unprecedented numbers seen in the likes of their counterparts. Often they cite objections such as wanting more opportunity to fulfill their spiritual gifts and a constant addressing of their “inferiority” and “subordination” before men, but not before God. With women leaving at the rate of their counterparts, and giving ample reasoning for doing so, it is distressing that Church officials still espouse the patriarchic model that has been challenged in recent years. If the Millennial Church, that of the twenty-first century, wants to survive it must return to the model of the Early Church and that includes women leaders.  Scriptural support for and Early Church evidence of women in leadership roles are abundant, but their continual misuse and the misunderstanding of have kept women out of areas of leadership for nearly two millennia.

Grace + Love = The Way

According to the text book, salvation is only available through the grace of God, and not through our works as many cults believe.  If works do not provide salvation, then what role do they play in the Christian life? Answer the question above as an apologetic. Provide evidence to support your claims.

The fundamental difference between the world’s major religions and Christianity is that in all the world people are seeking to get closer to God, but for Christians, God came to us. God, through the Spirit, comes to people in order to give salvation, but that isn’t all that the Spirit brings.  The Spirit brings the knowledge of the One who came to us in love. His love brought us grace, that which guarantees our salvation without need for works (Ephesians 2:8-10), but because of this love, we are compelled to do good things. 1 John 4:19 tells us that “We love because He first loved us.” With the God-given Spirit within us, He is working within us (Philippians 2:13), so that we will do the good that He has created for us (Ephesians 2:10), and providing for the poor and least of societies because they are surely Jesus in disguise (Isaiah 41:17; Matthew 25:45; 1 Timothy 6:18). We are compelled to do these things, not for fear of spiritual desertion or seeking flattery from men (Matthew 6:1-4), but because we know that it is right, and to stand by and do nothing would be a sin (James 4:17). As James said, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). While our salvation is an invitation and enveloping purely of the Spirit, what is the purpose of faith on earth if not to spread the love that He has given to those around us? This is why Jesus perplexes the Rich Young Ruler, he obviously had more than he needed (as we have an overflowing of the Spirit), and thus our excess should be given to the poor (economically and spiritually).  If God loves us so much that he can accept us as hypocrites, liars, thieves, adulterers, dead people—so much so that He gave His Son for our salvation and entrusts us with his bride, the Church—then we should be able to give to the poor what we can, to comfort those who are in pain, and be kind to everyone.

Liberty University responds to Romney controversy, angers online students

Reblogged from CNN Belief Blog:

By Dan Merica and Laura Bernardini, CNN

Washington (CNN) – Liberty University reacted over the weekend to a brewing controversy over the fact that the evangelical school has selected Mitt Romney, a Mormon, to speak at the school’s graduation.

In a statement from Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr., the school says that the complaints have significantly died down and that many of those complaining “had no affiliation with the university.”

Read more… 1,281 more words

I have thought that this was a little funny. As a current Liberty graduate student, I can't for the life of me figure out why in their texts and in class we are told that Mormons are going to hell and are essentially a cult devised by Satan, but it's totally OK because he's the presumptive Republican nominee. Perhaps we should stay out of politics and try to walk more in line with Jesus.