"You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down, and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of good literature."
-Gandhi
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
sign
Came across this letter the other day. I think most of us have some kind of an opinion on this. Let me know what you think. After reading it, ask yourself, "How did Jesus communicate his message to people? What method(s) did he use?" Would love to hear from both Christians and non-Christians on this.
An Open Letter to all Church Sign Maintainers... by Drew Moser
To all the maintainers of church signs--
Stop it...please. I'm pleading with you. Stop the silly, ridiculous 'bad theology in a nutshell' sayings on your church signs. I can't tell you how often I drive by your churches and cringe. As a pastor, I'm embarrassed that my colleagues would spew such trash on the one thing that you want everyone to see. "The messages make you think," you'll no doubt say in defense. My reply: "Yeah, they make you think...they make you think about why people don't go to church."
It's not that communicating via sign is wrong. Just do it the right way. Don't put cheesy sayings on them. Stop replacing phrases that including or talk about the 'sun' with 'son'. It's lame and played out. Stop replacing 'sold' with 'souled'. Our being is not a transaction. Stop condemning people to hell via sign message. It's cowardly and spiteful. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Stop telling me that "God is my copilot." I don't have a plane, and I don't know how to fly one. All you're doing is fueling the fire for antagonists to mock us, and you're building a wall instead of a bridge of thoughtful reflection and dialogue. Instead of the word junk, put something on there that truly makes people think. You could use a difficult passage of Scripture, a quote from great theologian, a thought from a member of your congregation. Mother Teresa alone has enough quotes worth posting to cover your sign for months. Or maybe you could use a quote from a recent movie, or a pithy sentence fro m a classic fiction novel, or a lyric from a song. Don't pander down to the same book that you all own that gives you second rate stuff. Seek excellence in all you do, including your signage.
Maybe if we spent more time exploring the deep mystery and wonder of humanity, created by God, in His image, we'd have a better idea of how to reach one another with love and truth. Maybe, just maybe we'd have a better idea of how to use our signs to probe deeper into the human soul.
Unfortunately, our signs are a reflection of the state of theological formulation in way too many church congregations: simplistic, watered-down, and oozing with cheese. If the church is truly a mission outpost to the world, let's stop reducing the mysteries and wonder of God to painful puns and poor plays on words. Let our signs communicate something deeper; something more. Let's allow our signs to represent Christ and His church as he has called it to be. Hold the cheese and people might not want to vomit all over your sign when they drive by it.
So, my challenge to you, Mr. or Mrs. Church Sign Maintenance Person...take more time and consideration into what you communicate. People read those signs and respond. They just might not respond in the way we hoped.
An Open Letter to all Church Sign Maintainers... by Drew Moser
To all the maintainers of church signs--
Stop it...please. I'm pleading with you. Stop the silly, ridiculous 'bad theology in a nutshell' sayings on your church signs. I can't tell you how often I drive by your churches and cringe. As a pastor, I'm embarrassed that my colleagues would spew such trash on the one thing that you want everyone to see. "The messages make you think," you'll no doubt say in defense. My reply: "Yeah, they make you think...they make you think about why people don't go to church."
It's not that communicating via sign is wrong. Just do it the right way. Don't put cheesy sayings on them. Stop replacing phrases that including or talk about the 'sun' with 'son'. It's lame and played out. Stop replacing 'sold' with 'souled'. Our being is not a transaction. Stop condemning people to hell via sign message. It's cowardly and spiteful. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Stop telling me that "God is my copilot." I don't have a plane, and I don't know how to fly one. All you're doing is fueling the fire for antagonists to mock us, and you're building a wall instead of a bridge of thoughtful reflection and dialogue. Instead of the word junk, put something on there that truly makes people think. You could use a difficult passage of Scripture, a quote from great theologian, a thought from a member of your congregation. Mother Teresa alone has enough quotes worth posting to cover your sign for months. Or maybe you could use a quote from a recent movie, or a pithy sentence fro m a classic fiction novel, or a lyric from a song. Don't pander down to the same book that you all own that gives you second rate stuff. Seek excellence in all you do, including your signage.
Maybe if we spent more time exploring the deep mystery and wonder of humanity, created by God, in His image, we'd have a better idea of how to reach one another with love and truth. Maybe, just maybe we'd have a better idea of how to use our signs to probe deeper into the human soul.
Unfortunately, our signs are a reflection of the state of theological formulation in way too many church congregations: simplistic, watered-down, and oozing with cheese. If the church is truly a mission outpost to the world, let's stop reducing the mysteries and wonder of God to painful puns and poor plays on words. Let our signs communicate something deeper; something more. Let's allow our signs to represent Christ and His church as he has called it to be. Hold the cheese and people might not want to vomit all over your sign when they drive by it.
So, my challenge to you, Mr. or Mrs. Church Sign Maintenance Person...take more time and consideration into what you communicate. People read those signs and respond. They just might not respond in the way we hoped.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Poster2
Happy inauguration everyone!
No matter your political leanings, we can all agree that today is an historic day for our nation. A day that many believed would never come; the first African-American to be sworn in as President of the United States. No doubt our new president faces incredible challenges. May God bless him with courage and humility as he makes decisions that effect the lives of people not only in this country, but around the globe.
Last August I posted a painting that was used on a poster by a group called Heavenly Sanctuary. It soon became the most commented blog on the greenroom. It has been brought to my attention that Heavenly Sanctuary has now put out a new, updated poster. Check it out at www.heavenlysanctuary.com and let me know what you think.
No matter your political leanings, we can all agree that today is an historic day for our nation. A day that many believed would never come; the first African-American to be sworn in as President of the United States. No doubt our new president faces incredible challenges. May God bless him with courage and humility as he makes decisions that effect the lives of people not only in this country, but around the globe.
Last August I posted a painting that was used on a poster by a group called Heavenly Sanctuary. It soon became the most commented blog on the greenroom. It has been brought to my attention that Heavenly Sanctuary has now put out a new, updated poster. Check it out at www.heavenlysanctuary.com and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
point
During my travels a couple months ago I had a conversation with a non-Christian friend of mine. At one point in our conversation he said "You know Scott, it just seems like so many times Christians miss the point." I politely smiled, but admittedly thought to myself "Oh, great, here we go." He continued by saying, "When I read about Jesus, it seems to me that he wasn't about 'you shouldn't do this' or 'you shouldn't do that,' but it's all about how he lived his life, you know? It's about love, respect, and service. Isn't that what it's supposed to be about? Isn't that what Christians are supposed to be like? Because honestly, I just don’t see that in many Chistians."
For the next couple weeks I started reading the gospel accounts with my friend’s comments in mind. And to be honest, I was struck by the lack of moral superiority Jesus showed when dealing with other people. As the only sinless person in history, and therefore the only one who truly had the right to judge, you would think Jesus would find every opportunity to correct or control the personal behavior or lifestyle of others.
But, incredibly, he hardly ever did.
As far as I can tell, the only time Jesus truly condemned the behavior of others, was when the religious leaders limited the love of God to a certain group of people (namely themselves). In other words, Jesus seemed to save his righteous judgment for those who arrogantly judged others in the name of God. While Jesus did not condone the behavior of the world, he never tried to control the behavior of those outside the faith.
I'm simply amazed at this.
Somehow, Jesus was convinced that serving others unconditionally (and with no concern for his own reputation) was, by far, the most compelling way of bringing people closer to his Father.
He simply saw a need, and he met it.
As I contemplated this, I wondered how Christians as a whole (including myself) were doing in living up to the example that Jesus showed.
Now, I want to make it clear that I know countless Christian men and women that have dedicated their lives to bringing hope, peace, and love to a hurting world. But according to research conducted by the Barna Group (http://www.barna.org/) something has gone terribly wrong. When researchers asked non-Christians to rank people groups in terms of their respectability "evangelical Christians" were ranked almost dead last - just above prostitutes.
If you are a non-Christian reading this, your probably not surprised at this, and may even agree with it (If you feel this way, I sincerely apologize on behalf of those Christians that may have came across to you as hurtful and judgmental (recognizing that the person may well have been me), and hope that in spite of the misguided fervor of a few, you will someday come to experience the unconditional love of Jesus).
However, if you claim to be follower of Christ, this should make your heart break.
How is this possible?
How can a movement that is supposed to be known for serving and loving others, be seen by the world as "judgmental, condemning, and hurtful?"
A response I often hear from Christians is, "We are loving, it's just that the world doesn't see it that way." But if that's true, than why did the tax collectors and prostitutes flock to Jesus? Why did the forgotten and victimized clamor just to be near him? How is it that they saw Jesus as loving, but they see us as judgmental? We may say that we’re loving, but it’s obviously not coming across that way to the very ones Christ called us to reach. As imitators of Jesus shouldn't Christians be seen by the world today in the same light as Jesus was seen by the world back then?
May this year be a year where we commit our lives to the example of Jesus.
May we take bold steps to repair the damage that has been done and to heal the reputation of our faith.
And may one day the world recognize us by our love. (John 13:35)
So, to answer my friend; "You may have a point. Please be patient. We're working on it."
For the next couple weeks I started reading the gospel accounts with my friend’s comments in mind. And to be honest, I was struck by the lack of moral superiority Jesus showed when dealing with other people. As the only sinless person in history, and therefore the only one who truly had the right to judge, you would think Jesus would find every opportunity to correct or control the personal behavior or lifestyle of others.
But, incredibly, he hardly ever did.
As far as I can tell, the only time Jesus truly condemned the behavior of others, was when the religious leaders limited the love of God to a certain group of people (namely themselves). In other words, Jesus seemed to save his righteous judgment for those who arrogantly judged others in the name of God. While Jesus did not condone the behavior of the world, he never tried to control the behavior of those outside the faith.
I'm simply amazed at this.
Somehow, Jesus was convinced that serving others unconditionally (and with no concern for his own reputation) was, by far, the most compelling way of bringing people closer to his Father.
He simply saw a need, and he met it.
As I contemplated this, I wondered how Christians as a whole (including myself) were doing in living up to the example that Jesus showed.
Now, I want to make it clear that I know countless Christian men and women that have dedicated their lives to bringing hope, peace, and love to a hurting world. But according to research conducted by the Barna Group (http://www.barna.org/) something has gone terribly wrong. When researchers asked non-Christians to rank people groups in terms of their respectability "evangelical Christians" were ranked almost dead last - just above prostitutes.
If you are a non-Christian reading this, your probably not surprised at this, and may even agree with it (If you feel this way, I sincerely apologize on behalf of those Christians that may have came across to you as hurtful and judgmental (recognizing that the person may well have been me), and hope that in spite of the misguided fervor of a few, you will someday come to experience the unconditional love of Jesus).
However, if you claim to be follower of Christ, this should make your heart break.
How is this possible?
How can a movement that is supposed to be known for serving and loving others, be seen by the world as "judgmental, condemning, and hurtful?"
A response I often hear from Christians is, "We are loving, it's just that the world doesn't see it that way." But if that's true, than why did the tax collectors and prostitutes flock to Jesus? Why did the forgotten and victimized clamor just to be near him? How is it that they saw Jesus as loving, but they see us as judgmental? We may say that we’re loving, but it’s obviously not coming across that way to the very ones Christ called us to reach. As imitators of Jesus shouldn't Christians be seen by the world today in the same light as Jesus was seen by the world back then?
May this year be a year where we commit our lives to the example of Jesus.
May we take bold steps to repair the damage that has been done and to heal the reputation of our faith.
And may one day the world recognize us by our love. (John 13:35)
So, to answer my friend; "You may have a point. Please be patient. We're working on it."
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Gospel
A fellow blogger and friend of mine asked a very interesting question on his site the other day; "If we could go back in time and ask the early Christians 'what is the Gospel?' What do you think their answer would be?"
I'm always a sucker for this sort of thing, so I'll give it a shot.
In Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written) the word for gospel is euaggelion. It also means "good news!" It was a term to describe a historic (sometimes earth shattering) event of national importance. In Jesus' day every year there would be an announcement celebrating the birthday of Caesar; the Lord and King of the brutal Roman Empire. They would announce this event proclaiming, "The birth of Caesar is the euaggelion(good news) to the whole world." The Kingdom of Rome considered it great news to remind people who ruled the world.
This becomes fascinating when we see that the angels were doing the same thing when they announced the birth of Jesus;
"The angel said to them 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news (euaggelion!) of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)
This was an announcement proclaiming the birth of a new King (Jesus) and a new Kingdom; the Kingdom of God! In this historical context, the first Christians would have seen this word "gospel" being used as a rebellion against the Roman Empire and everything it stood for. The Kingdom of God would have been considered by Christians and non-Christians alike as all-out invasion against the current political establishment. An invasion not of political force or violence but of peace, healing, forgiveness, and freedom to all. A Kingdom that expands by loving enemies, praying for persecutors, and dying to ones self. It represents a revolution; a countermovement calling out the injustice of the world, and bringing the love of God's light to all people. Now that's Good News!
I'm always a sucker for this sort of thing, so I'll give it a shot.
In Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written) the word for gospel is euaggelion. It also means "good news!" It was a term to describe a historic (sometimes earth shattering) event of national importance. In Jesus' day every year there would be an announcement celebrating the birthday of Caesar; the Lord and King of the brutal Roman Empire. They would announce this event proclaiming, "The birth of Caesar is the euaggelion(good news) to the whole world." The Kingdom of Rome considered it great news to remind people who ruled the world.
This becomes fascinating when we see that the angels were doing the same thing when they announced the birth of Jesus;
"The angel said to them 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news (euaggelion!) of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)
This was an announcement proclaiming the birth of a new King (Jesus) and a new Kingdom; the Kingdom of God! In this historical context, the first Christians would have seen this word "gospel" being used as a rebellion against the Roman Empire and everything it stood for. The Kingdom of God would have been considered by Christians and non-Christians alike as all-out invasion against the current political establishment. An invasion not of political force or violence but of peace, healing, forgiveness, and freedom to all. A Kingdom that expands by loving enemies, praying for persecutors, and dying to ones self. It represents a revolution; a countermovement calling out the injustice of the world, and bringing the love of God's light to all people. Now that's Good News!
Friday, December 19, 2008
A couple days ago I received an e-mail regarding a little 9 year old girl who had been given only six weeks to live. She had been battling cancer for the last year or so and had seen signs of improvement, but just recently her health had dramatically deteriorated. Over the last year she's had an army of people (including my family) fervently praying for a miraculous recovery and the best cancer specialist working around the clock doing everything that they possibly can. And even though there is still a chance of a miraculous recovery (we know that with God all things are possible) I stared at the letter, and my mind started to question why God would let an innocent 9 year old girl go through this ordeal; how could He allow her to show brief signs of hope, only to have her situation be what it is today? I thought about her parents and the indescribable agony they must be going through. I sat there amazed at the seemingly immovable faith of her mom and dad in the face of an unimaginable tragedy. I wondered how I would react if my little girl was in the same situation. And I wondered aloud why God seems to rescue some from harm but not others. As my "why questions" mounted, I slowly realized that no matter how well I know the Bible, or how many seminary courses I take, there are some questions that I will never be able to fully and adequately answer. And to try to act like I have the answer would just be dishonest. Not an easy pill to swallow by any means.
I've heard many people say that the Bible is our "answer book". Just open it up and the answers you are looking for will finally be revealed. But what happens when the Bible doesn't give an answer that frees us from our questions? What happens then? Who is God then?
In Hebrew (the language in which God chose to reveal Himself to the world) the name of the first book of the bible, Genesis, is B'reisheet, which means "Beginning". This is also the first word in the book. Interestingly, just like English, the Hebrew "B" is the second letter in their Alphabet. (see title) The first God followers asked the question "Why would God choose the scriptures to begin with the second letter of the alphabet instead of the first?" Their answer was "To show that the Bible does not always answer every question, and that some knowledge is reserved for God Himself."
They also pointed out that the Hebrew letter "B" is closed on the right side, but open on the left. With the understanding that Hebrew is read from right to left, we can see that the Bible starts with a letter that is open in the direction that is being read, but closed off on the other side. A stark reminder that before anything was in existence - their was God. There is nothing wrong with asking the "why" questions of life. Many times that's what brings us into a closer relationship with our Creator. But we must always remember that God's understanding of the universe is beyond our comprehension. Sometimes we forget that God designed everything from the smallest neutron to the largest galaxies.
I pray that as we struggle with our questions, may we be O.K. with not knowing all of the answers, while resting in the knowledge of what we do know. His love.
As the apostle Paul says,
"I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor ruling spirits, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Jesus our Lord."
I've heard many people say that the Bible is our "answer book". Just open it up and the answers you are looking for will finally be revealed. But what happens when the Bible doesn't give an answer that frees us from our questions? What happens then? Who is God then?
In Hebrew (the language in which God chose to reveal Himself to the world) the name of the first book of the bible, Genesis, is B'reisheet, which means "Beginning". This is also the first word in the book. Interestingly, just like English, the Hebrew "B" is the second letter in their Alphabet. (see title) The first God followers asked the question "Why would God choose the scriptures to begin with the second letter of the alphabet instead of the first?" Their answer was "To show that the Bible does not always answer every question, and that some knowledge is reserved for God Himself."
They also pointed out that the Hebrew letter "B" is closed on the right side, but open on the left. With the understanding that Hebrew is read from right to left, we can see that the Bible starts with a letter that is open in the direction that is being read, but closed off on the other side. A stark reminder that before anything was in existence - their was God. There is nothing wrong with asking the "why" questions of life. Many times that's what brings us into a closer relationship with our Creator. But we must always remember that God's understanding of the universe is beyond our comprehension. Sometimes we forget that God designed everything from the smallest neutron to the largest galaxies.
I pray that as we struggle with our questions, may we be O.K. with not knowing all of the answers, while resting in the knowledge of what we do know. His love.
As the apostle Paul says,
"I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor ruling spirits, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Jesus our Lord."
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