I've been meaning to write a post on Advent Conspiracy for a couple of weeks now, but haven't found the time. So before the Christmas season gets completely away from me, I'm writing at least a little.
First, watch this:
Thought-provoking, yes?
I've, thankfully, never put myself in debt over Christmas. I have, however, stressed out, spent more than I should have, and not taken time to really enjoy the holiday and ponder what it means.
Worship fully.
Spend less.
Give more.
Love all.
I love this, and I couldn't put it more concisely or effectively than they already have. This is what I want this Christmas, and for Christmases to come.
Check out Advent Conspiracy, and take a look at their charity of choice, Living Water International. With so many people around the world living without something as simple as clean drinking water, our own lives, even in the midst of a difficult economic situation, seem so privileged, even extravagant. Imagine what we could do if we took just a little less for ourselves, and gave just a little more to the least of these.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
What's the point?
Jesse and I had a discussion over the weekend about what exactly we're trying to accomplish with this blog. Is our purpose to convince people to see things our way? Are we trying to generate change of some sort? Or start a conversation? Is this simply a way to consider own ideas and beliefs?
To me, this blog is an outward expression of what's been going on in my head and heart over the past few years--a way to make the internal dialogue public, and work through my own questions, confusions, and ideas in a format that has the potential to include others.
I have a lot of questions about the church, politics, and the church's role in politics, which are the main topics we're planning to cover here.
What is church supposed to look like? Is the American church today a good representation of what God wants the church to be? What are we doing well? Where can we improve? What do the teachings of Jesus look like in a practical way? What should our priorities be, morally and socially? What does God have to say on the moral and ethical issues of our time? Where is the line between building or maintaining a moral society and inappropriately demanding and legislating Christian morality for non-Christians?
What is a Christian's role in government and politics? When faced with choices between candidates and political parties, none of which fully represent Christian morality, how do we decide which issues should be the deciding factors? Is it better for a Christian to remain independent, rather than declaring allegiance to one imperfect political party or another? Or is it better to get involved in a party, in order to have a greater voice in the development of platforms and positions? When no perfect choice is available, is choosing “the lesser of two evils” appropriate?
These are just a few of the questions swirling around in my head, and I intend to explore them more fully in the coming months and years. For me, this blog is a way for me to consider my questions and explore answers in a format that allows for feedback. I know there are others considering these issues, and coming to various conclusions, and ideally, I'd like this blog to become a place of active dialogue, a place where people, especially people of faith, can consider how God, faith, morality, compassion, ethics and government can and should coincide.
To me, this blog is an outward expression of what's been going on in my head and heart over the past few years--a way to make the internal dialogue public, and work through my own questions, confusions, and ideas in a format that has the potential to include others.
I have a lot of questions about the church, politics, and the church's role in politics, which are the main topics we're planning to cover here.
What is church supposed to look like? Is the American church today a good representation of what God wants the church to be? What are we doing well? Where can we improve? What do the teachings of Jesus look like in a practical way? What should our priorities be, morally and socially? What does God have to say on the moral and ethical issues of our time? Where is the line between building or maintaining a moral society and inappropriately demanding and legislating Christian morality for non-Christians?
What is a Christian's role in government and politics? When faced with choices between candidates and political parties, none of which fully represent Christian morality, how do we decide which issues should be the deciding factors? Is it better for a Christian to remain independent, rather than declaring allegiance to one imperfect political party or another? Or is it better to get involved in a party, in order to have a greater voice in the development of platforms and positions? When no perfect choice is available, is choosing “the lesser of two evils” appropriate?
These are just a few of the questions swirling around in my head, and I intend to explore them more fully in the coming months and years. For me, this blog is a way for me to consider my questions and explore answers in a format that allows for feedback. I know there are others considering these issues, and coming to various conclusions, and ideally, I'd like this blog to become a place of active dialogue, a place where people, especially people of faith, can consider how God, faith, morality, compassion, ethics and government can and should coincide.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Where do we go from here?
This recent election was surely one for the history books. It was a time of reevaluation, and if you will forgive the over-used catchphrase, “change.” The lack of a strong Republican candidate forced my wife and I into a time of intense discussion and research. As we listened to both sides it became clear there were things we were not comfortable with on the Christian right.
I have become convicted that as a Christian I do not owe my allegiance to any one government group, but that I should live out my civic duties in the way that best represents Jesus. Because of how complicated issues are I realized that going with a hard-line stance on each one was not always right or productive. To keep the posts short I will divide the topics in a series of posts. I am writing from a Christian point of view but trying to also work out what is good for a morally minded citizen
Morality
It is important for a society to maintain a level of morality or it will end up tearing itself apart. The question is, whose morality? Is a citizen’s democratic sense of duty and respect for the law enough or does there need to be more? Who in a society outlines the morality and how far can law go before it begins to take away individual freedoms? Those are some of the questions that create lines and are a matter of intense debate.
I believe Christians are right to desire a moral society but wrong in demanding a fully Christian one. Christians are defined by a faith in Jesus not by obeying a mandate of the law. Some of the morals outlines of the bible are clearly for followers of Jesus. If I was not a Christian keeping some of them would be no profit to me at all. It makes me really sad when I see Christian holding signs and aggressively crusading against “sinners.” Where did we ever see that modeled for us in the Bible? The New Testament outrage against sin is always focused at that which is in the Church or at sin in a Christian’s personal life. If those who are following Jesus still struggle with sin, how can the world hope to hold the burden of our laws unless they first have Jesus?
I do not propose that we stop attempting to bring morality, but only that we be more loving and selective as we remember that we are engaging society and not a church. And regarding the Church we might want to start there before preaching at society.
Socialism
Christianity in its biblical form has more in common with socialism than I think most Republicans realize…
Ok, now that I have your attention I will say that I was only half joking. I am not a socialist and I agree with the arguments against it. The flaws in human nature mean true full-on socialism will never work. Even with a strong idealistic beginning, greed and corruption anywhere in the system would end the utopia. If the utopia wants to keep its citizens in line they will inevitably end up with a police state and again end the utopia as they are forced into dealing with citizens who are beyond rehabilitation.
However, the principles of an individual’s responsibility to the community are a Christian concept. We do have an obligation to the poor and needy. We are responsible for social justice causes. We should be leaders in desegregation. We should be a mixed community where all races, the poor, the rich, the educated and non-educated are all equal. We are not those things. We have failed. Our churches are segregated and we do not speak out against racism that is still exists within our Culture.
We want the government to be small and frugal but I would ask Republicans this: Will the churches help pay for health care? Will the church help the countless babies and mothers they hope to save? Will the church reach into the communities of poverty and help pull the youth out of the generational cycles? The cycles of crime and educational gaps that define those areas. Will the church stand up against the racism within its own walls? Some do, but not enough. Do not think that Christianity is only about a Sunday Bible study. There is also a practical responsibility to your fellow man. I myself am convicted in this.
I will end this post by pointing out that the two party governments we now have has the two extremes; Conservative and Liberal. I believe that the parties hold each other in balance. At their extreme both concepts go very wrong, but in their balanced states they bring social and fiscal responsibility. Debate is good but we cannot afford to label all alternate views as unpatriotic. That cheapens freedom of speech.
I have become convicted that as a Christian I do not owe my allegiance to any one government group, but that I should live out my civic duties in the way that best represents Jesus. Because of how complicated issues are I realized that going with a hard-line stance on each one was not always right or productive. To keep the posts short I will divide the topics in a series of posts. I am writing from a Christian point of view but trying to also work out what is good for a morally minded citizen
Morality
It is important for a society to maintain a level of morality or it will end up tearing itself apart. The question is, whose morality? Is a citizen’s democratic sense of duty and respect for the law enough or does there need to be more? Who in a society outlines the morality and how far can law go before it begins to take away individual freedoms? Those are some of the questions that create lines and are a matter of intense debate.
I believe Christians are right to desire a moral society but wrong in demanding a fully Christian one. Christians are defined by a faith in Jesus not by obeying a mandate of the law. Some of the morals outlines of the bible are clearly for followers of Jesus. If I was not a Christian keeping some of them would be no profit to me at all. It makes me really sad when I see Christian holding signs and aggressively crusading against “sinners.” Where did we ever see that modeled for us in the Bible? The New Testament outrage against sin is always focused at that which is in the Church or at sin in a Christian’s personal life. If those who are following Jesus still struggle with sin, how can the world hope to hold the burden of our laws unless they first have Jesus?
I do not propose that we stop attempting to bring morality, but only that we be more loving and selective as we remember that we are engaging society and not a church. And regarding the Church we might want to start there before preaching at society.
Socialism
Christianity in its biblical form has more in common with socialism than I think most Republicans realize…
Ok, now that I have your attention I will say that I was only half joking. I am not a socialist and I agree with the arguments against it. The flaws in human nature mean true full-on socialism will never work. Even with a strong idealistic beginning, greed and corruption anywhere in the system would end the utopia. If the utopia wants to keep its citizens in line they will inevitably end up with a police state and again end the utopia as they are forced into dealing with citizens who are beyond rehabilitation.
However, the principles of an individual’s responsibility to the community are a Christian concept. We do have an obligation to the poor and needy. We are responsible for social justice causes. We should be leaders in desegregation. We should be a mixed community where all races, the poor, the rich, the educated and non-educated are all equal. We are not those things. We have failed. Our churches are segregated and we do not speak out against racism that is still exists within our Culture.
We want the government to be small and frugal but I would ask Republicans this: Will the churches help pay for health care? Will the church help the countless babies and mothers they hope to save? Will the church reach into the communities of poverty and help pull the youth out of the generational cycles? The cycles of crime and educational gaps that define those areas. Will the church stand up against the racism within its own walls? Some do, but not enough. Do not think that Christianity is only about a Sunday Bible study. There is also a practical responsibility to your fellow man. I myself am convicted in this.
I will end this post by pointing out that the two party governments we now have has the two extremes; Conservative and Liberal. I believe that the parties hold each other in balance. At their extreme both concepts go very wrong, but in their balanced states they bring social and fiscal responsibility. Debate is good but we cannot afford to label all alternate views as unpatriotic. That cheapens freedom of speech.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Loving my neighbor ... or at least learning her name.
I voted this morning, which in general was an exciting experience. I've always mailed my ballot--first, because I lived in Washington where voting by mail was quite common, and later because I was a military spouse living in Georgia but retaining my Washington residency. It was a cool experience to actually go wait in line and vote with others from my community.
I did have a rather convicting moment, though, when I realized the girl checking voters in was my next-door neighbor. My next-door neighbor who I've never spoken to, beyond an occasional "hello." We've lived in our apartment for 2.5 years, and I don't know a single neighbor's name. (OK, that's not entirely true--I do know Bill, the old man who loves to talk--but that's just because he likes to talk so much).
I've thought many times that I should make an effort to get to know my neighbors, but I've never actually done it. I think and talk a lot about affecting the community and loving people, and I do look for ways to volunteer and get involved, but I haven't taken the simple step of really meeting my actual, literal, physical neighbors. Much of it is just plain shyness, some of it is the fact that I've never looked at our current apartment, or even our current city, as a long-term home. It's just sort of where we sleep, while we work, go to school, go to church, and do almost everything else in other cities. But all reasons and excuses aside, I should be making a real effort to love my neighbors. And I'm pretty sure a good first step would be saying hello, and maybe even, you know, asking their names.
My neighbor, whose name I still don't know, greeted me at the polls with a "Hi, Neighbor!" and quickly found my name on the list--because, after all, we have the same address. I guess she knows my name now, at least. And at least now I have a conversation-starter.
I did have a rather convicting moment, though, when I realized the girl checking voters in was my next-door neighbor. My next-door neighbor who I've never spoken to, beyond an occasional "hello." We've lived in our apartment for 2.5 years, and I don't know a single neighbor's name. (OK, that's not entirely true--I do know Bill, the old man who loves to talk--but that's just because he likes to talk so much).
I've thought many times that I should make an effort to get to know my neighbors, but I've never actually done it. I think and talk a lot about affecting the community and loving people, and I do look for ways to volunteer and get involved, but I haven't taken the simple step of really meeting my actual, literal, physical neighbors. Much of it is just plain shyness, some of it is the fact that I've never looked at our current apartment, or even our current city, as a long-term home. It's just sort of where we sleep, while we work, go to school, go to church, and do almost everything else in other cities. But all reasons and excuses aside, I should be making a real effort to love my neighbors. And I'm pretty sure a good first step would be saying hello, and maybe even, you know, asking their names.
My neighbor, whose name I still don't know, greeted me at the polls with a "Hi, Neighbor!" and quickly found my name on the list--because, after all, we have the same address. I guess she knows my name now, at least. And at least now I have a conversation-starter.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Reagan to Obama
I'm a big fan of Donald Miller. Blue Like Jazz had a major impact on me, as I know it has on many other Christians in my generation. There were many reasons for that, but I do remember being intrigued by Miller's political leanings when I first read the book.
At the time, I was living in a very conservative state (Georgia), attending a very conservative church, working with (mostly) very conservative people, living on an Army post surrounded mostly by conservatives, and I had fairly recently voted for Bush for the second time. But I'd had my moments, now and then, when I wondered if the natural equation of Christian = Republican that I'd always grown up with was really as cut and dry as I'd believed it was as a child and young(er) adult. I remember reading Miller's book, agreeing with some of his sentiments, disagreeing with others (as I still do), and being challenged by much of it, including the political topics.
I even spoke with my pastor about it, asking him if he'd heard of the book. He said no, and I told him how much I'd enjoyed it. I then ventured a comment about how I was realizing that being a Christian didn't mean you automatically had to be a Republican--that maybe someone could love Jesus but vote Democrat. He paused for a moment, and then said something along the lines of "Well ... that's true ... but ..." and proceeded to basically say that Christians should vote Republican, because of moral issues.
That didn't sit well with me. I had a great deal of love and respect for my pastor--he and his family are great people--but it just didn't add up to me that in order to be a good Christian, one needed to be a Republican.
Anyway, all that to say that I really like and respect Donald Miller, and I always find his writing to be insightful and challenging, whether I agree with it or not. He's recently started a new blog, which I immediately added to my Google Reader and have really been enjoying. Today's entry really struck a chord with me, because in many ways his own political journey mirrors mine. I haven't reached all of the same conclusions--Miller is a Democrat, I'm registered as an Independent; he's been campaigning for Obama, I'm voting for Obama but don't agree with him on everything. But I really enjoyed reading about his road from Reagan Republican to Obama Democrat.
My favorite part ... "Having met the enemy, I discovered the enemy wasn’t who I thought they were. They were flawed, even as we were flawed, but they were no less patriotic, and no less good. "
At the time, I was living in a very conservative state (Georgia), attending a very conservative church, working with (mostly) very conservative people, living on an Army post surrounded mostly by conservatives, and I had fairly recently voted for Bush for the second time. But I'd had my moments, now and then, when I wondered if the natural equation of Christian = Republican that I'd always grown up with was really as cut and dry as I'd believed it was as a child and young(er) adult. I remember reading Miller's book, agreeing with some of his sentiments, disagreeing with others (as I still do), and being challenged by much of it, including the political topics.
I even spoke with my pastor about it, asking him if he'd heard of the book. He said no, and I told him how much I'd enjoyed it. I then ventured a comment about how I was realizing that being a Christian didn't mean you automatically had to be a Republican--that maybe someone could love Jesus but vote Democrat. He paused for a moment, and then said something along the lines of "Well ... that's true ... but ..." and proceeded to basically say that Christians should vote Republican, because of moral issues.
That didn't sit well with me. I had a great deal of love and respect for my pastor--he and his family are great people--but it just didn't add up to me that in order to be a good Christian, one needed to be a Republican.
Anyway, all that to say that I really like and respect Donald Miller, and I always find his writing to be insightful and challenging, whether I agree with it or not. He's recently started a new blog, which I immediately added to my Google Reader and have really been enjoying. Today's entry really struck a chord with me, because in many ways his own political journey mirrors mine. I haven't reached all of the same conclusions--Miller is a Democrat, I'm registered as an Independent; he's been campaigning for Obama, I'm voting for Obama but don't agree with him on everything. But I really enjoyed reading about his road from Reagan Republican to Obama Democrat.
My favorite part ... "Having met the enemy, I discovered the enemy wasn’t who I thought they were. They were flawed, even as we were flawed, but they were no less patriotic, and no less good. "
Seeking Faces
My wife and I wanted to start this blog as a way of recording and making available our questions and thoughts on the state of religion and politics in our culture. Over the last few years things that once seemed carved in stone now do not seem so sure, but the questions I found myself asking were things I could not just walk away from. I need an answer.
I finally decided on the name for this blog after re-reading C.S. Lewis’ book “Till we have faces.” In the story the main character bring charges against “the gods” (C.S. Lewis was building an analogy from ancient Greek mythology). At the end of the story she realizes that her hidden motivations obsession with logic and lack of prospective had helped her to interpret events wrongly. It is a beautiful book and the end of the book left me crying on my couch at 3 in the morning.
In my quest for answers I don’t want to rashly assume I have them or that the first places logic takes me are automatically right. Firstly because my logic can often be flawed, and secondly because truth can often be a complicated balance. I am not talking about the laws of nature and morality. I am talking about society and human interaction which is infinitely complicated.
For a basic foundation I am a Christian. I believe that the existence of “a God” is without question. I also believe that blind alliance to single groups or political parties is short sighted. What is working today might become broken and need to be fixed/reformed down the road. Complacent acceptance is dangers if we have stopped thinking and asking our self the question. “Is this really right?” If our questions bring us to hard places we have to decide how far outside or comfort zone we will go to enact change.
I finally decided on the name for this blog after re-reading C.S. Lewis’ book “Till we have faces.” In the story the main character bring charges against “the gods” (C.S. Lewis was building an analogy from ancient Greek mythology). At the end of the story she realizes that her hidden motivations obsession with logic and lack of prospective had helped her to interpret events wrongly. It is a beautiful book and the end of the book left me crying on my couch at 3 in the morning.
In my quest for answers I don’t want to rashly assume I have them or that the first places logic takes me are automatically right. Firstly because my logic can often be flawed, and secondly because truth can often be a complicated balance. I am not talking about the laws of nature and morality. I am talking about society and human interaction which is infinitely complicated.
For a basic foundation I am a Christian. I believe that the existence of “a God” is without question. I also believe that blind alliance to single groups or political parties is short sighted. What is working today might become broken and need to be fixed/reformed down the road. Complacent acceptance is dangers if we have stopped thinking and asking our self the question. “Is this really right?” If our questions bring us to hard places we have to decide how far outside or comfort zone we will go to enact change.
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